Isaiah 36:16 “Do not listen to Hezekiah. This is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then each of you will eat fruit from your own vine and fig tree and drink water from your own cistern….”
This line from Isaiah brought George Washington and the play “Hamilton” to mind. In the three verses below, the vine and fig tree are allusions to freedom, peace, and rest. In the Isaiah verse, Rabshakeh hopes to pull on those same emotions.
Micah 4:4 Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the LORD Almighty has spoken.
Hezekiah is trying to convince the Israelites to stay the course, continue trusting in God even through their fear. Rabshakeh says, “Just trust the Assyrian king and rest and peace—vine and fig tree—will be yours.” It’s a trick, of course.
1 Kings 4:25 During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, lived in safety, everyone under their own vine and under their own fig tree.
Lord, How often in my exhaustion and desire for rest do I fall for the siren song of Rabshakeh. You promise me peace and rest but only if I trust in You and You alone. I want Your peace and rest, Lord, not the empty promises of this world. Draw me closer. Amen.
Zechariah 3:10 “’In that day each of you will invite your neighbor to sit under your vine and fig tree,’ declares the LORD Almighty.”
Have a blessed day.