Then the Rabshakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: “What confidence is this in which you trust? You speak of having plans and power for war; but they are mere words. And in whom do you trust, that you rebel against me? Now look! You are trusting in the staff of this broken reed, Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the Lord our God,’ is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem’?”’” 2 Kings 18:19‒22
In the exchange that follows, the officer of the great Assyrian king warns the Jews that resistance will bring them nothing but destruction. He also promises that they will be treated well if they will only surrender. He is quick to warn them that they cannot rely on Egypt to save them, and he warns that they cannot rely on their God either, since Hezekiah has destroyed so many of His altars. He reminds the Jews that none of their neighbors’ gods have been able to deliver their people from the Assyrian war machine. But in the next chapter we read that God sends His angel to the Assyrian camp and kills 185,000 men in their sleep and puts the rest to flight. The Jews were able to put their trust in God, even when it appeared that there was no hope left. Where is your confidence?
The world puts its confidence in physical things. There is no use in putting our confidence in earthly treasures, because they do not last: time will see them all either stolen or corroded (Matthew 6:19). In 1955, Congress passed legislation requiring the motto “In God we trust” be inscribed on all US coins and currency. Many men throughout history have made fortunes and lost them when their countries fell to a foreign power, but if your trust is truly in God, it cannot be shaken, no matter what happens. We have learned in recent years that even real estate is not a sure investment. According to a recent NBC News article, 13 percent of homeowners owe at least 25% more than their property is worth. King Saul didn’t believe that David could defeat Goliath, because he put his confidence in physical strength (1 Samuel 17:33) instead of the God of Israel, just as the giant did (vv 42–44).
The world puts its confidence in numbers. The Assyrians had no doubt that their strength and great numbers would translate to conquest in Jerusalem just as it had elsewhere. We live in a society in which the majority determines how we are governed, and many people take this same approach in matters of religion. God commanded, “You shall not follow a crowd to do evil” (Exodus 23:2). Jesus said, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it” (Matthew 7:13). If you are putting your confidence in the fact that you are going the way of the majority, be warned that you are almost certainly going the wrong way!
The world puts its confidence in flesh and blood. Concerning the Judaizing faction in the church, Paul said that they “desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh” (Galatians 6:13). Some put their confidence in preachers. Others put their confidence in men who have taught them that there is no God. Jesus said that blind leaders and blind guides will fall into the ditch together (Matthew 15:13–14). If you put your confidence in man, you are sure to be disappointed.
Some put great confidence in feelings. The religious world is notorious for doing what feels good, but Solomon says, “Its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 16:25). Jeremiah said, “The way of man is not in himself” (Jeremiah 10:23). What is the confidence in which you trust? Is your confidence misplaced?