II Kings Chapters 18-20

18:3-4 - FINALLY! YES! WHOOPEE! A king who actually rules with the heart of King David. A man who loves God and is willing to cleanse the country of idols! He is the first king since David ruled to proactively seek out idol worship in the country and destroy it.

18:6 - Ever wonder what your life should look like? Ever wonder how you can seek God's will? Well, you could follow this example. He held fast - he constantly sought to put himself in the presence of his Creator God - he fought with everything he had to hold on to the Lord and His commands. That is a great example of what living truly looks like.

18:32-33 - The Assyrian leader taunts the people of Israel and mocks God (Not a good idea in general). He wonders out loud to the Israelites, "Where were all the gods of the other nations I destroyed?" What he didn't understand was that those God's weren't real and this one was and is. What he also didn't understand was that every victory he had ever had, had been granted to him by the one and only God of the universe. Kinda crazy to be taunting the God who has given you everything you think your earned for yourself.

19:15/19 - I love this. Hezekiah turns to God and we see that he had a really good understanding about what is going on. He probably better than any king who has come before him sees the big picture. This whole situation is not about Israel's victory or honor...it is about God's name being dishonored...it is about God's name being glorified throughout the earth. Do you live your life with this reality in mind? Do you weigh your actions, words and decisions on a scale of whether or not they bring glory to the Name of the Most High God?

19:25-26 - Again we see that God is concerned about the entire world. He is the God of all people...He uses the kingdoms and powers from all over the world to bring about His will.

19:37 - And Sennacherib finds out exactly how powerful his own god is doesn't he? He is slaughtered in the temple of his false god Nisroch by his own son.

20:10 - We know that Hezekiah is a man of God, yet he is still flawed. After all he has seen God do, he still has his doubts. God makes the sun reverse itself to quell his fears (Or maybe he just bends the laws of nature and makes the shadow move, so as not to throw all of creation into chaos - either way...its awesome!).

20:13 - Uh oh - we are seeing more chinks in the armor of Hezekiah's character. In his arrogance, he proudly takes the Babylonian emissaries around his city and shows them all its wealth. He pride has blinded him. He has just set up Judah for future destruction at the hands of the Babylonians.

20:19 - Oh man, this is not a strong ending to a great life. How self-centered is his reaction? He is just happy that there was peace during his lifetime...he doesn't really mind that his sons and the people of Israel are going to be enslaved. Christians need to finish strong in their lives...they need to never allow themselves to settle and always push to become more and more like Christ. Older Christians should be the most wise, humble, gracious people around...because they have had more time to be shaped by the redeeming love of Jesus Christ.