Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1892-01-22
HEZEKIAH DELIVERED.
LESSON ", FIRST QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SeRlzS, JAN "a.

Text of the Lesson, lisa. xxxvii, 1921,
33-3s-Memory Verses. t5-17-Goiden
Text. Ps xxxiv. fT-Commentary by
the Rev. ID. NJ. stearns.
IA And Hezekiah received the letter.
Ind spread it before the Lord" Just the
right thing to do with all difficulties if you
would have peace ops. ", 90; Pet. v, 4
Phil. iv, 6, Z. Mark vi 3O) The king of
Assyria was besieging Jerusalem; blasphe-
nous letters were sent from one of his
generals to Hezekiah, and this is what
Hezekiah did under these circumstances
The first part of the lesson gives Heze
kiah's prayer, and the last, the Lords
answer in word and deed To understand
fully read from chapter xxxvi /, and also
the parallel accounts in II Kings xviii, xix
| II Chron. xxi
Is And Hezekah prayed unto the
Lord, saying" In II Chron. xxi, 20, it
is written that Isaiah, the prophet, joined
him in this prayer They did not know
Math. xviii, 10, but they acted as if they
did
10. so Lord of hosts. God of Israel, that
dwellest between the cherubm, thou art
the God, even thou alone of all the king
doms of the earth, Thou hast made heaven
and earth" The hosts of Assyra are
against him, so he appeals to the Lord of
all hosts, for he controlleth all in heaven
and on earth
II. "lnclne 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" The first
part of this verse is very like "A partof Dan
lel's prayer dan. iX, lS) and reminds us of
oft repeated petitions in Soomon's prayer
Il Kings viii, 30 30, etc. The last part
makes us think of Davids words concern
ing Golah Il Sam. xvii, 26-i5l, and teaches
us how to look upon all enemies for
Christs sake and how to deal with them
IS. "Of a truth, Lord, the kings of As
syria have laid waste all the nations and
their countries" Hezekiah calls attention
to part of the letter Verse ~ which he
acknowledges to be true, and confesses
that the Assyrians had much power over
some nations, but that was no reason why
Israel should fall before them, for Israel
had protection which no other nation had
though the Assyrians were ignorant of it,
There is no occasion for any child of God
ever to be afraid of anything or any one.
10 And have cast their gods into the
fire, for they were no gods" Idols of wood
and stone which their own hands had made
could never help them. We think it
strange to see people put any reliance upon
such vanties, but how much better are
those who rely upon silver or gold or the
power or wisdom of man instead of upon
the Creator of all things?
90 "Now, therefore, Lord our God,
save us from his hand, that all the king
doms of the earth may know that Thou
art the Lord, even Thou only" Deliver
ance is asked for that God may be glori-
fled, and such prayer for such an end is
sure of an answer (John xiv, l3), God re-
deemed Israel and led them by his hand
to make his name known in the earth
among all nations II Sam. vii, 90; Isa xiii,
IL, l4. The great business of every be-
lever is to manifest Jesus in these mortal
bodies Oh Cor. iv, ~
81. '"rhen Isaiah, the son of Amor, sent
unto Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the
Lord God of Israel, Whereas thou hast
prayed to me- etc Immediately the an
swer comes by the mouth of Gods servant
Isaiah, for this prayer needed an immedi-
| ate answer.
33. Therefore thus saith the Lord con-
corning the King of Assyria, He shall not
come into this city," Great is Jehovah.
He doeth according to His will in the
armies of heaven and among the inhabt-
ants of EARTH and none can stay His hand
| dan. iv, 3d. When He speaks, it is done
When He says, "Htherto shalt thou come
but no farther" that settles it tPs xxxiii
o; Job xxxviii, ~.
3D. by the way that he came, by the
same shall he return, and shall not come
into this city, saith the Lord" All his
labor would be for nothing and great
would be his loss How much time and
gt OIL iS cd in G,rht
against God
35. For | will defend this city to save it
for mine own sake and for my servant
David's sake" Not for His peoples sake,
nor for the sake of the king or the prophet,
but for His own sake and because of the
covenant made with David I'll Sam. vii,
20, 81: Eek. xxXvi, 22) See what He does
for every believer for His own and His
Sons sake lisa. xiii, %; | John ii, l2), and
let For Jesus sake" be great motto in
our lives.
80. "Then the angel of the Lord went
forth and smote in the camp of the Assy-
rians $4,000" Angels are mnistering
spirits who delight to do His will Two of
them led Lot and his family out of Sodom;
one ministered to Elijah in the wilderness;
one led Peter out of prison, while another
smote Herod; one found Paul on the ship
| IN the storm out on the Mediterranean
and comforted him; many ministered unto
Christ in the wilderness, one strengthened
Him in Gethsemane, and legions' were
ready to do His bidding. BE comforted,
oh, believer, by the fact that holy angels
continually minister to you Heb i. 49,
81. $50 Sennacherb, King of Assyria, de-
parted and went and returned, and dwelt
at Nineveh." Just as God had said (verse
34). A little space for repentance was
granted unto him, if perchance the mighty
power of the True God which he had seen
might lead him to seek the God of Israel.
49, "And it came to pass, as he was wor-
Shipping in the house of Nisroch his god,
that his sons smote him with the sword"
Back to his idols, utterly Indifferent
to the God of Israel blind and deaf to
the claims of his Creator, dead in sins,
space for repentance not improved, he goes
out su 1denly to meet the God whose power
he had felt but whom he knew not. What
a fearful meetingl To know God is Life
Eternal; not to know Him is Eternal
Death. The long suffering of God is one
of the most wonderful things in the whole
Bibles how slow He is to let His wrath fall