PM Oct 11th Isa 39

October 11^th

Isaiah, 39

1: At that time Merodach-baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah: for he had heard that he had been sick, and was recovered. 2: And Hezekiah was glad of them, and shewed them the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not. 3: Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country unto me, even from Babylon. 4: Then said he, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All that is in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them. 5: Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: 6: Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the LORD. 7: And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. 8: Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken. He said moreover, For there shall be peace and truth in my days.

Isaiah, 40

1: Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. 2: Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD's hand double for all her sins. 3: The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4: Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: 5: And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. 6: The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: 7: The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. 8: The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever. 9: O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! 10: Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. 11: He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. 12: Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance? 13: Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counseller hath taught him? 14: With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding? 15: Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing. 16: And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering. 17: All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity. 18: To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him? 19: The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains. 20: He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved. 21: Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? 22: It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in: 23: That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity. 24: Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble. 25: To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. 26: Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth. 27: Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God? 28: Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. 29: He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 30: Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 31: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Today we are reading Isaiah ch 39 & 40 where Isaiah writes that at that time, that is at the time of these two signs to Hezekiah, i.e. the sign of the sundial going backward and the healing of his sickness, the King of Babylon, Merodach-baladan sent letters and a present to Hezekiah because he had heard that he had been sick and was now recovered. Hezekiah was glad of this letter and showed the treasures of the house of the Lord to the messengers. He showed them everything that was precious to Israel and did not keep back showing them anything. Then Isaiah came to see Hezekiah and asked him what are these men doing here? Hezekiah told him that they were Babylonians and what he had shown them. So Isaiah said this is what the Lord says there will come a day when everything here will be carried away to Babylon. They will also take away all your children. Hezekiah acknowledged the word of the Lord So Isaiah said there will be peace in your days. In Isaiah ch 40 Isaiah begins a new prophecy in which he describes the voice from the wilderness (The life and ministry of John the Baptist) and the gathering of the Lords people by Christ. Of course Isaiah had no idea that between these two phases of prophetic utterance there would be an interregnum of at least 2000 years. The ministry of John has passed but the gathering of ‘the people’ is yet future. The message begins with a declaration of comfort to Israel because God has judged Israel twice for their sins and the judgement is past. Then from v3-5 we have a famous passage quoted in Matt 3v3 Mark 1v3 Luke 3v4-6 John 1v23 & 1Peter 1v24. In ch 6 Isaiah had recorded a voice from the temple prophesying the scattering but now the voice comes from the desert (Claimed by John) declaring the re-gathering. Johns mission was to prepare the way for the King. The King of kings came but he was rejected and his kingdom refused. So now the kingdom is in waiting and the King is absent from him people, and his people still scattered. This prophecy is still awaiting fulfilment today. Isaiah describes the conditions of the fulfilment of this prophecy, It will occur at a time of earth change in topography. When the mountains and the hills will be brought low and the valleys raised up. In that day the crocked roads will be straightened and the rough places smoothed. At that time the glory of the LORD will be revealed to men Matt 24v27 and all men will see it at the same moment on every continent. Then Isaiah records another voice, The voice of the LORD who declares that all flesh is like grass which grows up and withers but declares that though men perish the word of the Lord ensures forever. As a result of the topographical change Zion will be raised up to be the highest mountain and Jerusalem will be in its height. Then Christ himself will come and the people of Zion will say Behold your GOD!. The LORD God - Christ will come in power and great glory to rule and to reward those who have been faithful to Israel. He will judge the living nations Matt 25. He will be a shepherd to his people, being tender to the young. From v12 right on to ch 66v24 (the end of the book) Isaiah brings Gods controversy with the nations. Be begins describing the greatness of God and the smallness of the nations. He is great, he says, because he is able to hold all the oceans in the hollow of his palm and he is able to measure the universe with the span of his hand, he is able to put all the soil of all the earth in a container and hold it in his hand. He can weigh the mountains in a scale and all the hills in a balance. Who is the one who directs the Spirit of God? Who can give advice to God and teach him? The nations of the world are like the overflowing splashing drops of a bucket of water. Whole nations are like the microscopic dust falling on a scale. Even the distant Islands are like a very small thing to him. Even if the whole of the forests of Lebanon were burnt and every beast of the earth were a burnt offering, then it would not be enough for God. All the nations of the earth are counted by him as less than nothing. So what is God like? What can I suggest to compare him with? Men make images and cover them with gold and silver. He says you make an image so great that you think it is impossible for anyone ever to move it. But have you not heard that God sits on the globe of the earth and all his people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a curtain – like a tent to cover above. He brings princes to nothing and makes the judges hid in shame. They will not be established nor will they take root. He will blow on them and they will wither and be carried away as by a hurricane. God, the Holy One asks, Who will you say I am like? Who is my equal? Who is the one who created everything? He created a massive host of things and named them all, because he is strong in power and not one of his creations failed. Why does Israel say the Lord does not know? Have you not heard and known that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, never feels faint, not gets tired? No one can search out all that he knows. He is the one who gives power to the fainting and strength to the weak. Even the young men will faint and be tired and fall, but those who wait on the LORD shall have their strength renewed. They will fly upward with wings like eagles, they will run and never be weary and they will walk and not faint.

AM Oct 11th 1 Tim 2

October 11^th 1 Timothy 2 C. The Public Prayers of men & women Being a man & woman of prayer

1: I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 2: For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. 3: For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4: Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 5: For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6: Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. 7: Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity. 8: I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. 9: In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; 10: But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. 11: Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. 12: But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. 13: For Adam was first formed, then Eve. 14: And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. 15: Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.

Paul encourages Timothy to instruct the believers to pray for all men and in particular Kings and rulers and all those who are in authority that they might be able to lead an undisturbed life, free from persecution, in sound doctrine and decent living. This sort of Christian living is good and acceptable to God our Saviour. (That is Jesus Christ – an incidental proof of the deity of Christ) And Christ wants every man to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. (Paul states here that God wills that all men will be saved – this verse is a blow to the Calvinist) Prayer for all men is acceptable because God wills all men to be saved. Paul hints at the double ministry – being ‘saved’ and ‘coming to a full knowledge of the truth of the Apostles teaching’. The first is the work of the evangelist and the second is the work of the pastor/teacher. Paul excludes any other rival he says there is only ONE GOD and one mediator between God and men – the MAN Christ Jesus. The man who sits on the throne of heaven is our only recourse to blessing. He is the only one who gave himself as a substitute for all. (Another blow to the Calvinist) Christ gave himself for all men. It is this truth that is the basis of the Gospel of God which would be preached in due time. And says Paul l was appointed a herald, an apostle (This is the honest truth in Christ – its no lie) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. And so Timothy, says Paul, l want men to pray lifting up holy hands to the Lord in humility and faith. And in a similar way you women are to adorn yourselves in modest clothing with humble self possession. Not in excessive plating’s or with gold, pearls or expensive cloth. But the outward appearance should be consistent with women who are inwardly worshipping the Lord. Paul says let the women learn silently in subjection. Paul says l will not allow a woman to publically teach the whole congregation or to take a position of authority over the men of the church but to be characterised by silence in these matters. Adam was the first to be shaped from clay and secondly Eve. Adam was not deceived but Eve was deceived and fell in sin with Adam. However she will be saved even through her own offspring. You women are all to continue in faith, love and holiness.

PM Oct 10th Isa 36

October 10^th

Isaiah, 36

1: Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the defenced cities of Judah, and took them. 2: And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem unto king Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field. 3: Then came forth unto him Eliakim, Hilkiah's son, which was over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, Asaph's son, the recorder. 4: And Rabshakeh said unto them, Say ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest? 5: I say, sayest thou, (but they are but vain words) I have counsel and strength for war: now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me? 6: Lo, thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust in him. 7: But if thou say to me, We trust in the LORD our God: is it not he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and said to Judah and to Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar? 8: Now therefore give pledges, I pray thee, to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them. 9: How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? 10: And am I now come up without the LORD against this land to destroy it? the LORD said unto me, Go up against this land, and destroy it. 11: Then said Eliakim and Shebna and Joah unto Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, unto thy servants in the Syrian language; for we understand it: and speak not to us in the Jews' language, in the ears of the people that are on the wall. 12: But Rabshakeh said, Hath my master sent me to thy master and to thee to speak these words? hath he not sent me to the men that sit upon the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own piss with you? 13: Then Rabshakeh stood, and cried with a loud voice in the Jews' language, and said, Hear ye the words of the great king, the king of Assyria. 14: Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you. 15: Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, The LORD will surely deliver us: this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria. 16: Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me: and eat ye every one of his vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his own cistern; 17: Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards. 18: Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, The LORD will deliver us. Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? 19: Where are the gods of Hamath and Arphad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim? and have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? 20: Who are they among all the gods of these lands, that have delivered their land out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand? 21: But they held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king's commandment was, saying, Answer him not. 22: Then came Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, that was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.

Isaiah, 37

1: And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD. 2: And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests covered with sackcloth, unto Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz. 3: And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of blasphemy: for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth. 4: It may be the LORD thy God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God, and will reprove the words which the LORD thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that is left. 5: So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah. 6: And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say unto your master, Thus saith the LORD, Be not afraid of the words that thou hast heard, wherewith the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. 7: Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land. 8: So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah: for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish. 9: And he heard say concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, He is come forth to make war with thee. And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10: Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, Let not thy God, in whom thou trustest, deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. 11: Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by destroying them utterly; and shalt thou be delivered? 12: Have the gods of the nations delivered them which my fathers have destroyed, as Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden which were in Telassar? 13: Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arphad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah? 14: And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. 15: And Hezekiah prayed unto the LORD, saying, 16: O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth. 17: Incline thine ear, O LORD, and hear; open thine eyes, O LORD, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent to reproach the living God. 18: Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations, and their countries, 19: And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them. 20: Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD, even thou only. 21: Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent unto Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Whereas thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria: 22: This is the word which the LORD hath spoken concerning him; The virgin, the daughter of Zion, hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee. 23: Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel. 24: By thy servants hast thou reproached the Lord, and hast said, By the multitude of my chariots am I come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon; and I will cut down the tall cedars thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the height of his border, and the forest of his Carmel. 25: I have digged, and drunk water; and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of the besieged places. 26: Hast thou not heard long ago, how I have done it; and of ancient times, that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldest be to lay waste defenced cities into ruinous heaps. 27: Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded: they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, as the grass on the housetops, and as corn blasted before it be grown up. 28: But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me. 29: Because thy rage against me, and thy tumult, is come up into mine ears, therefore will I put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest. 30: And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such as groweth of itself; and the second year that which springeth of the same: and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruit thereof. 31: And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward: 32: For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this. 33: Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there nor come before it with shields, nor cast a bank against it. 34: By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the LORD. 35: For I will defend this city to save it for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake. 36: Then the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. 37: So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh. 38: And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Armenia: and Esar-haddon his son reigned in his stead.

Isaiah, 38

1: In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live. 2: Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, 3: And said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. 4: Then came the word of the LORD to Isaiah, saying, 5: Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years. 6: And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city. 7: And this shall be a sign unto thee from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that he hath spoken; 8: Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down. 9: The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness: 10: I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave: I am deprived of the residue of my years. 11: I said, I shall not see the LORD, even the LORD, in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world. 12: Mine age is departed, and is removed from me as a shepherd's tent: I have cut off like a weaver my life: he will cut me off with pining sickness: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me. 13: I reckoned till morning, that, as a lion, so will he break all my bones: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me. 14: Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter: I did mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail with looking upward: O LORD, I am oppressed; undertake for me. 15: What shall I say? he hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath done it: I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul. 16: O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit: so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live. 17: Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back. 18: For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. 19: The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth. 20: The LORD was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the LORD. 21: For Isaiah had said, Let them take a lump of figs, and lay it for a plaister upon the boil, and he shall recover. 22: Hezekiah also had said, What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?

Today we are beginning a historical section of the Book of Isaiah. This section begins here and extends as far as ch 39v8. This records a number of Historical events in Isaiah’s life in relation to Hezekiah. Ch 36v1 – 37v13 is the summons of the king of Assyria to Hezekiah to surrender. In the 14^th year of Hezekiah Sennacherib the Assyrian king came to Judah and took them. Then he sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem with a great army. He stood by the water passage in the road near the fullers field and he addressed Hezekiah the king. The first thing he did was to try to shake the confidence of the king. He said what are you trusting in? I have a great army and you cannot trust in Egypt for help – Egypt is untrustworthy. Then he pre-empts Hezekiah saying you might say We trust in the LORD our God, but has he not taken away your high places saying you must worship only at Jerusalem. So give us a token of good faith that you will surrender to us. And if you do I will send you 2000 horses, that is if you can find 2000 riders. I have been sent by your LORD to destroy the land. Rabshekah’s men said speak to us in our language because we do not understand you. But he spoke to the Jews in their own language. He addressed the people over the head of the king. He said don’t let your king deceive you, because he is unable to deliver you. And may Hezekiah not trust in the LORD because we will destroy this city. If you surrender then I will take you to a land full of food and wine. Don’t listen to your king, has any god ever delivered anyone that we have attacked? No-one answered him. Because the king had commanded silence. When Hezekiah heard all that was said he humbled himself before the LORD and rent his clothes, covered himself in sackcloth and went into the house of the LORD. They sent a message to Isaiah the prophets saying this is the day of trouble, rebuke and blaspheme and the king has no heir. When the message came to Isaiah he replied, tell him not be afraid, because I will send a destroying wind on him and he will return to his own land and be killed by the sword there. The exchanges go back and forth but Hezekiah went up to the temple and spread it out before the LORD. And then we have his prayer recorded.

O LORD of hosts, God of Israel,

that dwellest between the cherubims,

thou art the God, even thou alone,

of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth.

Incline thine ear, O LORD,

and hear; open thine eyes, O LORD,

and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib,

which hath sent to reproach the living God.

Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations, and their countries,

And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods,

but the work of men's hands,

wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them.

Now therefore, O LORD our God,

save us from his hand,

that all the kingdoms of the earth may know

that thou art the LORD, even thou only.

Then the LORD answered him through his prophet Isaiah. Isaiah says ‘This is what the LORD says’. The virgins have despised you and laughed and shaken their heads at you, but they have spoken against the LORD and even against Christ himself. You have come here to conquer but I will send you back where you have come from because you have trusted in yourselves. Then the LORD gave a sign to know this will be true. You will eat this year what grows by itself. And the second year but in the third year you will sow and eat and reap and plant vineyards. Those that are left will put roots downward and bear fruit upward. The enemy will not come and shoot one arrow. The LORD will do this. The Lord said I will defend this city for David my servants sake. Then the angel of the LORD went forth and smote the camp of the Assyrians 185,000 died that night. And when the rest rose the next day they found all the dead. So Sennacherib left and went to live in Nineveh. And one day when he was worshipping his god his sons killed him and fled and Esar-haddon became king in his place. In Isaiah ch 38 Hezekiah became sick and he was near to death Isaiah came to him and told him he was going to die. Hezekiah turned to face the wall and wept, not because he was sorry for himself but because he had no heir. Having an heir meant that Gods promises to David could be fulfilled. Hezekiah prays again but this time its for his life and heir. He pleads his righteous life. (This could never be what Christians do. Our mortal life is not the main thing nor our heirs and never can we plead righteousness of our own) Hezekiah wept sore because he felt God was going to let him down. He had been faithful under the law and yet God had given him no son and now he will loose his life to sickness. Then the LORD answered his prayer again and the LORD spoke again through Isaiah. The Lords answer was… I have hear your prayer and seen your tears and look I will add 15 years to your life. And I will deliver you from Assyria and save the city. (Salvation in the OT was not about the salvation of the soul from sin but the salvation of their mortal lives from death) Then the Lord gave him a sign. The LORD will bring again the shadow of the degrees. In other words the shadow on the clock of Hezekiah will go back by 10 degrees. (It’s interesting that the Songs of Degrees in the Psalms describe this who story of Hezekiah. So the sun rose by ten degrees on the sundial of Ahaz. Hezekiah became well again. And he said I had said I will not see the LORD in the land of the living, but I will go to my grave and loose the rest of my years. And he goes on to describe his pinning away in sorrow and sickness. Undertake for me! (The first mention of an undertaker) he praises the LORD who delivered him from the grave. He says the dead cannot praise you. (He is speaking about the dead body not the spirit) It is the living that praise the LORD. He says the LORD was ready to save me (from death) and therefore I will sing on my stringed instruments all the rest of my days in the house of the LORD. This is because Isaiah had proscribed a cure for Hezekiah. A lump of figs plastered on the boil and he recovered.

AM Oct 10th 1 Tim 1

October 10^th Being a changed man

12: And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; 13: Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. 14: And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. 15: This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. 16: Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. 17: Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen. 18: This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest wage a good warfare; 19: Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: 20: Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.

Paul gives his testimony, he says, I thank Christ Jesus or Lord who has enabled me to do this ministry. He has counted me faithful putting me into this ministry. Previously l was a blasphemer of Christ’s name, a persecutor of Christ’s followers and one who injured them on purpose. BUT l obtained mercy because l did all that in complete ignorance. God was pleased to withhold his judgment on me although l was heading for destruction. Gods kindness to me overflowed exceedingly in the Gospel and love in Christ Jesus. This is a trustworthy and worthy of acceptance by everyone, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners and l was the ring leader - the worst of the bunch. However, says Paul, l obtained mercy, so that in me Jesus Christ might demonstrate his patience so that others might see me as an example of what God can do in the life of a sinner who believes. And so says Paul unto the King of the ages, who is incorruptible and unseen by men, who is the one and only God, may to him be honour and glory for ever and ever – Amen. Lastly, Paul emphasises this special duty to Timothy which is consistent with the prophesies that had gone before. He says, Timothy - fight the good fight. Hold on tight to The Faith - keeping a clear conscience. (‘The Faith’ is the body of truth – The Apostles Doctrine) There are some, says Paul, who have thrown away ‘The Faith’ and have run aground on the rocks of error. Hymenaeus and Alexander have done this and l have put them out of the fellowship into the realms of Satan that they might by discipline, learn not to blaspheme the Lord.

PM Oct 9th Isa 34

October 9^th

Isaiah, 34

1: Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all things that come forth of it. 2: For the indignation of the LORD is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter. 3: Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood. 4: And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree. 5: For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment. 6: The sword of the LORD is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams: for the LORD hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea. 7: And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness. 8: For it is the day of the LORD's vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion. 9: And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch. 10: It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever. 11: But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it; the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it: and he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness. 12: They shall call the nobles thereof to the kingdom, but none shall be there, and all her princes shall be nothing. 13: And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof: and it shall be an habitation of dragons, and a court for owls. 14: The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest. 15: There shall the great owl make her nest, and lay, and hatch, and gather under her shadow: there shall the vultures also be gathered, every one with her mate. 16: Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them. 17: And he hath cast the lot for them, and his hand hath divided it unto them by line: they shall possess it for ever, from generation to generation shall they dwell therein.

Isaiah, 35

1: The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. 2: It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency of our God. 3: Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. 4: Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you. 5: Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. 6: Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. 7: And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes. 8: And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. 9: No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there: 10: And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Today we are reading Isaiah chapters 34 & 35. In chapter 34 Isaiah records the message of God to the Gentile nations. He begins in v1-8 talking about the nations and their armies. The Lord says come near because my wrath is against you. The Lord invites them to come near for destruction. The Lord it appears will go to war with the nations based on the city of Bozrah. This is the day of the LORD’s vengeance and the year of recompenses because of their opposition to Zion. Then he speaks of the judgment of the Lord on the land, v9-10. The streams will be turned into bitumen and the dust to volcanic ash. The land will burn day and night forever. No-one will ever live there forever. There will only be birds of prey there v11. Then he speaks of the princes and nobles v12 They will be brought to nothing. The land will be left desolate. No-one will live there and weeds will come up in the palaces. Nettles and brambles in the fortresses. Only wild beasts, birds and creatures will live there. Demons will inhabit the land. In chapter 35 Isaiah speaks of the glory of Jehovah the king. This is a much quoted passage and misunderstood. The Lord says that the wilderness and barren place will rejoice in Israel. And they will blossom like a rose. (This passage is cited today to describe the revival of Israel in our day however this is referring to the Day of the LORD, not the Day of Grace.) What he prophesies is outstanding and far exceeds anything known today. The land of Israel will be abundant blossoming. Still the land is dry and burnt up by the sun today. The first point is that they will see the glory of the LORD in the land and the excellency of our God. the Lord will give strength to the weak and stability to the feeble knees. There will not be any fear again because the Lord will come bringing vengeance on their enemies. The Lord will save them – from their enemies. The Lord will open the eyes of the blind and the ears of the deaf. The lame will jump like a young deer and the dumb will sing. In the wilderness waters will break out of the ground and parched areas will become pools. The land will become filled with springs and there will be grass with reeds and rushes a sure sign of excessive water. (A saturated water table) the highway will be established – ‘the way of holiness’. This is the route that men will take when they come up to worship before the LORD. No unclean man will walk that road. But the ordinary men though unlearned will not miss the path. There will be no danger from wild beasts on the road. Only the redeemed of the LORD will walk this road. Those that walk this road on their homeward journey will come with songs and will everlasting joy. They will obtain joy and happiness from the lord and all sorrow and sighing will flee away. Needless to say this is not fulfilled today.

AM Oct 9th 1 Tim 1

October 9^th 1 Timothy 1 A. Prologue Greetings to my own Son

1: Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope; 2: Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.

B. The Faith of the Church Being faithful to the truth

3: As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine, 4: Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do. 5: Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: 6: From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; 7: Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm. 8: But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; 9: Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, 10: For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; 11: According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.

This letter is a personal letter to Paul’s most faithful disciple and fellow-worker Timothy. It’s interesting that this letter might be personal and very touching but it also comes with the full weight of his apostolic authority. And Paul emphasises that his apostolic authority comes directly from Christ himself. However this letter comes to Timothy as my own son in the faith. Paul says l asked you to stay longer at Ephesus when l went to Greece so that you would solemnly instruct them at Ephesus that they teach no other doctrine. And that they were not to listen to old wives tales and endless discussions over genealogies because these raise more fruitless questions rather than true teaching which builds up the believers in the faith. I want you to carry on doing this. The ultimate purpose of all godly instruction is love which comes from a pure mind and with a clear conscience and sincere faith. Many have turned away from this says Paul to empty stories and pointless illustrations. They want to be Rabbis but they do not know what they are saying or what they base their theories on. We know that the Mosaic Law is good - if one uses it for its proper purpose. You see Timothy the law was not made for a righteous man but for those who need its constraints and those who are without the knowledge of the law and those that are sinners. The ungodly, unholy, abusive to parents. Paul continues to list the very grossest types of evil -murderers, prostitutes, homosexuals, kidnappers, perjurers, and every other thing that is completely opposite to sound doctrine. This is the teaching of the glorious gospel of our blessed Lord says Paul. It is this that is committed to my trust (And which l pass on to you).

PM Oct 8th Isa 31

October 8^th

Isaiah, 31

1: Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD! 2: Yet he also is wise, and will bring evil, and will not call back his words: but will arise against the house of the evildoers, and against the help of them that work iniquity. 3: Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit. When the LORD shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall down, and they all shall fail together. 4: For thus hath the LORD spoken unto me, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall the LORD of hosts come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof. 5: As birds flying, so will the LORD of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it. 6: Turn ye unto him from whom the children of Israel have deeply revolted. 7: For in that day every man shall cast away his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which your own hands have made unto you for a sin. 8: Then shall the Assyrian fall with the sword, not of a mighty man; and the sword, not of a mean man, shall devour him: but he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall be discomfited. 9: And he shall pass over to his strong hold for fear, and his princes shall be afraid of the ensign, saith the LORD, whose fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem.

Isaiah, 32

1: Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment. 2: And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. 3: And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken. 4: The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly. 5: The vile person shall be no more called liberal, nor the churl said to be bountiful. 6: For the vile person will speak villany, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise hypocrisy, and to utter error against the LORD, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail. 7: The instruments also of the churl are evil: he deviseth wicked devices to destroy the poor with lying words, even when the needy speaketh right. 8: But the liberal deviseth liberal things; and by liberal things shall he stand. 9: Rise up, ye women that are at ease; hear my voice, ye careless daughters; give ear unto my speech. 10: Many days and years shall ye be troubled, ye careless women: for the vintage shall fail, the gathering shall not come. 11: Tremble, ye women that are at ease; be troubled, ye careless ones: strip you, and make you bare, and gird sackcloth upon your loins. 12: They shall lament for the teats, for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine. 13: Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city: 14: Because the palaces shall be forsaken; the multitude of the city shall be left; the forts and towers shall be for dens for ever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks; 15: Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest. 16: Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field. 17: And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. 18: And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places; 19: When it shall hail, coming down on the forest; and the city shall be low in a low place. 20: Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass.

Isaiah, 33

1: Woe to thee that spoilest, and thou wast not spoiled; and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled; and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee. 2: O LORD, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble. 3: At the noise of the tumult the people fled; at the lifting up of thyself the nations were scattered. 4: And your spoil shall be gathered like the gathering of the caterpiller: as the running to and fro of locusts shall he run upon them. 5: The LORD is exalted; for he dwelleth on high: he hath filled Zion with judgment and righteousness. 6: And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure. 7: Behold, their valiant ones shall cry without: the ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly. 8: The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth: he hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man. 9: The earth mourneth and languisheth: Lebanon is ashamed and hewn down: Sharon is like a wilderness; and Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits. 10: Now will I rise, saith the LORD; now will I be exalted; now will I lift up myself. 11: Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble: your breath, as fire, shall devour you. 12: And the people shall be as the burnings of lime: as thorns cut up shall they be burned in the fire. 13: Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done; and, ye that are near, acknowledge my might. 14: The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? 15: He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; 16: He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure. 17: Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off. 18: Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers? 19: Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand. 20: Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken. 21: But there the glorious LORD will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby. 22: For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us. 23: Thy tacklings are loosed; they could not well strengthen their mast, they could not spread the sail: then is the prey of a great spoil divided; the lame take the prey. 24: And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.

Today we are reading Isaiah 31, 32 & 33. Chapter 31 is the forth of the six woes. And this time Isaiah is speaking about those who leave Israel and go down to Egypt, they are apostates. They turn their back on the Holy One of Israel – Christ and they do not seek the LORD. The LORD will reject them. The Egyptians are just men not the Lord and their horses are flesh not spirit. The Lord will defend Jerusalem and Idolatry will be forever cast away by Israel. In Chapter 32 Isaiah describes the Righteous King Jehovah – Christ. He will reign in righteousness and his princes will rule in judgment. A man (probably this is an Israelite) will be a shelter from the wind and hiding place from a storm. Like rivers in a dry place and the shadow of a rock in a dry and weary land. Those that see them will not be dim and those who hear them will listen. The impatient will become wise and the man with a speech impediment will become a clear speaker. The vile person will become known for his lifestyle. They will do all sorts of evil things. Isaiah calls on the women to put on sackcloth and seek the Lord. The land itself will bring up thorns and briers. The cities and palaces will be deserted forever. This will occur up until the Spirit of the Lord is poured out and then everything will burst into fruitfulness. Righteousness and peace will bring assurance for ever. The Lords people will have secure towns and houses. Isaiah chapter 33 is about the Assyrian enemy that comes into the land to rob it. From v1-12 he says that they will come with false motives and empty promises. The Lords people will call on the Lord for help (salvation) in their time of trouble. They will come into the land like locusts but the LORD is exalted and dwells in Zion on High. They will bring in great devastation but the Lord will arise to destroy them. From v13-24 he describes The LORD the KING in his beauty. Who can stand before him? but he that walks righteously (according to law) and speaks the truth. He despises the gain of oppressions. He refuses bribes. That refuses to avenge blood and shuts his eyes at evil. He will dwell on the high mountain of the LORD. He will see the King in his beauty. Matt 5v8. Where will the enemy be? He will be far gone. The city of Jerusalem will not be destroyed - one bit. The LORD will be the judge and lawgiver. The LORD will be King and he will save them. There will be no more sickness. The people will be forgiven of their iniquity. This is when Christ himself the LORD comes to rule.