MESSAGE FROM GOD

“And Isaiah said to them, Thus you shall say to your master, Thus says the LORD: Do not be afraid of the words which you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me” (2 Kings 19:6 NKJV).

These were dark days for Hezekiah, the king of Judah as Assyria was threatening to destroy Judah. The messengers from the king of Assyria had spoken some strong words to some servants of Hezekiah which not only threatened Judah but blasphemed Jehovah God. Hezekiah’s reaction to all of this was to send a servant to Isaiah the prophet to tell him the bad news. Our verse is the encouraging answer which Isaiah sent back to Hezekiah. It spoke of the command of God, contempt by God, and cognizance of God.

Command of God – “Thus says the LORD: Do not be afraid of the words which you have heard.” The message begins with a command. This is not surprising, for those who want God’s help must demonstrate obedience to His commands. Considering the circumstances, the command was a difficult one. The Assyrian army had surrounded Jerusalem, and the message given to Hezekiah from the Assyrian officials was scary. But in spite of the circumstances, God said “do not be afraid.” And when God says “do not be afraid,” then we do not have to be afraid.

Contempt by God - “The servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.” The word “servants” here means ‘foot-boys’ or ‘lackeys’ which is a contemptuous term for the high ranking officials of Assyria’s army. It shows God’s contempt for those who spoke the blasphemous message for Hezekiah. God does not honor those who blaspheme His name. He does not honor the dishonorable. This encourages good people who have often seen bad people honored in the world.

Cognizance of God - “The servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.” Hezekiah had hoped that God heard the evil words of the Assyrian official (2 Kings 19:4). Here we learn that God did indeed hear the words. God is omniscient and hears all and sees all. We cannot hide our iniquities from God. Sooner or later He will expose and judge them.

(Adapted from Butler Daily Bible Reading)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“Difficulties afford a platform upon which the Lord can display His power!”

Anonymous

Word Study

Despair

In 2 Cor. 4:8 we read, “We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair)!” (NKJV)

Despair is the Greek word exaporeo (εξαπορεω). It is made up of two words - “ek” which means out of, and “poreo” which means to be at a loss. Thus the word means to be at a loss, to be in great doubt, in utmost despair, greatly perplexed. It carries the idea to be utterly destitute of measures or resources, to renounce all hope, be in great difficulty, to be without resource.

Believers face all kinds of trouble and difficult situations in life. However, we have one great resource: the presence and power of God within us. The Lord has promised never to leave us or forsake us (Heb. 13:5), no matter the difficulty. Like the apostle Paul, we may at times be at a loss to explain circumstances but never to the point of causing us to lose hope. Why? Because the God of hope is our hope.

Bible Facts

In the restoration of relationship between God and man, reconciliation occurs with an unexpected twist - God, the injured party, takes the initiative (2 Cor. 5:19). Thus the removal of alienation, created by man’s sin, is the work of God. The Bible never portrays man as reconciling himself to God or God being influenced by humans to reconciliation. When Paul admonishes his readers to “be reconciled to God” (2 Cor. 5:20), he is telling them to receive humbly and gratefully the reconciliation that God has already achieved in Christ..

Bible Quiz

When will Jesus Christ return to the earth?

**Answer to last week’s trivia:At which temple gate did Peter and John find a crippled from birth? “At the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful” (Acts 3:2 NKJV).

That’s in the Bible

“Tell it like it is”

"How hast thou counselled him that hath no wisdom? And how hast thou plentifully declared the thing as it is!” (Job 26:3 NKJV).

Howard Cosell’s autobiography Tell It Like It Is demonstrated Howard’s tendency for not holding anything back in his opinions on sports and its celebrities. When you ‘tell it like it is,’ you don’t mince words or sugarcoat anything, and that’s the way God likes it. Christians should not hesitate in telling ‘it like it is,’ for the gospel will always offend. If it doesn’t, then perhaps we are watering it down with niceties. Jesus offended people everywhere He went. Even the world acknowledges, ‘Sometimes, the truth hurts.’

Did You Know – Christian History

Francis Nathan Peloubet was born December 2, 1831 in New York City, NY. He was a writer of Sunday school literature. He graduated from Williams College (1853) and Bangor (Maine) Theological Seminary, and was ordained (1857) as a Congregational minister. He was pastor of several churches in Massachusetts from 1857 to 1883.

After graduating from seminary and teaching for a year, Peloubet contemplated serving in India. In fact, he even studied the Tamil language for several months. However, Peloubet grew enthusiastic about the potential of the Sunday school to educate a new generation of Christians. Around 1872, he began to write quarterly Sunday school lessons. In 1875 this resulted in his issuing the first of an annual series of Select Notes on the International Sabbath School Lessons. These enjoyed a circulation of over 150,000 among Protestants, influencing millions of teachers and students. They were popularly known as Peloubet’s Notes. By the time of his death in 1920, he had issued 44 volumes of these Sunday school notes and numerous other books, including a Sunday school hymnal and a revision of William Smith’s Bible Dictionary.

It has been said that the mission field lost a good worker but the Sunday school movement gained a masterful champion when Peloubet decided to become a Congregational minister in the United States rather than a worker in foreign lands.

A Little Humor

Tom the dentist came home to his wife excited about the day’s events. He had met a fellow dentist who had served in the mission field using his dental skills. He began, “Marge, I think the Lord wants me to work with the poor in Central America. They are in great need of dental care.” “Dear husband, it isn’t civilized down there. And no running water.” Still feeling confident, Tom continues, “Marge, the Lord will provide for our needs and we will be able help people who really need us. Besides, I am sure the Lord is calling me to do this.” “How do you know the Lord is calling you to do this?” asked Marge. “Well, I just feel it, and it’s in the Bible.” “In the Bible? What verse?” “Let me get it for you. It’s from Psalms 81:10, “I, the LORD, am your God, Who brought you up from the land of Egypt; Open your mouth wide and I will fill it” (NASB).

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Death is more universal than life; everyone dies but not everyone lives!’”