Monday, December 15, 2014

Hezekiah the Commander PT-4 (2 Ki. 18:37-19:13; Isa. 36:22-37:13)


6/15/2011 8:19:19 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Hezekiah the commander Partt.-4

                                                                                                                        (The Humiliation)

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                   Reference: 2Ki. 18:37-19:13; Isa.36:22-37:13

 

            Message of the verses:  “37  Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn and told him the words of Rabshakeh.

    “1 ¶  And when King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth and entered the house of the LORD. 2  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. 3  They said to him, "Thus says Hezekiah, ’This day is a day of distress, rebuke, and rejection; for children have come to birth and there is no strength to deliver. 4  ’Perhaps the LORD your God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to reproach the living God, and will rebuke the words which the LORD your God has heard. Therefore, offer a prayer for the remnant that is left.’" 5  So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. 6  Isaiah said to them, "Thus you shall say to your master, ’Thus says the LORD, "Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. 7  "Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own land. And I will make him fall by the sword in his own land."’"

    “8 ¶  Then Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he had heard that the king had left Lachish. 9  When he heard them say concerning Tirhakah king of Cush, "Behold, he has come out to fight against you," he sent messengers again to Hezekiah saying, 10  "Thus you shall say to Hezekiah king of Judah, ’Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you saying, "Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria." 11  ’Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, destroying them completely. So will you be spared? 12  ’Did the gods of those nations which my fathers destroyed deliver them, even Gozan and Haran and Rezeph and the sons of Eden who were in Telassar? 13  ’Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, and of Hena and Ivvah?’”

 

            “22  Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn and told him the words of Rabshakeh.

    1 ¶  And when King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth and entered the house of the LORD. 2  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. 3  They said to him, "Thus says Hezekiah, ’This day is a day of distress, rebuke and rejection; for children have come to birth, and there is no strength to deliver. 4  ’Perhaps the LORD your God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to reproach the living God, and will rebuke the words which the LORD your God has heard. Therefore, offer a prayer for the remnant that is left.’" 5  So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. 6  Isaiah said to them, "Thus you shall say to your master, ’Thus says the LORD, "Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. 7  "Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own land. And I will make him fall by the sword in his own land."’"

    8 ¶  Then Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he had heard that the king had left Lachish. 9  When he heard them say concerning Tirhakah king of Cush, "He has come out to fight against you," and when he heard it he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10  "Thus you shall say to Hezekiah king of Judah, ’Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, "Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria." 11  ’Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, destroying them completely. So will you be spared? 12  ’Did the gods of those nations which my fathers have destroyed deliver them, even Gozan and Haran and Rezeph and the sons of Eden who were in Telassar? 13  ’Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, and of Hena and Ivvah?’”

            Today’s SD begins the last sub-section under the 2nd main section in the book “Be Distinct,” commentary by Warren Wiersbe on 2Kings and also parts of 2Chronicles. 

            The humiliation came because of what the field commander of the Assyrian army said about the Lord and what he said that the Assyrian’s would do to those living in Jerusalem.  The tearing of the clothes by Hezekiah’s officials and then by Hezekiah is seen as humiliation and this is seen in several places in the OT.

            I really like what Hezekiah did after he heard this awful news and that was go to the house of the Lord and also send for the prophet Hezekiah to seek the Lord on behalf of the people living in Jerusalem. 

            The Lord answered this prayer that was offered to Him by speaking through the prophet Isaiah telling Hezekiah that the Lord would send a spirit into the king of Assyria so that he would leave the area around Jerusalem and eventually go back to his own land where he would die.  Now it must be remembered that the Lord had already told Hezekiah in an earlier prophecy that the Assyrian’s would never enter Jerusalem.  This was told to him when he was dying but the Lord gave him fifteen more years to live. 

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  This section of my SD is the application portion of my devotions and in today’s SD I thought about the tearing of the clothes in the OT, and many times a person tore his clothes because someone was blaspheming the Lord of Glory.  I realize that the Lord does not need anyone to stand up for Him because He is all powerful, but I don’t want to hear someone say blasphemous things about my Lord without it affecting me.  I must, in a spiritual way, tear my clothes and be angry over the incident.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.      Have Zeal for the Lord.

2.      Remember that life here on this earth is a battle and I am in need of the spiritual armor.

3.      Romans 12:1-2

4.      Phil. 4:11-13.

5.      Proverbs 3:5-6.

6.      Psalm 139:23-24.  6/15/2011 9:29:00 AM  

 

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