Latest / A Chapter a Day Bible Reading / September 7 - Isaiah 36

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September 7 - Isaiah 36 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends, it is Sean here. It is the 7th of September and I
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  am so glad that you have joined me on this spectacular day.
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  Today is the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies.
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  It was probably less than a week ago that Ivan and I were having
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  a cup of tea out on the deck in the morning in the chilliness
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  and looking up at the sky, just marvelling at how absolutely
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  beautiful it is. And there are many places in the
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  world where it's not that way, where the sky is Gray or brown,
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  and that's hard for people to be healthy when they're breathing
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  and all of that stuff. So today's the day that we are
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  reminded that we need to make a concerted effort to keep our
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  world beautiful. And if you live in a place like
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  I do, where the sky is gorgeous and clear and blue, that's
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  always remain cognizant of the fact that we need to be active
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  to make sure that we can make as much of this gorgeousness as
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  possible. And Speaking of gorgeousness,
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  that is a terrible segue because there is nothing gorgeous about
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  this time in the history that we are about to dip our toe into.
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  We are going back all the way to the year 705 BC for the next 4
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  chapters. This is the time of Hezekiah's
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  rule. Hezekiah ruled the southern
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  Kingdom of Judah. And this is only 17 years after
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  the Assyrians marched away all of their northern cousins and
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  wiped out the northern Kingdom of Israel.
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  So if there is ever a nation that should be feared striking
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  terror into the hearts of people, it is Assyria at this
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  time in Judah. And so in the next 4 chapters,
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  we are going to hear about King Hezekiah's response to the
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  Assyrian empire bearing down on their little nation.
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  And history tells us that Judah will stand against this
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  invasion. It'll be the Babylonians in a
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  while who will take them away. But this is not the time that
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  God has for that to happen. So let's hear all about what
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  this prophet needs to speak to the king about, instructing him
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  of what God would have him do in this current threat.
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  So come back all these thousands of years as we read together
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  Isaiah Chapter 36. In the 14th year of King
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  Hezekiah's reign, King Senate Cherub of Assyria came to attack
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  the fortified towns of Judah and conquered them.
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  Then the king of Assyria sent his chief of staff from Lakish
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  with a huge army to confront King Hezekiah.
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  In Jerusalem, the Assyrians took up a position beside the
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  aqueduct that feeds water into the upper pool near the road
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  leading to the field where cloth is washed.
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  These are the officials who went out to meet with them.
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  Alaya Kim, son of Hilkia, the palace administrator, Shebner,
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  the court secretary, and Joa, son of Asaf, the royal
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  historian. Then the Assyrian King's chief
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  of staff, told them to give this message to Hezekiah.
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  This is what the great king of Assyria says.
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  What are you trusting in that makes you so confident?
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  Do you think that mere words can substitute for military skill
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  and strength? Who are you counting on that you
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  have rebelled against me on Egypt?
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  If you lean on Egypt, it would be like a Reed that splinters
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  beneath your weight and pierces your hand.
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  Pharaoh, the king of Egypt is completely unreliable, but
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  perhaps you will say to me, we are trusting in the Lord our
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  God. But isn't he the one who was
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  insulted by Hezekiah? Didn't Hezekiah tear down his
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  shrines and altars and make everyone in Judah and Jerusalem
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  worship only at the altar? Here in Jerusalem, I'll tell you
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  what. Strike a bargain with your
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  master, the King of Assyria. I will give you 2000 horses if
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  you can find that many men to ride on them with your tiny
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  army. How can you think of challenging
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  even the weakest contingent of my master's troops, even with
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  the help of Egypt's Chariots and charioteers?
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  What's more, do you think we have invaded your land without
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  the Lord's direction? The Lord himself told us attack
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  this land and destroy it. Then Alaya, Kim, Shebna and Joa
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  said to the Assyrian Chief of staff, please speak to us and
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  Aramaic, for we understand it well.
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  Don't speak in Hebrew, for the people on the wall will hear.
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  But Senator Cherub's chief of staff replied.
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  Do you think my master sent this message Only to you and your
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  master? He wants all the people to hear
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  it. For when we put this city under
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  siege, they will suffer along with you.
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  They will be so hungry and thirsty that they will eat their
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  own dung and drink their own urine.
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  Then the chief of staff stood and shouted in Hebrew to the
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  people on the wall. Listen to this message from the
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  great king of Assyria. This is what the king says.
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  Don't let Hezekiah deceive you. He will never be able to rescue
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  you. Don't let him fool you into
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  trusting in the Lord by saying the Lord will surely rescue us.
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  This city will never fall into the hands of the Assyrian king.
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  Don't listen to Hezekiah. These are the terms the king of
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  Assyria is offering. Make peace with me.
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  Open the gates and come out. Then each of you can continue
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  eating from your own Grapevine and fig tree and drinking from
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  your own. Well.
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  Then I will arrange to take you to another land like this one.
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  A land of grain and new wine, bread and vineyards.
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  Don't let Hezekiah mislead you by saying the Lord will rescue
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  us. Have the gods of any other
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  nation ever saved their people from the King of Assyria?
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  What happened to the gods of Hammeth and Arpad?
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  And what about the gods of Sefavam?
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  Did any God rescue Samaria from my power?
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  What God of any nation has ever been able to save its people
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  from my power? So what makes you think that the
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  Lord can rescue Jerusalem from me?
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  But the people were silent and did not utter a word because
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  Hezekiah had commanded them. Do not answer him.
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  Then Elaya Kim, son of Hilkia, the palace administrator,
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  Shebner, the court secretary, and Joa, son of Asaf, the royal
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  historian, went back to Hezekiah.
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  They tore their clothes in despair and they went in to see
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  the king and told him what the Assyrian chief of staff had
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  said, Gee, it's hard to trust you
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  sometimes. We know that you are powerful
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  and we know that you have our best interest in heart and we
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  know what you would have us do and the way you would have us
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  live and the decisions you would have us make.
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  But Gee, sometimes it feels like there is overwhelming pressure
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  for us to go the other way, to choose the path of greed or the
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  path of self-reliance, or to take the easy way out.
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  Because surely no one's really paying attention or actually
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  expects us to trust in God at a time like this.
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  Here we see this nation, your people, just tested by these
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  incredibly convincing words. Reading this, I would have given
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  up. But you have a better way.
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  You have a bigger picture, You have a greater love.
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  And are we? Thank you, Father, that you are
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  a great God beyond the boundaries of what we can
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  possibly comprehend. So give us your heart to hold
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  true to everything we know to be true in you, even when the world
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  is screaming something different at us.
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  Help us stand firm in what we know of your character and your
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  promises. You are wonderful and we trust
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  you, and we place you above every other.
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  That's in the saving name of Jesus that we pray.
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  Amen.