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2013

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5th Sunday Breakfast (29 Sept)

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Question of the Day

CHRONOLOGICAL BIBLE DISCIPLESHIP

IVA MAY & DR. STAN MAY

Week No. 282 Chronicles

2 KingsMicahIsaiahPsalms

CHRONOLOGICAL BIBLE DISCIPLESHIP

IVA MAY & DR. STAN MAY

Creation

Patriarch

Exodus

Conquest

Judges

Kingdom

Div. Kingdom

Captivity

Return

Silent

Gospel

Missions

End Times

Church

You are

here

REVIEWCreation: God reveals His goodness through creation and His mercy in response to sin.

Patriarchs: God reveals His response to the faithfulness of men (Job, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph).

Exodus: God liberates Israel, and leads them to the Pro-mised Land and shapes them into a nation holy to Himself.

Conquest: Joshua, relying on God’s presence and power, leads Israel to possess and settle the Promised Land.

Judges: Every man does what is right in his own eyes, and Israel falls into a cycle of disobedience, judgment, oppres-sion and deliverance (the sin cycle).

REVIEWKingdom: Israel asks for a king and God raises up a succes-sion of kings (Saul, David and Solomon) who rule over a united Israel.

• After the death of King Solomon, ten of the tribes of Israel rebel against the rule of the house of David and set up their own king, and their own form of worship in the Northern Kingdom (Isreal)

• The remaining two tribes (Judah and Benjamin) remained loyal to the throne of David and continued to generally worship God in accordance with His law in the Southern Kingdom (Judah)• Both kingdoms eventually stray completely from God,

falling into idol worship and social disintegration even as God sends His prophets to urge them to repent and return to Him

• Each would be carried into captivity and cease to exist as a nation

DIVIDED KINGDOM

• It is the time of the reign of good King Hezekiah in Judah• Inherits the throne from his father,

Ahaz, who did evil in the sight of the LORD

• Last king the prophet Isaiah serves

• In Hezekiah’s 6th year, Samaria, the capital of Israel, falls to Assyria• Israel is taken away into captivity

(2 Kings 17)• They soon cease to exist as a

nation as judg-ment for their disobedience to God

• Assyria’s king Sennacherib turns his attention to Judah• Begins to lay siege to their cities• It is early in Hezekiah’s 29 year

reign• Hezekiah faces a national crisis

CONTEXT

Assyrian Empire in Hezekiah’s Day

OVERVIEW• God hates sin because of its destructive

consequences• His grief over sin is magnified by His perfect

knowledge of the holy potential its corrupting influence denies of every soul

• Sin’s consequences bring trials and burdens into men’s lives that God never intended, yet God uses these trials to accomplish His purposes

• Hezekiah is faced with the enormous trial of dealing with a real threat from brutal Assyrian invaders• He did not have an army that could fight off the

Assyrians• He could not depend on any outside help (Egypt)

• Hezekiah was turning Judah’s heart back to God• 2 Kings 18:4-6 ~ He removed the high places and broke

down the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah…He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel…For he clung to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the Lord had commanded Moses.

• Hezekiah, in an exhibition of true faith, humbles himself before God

• He expresses his fears plainly and God hears Hezekiah’s heart and answers his prayer

People need leaders who

will not acquiesce to the enemy in fear but will

humble themselves

and seek the LORD

DIVIDED KINGDOM ERA

A King Experiences DeliveranceAssyria’s ArroganceHezekiah’s HumilityGod’s Deliverance

Isaiah 36 & 37

ASSYRIA’S ARROGANCE

Isaiah 36:4-10, 13-20

Assyria’s Arrogance Assyria’s Brutality and Cruelty was Legendary

They were merciless Displaced whole nations Ripped open pregnant women Flayed (skinned) nobles alive Cut off the noses, ears and hands of soldiers

They were overwhelming Fielded large powerful armies Used them to loot and displace whole nations

Sennacherib Sweeps Across Israel and into Judah Sends Rabshakeh with a large army to surround Jerusalem Rabshakeh calls for a meeting with three of Hezekiah’s

ministers to try to intimidate Judah into surrendering

Assyria’s Arrogance Rabshakeh tries to Destroy the People’s Confidence

In the ability of their leadership (Isa 36:4-6, 8-9) Refuses to address Hezekiah as king Demeans their army and plans for defense Ridicules their alliance with Egypt as a source of aid against Assyria

In the faithfulness of the LORD (Isa 36:7,10) He accuses Hezekiah of provoking God’s wrath by removing the high places of

worship, “forcing” them to bring their sacrifices to the temple Plants a seed of doubt by claiming to be sent by God to destroy Judah

Rabshakeh Tempts the People to Trust his Pagan King over God’s Faithful King (Isa 36:13-20) Everyone who surrenders will be guaranteed peace and prosperity Depending on Hezekiah’s promise of deliverance by God will lead to

the same ruin experienced those nations who had trusted in their own gods

What tactics did Rabshakeh use in his efforts to demoralize Judah? Made them equivalent to every other nation they had

conquered by ridiculing their military strength Tried to destroy their faith in God by comparing Him to

the gods of all the nations they had already conquered Offered an easy path to sure survival and even new

prosperity

What parallels do we see in the way Rabshakeh tried to shake the people’s faith in God and how secular philosophy operates today to achieve the same goal?

DISCUSSION

HEZEKIAH’S HUMILITY

Isaiah 37:14-20

Hezekiah’s Humility Hezekiah’s Heart before God (Isa 37:1)

He tore his clothes to demonstrate a broken heart He put on sackcloth to show his humility He did not turn to his own wisdom but went immediately

into the temple to seek God’s wisdom

Hezekiah’s Personal Approach to God (14-15) He goes into the temple and lays the problem before God

He was spiritually ready to go to God (prayed up) He took the object of his need with him (Rabshakeh’s letter) to help him

focus the point of his prayer He makes a personal plea directly to God

He prayed himself for that which he also sought the prayers of others

Hezekiah’s Humility Hezekiah’s Prayer to God (16-20)

He begins his prayer with praise Acknowledges God’s position as sole authority over heaven and earth Confesses that He is “the God...alone” who created everything

He presents the problem from his point of view Sennacherib insulted You He is enjoying success But those successes have been against nations who have no real god

Finally, he makes an exact request of God for a holy purpose “deliver us from his hand” “that all kingdoms of earth may know that You alone, LORD, are God.”

Hezekiah’s Personal Approach to God (14-15) He goes into the temple and lays the problem before God

He was spiritually ready to go to God (prayed up) He took the object of his need with him (Rabshakeh’s letter) to help him focus the point of his

prayer He makes a personal plea directly to God

He prayed himself for that which he also sought the prayers of others

Why is it important to begin prayer with praise? Acknowledges God’s position of authority Acknowledges our position of inferiority Sets the stage for recognizing our need in the presence of

the One who has the ability to meet that need

What truths in Hezekiah’s prayer may have begun to give him hope even as he voiced them before God? Sennacherib’s destruction of other gods just proved that

they were worthless Judah had the opportunity to become God’s vehicle for

demonstrating His power

DISCUSSION

GOD’S DELIVERANC

E

Isaiah 37:36-38

God’s Deliverance The Angel of the LORD Kills

185,000 Assyrian Soldier in One Night God defends His people God defends His city God protects the line of David

Sennacherib Returns to Nineveh He is shamed by his great defeat He is killed by his own sons while

worshipping his god

Why does God allow evil people to taunt His children? What might God be prompting us to do by allowing the evil

we see in society today? Were the people of Judah more or less devoted to God after

witnessing this whole affair with Assyria?

How did Hezekiah respond when his faith was threatened and belittled? How should we respond? How do we respond?

DISCUSSION

Our enemies’ pride leads them to think they have unlimited power, but in reality, they can only do what the Lord permits.

God is often at work in our enemy’s camp to disorient them and defeat them.

God sometimes uses our enemies to get our attention so that we will cry out to Him and exercise faith in His promises.

The enemy will say anything to boost his credibility and to deceive God’s people.

God will deal with the enemy in His time.

CONCLUSIONS

Bible Trivia TestMicah, Isaiah, 2 Kings, 2

Chronicles(1pts) According to Isaiah, in the last days the nations will, “beat their swords into __________ and their spears into _______ _____”.• “And they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into

pruning hooks.” (Isaiah 2:4)

Where did Hezekiah get the gold demanded of him as tribute by Sennacherib?• “At that time Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of

the Lord, and from the doorposts which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.” (2 Kings 18:16)

What did God do to the foreigners that Assyria brought in to occupy Israel after their defeat, because they did not fear the LORD?• “At the beginning of their living there, they did not fear the Lord; therefore

the Lord sent lions among them which killed some of them.” (2 Kings 17:25)

Bible Trivia TestBonus Questions (2pts)

What ancient Biblical warrior’s name is also associated with the nation of Assyria?• “They will shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword, the land of Nimrod

at its entrances...” (Micah 5:6)

Name one of the four things Hezekiah ordered done to prepare Jerusalem for defense against the invading Assyrian army.• “…he decided…to cut off the supply of water from the springs which were

outside the city…and rebuilt all the wall that had been broken…and built another outside wall…and made weapons and shields in great number.” (2 Chron 32:2-7)

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Isaiah 6, 7, 9, 52 & 53A Prophet Sees a King