ATTACK! King Hezekiah had done some great things for the Lord as king of Judah. We begin today's reading with a miraculous story of victory, and you know how I feel about miracles! The king of Syria was threatening God's people and mocking God, Himself (could you believe the audacity this guy had, and the things he said?!??!!). Judah's king echoed the words of Joshua when he said, "Be strong and courageous, do not be terrified or discouraged, for the Lord is with us..." reminding them that all the enemy had was their own muscle, but they had God on their side! Hezekiah and Isaiah cried out to the Lord in prayer, and God defeated the enemy army for them with only one angel....annihilating all the fighting men, officers and commanders!
PRIDE! We guessed at the cause of Hezekiah's fall the last time we read about him together, but here in verse twenty-five we see God telling us clearly that pride was the reason Hezekiah fell. He was sick unto death, and God spared him granting him the additional years he begged for....only the king forgot to say thank-you and instead made himself believe he was deserving of this favor. I'm not trying to make light OF his situation, I'm trying to shine light ON his situation! How many times do we forget to thank Him when the storm ceases, or the wound heals, or the money comes, or we arrive at our destination safely, or the car cranks, or the children are well......need we go on? Thankfully, Hezekiah did humble himself once more before the God of Israel....before the One he knew personally took him to be with his ancestors. But, what blessings he must have missed during those years!
HUMBLED! Oh, my goodness....what will it take? It seems to me that very few men take their ancestors' word about The God of Israel. Some have to learn the hard way, some have to see God move first-hand, and some end up with a ring through their nose in an Assyrian prison before the light comes on! Manasseh was this man. He was about the worst king on record!! But, he did come around and he did do some good for the kingdom. His humble prayer to the Lord was surely earnest. One little problem.....he didn't convince his son, and the evil reign started all over again with Amon....
DISCOVERED! How many times have we heard of wonderful things being discovered by accident? ...Coke, post-it notes, bubble gum, affects of penicillin, silly putty, potato chips, fireworks, and even the microwave oven. But, none among those are so valuable as what was discovered in the temple during the reign of King Josiah....the lost Book of the Law! Now, we've already discussed a few weeks ago about how suspicious it actually is that the book was "lost" in the first place, but aside from that whole conspiracy-theory-thing.....what a cause for celebration! Let's consider the effects this discovery had on God's people. It began a personal revival in Josiah's life which sparked a nation-wide revival for all of Judah! The Word of God transforms lives!!!
Sometimes God allows us what we ask for, knowing it's not His perfect will. He gave Israel the kingship they wanted, He gave Hezekiah the extra time (which he abused), He gave His people over into captivity because they all but begged for it. But, sometimes our prayers are in line with His will and He moves in miraculous ways like in the battle Hezekiah faced against Syria. Still, other times, God's mercy is so great that He doesn't allow us what we ask for. I'm so very thankful for these times, aren't you?
Thanks for your post Jaybrena. This scripture tells us about so many different Kings who each made different choices in how to live their lives and lead their country, they all met different ends, but through it all God never changed. He was the same God to Manasseh that he was to Josiah, and he is that same God we serve today. He still demands the same respect and allegiance from us today and there are still consequences when we decide to push him aside and put ourselves first, but thankfully his mercy is still the same as well and he is ready and willing to forgive when we admit our failures and return to him.
ReplyDeleteAmen to that Ms. Harriet! Jaybrena - I just appreciate the way you divide up your posts. It really helps to organize it in my mind! I loved the point you made about how many times we forget to thank God when He provides what we need or what we have asked for. How guilty of this I have been!!! It is SO EASY to just say, "okay got that" and move on without even stopping to thank God or reflect on what He did for us! I have made a conscience effort to REALLY pay attention to what prayers God has answered and THANK HIM FOR THEM! Thanks for that reminder Jaybrena! I know I might be a little "thick", but I am trying to figure out the picture to put on your post. What is that on the person's hands? Can you shed a little light on that??? :)
ReplyDeleteOne way we can keep track of what to thank God for answered prayers is to get a box and put what you prayed for in the box. When a prayer is answered, you take this out and put it in another box but not before thanking God for it. I keep saying I am going to do this because I am getting so forgetful in my old age but then I forget that I was going to do that.
ReplyDeleteHahahaha, Mindy! Relax, it's a watermark for copyright or something :) I thought it looked like a target saying "put it right here, God!" .....it was late ;)
ReplyDeleteAnd the separation of topics comes from many years in a Baptist Church under organized preachers!!! You should start to be concerned when I begin alliterating the headings! :)
Jaybrena-
ReplyDeleteExcellent post! I'm very thankful for unanswered prayers even when I want them answered right away. God does know what is best for us. He knows what we need and when. I'm very thankful for a gracious and merciful God.
I have a clear glass jar that I fill with answered prayers written on pieces of paper. It's something new that I started this year, and I hope to do something fun and meaningful with them all at Thanksgiving. It certainly helps me remember to be thankful and keeps you humble. God is good. For sure. I'm thankful that the law hasn't been lost to us, that for 2000 plus years it has withstood the test of time so we can still know about God.
ReplyDeleteAnd Jaybrena...I'm waiting for the acrostic! :) Great post!