(Isaiah 38)

Isaiah 36-39 stand in relation to Isaiah 7-12 as a kind of mirror image. Ch.7-12 show the consequences of Ahaz's refusal to trust God and instead trusting the nations, in particular Assyria. The result was near destruction at the hands of the very nation he trusted. But these chapters (7-12) conclude on a hopeful note because God will not break his promise either to his people or to the house of David. God will send a Davidic Messiah to restore his people and rule them in peace and justice (Isa 7:14; 9:6-7; 11:1-16; 12:1-6). But ch.36-37 reverse the picture. Isaiah's prophecy has come true, and Judah has been devastated by Assyria. However, Hezekiah, Ahaz's son, does put his trust in God and does not surrender to Assyria. As a result God proves his trustworthiness by keeping his word and delivering Judah from Sennacherib.

Email ThisBlogThis!Share to XShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest

(Isaiah 37)

Some scholars believe that 37:9-38 to be a second account of the same event narrated in 36:1-37:7. But a particular difference is that the challenge has moved to focus exclusively on God's ability to deliver, and that Hezekiah's own commitment seems much more forthright and direct, and that the oracle from God is much more forceful and direct. A plausible explanation of the facts is that Hezekiah, encouraged by Isaiah's words in Isa 37:6-7, has moved beyond a hesitant faith and responded to the field commander's challenge with the assertion that the Lord will deliver Jerusalem (Isa 37:10). Thus, Sennacherib's letter is a response to Hezekiah, and Hezekiah's prayer is indicative of his now-total reliance on God.

1. Hezekiah's Prayer (37:8-20).
2. God's response to Hezekiah's Prayer (37:21-38).

Email ThisBlogThis!Share to XShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest

Slandered, Opposed and Attacked (Psalm 7)

Psalm 7:1-17; 8

"The Lord judges the peoples; vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness and my integrity" (Ps 7:8, HCSB).

What do you do when you feel misunderstood, maligned and marginalized? Psalm 7 is a lament, petition and prayer by an innocent person who was slandered, opposed and attacked by those who wanted to discredit and dishonor him. Psalm 7 is titled by three different commentaries as follows:

1. A Cry for Justice (Ps 7:8-10). [Derek Kidner]
2. The Blessing of a Good Conscience (Ps 7:3-5, 9-10). [Alec Motyer]
3. Surviving Slander (Ps 7:1-2, 6, 14; 4:2; 5:6, 9). [George Zemek]

Justice. David's primary concerns and motivations were not just for his own personal vindication, but for universal justice before a Righteous Judge who examines each person's thoughts and emotions (Ps 7:8-10).

Conscience. Despite being slandered, opposed and attacked, David checked his conscience before God (Ps 7:3-5), instead of retaliating with the spirit of vengeance and revenge.

Email ThisBlogThis!Share to XShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest

Barely Able To Pray (Psalm 6)

Psalm 6:1-10, 2-3a

"Have compassion on me, Lord, for I am weak. Heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony" (Ps 6:2, NLT). "...my whole being is shaken with terror" (Ps 6:3a, HCSB). "...my soul is in deep anguish" (Ps 6:3a, NIV).

From reading several different commentaries on Psalm 6, for some reason numerous (similar and different) titles for this sermon came to my mind that all seemed proper and appropriate to this psalm:

• Crying in Helplessness.
• Praying in Weakness.
• Grieving Prayer.
• Agonizing Prayer.
• A Troubled Conscience.
• Feeling Helpless and Hopeless.
• Shaken by Weakness.
• Broken and Shaken.
• Overwhelmed, Yet Triumphant.
• From Defeat to Defiance.
• From Desperate Need to Great Assurance.
• From Depression to Elation.

Email ThisBlogThis!Share to XShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest

Fearless Before Many Adversaries (Psalm 3)

Psalm 3:1-8; 6

"I am not afraid of the thousands of people who have taken their stand against me on every side" (Ps 3:6, HCSB).

• Do you feel confident when the odds are stacked against you?
• Do you live with no fear or anxiety in your heart when you are uncertain about your future?
• Can you sleep peacefully when there are troubles all about you?

Outline of Psalm 3

1	1-2	Despondency: What he knows	Complaint: Many enemies	Predicament
2	3-4	Dependency: What he does	Confession: God is my shield	Prayer
3	5-8	Deliverance: What he experiences	Consolation: Sleep & confidence	Peace

Email ThisBlogThis!Share to XShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest

How Often Should We Pray?

What Charles Spurgeon wrote about prayer is quite "practical" in Lectures To My Students:

A very important part of our lives consists in praying in the Holy Spirit. Abundant prayer must go with earnest preaching (and Bible study). We cannot always be on our knees of the body, but the soul should never leave the posture of devotion. The habit of prayer is good, but the spirit of prayer is better. Regular retirement is to be maintained, but continued communion with God is to be our aim. As a rule, we ought never to be many minutes without actually lifting up our hearts in prayer. Some of us could honestly say that we are seldom a quarter of an hour without speaking to God, and that not as a duty but as an instinct, a habit of the new nature for which we claim no more credit than a babe does for crying after its mother. How could we not do otherwise?

Wow! Spurgeon himself said that he was seldom more than 15 min without speaking to God. Praying to follow his example:

• Do we pray every 15 min while watching a 2 hour movie, or a 30 min sitcom?
• Do we pray every 15 min when we are intensely studying, doing our homework, or working during our 8 hour work day?
• Do we pray every 15 min when chatting on social network sites?
• Do we pray every 15 min (or more frequently) when we are furiously angry with someone?
• Do we pray every 15 min when dating our spouses?

I am sure you can come up with a lot of other interesting scenarios for praying at least every 15 min.

Posted via email from benjamintoh's posterous

Email ThisBlogThis!Share to XShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest