July 22, 2018: SOAP #3153: Isaiah 36-37; Psalm 76; 1Peter 1

Scripture:  Isaiah (NIV) 37:28 “But I know where you stay and when you come and go and how you rage against me. 29 Because you rage against me and because your insolence has reached my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth, and I will make you return by the way you came.

Observation:   The army of Assyria was staged to take Jerusalem.  The message from the King of Assyria was that Jerusalem should surrender.  The gods of all the nations they had conquered could not help their worshippers against the Assyrian army and the God of Judah was no better than the other gods.  The army was set to attack Jerusalem, but their words were an attack against Jerusalem’s God.

But the God of Jerusalem was not like the other gods.  The other gods were carved out of wood and stone, Jerusalem’s God was alive!   The other gods had ears of wood and stone.  Jerusalem’s God not only heard the prayers of His people, He also heard the disrespectful words of the Assyrian king!

God took the king’s words seriously.  God had a message for the King.  God knew the king’s movements.  The next morning 185,000 men in the Assyrian camp were dead.  (Isaiah 37:36)   So, King Sennacherib broke camp and returned to Nineveh as the Lord said.  (verse 29 above.)

Application:  Jerusalem’s God is my God!  He claims me as His child!  He hears me!  His power is greater than anything that comes against me.  I cannot hide from God, and neither can those wanting to hurt me.  He knows where I live; He knows where they live!   He knows my thoughts; He knows their thoughts.

Prayer:   Heavenly Father, I trust your wisdom and power.  You have more than enough wisdom to work through my problems.  You have more than enough power to make things right.  And, you have more than enough love to continue treating me as your child!  I am blest! Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!