John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 36:18

"Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, Jehovah will deliver us. Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?" — Isaiah 36:18 (ASV)

Lest perhaps Hezekiah deceive you. This is another argument, different from the former, by which he attempts to draw the people away from Hezekiah and from confidence in God. Previously, he boasted that he was God’s servant and that God had sent him to destroy Judea, and on that basis, he was assured of certain victory; but now he openly insults God himself. Initially, wicked men do not usually betray their scorn and impiety, but eventually, the Lord reveals their dispositions and compels them to reveal the venom of their own hearts. So now, the wicked Rabshakeh bursts forth with greater violence and boasts that he will win victory even over God himself.

Have any of the gods of the nations rescued their land? He speaks on behalf of his master, that his master had won great victories over many powerful nations. They had their “gods,” by whose protection they believed they were defended; and therefore Sennacherib thought that he had conquered the “gods” themselves, because he had conquered the nations that relied on their help. As a result, he breaks out into such arrogance that he does not hesitate to compare himself to the living God, and is driven by such rage that he brings his own strength into conflict with the power of God.

Thus, although at first wicked men conceal their contempt of God, they later show that they claim everything for themselves and that they are without God (Ephesians 2:12). Indeed, in words, they pretend to ascribe victories to their idols; but later, as Habakkuk says, they sacrifice to their net, and offer incense to their drag (Habakkuk 1:16).

We see hypocrites do this also today; for they rush to honor their idols after winning a victory, but immediately after, they boast of their plans, wisdom, courage, and military forces. This clearly shows that they ascribe to themselves, and not to their idols, everything that has happened.

By such insolent boasting, therefore, he showed it was a lie when he said that he acknowledged God as the author of his victories. Besides, these words must have caused dreadful agony to the good king's heart when he was told that God's promises were condemned as false, and when that wicked man openly insulted God and associated God with idols.

These things are related so that we may observe the good king's patience and may resolve to imitate him when anything similar happens.

Have they delivered? When he sets himself in opposition to all the gods and declares that he is more powerful than they are, this is so contrary to common sense that even wicked men themselves detest it. Yet if the Lord pressures them severely, if he subjects them to extreme duress, he quickly extorts such language from them.

When they make a premeditated speech, they pretend to be worshippers of God, but later God compels them to bring out and acknowledge what was lurking within.

Let us learn, therefore, that superstition is always accompanied by pride, so that those who do not know God do not scruple to rise up against everything that is called God. And let us not be astonished at the rebellion and arrogance of wicked men, for only the pure knowledge of God can teach us humility.

And yet that wicked man cannot be excused as if he justly reproached idols with their weakness and uselessness. For we should observe his sentiments and the purpose of his heart, since he is not ridiculing the superstition and vain confidence of the nations, but through the idols themselves, he pours contempt on the power of God.

In like manner, when Dionysius the tyrant ridiculed his gods, he fought with God and defied him to a contest; for he attacked, against his own conscience, such a deity as his mind could comprehend. The same observation might be made of all other unbelievers who treated with scorn false religions which they supposed to be from God.

Here we should also observe another kind of blasphemy by which God's majesty is wickedly dishonored: namely, that Rabshakeh confounds God with idols and represents him as one of the multitude.

For what blasphemy is it to confound the immortal God and creator of all things with what is most detestable, to confound truth with falsehood, glory with shame, heaven with earth?

The Lord is great, says David, and worthy of the highest praise; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are nothing; but the Lord made the heavens. Majesty and honor are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary (Psalms 96:4–6).