Wednesday, October 2, 2013

The Invasion Crisis PT-5 (Retaliation)


SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/2/2013 7:41 AM

My Worship Time                                                  Focus:  The Invasion Crisis PT-V (Retaliation)

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                   Reference:  Isaiah 37:36-38

            Message of the verses:  This will be the last sub-section under this first main section that we will look at, for tomorrow we will move to the second crisis that is found in Isaiah 38:1-22.

            “36 Then the angel of the LORD went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men arose early in the morning, behold, all of these were dead. 37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned home and lived at Nineveh. 38 It came about as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons killed him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son became king in his place.”

            We mentioned pride in our last SD, and the dangers of having pride.  At the beginning of this section we see an arrogant, pride filled man bragging about how one Assyrian soldier could kill 2000 Israeli soldier, and in this section we see that one of God’s Angels killed 185,00 Assyrian soldiers in one night.  I want to talk a bit about the term used in thirty-six, “The angel of the Lord,” and the reason is that many times in the OT when this term is used it is speaking of the second person of the trinity, Jesus Christ or the preincarnate Jesus Christ.  I suppose that there is a difference in how commentators view it in this section.  This is the only time that this term is used in the book of Isaiah.  I believe that this is speaking of the second Person of the trinity, but that is just my opinion.

            The next thing that I want to talk about is the fact that God had 185,000 Assyrian soldiers killed in one night.  There are many people who like to “put God in a box” so to speak, in other words limit His attributes and only look on God as a God of love.  God is indeed a God of love of John says that “God is love,” however God is also a God of Justice and wrath which are also who He is just as He is love.  God had these killed because of the pride of their king as well as they were about to destroy the children of Israel who are the apple of His eye. 

            The Lord told Isaiah that He was going to send Sennacherib back home and that he would be killed there and that is what happened to him.  It was twenty years later that two of his sons killed him while he was worshipping in the temple of his god that he was killed.  How ironic that he had put down the God of the children of Israel in effect saying his god was stronger, and then while he is worshipping his god, his god could not protect him.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I have been re-reading “The Joy of Knowing God,” by Richard Strauss, a book that speaks of the attributes of God.  I have read several books on the attributes of God, but this is one of the easiest to understand for me.  I believe that it is of the upmost importance for believers to get to know God in the best way that they can and that way is from the understanding of the Scriptures and also from the help of good authors that help explain the Scriptures that speak of God’s attributes.  We just saw in this section the wrath and the justice of God which are two of His attributes, and I want to see God in the Scriptures that I study for that is one of the reasons I have in studying the Word of God.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust the Lord as I go to a Bible Study this morning that I will not have trouble with my IBS, and that the study will be beneficial to me and the others there.  Praying for our Pastor who had a great fall from a tree about ten days ago and is now in a lot of pain, and in the same praise to the Lord for sparing his life.

Memory verses for the week:  2 Peter 1:1-6

            1 Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, but the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:  2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His glory and excellence.  4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.  5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence knowledge, 6 and in your knowledge self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness

Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “Holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13).

Today’s Bible Question:  “Who asked Jesus the question ‘When shall these things be; what shall be the sign of thy coming; what shall be the sign of the end of the world?’”

Answer in our next SD.

10/2/2013 8:33 AM

 

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