O. Addison Gethers
e-mail address [email protected] [email protected] twitter URL http//:twitter.com/OAddisonGethers Messenger contact window live/msn messenger: [email protected] aim: durangoadd64 skype: cowboys62 yahoo messenger: OADDISONGETHERS rs ----- Original Message ----- From: "Donnie Parrett" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, August 01, 2009 3:04 AM Subject: Daily Bible Reading For Saturday August 1 > Day 213 > > Isaiah 37-39 (The Message) > > Isaiah 37 > The Only God There Is > 1-2 When King Hezekiah heard the report, he also tore his clothes and > dressed in rough, penitential > burlap gunnysacks, and went into the sanctuary of God. He sent Eliakim the > palace administrator, > Shebna the secretary, and the senior priests, all of them also dressed in > penitential burlap, to the > prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. > 3-4They said to him, "Hezekiah says, 'This is a black day. We're in > crisis. We're like pregnant > women without even the strength to have a baby! Do you think your God > heard what the Rabshekah said, > sent by his master the king of Assyria to mock the living God? And do you > think your God will do > anything about it? Pray for us, Isaiah. Pray for those of us left here > holding the fort!'" > > 5-7Then King Hezekiah's servants came to Isaiah. Isaiah said, "Tell your > master this, 'God's > Message: Don't be upset by what you've heard, all those words the servants > of the Assyrian king have > used to mock me. I personally will take care of him. I'll arrange it so > that he'll get a rumor of > bad news back home and rush home to take care of it. And he'll die there. > Killed-a violent death.'" > > 8The Rabshekah left and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah. > (He had gotten word that > the king had left Lachish.) > > 9-13Just then the Assyrian king received an intelligence report on King > Tirhakah of Ethiopia: "He > is on his way to make war on you." > > On hearing that, he sent messengers to Hezekiah with instructions to > deliver this message: "Don't > let your God, on whom you so naively lean, deceive you, promising that > Jerusalem won't fall to the > king of Assyria. Use your head! Look around at what the kings of Assyria > have done all over the > world-one country after another devastated! And do you think you're going > to get off? Have any of > the gods of any of these countries ever stepped in and saved them, even > one of these nations my > predecessors destroyed-Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who > lived in Telassar? Look > around. Do you see anything left of the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, > the king of the city of > Sepharvaim, the king of Hena, the king of Ivvah?" > > 14Hezekiah took the letter from the hands of the messengers and read it. > Then he went into the > sanctuary of God and spread the letter out before God. > > 15-20Then Hezekiah prayed to God: "God-of-the-Angel-Armies, enthroned over > the cherubim-angels, you > are God, the only God there is, God of all kingdoms on earth. You made > heaven and earth. Listen, O > God, and hear. Look, O God, and see. Mark all these words of Sennacherib > that he sent to mock the > living God. It's quite true, O God, that the kings of Assyria have > devastated all the nations and > their lands. They've thrown their gods into the trash and burned them-no > great achievement since > they were no-gods anyway, gods made in workshops, carved from wood and > chiseled from rock. An end to > the no-gods! But now step in, O God, our God. Save us from him. Let all > the kingdoms of earth know > that you and you alone are God." > > 21-25Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent this word to Hezekiah: "God's Message, > the God of Israel: Because > you brought King Sennacherib of Assyria to me in prayer, here is my > answer, God's answer: > > "'She has no use for you, Sennacherib, nothing but contempt, > this virgin daughter Zion. > She spits at you and turns on her heel, > this daughter Jerusalem. > > "'Who do you think you've been mocking and reviling > all these years? > Who do you think you've been jeering > and treating with such utter contempt > All these years? > The Holy of Israel! > You've used your servants to mock the Master. > You've bragged, "With my fleet of chariots > I've gone to the highest mountain ranges, > penetrated the far reaches of Lebanon, > Chopped down its giant cedars, > its finest cypresses. > I conquered its highest peak, > explored its deepest forest. > I dug wells > and drank my fill. > I emptied the famous rivers of Egypt > with one kick of my foot. > > 26-27"'Haven't you gotten the news > that I've been behind this all along? > This is a longstanding plan of mine > and I'm just now making it happen, > using you to devastate strong cities, > turning them into piles of rubble > and leaving their citizens helpless, > bewildered, and confused, > drooping like unwatered plants, > stunted like withered seedlings. > > 28-29"'I know all about your pretentious poses, > your officious comings and goings, > and, yes, the tantrums you throw against me. > Because of all your wild raging against me, > your unbridled arrogance that I keep hearing of, > I'll put my hook in your nose > and my bit in your mouth. > I'll show you who's boss. I'll turn you around > and take you back to where you came from. > > 30-32"'And this, Hezekiah, will be your confirming sign: This year's crops > will be slim pickings, > and next year it won't be much better. But in three years, farming will be > back to normal, with > regular sowing and reaping, planting and harvesting. What's left of the > people of Judah will put > down roots and make a new start. The people left in Jerusalem will get > moving again. Mount Zion > survivors will take hold again. The zeal of God-of-the-Angel-Armies will > do all this.' > > 33-35"Finally, this is God's verdict on the king of Assyria: > > "'Don't worry, he won't enter this city, > won't let loose a single arrow, > Won't brandish so much as one shield, > let alone build a siege ramp against it. > He'll go back the same way he came. > He won't set a foot in this city. > God's Decree. > I've got my hand on this city > to save it, > Save it for my very own sake, > but also for the sake of my David dynasty.'" > > 36-38Then the Angel of God arrived and struck the Assyrian camp- 185,000 > Assyrians died. By the > time the sun came up, they were all dead-an army of corpses! Sennacherib, > king of Assyria, got out > of there fast, back home to Nineveh. As he was worshiping in the sanctuary > of his god Nisroch, he > was murdered by his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer. They escaped to the > land of Ararat. His son > Esar-haddon became the next king. > > Isaiah 38 > Time Spent in Death's Waiting Room > 1 At that time, Hezekiah got sick. He was about to die. The prophet Isaiah > son of Amoz visited him > and said, "God says, 'Prepare your affairs and your family. This is it: > You're going to die. You're > not going to get well.'" > 2-3Hezekiah turned away from Isaiah and, facing the wall, prayed to God: > "God, please, I beg you: > Remember how I've lived my life. I've lived faithfully in your presence, > lived out of a heart that > was totally yours. You've seen how I've lived, the good that I have done." > And Hezekiah wept as he > prayed-painful tears. 4-6Then God told Isaiah, "Go and speak with > Hezekiah. Give him this Message > from me, God, the God of your ancestor David: 'I've heard your prayer. I > have seen your tears. > Here's what I'll do: I'll add fifteen years to your life. And I'll save > both you and this city from > the king of Assyria. I have my hand on this city. > > 7-8"'And this is your confirming sign, confirming that I, God, will do > exactly what I have > promised. Watch for this: As the sun goes down and the shadow lengthens on > the sundial of Ahaz, I'm > going to reverse the shadow ten notches on the dial.'" And that's what > happened: The declining sun's > shadow reversed ten notches on the dial. > > 9-15This is what Hezekiah king of Judah wrote after he'd been sick and > then recovered from his > sickness: > > In the very prime of life > I have to leave. > Whatever time I have left > is spent in death's waiting room. > No more glimpses of God > in the land of the living, > No more meetings with my neighbors, > no more rubbing shoulders with friends. > This body I inhabit is taken down > and packed away like a camper's tent. > Like a weaver, I've rolled up the carpet of my life > as God cuts me free of the loom > And at day's end sweeps up the scraps and pieces. > I cry for help until morning. > Like a lion, God pummels and pounds me, > relentlessly finishing me off. > I squawk like a doomed hen, > moan like a dove. > My eyes ache from looking up for help: > "Master, I'm in trouble! Get me out of this!" > But what's the use? God himself gave me the word. > He's done it to me. > I can't sleep- > I'm that upset, that troubled. > > 16-19O Master, these are the conditions in which people live, > and yes, in these very conditions my spirit is still alive- > fully recovered with a fresh infusion of life! > It seems it was good for me > to go through all those troubles. > Throughout them all you held tight to my lifeline. > You never let me tumble over the edge into nothing. > But my sins you let go of, > threw them over your shoulder-good riddance! > The dead don't thank you, > and choirs don't sing praises from the morgue. > Those buried six feet under > don't witness to your faithful ways. > It's the living-live men, live women-who thank you, > just as I'm doing right now. > Parents give their children > full reports on your faithful ways. > > 20God saves and will save me. > As fiddles and mandolins strike up the tunes, > We'll sing, oh we'll sing, sing, > for the rest of our lives in the Sanctuary of God. > > 21-22Isaiah had said, "Prepare a poultice of figs and put it on the boil > so he may recover." > > Hezekiah had said, "What is my cue that it's all right to enter again > the Sanctuary of God?" > > Isaiah 39 > There Will Be Nothing Left > 1 Sometime later, King Merodach-baladan son of Baladan of Babylon sent > messengers with greetings > and a gift to Hezekiah. He had heard that Hezekiah had been sick and was > now well. > 2Hezekiah received the messengers warmly. He took them on a tour of his > royal precincts, proudly > showing them all his treasures: silver, gold, spices, expensive oils, all > his weapons-everything out > on display. There was nothing in his house or kingdom that Hezekiah didn't > show them. > > 3Later the prophet Isaiah showed up. He asked Hezekiah, "What were these > men up to? What did they > say? And where did they come from?" > > Hezekiah said, "They came from a long way off, from Babylon." > > 4"And what did they see in your palace?" > > "Everything," said Hezekiah. "I showed them the works, opened all the > doors and impressed them > with it all." > > 5-7Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Now listen to this Message from > God-ofthe-Angel-Armies: I have to > warn you, the time is coming when everything in this palace, along with > everything your ancestors > accumulated before you, will be hauled off to Babylon. God says that there > will be nothing left. > Nothing. And not only your things but your sons. Some of your sons will be > taken into exile, ending > up as eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon." > > 8Hezekiah replied to Isaiah, "Good. If God says so, it's good." Within > himself he was thinking, > "But surely nothing bad will happen in my lifetime. I'll enjoy peace and > stability as long as I > live." > > > > > > > Please join us on Skype Monday thru Friday at 8:00 EST for our Morning > Skype Prayer Time. > > > Contact Me At: > Donnie Parrett > 1956 Asa Flat Road > Annville, Kentucky 40402 > Home Phone: 606-364-3321 > Church Phone: 606-364-PRAY > Skype Name: Donnie1261 > Email: [email protected] > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Deaf-Blind Inspirational Life Group" group. 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