Read: Isaiah 37:1-38:22; Galatians 6:1-18; Psalm 65:1-13; Proverbs 23:24
Hezekiah was overwhelmed with his circumstances. The Assyrian commander had blasphemed God saying that God could not stand up against him. Isaiah told Hezekiah not to be afraid because he was going to send the king of Assyria home where he will be killed with the sword.
The king did hear news that drew him back home but he sent a messenger to tell Hezekiah that his men would do to him and his people what they had done to a list of other nations. When Hezekiah heard his threats he went himself to the temple to pray. God sent Isaiah back to Hezekiah to tell him that God planned long ago to defeat the Assyrians. He was going to put a hook in Senacherub’s nose and a bit in his mouth and make him go where he wanted him to go. God gave Hezekiah a sign that he would do everything he said he would do. The sign would be that they would eat what grows by itself which was a miracle in itself since they had been under siege. The next year the same thing would happen and the third year, they would sow and reap their own crops and plant vineyards and eat the fruit of it. What happened to the plants would be a picture of what was happening to the remnant of people left in the land.
That night, the angel of the Lord went out and killed 185,000 men in the Assyrian camp so the king of Assyria left and returned to Nineveh where he was killed by his own sons, just as Isaiah had prophesied.
After this, Hezekiah became deathly sick and God was sent to tell Hezekiah to put his house in order because he was going to die. Hezekiah pleaded with the Lord for his life and God heard his cry and sent Isaiah to tell him he had 15 more years to live. As a sign, God made the shadow on the sun dial go back ten steps.
In Galatia, Paul had to deal with a Christian being caught in a sin. They are to be restored gently and not with judgement because we all have our own weaknesses. The only glory we have is in the cross and the only thing that avails much in the kingdom is a new creature.
Lord help us to be strong in the power of your might and may you be made known through our new creature.
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