Day By Day - Isaiah 36
By John and Anne Horsburgh
Opening Thoughts:
The Assyrian king came to attack and capture God’s people and he sent one of his men to challenge Hezekiah and the Israelites. His challenge was, “Why waste your lives trusting in your God?” But he also spoke of the fallacy of trusting in Egypt. He was quite correct to say that Egypt would be of no value. How foolish to challenge God and equate Him with the idols of the surrounding peoples!
Key Points:
Final Thoughts:
The enemy may appear to hold the upper hand sometimes if we only take a superficial look. Look at the truth of God. For it is that at the last hurdle, our God is the one who has the promise of the greatest value.
Opening Thoughts:
The Assyrian king came to attack and capture God’s people and he sent one of his men to challenge Hezekiah and the Israelites. His challenge was, “Why waste your lives trusting in your God?” But he also spoke of the fallacy of trusting in Egypt. He was quite correct to say that Egypt would be of no value. How foolish to challenge God and equate Him with the idols of the surrounding peoples!
Key Points:
- The reality is that the Assyrians were bullies. They were deliberately baiting the Israelites and attempting to put fear into the hearts of the common men of Israel - vs 14, “don’t let Hezekiah deceive you” and “don’t put your trust in the Lord”. The enemy will always try to cause us to lose our faith in God, chiselling away at our beliefs and looking for weak spots. Today, we see the failure of some in the church causing many to challenge the leadership of the clergy and turn their back on God. This can be difficult when it is someone you know. Emotions get involved. Who are we listening to?
- “I will take you away to a land on bread and vineyards” (verse 17) The world will make all kinds of promises, but these do not compare to the promises of God. They may certainly sound very good and catch our attention. Remember, what the world promises may be fleeting, or you may have to sell your soul. There is always a catch. We are always warned to read the fine print. Again, who are we listening to? Our God is faithful with His promises until the end of time as we understand it and beyond.
- “but they held their peace and answered him not” (verse 21) We need to stand resolute in our faith. Many times that will mean that we need to close our ears to the temptations which emanate from the enemy of God and the enemy of our spirit.
Final Thoughts:
The enemy may appear to hold the upper hand sometimes if we only take a superficial look. Look at the truth of God. For it is that at the last hurdle, our God is the one who has the promise of the greatest value.
Posted in Isaiah