August 2nd readings

~ Click on this link for today's readings ~
2 Chronicles 32:1-33:13 ~ Romans 15:23-16:9
Psalm 25:16-22 ~ Proverbs 20:16-18

Old Testament - Well, it was bound to happen.  Assyria conquered Israel.  They were bound to go after Judah / Jerusalem soon enough.  Tough to stop an ego / power like that.  It's "never enough".  So, we get the bold boasts before the walls of Jerusalem by King Sennacherib of Assyria's representatives in Second Chronicles 32.  Verse 14 includes this boast, which probably didn't make God too happy - "Name just one time when any god, anywhere, was able to rescue his people from me! What makes you think your God can do any better?"

It's great to see that Hezekiah took all of this to God in prayer in verse 20 - "Then King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out in prayer to God in heaven."  Good move!  How often in our lives today, when challenges come our way, do we take the challenges everywhere else BUT to God?  Wouldn't it be easier to take them directly to God?  Why do we turn to alcohol or drugs or food or worrying or whatever - can we simply take our challenges to the one true living God who can actually do something with them?  Below is a painting of "The destruction of Sennacherib and his army" by the artist Rubens (1577-1640), which is currently at the Alte Pinakothek Museum in Munich -

Hezekiah later in this chapter receives envoys from Babylon.  You'll recall from our Second Kings readings (full details are in Second Kings 20:12-20) that unfortunately, Hezekiah is a bit too hospitable with these envoys.  He believes showing off his wealth will prove that he has worldly power and that the Babylonians will respect him and Judah.  Isaiah sees that Hezekiah is relying on worldly wealth and not God, and Isaiah delivers a word from God that Judah will be exiled to Babylon.  Indeed, this comes true in 115 years from when Isaiah delivers this word. How about us, in our lives today – do we try to impress people with our worldly wealth or toys or stuff, like Hezekiah was trying to impress the Babylonians?  And further, do we actually try to rely on this worldly stuff rather than rely on God?

New Testament - Paul's words in Romans 15 verse 30 stood out to me today - "Dear brothers and sisters, I urge you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. Do this because of your love for me, given to you by the Holy Spirit."  The thing that stood out to me in these verses is Paul's encouragement to his brothers and sisters in Christ in Rome to pray for him.  Not only to pray for him - but to "join me in my struggle."  That is pretty powerful to consider.  That we can actually join someone in their struggle - in their work for the Kingdom of God - by praying for them!  And I'll be honest - I do not do this enough.  I rarely join my pastors and priests and spiritual mentors in their struggle by praying to God for them.  I rarely join my missionary friends in their struggle by praying for them.  I rarely join my brothers and sisters in Christ who are persecuted in other countries for being Christian by praying for them.  I simply do not pray for others enough.  And in not doing so, I honestly think I am missing out on something powerful.  I am missing out on joining them in their struggle for the Kingdom of God!  My selfishness in not praying for others doing Kingdom work in this world is my loss.  But - this actually sounds selfish - "my missing out - my loss."  Sometimes I guess I try to trick myself into doing something good (praying for others) by attaching a selfish reason (so I won't miss out).  The truth here is that our pastors and priests and missionaries and spiritual mentors need us to take up the struggle with them by praying to God for them.  Even Paul needed this prayer coverage - and he asked for it!  I am afraid that too often our pastors and priests and missionaries and others doing God's work may not ask us for our prayers.  But they need them!  So - are you regularly praying for others in your life who are in ministry?   Are you joining them in their struggle?  Will you begin today / tonight by praying for someone in your life that you know who is in ministry?  Will you take up the struggle with them?

Psalms - Psalm 25 verse 22 really jumped out at me today - "O God, ransom Israel from all its troubles."  As I read this, the Christmas carol, "O Come O Come Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel" comes to my mind.   King David wrote this Psalm 25 - think he was praying for the Messiah, Jesus, to ransom Israel in this Psalm?  Very cool to consider and meditate upon this...

Proverbs - I love Proverbs 20 verse 17!  What a great analogy - "Stolen bread tastes sweet, but it turns to gravel in the mouth."  Stealing is obviously a sin.  And the spoils of this sin may taste sweet at first - but quickly turn to inedible gravel in our mouths.  Well, I think this analogy works really with any sin we might commit.  For one brief moment it seems sweet.  But it quickly rots!  Why do we sin in the first place?  I think we're obviously looking for something.  We're thinking the sin is going to deliver us something we're missing.  But, of course, it doesn't deliver.  It's empty.  Only God can deliver what we mistakenly look to sin to deliver.  Will you repent of sins you are committing?  Will you instead turn to God to deliver what you are looking for?  He will deliver.   Will you stop building upon any mountains of sin in your life that turn quickly to nothing but mountains of gravel?

What verses or insights jumped out for you in today's readings?  Please post up in the Comments section below!

Grace,
Mike

Comments

[Vance Brown]

2 Chronicles 32:31

31
However, when ambassadors arrived from Babylon to ask about the remarkable events that had taken place in the land, God withdrew from Hezekiah in order to test him and to see what was really in his heart.

The Lord says that He “withdrew” in order to “test” Hezekiah

The word “withdrew” is translated “left” in the King James Version. In Strong’s Concordance, the Hebrew word and meaning are:

HEBREW WORD: `azab {aw-zab'}

1) to leave, loose, forsake
a) (Qal) to leave
1) to depart from, leave behind, leave, let alone
2) to leave, abandon, forsake, neglect, apostatise
3) to let loose, set free, let go, free

The word “test”. In Strong’s Concordance, the Hebrew word and meaning are:

HEBREW WORD: nacah {naw-saw'}

1) to test, try, prove, tempt, assay, put to the proof or test
a) (Piel)
1) to test, try
2) to attempt, assay, try
3) to test, try, prove, tempt

I am sure this seems very cruel to many people. They ask “Why would God leave someone at any time, or at their point of need?” Others are convinced that this only proves to them that the Bible contradicts itself.

Yet, consider this: We need to be tested. We need to see FOR OURSELVES what is IN US. Otherwise, I am convinced we may only learn the “doctrine” of the need to depend totally on the Lord God…and not practice that truth.

This makes me think of the following verses:

NLT: James 1:12
God blesses the people who patiently endure testing. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

KJV: Psalm 66:10
For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.

KJV: Deuteronomy 8:2, 3
All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers.

And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, [and] to prove thee, to know what [was] in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.

And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only,
but by every [word] that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.

Genesis 22:15-17
And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,

And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only [son]:

That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which [is] upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

The test of Abraham, according to the Jewish Torah, is very instructive. According to the Scriptures, Abraham took servants, the donkey with the wood, and Isaac to obey God. However, according to the Torah, one of the servants was Ishmael. When they reached the place for the offering, Abraham saw the place for the offering:

Genesis 22:4 - Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.

According to the Torah, this means that Abraham, being a man of spiritual sight because He had walked with the Lord faithfully, saw the Presence of HASHEM (God of Mercy) hovering over the place of the offering.

Further, according to the Jewish Torah, Abraham turned to Ishmael and asked him, “Do you see it?” This question meant: “Do you see God’s Presence which marks the place of offering?” Ishmael replied, “No.” Then Abraham asked Isaac, “Do you see it?” And Isaac replied, “Yes.”

Then Abraham said to Ishmael, “Because you, like the donkey, do not have the spiritual perception to see God’s Presence, stay here with the donkey.” Then, because Isaac had the spiritual depth and perception to see God’s Presence, he went with his father Abraham.

Isn’t that the point of testing? After all, it is very easy to only rely on comfort and our humanity. We always need to press through “the veil” as it were—I am interpreting the “veil” here as our senses. Press through to experience the Presence of HASHEM, the God of Mercy!

As the Apostle Paul says in the Amplified Bible:

Philippians 3:8
Yes, furthermore, I count everything as loss compared to the possession of the priceless privilege (the overwhelming preciousness, the surpassing worth, and supreme advantage) of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord
and of progressively becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him [of perceiving and recognizing and understanding Him more fully and clearly].
For His sake I have lost everything and consider it all to be mere rubbish (refuse, dregs), in order that I may win (gain) Christ (the Anointed One).

Vance

[Ramona]

II Chronicles 32-33:13

An unholy alliance that is what this invasion is about; the reason Sennacherib is jockeying to position himself to knock down the door is because Assyria was given a foothold. Israel made them, Judah made them my country, the USA has made them and every other country on the face of the earth has made them, unholy alliances. Since countries are made up of its people as in math, it is a principal—the whole is equal to the sum of its parts, the country only does what its people do, only it does it on a macro level.

We make relationships not based on their righteousness but based on what we can get and what that relationship will do for us. Israel, Judah and we ourselves, sin because we fail to submit to God who is the only whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. God is the whole and God is also the great I Am, the parts. God is the I Am everything you need me to be, yet we fail to seek Him, but we will seek others to get what we should be getting from God.

I believe Assyria entered Judah because she had already invited Assyria into her midst, just like Israel did, and she failed to learn from her sister Israel’s mistake (II Kings 15-16), you can’t make peace with someone who has war in their heart, in Israel’s’ case you can’t buy peace. You cannot bribe the devil. If you do you are giving him a foothold into your life, your house, and the lives of your children’s children.

Hezakiah not only repeated what Israel did, he also followed in his predecessors footsteps, King Ahaz, giving Assyria a bribe to back off or come to Judah’s aid.

At that time King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah son of Remaliah of Israel attacked Jerusalem. They besieged Ahaz, but were unable to conquer him. (At that time King Rezin of Syria recovered Elat for Syria; he drove the Judahites from there. Syrians arrived in Elat and live there to this very day.) Ahaz sent messengers to King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria, saying, "I am your servant and your dependent. March up and rescue me from the power of the king of Syria and the king of Israel, who have attacked me." Then Ahaz took the silver and gold that were in the Lord's temple and in the treasuries of the royal palace and sent it as tribute to the king of Assyria. The king of Assyria responded favorably to his request; he attacked Damascus and captured it. He deported the people to Kir and executed Rezin. When King Ahaz went to meet with King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria in Damascus, he saw the altar there. King Ahaz sent to Uriah the priest a drawing of the altar and a blueprint for its design. Uriah the priest built an altar in conformity to the plans King Ahaz had sent from Damascus. Uriah the priest finished it before King Ahaz arrived back from Damascus.
(2Ki 16:5-11 NET.).

Also in II Kings, Hezekiah states that he had a treaty with the Assarians, violated that treaty then pays for that violation.

In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah's reign, King Sennacherib of Assyria marched up against all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. King Hezekiah of Judah sent this message to the king of Assyria, who was at Lachish, "I have violated our treaty. If you leave, I will do whatever you demand." So the king of Assyria demanded that King Hezekiah of Judah pay three hundred units of silver and thirty units of gold.
(2Ki 18:13-14 NET.)

God delivered Hezekiah from the enemy, but the enemy came back after Hezekiah’s death. The enemy was not the king the enemy was the Kingdom of Assyria itself, not the men who ruled.

Jesus said, Do not give that which is holy (the sacred thing) to the dogs, and do not throw your pearls before hogs, lest they trample upon them with their feet and turn and tear you in pieces. (Mat 7:6 AMP). I believe when we look for alliances with others without forming an alliance with God to defeat our enemies, we may be successful using our own skills and cunning, but we are only delaying the attack, the enemy will be back. Bribing the enemy won’t work, appeasing him may last until he gets tired of using you as entertainment but he will turn and rend you to pieces.

The things that belong to God, are God’s. We cannot take what is holy and pay the enemy off, it won’t work.

God is in the miracle business; however, it is one thing to need a miracle because sin is in the earth, but is is another to need a miracle because of bad choices. We run the risk of "testing" God when we make the same bad choices over and over and over again. This is tough stuff to think about.

Grace and peace,
Ramona

Grace and peac