Sat.’s Devo - God’s Deliverance

Read: Isaiah 37:1-38:22; Galatians 6:1-18 Psalm 65:1-13; Proverbs 23:24 Hezekiah heard the threats from the Assyrian officer and put on burlap and went to the Temple to pray. He sent his secretary to tell Isaiah what had been said and Isaiah sent back the word of the Lord. *** God told Hezekiah not to be upset about the blasphemous things he said about Him. He would move against them and send them home. *** Sure enough, the army of Assyria got news they needed to be fighting somewhere else and left but they promised that they would return. The messenger reminded Hezekiah of all the nations that he had destroyed and that his god would not be able to protect them, just like the gods of these other nations they conquered were not able to defend them. *** When Isaiah heard the threat God put things in perspective. It was God who had given Assyria the power to take down those other nations but they would not be able to take Jerusalem. God would put a hook in their mouth and make them return the same way they came. *** As proof of what God was saying, the people of Jerusalem would eat from what they had and the next year eat what grew up that year and the next year they would be able to plant and reap. (They were under a siege so they were not able to plant and tend their vineyards.) What God was saying was that He would provide from what they had for the next two years and the third year the siege would be over and they would be able to return to work. *** As for the army of Assyria, they wouldn’t even enter Jerusalem. Their king, Sennacherib would return to his own land. *** That night the army of the Lord killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers and King Sennacherib went home to Nineveh where his own sons killed him as he went to worship his god. *** Isaiah sent news to Hezekiah that he was about to die so he should set his kingdom in order. Hezekiah reminded God of his faithfulness to him and God relented and promised him 15 more years. As a sign of his promise he caused the shadow on the sundial to move backward 10 steps. *** In Galatians, Paul told them to help restore other believers when they fall into sin and not get overcome with pride when they are doing well. He reminded us that we are responsible for our own conduct. We will reap what we sow and if we sow to the flesh, we will reap of the flesh. If we sow into the Spirit, we will reap spiritual blessings. Our goal is to be transformed into new creatures in Christ. *** May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with our spirits as we become transformed into his likeness.