Isaiah 37:8-13

⁸ And the chief consultant returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, because he had heard that he had left from Lachish. ⁹ And he heard something about Tirhakah the king of Cush, that, “He has set out to fight against you.” After he heard this, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, ¹⁰ “You will say this to Hezekiah, king of Judah: ‘Do not let your God (I know that you trust in him) deceive you by saying, “Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” ¹¹ Watch! you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands to destroy them, and you–will you be delivered? ¹² Did the gods of the nations that my fathers destroyed deliver them–Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the sons of Eden who lived in Telassar? ¹³ Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah now?'”

posturing

To posture is to assume an artificial or pretended attitude in order to produce the affect associated with that attitude. The chief consultant for Assyria assumed that Hezekiah was posturing when he claimed to trust in Yahveh for deliverance. He knew Hezekiah was afraid, and so were the rest of Judah. They had good reason to be afraid, because the consultant was right to point out that all of the other nations who had opposed Assyria were defeated. Their posturing proved to be empty.

What about us? If much of our faith-talk empty posturing? Are we fond of certain Bible verses because they build up for us a feeling of protection and fearlessness which does not match what we have experienced? Are we people who trust God, or are we just addicted to empty posturing? A true crisis will reveal the answer to those questions. Nothing reveals the heart like a life-or-death challenge. When that kind of crisis hits, people who truly trust God go to their knees. They don’t try to bolster a false confidence. They seek God’s face.

LORD, build in us a confidence that comes from regular visits to your throne room. Replace our empty posturing with a real faith.