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September 13 - Isaiah 39 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends, it is Sean. Here it is Wednesday, it is the
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  13th of September and I am so glad that you have decided to
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  press play. And here you and I are, and we
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  are going to read what is undoubtedly one of the shortest
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  chapters of Isaiah. And this is an incredible
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  turning point, a fulcrum in the story of the people of God as
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  everything turns yesterday. Well, the last two days we've
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  had this incredible story of God rescuing Judah and rescuing the
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  king from impossible situations. And then today we hear the king
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  just throwing it all away and inviting the Babylonians into
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  the holiest of places where they will then turn around and take
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  the people of Israel away. Sorry, the people of Judah away.
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  And in fact, not today. But when we return to Isaiah in
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  a while's time, we will begin in chapter 40, which is God
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  speaking comfort to his people from their place of exile in
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  Babylon. So this really is the last
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  chapter of the people of Judah in Jerusalem before it all turns
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  pear shaped for them. Really, really pear shaped.
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  So join me, friends, as we read together these words in Isaiah
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  chapter 39. Soon after this, Meridac
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  Balladan, son of Balladan, King of Babylon, sent Hezekiah his
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  best wishes and a gift. He had heard that Hezekiah had
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  been very sick and that he had recovered.
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  Hezekiah was delighted with the Babylonian envoys and showed
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  them everything in his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the
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  spices and the aromatic oils. He also took them to see his
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  Armory and showed them everything in his royal
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  treasuries. There was nothing in his palace
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  or Kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them.
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  Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked him what
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  did those men want? Where were they from?
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  Hezekiah replied they came from the distant land of Babylon.
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  What did they see in your palace?
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  Asked Isaiah. They saw everything, Hezekiah
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  replied. I showed them everything I own,
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  all my royal treasuries. Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah,
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  listen to this message from the Lord of Heaven's armies.
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  The time is coming when everything in your palace, all
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  the treasures stored up by your ancestors until now, will be
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  carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the
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  Lord. Some of your very own sons will
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  be taken away into exile. They will become eunuchs who
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  will serve in the palace of Babylon's king.
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  Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, this message you have given me
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  from the Lord is good, for the King was thinking at least there
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  will be peace and security during my lifetime.
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  Lord Jesus, protect our hearts when all is going well and we
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  get the better of ourselves and the temptation comes along to
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  give it all the way. Lord, protect our hearts.
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  May we always stay true to you, May your truth, may your
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  provision, and may our sonship and daughtership in your family
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  always be the bedrock upon which we make every decision in our
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  life. Thank you for the stable
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  foundation that you give us to live every day from, and I pray
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  that we would remain cognizant of it, and that the example of
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  Hezekiah can be a good lesson and warning for us that you are
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  indeed the heart of our lives and not that temptation to
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  yield, no matter how benign and foreign and far away that nation
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  of Babylon or whatever the tempting power is in our life,
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  we are yours, Lord, and we dedicate ourselves to you in our
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  entirety. We love you, Jesus.
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  You are our King, and it's in your name that we pray.
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  Amen.