I don't know if Hezekiah was a prideful king or not, but I can't help but think that his pride was the culprit of the downfall of Judah. After God restored him back to health, Hezekiah made the foolish mistake of showing all of his nation's treasure to the men from Babylon. He was boasting about his nation's wealth, and in doing so, inviting ... [Continue Reading]
Not the Whole Truth (Isaiah 35-36)
The field commander of the Assyrian army was very skilled in the art of psychological warfare. In fact, he spread a number of half-truths to the Israelites as a way of destroying their faith in God. It was true that God was using Assyria to rebuild Israel's character and to grow them into the people He wanted them to be. What wasn't true was ... [Continue Reading]
The Coming King (Isaiah 31-34)
Isaiah's depiction of Christ as the coming king is that He will reign righteously. A look at my Hebrew-Greek Keyword Study Bible defines the word "righteousness" in 32:1 as meaning "not deviating from the standard of fairness." In other words, Christ will judge according to the truth and without any sort of partiality. When He ... [Continue Reading]
Life’s Easier Button (Isaiah 28-30)
As much at Staples has tried to get us to believe that there's is, in fact, an easy button, the truth is that there isn't. However, there is an easier way to do things than sometimes we choose to do them. That was the case with the Israelites. If only they had submitted to the Lord and done as He asked, life would have been much easier for ... [Continue Reading]
The Law of Sowing and Reaping (Hosea 9-14)
Ever wonder what you get when you plant apple seeds? Apple trees. Know what you get when you plant pumpkin seeds? Pumpkins. Let's move on to a harder question: what do you get when you embrace sin and spurn God? Whatever the fruit of your sinful sowing is. It's all part of the Law of Sowing and Reaping. The Bible ... [Continue Reading]
On the Edge (Hosea 5-8)
The problem with Israel is that it was on the edge. As a nation, it had moved so far away from what God desired that it couldn't hold on anymore. It had forward momentum in the wrong direction, and because of its choices, it was hard to turn around. The same can be true for us, too. We choose to live life on our own for so long that we get ... [Continue Reading]
A Prostitute? (Psalm 48; Hosea 1-4)
It's hard to believe that God told Hosea to marry a prostitute. How vile! How warped! And yet He used this image of marrying a prostitute to help Israel understand the weight of their sin. Israel's actions toward God were the equivalent of a woman prostituting herself out behind her husband's back. Think about how defiled the ... [Continue Reading]
Open Arms (2 Kings 18:1-8; 2 Chronicles 29-31)
If the content of this post seems a little repetitive, please know that it's not accidental. In fact, one of the amazing things about the Bible is that, though is was written by dozens of different authors from varying backgrounds, it carries a unified message in all of it's books: God is grace. The leadership of Hezekiah reveals that God was ready to ... [Continue Reading]
One Day (Isaiah 26-27)
These two chapters from Isaiah are prophesies about the future for His people. Though they suffered punishment and captivity by other nations, God is promising that He will restore the nation. Isaiah had in mind a glorious day when God will ransom His people from the gentile nations again (as He did when they were held captive by the Egyptians) and bring them ... [Continue Reading]
No More Tears (Isaiah 24-25)
As bad as Israel's exile was and as bad as hopeless as the situation seemed, Isaiah reminded the people that God would swallow up death: yet another foreshadowing of Christ's death and atonement (payment) for our sins. Though their situation was bleak, the tears would one day be wiped away. This prophecy doesn't relate just to them, however, it ... [Continue Reading]
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