In 2 Kings 19 Hezekiah clothes himself with the sign of abject humility and sends his senior servants to the prophet Isaiah beseeching Yahweh's support. Judah is assured of Yahweh's help for the Assyrian general had taunted "the LIVING GOD". The prophet assures Judah that the LORD was with them - this is Immanuel's land and God is with His people. In his taunt Rabshakeh catalogues the Assyrian victories. The Assyrian general spoke these, and they are recorded on the Taylor cylinder in the...
In 2 Kings 19 Hezekiah clothes himself with the sign of abject humility and sends his senior servants to the prophet Isaiah beseeching Yahweh's support. Judah is assured of Yahweh's help for the Assyrian general had taunted "the LIVING GOD". The prophet assures Judah that the LORD was with them - this is Immanuel's land and God is with His people. In his taunt Rabshakeh catalogues the Assyrian victories. The Assyrian general spoke these, and they are recorded on the Taylor cylinder in the Assyrian room at the British Museum of Ancient History. Upon receiving Rabshakeh's letter Hezekiah makes it a matter of prayer by opening the letter in the temple and committing the matter to Yahweh. The key to the success of this prayer was Hezekiah's trust in His Sovereign - compare 2 Kings 18 verses 5 and 19 verses 16. The prophet Isaiah
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conveys to his monarch Yahweh's derisive response to the boastful and contemptuous letter. Though the siege would continue for a number of years, the Almighty would provide for His people. The words of Psalm 124 verses 7 are found on the Taylor cylinder in the Assyrian room of the British Museum and are taken from the Songs of Degrees composed by Hezekiah at that time. No siege machines were to be used, nor any arrow fired. Verses 35-37 record the demise of 185,000 soldiers and the ignominious slaying of Sennacherib in his home city of Nineveh. Sennacherib's shameful slaying by his sons happened a few years after his ignominious defeat by the Almighty. Ezekiel 9 tells of the vision of the man with the writer's ink horn, who was to seal upon the forehead of those who truly lamented the nation's degraded condition. Psalm 45 tells that our Lord Jesus Christ not only loved righteousness, but he also hated wickedness - verse 7. We too must not be indifferent to evil if we are to be citizens of the Kingdom. We must like our Master be sealed in our thinking- John 6 verses 27-40; Revelation 14 verses 1-5. Following the sealing of the righteous was the destruction of the evil and uncommitted by the man carrying the slaughter weapon verses read 1 Peter 4 verses 17-19. Ponder the message for the way we must live in order to be saved when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. He comes for those "who love his appearing" as we are told in 2 Timothy 4 verses 1-8. Luke records in his 5th chapter the call of fishermen to become Jesus' Apostles. Peter, Andrew, James and John were mending their nets, but they were miraculously given an incredible catch when they obey our Lord. Their job from now on was to catch men for the Gospel. We too are charged to catch men and women for the kingdom verses Mark 16 verses 15-16. The chapter records the next miracle as the curing of a leper, who totally believes In Jesus' power. The leper's only question was would the Lord be willing. The cleansed leper is sent to the priests as a testimony that our Lord Jesus Christ is sent from God. Crowds gather to Jesus and are healed. The power of God was ever present to heal those of responsive hearts. Luke speaks of the faith of a paralytic man and his four friends, who against all odds find a way for faith to save their paralysed friend. This healing provokes indignation from the religious authorities. Jesus had intended this as it demonstrates the link between Christ's miracles and him being the Son of God (called in Luke's record "the Son of Man"). Then we read of the call of Levi, or Matthew, who is a hated collector of excise. We read of a dispute arising among the Apostles about fasting. Jesus tells his Apostles that the reason his disciples did not fast was because the bridegroom was with them. Christ says that when the Bridegroom is taken away then they would fast. Lastly the Lord gives two parables (new and old cloth and wineskins and wine) which explain why Jesus' teaching was not palatable to the inflexible Jewish religious leaders. The enemies of our Lord were set in tradition and were incapable of receiving Jesus' saving message. Let us make sure that we have hearing ears.Thanks for joining us - we pray you found these comments helpful in your appreciation of God's words, join again tomorrow
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