September 21st One Year Bible Readings

Isaiah 37:1-38:22 ~ Galatians 6:1-18 ~ Psalm 65:1-13 ~ Proverbs 23:24
~ Click here to read today's Scripture on BibleGateway.com ~
~ Listen to today's Scripture on DailyAudioBible.com (podcast) or OneYearAudioBible.org ~

Old Testament - Great readings in Isaiah featuring King Hezekiah today!  You'll recall from yesterday's readings that King Sennacherib of Assyria's representative threw down some serious trash-talking at the walls of Jerusalem.  (see yesterday's blog entry below).  Well today in chapter 37 we read about Hezekiah seeking the Lord's help.  Hezekiah takes all of this to God in prayer.  Good move!  How often in our lives today, when challenges come our way, do we take the challenges everywhere else BUT to God?  Wouldn't it be easier to take them directly to God?  Why do we turn to alcohol or drugs or food or worrying or _______ (fill in your blank here) when we can simply take our challenges to the one true living God who can actually do something with them?  Will you model what Hezekiah did when he received distressing news from the King of Assyria, in verses 14 through 17: "After Hezekiah received the letter and read it, he went up to the LORD's Temple and spread it out before the LORD. And Hezekiah prayed this prayer before the LORD: "O LORD Almighty, God of Israel, you are enthroned between the mighty cherubim! You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You alone created the heavens and the earth. Listen to me, O LORD, and hear! Open your eyes, O LORD, and see! Listen to Sennacherib's words of defiance against the living God."

Well, Hezekiah's prayer is clearly answered as we read in verse 36: "That night the angel of the LORD went out to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 Assyrian troops. When the surviving Assyrians woke up the next morning, they found corpses everywhere." Below is an engraving of this verse by Gutave Dore.

I love Hezekiah's poem of praise in chapter 38.  Verse 16 stood out to me: "Lord, your discipline is good, for it leads to life and health." Would you agree with Hezekiah on this point?  Is God's discipline good?  Does God's discipline lead to life and health? Are you accepting God's discipline in your life today?  I found this little reminder of some "good discipline" from a school website below.  Not quite "the" Golden Rule below, but overall good stuff!  :)

Bible.org's commentary on today's readings in Isaiah chapter 38 titled "The Deliverance of Judah's King" is at this link.

New Testament - We finish up Paul's letter to the Galatians today.  Paul's letter to the church in Ephesus begins tomorrow!  We read some powerful teachings in Galatians chapter 6 today.  I love verse 1: "Dear brothers and sisters, if another Christian is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself."  This is such a great teaching.  And one that I have a hunch we do not follow often enough...  When was the last time you gently and humbly helped someone who is overcome by sin get back on the right track?  I know for me that it has not been recently.  And I know I've missed some opportunities in this regard.  The last sentence in this verse is powerful and reminds me that we need to be particularly careful around sexual sin I think - to make sure we don't fall into the same temptation ourselves.  One important note for all of us is to not discuss with someone of the opposite sex their struggles with sexual sin!  It is foolish to do so I believe.  Men can discuss and counsel men in the area of sexual sin.  And women, women.  But I think it is just way too risky for men to discuss or counsel women in the area of sexual sin - and vice versa.  I think we just open ourselves up potentially to temptation if we do this.  I'm sure there are exceptions to this, but generally speaking, don't go into a discussion on personal sexual sin struggles with someone of the opposite sex!  While I'm on the topic here of sexual sin, does anyone have any good book recommendations for anyone who struggles in this area?  I've mentioned Lauren Winner's "Real Sex: The Naked Truth about Chastity" recently on the blog.  Another good book in this area is Josh Harris' "Sex is Not the Problem (Lust Is): Sexual Purity in a Lust-Saturated World." 

Bible.org's excellent commentary on today's readings in Galatians titled "Bearing Burdens: How One Sinner Relates to the Sin of Another" is at this link and "Sowing and Reaping" is at this link.  Below is an image for Galatians 6:14 in today's readings:

Psalms - Psalm 65 has some amazing verses about nature!  I love verse 8 - "Those who live at the ends of the earth stand in awe of your wonders. From where the sun rises to where it sets, you inspire shouts of joy." When is the last time you have been inspired to shout for joy to God for the beautiful sunset he created?

Verse 7 of the Psalm says this - "You quieted the raging oceans with their pounding waves and silenced the shouting of the nations."  When is the last time you have stood in complete silence before God because of his beautiful Creation?

Proverbs - Proverbs 23 verse 24 is one of those Proverbs that simply states a fact without giving advice per se: "The father of godly children has cause for joy. What a pleasure it is to have wise children."  This is of course true.  My question for us today - are we ourselves godly children to our parents?  Are we giving our parents pleasure because we ourselves are wise children?

Worship God:  I realize I'm on a Casting Crowns kick these days, but, wow, they have some amazing worship songs!  In our Isaiah readings today, King Hezekiah reminded me that when the world comes after us with taunts and lies like he was getting from the King of Assyria, well, we either have the option to believe those lies or instead we'll choose to listen to the voice of Truth!  (as King Hezekiah did in prayer!)  Here's Mark Hall from Casting Crowns singing "Voice of Truth" solo on the piano.  This is such a beautiful song...

Do you know the Voice of Truth?  Click here and receive beautiful Truth!

Comments from You:  What verses or insights stand out to you in today's readings?  Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!

God bless,
Mike

Comments

[Anka]

It may be that the LORD your God will hear the words of the field commander, whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent to ridicule the living God, and that he will rebuke him for the words the LORD your God has heard. Therefore pray for the remnant that still survives."

I couldn't help noticing King Hezekiah said"the Lord YOUR God"...I kept going over and over this passage ...my thoughts were this is a King who heard the threats,was afraid..thought MAYBE God will fight for Israel,then maybe not.He made a decision not surrender to Assyria and asked Isaiah to pray for those that are left alive after the Assyrian king attacks.Then when the letter comes from the Assyrian king,King Hezekiah decides to pray to God himself.

How often do we run to others to pray for us because we fear "their God"won't listen to us anyway.....A friend who's going through a period where the temptation to fall into sexual sin seems to be overwhelming....he asked that I pray for him.I asked him to draw nearer to God,maybe even join the OYB..The Lord is our God,our father...the best place to hide is under His wings when the storm hits..and keep our eyes on things His word.

God bless you all

[R]

Isaiah 37:1-38:22

The benefits and advantages of reading through two bible-reading programs has surfaced today. In the other program I use 2 Chronicles 32 is the Old Testament passage. Juxtaposed with or passage for today, I see something I’ve wondered about and never fully grasped until today. Today I see a time line. In fact this revelation gives me more understanding of the Galatians passage Mike has highlighted, >> I love verse 1 - "Dear brothers and sisters, if another Christian is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself." This is such a great teaching. And one that I have a hunch we do not follow often enough... >> (This passage comes with several caveats— one being conditional based on the words, “you who are godly…” I don’t know if Paul is using a bit of sarcasm, but everyone who is a Christian is not godly—and we are also warned to be careful and not to fall in the same temptation we are trying to rescue the person from. This means you must really no yourself and not operate from a position of what you want to be. The question needs to be asked, “Why would there be a strong warning not to fall into the same temptation?” ‘cause we are usually hit with an argument from the person who is falling into sin on why it is not a sin and if you have do not have a good understanding of what you believe and why, you will fall into the same pit your are trying to pull someone out from. . In addition, a lovely preacher once said, “Don’t preach in a bar if you like wine.”

Jerusalem was under attach only after Sennacherib, Assyria’s general, had destroyed all the other fortified cities in Judah, thus the use of the word “remnant” in today’s readings. As Anka has already mentioned, the God of Judah, was Isaiah’s God way before Hezekiah prayed to Him directly and He became Hezekiah’s God. We also see that the king of Judah became deathly ill AFTER the victory and his song or praise to God came AFTER his healing. But why was Hezekiah allowed to become sick, “Pride” In the 37th chapter we read what God spoke about and against Assyria:

Isa 37:26 Certainly you must have heard!
Long ago I worked it out,
in ancient times I planned it,
and now I am bringing it to pass.
The plan is this:
Fortified cities will crash
into heaps of ruins.
Isa 37:27 Their residents are powerless;
they are terrified and ashamed.
They are as short-lived as plants in the field
or green vegetation.
They are as short-lived as grass on the rooftops
when it is scorched by the east wind.
Isa 37:28 I know where you live
and everything you do
and how you rage against me.
Isa 37:29 Because you rage against me
and the uproar you create has reached my ears,
I will put my hook in your nose,
and my bridle between your lips,
and I will lead you back
the way you came."

If we flip back to our readings, we did in 2 Chronicles 32, 2 Chronicles 32 we get, “the rest of the story.”

The LORD sent a messenger and he wiped out all the soldiers, princes, and officers in the army of the king of Assyria. So Sennacherib returned home humiliated. When he entered the temple of his god, some of his own sons struck him down with the sword. The LORD delivered Hezekiah and the residents of Jerusalem from the power of King Sennacherib of Assyria and from all the other nations. He made them secure on every side. Many were bringing presents to the LORD in Jerusalem and precious gifts to King Hezekiah of Judah. From that time on he was respected by all the nations. In those days Hezekiah was stricken with a terminal illness. He prayed to the LORD, who answered him and gave him a sign confirming that he would be healed. But Hezekiah was ungrateful; he had a proud attitude, provoking God to be angry at him, as well as Judah and Jerusalem. But then Hezekiah and the residents of Jerusalem humbled themselves and abandoned their pride, and the LORD was not angry with them for the rest of Hezekiah's reign. Hezekiah was very wealthy and greatly respected. He made storehouses for his silver, gold, precious stones, spices, and all his other valuable possessions. He made storerooms for the harvest of grain, wine, and olive oil, and stalls for all his various kinds of livestock and his flocks. He built royal cities and owned a large number of sheep and cattle, for God gave him a huge amount of possessions. Hezekiah dammed up the source of the waters of the Upper Gihon and directed them down to the west side of the City of David. Hezekiah succeeded in all that he did. So when the envoys arrived from the Babylonian officials to visit him and inquire about the sign that occurred in the land, God left him alone to test him, in order to know his true motives. The rest of the events of Hezekiah's reign, including his faithful deeds, are recorded in the vision of the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz, included in the Scroll of the Kings of Judah and Israel. Hezekiah passed away and was buried on the ascent of the tombs of the descendants of David. All the people of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem buried him with great honor. His son Manasseh replaced him as king.
(2 Chronicles 32:21-33 NET.)

Hezekiah fell into the same sin the king of Assyria fell into, Pride. He did not realize that he was part of God’s plan. Instead, he thought that God was part of his plan. Pride blinds you into thinking, “It’s all about you.” The King of Assyria thought he was bigger than Israel and Judah’s God, he too did not know that he was part of a plan. He thought he was, “All that and a bag of chips,” he thought he was a God slayer because he had slain other gods.

[Penny]

Mike,

I have been reading your blog site for about two months. I wanted to revive an old practice of reading through the Bible in a year and this site has been inspiring, encouraging, and challenging. Thanks for being faithful and obedient in what God has called you to do. I was inspired today by Hezekiah's response to calamity both in terms of the arrogant military advances of Sennecharib and his army and how he turned to the Lord when faced with the prognosis of sickness and death.

I was challenged by the verse let those who are taught share all good things with him who teaches. I've been gaining a lot of rich spiritual nourishment from this ministry. I think it's time to sow something back into it so the harvest continues and increases.

Mike, you asked if anyone had read anything helpful in gently restoring those who have fallen into sin and guarding ourselves against sin. A book that I highly recommend is "When Godly People do Ungodly Things" by Beth Moore. This book is so gentle and restorative and equips the believer to do everything we can to stand firm in a day of mass seduction.

All for Him,
Penny

[Jan]

The Purity Principal by Randy Alcorn, Sex & the Supremacy of Christ by John Piper/Justin Taylor & Every Man's or Woman's Battle by Steven Arterburn.

[Vance]

ISAIAH 38:16

"Lord, your discipline is good, for it leads to life and health."

ISAIAH 37:14 – 16
"After Hezekiah received the letter and read it, he went up to the LORD's Temple and spread it out before the LORD. And Hezekiah prayed this prayer before the LORD:

"O LORD Almighty, God of Israel, you are enthroned between the mighty cherubim! You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You alone created the heavens and the earth.”

GALATIANS 6:1
"Dear brothers and sisters, if another Christian is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself."

****************

NOTE: godly

Greek word and meaning:

pneumatikos
(pneuma = breath, spirit // from God’s Spirit)

1. Relating to the human spirit, or rational soul, as part of the man which is akin to God and serves as his instrument or organ

a) That which possesses the nature of the rational soul

It is interesting to me that a soul can ONLY be “rational” when it is properly related to spirit / God’s Spirit!

There are plenty of “irrational” souls all over the world.

*****************

This is not in the reading for today, but I was meditating on the GLORY of God, which we are INCREASINGLY changed into as we meditate and ponder the Lord. Hezekiah focused on the Lord – His Greatness, Majesty, and Glory:

"O LORD Almighty, God of Israel, you are enthroned between the mighty cherubim! You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You alone created the heavens and the earth.”

2 CORINTHIANS 3:18 (NKJV)
18
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed
into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

UNVEILED FACES –
* Because we are deeply
repentant
* Because we turn to the
Lord
* Because we continually
behold, focus on, and
love the Lord

THANK GOD! –
* For the GLORY of God in
the Lord Jesus!
* For the GLORY of God in
the Gospel of Jesus!

** BEHOLDING AS IN A MIRROR
THE GLORY OF THE LORD

JESUS –
* Is the OBJECT of our
focus, desire, and love!
* Is the MIRROR by which we
see ourselves changing in
the GLORY of Jesus

If we FOCUS on Jesus and HELP OTHERS FOCUS on Jesus, we PROTECT ourselves from falling. Thus, we are able to graciously help:
* OTHERS to KEEP from
falling
* OTHERS GET UP from falling

Lord, I receive YOUR discipline – to train me to always focus on You!

Vance

[Sylvia]

Mike, I want to thank you for this ministry. What a blessing it is! I've tried to do this so many times and never got further than the book of Joshua! The videos have added a whole new dimension to this endeavor. Thank you!

As I was reading Isaiah 37:14-15, I was struck by the fact that he took the letter and "Spead it out before the LORD" and then he prayed. So often, I pray in panic mode, asking God to help me while I try to deal with a situation. I need to "spead it out before the LORD" and then wait on Him to deal with the situation instead!

I found myself humming the hymn "How Great Thou Art" while I was reading Psalm 65!

Galatians 6:14 really convicted me. "Because of that cross, my interest in this world died long ago, and the world's interest in me is also long dead." I think that the more we fall in love with Jesus,the less interest we will have in the things of this world and the less tempting sin will be. It seems like the more I keep my eyes fixed on Jesus, the less the world seems to "mess with" me! When I take my eyes off Him and my faith weakens a bit, that's when the enemy seems to think he's got a chance with me and he launches an all-out attack. His interest in me seems to die when he thinks it won't be worth the trouble!

[John]

Isaiah 37

Assyria blasphemes God.

Hezekiah's Prayer

Notice the format - praise, plea, and acknowledging God's power and soverignty as the only hope of Jerusalem. (rely on, trust in, and depend on the Lord)

Much the same argument made by Moses to save the people in the wilderness. 'Do it for your name's sake.'Hezekiah did not say Jerusalem merited saving - but stated that God is the only God and He could save Israel.
======================================================
Is 37:26
"Have you not heard?
Long ago I ordained it.
In days of old I planned it;
now I have brought it to pass,
that you have turned fortified cities
into piles of stone.

Referenced in Isaiah 10:5-6. In verse Is 37:12 on God describes that Assyria was to plunder and reduce to rubble the cities of Israel. However pride took over and Sennacharib thought he and his gods were greater than all - and he sought to destroy Israel. This God would not allow - for His name's sake.

God would not allow Assyrian army to storm Jerusalem nor take it under seige. The Assyrian army would be depleted and Sennacharib would die by the sword in his land.

God would act, and in so doing His name would be glorified.
======================================================
Is 37:36
Then the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp.

Egyptian legend has it that a pack of rodents invaded the camp and chewed up all the bowstrings of the archers. Perhaps rodents imparted some kind of quick acting plague???? Whether rodents or angel guiding rodents, or angel himself - Sennacharib withdrew from Jerusalem and it was spared.

Archaeology
Assyria was thought to be a Bible myth until Ninevah was uncovered in 18th century. One less thing for the skeptics to list about the Bible :) A well preserved cuneform prism was uncovered outling all of Assyria's military campaigns during this time. Total and complete victory in each campaign - except Jerusalem. strangely silent on why Jerusalem was spared. (Imagine that!) Two links below are very short reads on the "prism.

http://www.bible-history.com/assyria_archaeology/archaeology_of_ancient_assyria_conclusion.html

http://biblehistory.ca/article.php?fragid=1&year=-688

Lastly, God said Assyrian king would fall by the sword in his own land. Clay tablet was unearthed that mentions Sennacharib's death just as verse 38 states. Perhaps the sons were able to kill their faither because of his failure at Jerusalem and the depleted state of his army??????

http://www.bible-history.com/empires/prism.html

Archaelogy does not prove the Bible by itself, but every dig and find so far concerning places and names has verified the Bible's account which had often been derided as fiction by skeptics.

[John]

Gal 6
verse 1a: Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently.

"The overtaken ones need to be restored. They are not to be ignored. They are not to be excused. They are not to be destroyed. The goal is always restoration.

This job of restoration is often neglected in the church. We have a tendency to either pretend the sin never happened, or we tend to react too harshly towards the one who has sinned. The balance between these two extremes can only be negotiated by the spiritual. It should be normal to do what God says here, but it isn’t. It is all too easy to respond to someone’s sin with gossip, harsh judgment, or undiscerning approval." - David Guzik
======================================================
There is no contradiction between bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2) and each one shall bear his own load (Galatians 6:5). In Galatians 6:5, Paul speaks of our final accountability before God. In Galatians 6:2, he speaks of our need to care for others in the body of Christ.

ii. There is also a difference in the wording Paul uses. The word for load in Galatians 6:5 is a common term for a man’s backpack. The word for burdens in Galatians 6:2 is a different word meaning “heavy burdens” - those that are more than a man should carry. In the end, we will are all responsible for our own work, but we can help bear the burdens of others. - David Guzik
======================================================
Gla 6:8
The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

Once again not a verse that says you lose salvation. the Greek verb tenses indicate a habitual continuing action. One who continually sows sin is not saved, and one who continually sows by the Spirit is saved. Not that either one is exclusive. there will be times when a non-believer looks good, and times when a saint lookks bad - but the overall should be looked at as to the predominate fruits of the person.

We should do good in the Spirit to all people - BUT especially to the "family of believers".

Sorry - but I had to cut and paste most of this as I am being called out to minister to a friend - link to total commentary is here:
http://www.enduringword.com/commentaries/4806.htm

[lisa]

Where are all of the 2008 one year Bible bloggers? It's just better when you can read what people are saying now. I'm still here. Thanks for being obedient, Mike. I would not get my reading/time with Jesus if not for your blog. May the Lord bless you and your wife, and your future together.

[henry]

Taking your problems and troubles to God - sounds easy, but we are so full of ourselves that we rather deal with our own problems our way. Guess what? We stuff up big time. We make it even worse than it was before. I have learnt the hard. I now take all my problems, troubles, sickness, depression, finances etc, etc ,etc to God. i pray daily [every spare minute I have] to God. He has a plan for us and we simply have seek that plan by listening to God, not asking God, but listen. He does talk to us all the time. All you have to do is listen silently, open your mind to Him and the answers are there. Believe me :-)