Month: September 2023

Be careful who you confide in AND how much you tell them!

The king of Babylon sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah when he heard he’d been sick. Hezekiah in turn showed them everything, a Full Reveal or was it a Foolish Reveal?

¹⁴ Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked, “What did those men say, and where did they come from?”

“From a distant land,” Hezekiah replied. “They came from Babylon.”

¹⁵ The prophet asked, “What did they see in your palace?”

“THEY SAW EVERYTHING IN MY PALACE,” Hezekiah said. “There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them.” 2 Kings 20

It was God who made Hezekiah wealthy, but the king didn’t ask if he should show all the wealth of his Kingdom to the foreign visitors. In any event Isaiah told him he’d made a terrible mistake.

¹⁶ Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord: ¹⁷ The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your predecessors have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the Lord. 

The more Hezekiah showed, the bigger the bait for Babylon to send their army to invade! The more we say to others, even about the blessings of God, the more they be tempted TO TAKE IT FOR THEMSELVES! Worse still to stop us from taking up our Inheritance from the Lord.

³⁰  … He succeeded in everything he undertook. ³¹ But when envoys were sent by the rulers of Babylon to ask him about the miraculous sign that had occurred in the land, GOD LEFT HIM TO TEST HIM AND TO KNOW EVERYTHING THAT WAS IN HIS HEART. 2 Chronicles 32

God tested the king whom He’d blessed by allowing him an opportunity to reveal all he’d been given to strangers. Hezekiah held back nothing and it was to invite future disaster for Judah.

Two scriptures from Proverbs to end on today;

¹⁴ A wise man holds his tongue. Only a fool blurts out everything he knows; that only leads to sorrow and trouble. Proverbs 10, Living Bible

²³ The prudent keep their knowledge to themselves,
    but a fool’s heart blurts out folly. Proverbs 12, NIV

God bless and keep you and give you much wisdom in all your dealings in these days. Immanuel, He is with us.

 

Many who stand in the Fight (Battle) may fall in the Favour (Blessings).

 

Two words for today, ‘WORSHIP AND WAR’. True Worship of the Lord always attracts the attention of the enemy and opposition, but we shouldn’t fear. Immanuel, God is with us. Amen

We saw yesterday that there were three voices in the account of the attack on Jerusalem by the Assyrian army.

The first voice was the boasting of the enemy trying to instil fear. Apparently God’s Word tells us 365 times not to fear, one for each day of the year.

The second voice was Hezekiah and the elders calling out to God for His intervention on behalf of the remnant still left in the land. God always hears the true voice of those in need. The LORD HEARD THE SHOUT of Blind Bartimaeus OVER THE NOISE OF THE CROWD. Mark 10:46-52

Finally, God spoke at length through Isaiah the prophet telling the remnant in Jerusalem that He would deliver them. Sennacherib may have thought he had escaped the wrath of Israel’s God, but it was only delayed. Ironically he was cut down with the sword while worshipping in the temple of his false god. His idol failed him, but the Lord saved His people. 2 Kings 19:37

We should not be afraid if the enemy seeks to launch attacks in today’s world, he’s tried it before and suffered heavy losses. I believe that we are close to a major confrontation between the forces of God and the current world rulers. They are being stripped of their position and power and may lash out in anger to take revenge, but our God is mighty to save.

God bless and keep you today and every day. Hallelujah

 

Hezekiah and Judah faced a serious threat from a powerful military foe, Sennacherib, King of Assyria, but he gave the people of Judah Hope.

⁷ “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. ⁸ With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.” And the PEOPLE GAINED CONFIDENCE from what Hezekiah the KING OF JUDAH SAID. 2 Chronicles 32

There were three voices in the account of the Assyrian attack on Jerusalem and Judah.

The first was the voice of the aggressor telling the people of God all the bad things he was going to do to them. Boastful, proud men who wanted to quench the words of Hezekiah and induce fear in the people. (FEAR, Forsake Everything And Run OR ‘FACE EVERYTHING AND RISE!)

¹⁶ Sennacherib’s officers spoke further against the Lord God and against his servant Hezekiah. ¹⁷ The king also wrote lettersridiculing the Lord, the God of Israel, … ¹⁸ Then they called out in Hebrew to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, TO TERRIFY THEM AND MAKE THEM AFRAID IN ORDER TO CAPTURE THE CITY.¹⁹ They spoke about the God of Jerusalem as they did about the gods of the other peoples of the world—THE WORK OF MEN’S HANDS. 2 Chronicles 32

The voice of the enemy may be the first voice we hear and if it brings fear, then we should RESIST IT!

The text in 2 Chronicles 32 is very short, a single verse, regarding Judah’s response;

²⁰ King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out in prayer to heaven about this.

In 2 Kings 19 we’re told that Hezekiah and his officials, ‘tore their clothes and put on sackcloth’, they humbled themselves greatly. Hezekiah sent them to Isaiah the prophet to tell him all the enemy messengers had said. There follows a lengthy word from the Lord through Isaiah the Prophet, 2 Kings 19:20-34;

²¹ This is the word that the Lord has spoken against him:

Today is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the holiest day on the Jewish Calendar.

Thank you Lord for being our atonement, for going to the cross for us and opening the way to the Father.

May God bless all His people today. Hallelujah

⁷ ‘Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. ⁸ With him is only the arm of flesh, BUT WITH US IS THE LORD OUR GOD TO HELP US AND TO FIGHT OUR BATTLES.’ 2 Chronicles 32

HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT THAT PART OF GOD’S CARE FOR YOU IS TO HELP YOU FIGHT YOUR BATTLES AND GOD NEVER LOSES!

Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem were attacked and besieged by the vast army of Sennacherib, king of Assyria. Samaria and Israel had already fallen to them and been exiled from their land after a three year siege. Now in the fourteenth year of Hezekiah’s reign, they had come to do the same to Jerusalem, but unlike Israel, Hezekiah WALKED WITH HIS GOD.

This confrontation is recorded three places in the Bible, 2 Kings 18, 2 Chronicles 32 and Isaiah 36, so it’s important that we understand what happened.

The tactic of the enemy was to use a lot bravado and boasting, just like Goliath did when he challenged the armies of Israel, until David cut his head off. That put an end to his boasting.

⁴ A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp.

¹⁶ For forty days the Philistine came forward EVERY MORNING AND EVENING and took his stand (Unopposed). 1 Samuel 17

I believe it was Johnny Enlow who likened the boasting of Goliath to the Morning and Evening News today! Lots of negativity and fear broadcast daily, with little or no right of reply, from the Mainstream Media Giants. Could the day of their reckoning be near, just like Goliath?

Anne read a recent internet post with two acronyms for F.E.A.R.,

Forget Everything And Run OR ‘FACE EVERYTHING AND RISE’.

The enemy and prince of this world wants us to be too afraid to stand against him, but Hezekiah new that the God he served, was Far Greater than Sennacherib, an earthly king.

The book of Revelation twice describes Jesus as ‘Lord of Lords’ and ‘King of Kings’. Revelation 17:14; 19:16 These are days when we are being called to Stand with the Lord and the Angel Armies. Don’t give in to the boasting of our enemy, he’s a defeated foe.

God bless and keep you today. Immanuel, our God is with us!

 

²⁰ This is what Hezekiah DID THROUGHOUT JUDAH, DOING WHAT WAS GOOD AND RIGHT AND FAITHFUL BEFORE THE LORD HIS GOD. ²¹ In everything that he undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, HE SOUGHT HIS GOD AND WORKED WHOLEHEARTEDLY. AND SO HE PROSPERED. 2 Chronicles 31

The Lord used Hezekiah to win the people of the land back to Himself without the need for confrontation or violence. The land had to be cleansed fully and after celebrating Passover for two weeks the people did that. 2 Chronicles 31:1

God began through one man and touched the whole nation of Judah and also Ephraim and Manasseh (The tribes of Joseph) in Israel. Elijah confronted the nation and turned them from Baal worship and Hezekiah did the same but without the Heavenly fire falling. The hearts of the people were touched for the Lord and they gave generously to the work of His Temple.

⁴ He ordered the people living in Jerusalem to give the portion due to the priests and Levites so that they could devote themselves to the Law of the Lord. ⁵ As soon as the order went out, the Israelites generously gave the firstfruits of their grain, new wine, olive oil and honey and all that the fields produced. THEY BROUGHT A GREAT AMOUNT, A TITHE OF EVERYTHING. 

There’s an old saying in the Church, ‘we can never out give God’. That would seem to have been the case as the people responded so willingly to King Hezekiah’s command.

⁹ Hezekiah asked the priests and Levites about the heaps; ¹⁰ … ‘SINCE THE PEOPLE BEGAN TO BRING THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS (Something miraculous changed right then) to the temple of the Lord, we have had enough to eat and plenty to spare, BECAUSE THE LORD HAS BLESSED HIS PEOPLE AND THIS GREAT AMOUNT IS LEFT OVER.’

In the days of Elijah, the prophet of Israel, God used one man to show His mighty power against the idolatry in the land. But in the time of King Hezekiah the Lord turned the hearts of the people back to Himself when they Celebrated the Feast of Passover. We are presently in the ‘Ten Days of Awe’ leading to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. These are significant days to Worship God for the whole earth. God is moving in power in the Church and in the world.

In Hezekiah’s days the many were involved and in our day many will be called upon to Contribute again. GOD DESIRES THAT EVERYONE TO BE INVOLVED, NO ONE SHOULD BE REDUNDANT. Harvest is the busiest season of the year, all hands can find a place to help during harvest.

May our hearts be stirred to rise up for God in this prophetic season. Hallelujah

As I read in Proverbs this morning I noticed verses that spoke of things about the King, the ultimate authority figure. Then I read Proverbs 16 which has four consecutive verses about the King. The last one is the best!

¹² KINGS DETEST WRONGDOING,
    for a throne is established through righteousness.

Even the throne of an earthly king is established or dependent upon how they and those around them behave.

True repentance and turning to God should ALWAYS BRING JOY AND REJOICING – it’s not a religious exercise, but we should experience JOY IN OUR HEARTS.

Hezekiah began worship by cleansing the Temple, all the filth had to be removed and the building purified. Sometimes we may have to repent/turn away from wrong things as a first step. Our Temple is internal, it’s our hearts. Confession, repentance and pleading the blood of Jesus is much easier for New Testament believers, provided it’s genuine.

The beginning of worship after such a long time wasn’t straight forward with every detail correct and in place, but it was sincere and Hezekiah prayed to God and asked forgiveness for the people.

¹⁸ Although most of the many people who came from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover, contrary to what was written. (PEOPLE FROM ISRAEL HAD BEEN IDOLATROUS FOR GENERATIONS) But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, ‘May the Lord, who is good, pardon everyone ¹⁹ who sets their heart on seeking God – the Lord, the God of their ancestors – even if they are not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary.’ ²⁰ And the LORD HEARD HEZEKIAH AND HEALED THE PEOPLE. 2 Chronicles 30

God saw the hearts of the people and they meant more to Him than the sacrifices which were offered. He blessed and encouraged the reopening of His Temple and the restoration of worship in Jerusalem.

What were the immediate results of turning back to the true God and worshipping Him alone?

²¹ The Israelites who were present in Jerusalem celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days with GREAT REJOICING, while the Levites and priests sang to the Lord every day with resounding instruments dedicated to the Lord.

²³ The whole assembly then agreed to celebrate the festival seven more days; (REAL DESIRE TO ENJOY WORSHIP) so for another seven days they CELEBRATED JOYFULLY.

²⁵ The entire assembly of Judah REJOICED, along with the priests and Levites and all who had assembled from Israel, INCLUDING THE FOREIGNERS who had come from Israel and also those who resided in Judah. ²⁶ There was GREAT JOY IN JERUSALEM, for since the days of Solomon son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem.

THE MAIN EVIDENCE OF TURNING BACK TO GOD WAS JOY AND CELEBRATION! It wasn’t just for a few people, but for all the people who’d gathered to worship God. Such Outpourings of God’s Spirit are going to happen again in long dry places. In the meantime we can appropriate His blessings for ourselves by turning our hearts back to Him.

God bless and keep you today. Immanuel, God is with us.

 

²⁰ Early the next morning King Hezekiah gathered the city officials together and went up to the temple of the Lord. ²¹ They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven male lambs and seven male goats as a sin offering(SEVEN, Completion and Perfection)  for the kingdom, for the sanctuary and for Judah. The king commanded the priests, the descendants of Aaron, to offer these on the altar of the Lord.

King Hezekiah began the worship of the Lord with a relatively small, YET PERFECT NUMBER of animals in sacrifice. He involved his officials (community leaders) as well as the priests and Levites.

²⁵ He stationed the Levites in the temple of the Lord with cymbals, harps and lyres in the way prescribed by David and Gad the king’s seer and Nathan the prophet; this was commanded by the Lord through his prophets. ²⁶ So the Levites stood ready with David’s instruments, and the priests with their trumpets. 

The initial meeting in the Temple may have begun small, but it contained all the necessary elements for true worship; Righteous Beginnings.

Do not despise the day of small things (beginnings) Zechariah 4:10

Hezekiah widened the appeal to the assembly, ‘all whose hearts were willing brought burnt offerings.’ 2 Chronicles 29:31

Chapter 29 concludes with the service of the Temple re-established and THE PEOPLE REJOICED at what God had done because IT WAS DONE SO QUICKLY.

Hezekiah then sent an invitation to all Judah, but also to other tribes in Israel to come and celebrate Passover in Jerusalem. Some ‘scorned and ridiculed’ the messengers, but some showed respect.

¹¹ Nevertheless, some from Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun HUMBLED THEMSELVES and went to Jerusalem. ¹² Also in Judah the hand of God was on the people to give them unity of mind to carry out what the king and his officials had ordered, following the word of the Lord. 2 Chronicles 30

¹³ A very large crowd of people assembled in Jerusalem to celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread in the second month. ¹⁴ They removed the altars in Jerusalem and cleared away the incense altars and threw them into the Kidron Valley. 

There were some minor setbacks as the larger scale events rolled out but the Lord saw their hearts and the people were blessed and rejoiced.

The initial WORSHIP, QUICKLY GAINED MOMENTUM, GREW IN NUMBERS AND BECAME WIDESPREAD. Are we about to witness a similar turn around at the present time? The worship of the living God being established back in mainstream society.

¹⁴ For the earth WILL BE FILLED with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea. Habakkuk 2

Much is happening behind the scenes and God will have His way.

God bless and keep you today and every day. Immanuel, God is with us.