The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1892-01-23
HEZEKlAH DELIVERED.
LESSON ", FIRST QUARTER. INTER.
NATIONAL SERIES, JAN. a..

Text Of the Lesson. lsa. xxxvii. l4.21.
Ss-ss-Memory Verses, i5-i7-Golaen
Text. Pa. xxxiv. Is-Commentsry by
the Rev.. d. M. stearns.
II. And Hesekiah received the letter,
and spread it before the Lord" Just the
right thing to owith all difficulties il you
would have peace (Ps. ", %. / Pet. v, Z.
Phil. Nv. g. Z, Mark Vt. sO). The king of
Assyria was besieginR Jerusalem: blasphe-
nous letters were sent from one Of bis
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
answe in word and deed. To understand
fully read from chapter xxxvi. 1, and also
the parallel accounts in II Kings xviii, XIX.
II Chron. xxxii.
Is. And Hezekiah prayed unto the
Lord, saying" In II Chron. xxxii, 20, 1t
Is written that Isaiah, the prophet, joined
him In this prayer. They did not know
Math. xviii. 10. but they acted q II they
did.
le. 20 lord Of hosts. God Of Israel. that
dwellest between the cherubim, thou art
the God, even thou alone Of all the king.
doms of the earth: Thou hast made heaven
and earth" The hosts Of Assyria are
against him. so he appeals to the Lord of
all hosts. for he c%ontrolleth all In heaven
and on earth.
II. Incline thine ear, O Lord, and hear.
open thine eyes, . Lord, and see; and hear
all the words Of S~ennacherib. which hath
sent to reproach the living God" The first
part of this verse is very like a part OF Dan.
iel's prayer (Ean. tx, l8) and reminds us Of
oft repeated petitions in Solomon's prayer
Il Kings viii. %, so, etc.,. The last part
tnR Goliah Il Sam. xvii, R-45). n teaches
US how to look upon all enemies for
Christ's sake and how to deal with them.
l8. "Of u truth. Lord, the kings of As.
syria have LAID waste all the nations and
their countries" Hezekiah calls attention
to a part Of the letter Verse III 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 vanities, 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, y 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
fed. n such prayer for such an ond is
sure of an answer John xiv. 49,, God re
deemed Israel and led them by his hand
to make his name known in the earth
among all nations I'll Sam. vii, %: lisa. xiii.
IL, l4l. The great business of every be.
lever is to manifest Jesus in these mortal
bodies I'll Cor iv, H.
81. "'Then 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.
IS. 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 inhabitr
ants of earth. and non eau stay His hand
dan. ", a5). When He speaks, it is done.
When He says. "Hitherto shalt thou come,
but no farther" that settles it FPS. xxxiii.
o; Job xxxvili. ll).
81 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
strength and money is wasted in fighting
against God.
81. For ! will defend this city to u 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 " sake and because Of the
covenant made with David I'll Sam. vii,
~, 81. Eek. xxxvi. ~. See what He does
for every believer for His own and His
Sons sake lisa. xiii, Is: / John ii, 12), and
let "For Jesus sake be q great motto in
our lives.
SO. '.Then the angel of the Lord went
! forth and smote in the camp Of the Assy
| rians. $4,000" Angels are ministering
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;
q 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. n 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 lHeh. /. ~.
81. $50 Sennacherib. King OF Assyria, de
parted and went and returned. and dwelt
at Nineveh." Just as God had said iverse
~. A little space for repentance was
granted unto him. II perchance the mighty
power Of the True God which he had seer
might lead him to seek the God of Israel
81. 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 si idenly to meet the God whose power
he had felt but whom he know not. What
= fearful meetingl To know God is Life
Eternal. not to know Him u Eternal
Death. The long suffering Of God is on
Of the most wonderful things IN the whole
Bible: how slow He IL to let His wrath fall
and how In every possible way He pleads
with men to repent Read in Job xxxiii
l4-80. how He seeks TO deliver the sinner
from the wrath to come. and notice e.
pecially verses -, 90. $50 all these things
worketh God oftentimos with man. Il
Iring back The soulfrom the pit TO be en-.
lightened with the light Of the living
Notice also that the awful Judgments re-
corded IN Revelations . yet to come upon
men have for their end that men may re
pent.. In o we read Of men on earth BE-
ing given q taste Of the tormentso Of hell ii