A man and a wall by Gary Rose

This picture (actually Ezekiel 22:30) has been used to advocate the building of a wall between The U.S.A. and Mexico. Sounds great, but there is more to the story than just ONE verse. If you look at the whole chapter, you will quickly see that Israel had become corrupt and deserved to be destroyed for their many, many sins. For the sake of brevity, I have quoted from just one of the series of God’s pronouncements in the chapter.

Ezekiel 22 ( World English Bible )

Eze 22:23, The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

Eze 22:24, Son of man, tell her, You are a land that is not cleansed, nor rained on in the day of indignation.

Eze 22:25, There is a conspiracy of her prophets in its midst, like a roaring lion ravening the prey: they have devoured souls; they take treasure and precious things; they have made her widows many in its midst.

Eze 22:26, Her priests have done violence to my law, and have profaned my holy things: they have made no distinction between the holy and the common, neither have they caused men to discern between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my Sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.

Eze 22:27, Her princes in its midst are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, that they may get dishonest gain.

Eze 22:28, Her prophets have daubed for them with whitewash, seeing false visions, and divining lies to them, saying, Thus says the Lord Yahweh, when Yahweh has not spoken.

Eze 22:29, The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery; yes, they have troubled the poor and needy, and have oppressed the foreigner wrongfully.

Eze 22:30, I sought for a man among them, who should build up the wall, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found none.

Eze 22:31, Therefore have I poured out my indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I brought on their heads, says the Lord Yahweh. ( Emphasis added)

Israel sinned and God sought for a man to build the wall and change things in that nation, but found none. God can use walls and HE can use specific people to change the course of a nation.

The wall between the U.S.A. and Mexico should be built to keep unvetted, undesirable people out. But our problem is more extensive than just that. We need to deport those who have entered the country illegally, change the broken immigration system by enacting tougher laws and enforcing them. There is also the issue of sin in our country. Like Israel of old, America has become throughly corrupt and almost beyond help. Unlike Israel, we have Donald Trump (as imperfect as he is) to stand in the gap and attempt to change things.

As far sin goes – if America turns back to God, there is hope! Please pray for our country!

Bible Reading March 27, 28 by Gary Rose

Bible Reading March 27, 28

World  English  Bible

Mar. 27

Leviticus 9, 10

Lev 9:1 It happened on the eighth day, that Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the elders of Israel;

Lev 9:2 and he said to Aaron, "Take a calf from the herd for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering, without blemish, and offer them before Yahweh.

Lev 9:3 You shall speak to the children of Israel, saying, 'Take a male goat for a sin offering; and a calf and a lamb, both a year old, without blemish, for a burnt offering;

Lev 9:4 and a bull and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before Yahweh; and a meal offering mixed with oil: for today Yahweh appears to you.' "

Lev 9:5 They brought what Moses commanded before the Tent of Meeting: and all the congregation drew near and stood before Yahweh.

Lev 9:6 Moses said, "This is the thing which Yahweh commanded that you should do: and the glory of Yahweh shall appear to you."

Lev 9:7 Moses said to Aaron, "Draw near to the altar, and offer your sin offering, and your burnt offering, and make atonement for yourself, and for the people; and offer the offering of the people, and make atonement for them; as Yahweh commanded."

Lev 9:8 So Aaron drew near to the altar, and killed the calf of the sin offering, which was for himself.

Lev 9:9 The sons of Aaron presented the blood to him; and he dipped his finger in the blood, and put it on the horns of the altar, and poured out the blood at the base of the altar:

Lev 9:10 but the fat, and the kidneys, and the cover from the liver of the sin offering, he burned upon the altar; as Yahweh commanded Moses.

Lev 9:11 The flesh and the skin he burned with fire outside the camp.

Lev 9:12 He killed the burnt offering; and Aaron's sons delivered the blood to him, and he sprinkled it around on the altar.

Lev 9:13 They delivered the burnt offering to him, piece by piece, and the head: and he burned them upon the altar.

Lev 9:14 He washed the innards and the legs, and burned them on the burnt offering on the altar.

Lev 9:15 He presented the people's offering, and took the goat of the sin offering which was for the people, and killed it, and offered it for sin, like the first.

Lev 9:16 He presented the burnt offering, and offered it according to the ordinance.

Lev 9:17 He presented the meal offering, and filled his hand from there, and burned it upon the altar, besides the burnt offering of the morning.

Lev 9:18 He also killed the bull and the ram, the sacrifice of peace offerings, which was for the people: and Aaron's sons delivered to him the blood, which he sprinkled around on the altar,

Lev 9:19 and the fat of the bull and of the ram, the fat tail, and that which covers the innards, and the kidneys, and the cover of the liver:

Lev 9:20 and they put the fat upon the breasts, and he burned the fat on the altar:

Lev 9:21 and the breasts and the right thigh Aaron waved for a wave offering before Yahweh, as Moses commanded.

Lev 9:22 Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people, and blessed them; and he came down from offering the sin offering, and the burnt offering, and the peace offerings.

Lev 9:23 Moses and Aaron went into the Tent of Meeting, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of Yahweh appeared to all the people.

Lev 9:24 There came forth fire from before Yahweh, and consumed the burnt offering and the fat upon the altar: and when all the people saw it, they shouted, and fell on their faces.

Lev 10:1 Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer, and put fire in it, and laid incense on it, and offered strange fire before Yahweh, which he had not commanded them.

Lev 10:2 And fire came forth from before Yahweh, and devoured them, and they died before Yahweh.

Lev 10:3 Then Moses said to Aaron, "This is what Yahweh spoke of, saying, 'I will show myself holy to those who come near me, and before all the people I will be glorified.' " Aaron held his peace.

Lev 10:4 Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, "Draw near, carry your brothers from before the sanctuary out of the camp."

Lev 10:5 So they drew near, and carried them in their coats out of the camp, as Moses had said.

Lev 10:6 Moses said to Aaron, and to Eleazar and to Ithamar, his sons, "Don't let the hair of your heads go loose, neither tear your clothes; that you don't die, and that he not be angry with all the congregation: but let your brothers, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which Yahweh has kindled.

Lev 10:7 You shall not go out from the door of the Tent of Meeting, lest you die; for the anointing oil of Yahweh is on you." They did according to the word of Moses.

Lev 10:8 Yahweh spoke to Aaron, saying,

Lev 10:9 "Drink no wine nor strong drink, you, nor your sons with you, when you go into the Tent of Meeting, that you don't die: it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations:

Lev 10:10 and that you are to make a distinction between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean;

Lev 10:11 and that you are to teach the children of Israel all the statutes which Yahweh has spoken to them by Moses."

Lev 10:12 Moses spoke to Aaron, and to Eleazar and to Ithamar, his sons who were left, "Take the meal offering that remains of the offerings of Yahweh made by fire, and eat it without yeast beside the altar; for it is most holy;

Lev 10:13 and you shall eat it in a holy place, because it is your portion, and your sons' portion, of the offerings of Yahweh made by fire: for so I am commanded.

Lev 10:14 The waved breast and the heaved thigh you shall eat in a clean place, you, and your sons, and your daughters with you: for they are given as your portion, and your sons' portion, out of the sacrifices of the peace offerings of the children of Israel.

Lev 10:15 The heaved thigh and the waved breast they shall bring with the offerings made by fire of the fat, to wave it for a wave offering before Yahweh: and it shall be yours, and your sons' with you, as a portion forever; as Yahweh has commanded."

Lev 10:16 Moses diligently inquired about the goat of the sin offering, and, behold, it was burned: and he was angry with Eleazar and with Ithamar, the sons of Aaron who were left, saying,

Lev 10:17 "Why haven't you eaten the sin offering in the place of the sanctuary, seeing it is most holy, and he has given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before Yahweh?

Lev 10:18 Behold, its blood was not brought into the inner part of the sanctuary: you certainly should have eaten it in the sanctuary, as I commanded."

Lev 10:19 Aaron spoke to Moses, "Behold, this day they have offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before Yahweh; and such things as these have happened to me: and if I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been pleasing in the sight of Yahweh?"

Lev 10:20 When Moses heard that, it was pleasing in his sight.

Mar. 28

Leviticus 11, 12

Lev 11:1 Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them,

Lev 11:2 "Speak to the children of Israel, saying, 'These are the living things which you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth.

Lev 11:3 Whatever parts the hoof, and is cloven-footed, and chews the cud among the animals, that you may eat.

Lev 11:4 " 'Nevertheless these you shall not eat of those that chew the cud, or of those who part the hoof: the camel, because he chews the cud but doesn't have a parted hoof, he is unclean to you.

Lev 11:5 The coney, because he chews the cud but doesn't have a parted hoof, he is unclean to you.

Lev 11:6 The hare, because she chews the cud but doesn't part the hoof, she is unclean to you.

Lev 11:7 The pig, because he has a split hoof, and is cloven-footed, but doesn't chew the cud, he is unclean to you.

Lev 11:8 Of their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch; they are unclean to you.

Lev 11:9 " 'These you may eat of all that are in the waters: whatever has fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, that you may eat.

Lev 11:10 All that don't have fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of all the living creatures that are in the waters, they are an abomination to you,

Lev 11:11 and you detest them. You shall not eat of their flesh, and you shall detest their carcasses.

Lev 11:12 Whatever has no fins nor scales in the waters, that is an abomination to you.

Lev 11:13 " 'These you shall detest among the birds; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the vulture, and the black vulture,

Lev 11:14 and the red kite, any kind of black kite,

Lev 11:15 any kind of raven,

Lev 11:16 the horned owl, the screech owl, and the gull, any kind of hawk,

Lev 11:17 the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl,

Lev 11:18 the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey,

Lev 11:19 the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat.

Lev 11:20 " 'All flying insects that walk on all fours are an abomination to you.

Lev 11:21 Yet you may eat these: of all winged creeping things that go on all fours, which have legs above their feet, with which to hop on the earth.

Lev 11:22 Even of these you may eat: any kind of locust, any kind of katydid, any kind of cricket, and any kind of grasshopper.

Lev 11:23 But all winged creeping things which have four feet, are an abomination to you.

Lev 11:24 " 'By these you will become unclean: whoever touches the carcass of them shall be unclean until the evening.

Lev 11:25 Whoever carries any part of their carcass shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening.

Lev 11:26 " 'Every animal which parts the hoof, and is not cloven-footed, nor chews the cud, is unclean to you. Everyone who touches them shall be unclean.

Lev 11:27 Whatever goes on its paws, among all animals that go on all fours, they are unclean to you. Whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening.

Lev 11:28 He who carries their carcass shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening. They are unclean to you.

Lev 11:29 " 'These are they which are unclean to you among the creeping things that creep on the earth: the weasel, the rat, any kind of great lizard,

Lev 11:30 the gecko, and the monitor lizard, the wall lizard, the skink, and the chameleon.

Lev 11:31 These are they which are unclean to you among all that creep. Whoever touches them when they are dead, shall be unclean until the evening.

Lev 11:32 On whatever any of them falls when they are dead, it shall be unclean; whether it is any vessel of wood, or clothing, or skin, or sack, whatever vessel it is, with which any work is done, it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the evening; then it will be clean.

Lev 11:33 Every earthen vessel, into which any of them falls, all that is in it shall be unclean, and you shall break it.

Lev 11:34 All food which may be eaten, that on which water comes, shall be unclean; and all drink that may be drunk in every such vessel shall be unclean.

Lev 11:35 Everything whereupon part of their carcass falls shall be unclean; whether oven, or range for pots, it shall be broken in pieces: they are unclean, and shall be unclean to you.

Lev 11:36 Nevertheless a spring or a cistern in which water is a gathered shall be clean: but that which touches their carcass shall be unclean.

Lev 11:37 If part of their carcass falls on any sowing seed which is to be sown, it is clean.

Lev 11:38 But if water is put on the seed, and part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.

Lev 11:39 " 'If any animal, of which you may eat, dies; he who touches its carcass shall be unclean until the evening.

Lev 11:40 He who eats of its carcass shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening. He also who carries its carcass shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening.

Lev 11:41 " 'Every creeping thing that creeps on the earth is an abomination. It shall not be eaten.

Lev 11:42 Whatever goes on its belly, and whatever goes on all fours, or whatever has many feet, even all creeping things that creep on the earth, them you shall not eat; for they are an abomination.

Lev 11:43 You shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creeps, neither shall you make yourselves unclean with them, that you should be defiled thereby.

Lev 11:44 For I am Yahweh your God. Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am holy: neither shall you defile yourselves with any kind of creeping thing that moves on the earth.

Lev 11:45 For I am Yahweh who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.

Lev 11:46 " 'This is the law of the animal, and of the bird, and of every living creature that moves in the waters, and of every creature that creeps on the earth,

Lev 11:47 to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean, and between the living thing that may be eaten and the living thing that may not be eaten.' "

Lev 12:1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

Lev 12:2 "Speak to the children of Israel, saying, 'If a woman conceives, and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days; as in the days of her monthly period she shall be unclean.

Lev 12:3 In the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.

Lev 12:4 She shall continue in the blood of purification thirty-three days. She shall not touch any holy thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying are completed.

Lev 12:5 But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her period; and she shall continue in the blood of purification sixty-six days.

Lev 12:6 " 'When the days of her purification are completed, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the door of the Tent of Meeting, a year old lamb for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtledove, for a sin offering:

Lev 12:7 and he shall offer it before Yahweh, and make atonement for her; and she shall be cleansed from the fountain of her blood. " 'This is the law for her who bears, whether a male or a female.

Lev 12:8 If she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves, or two young pigeons; the one for a burnt offering, and the other for a sin offering: and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she shall be clean.' "

Mar. 27, 28

Mark 16

Mar 16:1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, that they might come and anoint him.

Mar 16:2 Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.

Mar 16:3 They were saying among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?"

Mar 16:4 for it was very big. Looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back.

Mar 16:5 Entering into the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were amazed.

Mar 16:6 He said to them, "Don't be amazed. You seek Jesus, the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen. He is not here. Behold, the place where they laid him!

Mar 16:7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He goes before you into Galilee. There you will see him, as he said to you.' "

Mar 16:8 They went out, and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had come on them. They said nothing to anyone; for they were afraid.

Mar 16:9 Now when he had risen early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.

Mar 16:10 She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept.

Mar 16:11 When they heard that he was alive, and had been seen by her, they disbelieved.

Mar 16:12 After these things he was revealed in another form to two of them, as they walked, on their way into the country.

Mar 16:13 They went away and told it to the rest. They didn't believe them, either.

Mar 16:14 Afterward he was revealed to the eleven themselves as they sat at the table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they didn't believe those who had seen him after he had risen.

Mar 16:15 He said to them, "Go into all the world, and preach the Good News to the whole creation.

Mar 16:16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who disbelieves will be condemned.

Mar 16:17 These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new languages;

Mar 16:18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it will in no way hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

Mar 16:19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.

Mar 16:20 They went out, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word by the signs that followed. Amen.

“One Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Ephesians 4:5). by Roy Davison

http://www.oldpaths.com/Archive/Davison/Roy/Allen/1940/068-OneLord.html

“One Lord, one faith, one baptism”
(Ephesians 4:5).

“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Ephesians 4:4-6).

There is one Lord.

A lord is someone who has authority over others. Who is the one Lord? Jesus Christ “is Lord of all” (Acts 10:36). He once asked His hearers: “Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). After His resurrection Jesus said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). The Father is also Lord: “The Lord God Omnipotent reigns!” (Revelation 19:6). And “The Lord is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:17). Since there is one Lord and all three are called “Lord”, the one Lord with authority over all men is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

To be the one body, the church of Christ, and to have the one faith, we must submit to the authority of the one Lord who through the Scriptures has made the gospel known to all nations: “now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith” (Romans 16:26).

There is one faith.

The one faith is “the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory” (James 2:1), “the faith of the gospel” (Philippians 1:27), “the faith of God’s elect” (Titus 1:1), the faith we obey (Acts 6:7¹), the faith in which we remain “grounded and steadfast” (Colossians 1:23²), the faith in which we are “strengthened” (Acts 16:5), the faith in which we are “rooted and built up in Him and established” (Colossians 2:7), the faith in which we “stand fast” (1 Corinthians 16:13), the faith in which we have unity (Ephesians 4:13), “the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” and for which we “contend earnestly”! (Jude 1:3).

Sadly, there are thousands of false faiths in this world, fake faiths of human origin.

But there is only one genuine faith, the faith of the church of Christ, also called the doctrine of Christ. “Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son” (2 John 9). Paul warned: “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8). We may not deviate from the one faith.

There is one baptism.

The one baptism (and the only valid baptism), is the baptism of the one faith, the baptism authorized by the one Lord and practiced by the one body, the church of Christ. “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body” (1 Corinthians 12:13).

Sadly, there are many false forms of baptism practiced by false faiths. Any form of baptism that is different from the one baptism of the one faith is not valid because it is not performed by the authority of the one Lord.

Millions think they have been baptized when they have not been baptized. They have been deceived by Satan. He wants people to think they are saved when they have not been saved because their baptism was not the one baptism authorized by the one Lord.

Infant baptism, for example, is not the one baptism because it is not based on the faith of the one being baptized. Jesus said, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16).

The one baptism is a burial, an immersion in water. The Ethiopian eunuch confessed his faith and was baptized in water: “Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, ‘See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?’ Then Philip said, ‘If you believe with all your heart, you may.’ And he answered and said, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.’ So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing” (Acts 8:36-39). 

The one baptism is a burial in water that unites us with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus: “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin” (Romans 6:3-6). 

The one baptism is an immersion in water, but not every immersion is the one baptism. Immersion as practiced by Baptists, Evangelicals and Pentecostals, for example, is not the one baptism because they do not baptize “for the remission of sins” and they do not believe that the “gift of the Holy Spirit” is received at baptism. Their form of baptism conflicts with the command of Peter: “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). They reject baptism as the washing of regeneration (Titus 3:4-7) and deny that one must be born of both water and Spirit to enter the kingdom of God (John 3:5). They also do not baptize into the one body, the church of Christ, as designated by Paul: “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body” (1 Corinthians 12:13).

All forms of baptism that differ from the one baptism, are not valid because they are not part of the one faith and do not occur in submission to the one Lord.

“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Ephesians 4:4-6).

Let us be certain that we submit to the one Lord, that our faith is the one faith, and that our baptism is the one baptism. Amen.
Roy Davison

Endnotes:

---

¹ See also Romans 1:5; 16:26

---

² See also Acts 14:22

---

The Scripture quotations in this article are from The New King James Version. ©1979, 1980, 1982, Thomas Nelson Inc., Publishers unless indicated otherwise. Permission for reference use has been granted.

Published in The Old Paths Archive
http://www.oldpaths.com

Where To Find Confidence In Uncertain Times by Ben Fronczek

http://granvillenychurchofchrist.org/?p=1578

Where To Find Confidence In Uncertain Times

Where to Find Confidence in Uncertain Times

I would like you to read an amazing true story to you from 2 Chronicles 32:1-23.

“After all that Hezekiah had so faithfully done, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah. He laid siege to the fortified cities, thinking to conquer them for himself. 2 When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that he intended to wage war against Jerusalem, 3 he consulted with his officials and military staff about blocking off the water from the springs outside the city, and they helped him. 4 They gathered a large group of people who blocked all the springs and the stream that flowed through the land. “Why should the kings[a] of Assyria come and find plenty of water?” they said. 5 Then he worked hard repairing all the broken sections of the wall and building towers on it. He built another wall outside that one and reinforced the terraces of the City of David. He also made large numbers of weapons and shields.

6 He appointed military officers over the people and assembled them before him in the square at the city gate and encouraged them with these words: 7 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. 8 With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said.

9 Later, when Sennacherib king of Assyria and all his forces were laying siege to Lachish, he sent his officers to Jerusalem with this message for Hezekiah king of Judah and for all the people of Judah who were there:

10 “This is what Sennacherib king of Assyria says: On what are you basing your confidence, that you remain in Jerusalem under siege? 11When Hezekiah says, ‘The Lord our God will save us from the hand of the king of Assyria,’ he is misleading you, to let you die of hunger and thirst. 12 Did not Hezekiah himself remove this god’s high places and altars, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship before one altar and burn sacrifices on it’?

13 “Do you not know what I and my predecessors have done to all the peoples of the other lands? Were the gods of those nations ever able to deliver their land from my hand? 14 Who of all the gods of these nations that my predecessors destroyed has been able to save his people from me? How then can your god deliver you from my hand? 15 Now do not let Hezekiah deceive you and mislead you like this. Do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to deliver his people from my hand or the hand of my predecessors. How much less will your god deliver you from my hand!”

16 Sennacherib’s officers spoke further against the Lord God and against his servant Hezekiah. 17 The king also wrote letters ridiculing the Lord, the God of Israel, and saying this against him: “Just as the gods of the peoples of the other lands did not rescue their people from my hand, so the god of Hezekiah will not rescue his people from my hand.” 18 Then they called out in Hebrew to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to terrify them and make them afraid in order to capture the city. 19 They spoke about the God of Jerusalem as they did about the gods of the other peoples of the world—the work of human hands.

20 King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out in prayer to heaven about this. 21 And the Lord sent an angel, who annihilated all the fighting men and the commanders and officers in the camp of the Assyrian king. So he withdrew to his own land in disgrace. And when he went into the temple of his god, some of his sons, his own flesh and blood, cut him down with the sword.

22 So the Lord saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all others. He took care of them on every side. 23 Many brought offerings to Jerusalem for the Lord and valuable gifts for Hezekiah king of Judah. From then on he was highly regarded by all the nations.“

The Jews in Jerusalem were in real trouble. Before the Babylonian empire rose to power the Assyrians were conquering one nation after another all around them, including the their brother Israelites to the north.

If you remember your Bible history after the reign of Solomon, his kingdom divided. His son Rehoboam makes some poor decisions early on and follows the poor wisdom of his young friends. Ten of the 12 tribes of Israel rebel and divide following Jeroboam who establishes the new capitol of the Israelites in Samaria, leaving only the tribes of Judah and the Levites in the south with Jerusalem as their capitol.

Unfortunately after this split, the tribes to the north in Israel gravitate towards evil practices including idolatry. As a matter of fact, not one of Israel’s kings were considered and good and holy king; everyone of them turned their back on the Lord and the covenant that was made at Sinai. So just as the Lord promised in Deuteronomy, He sent a another nation in to humble and capture them. That all took place shortly after Hezekiah became King of Judah. He saw the Assyrians quite literally sweep his fellow Jews to the north away. What few were left and survived the battles were deported and resettled in other regions of the Assyrian empire, and then Samaria was filled with foreigners from other countries to care for the land. (1 Kings 17).

So now all of a sudden the Assyrians are knocking on Judah’s front door and one could think that their lives all of a sudden became full of uncertainty.

One good thing that Judah had in its favor was the fact that Hezekiah loved the Lord, he was a good king who was God fearing, trusted in the Lord and did his best to serve Him. He had reopened the Temple and repaired it after his evil father Ahaz let it fall into disrepair. He had the priest purify the Temple and even reinstituted the Passover celebration which had also been done away with along with other celebrations to the Lord.

I personally believe that the story I read from 2 Chronicles 32 would have turned out quite different if Hezekiah and the people of Judah had not returned to the Lord before this.

Sennacherib may have believed that God had allowed him to conquer the surrounding lands, but there were two big mistake he made here.

#1. He decided to attack God’s chosen people without the Lord’s own instruction to do so. And #2, (which I believe is the biggest mistake of all), he arrogantly insults, dishonors, and make fun of God Himself.

In 2 Chronicles we simply read in verse 21 that the Lord sent and angel, who literally wipes out his fighting men. In 2 Kings 19:35-37 it gives a few more details of this event. It says, “ 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! 36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there.”   And in the end, own sons attack and kill him with a sword.

Today as we read these stories we get to see the beginning, the middle, and the end without experiencing or feeling the fear and uncertainty those early believers must have had to go thru.

None of us have had to fear for our life and our family’s life like those Jews did as they looked out over 180,000 warriors ready to attack and kill them.

But we do know what it’s like to live in uncertain times.

Not knowing whether you’ll have a job tomorrow.

Not knowing if our economy is going to collapse.

Not knowing what’s going to happen to you health-wise with all this cancer seemingly going ramped not to mention other diseases our there including the new Ebola threat that has now entered our borders.

Not knowing how many of our Christian rights are going to be taken from us as time goes on.

So many things to be uncertain of! But despite the potential uncertainties, I believe Hezekiah’s encouraging words to His people can and should encourages us as well. It says he “encouraged them with these words: 7 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. 8 With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said.”

We have to remember that as long as we remain faithful and true to our Lord God no one is going to harm us unless He personally allows it to happen. And if He does allow something to happen that we don’t like or understand, there is probably a pretty good reason, because “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him.” (Romans 8:28)

Hezekiah reassured those people by letting them know that the Lord was going help them with their enemy, and that night He did.

But I also want you to take note of a few things that were important for their success:

#1. Hezekiah and his people had humbly re-dedicated their lives to the Lord and His Law. He went out of his way calling people back to the Lord. (ch. 30) He did not do what was popular, he chose to do what was right in God’s eyes.

#2. They had Faith in the Lord. I believe it was based on how God saved His people over and over before them. They did not forget or ignore Bible History.

#3. After he did all that he could do to protect the city, they Prayed. Even though Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, in verse 20 we read that he and Isaiah plunge into pray and plead their case before Him and ask God to save them from the Assyrian army.   (Also see 2 Kings 19:14-19)

While in prison Paul wrote, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.Philippians 4:6,7

That’s a promise.. Let me ask you this; Is there any problem that our God can’t handle?

For 11 years, Hezekiah has done everything right, but then trouble came. Now most people would say something like this “God, I don’t understand…I was doing everything right, why did you let this happen?” “God I thought if I followed you I wouldn’t have any more problems!”

Here’s what I think, Hezekiah knew: Life is uncertain, but God is not. We don’t know what tomorrow holds, but we know who holds tomorrow. He’s got the whole world in his hands. So rather than shaking a fist at God and blaming Him or pouting that God is not playing fair or just being depressed because life was hard, Hezekiah just took what steps he could take to get right with God and fortify the city. And then he just handed the rest over to Father God to take care of.

In times of uncertainty, that’s all we can do. Make sure we are right with God, do our best to do what we can do to make the situation better, Pray, and then just put it in Father God’s hands and trust that He will take care of the problem. Can you do that? Believe me when I say, we are blessed because we have an awesome God who is going to watch out for us when we are powerless to do something on our own.

So even before a time of uncertainty or a pending crisis comes your way learn from this story. Make sure you are right with God, doing His will, and not evil like those He let Assyria conquer. Have faith in His providence and protection. Do what you can do, and then keep an open line of communication with Him, and pray that He will do take care of you.

For more lessons click on the following link: http://granvillenychurchofchrist.org/?page_id=566

All comments can be emailed to: bfronzek@gmail.com