1 00:00:02,730 --> 00:00:06,730 Speaker 1: Life Audio. For more resources to help you in your 2 00:00:06,790 --> 00:00:13,360 Speaker 1: walk with Christ, please visit us at BibleStudyHeadquarters.com. You're listening 3 00:00:13,380 --> 00:00:17,040 Speaker 1: to the Chapter a Day Audio Bible. I'm John Stonge 4 00:00:17,620 --> 00:00:22,020 Speaker 1: and today we're in Isaiah chapter 37 and we'll be 5 00:00:22,079 --> 00:00:27,460 Speaker 1: reading from the contemporary English version. As soon as Hezekiah 6 00:00:27,500 --> 00:00:30,400 Speaker 1: heard the news, he tore off his clothes in sorrow 7 00:00:30,780 --> 00:00:33,940 Speaker 1: and put on sackcloth, Then he went into the temple 8 00:00:33,979 --> 00:00:37,940 Speaker 1: of the Lord. He told Prime Minister Eliakim, Assistant Prime 9 00:00:37,979 --> 00:00:42,600 Speaker 1: Minister Shebna, and the senior priests to dress in sackcloth 10 00:00:43,050 --> 00:00:47,430 Speaker 1: and tell me, Isaiah, these are difficult and disgraceful times. 11 00:00:48,030 --> 00:00:50,110 Speaker 1: Our nation is like a woman too weak to give 12 00:00:50,170 --> 00:00:52,630 Speaker 1: birth when it's time for her baby to be born. 13 00:00:53,550 --> 00:00:56,670 Speaker 1: Please pray for those of us who are left alive. 14 00:00:57,330 --> 00:01:00,480 Speaker 1: The king of Assyria sent his army commander to insult 15 00:01:00,680 --> 00:01:03,940 Speaker 1: the living God. Perhaps the Lord heard what he said 16 00:01:04,040 --> 00:01:07,869 Speaker 1: and will do something if you will pray. When these 17 00:01:07,930 --> 00:01:10,589 Speaker 1: leaders came to me, I told them that the Lord 18 00:01:10,650 --> 00:01:15,530 Speaker 1: had this message for Hezekiah. I am the Lord. Don't 19 00:01:15,590 --> 00:01:18,229 Speaker 1: worry about the insulting things that have been said about 20 00:01:18,270 --> 00:01:22,250 Speaker 1: me by these messengers from the king of Assyria. I 21 00:01:22,290 --> 00:01:25,360 Speaker 1: will upset him with rumors about what's happening in his 22 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:28,600 Speaker 1: own country. He will go back and there I will 23 00:01:28,640 --> 00:01:33,440 Speaker 1: make him die a violent death. Meanwhile, the commander of 24 00:01:33,480 --> 00:01:36,949 Speaker 1: the Assyrian forces heard that his king had left the 25 00:01:36,990 --> 00:01:40,250 Speaker 1: town of Lachish and was now attacking Libna, so he 26 00:01:40,310 --> 00:01:44,310 Speaker 1: went there. About this same time, the king of Assyria 27 00:01:44,370 --> 00:01:48,110 Speaker 1: learned that King Terhaka of Ethiopia was on his way 28 00:01:48,150 --> 00:01:51,490 Speaker 1: to attack him. Then the king of Assyria sent some 29 00:01:51,530 --> 00:01:55,940 Speaker 1: messengers with this note for Hezekiah, Don't trust your God 30 00:01:56,100 --> 00:01:59,560 Speaker 1: or be fooled by his promise to defend Jerusalem against me. 31 00:02:00,240 --> 00:02:04,340 Speaker 1: You have heard how we Assyrian kings have completely wiped 32 00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:08,960 Speaker 1: out other nations. What makes you feel so safe? The 33 00:02:09,020 --> 00:02:14,040 Speaker 1: Assyrian kings before me destroyed the towns of Gozan, Haran, Rezef, 34 00:02:14,500 --> 00:02:18,760 Speaker 1: and everyone from Eden who lived in Tel Asar. What 35 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:24,990 Speaker 1: good did their gods do them? The kings of Hamath, Arpad, Sepharvaim, Hina, 36 00:02:25,320 --> 00:02:30,270 Speaker 1: and Iva have all disappeared. After Hezekiah had read the 37 00:02:30,330 --> 00:02:32,780 Speaker 1: note from the king of Assyria, he took it to 38 00:02:32,810 --> 00:02:35,359 Speaker 1: the temple and spread it out for the Lord to see. 39 00:02:35,940 --> 00:02:41,040 Speaker 1: Then he prayed, Lord God, all powerful of Israel, your 40 00:02:41,139 --> 00:02:45,200 Speaker 1: throne is above the winged creatures. You created the heavens 41 00:02:45,320 --> 00:02:48,160 Speaker 1: and the earth, and you alone rule the kingdoms of 42 00:02:48,240 --> 00:02:52,970 Speaker 1: this world. Just look and see how Sennacherib has insulted you, 43 00:02:53,310 --> 00:02:56,940 Speaker 1: the living God. It is true, our Lord, that Assyrian 44 00:02:57,020 --> 00:03:01,300 Speaker 1: kings have turned nations into deserts. They destroyed the idols 45 00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:03,940 Speaker 1: of wood and stone that the people of those nations 46 00:03:03,980 --> 00:03:08,400 Speaker 1: had made and worshipped. But you are our Lord and 47 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:11,799 Speaker 1: our God. We ask you to keep us safe from 48 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:15,760 Speaker 1: the Assyrian king. Then everyone in every kingdom on earth 49 00:03:15,840 --> 00:03:20,030 Speaker 1: will know that you are the only Lord. I went 50 00:03:20,090 --> 00:03:22,950 Speaker 1: to Hezekiah and told him that the Lord God of 51 00:03:23,050 --> 00:03:27,120 Speaker 1: Israel had said, Hezekiah, you prayed to me about King 52 00:03:27,180 --> 00:03:30,720 Speaker 1: Sennacherib of Assyria. Now this is what I say to 53 00:03:30,760 --> 00:03:34,519 Speaker 1: that king. The people of Jerusalem hate and make fun 54 00:03:34,540 --> 00:03:39,970 Speaker 1: of you. They laugh behind your back. Sennacherib, you cursed, shouted, 55 00:03:40,330 --> 00:03:43,470 Speaker 1: and sneered at me, the holy God of Israel. You 56 00:03:43,510 --> 00:03:46,970 Speaker 1: let your officials insult me, the Lord. And here is 57 00:03:47,030 --> 00:03:50,910 Speaker 1: what you have said about yourself. I led my chariots 58 00:03:50,970 --> 00:03:54,320 Speaker 1: to the highest heights of Lebanon's mountains. I went deep 59 00:03:54,380 --> 00:03:58,590 Speaker 1: into its forest, cutting down the best cedar and cypress trees. 60 00:03:59,370 --> 00:04:02,230 Speaker 1: I dried up every stream in the land of Egypt, 61 00:04:02,610 --> 00:04:07,060 Speaker 1: and I drank water from wells I had dug. Sennacherib, 62 00:04:07,680 --> 00:04:11,660 Speaker 1: now listen to me, the Lord. I planned all of 63 00:04:11,740 --> 00:04:15,020 Speaker 1: this long ago, and you don't even know that I 64 00:04:15,160 --> 00:04:18,020 Speaker 1: alone am the one who decided that you would do 65 00:04:18,120 --> 00:04:21,810 Speaker 1: these things. I let you make ruins of fortified cities. 66 00:04:22,390 --> 00:04:27,050 Speaker 1: Their people became weak, terribly confused. They were like wildflowers 67 00:04:27,110 --> 00:04:30,130 Speaker 1: or like tender young grass growing on a flat roof 68 00:04:30,670 --> 00:04:34,290 Speaker 1: or like a field of grain before it matures. I 69 00:04:34,330 --> 00:04:37,880 Speaker 1: know all about you, even how fiercely angry you are 70 00:04:37,950 --> 00:04:41,779 Speaker 1: with me. I have seen your pride and the tremendous 71 00:04:41,860 --> 00:04:45,160 Speaker 1: hatred you have for me. Now I will put a 72 00:04:45,220 --> 00:04:48,680 Speaker 1: hook in your nose, a bit in your mouth. Then 73 00:04:48,920 --> 00:04:52,930 Speaker 1: I will send you back to where you came from. Hezekiah, 74 00:04:53,510 --> 00:04:56,489 Speaker 1: I will tell you what's going to happen. This year 75 00:04:56,710 --> 00:04:59,790 Speaker 1: you will eat crops that grow on their own, and 76 00:04:59,810 --> 00:05:02,090 Speaker 1: the next year you will eat whatever springs up where 77 00:05:02,130 --> 00:05:05,450 Speaker 1: those crops grew. But the third year you will plant 78 00:05:05,529 --> 00:05:08,880 Speaker 1: grain and vineyards, and you will eat what you harvest. 79 00:05:09,700 --> 00:05:12,619 Speaker 1: Those who survive in Judah will be like a vine 80 00:05:12,640 --> 00:05:16,480 Speaker 1: that puts down deep roots and bears fruit. I, the 81 00:05:16,520 --> 00:05:19,940 Speaker 1: Lord All-Powerful, will see to it that some who live 82 00:05:20,060 --> 00:05:24,840 Speaker 1: in Jerusalem will survive. I promise that the king of 83 00:05:24,920 --> 00:05:28,760 Speaker 1: Assyria won't get into Jerusalem or shoot an arrow into 84 00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:32,120 Speaker 1: the city or even surround it and prepare to attack. 85 00:05:32,839 --> 00:05:36,039 Speaker 1: As surely as I am the Lord, he will return 86 00:05:36,100 --> 00:05:39,500 Speaker 1: by the way he came and will never enter Jerusalem. 87 00:05:40,350 --> 00:05:42,430 Speaker 1: I will protect it for the sake of my own 88 00:05:42,550 --> 00:05:45,570 Speaker 1: honor and because of the promise I made to my 89 00:05:45,670 --> 00:05:50,169 Speaker 1: servant David. The Lord sent an angel to the camp 90 00:05:50,230 --> 00:05:54,830 Speaker 1: of the Assyrians. and he killed 185,000 of them all 91 00:05:55,070 --> 00:05:58,620 Speaker 1: in one night. The next morning, the camp was full 92 00:05:58,660 --> 00:06:02,800 Speaker 1: of dead bodies. After this, King Sennacherib went back to 93 00:06:02,860 --> 00:06:06,279 Speaker 1: Assyria and lived in the city of Nineveh. One day, 94 00:06:06,760 --> 00:06:09,580 Speaker 1: he was worshipping in the temple of his god Nishrak, 95 00:06:09,839 --> 00:06:14,700 Speaker 1: when his sons Adrammelech and Sharizer killed him with their swords. 96 00:06:15,560 --> 00:06:18,760 Speaker 1: They escaped to the land of Ararat, and his son 97 00:06:18,900 --> 00:06:26,300 Speaker 1: Esarhaddon became king. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for 98 00:06:26,320 --> 00:06:28,600 Speaker 1: your word, and we thank you for the privilege of 99 00:06:28,640 --> 00:06:31,070 Speaker 1: being able to look at it. We thank you, Lord, 100 00:06:31,110 --> 00:06:34,029 Speaker 1: that even though there are those who mock you, there 101 00:06:34,070 --> 00:06:38,090 Speaker 1: are those who dismiss your power, you display that you 102 00:06:38,170 --> 00:06:41,830 Speaker 1: are all-powerful when we look at this chapter. You also 103 00:06:41,890 --> 00:06:45,339 Speaker 1: display that you have the affairs of humanity under your control. 104 00:06:46,010 --> 00:06:48,680 Speaker 1: And Lord, we recognize that people question that and people 105 00:06:48,740 --> 00:06:50,779 Speaker 1: doubt that, but we pray for those of us who 106 00:06:50,820 --> 00:06:54,080 Speaker 1: believe in your Son, Jesus Christ, that you'd help our 107 00:06:54,180 --> 00:06:57,060 Speaker 1: trust in you to be strong no matter what circumstances 108 00:06:57,140 --> 00:07:00,240 Speaker 1: we may face. Help us to walk with you, help 109 00:07:00,300 --> 00:07:02,200 Speaker 1: us to love you, help us to trust in you, 110 00:07:02,690 --> 00:07:04,790 Speaker 1: and help us to put you first in all areas 111 00:07:04,850 --> 00:07:07,630 Speaker 1: of our lives. We're grateful, Lord, for your love and 112 00:07:07,670 --> 00:07:10,470 Speaker 1: for your presence, and we're grateful for this chapter of 113 00:07:10,510 --> 00:07:13,010 Speaker 1: the Scripture to be able to read and meditate on 114 00:07:13,070 --> 00:07:18,360 Speaker 1: together today. We pray this all in Jesus' name. Amen.