2 Kings 18:13-19:37
These are two great chapters of the Bible. As disciples we need to be inspired by these. We need to be inspired by king Hezekiah, a great lover of God, leading his nation in the darkest of times facing an unstoppable world power. There are probably a million ways to apply what we have here, but there is one application that is going to repeat again and again; When God allows you to be pushed into a corner and there is no hope, He might be on the verge of giving a deliverance that is not only for us, but is also a sign for everyone else. Hezekiah is facing total annihilation by Assyria. Unknown to him, soon all nations would be praising the God of Israel.
2 Kings 18:13-37
V. 15 Notice that Hezekiah tried to avoid a fight.
V. 22 As you read, notice how often the Rabshekeh tries to use a religious argument to defeat the morale of the people. It will happen three more times.
This morning I was reading over the temptation of Jesus and realized for the first time that the temptation to throw Himself off the temple was really based on God's promise of help to Jesus. Satan was trying to get Jesus not to wait for the Father to help Him, but to force the promise and get help "now." In essence Satan was telling Jesus not to wait, but to press the "easy" button. Now that is a temptation I can relate to. One of the hardest things we do as disciples is to hope on God and wait on Him in the harvest. And the temptation to "give up" doesn't come from the lost, but from believers who are not living for Christ in the harvest, telling us that we're being impractical or…whatever sounds like it might be from God…but has nothing to do with living to glorify the Father by bearing much fruit and so proving to be His disciples.
I'll bet Hezekiah was tempted too. That offer of "a chicken in every pot" that the Rabshekeh was making must have sounded good. Instead, against all reason, they hoped in God and waited.
V. 36 Notice the obedience.
2 Kings 19
Vs. 1-4 This is a godly man leading the people in worship and fasting and crying out.
Vs. 5-7 Isaiah said that God did indeed hear. The faith here is incredible. They are still surrounded, but they understood Isaiah to be a prophet of God and his words were the Word of God. Imagine the contrast here to what happened in Israel for years during the ministries of Elijah and Elisha.
Vs. 8-13 The Rabshakeh should have left well enough alone. This turn of events must have made him think he would lose face and that the people in Jerusalem "might think" this was from God. So he decided to put his arrogance and ignorance in writing, just to make sure everyone knew.
Vs. 14-19 We haven't seen this kind of faith and godliness since David. Close your eyes and try to visualize what this might have looked like, the king coming before the holy place dressed in sackcloth, spreading the letter out on the ground, himself lying on the ground before that holy place that held the bread of God's provision, the lamp of God's presence and leading and the incense of prayers constantly being heard by God.
V. 19 Hezekiah, in this darkness, had a glimpse of God's redemptive purpose.
V. 20 God hears prayer.
Vs. 21-28 Much of this sounds like the book of Isaiah, obviously. It also sounds like what God said to Pharaoh, "I have raised you up for the very purpose of showing my power in you that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth." This is how God uses the arrogant.
Vs. 29-31 After this, this small remnant of Judah will prosper.
Vs. 32-34 God is still responding to His promise to David.
Vs. 35-37 Assyria was no longer a world power. In a moment God broke them. Years earlier He had done this to Egypt, and they never recovered. There is rejoicing among nations, there is freedom, there is a vacuum of power in the world. All eyes are on Israel and their God.
Being moved to the brink of despair spiritually and emotionally is not fun, but God does that for His glory and to teach us what we could not learn in any other way. As disciples following Christ in the harvest, we need to bear the weight of faith, showing to others what it means to have our hope set on the living God, who is the savior of all men, who saves those who believe.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mktjoryv_8Y&feature=related
Acts 21:1-16
V. 4 Verses like these have led people to believe that it wasn't God's will for Paul to go to Jerusalem. Assuming for now (we'll find proof positive in Ch. 23) that this was in fact God's will for Paul to go, why do you think the Spirit was telling people to tell Paul that trouble was before him?
Vs. 8-9 So we meet Philip again. Notice the words that Luke uses. Philip was one of "the seven." In the background you can almost hear the theme song of the "Magnificent Seven."
Just for chuckles:
Vs. 10-11 As for me, if a guy named Abagus comes into the room, I'll definitely tell him to stay away from my stuff.
What's interesting here is that the Holy Spirit is saying this will happen. It is not an "if-then" proposition. Paul is definitely going, this is definitely happening. So why is the Holy Spirit doing this?
Vs. 12-15 Paul was used greatly by God. Knowing Paul, because of what the grace of God made him, Paul was actually a great man. Imagine the shock to the church to have one of your heroes put on ice, in jail, for over three years on some silly technicality of law and some political corruption. You could imagine that people would be discouraged and churches shocked and Paul's opponents would say, "see, we told you." But the Spirit is warning the spiritually perceptive, that His plan in using Paul is about to change. I think the Spirit is getting everyone ready. This is not Paul's mistake. It is God's will and plan.
As disciples, sometimes I think we second guess what happens to others as if we are God and know better. God's will doesn't always look smooth and straight. His will for us, for a week, a year or a decade of our lives doesn't necessarily have to follow our plan or have to make sense to everyone else. We only need to follow Christ in the harvest, wherever that harvest is, whatever the field might look like. We draw near to God. That's a plan.
Psalm 149
I know it is easy to identify with the praising of this psalm and not really endorse the judgment part of the psalm. I wonder if the people in Jerusalem who heard the Rabshakeh would have understood both parts of this psalm?
As disciples, we need to remember that a part of the Gospel is judgment. It is not only love's privilege to make an offer of redemption, but it is also love's duty to warn of impending judgment. And judgment will come and we will not only welcome it when it does, but we will be a part of that judgment.
1 Corinthians 6:2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, matters pertaining to this life!
Proverbs 18:8
The words of the Rabshakeh were meant to divide and go deep. He said that God had sent him. He said God didn't care. He said life could be good by following him. As a pastor and disciple, after all these years, being on both sides of this sinful practice, I think it is always a bad thing when this happens in a church. If you can't talk openly, sin is around the corner. If I feel I need to whisper, I need to leave. We are here to follow Christ in the harvest and see the lost reached and disciples made. Focusing on being a disciple who makes disciples can, itself, take away a lot of reasons to whisper.
If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this link Every Day in the Word. If that doesn't work, go to http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/devotions/ and click on “Every Day in the Word.”
I'm writing these comments to and for those who are following a One Year Bible and interested in growing deeper as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the growth of a discipleship culture in the church. Groups of 3-4 disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to reach out and make disciples who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most universal manual we have and key to our growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here or what we are to be doing. My comments are only meant to provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of God's plan of redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are designed to keep us focused on Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups will grow in Christ and be willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with and encourage in their growth as disciples, disciples making disciples in the harvest.
If you would like a more descriptive commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's keyed to the NIV, so the result is, the commentators are constantly telling you what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never hurts.
I am not endorsing any particular One Year Bible; in fact, I read something you don't, die revidierte Lutherbibel 1984.
Anyone reading along with us is welcome to do so and is encouraged to take their own notes and make their own observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular tradition or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as I understand it.
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