II Chronicles 32
Hezekiah prepares Jerusalem for invasionverses 1-4
After these things and the establishment thereof
Sennacherib – king of Assyria came – and entered into Judah
and encamped against the fenced cities
and thought to win them for himself
And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib was come
and that he was purposed to fight against Jerusalem
he took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop
the waters of the fountains which were without the city
and they did help him
So there was gathered much people together – who stopped all the fountains
and the brook that ran through the midst of the land
saying
Why should the kings of Assyria come and find much water?
Hezekiah encourages the peopleverses 5-8
Also he strengthened himself – and built up all the wall that was broken
and raised it up to the towers – and another wall without
and repaired Millo in the city of David
and made darts and shields in abundance
and he set captains of war over the people
and gathered them together to him in the street of the
gate of the city – and spoke comfortably to them
saying
Be strong and courageous – be not afraid nor dismayed for the
king of Assyria – nor for all the multitude that is with him
For there be more with us than with him with him is an arm of flesh
BUT with us is the LORD our God to help us
and to fight our battles
And the people rested themselves on the words of Hezekiah king of Judah
Sennacherib sends message to Jerusalemverses 9-15
After this did Sennacherib – king of Assyria – send his servants to Jerusalem
(but he himself laid siege against Lachish – and all his power with him)
to Hezekiah king of Judah
and to all Judah that were at Jerusalem
saying
thus say Sennacherib – king of Assyria
Whereon do ye trust that ye abide in the siege in Jerusalem?
Does not Hezekiah persuade you to give over yourselves to
die by famine and by thirst
saying
The LORD our God shall deliver us out of the hand of the
king of Assyria?
Has not the same Hezekiah taken away HIS high places
and HIS altars – and commanded Judah
and Jerusalem
saying
You shall worship before one altar and burn incense upon it?
Know you not what I and my fathers have done to all the
people of other lands?
Were the gods of the nations of those lands any ways able
to deliver their lands out of mine hands?
Who was there among all the gods of those nations that my
fathers utterly destroyed – that could deliver his
people out of mine hand – that your God should
be able to deliver you out of mine hand?
Now therefore let not Hezekiah deceive you
nor persuade you on this manner – neither yet believe him
FOR no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his
people out of mine hand and out of the hand of my fathers
How much less shall your God deliver you out of mine hand?
Sennacherib’s servants mock the LORDverses 16-19
And his servants spoke yet more against the LORD God
and against his servant Hezekiah
He wrote also letters to rail on the LORD God of Israel
and to speak against HIM
saying
As the gods of the nations of other lands have not
delivered their people out of mine hand
so shall not the God of Hezekiah deliver
his people out of mine hand
Then they cried with a loud voice – in the Jew’s speech
to the people of Jerusalem that were on the wall
to affright them and to trouble them
that they might take the city
And they spoke against the God of Jerusalem
as against the gods of the people of the earth
which were the work of the hands of man
Hezekiah and Isaiah pray for deliveranceverses 20-21
And for this cause Hezekiah the king
and the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz
PRAYED and CRIED to heaven
And the LORD sent an angel – which cut off all the mighty men of valor
and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria
So he returned with shame of face to his own land
and when he was come into the house of his god
they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there
with the sword
Hezekiah had peace in the landverses 22-23
Thus the LORD saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem
from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria
and from the hand of all other – and guided them
on every side – and many brought gifts to the
LORD to Jerusalem
and presented to Hezekiah king of Judah
so that he was magnified in the sight of all
nations from thenceforth
LORD had to deal with Hezekiah’s prideverses 24-26
In those days Hezekiah was sick to the death
and PRAYED to the LORD
and HE spoke to him and HE gave him a sign
BUT Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done to him
for his heart was lifted up
THEREFORE there was wrath on him
and on Judah and Jerusalem
Notwithstanding – Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart
both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem
so that the wrath of the LORD
came not on them in the days of Hezekiah
Hezekiah wealth describedverses 27-30
And Hezekiah had exceeding much riches and honor
and he made himself treasuries for silver – gold – precious stones
spices – shields – all manner of pleasant jewels
storehouses also for the increase of corn – wine – oil
and stalls for all manner of beasts
and cotes for flocks
Moreover he provided him cities
and possessions of flocks and herds in abundance
for God had given him substance very much
This same Hezekiah also stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon
and brought it straight down to the west side of the city of David
And Hezekiah prospered in all his works
LORD tested Hezekiah’s heartverse 31
Howbeit – in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon
who sent to him to inquire of the wonder that was done in the land
God left him – to try him that HE might know all that was in
his heart
Record of reign of Hezekiahverses 32-33
Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah – and his goodness
BEHOLD
they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet – the son of Amoz
and in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel
And Hezekiah slept with his fathers – and they buried him
in the chiefest of the sepulchers of the sons of David
and all Judah
and the inhabitants of Jerusalem did him honor at his death
And Manasseh his son reigned in his stead
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 7 Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him. (553 “courageous” [‘amats] means to be strong, to strengthen, make firm, to be able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching, to be alert, or bold)
DEVOTION: Here we have a situation that seems imposable in our lives. The children of Israel were faced with an army that seemed too strong for them to face. The king of the nation would challenge them but their leaders told them not to worry because the LORD was able to defeat any enemy that came against them.
King Hezekiah told them and believed that the army of the LORD was stronger than any other army no matter its size.
Is this still true today? The answer is YES! The LORD is able to defeat any army that our enemy, Satan, can send against us. HE is stronger than any temptation that the devil can send our way. We are promised the victory if we would trust in the LORD with all our heart.
It is not easy to look at our temptation or enemies and think that the LORD is stronger than any force that is tempting us to run. We have to trust in the LORD with all our heart and lean not on our own understanding but in all our ways acknowledge HIM.
When we see the enemy that is giving us problems in our personal growth in the LORD do we understand that the LORD is able to defeat any enemy or temptation that HE allows in our life?
The trials are real both in the lives of the children of Judah and in our lives. It is up to us to decide if we are going to trust the LORD with all our heart and not lean on our own understanding.
CHALLENGE: Is there an enemy that you are facing today that seems more powerful then God is able to defeat? Remember that that is not possible!
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 8 With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.(5564 “rested” [camak] means to lean upon, lay, stand fast, support, uphold, or sustain)
DEVOTION: Do you have time periods when you think everyone and everything is against you? Does it sometimes seem that the LORD doesn’t care what you are going through? Does it seem like when things are going bad there are no human arms around you to give you a hug and tell you that the LORD knows what you are going through? Our world seems to enjoy hurting those who are followers of the LORD. Their armies seem to always gang up on us. We seem to be outnumbered. All this is a LIE of our enemy the Devil.
Each of us has trials come our way. Remember that the LORD has two kinds of trials come our way. One is for those who are out of fellowship with HIM, which is called chastening. The other is for those who are faithfully serving HIM, which is called purging or pruning. Each type of trial hurts but has a different purpose. The first is to get us back into fellowship with the LORD. The second is to make us more fruitful in our service for the LORD. The only two who know the reason for the trial are the LORD and the individual in the trial.
The people of Judah had a large army outside their gates and no way of defending themselves against this large army. Their king told them to relax because the LORD was going to fight for them.
They listened to the king and leaned upon the LORD. We face some large foes in our lives and we need to lean upon the LORD to fight our battles for us. HE WILL.
HE loves his people. Each trial that comes our way is to help us depend more upon the LORD. Remember that we can grow or another lesson of the same kind will have to come our way so we learn.
Hezekiah had the victory over the king of Assyria. However, his heart was lifted up after he was healed. The LORD’S wrath came upon him. When this happened Hezekiah humbled himself. The LORD prospered him. Are we growing? Are we depending on the LORD in our battles? Have we humbled our heart before the LORD?
CHALLENGE: Are we laying our burdens and trials at the feet of Jesus? Are we letting HIM carry us through our rough times? The Word of God tells us to let HIM carry us. We are to take all our burdens to HIM.
: 12 Has not the same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying You shall worship before one altar, and burn incense on it? (2331 “worship” [chavah] means to bow down, to sink down, do obeisance, prostrate oneself, or to take a stance of bowing low in an act of respect or honor)
DEVOTION: Here is a heathen king challenging the people of Judah with a statement that is false. He thought that all the shrines and altars to false gods were shrines and altars to the one true God of Judah. He was wrong in his evaluation of what Hezekiah had done. He had cleaned up the land from the worship of false gods and this king didn’t realize that he was fighting against the one true God that created the world.
The people of Judah had to listen to what was being said and the LORD wanted to see if they believed this heathen king or the truth that HE was going to help them through this circumstance that HE allowed in their life.
HE again wanted to see if they trusted in HIM alone or in the power of an army they could raise. We need to learn that the LORD allows tests in our life to show us just where we stand with HIM.
Our enemies are the world, the flesh and the devil and the LORD allows them to give us trouble, so that, we run to HIM for help instead of trusting in ourselves or others to get us through the trial.
Here we have a human king asking questions regarding who the children of Judah are going to trust when someone is knocking at their door with an attitude of confidence that they can defeat us.
How strong is our confidence in the LORD when we are tempted to trust others rather than HIM? Don’t allow you to trust in false gods or be afraid of enemies that question our allegiance to Jesus Christ.
Every day we will be tested by our enemies so we need to be in the Word of God daily and allow the Holy Spirit to guide us through each trial that comes our way.
CHALLENGE: We can do all things through Christ who gives us strength!!! Do we remember this FACT!!!
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 20 And for this cause Hezekiah the king, and the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz, prayed and cried to heaven. (2199 “cried” [za‘aq] means call for help, to summon, raise a battle cry, send out a call to arms, to call to one’s aid, or make public sounds of physical pain and emotional anguish)
DEVOTION: The proper way to respond to a challenge to our faith is to go the LORD in prayer and ask for HIS help against each of our enemies. Hezekiah and Isaiah pray to the LORD for help.
Here is a king that is dependent on the LORD with the help of a servant of the LORD. Both are servants but each has his individual gifts that God has given them. Hezekiah was given the gift of leadership of God’s people. Isaiah was given the gift of a prophet who would come alongside the king to inform him where he stood with the LORD in his present situation. Hezekiah was dependent on the LORD in this situation and Isaiah was by his side helping him communicate with the LORD concerning a present need.
In the future we find that Isaiah has to confront this same king when he puts his confidence in his wealth and in a foreign nation. Our walk with the LORD is a daily trust in HIM in every situation HE allows in our life.
We may pass the test on one day and fail the test on another day. We need to be consistent in our trust in the LORD. It is not easy. We sometimes think that we can handle any situation we face without always going to the LORD for counsel. We are wrong in this thinking. We need to be totally dependent on HIM to help us in every situation. We need to pray about everything that comes into our life every day.
This sound like we can have no confidence when we have to make decisions and that is right if we are not continually in a attitude of prayer and dependence on the LORD.
Once we allow ourselves to depend on ourselves, we will lose the victory the LORD wants us to have every day with HIM. In this instance Hezekiah had a victory. He prayed with Isaiah and the Assyrians were defeated.
CHALLENGE: Where are we going with our enemies at the doorstep????
: 31 Howbeit in the business of the ambassador of the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him to enquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him, to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart. (5254 “try” [nacah] means prove, tempt, assay, test, to give experience, exercise, cause or allow hardship or trouble in a circumstance, or venture)
DEVOTION: The LORD allows things in HIS people’s lives to let them see where they are spiritually. Here HE is allowing a group to come from Babylon to see what his reaction will be to this group.
It is thought that he was showing this group from Babylon all of his wealth because he wanted to make a treaty with them, so that, they would help them if there was an enemy that invaded the land.
The LORD wants HIS people to trust in HIM alone. HE doesn’t want us making treaties or agreements with those who are not HIS followers. HE wants us to work with HIM alone at all times. This was a test of Hezekiah’s trust in the HIM and he failed the test.
There will be circumstances in our life where we will be tempted to trust in ourselves or others or our wealth to help us with what is going on in our life instead of just trusting in the LORD.
The LORD wants us to come to HIM will all of our needs. HE wants our total dependence on HIM twenty-four seven every day of every week of every year.
When we start depending on ourselves or others, we take our eyes off the LORD and that is the beginning of our downward spiral. Hezekiah had to learn a lesson and he failed the lesson.
The LORD allows things in our life to test us regarding our total dependence on HIM. How would we do when that test came along? Am I depending on the LORD totally in my present situation? Only I can answer that question and only you can answer that question in our life. God knows our hearts.
CHALLENGE: If we find that we are not total dependant on the LORD we need to confess our sin and turn to HIM in total dependence.
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Humbledverse 26
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz and in the book of the kings of Judah and Israelverse 32
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Isaiah and Hezekiah prayed and cried to heavenverses 20, 21
LORD sent an angel
Hezekiah prayed for healingverse 24
LORD sent a sign
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
One altarverse 12
Burn incenseverse 12
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Isaiah (vision of)verse 32
Book of the kings of Judah and Israelverse 32
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)verses 8, 11, 16, 17, 21-24, 26
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign)verses 8, 11, 14-17, 19, 29, 31
LORD our Godverses 8, 11
LORD Godverse 16
LORD God of Israelverse 17
God of Hezekiahverse 17
God of Jerusalemverse 19
LORD saved Hezekiahverse 22
From hand of Sennacherib
From all other
Guided on every side
Gifts brought to the LORD verse 23
Wrath on Judah and Jerusalemverses 25, 26
God gave substance very muchverses 27-29
God tried Hezekiah to know his heartverse 31
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
LORD sent an angelverse 21
Cut off all the mighty men of valor in Sennacherib’s army
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Sennacherib – king of Assyriaverses 1, 2, 4, 7-19, 21, 22
Fought against Lachish
Spoke in the language of Jews
Wanted to frighten and trouble people of Jerusalem
Came to the house of his god he was killed
Lachishverse 9
gods of the nationsverses 13-15, 17
Ambassadors of princes of Babylonverse 31
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Afraid of enemiesverses 7, 18
Dismayed by enemiesverse 7
Trusting in fleshverse 8
High placesverse 12
Altars of false godsverse 12
False gods of the nationsverses 13-15, 17, 19
Deceptionverse 15
Rail on the LORDverse 17
Worship the gods of the people of earthverse 19
gods of the people of earth made with hands of manverse 19
Sons killing fatherverse 21
Heart lifted upverse 25
Prideverse 26
Trusting in wealthverses 27-30
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Counselverse 3
Speak comfortably with God’s peopleverse 6
Strength verse 7
Courageverse 7
More with usverse 7
Presence of the LORDverse 8
Helpverse 8
Fight our battlesverse 8
Restverse 8
Worshipverse 12
Deliveranceverses 14, 15, 17
Prayerverses 20, 24
Answered prayerverses 21, 25
Savedverse 22
Judgmentverses 25, 26
Humbledverse 26
Prosperityverses 27-30
Trialsverse 31
Goodnessverse 32
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Judahverse 1
Hezekiahverses 2-33
Saw Sennnacherib was going to fight against Judah
Took counsel of the princes and mighty men
Stopped thw waters without the city
Repaired the walls of city
Made darts and shields
Set captains of war
Spoke comfortably to people
Told people king of Assyria only had arms of flesh with him
LORD was fighting our battles
LORD will deliver us
Presents brought to him to magnify him in sight of all nations
Sick unto death and prayed to LORD for a sign
Heart lifted up
Wrath of LORD on him
Humbled himself
Exceeding riches and honor
Brought water to city of David
Heart tried by God
Buried in chiefest of sepulchers
Jerusalemverses 2, 18, 22
People restedverse 8
Prophet Isaiahverses 20, 32
Prayed and cried to heaven
Witten in the vision of Isaiah
Manasseh reigns in father’s placeverse 33
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
32:31 The Chronicler’s assertion that God “left Hezekiah” in order to “test” him has significant theological implications. God wants genuine character and faithfulness in his people, and he will expose them to trials in order to train and shape them. The path of sanctification is not an easy one (cf. Gen 22:1). (Thompson, J. A. (1994). 1, 2 Chronicles (Vol. 9, p. 366). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
32:31–33. However, Hezekiah foolishly and proudly displayed all the wealth of the temple and his palace to the Babylonian envoys of Merodach-Baladan (2 Kings 20:12–19; Isa. 39). The chronicler without details simply recorded that God allowed all this to test him and to know everything that was in his heart. That is, God wanted to show Hezekiah himself the consequences of pride. (Merrill, E. H. (1985). 2 Chronicles. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 645). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
31 The envoys of Babylon, to which Ezra here refers, were those sent by Marduk-apal-iddina, the Merodach-Baladan of 2 Kings 20:12–13. Their mission appears to have been not simply to inquire about the king’s illness (v.24 comment) and about its accompanying “miraculous sign”—of understandable interest to astrologers such as the Babylonians—but also to arrange practical measures against Sargon’s aggression, which did overpower Ashdod and the West in the following year, 711 (v.1 comment), and drove Marduk-apal-iddina from his throne in the East two years after that. The experience served “to test” Hezekiah, whether he would place his trust in human treaties or in God (again see v.1 comment); and it was his eagerness for the treaties that incurred the Lord’s wrath (v.25). (Payne, J. B. (1988). 1, 2 Chronicles. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job (Vol. 4, p. 542). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
Ver. 31. Howbeit, in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him to inquire of the wonder that was done in the land, &c.] Not to see the two tables of stone which were in the ark, with the other two that were broken because of the sin of the calf, as the Targum; nor to ask about the destruction of the Assyrian army, and the manner of it, as Grotius; but to be informed of the miracle of the sun’s going back ten degrees, when Hezekiah was recovered from his sickness; the Chaldeans being a people much given to astrology, and curious in their observations of that kind: God left him to try him; by shewing him all his treasures: that he might know all that was in his heart; not that God might know, who knows all things, unless spoken of him after the manner of men; but rather that Hezekiah might know the pride lurking in his heart, and other sins which escaped his notice, Jer. 17:9. or that it might be known by others; that the children of men might know it, as Kimchi; and take warning by it, and observe the frailty and infirmity of the best of men. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 3, p. 95). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
25–31. The Holy Ghost hath been pleased to give us in those Chronicles the most interesting account concerning Hezekiah in the causes of his trials, and which the other records, though relating the historical part more copiously, have not done. The grand design was to shew Hezekiah what was in his heart. The miracle God had wrought in the dial of Ahaz, suffered to go back so many degrees, was the wonder done in the land. And as the Assyrians foolishly worshipped the sun, probably Hezekiah vaunted himself not a little on this account. Be this as it may, certain it is, that the Lord thus humbled his servant, in order to bring him acquainted with the real state of his heart, as it was in the sight of God. Reader! do not let this part of Hezekiah’s history pass before you without your making the suitable improvements from it. What doth it shew but this, that all men, the best of men, are but men full of infirmities, and nothing to boast of before God. Oh! precious Jesus! whenever we look, to whomsoever we direct our researches, where shall we find any but thee that art holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and without guile? (Hawker, R. (2013). Poor Man’s Old Testament Commentary: 1 Kings–Esther (Vol. 3, p. 558). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)
32:24–26, 31 See 2 Kings 20:1–19. These events preceded Sennacherib’s invasion by a few years. The sign was the miraculous backward movement of the shadow, signifying the extension of Hezekiah’s life in answer to prayer. Related to this incident was the king’s proud display of his wealth before the Babylonian envoys. This incurred God’s wrath, but Hezekiah and the people’s humble repentance (see 2 Chron. 7:14) is said to have spared Jerusalem in the days of Hezekiah (see 2 Kings 20:16–18). Even a good king such as Hezekiah could contribute to Judah’s fate; like Josiah (2 Chron. 34:28), however, he was spared from seeing it in his days. (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 791). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.)
FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
A WOULD-BE FOLLOWER
And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Luke 9:59
Here is someone whom our Lord invites to follow Him. “He said to another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:59-60). Our Lord challenged him and said, “Follow me!” And the man, you remember, responded by saying, “All right, I am coming, but ‘suffer me first to go and bury my father.’
What is the principle here? Well, our Lord is teaching this man the urgency of entering the kingdom of God at once, without a moment’s delay. You must be right in your understanding of it, and then you must enter it immediately. Now let us be clear about that. Our Lord’s statement sounds terrible, does it not? On the surface it sounds as if He was refusing this man permission to go home to bury his poor father who was dying. But it does not mean anything of the sort. If this man’s father had been ill and had died, the son would not be with the Lord. The Jews were strict about this.
The question was that this young man says, “Yes, I am going to be a Christian, but not just now. I will be a Christian later on, when I have time. I am very busy at the moment. I am at the top of the ladder. I have great success ahead of me. I am beginning in my profession, or in my trade, or in my industry. Not yet! Oh, I like this teaching! I believe it is right; but I cannot do anything about it now.”
A Thought to Ponder
Our Lord is teaching this man the urgency of entering the kingdom of God at once, without a moment’s delay.
(From The Kingdom of God, pp. 128-129., by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
Partakers of the Promise
“That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel.” (Ephesians 3:6)
There are many Christians who regard themselves as almost exclusively New Testament believers, arguing that the Old Testament was for the Jews under the dispensation of law and thus not applicable to Christians today.
Nothing could be further from the truth. While the old animal sacrifices, temple rituals, and Levitical priesthoods have indeed been superseded by Christ’s “one sacrifice for sins for ever” (Hebrews 10:12), there are many “exceeding great and precious promises” (2 Peter 1:4) of the Old Testament that can be properly and joyfully appropriated by Christians. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable,” wrote Paul (2 Timothy 3:16), speaking particularly of the Old Testament Scriptures.
In the context of our verse for the day, Paul is stressing that his own new revelations, given in connection with the Christian gospel, actually involved bringing Jew and Gentile together as one body in Christ. The “dispensation of the grace of God…by revelation he made known unto me,” he wrote, but in previous ages, it had not been “made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit” (Ephesians 3:2-5).
And what was it that had not been made known? The hidden mystery was simply “that the Gentiles should be fellowheirs” with the Jews, and therefore “partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel” (Ephesians 3:6).
Thus, Gentile believers can now share in all the gracious promises of God in the Old Testament (e.g., Psalm 23; Isaiah 26:3; etc.), except those directly dealing with the future of Israel as a nation, “that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ” (Galatians 3:14). (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
Prejudice and Forgiveness
I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism. Acts 10:34
After hearing a message about correcting injustice, a church member approached the pastor weeping, asking for forgiveness and confessing that he hadn’t voted in favor of calling the black minister to be pastor of their church because of his own prejudice. “I really need you to forgive me. I don’t want the junk of prejudice and racism spilling over into my kids’ lives. I didn’t vote for you, and I was wrong.” His tears and confession were met with the tears and forgiveness of the minister. A week later, the entire church rejoiced upon hearing the man’s testimony of how God had worked in his heart.
Even Peter, a disciple of Jesus and a chief leader in the early church, had to be corrected because of his ill-conceived notions about non-Jewish people. Eating and drinking with gentiles (who were considered unclean), was a violation of social and religious protocol. Peter said, “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile” (Acts 10:28). It took nothing less than the supernatural activity of God (vv. 9–23) to convince him that he “should not call anyone impure or unclean” (v. 28).
Through the preaching of Scripture, the conviction of the Spirit, and life experiences, God continues to work in human hearts to correct our misguided perspectives about others. He helps us to see that “God does not show favoritism” (v. 34).
By Arthur Jackson, Our Daily Bread
Esther 4
Esther learns of the plot to kill the Jews and plans to intercede.
INSIGHT
“I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!” (4:16). Those are not the words of someone being melodramatic; they are the words of a realist who accurately assesses the situation. By law, no one can go into the presence of the king unless invited; to do so means execution. If the king chooses to extend grace to the person, he offers his scepter, whereupon the subject is to kneel and touch the top of the scepter. Esther has no idea what Ahasuerus will do. He deposed Vashti with a clap of his hands; he signed the edict to kill the Jews without asking a question. Though she has no other choice, Esther’s decision still takes great courage. (Quiet Walk)
FACING DEATH
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness. 2 Timothy 4:8
The kingdom of God gives us power even to look into the face of death and to smile at it. We go out of this world in triumph and in joy. Consider what Paul says; this is power, this is not just a talker, nor just a man who has been writing all his life. Here is a man who has known the power; so he says, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8).
So what about it? Have you known all this? This is Christianity; this is the kingdom of God, the power of God! Here, then, are the questions that we must ask ourselves. Do I know anything about this power of God? Is it obvious to those who live with me that the power of God is in me? Does my life show it? Are other people influenced by what they see? Can I say, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” (Romans 1:16)?
Has God made you anew? Do you know there is a new nature in you? If not, you are not a Christian; you are outside the kingdom of God, whatever your knowledge, whatever your interest may be. A Christian is a new creation born of the Spirit, born from above, born again–“not in word, but in power” (1 Corinthians 4:20). Have you known this? If you have, I need not exhort you to praise God! If you have not, then go to Him; tell Him you are dead and lifeless. Cry, “God have mercy upon me, a sinner.”
A Thought to Ponder: A Christian is a new creation born of the Spirit, born from above, born again. (From The Kingdom of God, p. 119, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Whom Shall I Fear? (MH, The Institute for Creation Research) |
Hope in Grief
We do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 1 Thessalonians 4:13
As the cabbie drove us to London’s Heathrow Airport, he told us his story. He had come alone to the United Kingdom at age fifteen, seeking to escape war and deprivation. Now, eleven years later, he has a family of his own and is able to provide for them in ways unavailable in his native land. But he laments that he’s still separated from his parents and siblings. He told us that he’s had a hard journey that won’t be complete until he’s reunited with his family.
Being separated from our loved ones in this life is hard, but losing a loved one in death is much harder and creates a sense of loss that won’t be made right until we’re reunited with them. When the new believers at Thessalonica wondered about such losses, Paul wrote, “Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). He explained that as believers in Jesus, we can live in expectation of a wonderful reunion—together forever in the presence of Christ (v. 17).
Few experiences mark us as deeply as the separations we endure, but in Jesus we have hope of being reunited. And in the midst of grief and loss we can find the comfort we need in that enduring promise (v. 18). By Bill Crowder, Our Daily Bread)
Watch and Pray
“Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.” (Nehemiah 4:9)
Prayer is a powerful weapon, but the wall-builders in Jerusalem also were careful to set a watch against their enemies “with their swords, their spears, and their bows” (Nehemiah 4:13). They were ready to fight, if necessary, but at the same time they were confident that “our God shall fight for us” (Nehemiah 4:20).
This is a sound biblical principle. God expects us to make appropriate use of whatever physical means are available for a needed ministry rather than to rely simply on prayer and divine miracle. The Lord rebuked those who came asking Him to perform a miracle merely to test Him or to see something curious. “Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe” (John 4:48). Neither does He condone prayer in lieu of work, for “faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone” (James 2:17). The same holds for prayer in lieu of obedience. As Joshua was praying for deliverance from the enemy, “the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them” (Joshua 7:10-11).
But as prayer without working is dead, so watching and working without prayer are futile. “Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not” (James 4:2). “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain” (Psalm 127:1).
The biblical principle is not only to watch or only to pray. Both are essential. “Watch and pray,” said Jesus, “that ye enter not into temptation” (Matthew 26:41). (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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