The Battle of Truth
I want to dive into a fascinating, but often overlooked, moment in scripture today. It’s the story of Rabshakeh, the Assyrian messenger who came to Jerusalem, spewing lies and half-truths to shake the faith of the people of God. This story may be ancient, but the tactics Rabshakeh used back then are shockingly familiar to what we face today, especially in this digital age where disinformation spreads like wildfire.
So let’s take a journey together—one that will help us recognise these deceptions, shield our hearts, and stand firm on the solid ground of truth.
Setting the Scene: The Siege of Jerusalem
Let’s set the scene. It’s around 700 B.C., and the mighty Assyrian army is surrounding Jerusalem. King Hezekiah is holding his ground, trusting in the Lord to deliver his people. But here comes Rabshakeh, the commander sent by the king of Assyria, with a mission: not to fight with swords but with words. His aim is simple—to demoralise the people, weaken their faith, and get them to surrender without a fight.
Now, Rabshakeh didn’t come with armies behind him; he came with something far more dangerous: a twisted tongue, armed with disinformation.
In 2 Kings 18, he stands before the walls of Jerusalem, addressing the people directly. He says, "Do not let Hezekiah deceive you... The Lord will not deliver you." He mocks their faith, twists the truth about their situation, and then throws in a few convincing-sounding facts to make his lies more credible. He even tries to sound as if he’s speaking on behalf of God.
This is how deception often works. It’s not a blatant, obvious lie—it’s a subtle twist of the truth, a manipulation of reality that sounds believable, even rational. Rabshakeh’s goal was to plant seeds of doubt, to create confusion, and to undermine the people's trust in their leaders and in God.
Rabshakeh’s Strategy: The Power of Disinformation
Doesn’t that sound familiar? In our world today, we face a modern army of Rabshakehs—whether through social media, news outlets, or even word of mouth. Instead of standing on city walls, they sit behind keyboards, spreading disinformation that can pull us away from what we know to be true.
Think about it. We’re constantly bombarded with half-truths, twisted narratives, and outright lies online. It might be about politics, health, or even our faith. A post or a headline can go viral in minutes, reaching millions of people before anyone can fact-check it. And these digital Rabshakehs? They know exactly how to manipulate. They craft their words in ways that stir our emotions—fear, anger, doubt—and once they have us hooked, they lead us away from truth.
Rabshakeh knew that if he could get the people of Jerusalem to believe the lie, they’d surrender. They’d stop fighting, stop trusting, and hand over the keys to the city. The same is true today. When we fall for the lies online, we begin to give up ground. We lose our peace, our clarity, and, most dangerously, our faith in what is true.
How Disinformation Works Today
Now, let’s break this down. What are the tactics that Rabshakeh used that we still see today?
Fearmongering: Rabshakeh knew that fear is a powerful motivator. He painted a terrifying picture of what would happen if the people continued to trust in Hezekiah and God. Today, many disinformation campaigns operate the same way. They spread fear—whether it’s about societal collapse, conspiracies, or danger just around the corner. When we’re afraid, we’re vulnerable. Fear clouds our judgment.
Twisting the Truth: Rabshakeh didn’t tell outright lies; he mixed truth with falsehood. He pointed out that other nations had fallen to Assyria and that their gods hadn’t saved them. But here’s the catch—those nations didn’t serve the living God. It was a half-truth designed to create doubt. Similarly, many of the falsehoods we see online are based on partial truths, carefully curated to lead us astray.
Appealing to Pride and Doubt: Rabshakeh challenged the people’s trust in Hezekiah. “Don’t let him deceive you,” he said. He planted seeds of doubt about their leadership and their faith. In today’s world, we see similar tactics—creating division, questioning authority, and sowing distrust in everything from institutions to God’s word.
It’s important to pause here and reflect: How often do we see headlines or posts that make us doubt? How often do we get pulled into arguments or conflicts that only lead to confusion? These are not new strategies. Rabshakeh perfected them centuries ago.
Standing Firm in the Face of Disinformation
So, how do we respond?
First, let’s look at how Hezekiah responded. He didn’t panic. He didn’t lash out. He didn’t let the words of Rabshakeh shake him. Instead, he went straight to God. He laid the threats before the Lord and prayed. He knew that in the face of lies and manipulation, the only solid ground is the truth of God’s word.
Isaiah 37:14-15 tells us that Hezekiah spread out the letter from the king of Assyria before the Lord and prayed, “O Lord of hosts, God of Israel... You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth.” Hezekiah didn’t let Rabshakeh’s lies take root because his foundation was firm in God’s truth.
That’s the key for us as well. In a world filled with digital Rabshakehs, where disinformation is just a click away, we must be rooted in the truth of God’s word. It is our anchor. When we know the truth, lies lose their power.
Guarding Against the Distortion of God’s Word
But there’s an even deeper danger we need to guard against—the distortion of God’s word itself. Just as Rabshakeh tried to twist the message of God to manipulate the people, we see the same thing happening today. There are those who twist scripture to fit their own agendas, spreading confusion and leading people astray.
Paul warned about this very thing in 2 Timothy 4:3-4: "For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths."
We must be vigilant. We must test everything we hear against the truth of scripture. Just because something sounds spiritual or comes from a popular voice doesn’t mean it’s true. We need discernment, and that discernment comes from knowing God’s word deeply and intimately.
Choosing Truth in a World of Lies
So, here’s the challenge today. In a world where Rabshakehs—both ancient and modern—are shouting their lies from the walls, will we be a people who fall for the deception, or will we stand firm in truth?
The battle for truth isn’t new. It started long before the internet, long before social media. But the tactics remain the same. Fear, doubt, and half-truths are the weapons of disinformation. But we have a greater weapon: the unchanging, living word of God.
Let us be like Hezekiah, who didn’t let the lies sway him, but went straight to the Lord. Let us plant our feet on the solid rock of God’s truth, for when we know the truth, the truth will set us free.
