Who do we look to for help, God or some man-made substitute? Let’s look at Isaiah 41.
How does God reason with the coastlands, asking who is in charge of human history?
Be quiet before me, coastlands [distant lands]. Let the nations renew their strength. Let them approach and speak. Let’s draw near for a judgment. Who has awakened one from the east and has authority to summon him to serve—giving him nations, conquering kings, making them like dust with his sword, like scattered straw with his bow? He pursues them and passes untouched, needing no path for his feet. Who has acted and who has done this, calling upon generation after generation since the beginning? I, the Lord, was first, and I will be the last! (Isa 41:1-4 CEB)
Instead of turning to God, what false gods did the people worship?
Islands and foreign nations saw what I did and trembled as they came near. Worshipers of idols comfort each other, saying, “Don't worry!” Woodcarvers, goldsmiths, and other workers encourage one another and say, “We've done a great job!” Then they nail the idol down, so it won't fall over. (Isa 41:5-7 CEV)
How does God encourage and promise to strengthen Israel?
But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend; you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, “You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off”; fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isa 41:8-10 ESV)
What does God promise to do for Israel against her enemies?
Be sure that all who are enraged against you will be ashamed and disgraced; those who contend with you will become as nothing and will perish. You will look for those who contend with you, but you will not find them. Those who war against you will become absolutely nothing. For I, Yahweh your God, hold your right hand and say to you: Do not fear, I will help you. (Isa 41:11-13 HCSB)
Should those who rejoice in and boast about the one true God be afraid?
Don’t be afraid, you little worm Jacob, and you insects of Israel! I myself will help you,’ declares the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. “See, I’m making you into a new, sharp, and multi-tooth threshing sledge. You’ll thresh and crush the mountains, and make the hills like chaff. You’ll winnow them, and the wind will lift them up, and a tempest will blow them away. Then you’ll rejoice in the Lord, and you’ll make your boast in the Holy One of Israel.” (Isa 41:14-16 ISV)
Will the one true God provide abundantly things that no idol can?
When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree together: That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the Lord hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it. (Isa 41:17-20 KJV)
Does God invite debate about His prophecies and the ability of idols to do any work?
“Bring near your case,” Yahweh says. “Bring forward your mighty arguments,” The King of Jacob says. Let them bring it forth and declare to us what is going to take place; As for the former events, declare what they were, That we may establish our heart on them and know their outcome. Or cause us to hear of what is coming; Declare the things that are to come afterward, That we may know that you are gods; Indeed, do good or evil, that we may anxiously look about us and fear together. Behold, you are nothing, And your work is non-existent; He who chooses you is an abomination. (Isa 41:21-24 LSB)
How incapable are people to solve our problems? How futile is it to rely upon empty cast metal images?
“I have put one from the north into motion, and he has come; From the rising of the sun he will call on My name; And he will come upon rulers as upon mortar, As the potter treads on clay.” Who has declared this from the beginning, that we might know? Or from former times, that we may say, “He is right!”? There was no one at all who declared, There was no one at all who proclaimed, There was no one at all who heard your words. “Previously I said to Zion, ‘Behold, here they are.’ And to Jerusalem, ‘I will give a messenger of good news.’ But when I look, there is no one, And there is no counselor among them Who, if I ask, can give an answer. Behold, all of them are false; Their works are nothing, Their cast metal images are wind and emptiness. (Isa 41:25-29 NASB)
Are we reintroduced to the One from verse 4 who is described as the first and the last as Jesus Christ, God made flesh?
When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. (Rev 1:17-18 NIV)
Who do we look to for help, God or some man-made substitute? You decide!
Good News (Isaiah 40)
Did God begin to comfort His people with good news, Gospel? Was this fulfilled in part by John the Baptist? Let’s begin in Isaiah 40.
What comforting words did God say to Jerusalem to encourage them?
Our God has said: “Encourage my people! Give them comfort. Speak kindly to Jerusalem and announce: Your slavery is past; your punishment is over. I, the Lord, made you pay double for your sins.” (Isa 40:1-2 CEV)
Is the following a prophecy, partially fulfilled in John the Baptist? Will Christ’s return bring this prophecy to complete fulfillment?
A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (Isa 40:3-5 ESV)
What did a voice say to Isaiah about humanity and God’s word?
A voice was saying, “Cry out!” Another said, “What should I cry out?” “All humanity is grass, and all its goodness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flowers fade when the breath of the Lord blows on them; indeed, the people are grass. The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God remains forever.” (Isa 40:6-8 HCSB)
Where did God tell Isaiah to go and what good news did He tell him to say?
“Climb up a high mountain, you messenger of good news to Zion! Lift up your voice with strength, you messenger to Jerusalem! Lift it up! Don’t be afraid! Say to the towns of Judah, ‘Here is your God!’ Look! The Lord God comes with strength, and his arm rules for him. Look! His reward is with him, and his payment accompanies him. Like a shepherd, he tends his flock. He gathers the lambs in his arms, carries them close to his heart, and gently leads the mother sheep.” (Isa 40:9-11 ISV)
Did God ask Isaiah similar questions to those He had also posed to Job?
Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance? Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught him? With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding? (Isa 40:12-14 KJV)
How much bigger is God than the entirety of His creation?
Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, And are counted as a speck of dust on the scales; Behold, He lifts up the coastlands like fine dust. Even Lebanon is not enough to burn, Nor its beasts enough for a burnt offering. All the nations are as nothing before Him; They are counted by Him as non-existent and utterly formless. (Isa 40:15-17 LSB)
Two whom can we liken the real God, not some fake man-made idol?
To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare with Him? As for the idol, a craftsman casts it, A goldsmith plates it with gold, And a silversmith fashions chains of silver. He who is too impoverished for such an offering Selects a tree that does not rot; He seeks out for himself a skillful craftsman To prepare an idol that will not totter. (Isa 40:18-20 NASB)
In a world where political leaders threaten our freedoms and commercial greed endangers our very lives, is there someone greater than it all?
Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff. (Isa 40:21-24 NIV)
Do we, who live in such a corrupt world, understand who has more strength than us all?
“To whom then will you liken Me, Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, And see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, By the greatness of His might And the strength of His power; Not one is missing. (Isa 40:25-26 NKJV)
Do we ask if God even sees our troubles? Do we trust that He will help us find new strength?
O Jacob, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles? O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights? Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. (Isa 40:27-31 NLT)
How did John the Baptist fulfill the prophecy in verse 3 above?
“Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” For this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, make the way of the Lord ready! Make his paths straight!” (Mat 3:2-3 WEB)
Did God begin to comfort His people with good news, Gospel? Was this fulfilled in part by John the Baptist? You decide!
What comforting words did God say to Jerusalem to encourage them?
Our God has said: “Encourage my people! Give them comfort. Speak kindly to Jerusalem and announce: Your slavery is past; your punishment is over. I, the Lord, made you pay double for your sins.” (Isa 40:1-2 CEV)
Is the following a prophecy, partially fulfilled in John the Baptist? Will Christ’s return bring this prophecy to complete fulfillment?
A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (Isa 40:3-5 ESV)
What did a voice say to Isaiah about humanity and God’s word?
A voice was saying, “Cry out!” Another said, “What should I cry out?” “All humanity is grass, and all its goodness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flowers fade when the breath of the Lord blows on them; indeed, the people are grass. The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God remains forever.” (Isa 40:6-8 HCSB)
Where did God tell Isaiah to go and what good news did He tell him to say?
“Climb up a high mountain, you messenger of good news to Zion! Lift up your voice with strength, you messenger to Jerusalem! Lift it up! Don’t be afraid! Say to the towns of Judah, ‘Here is your God!’ Look! The Lord God comes with strength, and his arm rules for him. Look! His reward is with him, and his payment accompanies him. Like a shepherd, he tends his flock. He gathers the lambs in his arms, carries them close to his heart, and gently leads the mother sheep.” (Isa 40:9-11 ISV)
Did God ask Isaiah similar questions to those He had also posed to Job?
Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance? Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught him? With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding? (Isa 40:12-14 KJV)
How much bigger is God than the entirety of His creation?
Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, And are counted as a speck of dust on the scales; Behold, He lifts up the coastlands like fine dust. Even Lebanon is not enough to burn, Nor its beasts enough for a burnt offering. All the nations are as nothing before Him; They are counted by Him as non-existent and utterly formless. (Isa 40:15-17 LSB)
Two whom can we liken the real God, not some fake man-made idol?
To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare with Him? As for the idol, a craftsman casts it, A goldsmith plates it with gold, And a silversmith fashions chains of silver. He who is too impoverished for such an offering Selects a tree that does not rot; He seeks out for himself a skillful craftsman To prepare an idol that will not totter. (Isa 40:18-20 NASB)
In a world where political leaders threaten our freedoms and commercial greed endangers our very lives, is there someone greater than it all?
Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff. (Isa 40:21-24 NIV)
Do we, who live in such a corrupt world, understand who has more strength than us all?
“To whom then will you liken Me, Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, And see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, By the greatness of His might And the strength of His power; Not one is missing. (Isa 40:25-26 NKJV)
Do we ask if God even sees our troubles? Do we trust that He will help us find new strength?
O Jacob, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles? O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights? Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. (Isa 40:27-31 NLT)
How did John the Baptist fulfill the prophecy in verse 3 above?
“Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” For this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, make the way of the Lord ready! Make his paths straight!” (Mat 3:2-3 WEB)
Did God begin to comfort His people with good news, Gospel? Was this fulfilled in part by John the Baptist? You decide!
Treasures on Earth (Isaiah 39)
Do the first 39 chapters of Isaiah parallel the 39 books of the Old Testament with a focus on sinfulness, while the last 27 chapters parallel the 27 books of the New Testament with a focus on a Savior? Let’s look at Isaiah 39.
Should a man’s life focus on the emptiness of accumulated wealth?
At that time Marduk-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent Hezekiah letters and a gift, because he had heard of his illness and recovery. Hezekiah received the envoys gladly and showed them what was in his storehouses—the silver, the gold, the spices, the fine olive oil—his entire armory and everything found among his treasures. There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them. (Isa 39:1-2 NIV)
What did Isaiah tell Hezekiah about all his accumulated wealth?
Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of Yahweh of Armies: ‘Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up until today, will be carried to Babylon. Nothing will be left,’ says Yahweh. ‘They will take away your sons who will issue from you, whom you shall father, and they will be eunuchs in the king of Babylon’s palace.’” (Isa 39:3-4 WEB)
Did Hezekiah face any consequences for a life filled with meaningless wealth?
Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Listen to this message from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies: ‘The time is coming when everything in your palace—all the treasures stored up by your ancestors until now—will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left,’ says the Lord. ‘Some of your very own sons will be taken away into exile. They will become eunuchs who will serve in the palace of Babylon’s king.’” (Isa 39:5-7 NLT)
How selfish was Hezekiah after finding out that the next generation would suffer?
Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “This message you have given me from the Lord is good.” For the king was thinking, “At least there will be peace and security during my lifetime.” (Isa 39:8 NLT)
What would Jesus have said about accumulating a wealth of treasures?
Stop collecting treasures for your own benefit on earth, where moth and rust eat them and where thieves break in and steal them. Instead, collect treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moth and rust don’t eat them and where thieves don’t break in and steal them. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Mat 6:19-21 CEB)
Do the first 39 chapters of Isaiah parallel the 39 books of the Old Testament with a focus on sinfulness, while the last 27 chapters parallel the 27 books of the New Testament with a focus on a Savior? You decide!
Should a man’s life focus on the emptiness of accumulated wealth?
At that time Marduk-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent Hezekiah letters and a gift, because he had heard of his illness and recovery. Hezekiah received the envoys gladly and showed them what was in his storehouses—the silver, the gold, the spices, the fine olive oil—his entire armory and everything found among his treasures. There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them. (Isa 39:1-2 NIV)
What did Isaiah tell Hezekiah about all his accumulated wealth?
Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of Yahweh of Armies: ‘Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up until today, will be carried to Babylon. Nothing will be left,’ says Yahweh. ‘They will take away your sons who will issue from you, whom you shall father, and they will be eunuchs in the king of Babylon’s palace.’” (Isa 39:3-4 WEB)
Did Hezekiah face any consequences for a life filled with meaningless wealth?
Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Listen to this message from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies: ‘The time is coming when everything in your palace—all the treasures stored up by your ancestors until now—will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left,’ says the Lord. ‘Some of your very own sons will be taken away into exile. They will become eunuchs who will serve in the palace of Babylon’s king.’” (Isa 39:5-7 NLT)
How selfish was Hezekiah after finding out that the next generation would suffer?
Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “This message you have given me from the Lord is good.” For the king was thinking, “At least there will be peace and security during my lifetime.” (Isa 39:8 NLT)
What would Jesus have said about accumulating a wealth of treasures?
Stop collecting treasures for your own benefit on earth, where moth and rust eat them and where thieves break in and steal them. Instead, collect treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moth and rust don’t eat them and where thieves don’t break in and steal them. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Mat 6:19-21 CEB)
Do the first 39 chapters of Isaiah parallel the 39 books of the Old Testament with a focus on sinfulness, while the last 27 chapters parallel the 27 books of the New Testament with a focus on a Savior? You decide!
Fifteen Years (Isaiah 38)
Would we want God to grant us extra time on this earth, if during that extra time we make some big mistakes? Let’s look at Isaiah 38.
What did Hezekiah do when Isaiah prophesied that he was about to die?
In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: Set your house in order, for you shall die, you shall not recover.” Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, and said, “Please, O Lord, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. (Isa 38:1-3 ESV)
How did God let Hezekiah know that his prayer had been granted? How much longer would he live?
Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: “Go and tell Hezekiah that this is what the Lord God of your ancestor David says: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Look, I am going to add 15 years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the power of the king of Assyria; I will defend this city. This is the sign to you from the Lord that He will do what He has promised: I am going to make the sun’s shadow that goes down on Ahaz’s stairway go back by 10 steps.” So the sun’s shadow went back the 10 steps it had descended. (Isa 38:4-8 HCSB)
How did Hezekiah express his gratitude to God for giving him 15 more years?
A composition by King Hezekiah of Judah, following his illness and recovery: I said, “Must I leave in the prime of my life? Must I be consigned to the control of Sheol [the grave]? Bitter are my years!” I said, “I won’t see the Lord in the land of the living; and I’ll no longer observe human beings among the denizens of the grave. My house has been plucked up and vanishes from me like a shepherd’s tent; like a weaver, I’ve taken account of my life, and he cuts me off from the loom—day and night you make an end of me. I’ve been swept bare until morning; just like a lion, he breaks all my bones—day and night you make an end of me. Like a swallow or a crane I chirp, I moan like a dove. My eyes look weakly upward. O Lord, I am oppressed, so stand up for me! What can I say, so I tell myself, since he has done this to me? I will walk slowly all my years because of my soul’s anguish. (Isa 38:9-15 ISV)
How grateful was Hezekiah for God giving him an extra 15 years of life?
O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit: so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live. Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back. For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth. The Lord was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the Lord. (Isa 38:16-20 KJV)
What simple medicine did Hezekiah use to heal his boil?
Now Isaiah had said, “Let them take up a cake of figs and apply it to the boil, that he may live.” Then Hezekiah had said, “What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of Yahweh?” (Isa 38:21-22 LSB)
No matter how long a life God grants to us, how should we live it?
I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. (Gal 2:20 NASB)
Would we want God to grant us extra time on this earth, if during that extra time we make some big mistakes? You decide!
What did Hezekiah do when Isaiah prophesied that he was about to die?
In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: Set your house in order, for you shall die, you shall not recover.” Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, and said, “Please, O Lord, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. (Isa 38:1-3 ESV)
How did God let Hezekiah know that his prayer had been granted? How much longer would he live?
Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: “Go and tell Hezekiah that this is what the Lord God of your ancestor David says: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Look, I am going to add 15 years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the power of the king of Assyria; I will defend this city. This is the sign to you from the Lord that He will do what He has promised: I am going to make the sun’s shadow that goes down on Ahaz’s stairway go back by 10 steps.” So the sun’s shadow went back the 10 steps it had descended. (Isa 38:4-8 HCSB)
How did Hezekiah express his gratitude to God for giving him 15 more years?
A composition by King Hezekiah of Judah, following his illness and recovery: I said, “Must I leave in the prime of my life? Must I be consigned to the control of Sheol [the grave]? Bitter are my years!” I said, “I won’t see the Lord in the land of the living; and I’ll no longer observe human beings among the denizens of the grave. My house has been plucked up and vanishes from me like a shepherd’s tent; like a weaver, I’ve taken account of my life, and he cuts me off from the loom—day and night you make an end of me. I’ve been swept bare until morning; just like a lion, he breaks all my bones—day and night you make an end of me. Like a swallow or a crane I chirp, I moan like a dove. My eyes look weakly upward. O Lord, I am oppressed, so stand up for me! What can I say, so I tell myself, since he has done this to me? I will walk slowly all my years because of my soul’s anguish. (Isa 38:9-15 ISV)
How grateful was Hezekiah for God giving him an extra 15 years of life?
O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit: so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live. Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back. For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth. The Lord was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the Lord. (Isa 38:16-20 KJV)
What simple medicine did Hezekiah use to heal his boil?
Now Isaiah had said, “Let them take up a cake of figs and apply it to the boil, that he may live.” Then Hezekiah had said, “What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of Yahweh?” (Isa 38:21-22 LSB)
No matter how long a life God grants to us, how should we live it?
I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. (Gal 2:20 NASB)
Would we want God to grant us extra time on this earth, if during that extra time we make some big mistakes? You decide!
Assyria Defeated (Isaiah 37)
How did God destroy an overwhelming threat to Judah? Can He do the same for us? Let’s look at Isaiah 37.
Did Hezekiah king of Judah enter the temple with sack cloth and prayer and seek Isaiah the prophet’s help?
Now it happened that when King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and entered the house of Yahweh. Then he sent Eliakim, who was over the household with Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz. And they said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah, ‘This day is a day of distress, reproof, and rejection; for children have come to the point of breaking forth, but there is no strength to give birth. Perhaps Yahweh your God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to reproach the living God, and will reprove the words which Yahweh your God has heard. Therefore, lift up a prayer for the remnant that is left.’” (Isa 37:1-4 LSB)
What message did God give Isaiah to pass on to king Hezekiah?
So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. And Isaiah said to them, “This is what you shall say to your master: ‘This is what the Lord says: “Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. Behold, I am going to put a spirit in him so that he will hear news and return to his own land. And I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.’ (Isa 37:5-7 NASB)
Did Sennacherib the king of Assyria once again threaten Hezekiah king of Judah, bragging about his undefeated conquests?
When the field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish, he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah. Now Sennacherib received a report that Tirhakah, the king of Cush, was marching out to fight against him. When he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah with this word: “Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let the god you depend on deceive you when he says, ‘Jerusalem will not be given into the hands of the king of Assyria.’ Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered? Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my predecessors deliver them—the gods of Gozan, Harran, Rezeph and the people of Eden who were in Tel Assar? Where is the king of Hamath or the king of Arpad? Where are the kings of Lair, Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah?” (Isa 37:8-13 NIV)
Where did Hezekiah go for help, to Egypt or to the Lord?
And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. Then Hezekiah prayed to the Lord, saying: “O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. Truly, Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands—wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. Now therefore, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord, You alone.” (Isa 37:14-20 NKJV)
What did God reply to Hezekiah through His prophet Isaiah?
Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Because you prayed about King Sennacherib of Assyria, the Lord has spoken this word against him: “The virgin daughter of Zion despises you and laughs at you. The daughter of Jerusalem shakes her head in derision as you flee. Whom have you been defying and ridiculing? Against whom did you raise your voice? At whom did you look with such haughty eyes? It was the Holy One of Israel! By your messengers you have defied the Lord. You have said, ‘With my many chariots I have conquered the highest mountains—yes, the remotest peaks of Lebanon. I have cut down its tallest cedars and its finest cypress trees. I have reached its farthest heights and explored its deepest forests. I have dug wells in many foreign lands and refreshed myself with their water. With the sole of my foot, I stopped up all the rivers of Egypt!’ ” (Isa 37:21-25 NLT)
How else did God rebuke Assyria through his message to Judah’s king Hezekiah? Would He turn Assyria back from conquering Jerusalem?
Have you not heard how I have done it long ago, and formed it in ancient times? Now I have brought it to pass, that it should be yours to destroy fortified cities, turning them into ruinous heaps. Therefore their inhabitants had little power. They were dismayed and confounded. They were like the grass of the field, and like the green herb, like the grass on the housetops, and like a field before its crop has grown. But I know your sitting down, your going out, your coming in, and your raging against me. Because of your raging against me, and because your arrogance has come up into my ears, therefore I will put my hook in your nose and my bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way by which you came. (Isa 37:26-29 WEB)
How would Hezekiah know that God has given them victory over Assyria?
Now this will be the sign for you, Hezekiah: This year you will eat what grows by itself. Next year you will eat what grows from that. But in the third year, plant seed and harvest it; plant vineyards and eat their fruit. The survivors of Judah’s family who have escaped will put down roots and bear fruit above. Those who remain will go out from Jerusalem, and those who survive will go out from Mount Zion. The zeal of the Lord of heavenly forces will do this.
Therefore, the Lord says this about Assyria’s king: He won’t enter this city. He won’t shoot a single arrow here. He won’t come near the city with a shield. He won’t build a ramp to besiege it. He’ll go back by the same way he came. He won’t enter this city, declares the Lord. I will defend this city and save it for my sake and for the sake of my servant David. (Isa 37:30-35 CEB)
What did God do to the Assyrian army and what did Sennacherib’s sons do to him?
The Lord sent an angel to the camp of the Assyrians, and he killed 185,000 of them all in one night. The next morning, the camp was full of dead bodies. After this, King Sennacherib went back to Assyria and lived in the city of Nineveh. One day he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, when his sons, Adrammelech and Sharezer, killed him with their swords. They escaped to the land of Ararat, and his son Esarhaddon became king. (Isa 37:36-38 CEV)
Should we confess our sins and pray for one another? How effective is prayer under humanly impossible circumstances?
Therefore, make it your habit to confess your sins to one another and to pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (James 5:16 ISV)
How did God destroy an overwhelming threat to Judah? Can He do the same for us? You decide!
Did Hezekiah king of Judah enter the temple with sack cloth and prayer and seek Isaiah the prophet’s help?
Now it happened that when King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and entered the house of Yahweh. Then he sent Eliakim, who was over the household with Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz. And they said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah, ‘This day is a day of distress, reproof, and rejection; for children have come to the point of breaking forth, but there is no strength to give birth. Perhaps Yahweh your God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to reproach the living God, and will reprove the words which Yahweh your God has heard. Therefore, lift up a prayer for the remnant that is left.’” (Isa 37:1-4 LSB)
What message did God give Isaiah to pass on to king Hezekiah?
So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. And Isaiah said to them, “This is what you shall say to your master: ‘This is what the Lord says: “Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. Behold, I am going to put a spirit in him so that he will hear news and return to his own land. And I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.’ (Isa 37:5-7 NASB)
Did Sennacherib the king of Assyria once again threaten Hezekiah king of Judah, bragging about his undefeated conquests?
When the field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish, he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah. Now Sennacherib received a report that Tirhakah, the king of Cush, was marching out to fight against him. When he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah with this word: “Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let the god you depend on deceive you when he says, ‘Jerusalem will not be given into the hands of the king of Assyria.’ Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered? Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my predecessors deliver them—the gods of Gozan, Harran, Rezeph and the people of Eden who were in Tel Assar? Where is the king of Hamath or the king of Arpad? Where are the kings of Lair, Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah?” (Isa 37:8-13 NIV)
Where did Hezekiah go for help, to Egypt or to the Lord?
And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. Then Hezekiah prayed to the Lord, saying: “O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. Truly, Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands—wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. Now therefore, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord, You alone.” (Isa 37:14-20 NKJV)
What did God reply to Hezekiah through His prophet Isaiah?
Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Because you prayed about King Sennacherib of Assyria, the Lord has spoken this word against him: “The virgin daughter of Zion despises you and laughs at you. The daughter of Jerusalem shakes her head in derision as you flee. Whom have you been defying and ridiculing? Against whom did you raise your voice? At whom did you look with such haughty eyes? It was the Holy One of Israel! By your messengers you have defied the Lord. You have said, ‘With my many chariots I have conquered the highest mountains—yes, the remotest peaks of Lebanon. I have cut down its tallest cedars and its finest cypress trees. I have reached its farthest heights and explored its deepest forests. I have dug wells in many foreign lands and refreshed myself with their water. With the sole of my foot, I stopped up all the rivers of Egypt!’ ” (Isa 37:21-25 NLT)
How else did God rebuke Assyria through his message to Judah’s king Hezekiah? Would He turn Assyria back from conquering Jerusalem?
Have you not heard how I have done it long ago, and formed it in ancient times? Now I have brought it to pass, that it should be yours to destroy fortified cities, turning them into ruinous heaps. Therefore their inhabitants had little power. They were dismayed and confounded. They were like the grass of the field, and like the green herb, like the grass on the housetops, and like a field before its crop has grown. But I know your sitting down, your going out, your coming in, and your raging against me. Because of your raging against me, and because your arrogance has come up into my ears, therefore I will put my hook in your nose and my bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way by which you came. (Isa 37:26-29 WEB)
How would Hezekiah know that God has given them victory over Assyria?
Now this will be the sign for you, Hezekiah: This year you will eat what grows by itself. Next year you will eat what grows from that. But in the third year, plant seed and harvest it; plant vineyards and eat their fruit. The survivors of Judah’s family who have escaped will put down roots and bear fruit above. Those who remain will go out from Jerusalem, and those who survive will go out from Mount Zion. The zeal of the Lord of heavenly forces will do this.
Therefore, the Lord says this about Assyria’s king: He won’t enter this city. He won’t shoot a single arrow here. He won’t come near the city with a shield. He won’t build a ramp to besiege it. He’ll go back by the same way he came. He won’t enter this city, declares the Lord. I will defend this city and save it for my sake and for the sake of my servant David. (Isa 37:30-35 CEB)
What did God do to the Assyrian army and what did Sennacherib’s sons do to him?
The Lord sent an angel to the camp of the Assyrians, and he killed 185,000 of them all in one night. The next morning, the camp was full of dead bodies. After this, King Sennacherib went back to Assyria and lived in the city of Nineveh. One day he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, when his sons, Adrammelech and Sharezer, killed him with their swords. They escaped to the land of Ararat, and his son Esarhaddon became king. (Isa 37:36-38 CEV)
Should we confess our sins and pray for one another? How effective is prayer under humanly impossible circumstances?
Therefore, make it your habit to confess your sins to one another and to pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (James 5:16 ISV)
How did God destroy an overwhelming threat to Judah? Can He do the same for us? You decide!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)