Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Galatians+001

 

Galatians

Introduction

Galatia was a Roman province in central Asia Minor. Paul traveled here on each of the three journeys he made to spread the message about Jesus. The Galatians received both Paul and his gospel announcement warmly. But later some people Paul calls agitators came and challenged Paul’s leadership as well as the foundation of his teaching. So Paul wrote to answer the threat to his status as an apostle and to reaffirm the core message that faith in the Messiah is the basis of membership in God’s new community.

Paul doesn’t open his letter by appealing to the apostles in Jerusalem. Instead, he insists that the gospel I preached is not of human origin … rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. Paul is compelled to share this revelation, and he notes that the other apostles support him.

Paul then proceeds to his main argument, which is that Gentiles who have become followers of Jesus do not need to be circumcised. The new worldwide family which had been promised to Abraham is created by faith in Messiah Jesus, not by keeping the Jewish law (Torah). The biblical story had been pointing to this all along.

But if following Torah is not the basis of the gospel, won’t there be anarchy? Paul answers by describing what Spirit-empowered life looks like in the community of Messiah-followers. Paul closes by emphasizing the main theme of his letter once more: Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation.

www.bible.com/zh-TW/bible/111/GAL.INTRO1.NIV

 

Galatians 1 (ESV)

Greeting

¹ Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— ² and all the brothers who are with me,

To the churches of Galatia:

³ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴ who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, ⁵ to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

No Other Gospel

⁶ I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— ⁷ not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. ⁸ But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. ⁹ As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

¹⁰ For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

 

REFLECTION:

• Paul began this epistle in an uncharacteristic way. After a customary salutation, he rebuked the Galatian Christians for turning away from the gospel that he had preached to them, and for turning toward “a different gospel.” He accused them of being religious deserters!
• Paul said the gospel that the false teachers taught was no gospel at all. Any message that tells us “try harder” is not good news.  No matter how hard we may try, we can never be good enough to escape the bondage of “the present evil age.”  Only God’s grace, through the person of Jesus Christ, is truly Gospel – “Good News.”
• What are some ways the gospel is being distorted today? How can you ensure that the gospel you believe and preach is the true gospel?  How can you increase your understanding of the gospel?
• How might the way you present the gospel be different if you are seeking the approval of people vs of God (v10)?

 

PRAYER:

Ask the Holy Spirit to show you your true intention and pray for God’s forgiveness and/or empowerment to bear truthful and fruitful witness for Him.

 

HYMN:

I Love To Tell The Story – youtu.be/CQQPooy0wKA

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=2Kings+025

 

2 Kings Chapter 25 (ESV)

8 In the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month—that was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon—Nebuzaradan, the captain of the bodyguard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 9 And he burned the house of the Lord and the king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down. 10 And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down the walls around Jerusalem. 11 And the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, together with the rest of the multitude, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried into exile….

27 And in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, graciously freed Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. 28 And he spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat above the seats of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 29 So Jehoiachin put off his prison garments. And every day of his life he dined regularly at the king’s table, 30 and for his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king, according to his daily needs, as long as he lived.

 

REFLECTION:

1. In the last chapter of 2 Kings, the Lord severely punished people whom He loved by driving them out of the Promised Land into exile. Throughout our “Listening to God” Bible Reading and Devotion journey since Genesis, we saw God’s patience towards His people and His repeated redemptive acts.  However, our Lord is also a righteous God who cannot overlook sin.  The sins of the northern and southern were too great that they cannot be forgiven and God called off His salvation plan.  Or did He?
2. Does 2 Kings end on a note of hope or despair? God’s promise to David appears to end here, with this captive king living out comfortably at the Babylonian court.  2 Kings closes without closure.  If we listen closely enough, we may hear the voices of the bereft: “O God, why do you cast us off forever?  Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture?  Remember your congregation” (Ps 74:1-2).
3. When we expect the final words being God’s judgment and punishment towards sins, we see God’s unexpected mercy and love. The significance of the last few verses spoke to God’s mercy in the midst of His judgment.  They also demonstrated the continuation of David’s line which eventually led to Jesus our ultimate Saviour.

 

PRAYER:

Reflect on God’s mercy in my life and thank Him for his salvation.  This salvation would not be possible without His patience for His people all throughout history (including me)!  Praise Him that punishment and judgment are not the final words and evil won’t have the final say.  The old Jerusalem was destroyed and the old temple was burnt.  However, the new Jerusalem and temple will last forever.

 

HYMN:

Refiners Fire – youtu.be/SQclw7Ptxwc

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=2Kings+024

 

2 Kings Chapter 24 (ESV)

10 At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up to Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. 11 And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to the city while his servants were besieging it, 12 and Jehoiachin the king of Judah gave himself up to the king of Babylon, himself and his mother and his servants and his officials and his palace officials. The king of Babylon took him prisoner in the eighth year of his reign 13 and carried off all the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold in the temple of the Lord, which Solomon king of Israel had made, as the Lord had foretold. 14 He carried away all Jerusalem and all the officials and all the mighty men of valor, 10,000 captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths. None remained, except the poorest people of the land. 15 And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon. The king’s mother, the king’s wives, his officials, and the chief men of the land he took into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. 16 And the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon all the men of valor, 7,000, and the craftsmen and the metal workers, 1,000, all of them strong and fit for war.

 

REFLECTION:

1. Jehoiachin inherited a pretty big problem from his father Jehoiakim as he rebelled against Babylon (against the advice of the Lord’s prophet). The Babylonians are now on the scene. When Nebuchadnezzar’s troops were besieging Jerusalem, the Babylonian king personally visited Judah’s capital, and Jehoiachin surrendered to him reigned only 3 months (v. 12).  The sad news is that the Babylonians came at God’s command, as the prophets have spoken.  Although God is little mentioned in the following report, 1 & 2 Kings hold that God has chosen Babylonia to accomplish His purposes.
2. A large deportation of Judah’s population followed in 597 B.C. The first of the deportations, which includes the prophet Ezekiel, took place at this time (vv14, 16, Ezekiel 1:1-3).  2 Kings asserts that these deportations were effected by God, who “expelled [Jerusalem and Judah] from His presence” (v20).  After this, God’s voice is not heard from again in 2 Kings.  What a frightening prospect for a people going through horrific changes.
3. For some people, times of desperation will cause their repentance and seeking after God. The people and king of Judah were so away from God that going back the true God did not appear to be an option.

 

PRAYER:

With a humble heart, read this passage as my prayer of confession and repentance to God. 

“Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” (Isa 59:1-2)

 

HYMN:

Turn Your Eyes – youtu.be/UHHPbBfinXs

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=2Kings+023

 

2 Kings Chapter 23 (ESV)

1 Then the king sent, and all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem were gathered to him. 2 And the king went up to the house of the Lord, and with him all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the priests and the prophets, all the people, both small and great. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the Lord. 3 And the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people joined in the covenant.

4 And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest and the priests of the second order and the keepers of the threshold to bring out of the temple of the Lord all the vessels made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron and carried their ashes to Bethel. 5 And he deposed the priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to make offerings in the high places at the cities of Judah and around Jerusalem; those also who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and the moon and the constellations and all the host of the heavens. 6 And he brought out the Asherah from the house of the Lord, outside Jerusalem, to the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron and beat it to dust and cast the dust of it upon the graves of the common people. 7 And he broke down the houses of the male cult prostitutes who were in the house of the Lord, where the women wove hangings for the Asherah.

 

REFLECTION:

1. Spend time to read through this chapter to witness the great revival led by Josiah.
2. Josiah’s zeal was so great that he did not wait for the completion of the temple renovation before he assembled the people and personally read some parts of the Mosaic Law to them. He then rededicated himself to God, and the people renewed their commitment to the covenant as a nation (v.3). Afterwards, he set out to rid Judah of all those practices against which God’s word spoke.
3. Josiah’s 31-year reign over Judah did not change the direction of his nation. But Josiah’s consistent efforts to serve the Lord won him the divine accolade.  God does not require us to be successful.  He does, however, call us to be totally committed.
4. The monthly communion is an occasion when I come to renew my commitment with God. How do I do that?  Paul urges us: “to offer [our] bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is [our] true and proper worship.  Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of [our] mind. Then [I] will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”(Rm 12:1-2)

 

PRAYER:

Use the following Scripture passage as a prayer of re-commitment to God for today and the rest of this week.
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Rom 12:1-2 ESV)
 

HYMN:

Living for Jesus – youtu.be/pzrNMoCJhyI

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=2Kings+022

 

2 Kings Chapter 22 (ESV)

8 And Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. 9 And Shaphan the secretary came to the king, and reported to the king, “Your servants have emptied out the money that was found in the house and have delivered it into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the Lord.” 10 Then Shaphan the secretary told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it before the king.

11 When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes. 12 And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Micaiah, and Shaphan the secretary, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying, 13 “Go, inquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.”

 

REFLECTION:

1. If time allows, real the whole chapter once to appreciate Josiah’s zeal for renewal.
2. Josiah has been repairing God’s temple and restoring worship in Jerusalem prior to rediscovering the Book of the Law.
3. He wanted to have the “newly-discovered book” read to him yet again. This time God’s word inspired him and created a strong conviction to investigate God’s will further which led to the massive spiritual reform in Chapter 23.
4. When I do my devotion or attend Sunday Worship or anytime I hear God’s word being spoken, do I expect that God will meet me there and speak to me even through familiar passages and speakers?
5. When is the last time God spoke to me through reading or listening to His word? When?  What was spoken?  Where was the passage?

 

PRAYER:

Sing or read this hymn as my petition to God.

Open my ears that I may hear voices of truth thou sendest clear,
And while the wave notes fall on my ear, everything false will disappear.
Silently now I wait for thee, ready, my God, thy will to see;
Open my ears, illumine me, Spirit divine!

 

HYMN:

Open My Eyes That I May See – www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDceaG7kFQA

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=2Kings+021

 

2 Kings Chapter 21 (ESV)

1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. 2 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel. 3 For he rebuilt the high places that Hezekiah his father had destroyed, and he erected altars for Baal and made an Asherah, as Ahab king of Israel had done, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. 4 And he built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem will I put my name.” 5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. 6 And he burned his son as an offering and used fortune-telling and omens and dealt with mediums and with necromancers. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger. 7 And the carved image of Asherah that he had made he set in the house of which the Lord said to David and to Solomon his son, “In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever. 8 And I will not cause the feet of Israel to wander anymore out of the land that I gave to their fathers, if only they will be careful to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the Law that my servant Moses commanded them.” 9 But they did not listen, and Manasseh led them astray to do more evil than the nations had done whom the Lord destroyed before the people of Israel.

 

 

REFLECTION:

1. It is almost incomprehensible how Manasseh could become such an evil king. His action seemed to be so far from that of his father Hezekiah.  He re-constructed the idols and worship places which his father destroyed.  To make it worse, he has shown total disrespect to his forefathers’ God.  The Scripture went into quite a bit of details regarding what he did to transform God’s temple into evil worship.
2. Manasseh’s brutal, idolatrous reign led God to pronounce irrevocable judgment on Judah. What Manasseh’s lengthy rule did was to impress a pattern on Judah’s society.  That pattern became so deeply ingrained that all Josiah’s efforts at reform were unable to change it.  Habakkuk, who ministered in Josiah’s time, complained to God that Judah’s society was marred with entrenched injustice despite restoration of temple worship (Hab 1:2-4).
3. In families and in groups and communities, as in Manasseh’s Judah, the lives we live can set the pattern for future generations.

 

PRAYER:

(Parent’s Prayer)

Loving God, You are the giver of all we possess, the source of all of our blessings.
We thank and praise You. Thank You for the gift of our children.
Help us to set boundaries for them, and yet encourage them to explore.
Give us the strength and courage to treat each day as a fresh start.
May our children come to know You, the one true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.
May Your Holy Spirit help them to grow in faith, hope, and love, so they may know peace, truth, and goodness.
May their ears hear Your voice. May their eyes see Your presence in all things.
May their lips proclaim Your word. May their hearts be Your dwelling place.
May their hands do works of charity. May their feet walk in the way of Jesus Christ, Your Son and our Lord.    Amen.

 

HYMN:

You Raise Me Up – youtu.be/wEpeTyazaKI

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=2Kings+020

 

2 Kings Chapter 20 (ESV)

1 In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die; you shall not recover.’” 2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, saying, 3 “Now, O Lord, please remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. 4 And before Isaiah had gone out of the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him: 5 “Turn back, and say to Hezekiah the leader of my people, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord, 6 and I will add fifteen years to your life. I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city for my own sake and for my servant David’s sake.” 7 And Isaiah said, “Bring a cake of figs. And let them take and lay it on the boil, that he may recover.”

 

REFLECTION:

1. Please read through the chapter concerning the last years of Hezekiah’s life.
2. Hezekiah’s prayer is again powerful in moving God to mercy for both Jerusalem and himself. God remembers the promise to David in answering Hezekiah’s prayer.  Prayer stands as the spiritual discipline that moves the heart and hand of God.  However, according to the definition in Spiritual Formation Bible, “Prayer is interactive conversation with God about what we and God are thinking and doing together”.  Are there conflicts between the two?
3. Influenced by the result-driven society, when faced with tough decisions, my tendency to rationalize, develop strategies, reason and argue usually outweighs my desire to seek God for wisdom and help.
4. Knowing my tendency and my weakness, how do I pray?

 

PRAYER:  

Use this song as my prayer today.  While singing this song, consider how I may have this “interactive conversation with God about what we and God are thinking and doing together”?

 

[ Every Time I Pray ]

1. I will come to You in prayer, I will seek Your face,
   I will stand within the gap, There will I intercede.
2. I am meek and helpless, Lord, You, my strength shall be,
   Guide me with Your gracious hand, There will my victory be.

Chorus:
For every time I pray, I move the hand of God,
My prayer does the thing, My hands cannot do,
For every time I pray, The mountains are removed,
The paths are made straight, And nations turn to You.

 

HYMN:

Every Time I Pray – youtu.be/rpDK7fTU2vI.

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=2Kings+019

 

2 Kings Chapter 19 (ESV)

1 As soon as King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth and went into the house of the Lord….

14 Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord and spread it before the Lord. 15 And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said: “O Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. 16 Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. 17 Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands 18 and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. 19 So now, O Lord our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Lord, are God alone.”

20 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Your prayer to me about Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.

 

REFLECTION:

1. Read through the chapter and count the number of times “listen” and “heard” were used.
2. Hezekiah heard Sennacherib’s argument that no gods of any other nations rescued their people from the Assyrian army.
3. Hezekiah did not respond. Rather he let the Lord listen to the blasphemy words and his prayer. He asked God to act for His name’s sake.
4. Finally through Isaiah, the Lord acknowledged that He heard both the blasphemy words by Sennacherib and Hezekiah’s prayer.

 

PRAYER:

Everyday I listen to people around us, my colleagues, my friends, and the media.  Sometimes I heard things from them that I do not like or agree with.  What is my usual response?  Bring any of those instances in front of our God, ask God to listen to them.

Then wait and listen to what God is speaking to me about these things.  Do I hear what God hear?  Do I see what God see?

 

HYMN:

Open The Eyes of My Heart – youtu.be/Fm-zb-AH8Xc

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=2Kings+018

 

2 Kings Chapter 18 (ESV)

28 Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah: “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! 29 Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you out of my hand. 30 Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord by saying, The Lord will surely deliver us, and this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’ 31 Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of Assyria: ‘Make your peace with me and come out to me. Then each one of you will eat of his own vine, and each one of his own fig tree, and each one of you will drink the water of his own cistern, 32 until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey, that you may live, and not die. And do not listen to Hezekiah when he misleads you by saying, “The Lord will deliver us.” 33 Has any of the gods of the nations ever delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? 34 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? 35 Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their lands out of my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?’”

36 But the people were silent and answered him not a word, for the king’s command was, “Do not answer him.”

 

REFLECTION:

1. If time allows, read through the whole chapter about Hezekiah’s reign.
2. The Assyrian call for surrender emphasized Judah’s weakness, promised to resettle Judah’s population in an even more fertile land, and ridiculed God’s ability to save his people. It was true that Judah and Jerusalem were now weakened and vulnerable.  But the Assyrian officer mimicked God in offering life for obedience, death for disobedience.  Once again, the king of Assyria posed as God to make promises just like God to entice people to trust him for their security and prosperity.
3. We are often tempted to think that another person – spouse, friend, parent, pastor – can fulfill our needs. This expectation can only lead to disappointment.
4. Who in my life I am placing unfair expectations on?  During this week, instead, seek to fulfill a need of hers/his.

 

PRAYER:

Ask for God’s forgiveness for not trusting Him enough but to depend on others.  Also pray for these people that I’ll learn to discern and meet their needs.

 

HYMN:

God My Deliverer – youtu.be/vhOLSNpmSj8

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=2Kings+017

 

2 Kings Chapter 17 (ESV)

5 Then the king of Assyria invaded all the land and came to Samaria, and for three years he besieged it.

6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria, and he carried the Israelites away to Assyria and placed them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

7 And this occurred because the people of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods 8 and walked in the customs of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel, and in the customs that the kings of Israel had practiced. 9 And the people of Israel did secretly against the Lord their God things that were not right. They built for themselves high places in all their towns, from watchtower to fortified city….

22 The people of Israel walked in all the sins that Jeroboam did. They did not depart from them, 23 until the Lord removed Israel out of his sight, as he had spoken by all his servants the prophets. So Israel was exiled from their own land to Assyria until this day.

 

REFLECTION:

1. If time allows, read through the whole chapter about the destruction of the northern kingdom, deportation of its people.
2. The final destruction of Israel came when Hoshea refused to pay Assyrian tribute and sought help from Egypt. Samaria was captured after a three-year siege, and the Israelites were deported.  Foreigners were brought in to resettle the land.  Israel, the northern kingdom, was no more.
3. Since starting the “Listening to God” Bible Reading and Devotion program, I have walked through this journey with the Israelites through generations, from the beginning of Genesis, to Egypt, to the dessert, overcoming Canaanites, the days of the Judges, the glory days of king David and Solomon, the slow demise of the kingdom and now exile of the north kingdom.
4. The principle the author established echoes throughout the Scripture. God holds man responsible for his sins. The nearly 200 years during which God withheld final judgment on Israel speaks of His grace.  But the invasion of the Assyrians reminds us that judgment will surely come.  God’s patience today in withholding judgment on our sins still reflects His patience.  The Bible reminds us that despite God’s grace, judgment will surely come.  And we need to heed the warning.

 

PRAYER:

As I begin to appreciate God’s grief in how far we’ve fallen, read this verse as if Jesus is speaking to me.  Pray for mercy and strength.

“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matt 26:41)

 

HYMN:

When I Survey The Wondrous Cross – youtu.be/tRfcehP0SLU