God Doesn't Play!
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
This week, I was reading 2 Kings 19, 20, 21, it is about God's servant Hezekiah. I love the Old Testament, God shows Himself is so powerfully and He doesn't mess around, it's His way or the Highway! In Chapter 19 where the King of Assyria is ridiculing God, he is actually boasting that there is no God who has ever delivered anyone from his hand. He is telling everyone not to listen to Hezekiah when he tells them the Lord will deliver them. The King of Assyria thinks he is all that and no one can defeat him, he is boasting of how great he is and how God can't touch him.
God responds back to Him plainly and clearly in no uncertain terms. Later in the chapter, it talks about how the Angel of the Lord went into the King of Assyria's camp and killed one hundred and eighty five thousand men. Of course the King of Assyria had bragged about how he would never retreat. You could say his mouth overloaded his rear end, because when he got up and saw all those dead bodies in the camp, he got out of there. Not only did he retreat, he ran all the way home. I think He realized God doesn't play, He is dead serious! Later as he worshiped in the temple of his god, nisroch, he was murdered by his own son.
After all this, God sent the prophet Isaiah to Hezekiah to tell him he was going to die and he would not recover. Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and began to weep bitterly reminding God of how he had been devoted solely to him, so God sent the prophet again to tell him, He changed his mind and would give him fifteen more years. Well, Hezekiah wanted to make sure so he asked God to give him a sign. So the sign God gave him was he would turn back the shadow ten degrees.
Can you imagine that? Think of what has to take place for this to happen, the sun shifting backwards ten degrees!! Whoa! That's big! I can't even comprehend it! It would be like, SCREECHHHH!!!!!! Everything in rotation would stop and then shift into reverse, ten degrees then start up again. I love this!
There is so much more, but I don't have room to tell you, so you will have to read it yourself. The main thing I learned from the book is Hezekiah was faithful and devoted to God. It is like he had this ministry, he led the people to worship God, he worshipped God, but he didn't prepare for the future. It would be like leading a present day ministry and then dying in a car wreck and the ministry falls apart because there was no one to continue on. We are to prepare for the future, to make sure the work of the Lord continued. We should be making disciples, reproducing ourselves. It's all about Him, it isn't about me. I hope I have inspired you to read this for yourself. I love the Old Testament!!
God responds back to Him plainly and clearly in no uncertain terms. Later in the chapter, it talks about how the Angel of the Lord went into the King of Assyria's camp and killed one hundred and eighty five thousand men. Of course the King of Assyria had bragged about how he would never retreat. You could say his mouth overloaded his rear end, because when he got up and saw all those dead bodies in the camp, he got out of there. Not only did he retreat, he ran all the way home. I think He realized God doesn't play, He is dead serious! Later as he worshiped in the temple of his god, nisroch, he was murdered by his own son.
After all this, God sent the prophet Isaiah to Hezekiah to tell him he was going to die and he would not recover. Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and began to weep bitterly reminding God of how he had been devoted solely to him, so God sent the prophet again to tell him, He changed his mind and would give him fifteen more years. Well, Hezekiah wanted to make sure so he asked God to give him a sign. So the sign God gave him was he would turn back the shadow ten degrees.
Can you imagine that? Think of what has to take place for this to happen, the sun shifting backwards ten degrees!! Whoa! That's big! I can't even comprehend it! It would be like, SCREECHHHH!!!!!! Everything in rotation would stop and then shift into reverse, ten degrees then start up again. I love this!
There is so much more, but I don't have room to tell you, so you will have to read it yourself. The main thing I learned from the book is Hezekiah was faithful and devoted to God. It is like he had this ministry, he led the people to worship God, he worshipped God, but he didn't prepare for the future. It would be like leading a present day ministry and then dying in a car wreck and the ministry falls apart because there was no one to continue on. We are to prepare for the future, to make sure the work of the Lord continued. We should be making disciples, reproducing ourselves. It's all about Him, it isn't about me. I hope I have inspired you to read this for yourself. I love the Old Testament!!
posted by Live, Love, Laugh | 9:05 PM
14 Comments:
What I am always amazed about is the prayers in the Old Testament. The people don't fool around.
Hezekiah asked directly for a sign in faith that God would assure him.
The servant of Abraham gave a very specific prayer when sent to find a wife for Isaac. "Let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast showed kindness unto my master" (Genesis 24:14).
Gideon prayed for a sign with dew and the fleece (Judges 6).
Elijah prayed for a sign in 1 Kings 18.....just before where you were writing on. Everyone should backup a chapter while they are reading from your post and read that story too.
There are so many specific prayers for specific things and that isn't even mentioning all the prayers of thanksgiving and repentance.
I often wonder why most of our "prayer request" are nothing but prayers for the sick.
"It's all about Him, it isn't about me."
That is a lesson only .736% of people who call themselves Christian have learned.
Great post!
Michael,
I agree with you wholeheartedly, you are right on. I suppose the difference in the relationship with God in the OT and the NT made the difference in the way God acted and the way the people prayed. I just get a better visual when I read the OT of the God we serve. Thanks for all the references, good job!
Joe,
True, many forget it is not about me, my myself and I.
I had lost my bookmarks awhile back & thought I'd never find my way to you again. Thank goodness I have. :-)
You've got me hooked so now I'm going to have to sit down & read.
I want to be that faithful. I struggle but I never give up
Have a great Easter weekend ~
I have a close relative who is a very famous Bible Study Leader/Lecturer. She's currently teaching Isaiah. Now there's another tough book, and she isn't easy on anyone!
Loved the Bible Study! I liked this line: "It's all about Him, it isn't about me." I should wear that as a little sign on my wrists and my forehead to remind me...." Now, having read the other comments, I see Joe liked that line too.
Happy Easter, Dana!
Just thought I would stop by and wish you a Happy Easter! Hope it was a good one!
I trust you've had a blessed Resurrection Sunday!
Yeah, the sun turning backwards is neat. It's that omnipotence thing again. :D
It is a weakness of the Christian Faith that we look at God as a buddy, our friend. We rarely consider the powerful truth of who we are addressing so casually.
Happy Easter!
He is risen!
Great Bible study. And you are right...it is all about Him, not us! i love the Old Testament. I'm teaching in Ezekiel.
I trust you had a blessed Resurrection Day!
Just thought I'd see if anything new was up here.
Have a great day!
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