2 Kings 18:17-25: a reflection

17The king of Assyria sent Tartan, Rabsaris, and Rabshakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah with a great army to Jerusalem. They went up and came to Jerusalem. When they had come up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is in the highway of the fuller’s field. 18When they had called to the king, Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebnah the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder came out to them. 19Rabshakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah, ‘The great king, the king of Assyria, says, “What confidence is this in which you trust? 20You say (but they are but vain words), ‘There is counsel and strength for war.’ Now on whom do you trust, that you have rebelled against me? 21Now, behold, you trust in the staff of this bruised reed, even in Egypt. If a man leans on it, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust on him. 22But if you tell me, ‘We trust in the LORD our God,’ isn’t that he whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and has said to Judah and to Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem’? 23Now therefore, please give pledges to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses if you are able on your part to set riders on them. 24How then can you turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master’s servants, and put your trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? 25Have I now come up without the LORD against this place to destroy it? The LORD said to me, ‘Go up against this land, and destroy it.’”’”

As the enemy commander taunts Jerusalem, he presses one searching question again and again: on whom do you trust? And he mocks their trust in a broken reed, exposing the folly of leaning on anything that fails. On whom do you trust, the commander demands, that you have rebelled against me? He warns them that Egypt, on whom some trusted, is but a broken reed that pierces the hand of the one who leans on it. Behind the taunt lies a question worth taking seriously: on whom, on what, do we truly trust? The commander mocks the various things one might trust, and rightly names some of them broken reeds, unreliable supports that fail the one who leans on them. Yet the LORD, whom he also mocks, is the one trust that does not fail. This shows the searching question of on whom we truly trust, and the folly of leaning on broken reeds. On whom do you truly trust? Do not lean on broken reeds that fail. What we trust instead of God often proves a broken reed. The LORD is the one trust that does not fail the one who leans on him.

Notice the searching question at the heart of the commander's taunt: on whom do you trust? He asks it to mock and unsettle, but the question itself is worth taking seriously. On what, on whom, do we truly rest our confidence and security? The commander names some of the things people trust, and rightly exposes their weakness: Egypt, he says, is a broken reed, which, when a man leans on it, pierces his hand rather than supporting him. Some of the supports we lean on are indeed like this: unreliable, unable to bear our weight, failing and even wounding the one who trusts them. The commander is right that trusting in broken reeds is folly. But he is wrong about the LORD, whom he also mocks; for the LORD is not a broken reed, but the one trust that does not fail. This holds a searching question for us. On whom, or what, do we truly trust for our security and confidence? We can lean on many supports: wealth, position, other people, our own strength, alliances and arrangements. But many of these are broken reeds, unable finally to bear our weight, failing us when we most need them. Only the LORD is a trust that does not fail. We do well to examine on whom we truly trust, to stop leaning on broken reeds that fail, and to rest our trust in the LORD, who does not fail those who lean on him. Examine on whom you truly trust for your security and confidence. Do not lean on broken reeds that fail and even wound the one who trusts them. What you trust instead of God often proves unable to bear your weight. Rest your trust in the LORD, who does not fail the one who leans on him.

That is worth taking to heart, for the searching question is on whom we truly trust, and we do well to rest not on broken reeds but on the LORD, who does not fail, as the commander's taunt unwittingly raised. We can lean on broken reeds that fail us; but the commander rightly named some trusts broken reeds, though wrongly mocked the LORD, who does not fail. Examine your trust. Do not lean on broken reeds that pierce the hand; examine on whom you truly trust, and rest your confidence in the LORD, who does not fail those who lean on him. Examine on whom you truly trust, and rest not on broken reeds that fail but on the LORD, who does not fail the one who leans on him, as the enemy commander taunting Jerusalem pressed one searching question again and again, on whom do you trust, and mocked their trust in a broken reed, exposing the folly of leaning on anything that fails, demanding on whom they trusted and warning that Egypt was but a broken reed that pierces the hand of the one who leans on it; for behind the taunt lies a question worth taking seriously, on whom or what we truly trust, and the commander mocks the various things one might trust and rightly names some of them broken reeds, unreliable supports that fail the one who leans on them, yet the LORD whom he also mocks is the one trust that does not fail, which holds a searching question for us, on whom or what we truly trust for our security and confidence, since we can lean on many supports, wealth, position, other people, our own strength, and arrangements, but many of these are broken reeds unable finally to bear our weight and failing us when we most need them, only the LORD being a trust that does not fail, so that we do well to examine on whom we truly trust, to stop leaning on broken reeds that fail, and to rest our trust in the LORD who does not fail those who lean on him.

Lord, as the enemy commander taunts Jerusalem, he presses one searching question again and again: on whom do you trust? And he mocks their trust in a broken reed, exposing the folly of leaning on anything that fails. On whom do you trust, the commander demands, that you have rebelled against me? He warns them that Egypt, on whom some trusted, is but a broken reed that pierces the hand of the one who leans on it. Behind the taunt lies a question worth taking seriously: on whom, on what, do I truly trust? The commander mocks the various things one might trust, and rightly names some of them broken reeds, unreliable supports that fail the one who leans on them. Yet you, the LORD, whom he also mocks, are the one trust that does not fail. Show me the searching question at the heart of the commander's taunt: on whom do you trust? He asks it to mock, but the question itself is worth taking seriously. On what, on whom, do I truly rest my confidence and security? The commander names some of the things people trust, and rightly exposes their weakness: Egypt is a broken reed, which, when a man leans on it, pierces his hand rather than supporting him. Some of the supports I lean on are like this: unreliable, unable to bear my weight, failing and even wounding the one who trusts them. The commander is right that trusting in broken reeds is folly. But he is wrong about you, whom he also mocks; for you are not a broken reed, but the one trust that does not fail. This holds a searching question for me. On whom, or what, do I truly trust for my security and confidence? I can lean on many supports: wealth, position, other people, my own strength, arrangements. But many of these are broken reeds, unable finally to bear my weight, failing me when I most need them. Only you are a trust that does not fail. Take that to my heart. Help me examine on whom I truly trust; keep me from leaning on broken reeds that fail and even wound the one who trusts them; and help me rest my trust in you, Lord, who do not fail the one who leans on you.