Isaiah 36: Group Study Handout

How to use: read Isaiah 36 aloud together, then take the questions in order. One page is enough for an evening.

Overview

In the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, attacks all the fortified cities of Judah and captures them (vv. 1-2). He sends Rabshakeh to Jerusalem with a large army.

Key verse

“But if you tell me, ‘We trust in Yahweh 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?’”
Isaiah 36:7 (WEB)

Outline

Isaiah 36:1–2 Assyrian Invasion Begins
Isaiah 36:3–5 Rabshakeh's Challenge
Isaiah 36:6–10 False Security in Egypt
Isaiah 36:11–12 Request for Language
Isaiah 36:13–20 Intimidation Tactics
Isaiah 36:21–22 Response of Hezekiah's Officials

Discussion questions

In v1, what cities does Sennacherib capture during his attack?
What does Rabshakeh say about trusting in Egypt in v6?
In vv. 14-15, what is Rabshakeh implying about Hezekiah's faith in Yahweh?
In v12, why does Rabshakeh choose to speak in the Jews' language despite the request?
When have you faced a situation that tested your trust in God's promises like in v15?

Go deeper

Passages that echo Isaiah 36: 2 Kings 18, Isaiah 37, 2 Chronicles 32.

Before next time: read Isaiah 37.