Spiritual Emphasis Week - day 4

MAIN IDEA: When I cling to Jesus, I will receive the promises of Jesus.

Here are three promises found in Psalm 91.

Psalm 91:14–16 (ESV)

“Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name.

When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.

With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

The Lord will protect and deliver me

The Lord will respond to me and rescue me

The Lord will satisfy me

In those days…

Hezekiah’s life was great up to this point. He became king when he was 25 and ended his reign when he was 54. 2 Chronicles 29 says Hezekiah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that King David had done. Try to imagine what it would be like to have your character compared to the greatest king of Israel. Hezekiah was the man everybody wanted sitting at their table. He was a known man of prayer. He cleansed the temple. He made sure priests were given their jobs back. He restored worship and Passover celebrations. He reinstated the tithe to the temple. He removed false worship. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. Because of Hezekiah’s faithfulness as king of Judah, God blessed him with great wealth.

Then Hezekiah turned 39. Have you ever had a week when everything that could go wrong went wrong? Everything that you touched seemed to fall apart? That was Hezekiah’s entire 39th year of life! Judah was attacked by the king of Assyria and Hezekiah had become sick to the point of death. If he died, his family would lose the kingdom.

It was a stressful, painful year that kept getting worse…until God protected and delivered.

2 Kings 20:1–11 ESV

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.’ ” Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, saying, “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. And before Isaiah had gone out of the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him: “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, 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.” And Isaiah said, “Bring a cake of figs. And let them take and lay it on the boil, that he may recover.” And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What shall be the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the Lord on the third day?” And Isaiah said, “This shall be the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing that he has promised: shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or go back ten steps?” And Hezekiah answered, “It is an easy thing for the shadow to lengthen ten steps. Rather let the shadow go back ten steps.” And Isaiah the prophet called to the Lord, and he brought the shadow back ten steps, by which it had gone down on the steps of Ahaz.

Verse 1 says that Isaiah (by position – one of his closest friends) was sent to tell the King his life is coming to an end. Isaiah loved his friend enough to be real with him about the situation. “Set your house in order, for you shall die; you shall not recover.” Not only did Hezekiah need to make sure his family is taken care of, but he needed to make arrangements for the Kingdom because there was no heir to the throne. No sons had been born yet.

His immediate response was a response of character, a response that believed the Lord could protect and deliver. Hezekiah cried out to God.

When life got tough, Hezekiah cried out to the Lord. Before he worried about setting anything in order, he rolled toward the wall and prayed a deep, agonizing prayer (1 Kings 2:4 – God’s promise to David).

God, I did everything you asked me to do. God, I tried to be faithful to you. God, why is this happening? God, why did you let this happen? God, this isn’t the how my life is supposed to be going right now.

When Hezekiah needed God to show up the most, he prayed. He cried. He craved the presence of God in the situation. As the Lord honored Hezekiah’s response, he responded and rescued the entire situation. The grace of God brought the glory of God into Hezekiah’s life…and he wants the same thing for you and me.

Scripture Text: 2 Kings 20:4-7 (ESV)

And before Isaiah had gone out of the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him: “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. (underline those words in your Bible) On the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD, 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.” And Isaiah said, “Bring a cake of figs. And let them take and lay it on the boil (an ulcer), that he may recover.”

When we cling to the Lord, his protection is delivered.

When we call out to the Lord, he responds and rescue.

Look at verse 5. Here is how God responded to Hezekiah.

1. He restored his health – I will heal you

2. He restored his worship - On the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD (Leviticus 13:13-18)

3. He restored his life - I will add fifteen years to your life

4. He restored his freedom - I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria. Without restoring his freedom, Hezekiah would be captured, placed in prison and possibly executed making the restoration of his health and life incomplete. God always completes what he begins.

The Lord’s strength saved the day and satisfied the moment.

Scripture Text: 2 Kings 20:8-11 (ESV)

And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What shall be the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the LORD on the third day?” And Isaiah said, “This shall be the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing that he has promised: shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or go back ten steps?” And Hezekiah answered, “It is an easy thing for the shadow to lengthen ten steps. Rather let the shadow go back ten steps.” And Isaiah the prophet called to the LORD, and he brought the shadow back ten steps, by which it had gone down on the steps of Ahaz.

Hezekiah asked for the shadow go back ten steps. ‘Ten steps’ is more accurately translated as ‘ten degrees’ on the sun dial. Most Bible scholars think ten degrees is about 20 minutes. Did you get what just happened? God, I want my sign to be that you roll back time by 20 minutes. God was willing to flex his muscles so Hezekiah would experience a satisfaction that only comes from Jesus.

At the equator, the earth rotates at about 1000mph. The Lord stopped the rotation of the earth and turned the direction long enough to provide the sign for Hezekiah. God stopped the earth again and put the rotation in the proper direction in the exact place it needed to be so the world didn’t miss a beat.

“Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

Three decisions. Four protections. Four prayers. Three promises. If you want everything that Jesus has for your life, dwell in the shelter of the Most High and abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

Discussion questions:

During the rest of the semester, what are three ways you can help your classmates feel protected through the love of Jesus?