Daily Devotions

Posts tagged “Hezekiah

Rattled and Weary and Weak?

KATHY GABLER—Sennacherib made it plain to King Hezekiah that he intended to run right over Israel just like he had other nations (2Kings 18). At that point, Hezekiah put on sackcloth and went to prayer and sent runners to Isaiah the prophet with this message: it is a day of deep distress; for sons have come to birth and there is no power to bring them forth.  In other words, it’s time to pierce the darkness around us and change the future for generations to come, but we’re not strong enough to do it. We could add to Hezekiah’s message in our day:  most of us are too weary to even try to fight the darkness because for years we’ve seen morally depraved people blaspheme all things sacred! For years, we’ve watched wealthy bullies get away with murder and seen corrupt politicians cheat and blackmail and bribe their way to the top. We’ve watched media deliberately lie and deceive and brainwash the public with propaganda. We’ve seen technology kill people and engineered devices take their toll.  And we’ve seen injustice go unpunished.  All this has left us rattled and weary and weak. Hezekiah was aware they needed God, he put on sackcloth and went to prayer and He took action to begin sanctifying the nation and that was an obedience that led to the intervention of God for their nation.


Distorting Guidelines

Kathy Gabler — We need an Awakening as badly as Judah did in 2Kings 17. They had forgotten their God. They had forsaken their one true God and even closed the door to the temple and nailed it shut. In the next chapter, 2Kings 18, Hezekiah became king of Judah and Awakening began. Hezekiah was AWARE they needed God and He took action to begin sanctifying the nation. He destroyed the local shrines, tore down the images of foreign gods, cut down the sacred pole for worshiping the goddess of sex and fertility and he also smashed the bronze snake Moses had made in the wilderness. Remember when fiery serpents were biting and killing them in the camp? God told Moses to put a brass serpent on a pole so people could see it and be healed. That was a one-time obedience that led to the intervention of God for their nation. Keeping that pole as a testimony from history to teach their children about God was understandable, but sticking that pole among the idols they were worshiping and making sacrifices to, dishonored both God and the acts of God in their behalf. That generation had to have “cooked the books” (unethically change the meaning) of their own history to justify worshiping a SNAKE on a STICK. Let’s bring that home to our present darkness. How much have crooked people and entities “cooked the books” in this present time and distorted the Rule of Law and guidelines as they deliberately try to change our history. They fully intend to redefine who we are and distort the God-purpose and destiny within us. We need an Awakening to stop the madness in both the Church and the Nation! We need to follow Hezekiah’s lead in such a time as this! He made the God-changes that were in his reach! He could reach their idols and he tore them down . . . and it PLEASED God! Of course, it didn’t necessarily please everybody else because Awakening always upsets the norms.

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The Time for Sackcloth and Prayer

KATHY—Sennacherib made it plain to King Hezekiah that he intended to run right over Israel just like he had other nations (2Kings 18). At that point, Hezekiah put on sackcloth and went to prayer and sent runners to Isaiah the prophet with this message: it is a day of deep distress; for sons have come to birth and there is no power to bring them forth.  In other words, it’s time to pierce the darkness around us and change the future for generations to come, but we’re not strong enough to do it. We could add to Hezekiah’s message in our day:  most of us are too weary to even try to fight the darkness because for years we’ve seen morally depraved people blaspheme all things sacred! For years, we’ve watched wealthy bullies get away with murder and seen corrupt politicians cheat and blackmail and bribe their way to the top. We’ve watched media deliberately lie and deceive and brainwash the public with propaganda. We’ve seen technology kill people and engineered devices take their toll.  And we’ve seen injustice go unpunished.  All this has left us rattled and weary and weak. Hezekiah was aware they needed God, he put on sackcloth and went to prayer and He took action to begin sanctifying the nation and that was an obedience that led to the intervention of God for their nation.


Hope of Divine Help

KATHY—Judah was upset as their idolatrous and corrupt lifestyle was shattered, but they faced an even greater threat from another direction at the same time. A cunning enemy, an Assyrian Commander who fully intended to take them captive, used their upheaval of norms as the moment to undermine their confidence in their king Hezekiah and more importantly, their God!  He taunted them saying, “You obviously have no hope of divine help!” And they couldn’t argue with that since King Hezekiah had already cleared out their collection of gods, proving all their gods were powerless and disposable (2Kings 18)! Sennacherib reminded them that the Assyrians had taken over country after country and none of their gods had done them any good.  Added to that, any hope they might have had of Jehovah God’s help took a nose dive with the fall of the “SNAKE on a STICK!” Judah was shaking in their boots. Taking advantage of that moment, the crafty Assyrian put them to the question: What justifies your confidence that you can beat us?  

(For future reference, no matter who corners us with such a question, whether friend or foe or self-talk, there is only one answer: Our confidence comes from the faithfulness of God. His faithfulness is greater than anybody’s opinion or experience or track record.)


Making God-Changes That are Within our Reach

KATHY—How much have crooked persons and entities distorted the Rule of Law and the Constitution as they deliberately try to change our history.  There are those who fully intend to redefine who we are and distort the God-purpose and destiny within us.  We need an Awakening to stop the madness in both the Church and the Nation!  We need to follow Hezekiah’s lead in such a time as this!  He made the God-changes that were in his reach!  He could reach their idols and he tore them down . . . and it PLEASED God!  Of course, it didn’t necessarily please everybody else because Awakening always upsets the norms.


No Snake on a Stick

KATHY—Like Judah in 2Kings 17, we need an awakening. In the next chapter, 2Kings 18, Hezekiah became king of Judah and Awakening began. Hezekiah was AWARE they needed God and He took action to begin sanctifying the nation.  He destroyed the local shrines, tore down the images of foreign gods, cut down the sacred pole for worshiping the goddess of sex and fertility and he also smashed the bronze snake Moses had made in the wilderness.  Remember when fiery serpents were biting and killing them in the camp?  God told Moses to put a brass serpent on a pole so people could see it and be healed.  That was a one-time obedience that led to the intervention of God for their nation.  Keeping that pole as a testimony from history to teach their children about God was understandable, but sticking that pole among the idols they were worshiping and making sacrifices to dishonored both God and the acts of God in their behalf. That generation had to have cooked the books (unethically change the meaning) of their own history to justify worshiping a SNAKE on a STICK. Our confidence must not be placed upon any past event or monument. Our confidence comes from the faithfulness of God.