Latest / Bible in a Year with Jack Graham / Fifteen Years

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Fifteen Years · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. And I will add unto thy days
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  Speaker 1: fifteen years, and I will deliver thee and this city
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  Speaker 1: out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and
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  Speaker 1: I will defend this city for my own sake, and
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  Speaker 1: for my servant David's sake. 2 Kings 26 In the
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  Speaker 1: face of adversity, and when life seems to overwhelm me,
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  Speaker 1: I will seek comfort in knowing that, because I serve
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  Speaker 1: you with my whole heart, you will prolong my life
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  Speaker 1: and continue using me to bring praise to your name.
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  Speaker 1: As word spreads of your works in my life, I
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  Speaker 1: will be extra careful not to expose the private blessings
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  Speaker 1: that you've done for me and those who I love,
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  Speaker 1: simply because I want to show off and look good
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  Speaker 1: in the eyes of others. Help me to know what
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  Speaker 1: to show and when to show what you are doing
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  Speaker 1: in my life. Like King Hezekiah, thank you for blessing
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  Speaker 1: me with witty ideas and inventions to bless your children.
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  Speaker 1: Do more in my life in the next 15 years
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  Speaker 1: than in my former years. I'm ready for every blessing
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  Speaker 1: that's coming my way. In Jesus' name, amen. Listening to
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  Speaker 1: these daily prayers strengthens your relationship with God. Continue hearing
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  Speaker 1: from the Lord, by listening to today's Bible in a Year.
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  Speaker 1: Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: Fifteen years. In our last story, the Lord provided victory
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  Speaker 2: over the Assyrians. In this story, we learn about the
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  Speaker 2: continued favor of God on Hezekiah's life. He is blessed
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  Speaker 2: with the opportunity to live and rule for 15 more years.
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  Speaker 2: In this time, Hezekiah would build great things for the
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  Speaker 2: people of Judah. However, he would also open the gate
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  Speaker 2: to a rising evil, an evil unlike the world has
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  Speaker 2: ever seen. Inspired by the book of 2 Chronicles and
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  Speaker 2: 2 Kings.
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  Speaker 3: We're so glad you joined us on the Bible in
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  Speaker 3: a Year podcast today. The Bible in a Year podcast
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  Speaker 3: is an outreach of PowerPoint Ministries and can only come
• 2:33
  Speaker 3: to you each week through the support of listeners just
• 2:36
  Speaker 3: like you. Your support today is so important that we
• 2:39
  Speaker 3: want to thank you for your gift by giving you
• 2:41
  Speaker 3: a copy of my book called The Jesus Book. It
• 2:45
  Speaker 3: is a powerful guide that shows how every book of
• 2:47
  Speaker 3: the Bible points to Jesus and how his living word,
• 2:51
  Speaker 3: the truth of God's word, will transform your life. So
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  Speaker 3: to get a copy of The Jesus Book, Simply go
• 2:57
  Speaker 3: to jackgraham.org slash Jesus. That's jackgraham.org slash Jesus. And thank
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  Speaker 3: you for your support. In our previous reading, we learned
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  Speaker 3: how God protected Hezekiah and his armies from the Assyrians
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  Speaker 3: by sending his angels into the enemy's camp to quietly
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  Speaker 3: but effectively slaughter the Assyrian commanders. We learned of Hezekiah's
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  Speaker 3: faith and wisdom in seeking God before just rushing into battle,
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  Speaker 3: and how he gave glory to the Lord, knowing it
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  Speaker 3: was God who always gives the victory. Today, we'll continue
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  Speaker 3: to follow Hezekiah's life, seeing how God is with him,
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  Speaker 3: granting the king favor and blessing, and even adding years
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  Speaker 3: to his life. He will lead Judah in a time
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  Speaker 3: of great prosperity, and yet, even amid God's blessing and
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  Speaker 3: Hezekiah's faithfulness, today's reading will show how evil can creep
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  Speaker 3: in and threaten peace that God wants for His people. So,
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  Speaker 3: once again, let's turn to God's Word.
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  Speaker 2: It was late, and the king's palace in Jerusalem was
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  Speaker 2: a grim place to be. The prophet Isaiah walked the halls.
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  Speaker 2: They were filled with the echoes of painful coughing. The
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  Speaker 2: coughs grew louder as Isaiah walked towards the king's chambers.
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  Speaker 2: He entered the room quietly. Dimly lit by candlelight, Isaiah
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  Speaker 2: beheld the pale face of King Hezekiah. The prophet narrowed
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  Speaker 2: his eyes. The bottom of his lip quivered at the
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  Speaker 2: sight of his sickly king. He was in a great
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  Speaker 2: deal of pain, and Isaiah's heart broke for his friend.
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  Speaker 2: He grabbed the king's hand and held it tightly. My king,
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  Speaker 2: you must set your house in order. Your end is near.
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  Speaker 2: I see that you will not recover. The king looked
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  Speaker 2: at Isaiah. Streams of silent tears fell down his cheeks.
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  Speaker 2: He turned his face to the wall. That was Isaiah's
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  Speaker 2: cue to leave. As Isaiah left, the king allowed himself
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  Speaker 2: to weep before God. Lord, the king said silently, I
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  Speaker 2: have walked with you with my whole heart. I have
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  Speaker 2: done what is good in your sight. Please remember me.
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  Speaker 2: Hezekiah's throat was heavy, and he began to weep bitterly.
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  Speaker 2: The comforting spirit of God was upon him. He heard
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  Speaker 2: his cries. Isaiah was in the middle court of the
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  Speaker 2: palace when he could hear the small voice of God
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  Speaker 2: speaking to him. Turn back to the king. Tell him
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  Speaker 2: I have heard his prayers and seen his tears. I
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  Speaker 2: will heal him, and on the third day he shall
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  Speaker 2: rise from his bed to worship me. I will add
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  Speaker 2: fifteen years to his life and defend the nation from
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  Speaker 2: the Assyrians. Isaiah was pleased with the news and rushed
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  Speaker 2: back into the king's chambers to tell him. Sure enough,
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  Speaker 2: on the third day, Hezekiah was healed. Word spread of
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  Speaker 2: Hezekiah's miraculous healing, so much so that the prince of
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  Speaker 2: Babylon sent letters and presents with his ambassadors to Hezekiah
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  Speaker 2: as a congratulations. Hezekiah's heart beat swiftly as he read
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  Speaker 2: the letter from the prince. Babylon was one of the
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  Speaker 2: largest superpowers in the world. He was honored to receive
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  Speaker 2: gifts from such a strong nation instead of attacks. Judah
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  Speaker 2: was a small nation compared to the greatness of Babylon
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  Speaker 2: and Assyria. Hezekiah welcomed the ambassadors with a great feast
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  Speaker 2: and a tour of the palace. Although Babylon came in peace,
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  Speaker 2: there was another motive to their visit. Babylon was at
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  Speaker 2: war with Assyria and was hoping to acquire loyalty and
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  Speaker 2: aid from Hezekiah, something the king was willing to offer,
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  Speaker 2: given Judah's past with Assyria. Hezekiah was eager to showcase
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  Speaker 2: Judah's wealth and prosperity to the ambassadors of Babylon. The
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  Speaker 2: men followed Hezekiah as he proudly revealed Judah's storehouses filled
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  Speaker 2: with fine jewels, precious metals, weapons, and grain. There was
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  Speaker 2: nothing Hezekiah did not show the Babylons. He pranced around
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  Speaker 2: the palace halls like a child. Then, after a great
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  Speaker 2: feast in their honor, the ambassadors traveled back to Babylon.
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  Speaker 2: Hezekiah was quite pleased with the visit. However, when Isaiah
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  Speaker 2: had heard that there were men from Babylon visiting, he
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  Speaker 2: ran to the king. What did you show them? Isaiah asked.
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  Speaker 2: The king smiled and answered, Everything, of course. I showed
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  Speaker 2: them all in my house, storehouse, and the armory. They
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  Speaker 2: were quite impressed with the wealth of our small nation.
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  Speaker 2: There was nothing I did not show them. Hezekiah spoke
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  Speaker 2: with the ignorance of a small boy. Isaiah's eyes widened
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  Speaker 2: with anger. Hezekiah was confused at Isaiah's reaction. Before he
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  Speaker 2: could ask anything, Isaiah pointed to Hezekiah and said, Hezekiah
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  Speaker 2: did not quite understand Isaiah's words. Ignorantly, Hezekiah was simply
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  Speaker 2: relieved any judgment would not take place in his lifetime. However,
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  Speaker 2: he did not understand that Babylon was a rising giant
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  Speaker 2: in the world. Hezekiah showcased Judah's wealth, and Babylon would
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  Speaker 2: see it as an opportunity. It would consume the whole
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  Speaker 2: land surrounding Judah in Israel. It would hold his people
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  Speaker 2: captive and send them scattering like sheep without a shepherd.
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  Speaker 2: The people of God would experience a fierce trail under
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  Speaker 2: the sword of Babylon. This was the great evil that
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  Speaker 2: awaited the children of God. It would provide to be
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  Speaker 2: an evil by which any others were compared. Hezekiah would
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  Speaker 2: not see its terror in his lifetime, but his children
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  Speaker 2: and children's children would. They would suffer greatly. So Hezekiah
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  Speaker 2: would rule for another 15 years. In this time, he
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  Speaker 2: would lead the nation into a new era of technology
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  Speaker 2: and wealth. Beautiful aqueducts would be placed in the city
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  Speaker 2: for fresh water, and Judah would flourish until the day
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  Speaker 2: Hezekiah died.
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  Speaker 3: We begin today's scripture with a sick king. Hezekiah knew
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  Speaker 3: that he was gravely, even deathly ill, and sins for
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  Speaker 3: the prophet Isaiah. He was hoping, of course, for good
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  Speaker 3: news from God, but Isaiah had a very startling word
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  Speaker 3: for him. Get your house in order, he says. God
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  Speaker 3: has shown Isaiah that Hezekiah would not recover and would
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  Speaker 3: die from his illness. The king, however, was not ready
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  Speaker 3: to die. The fact is, most of us are not
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  Speaker 3: ready to die. But this is a good reminder for
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  Speaker 3: each one of us that we should always live with
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  Speaker 3: our house in order. That is, our lives in order
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  Speaker 3: along with our families. Think of the legacy that you
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  Speaker 3: are living and leaving and work towards that. So that
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  Speaker 3: when your time comes, you can know that everything is
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  Speaker 3: in order. The king was very distressed with Isaiah's words.
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  Speaker 3: He could have become angry or agitated or bitter, but
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  Speaker 3: he chose a better way. Hezekiah went to God in prayer. Remember,
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  Speaker 3: prayer is not our last resort, but always our first choice.
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  Speaker 3: He was open-minded. and transparent with the Lord, begging him
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  Speaker 3: to remember his faithfulness, and that he had lived a
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  Speaker 3: life seeking the Lord all his days and doing what
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  Speaker 3: was right in his sight. This was not Hezekiah demanding
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  Speaker 3: anything of God or saying, look, God, I deserve to
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  Speaker 3: live longer. You owe me. This was not entitlement. This
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  Speaker 3: was simply the heart cry for God's favor and mercy.
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  Speaker 3: It was a righteous prayer from a godly man. And
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  Speaker 3: the Lord heard his desperate cry And before Isaiah could leave,
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  Speaker 3: the Lord spoke again and said in 2 Kings 20
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  Speaker 3: verses 5 and 6, I have heard your prayer. I
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  Speaker 3: have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On
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  Speaker 3: the third day, you shall go up to the house
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  Speaker 3: of the Lord. I will add 15 years to your
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  Speaker 3: life and will deliver you and the city from the
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  Speaker 3: hand of the king of Assyria. And I will defend
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  Speaker 3: the city for my own sake and for my servant
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  Speaker 3: David's sake. This is such a vivid illustration of the
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  Speaker 3: power of prayer and the power of God to change
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  Speaker 3: our lives and even to heal us when we are sick.
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  Speaker 3: No more important words could be spoken than what we
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  Speaker 3: just read. I have heard your prayer, God says, and
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  Speaker 3: God promises to hear our prayers when we pray in
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  Speaker 3: the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and trust in him.
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  Speaker 3: It's a wonderful reminder that prayer is changes everything, not
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  Speaker 3: just us, but things, sometimes in big ways. But notice
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  Speaker 3: also what God says at the end. Why is he
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  Speaker 3: doing this? Not only for Hezekiah to live longer, but
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  Speaker 3: for his sake and the continuation of God's promise to David.
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  Speaker 3: God's faithfulness endures from generation to generation. Yes, indeed, Hezekiah recovered,
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  Speaker 3: and word of his miraculous healing made its way all
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  Speaker 3: the way to Babylon. The Babylonians were a rising superpower,
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  Speaker 3: and their king sent gifts to Hezekiah to congratulate him,
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  Speaker 3: and Hezekiah welcomed them into Judah. What he failed to
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  Speaker 3: realize was that he was welcoming danger. Though Babylon at
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  Speaker 3: that time seemed peaceful, Hezekiah's openness to show off the
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  Speaker 3: riches of Judah would prove disastrous. When Isaiah heard what
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  Speaker 3: he had done, the prophet spoke an ominous word from
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  Speaker 3: the Lord. A day was coming when Babylon would carry
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  Speaker 3: everything away. Nothing of Judah would survive and people would
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  Speaker 3: go into captivity and serve as slaves for the Babylonians. Unfortunately,
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  Speaker 3: the only thing that Hezekiah was hearing at this point
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  Speaker 3: was that he would live, that he would not be
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  Speaker 3: personally affected. So he wasn't overly concerned. In fact, he
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  Speaker 3: wasn't even convinced that this whole thing would happen. And
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  Speaker 3: although Hezekiah would not see the consequences of his naive
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  Speaker 3: and faithless actions with the Babylonians, everything God said would
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  Speaker 3: happen was coming to Judah. God's word is always true.
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  Speaker 3: Hezekiah was truly a great man, a good man. But he,
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  Speaker 3: like we, had blind spots. And sometimes we fail to
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  Speaker 3: see the things that we need to see because we
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  Speaker 3: lack understanding or wisdom or we just don't want to know. Hezekiah,
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  Speaker 3: though he was righteous and walked with God, was still
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  Speaker 3: a man who needed the Lord. He was not a
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  Speaker 3: perfect king, but we know a king who is perfect.
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  Speaker 3: Our God is a righteous king, and he will always
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  Speaker 3: rescue his people. O Lord, we thank you today for prayer.
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  Speaker 3: We thank you for the opportunity always to speak to you,
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  Speaker 3: to converse, to pray. And we ask you, O God,
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  Speaker 3: that we would always be about, as we are commanded,
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  Speaker 3: the work of prayer. May we be praying people. And Lord,
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  Speaker 3: we know that you not only hear, but you answer
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  Speaker 3: our prayers according to your perfect will. Let us pray
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  Speaker 3: with confidence and certainty in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
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  Speaker 3: And before we go, I wanted to let you know
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  Speaker 3: that the Bible in a Year podcast is an outreach
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  Speaker 3: of PowerPoint Ministries and can only come to you each
• 14:30
  Speaker 3: week through the support of listeners like you. Your support
• 14:35
  Speaker 3: today is so important that we want to thank you
• 14:38
  Speaker 3: for your gift by giving you a copy of my
• 14:40
  Speaker 3: book called The Jesus Book. This book is a powerful
• 14:44
  Speaker 3: guide that shows how every book in the Bible points
• 14:47
  Speaker 3: to Christ and how you can better read and understand
• 14:49
  Speaker 3: the Bible and how God's Word transforms our lives. So
• 14:54
  Speaker 3: to get your copy of The Jesus Book, simply go
• 14:57
  Speaker 3: to jackgram.org slash Jesus. That's jackgram.org slash Jesus. And thank
• 15:04
  Speaker 3: you for your support.