TREASURES FROM GOD'S WORD, Week of February 16-22, 2026, “Do not be afraid of the words you have heard,” Prepared Talk.

TREASURES FROM GOD'S WORD, February 16-22, 2026, “Do not be afraid of the words you have heard,” Prepared Speech.

“Do not be afraid of the words you have heard” (10 mins.)

We live in a world where fear seems to be a constant shadow. It's an emotion that, when it reaches us, has the power to overwhelm us to the point of paralysis, leaving us unsure of what to say or which path to take.

Feeling fear in the face of threats or problems is natural nowadays. In fact, there are technological means to measure fear and detect our reactions, functioning as alarms in the face of danger. However, there is a much more subtle danger.

The rabbakh went to Jerusalem to intimidate Jehovah's people (Isa 36:1, 2; it “Hezekiah” no. 1 par. 14).

Fear is like carbon monoxide: it's invisible, odorless, but extremely dangerous. Its influence is difficult to detect with the naked eye, but its effects are devastating.

Therefore, even if the feeling of fear is real, when facing it we must be brave so as not to give in to what they tell us or to what tries to paralyze us through words.

This is exactly what happened in the 14th year of Hezekiah's reign. To understand the magnitude of this crisis, I invite you to read the following text:

LET'S READ ISAIAH 36:1, 2

“In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, came up to attack all the fortified cities of Judah and conquered them. 2 Then the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh with a large army from Lachish to Jerusalem, where King Hezekiah was. They positioned themselves by the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, which is on the road to the Washerman’s Field.”

Just as Hezekiah had predicted, Sennacherib decided to attack Jerusalem. During the siege of Lachish, he sent a delegation with a spokesman named Rabshakeh. This is not a proper name, but a military title. This man spoke fluent Hebrew and, in a loud voice, ridiculed Hezekiah and defied Jehovah.

He boasted that he could not deliver Jerusalem, just as the gods of other nations had not been able to save their lands.

He tried to make them feel weak and helpless (Is 36:8; ip-1 387 par. 10).

With great arrogance, the rabbi issued this challenge, which we read in verse 8:

LET'S READ ISAIAH 36:8

“Come on, make a bet with my lord the king of Assyria: I'll give you 2,000 horses if you can find enough riders for them.”

He wanted to emphasize Assyria's military superiority, but the reality is that Judah's salvation did not depend on its military might. Rabshakeh even went so far as to claim that the Lord's blessing was with the Assyrians, arguing that otherwise they would not have been able to penetrate so far into Judah's territory. He mocked them for trusting in the Lord and in those who led them, as we see in verse 7.

This Assyrian spokesman used another verbal weapon from his arsenal. He warned the Jews not to believe Hezekiah when he told them, “Jehovah himself will deliver us.” He reminded them that the gods of Samaria had been unable to prevent the Assyrians from defeating the ten tribes.

He mocked them because they trusted in Jehovah and in those who led them (Is 36:7, 18-20; ip-1 388 pars. 13, 14).

The Rabshakeh, in worshipping false gods, failed to grasp the fundamental difference between apostate Samaria and Hezekiah's Jerusalem. To him, all gods were the same: idols powerless against the brute force of Assyria. But he was wrong. The idols of other nations were powerless because they were human inventions. However, in Jerusalem, the people had turned their backs on falsehood and were once again serving Jehovah, the living and almighty God.

This distinction is crucial because it marks the difference between a dead faith and a saving faith. The enemy cannot measure God's power by his human standards.

LET'S READ ISAIAH 36:18-20

“Do not let Hezekiah deceive you by saying, ‘Jehovah will save us.’ Has any of the gods of the nations been able to save their country from the hand of the king of Assyria? 19Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they saved Samaria from my hand? 20Which of all the gods of those countries has saved their country from my hand? Then can Jehovah save Jerusalem from my hand?”

Despite all this intimidation, blasphemy, and psychological pressure, the three Jewish representatives did not attempt to explain themselves to the Rabshakeh, nor did they stoop to a pointless argument. The account tells us that they remained silent and did not answer him a word, for it was the king's command: "You must not answer him."

This response of silence is powerful. It teaches us that not all words deserve our time or energy. Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah maintained their composure and returned to present Hezekiah with an official report of the words the Rabshakeh had spoken.

As we meditate on this account, the great lesson is that Sennacherib utterly failed in his attempt to destroy Jerusalem. His shouts, his jeers, and his imposing army were not enough because Jehovah was involved. Today, the message for each of us is the same one that sustained Hezekiah: “Do not be afraid because of the words you have heard.”

Sometimes, life confronts us with our own Rabsacks. These might be financial problems that scream at us that we won't make it, health problems that tell us there's no hope, or people who criticize our faith, trying to make us feel helpless and alone. These are the words we must not allow to paralyze us.

We must have complete confidence that Jehovah will always be on our side. He is not like the gods of Hamath or Arpad. He is not a powerless statue of wood or stone. He is the God who sees our struggles, who hears the threats we receive, and who knows the fear that sometimes tries to take hold of our hearts.

Illustration

Looking at the scene in the image in our activity guide, we can imagine the tension in the air in front of Jerusalem's imposing wall. We see the Rabshakeh shouting from his chariot. The soldiers of Judah listen intently from atop the wall as he tries to make them feel weak and helpless.

Conclusion

If we emulate Hezekiah's faith and the discipline of his servants, who trusted in right guidance and refused to be swayed by provocation, we will see God's power working on our behalf. It doesn't matter how loudly the enemy shouts from his chariot, or how many horses he tries to boast about. True victory is not won with human weapons, but with trust in the Almighty.

If we stand firm, remain silent in the face of negativity, and seek refuge in Jehovah, the words that today seem to overwhelm us and keep us awake at night will lose all their power and vanish.

Let us always remember: we are not alone in this battle. The same God who protected the walls of Jerusalem is the one who protects our lives today. Let us leave here with our heads held high, knowing that Jehovah is our shield and that under His protection no word, threat, or fear can defeat us. Jehovah will always be on our side, today, tomorrow, and forever.