Read 2 Kings 21
 
2 Kings 21:4-5 Manasseh built pagan altars in the Temple of the Lord, the place where the Lord had said, “My name will remain in Jerusalem forever.” 5 He built these altars for all the powers of the heavens in both courtyards of the Lord’s Temple.
 
IT is believed Manasseh began ruling with his father Hezekiah when he was 12 years old, about four years after God healed Hezekiah and destroyed the 185,000 soldiers in the Assyrian army. Think of a child witnessing God’s great miracles to protect his father and his nation. Would he not devote his life to the LORD, his father’s God? But it seems the Almighty God was not enough for Manasseh. To place idols in the Temple and throughout God’s Promised Land was the king confession, “I want more than you, LORD. I’ll worship what I desire as it pleases me.”   
   Before we judge Manasseh, let’s consider what has occurred in the Christian church throughout the centuries. There have always been people who wanted to add to or subtract from God’s Word, to change God to fit their own view. The church is continually infected with many divisions. Loud voices inform, “I have a new revelation about God. Let me tell you what is really true.” And there are always people to follow the new idea. But history merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. (Ecclesiastes 1:9) Influences from self-informed voices and pagan religions have steadily slipped into the church to turn our minds “worship God only” to “believe in God as you like”. There is much in our culture and in the church today that says, “Seek your own truth. Look within yourself. Find your own meaning to life.” Eastern religions attract hearts and minds to subtract God from our lives and add our own ideas to fill the void. Our mixed beliefs will even sacrifice our children to Satan’s desires.
   Let’s then see Manasseh’s deep and dangerous sins as a warning to be alert to our own hearts’ desires. We have seen through the gospels’ eyes God’s power to bring forth a light out of darkness. We witness the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Son of God, Son of Man. The apostles’ testimonies allow us to clearly view the miraculous work of the Triune God to save us into eternity. Why would we think we need anything else?
   Manasseh reigned 55 years. And then something quite surprising occurred near the end of Manasseh’s life. So the Lord sent the commanders of the Assyrian armies, and they took Manasseh prisoner. They put a ring through his nose, bound him in bronze chains, and led him away to Babylon. 12 In deep distress, Manasseh sought the LORD his God and sincerely humbled himself before the God of his ancestors.13 And when he prayed, the LORD listened to him and was moved by his request. So the LORD brought Manasseh back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh finally realized that the LORD alone is God! (2 Chronicles 33:11-13)
   Why must we wait for distress to learn the LORD alone is God? Pray for a pure heart and a pure church to worship God only.
    
  

Read 2 Kings 8:13-16, 20, Isaiah 38
 
2 Kings 20:2-6 When Hezekiah heard this, he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 “Remember, O Lord, how I have always been faithful to you and have served you single-mindedly, always doing what pleases you.” Then he broke down and wept bitterly. 4 But before Isaiah had left the middle courtyard, this message came to him from the Lord: 5 “Go back to Hezekiah, the leader of my people. Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your ancestor David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will heal you, and three days from now you will get out of bed and go to the Temple of the Lord. 6 I will add fifteen years to your life, and I will rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my own honor and for the sake of my servant David.’”
 
THIS is one account of several remarkable events in Hezekiah’s life. Another immediately follows as the LORD directs the sun’s shadow to reverse its progression of the day. Others occur in God’s destruction of the Assyrian army and even the people’s gracious responses to Hezekiah’s reforms. There are very few in God’s Story so abundantly blessed.
   Perhaps God was using Hezekiah to remind Judah of his grace to be their God. The small nation had suffered the pains of Ahaz’s idolatry. When God was absent, Judah suffered. The LORD was moving Judah’s heart to live in his blessings.
   Hezekiah’s prayer for healing is a very good example for us. We may even be a bit surprised this godly man would be so grieved to hear his death is near and to then pray so earnestly for healing. Perhaps it is a natural reaction and even an automatic response to this sudden change in his life. Receiving bad news is always a surprise. It’s doubtful anyone immediately says, “God’s will be done.” More likely we say, “LORD, really? Are you sure? Will you heal me?” Hezekiah, the man of God, turned to God. That’s a good lesson for us.
   Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the LORD healed us all so quicky as we prayed? We might even be a bit jealous of Hezekiah’s quick recovery. But yet this should give us hope. If Hezekiah had not asked, he would have lived another 15 years. We are reminded to seek the LORD in all circumstances and await his response. Life is in his hands.  
   It seems, too, God instructed Hezekiah to respond with worship: three days from now you will get out of bed and go to the Temple of the Lord. Worship is the only response to God in all circumstances. Hezekiah surely worshiped many times with joy and thanksgiving as he considered the many ways God had blessed him.
     
 
 

Read Isaiah 18, 19, 30
 
Isaiah 30:8-9 Now go and write down these words. Write them in a book. They will stand until the end of time as a witness 9 that these people are stubborn rebels who refuse to pay attention to the Lord’s instructions.
 
IF you give a helper urgent instructions to do some very specific task, you will likely tell them, “Write this down, so you remember what I said.” Or you may give them written instructions. If they make a mistake, then you can point to your instructions. The person would have no reason to do a wrong thing other than his own negligence.
   The LORD is the Director. Beginning with Moses on Mt. Sinai, God wrote his commands. Exodus 34:27 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write down all these instructions, for they represent the terms of the covenant I am making with you and with Israel.” The covenant commands were in the Ark of the Covenant, so Israel had a written record of the Ten Commandments. Moses also wrote of the miracles and judgments, promises and provision. Through the scribes and the prophets, God told and wrote to Israel, so future generations would know right from wrong. But we know generations passed without anyone reading God’s law.  
   Once more as Judah continued to reject the prophets’ words and the law’s commands, the LORD said, “Now go and write down these words.”  He is holding them accountable for their deliberate ignorance of his Word.
   The Holy Spirit continues to speak this to us. This is God’s accountability call to each person to read his Word. He has written all we need to know. Now we are to read it and write down the points that are helpful to us. The Bible gives us specific directions. When we read and understand, right and wrong become clear. Salvation and condemnation are plainly revealed. We are accountable for our ignorance.
   On the Day of the LORD there will be no excuse. Listen to God’s Word holding us accountable to his truth:

1. John 15:22 “They would not be guilty if I had not come and spoken to them. But now they have no excuse for their sin.”
2. Romans 1:20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.
3. Revelation 21:5 And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.”

   El Shaddai’s testimony to save us unto himself is the Bible. This is God’s revelation written down to open our souls to salvation.
 
 

Read 2 Kings 17-18
 
2 Kings 17:33 And though they worshiped the Lord, they continued to follow their own gods according to the religious customs of the nations from which they came…instead of truly worshiping the Lord and obeying the decrees, regulations, instructions, and commands he gave the descendants of Jacob, whose name he changed to Israel…36 “But worship only the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt with great strength and a powerful arm. Bow down to him alone, and offer sacrifices only to him.”
 
2 Kings 17 is a fascinating look at God’s persistence to save his nation. It begins with a history of Israel’s gross disobedience, describing the great spiritual divide that grieves the LORD. One telling statement is 2 Kings 17:15b They worshiped worthless idols, so they became worthless themselves. How terrible to have such a legacy.
   Then 2 Kings 17: 24 begins the account of God’s judgment to exile Israel, the Northern Kingdom. He sent Assyria to defeat his people. Then foreigners began to replace the 10 tribes of Israel, as they were disbursed to other nations. Pagans rule when God’s people reject him.
   But God was still controlling matters in Israel. As new residents came from other countries, they brought their idolatry with them. In anger, the LORD God sent lions among them to destroy them because they have not worshiped him correctly. (2 Kings 17:26b)
   You could then say the Assyrian king’s response to this was more righteous than all the kings of Israel. He sent Israel’s priests back to Samaria to teach God’s law to the newcomers! A pagan king urged his people to know God. He recognized that obeying God was a matter of life and death.
   But these new residents did not worship the LORD God only. Each group of people mixed their old religion with the worship of God. Multiple ethics and moral systems were formed in Israel when each group continued to follow their own gods and also worshiped the LORD God. This is the beginning of the Samaritans, who became the enemies of the Jews as highlighted in the New Testament.
   But remember, God is persistent to save his creation. One day about seven centuries later, the Son of the LORD God would go to a Samaritan village. He would speak with a woman at a well. The conversation turned to worship: John 4:19 “Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet. 20 So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?” 21 Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. 23 But the time is coming – indeed it's here now – when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. 24 For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”
   Yes, we must worship God only. This is the only way to remain with God. This is the only way of salvation.
 

Read Isaiah 32:12-20, 33  
 
Isaiah 32:16-18 Justice will rule in the wilderness and righteousness in the fertile field. 17 And this righteousness will bring peace. Yes, it will bring quietness and confidence forever.18 My people will live in safety, quietly at home. They will be at rest.
 
NOTICE the word “my”. “My people” implies a very special truth: those who obey God belong to God. The Lord Jesus said it this way: John 8:47 “Anyone who belongs to God listens gladly to the words of God. But you don't listen because you don't belong to God.”  When you belong to God, you will know how to live in his peace. It’s true, that believing Jesus is your Lord and Savior doesn’t guarantee we will have no challenges. Many circumstances confront us. What’s more believing in Jesus and telling the world about him will cause you to be in conflict with unbelievers.
   Where, then, is the peace and rest God promises to his own? God teaches here that his peace is in his justice and righteousness. We can see in Israel’s and the world’s history, and we can see daily, too, that there is no peace where there is no righteous, just law. God’s right law was given to Israel to establish the moral standards. These standards would guide their response to El Shaddai in all matters. The LORD wrote the law, administered the law’s justice and authorized a just response to sin. His justice taught Israel there is no room for their own rules. But the Bible records that only some accepted God’s righteous justice. As God’s own possession, your moral standards must be from God. This is the only way to truly love God and loving your neighbors as yourself.
   For example, a person who lives with a forgiving moral standard is willing to forgive those who sin against him. This forgiveness removes the conflict of retribution and will lead to the peace of reconciliation. When your heart is set on God’s justice and righteousness, it will bring quietness and confidence forever. You will be God’s own to live in safety, quietly at home because you know what is wrong and what is right.
 

 

Read Isaiah 28-29
 
Isaiah 29:13-14 And so the Lord says, “These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote. 14 Because of this, I will once again astound these hypocrites with amazing wonders. The wisdom of the wise will pass away, and the intelligence of the intelligent will disappear.”
 
“WORSHIP” must define our essential relationship with God. We are created. He is Creator. We worship him, giving praise, honor, obedience and love to the One who has given us life. That is God’s will for our lives.
   But sometimes our hearts are not focused. Our worship time may cease to be relational to become a ritual. The church creates “worship rules” with good intentions for a unified expression of love toward God. But the guiding rules – “Sit. Stand. Pray. Confess. Give Thanks. Sing.” can become meaningless if we forget why we are in church.  
   God is very serious about worship. To put God anywhere but on our highest heart level is to diminish who he is. From Cain and Abel in Genesis, God has required his people to approach him with a sense of awe, a commitment to sacrifice, and a heart to honor him. God says so in the first three commandments: Exodus 20:3 “You must not have any other god but me. 4 You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. 5 You must not bow down to them or worship them…7 You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God.”  This is God’s covenant law to direct his people toward him. He formed Israel to be his people. Praising, honoring, obeying and loving God was to be their highest priority. But Israel failed. They began to worship their own creation. As a result, heir misdirected worship was at the center of God’s judgment: 2 Kings 17:7 This disaster came upon the people of Israel because they worshiped other gods. God ultimately judged this violation of the first three commandments with Israel’s dispersion and Judah’s exile.
   How is your worship as an individual and as a church? We use “worship” often in the church. Worship service, worship music, worship time are a few. “Worship” has come to refer to the time of singing praise songs.
          But the Bible instructs us that worship time is all the time. When we worship God, we daily live with a thankful heart for our life in Christ. A worship time is when you can be silent to open your mind to receive God’s Word. To worship is to obey his precious teachings and know his vital commands. Worship is also time to speak and sing praise, thanksgiving, petitions and confessions. Worship is your heart’s joyful approach to God. Worship is a personal relationship that helps you know, desire and love God. Be serious about worship. It must be your heart’s true response to the God who has redeemed you. 

Read Isaiah 24, 26, 35
 
Isaiah 24:1 & 6 Look! The Lord is about to destroy the earth and make it a vast wasteland. He devastates the surface of the earth and scatters the people…6 Therefore, a curse consumes the earth. Its people must pay the price for their sin. They are destroyed by fire, and only a few are left alive.
 
AS you read these chapters, you probably shuddered at the severity of God’s judgment. Perhaps you’ve even wondered if this is the same God who blessed Judah in the previous lesson. Or is he the same God who sent Jesus to die for your sins?
   Yes, be assured. This is the Everlasting God, who is holy. Sin is so intolerable to him, he will destroy even his own corrupted creation to cleanse the earth.
   Still, the devastation described here is momentary. What is truly fearful is to know there is an eternal fire known as Hell. In Hell there is no release from agony - ever. Think of the worst pain you’ve experienced. Magnify it a great deal. Then consider living in this torment for eternity. Go ahead. Shudder.
   Why do we stop on this scripture and not immediately go to the salvation promises to follow? One reason is to reinforce Hell’s reality. Many, even the majority of people who say they are Christians today, do not believe in Satan or Hell. The church has fostered a casual attitude toward sin and God. Who wants to talk of destruction when we can talk of salvation?
   But we must believe the danger before we will listen to the rules of safety. Until we believe the truth of sin’s eternal death, we will not believe we need God’s eternal salvation. It is certainly true: people must pay the price for their sin. They are destroyed by fire, and only a few are left alive. We thank God he has sent Jesus to pay the price, so we will know his dramatic rescue and be saved into heaven. 
 
Dramatic Change for You
 
Isaiah 35:4-6 Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.” 5 And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. 6 The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will sing for joy! Springs will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams will water the wasteland.
 
DRAMATIC change – that’s what God loves to do. He makes the blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear and the mute laugh. He floods the desert and dries the pathways through the seas. What’s more, God turns dry bones into life, sin-dead souls into salvation.
   Yes, saved in Jesus, you are the result of dramatic change. You once were not, and now you are. You once were dead to sin. You now are alive in your Lord Jesus Christ.
   Dust to rain, death to life, that’s our God. And there’s more. When the rain changes dry dust to fertile soil, something else needs to happen for the soil to bear fruit. Seeds must be planted, nurtured and harvested.
   When God resurrects your soul, your mind is prepared to know him. Your heart is prepared to harvest a love for him. Your voice is able to speak for him. It’s time to plant the seeds of knowing God into people’s minds.
   Seek his Word. Fill your life with him – God in the morning, God at midday, God in the evening. Pray to the Holy Spirit to rain God down on your life. You will become a person of great purpose, working to bring dramatic change to the world.
 

Read 2 Chronicles 29-31
 
2 Chronicles 31:21 In all that he did in the service of the Temple of God and in his efforts to follow God’s laws and commands, Hezekiah sought his God wholeheartedly. As a result, he was very successful.
 
REFRESHING, isn’t it, to read of Hezekiah’s great, active faith for God? He follows the sinful Ahaz. God has replaced a sinner with a saint. Thank God for his grace to raise such a leader in Judah.
   Do you wonder what it is to seek God wholeheartedly? 2 Chronicles 31:1-20 gives us a good map. We learn first that Hezekiah held the festivals as prescribed in the Law of the LORD (verse 3). He then removed the idolatrous Asherah poles, smashed idols and organized the priests and Levites to lawfully offer sacrifices. This is similar to Moses destroying Israel’s idols in the desert, then instructing Levites to their priestly office. Hezekiah also instructed them to worship and give thanks and praise to the Lord at the gates of the Temple (verse 2.) Isn’t this a beautiful thing? How simple it is to seek God wholeheartedly.
   Hezekiah cared for the priests, too, as God commanded. Imagine a pastor or church leader requiring its members to bring an offering of goods to the pastor. I know we do bring our offerings. But many of us don’t like the word “required”. One sad constant truth of the church globally is to believe that giving is an option to be done at our convenience. Church members must be wholeheartedly engaged with ministry, even with tithes and offerings. Hezekiah was representing God’s voice to Judah.
   Then we see the joy of God’s people responding: 2 Chronicles 31:5 The people of Israel responded immediately and generously by bringing the first of their crops and grain, new wine, olive oil, honey, and all the produce of their fields. They brought a large quantity – a tithe of all they produced…7 They began piling them up in late spring, and the heaps continued to grow until early autumn. The generous giving and distributions is a sign the Jews were one community. They were living in the abundance God promised he would give them when they obeyed him wholeheartedly.
   This entire passage demonstrates a leaders’ power to direct people to God when he is wholeheartedly with God. God raised Hezekiah to revive his people to a blessed relationship with the I AM. These are the types of leaders we must pray for and support. We must be this type of leader.
   Hezekiah’s rule in Judah is another chapter in the people Israel’s history when the LORD God blessed them. With hearts and minds set toward God, they enjoyed the peace and prosperity God desired they would know. God wants his people’s whole heart. Here they have given it. Here they rejoice and are glad.
  
 

Read Isaiah 13, 14, 21
 
Isaiah 14:12-15 “How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world. 13 For you said to yourself, ‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God 14 I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.’ 15 Instead, you will be brought down to the place of the dead, down to its lowest depths.”
 
THIS scripture would be of great assurance one day to Jews exiled into Babylon. In verses 1-11, Isaiah foretold how the king of Babylon, the country that would conquer Judah, would become nothing. “How you have fallen O shining star, son of the morning.” is God’s message that all earthly kings are under his authority. The morning star shines before dawn but is soon swallowed the sun’s light.
   The prophecy of Babylon’s fall is also an illustration of Satan’s fall. Satan was Lucifer, the Moring Star, among the highest of God's angels. But his luster was lost when he pridefully wanted not a high place in heaven, but he wanted the highest. The Morning Star tried to rise up to the throne of God, even to have the Son worship him. Satan said to Jesus in Matthew 4:9 “I will give it all to you,” he said, ‘if you will kneel down and worship me.” In essence, this angel, created by God, tried to imitate Jesus Christ, who is the sovereign morning star: “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this message for the churches. I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne. I am the bright morning star.”  (Revelation 22:16) This should give us much comfort. Like the king of Babylon, Satan will one day be humiliated and defeated. He will finally be cast into hell.
   Whether God is dealing with kings or angels, it is always true: Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.
 
 

Read Isaiah 21, 23, 35, 2 Chronicles 28
 
2 Chronicles 28:24-25 King Ahaz took the various articles from the Temple of God and broke them into pieces. He shut the doors of the Lord’s Temple so that no one could worship there, and he set up altars to pagan gods in every corner of Jerusalem. 25 He made pagan shrines in all the towns of Judah for offering sacrifices to other gods. In this way, he aroused the anger of the Lord, the God of his ancestors.
 
AHAZ was a very evil king of Judah. He spiritually and literally sold himself, Judah and even the LORD’s Temple furnishings to Damascus. He feared Assyria’s power, so he tried to bribe his way to safety. Ahaz had forgotten that God had repeatedly saved Judah from invasion. Perhaps he broke the Temple articles into small pieces because his faith in God was broken and useless. Instead, Ahaz obeyed a foreign government. He worshiped its idols and succumbed to their tyranny. Did Ahaz think if he agreed with his enemies he would be safe with them?    
   Maybe these two verses would be good memory verses for the church as a whole. Through this past year, many Christians and their churches quickly closed their doors. We were afraid death threatened us with every breath we took. Churches bowed down to governments that had no business directing its affairs. Too many of us quietly broke our faith into small pieces to protect us from the powerful “enemy” around us. We didn’t want people to think we were trusting God more than the “experts”, did we? No worries – we weren’t. After all, we must agree with our enemies to be safe with them, right?
   But wait. When did being practical, focusing on fear and obeying enemies ever advance the Kingdom of God? Everything about the Christian faith, beginning with Abraham, is a step forward in faith toward God’s kingdom promises. But too often the oppression is most dominant in our minds. We think of all the reasons we dare not do what God has instructed. We want to appease the enemy, so we stay where we are.
   Yes, the fearful mindset can seem to be very practical: “In the interest of public safety, you can’t meet this week.” Or “It’s okay to stay home and do church by yourself. You don’t need fellowship.” Or “We’ll just wait until we feel comfortable.” In many cultures, the enemy is more direct and terrifying. Believers face separation from family, prison for leaders and suffering for many. Thank God these persecuted don’t wait to feel comfortable before they advance the gospel.
   It’s true. The threats in our world are many. Our only response is to turn our minds to Christ and step into his purpose. The King of heaven is greater than any enemy. He has triumphed over all enemies, even death: 1 Peter 2:24 He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.
   God has called his church to faithful to his message. Remember, Jesus prayed for you to keep his church wide open. John 17:14 I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 15 I'm not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one.