year 4 week 30 day 204 210totalgrowth.org/devotion/lgc_devotion_2015_wk30_eng.pdf · reading of...

Year 4 Week 30 Day 204-210

July 23– July 29, 2015

Week 30 Day 204-210 July 23 – July 29, 2015

I. Invocation and Adoration:

“O Jesus…O let me feel Thee near me, the world is ever near;

I see the sights that dazzle, the tempting sounds I hear;

My foes are ever near me, around me and within;

But Jesus, draw Thou nearer, and shield my soul from sin.” Amen

(John Bode 1816-1874)

Reading of Proverbs 4:20-27 (Optional)

We have finished reading the Book of Psalms as a part of our preparation for worship,

and now we shall use the Book of Proverbs as an optional reading to transition us from

worship to confession:

Read this passage a few times each day, not for the sake of Bible study, but to grasp a

major thought each day and translate that thought into either adoration or confession.

II. Confession

Pause now and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you your sins and ask for forgiveness.

III. Thanksgiving

List, one by one, things for which you should give thanks.

IV. Scriptural Reflection:

This week, we shall continue to study the book of 2 Kings in the Old Testament. Read

slowly and reflectively the assigned passage twice at least and consider the questions

below each day:

Day 204 2 Kings 19:1-13

(1) Given the dire situation, what did Hezekiah do that was different than before (i.e.

when Jerusalem was first attacked in 18:13-16? (19:1)

(2) Why didn’t he go to Isaiah himself?

(3) What did he ask Isaiah to do?

(4) How did he address God in v.4? Why?

(5) Why did he call themselves “the remnant”? (v.4) Were they (in the biblical sense of

the word)? (See note below)

(6) What was the reply from the Lord? (vv.6-7)

(7) What was the basis of God’s action?

(8) What was the outcome of this particular incident? (v.8)

(9) Sometime later, the Assyrians made another attempt to besiege Jerusalem:

a. The message of intimidation resembled that of the last time (18:27-35): what was

the focus of this intimidation?

b. If you were Hezekiah, would you have reacted differently this time? Why or why

not?

(10) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?

Note: The word, Remnant is a rendering of different Hebrew words. “At first the word

denoted a part of a family or clan left from slaughter, and later came to be applied to the

spiritual kernel of the nation who would survive God’s judgment and become the germ of

the new people of God. Thus Micah saw the returning glory of Israel (2:12; 5:7).

Zephaniah saw the triumph of this remnant (2: 4-7), and so did Zechariah (8:1-8). Isaiah

named a son She’ar Jashub which is ‘A remnant returns’ (7:3)” (Pictorial Bible Dictionary,

711).

Day 205 2 Kings 19:14-37

(1) How did Hezekiah react differently to this latest threat this time?

(2) In his prayer to the Lord (vv.15-19):

a. How did he adore God? How important was it that he began with these words of

adoration? (v.15)

b. In imploring God to listen and see, to what did he draw God’s attention? (v.16)

c. In his prayer, to what reality did he admit? (vv.17-18)

d. However, what was the basis of his confidence? (v.19)

(3) In God’s reply to Hezekiah (vv.21-34):

a. What did God point out as the mistake committed by the king Sennacherib? (vv.

21-23a)

b. What had caused him to be so confident and proud even against God? (vv.

23b-24)

c. What had he forgotten or not been aware of? (vv. 25-26. Also see note below)

d. What would be the judgment on him and why? (vv.27-28; 32-33)

e. What blessing was promised by God to Hezekiah and Judah? (vv. 29-31)

(4) How and when was this prophecy fulfilled? (v.35)


Note: “The historical reality, in this instance of the Assyrian judgment upon the nations,

had had from all eternity an ideal reality in God…the prophecy becomes a proof that the

event is the work of God and was long ago the predetermined counsel of God. The whole

of the Scripture presupposes this pre-existence of the divine idea before the historical

realization, and Isaiah in Israel…was the assiduous interpreter of this supposition” (K&D,

Kings, 320, & Isaiah, 258)兆

Day 206 2 Kings 20:1-11

(1) Hezekiah came to the throne at age 25 and with the extra 15 years that God would add

to his life because of this incident, he ruled a total of 29 years (18:1-2). How old then

was he when he was terminally ill?

(2) Announcing to him that he will die, what did Isaiah ask him to do (v.1)

(3) How would you have reacted to this news, if you were Hezekiah?

(4) How did Hezekiah react to this news? Was it a surprise to you?

(5) What did his reaction reveal about him as a person who knew and belonged to God?

(6) What reasons did God give in changing His mind?

(7) How does this speak to the character of our God?

(8) Why did Hezekiah even seek for a sign from the Lord if he was going to be completely

healed in just two days?

(9) What miracle was performed at his request?

(10) As we know, Manasseh, probably the most wicked king of Judah, was born during the

extra 15 years added to Hezekiah’s life. If Hezekiah knew it ahead of time, would he

have asked for an extension to his life? Why or why not?


Day 207 2 Kings 20:12-21

(1) What do you think was the real intention of the king of Babylon in sending a gift and

envoys to visit Hezekiah?

(2) Do you think Hezekiah should know their real intention?

(3) In showing his glory and richness, why did Hezekiah show them everything to the

point that the Bible says, “There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that

Hezekiah did not show them.” (20:13)

(4) Why did Isaiah choose to ask the king what he already knew?

(5) From the reply of Hezekiah, do you think he knew he had done something wrong?

Why or why not?

(6) What was the judgment pronounced by God as a result of his action?

(7) What sin did he commit that warranted such a severe judgment?

(8) How did Hezekiah respond to these words of judgment?

(9) Judging from his reply, what kind of a king was Hezekiah?

(10) If you were to write his epitaph, what would you write about Hezekiah?


Day 208 2 Kings 21:1-18

(1) Since Manasseh was only 12 years old when he became king, how old was Hezekiah

when he was born?

(2) Why didn’t Hezekiah have any spiritual influence on Manasseh?

(3) In Manasseh’s drastic change of course from Hezekiah’s (vv. 2-6),

a. What might be the most unexpected thing he did as far as you are concerned?

b. What might be the most abominable? Why?

(4) What sacrilege did he commit inside the temple of the Lord? (vv.4, 5 &7)

(5) What impact did his sin have on the people? (v.9)

(6) How many prophets did God send to warn and rebuke him? (v.10)

(7) Why didn’t Manasseh listen?

(8) What incentive did he have to listen?

(9) If you were one of the prophets or godly Jews in his time:

a. What and how would you pray?

b. What questions might you have in your heart?

c. What was your only hope?

(10) Apart from blatant idol worship, what other sin(s) did Manasseh commit? (v.16)

(11) In your opinion, why did God allow such a wicked king to reign for 55 years? (you

might want to read 2 Chronicles 33:10ff about Manasseh’s subsequent repentance)


Day 209 2 Kings 21:19 – 22:1-13

(1) Given the repentance of Manasseh in his latter years, why did Amon choose the

former ways of his father? (see 2 Chronicles 33:23)

(2) The death of Amon meant a fresh start for the nation of Judah: how and where might

Josiah learn to worship and follow the Lord, instead of the practices of his father?

(3) What did Josiah do in the 18th

year of his reign? (22:3-7)

(4) What do you think the temple was like before then?

(5) What is meant by “finding the Book of the Law in the temple”?

a. Where was it all the time?

b. How did they worship without the Book of the Law up till then?

(6) What immediate impact did the hearing of the words of God in the Law have on the

king? Why?

(7) Many Christians do not put much effort in the reading and the hearing of the Bible:

a. How would they know how to follow the Lord and live their Christian lives?

b. What danger do they put themselves into?


Day 210 2 Kings 22:14 – 23:3

(1) The king asked the priests to “inquire of the Lord” (22:13)

a. Who were the well-known prophets serving at the time of Josiah? (see Jeremiah

1:2; Zephaniah 1:1)

b. Why didn’t they go to them to inquire of the Lord?

(2) Who was the prophet Huldah? (22:14)

a. Why didn’t they speak to Shallum instead of his wife?

b. What might this show us about the role of women in spiritual matters?

(3) Based on the words of the prophet (22:16-20):

a. What caused the king to tear his robes and weep in God’s presence?

b. Would God carry out the “curse” declared by the Book of the Law? Why or why

not?

(4) How did the king react to the words of the prophet? (23:1-2)

(5) How important was it that all the people, not just himself, would hear “all the words of

the Book of the Covenant”? (23:2)

(6) What lesson can we learn from this?

(7) What did the king ask the people to do in response to the hearing of the words of God?

(23:3)

(8) How does it speak to the proper attitude toward reading and hearing the Word of God

today?


V. Meditative Reflection

Day 204 The Testing of Faith

“When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and went

into the temple of the Lord.” (2 Kings 19:1)

We sometimes come across people who eagerly and willingly accepted the gospel only

to fall away when their faith was tested, often in the form of a crisis. The truth of the matter

is, faith, genuine faith in God needs to be tested. It was the case with Hezekiah.

Unlike his father and his grandfather, he not only did what was right in the eyes of the

Lord, his zeal for God took him to a spiritual high in that “He removed the high places,

smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze

snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it” (2

Kings 18:4). However, as with many kings in Israel and Judah, the real test of his faith

came when he had to face formidable enemies in battle.

In Hezekiah’s 14th

year of reign, “Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified

cities of Judah and captured them” (18:13). One would assume that with his faith, he

would enquire of the Lord and would seek the help of Isaiah, the prophet. The Bible

mentions none of these. Instead, we saw Hezekiah kow-towed to the king of Assyria, even

confessing that he had done wrong and was willing to pay a huge amount of tribute to

appease him, just like any other kings of the nations. Worse, he “stripped off the gold with

which he had covered the doors and doorposts of the temple of the Lord, and gave it to the

king of Assyria” (18:16).

No wonder Sennacherib treated him and his God like any other nations and their gods

that he had conquered and he was determined to overtake Judah’s capital, just as he did to

Samaria.

It is a lesson that we all need to learn: trust the Lord with all our heart; even when we

face the most unsurmountable crisis, do not rely on our own understanding or method, or

we will not only fail, but bring shame to the name of our Lord. Fortunately, Hezekiah

learned this lesson quickly, and when he felt like being a “remnant” with only Jerusalem

left to him and was now under siege, he turned to the Lord in contrition — going directly to

the temple to seek God’s face and, in the meantime, soliciting the intercession of Isaiah

(19:2).

Day 205 The God Who Planned It All

“That night the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and

eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next

morning — there were all the dead bodies!” (2 Kings 19:35)

I find it rather disturbing that whenever the biblical account appears to be different

from secular history, commentators try to find ways to defend the biblical account which,

at the end, tend to discredit the accuracy of the Bible. Most resort to blaming scribal errors

and seek to change the spelling of certain words to fit the secular historical account, others

opine that the entire section might have been put in the wrong place by a later redactor of

the book, and still others think that they are spurious additions of a later time. 2 kings

19:35(and for that matter, Isaiah 37:36) is a case in point. Secular history obviously does

not attribute the retreat of the Assyrian army to the word of the angel of the Lord, and many

doubt if the death of 185,000 was even possible.

Allow me to share with you the insight of Oswalt in this respect:

“This verse is the crux of the entire account, so it is not surprising that it has

come under severe scrutiny by biblical scholars. Isaiah insists that the

Assyrian monarch did not go home because he was satisfied with Hezekiah’s

surrender, or because his objectives in the West had been reached, or because

of some crisis elsewhere in the empire. He went home, says the prophet,

because of the upshot of two issues: Sennacherib had asserted that human

glory was superior to God’s, and Hezekiah had dared to trust God. Because of

these God intervened in natural events and decimated a significant number of

the Assyrian army. Cut out this event as a historical fact, as all too many

commentators wish to do, and the whole theological content of the passage

falls to the ground...As to the terrific losses involved…Smith notes that the

Third Crusade mounted over a million and a half men and that the losses of

the First Crusade have been estimated at more than 300,000. Perhaps more to

the point, H. W. Saggs, on the basis Assyrian reports, concludes that the

Assyrian “Grand Army” must have numbered in the hundreds of

thousands…it does demonstrate that the account is not merely fantasy but is

within the realm of possibility’ (NICOT, Isaiah 1-39, 669-670)

Day 206 To Live or Not to Live

“This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer

and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the

temple of the Lord. I will add fifteen years to your life.” (2 Kings 20:5-6)

I have to confess that I do have mixed feelings toward Hezekiah’s prayer for healing.

On the one hand his desperate desire not to die is understandable:

- As he said, he was still in the prime of his life (v.10); he was likely about 39 years old

— too young to die;

- He had unfinished business: while we cannot say for sure that chapter 20 was

arranged chronologically after the retreat of Sennacherib in the previous chapter, it

was clear from God’s reply in v.6 that they were still under the threat of Assyria. His

repentance from depending on Egypt had steered the nation back toward the right

path in trusting in God alone. He might feel that it was his unfinished business and it

was affirmed by the Lord in His reply in v.6;

- His prayer after healing indicated that he had learned a lesson from his illness. He

pledged to walk in humility and committed to teach his children of God’s faithfulness

(Isaiah 38:17, 15 &19).

On the other hand, what happened after his healing had proved that the last 15 years of

his life had turned out to be a curse, not a blessing to him and the nation:

- 2 Chronicles has this to say about his life after healing: “But Hezekiah’s heart was

proud and he did not respond to the kindness shown him…” (2 Chronicles 32:25);

- His pride was further revealed in the second half of chapter 20 in that he showed off

his treasures to the envoys of the king of Babylon which, undoubtedly, contributed to

the fall of Jerusalem directly or indirectly into the hands of the Babylonians; and

- He failed to teach his son Manasseh the faithfulness of the Lord. This son succeeded

him at his young age of 12 (21:1) which means that he was born during the added 15

years of Hezekiah’s life. As we know, Manasseh turned out to be one of the worst

kings of Judah who did extreme evil in the eyes of the Lord.

Perhaps, Hezekiah should have submitted to the will of God, since it is never how long

we live, but how we live that really matters!

Day 207 Earthly Rewards

“’The word of the Lord you have spoken is good,’ Hezekiah replied. For he thought,

‘Will there not be peace and security in my lifetime?’” (2 Kings 20:19)

When Jesus was cautioning the Jews not to maintain an outward piety whether in

almsgiving, prayer or fasting, He sarcastically refers to those who gave, prayed or fasted

for others to see as having “received their reward in full” (Matthew 6:2, 5, & 16). This

reminds me of Hezekiah.

Not that Hezekiah’s piety in God were necessarily purely external — in fact, based on

the biblical comments, his faith in God had to genuine (2 Kings 18:3ff), but that his focus

was on the rewards in the temporal.

The fact that he wept and begged to live longer was not only a sign that he did not want

to die so soon, but that he wished to prolong the enjoyment of all his wealth and glory. That

was reaffirmed by the flaunting of his treasures to the envoys of Babylon to the point that

“nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them” (2 Kings

20:13).

The prophet Isaiah quickly confronted his pride and pronounced the most severe

judgment by God that spelled the end of the kingdom of Judah in the coming generations (2

Kings 20:16-18). As a pious king, he should have torn his clothe in repentance, instead we

read that he did not really care and thought in his heart it was alright with him as long as

“There will be peace and security in my lifetime” (Isaiah 39:8).

If I were to write his epitaph, I would certainly put these words on his tombstone: “He

received his reward in full already”. Will he have any reward left in heaven? I guess, we

will have to wait and see.

Day 208 The Repentance of the Wicked

“Manasseh led them astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the LORD

had destroyed before the Israelites.” (2 Kings 21:9)

As we read the account of Manasseh in 2 Kings, we can’t help but raise many

questions, including:

- Didn’t Hezekiah have any other son to put on the throne? Why did he make

Manasseh his successor at the young age of 12?

- Why didn’t Hezekiah, being such a godly king, have any spiritual influence on his

son?

- Did it have anything to do with him being too doting to a son who was born when he

was around 42 years old?

- Where and how did Manasseh learn all these detestable practices of the nations

which Hezekiah had eradicated for some 29 years?

- Why would God allow such a wicked king to reign for such a long time — 55 years?

Since the Scripture is totally silent on these issues, it is not helpful for us to speculate,

except on the last question.

2 Chronicles 33 chooses to supplement the latter part of Manasseh’s life in that God

did more than use prophets to warn and rebuke him; God used the Assyrians to take

Manasseh prisoner and humiliated him (33:11). In his distress, Manasseh repented and

“knew that the Lord is God” (33:13). The sincerity of his repentance was reflected in his

undoing of all the detestable practices and tearing down of all altars for idols, including

those he built inside the courts of the temple of the Lord, and in telling “Judah to serve the

Lord” (33:16).

I guess the important lesson we can learn from the life of Manasseh is that God is

indeed long-suffering, and He always gives the wayward chance after chance to repent and

come to know Him. Not that all wayward would repent like Manasseh, but when it

happens, we can be sure that that “there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God

over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10)

Day 209 Genuine Knowing of the Word of God

“When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes.” (2 Kings

22:11)

It is interesting to note that while carrying out the king’s command to repair the temple,

Hilkiah the high priest “found the Book of the Law in the temple of the Lord” (22:8). Some

commentators opine that the High Priest must have other copies of the Law lying around

the temple, and this was likely the original copy of the Law.

I do not think so, because

- The Bible does not say so; and

- It was obvious that both Shaphan the secretary and the king read the Book of the

Law for the first time, meaning the Law had not been read at all at the temple prior to

the discovery of this copy, whether it was the original copy written by Moses or not.

The impact of the reading of the Book of the Law was significant in that the king tore

his robes immediately. It is likely that the king came across the passages in Deuteronomy

28 and also Leviticus 26 which contain the curses for disobedience to the commands of the

Lord. In other words, prior to the reading of the Law itself, the king had a general sense of

the requirements of the Lord, but it was based more on oral traditions and perhaps some

other written documents like the often-mentioned “book of the annals of the kings of

Judah” (20:20) which honestly gave an account of the good and wicked deeds of each of

the kings and the rewards and punishments by the Lord. But they are, strictly speaking, not

the Word of God without which the king could never truly know the commands of the Lord

and, in times of crisis and temptation would have nothing to turn to for strength and

direction, let alone coming to a genuine personal knowledge of the Lord.

There was a period of time that for some reason I was reading mostly devotional

materials and prayers of great Christian writers and preachers. I found much comfort and

peace through my reading, and yet there was a gnawing feeling within me that I should go

back to the Word of God, the Bible. When I did, I found the reading of the Bible was so

powerful. It gave me certainty of what God actually was saying, and I experienced the

piercing power of the Word, as well as the overwhelming comfort and peace. It reminds

me that while God does use the writings and prayers of His saints to nurture and comfort

me, they cannot substitute my own reading and understanding of His Word.

Day 210 The Prophetess Hilkiah

“Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Akbor, Shaphan and Asaiah went to speak to the

prophet Huldah, who was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas,

keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the New Quarter.” (2 Kings 22:14)

During the reign of Josiah which was only decades away from the beginning of the

captivity by Babylon (in BC 606), the Lord had raised up Jeremiah and Zephaniah and

others to serve as prophets to the king and the people of Judah. This might explain to a

certain extent why as young as eight years old, Josiah was able to totally reject his father’s

wickedness and led the nation to return to the worship of the Lord.

His reformation was greatly aided by the discovery of the Book of Law in the temple,

the reading of which had further reinforced the determination of the king to lead the people

to repent and serve only the Lord. However, the curses that he read, likely in Deuteronomy

28 and Leviticus 26, had greatly troubled him, and he sought to know if such could be

avoided. As a result, he urged the high priest and his official to inquire of the Lord. It is

quite surprising to me that they did not go to Jeremiah or Zephaniah, two known prophets

of the time, instead they went to Huldah, the wife of Shallum who was the keeper of the

wardrobe (of the priests).

Apart from the fact that she was not known beyond this incident, I was surprised that

she was a woman — not that I have any discrimination against women in ministry, but that

it was simply uncommon at the time to have female leadership, especially in spiritual

matters. However, this very fact serves to prove once again that men and women are

absolutely equal before the Lord. If the Spirit of the Lord empowers someone to serve Him

or to speak on His behalf, it is the presence and the empowering of the Spirit that validates

their ministry and not their gender nor standing within the community.

VI. A Time for Silence

You have meditated much with your intellectual faculty today. Now have a moment of

silence (the length is up to you, 5 or even 30 minutes), and ask God quietly, “Lord, is there

any important message from you today that I might have missed? Show me, your servant is

listening?”

VII. Supplication

Use the following chart to cover people and ministries that you want to remember before

the Lord, apart from praying for yourself:

Your

family

Other

people

Church

Ministries

Other

Ministries

City &

World Others

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

VII. Benediction

“May God take away from us now all that does harass and annoy, all that lays upon our

hearts burdens of anxiety and care. Amen.” (Peter Marshall, adapted)

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