King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Wednesday, July 24, 2024
Chapters: Isaiah Chapters 36, II Kings Chapter 18
Message: Stand Still And Wait For God
Hello My Friend,
This showed up on my Bible app this morning, [“Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord.”-Exodus 14:13] which led me to this verse, [Exodus 14:13 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.] and quote from the wise Charles Spurgeon and it could not have come at a better time, not only for our reading for today, but my life as well.
[These words contain God’s command to the believer when he is reduced to great straits and brought into extraordinary difficulties. He cannot retreat; he cannot go forward; he is shut up on the right hand and on the left; what is he now to do? The Master’s word to him is, “Stand still.”…Despair whispers, “Lie down and die; give it all up.” But God would have us put on a cheerful courage, and even in our worst times, rejoice in his love and faithfulness. Cowardice says, “Retreat; go back to the worldling’s way of action; you cannot play the Christian’s part, it is too difficult. Relinquish your principles.” But, however much Satan may urge this course upon you, you cannot follow it if you are a child of God. His divine fiat has bid thee go from strength to strength, and so thou shalt, and neither death nor hell shall turn thee from thy course.]
There are times when there are so many odds against those who follow Christ, it is as though the very things that the world is going through quadruples for the saved, born again Christian the second they receive Christ as their Saviour. We are even told that if things are easy right now to hold on because trouble is coming that only Christ can see us through and they are so right. However, these trials, which are actually called divers temptations do not last, they will come to pass, we just need to stand still and let God take the reins, [James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.]
I do not believe any of us find much joy in the trials that we are going through, especially when they seem to never end. And it is definitely hard to stand still and wait for God when all we want to do is find some relief. However, there is always something that revives us and restores our confidence in God as we have no other choice, but to stand still and wait. While are waiting, He actually has work for us to do. Yesterday we learned about King Hezekiah and how he led the nation back to God, restored temple worship and the feasts and even had all the altars and groves of the idol torn down. As we return to the reading of 2 Kings, it also gives an account to all that Hezekiah did to reform the nation back to God.
[2 Kings 18:2-6 Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Abi, the daughter of Zachariah. 3 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did. 4 He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan. 5 He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. 6 For he clave to the LORD, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses.]
[For he clave to the LORD, and departed not from following him,] Hezekiah, reigned his kingdom under his faith in God as David did, and it prospered greatly. Those who cleave to their faith are not perfect and sometimes do get restless, but they still trust that God will see them through, [Hebrews 10:35-36 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. 36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.]
God, will always send judgments to correct and restore His people and as long as they are willing He will either take away the judgment or help them endure what is coming. While Judah was returning to God, the rest of Israel was still under judgment, even after Hezekiah had the altars and groves removed from both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms. God, did try to reason with them time and time again, but now their time was up, the Assyrian’s had overtaken Samaria and most of them taken captive.
[2 Kings 18:9-12 And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria, and besieged it. 10 And at the end of three years they took it: even in the sixth year of Hezekiah, that is the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken. 11 And the king of Assyria did carry away Israel unto Assyria, and put them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes: 12 Because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD their God, but transgressed his covenant, and all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded, and would not hear them, nor do them.]
[the king of Assyria did carry away Israel unto Assyria,] This was done solely under the direction of God and sooner or later all nations will learn that there is truly only one living God who is not confined to some country, but is everywhere. And while God may judge His people through the heathens, He does not give up on them completely, [1 Corinthians 11:31-32 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.]
Since God’s people are not condemned to hell along with the rest of the world they ought to expect some chastening from God, if anything it keeps them faithful, [Hebrews 12:11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.] However, sometimes the chastening are not necessarily due to sin, sometimes it is a test. The king of Assyria was pretty confident in his conquers, full of pride and arrogance, he just knew that could take over the entire nation of Israel, ten years after they had taken over Samaria, they came after Judah.
[2 Kings 18:13-16 Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of Assyria come up against all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them. 14 And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have offended; return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. 15 And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king’s house. 16 At that time did Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the LORD, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.]
[Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house] Perhaps one of the biggest tests of our faith is when we are put between what I call a rock and a hard place. Are we going to stand still and wait for God or trust our own judgment? Well, sometimes we are going to fail on this because fear can get the best of all of us, [Galatians 5:7-8 Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? 8 This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you.]
The attack that Sennacherib made upon Judah was a great test by which God would try the faith of Hezekiah, and the people and chastise them for trusting in their own judgment. While this was not the best decision at the time Hezekiah saw Jerusalem in danger of falling into their enemies hands as Samaria and was willing to purchase its safety at the expense of the temple treasures. As we return to the reading of Isaiah, we learn that the buyout did not work as the Assyrian’s invade Jerusalem.
[Isaiah 36:2,4,7,10 And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem unto king Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller’s field. 4 And Rabshakeh said unto them, Say ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest? But if thou say to me, We trust in the LORD our God: is it not he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and said to Judah and to Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar? 10 And am I now come up without the LORD against this land to destroy it? the LORD said unto me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.]
[What confidence is this wherein thou trustest?] Apparently Hezekiah came to his senses and sought help from God because Rabshakeh had the strangest response. He could understand if they were trusting Egypt to save them, but to trust in God, that would be insane. And this is exactly why God puts us through these tests, they are to not only remind us that our hope is in God, it lets the world know that too.
[1 Peter 3:15-17 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: 16 Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. 17 For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.]
Deep down Rabshakeh knew that his army would not be able to stand a chance with Judah so instead of fighting them with weapons of war, he uses another weapon, psychological warfare. Now, speaking in all his ignorance, and in Hebrew, he tries to convince the people that they would be foolish to trust in the LORD. He continues to taunt Judah, making them doubt Hezekiah for trusting God.
[2 Kings 18:28-31 Then Rabshakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in the Jews’ language, and spake, saying, Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria: 29 Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you out of his hand: 30 Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, The LORD will surely deliver us, and this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria. 31 Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me, and then eat ye every man of his own vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his cistern:]
[Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD,] That is the first sign right there that it is time to stand still and wait for God because He is going to move in a mighty way. Anyone, even if it is our own mind, trying to talk us into trusting in the man over God is attempting to overthrow our confidence in Him because He is about to do something great. Sometimes we are our worse enemy, but when we come to our senses we will rediscover that hope in us, [Romans 8:25-26 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. 26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.]
Rabshakeh, was using the same tactics that everyone in the world makes when trying to get us to turn away from God, he actually starts comparing the man made gods of the world to the Almighty God.
[Isaiah 36:18-21 Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, The LORD will deliver us. Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? 19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arphad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim? and have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? 20 Who are they among all the gods of these lands, that have delivered their land out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand? 21 But they held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king’s commandment was, saying, Answer him not.]
[for the king’s commandment was, saying, Answer him not.] This was the best advice that Hezekiah gave as if they had said anything it would have only caused more problems. Sometimes the best thing we can do is keep our mouths shut while we stand still and wait for God and in the end He will work it all out for good, [Romans 8:27-28 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.]
Jesus Christ Revealed/Magnified: [2 Kings 18:6 For he clave to the LORD, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses.]
Today’s Prayer: Jesus, Thank You for loving me and not giving up in me and for Your patience, even when I have none and try to handle my afflictions on my terms. When life overwhelms me, it is so easy to forget just what You have brought me through over the years. I may have walked into some foolish situations, but You were careful to keep me faithful to You. Lord, You are my strength, my hope, and my redemption in this wicked world. Lead me and guide me, give me Your power and strength to serve You, remind me of my purpose, let me be a witness to all You put on my heart, and help me to stand still and wait for You so that You can do Your best work in me. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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