John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 36:6

"Behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust on him." — Isaiah 36:6 (ASV)

Behold, you have trusted in that broken staff of reed. This is probably separate from the former verse. For, having formerly said that the eloquence by which he flatters the people is all that Hezekiah possesses, and having inferred from this that his confidence is exceedingly foolish, he now comes to other particulars.

He uses every method to shake the hearts of the people, so that all, being stunned, may absolutely surrender. Accordingly, after portraying Hezekiah as contemptible regarding his internal resources, he next adds that external resources are idle and useless, saying that they are greatly mistaken in expecting any assistance whatsoever from the Egyptians.

Rabshakeh elaborates on this point:

1. He compares the Egyptians to “a staff of reed” on account of their weakness.
2. For amplification, he calls them “a broken staff.”
3. He says that it is so far from providing support that it pierces the hands that lean upon it.

The meaning can be summarized this way: “The hope the Jews entertain of receiving aid from the Egyptians is not only false and unfounded, but also pernicious.” And Rabshakeh might indeed have said this truthfully, if it had been true that Hezekiah relied on the Egyptians; but he slanderously and falsely accuses the pious king of this vain confidence.

Yet God justly rewarded a rebellious and disobedient people by allowing this filthy dog to reproach them for their wicked revolt. Isaiah had formerly (Isaiah 30:1 and Isaiah 31:1, 6) condemned this crime in severe terms, but their deaf ears refused to accept the rebuke. Therefore, the Jews, who had wickedly despised a Prophet speaking to them in God’s name, deserved to have Rabshakeh as their instructor.

We are therefore warned by this example that there is no reason to wonder if unbelievers, who do not obey God’s counsel for their salvation and reject all prophecies, are subjected to the jeers of their enemies, just as Rabshakeh, the captain of the Assyrian king, now haughtily taunts the rebellious Jews.

Yet it is important to consider the great difference between God’s warnings and Satan’s mockeries. When God wishes to dissuade us from sinful confidence in the flesh, He declares in general terms, Cursed be he that trusteth in man (Jeremiah 17:5), so that the whole world may be reduced to nothing, and that in this way we may be satisfied with Him alone. Therefore, when He has brought us low, He instantly imparts courage to us by offering a remedy.

But when Satan deceitfully blames any vain hope, he drives us to despair, urges us to many other hopes equally bad or still worse, and tempts us to adopt unlawful methods. This is what Rabshakeh does: he does not strike down the hope the Jews entertained from the Egyptians so that they might rely on God alone, but instead substitutes the king of Assyria, as if safety should not be expected from any other source.

He names Pharaoh, but also includes the whole nation in this condemnation.