Skip to main content

April 16 + Daily notes & readings

DAY 106

The threat of the Assyrian king is real.  Hezekiah has already seen it played out in Israel.  Who could blame him for feeling scared and worried?  

Image result for King hezekiah reforms wiki commons

DAILY READINGS

2 Kings 18-19 & Psalm 106

DAILY NOTES

2 Kings 18

  • Hezekiah takes reign over Judah.  He "did what was right in the sight of the Lord."  Notice his actions; we typically refer to them as Hezekiah's reforms.  He finally cuts down the sacred pole and, among other things, the bronze serpent that Moses created.
    • The bronze serpent had become something the people began to worship.
    • It even has a name!  Nehushtan means a "thing of brass."  It's also been called a "trifling thing of brass." 
  • Verses 9-12 review what happened at the end of Chapter 17.  Israel is taken captive and the people are taken away to Assyria.  
  • The Assyrian king takes Judah captive and threatens Hezekiah as well.
2 Kings 19
  • Hezekiah is fearful about what the Assyrian king will do.  Hezekiah goes to the prophet Isaiah for prayer. Isaiah assures him that God will save them.
Psalm 106
  • A history lesson wrapped in prayer that God would be gracious to the people.  They have sinned.  
  • The prayer is that God would save the people so that they "may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise."  

OTHER OBSERVATIONS

I don't want to get started on the bronze serpent!  I'll save that for a sermon some day.

The Assyrians told Hezekiah that all he had were words.  Counsel and might are needed for war.  Hezekiah was putting his faith in words.  Of course, Hezekiah is being mocked, but we can also assume Hezekiah is depending on words from God.  Hezekiah went to Isaiah for direction or maybe even a battle plan.

Isaiah gave Hezekiah more words.

They were words of a promise from God, but they were still just words.

It seems like there's a great lesson there.  If God gives us a word, can we trust that word?  If so, then why do we get so anxious to make other things happen?  We may not be preparing for a war, but we're facing other things that upset, unnerve or frighten us.  Are God's words to us enough for those moments?  If so, relax.  

Other people may think we need more than the words of God's promises.  If so, God will tell us (and God'll probably use words to tell us, too).  But don't fall into the temptation to let go of God's words (or God's Word) in order to hold onto some other promise.  

God is faithful. 

Stay blessed...john

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

March 24 + Daily notes & readings

DAY 83 The relationship between Saul and David worsens.  David is now Saul's enemy.   DAILY READINGS 1 Samuel 18-20 & Psalm 83 DAILY NOTES 1 Samuel 18 Saul's delight for David quickly turns.  Saul is jealous of David's success and the fact that everyone else seems to like David more than him. Of course, we have to think about what this evil spirit from the Lord might mean. Saul tries to kill David.  He even devises a plan to have him married into the royal family so that he can create a snare for him. What does it say about David that, even after Saul has tried to kill him, he still finds it an honor to be married to the family? David escapes Saul's traps.  So, from here on out, the text says that Saul considered David an enemy.  Think he knows what it means to love your enemies? 1 Samuel 19 Verse 5 reminds us of David's fight with Goliath.  At this point, David has fought other times.  What makes that ...
Post a Comment
Read more

May 14 + Daily readings & notes

DAY 134 We're reading another prophet today.  Here's t he Bible Project video that describes what the book is about. DAILY READINGS Jonah 1-4 & Psalm 129 DAILY NOTES Jonah 1 Notice the simple, direct message God gave Jonah.  There's no explanation for why Jonah doesn't follow through (yet).  As quickly as the word from God comes, he goes away. The mariners have their own god to cry out to for help.  They ask Jonah to cry out to his God.  Did you notice he never did?  He only told them that he worships the Lord.   The mariners feared the Lord after this.   Jonah 2 When he and the others were in trouble, Jonah didn't cry out to God.  Now that he's sitting inside a big fish, he offers a prayer to God.   And notice even the fish listens to God! Jonah 3 The word of God comes to Jonah again.  This time Jonah responds.  And the people of Nineveh respond with faith in God. Up to this p...
Post a Comment
Read more

June 19 + Daily notes & readings

DAY 170 DAILY READINGS Jeremiah 7-9 & Psalm 15 DAILY NOTES Jeremiah 7 Notice the emphasis of God's house having God's name.  It belongs to God, but the people, through their unrighteous actions, have made it theirs.  God's house has been turned into a "den of robbers" (vs. 11).  Remember when Jesus said that (Matthew 21:13)? According to Jesus, what was the Temple supposed to be called? Remember when the people tried to use the ark of the covenant as a weapon against the Philistines (1 Samuel 4)?  That was at Shiloh.  Jeremiah brings that event to our minds again as a sign (vs. 14).  God says that human sacrifice was not his command, nor did it come to his mind.  You'll have to do some wrestling with the story of Abraham almost sacrificing Isaac (Genesis 22). Jeremiah 8 Jeremiah (God) says to unearth the kings' bones and lay them before the sun and moon and all the other gods they served and worshiped.  Ouch. Even animals ...
Post a Comment
Read more