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 ~ // Mobile Site Link
~ Listen to today's Scripture on OneYearAudioBible.org or DailyAudioBible.com (podcast) ~
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? A good book I've read 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...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roWvLOGsq8w
Do you know the Voice of Truth? Click here and receive beautiful Truth!
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. People reap what they sow." Galatians 6:7 TNIV
Prayer Point: Pray that you are not mocking God in any way, shape, or form in your life. Pray that you realize that you will reap what you sow in your life. Pray that you are sowing seeds of faith, hope and love through a saving faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
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
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.
Grace and peace,
Ramona
Posted by: Ramona | September 20, 2011 at 08:07 PM