Skip to main content

Daily Devotion: Isaiah 39:8

By

Isaiah 39:8     "Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken. He said moreover, For there shall be peace and truth in my days."

After God had healed Hezekiah with divine intervention, the son of the king of Babylon  sent a convoy of men with letters and a present to Hezekiah after he had heard of the sickness and healing. Hezekiah showed the men everything in his kingdom. He did not withhold anything from them. He showed "... them the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not."  Isaiah came and began to question him about the things he had shown the men. This displeased God and Isaiah spoke of the day when all of those things and the sons of Hezekiah would be taken captive into Babylon. It seems that Hezekiah was built up in pride that such great men from a far country would bring presents to him. Solomon wrote, "Many will intreat the favour of the prince: and every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts." (Proverbs 19:6)  Hezekiah was too much of a friend to the people of the world because they brought gifts to him.

But now we come to the part of today's verse that concerns me. Hezekiah replied to Isaiah, "Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken. He said moreover, For there shall be peace and truth in my days."  The part that concerns me was the words, "peace and truth in my days."  Hezekiah was saying, "It's okay as long as everything is okay in my days."  He had no concern for future generations. He had no concern for his children or grandchildren, as long as everything was alright while he was alive. He had no forethought whatsoever about the future of his nation. That is not a kingly approach. In fact, that was a very selfish approach. Hezekiah had been a great king and had done great things, but his thoughts turned toward himself even after the Lord had graciously healed him.

We are at the conclusion of 2024 and about to enter a brand new year, filled with blank pages. What will we write upon those pages? Will it be in order that things will be good in our days? Or, will our goals and decisions be based upon that which is good for the days to come after us?

Labels

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Daily Devotion: Enter With Thanksgiving - Psalm 100:1-5

By
One of the most beautiful Psalms of Thanksgiving is the 100th Psalm. Please turn to it and read verses one through five. With all my heart I believe we are a people and a nation that has truly been blessed by God. Of all those who “give thanks to Him and praise His name” we should be at the top!  It is not uncommon to compile wish lists at Christmas, and draw up a list of resolutions for the new year. But there is another list we often overlook - a Thanksgiving Day list of all for which we are thankful. What would your list contain? Most likely, a good part would be material possessions. I’m convinced that we would find that we have much more for which to be thankful than just our material possessions.  Like you, I’m sure my list would include the major things - life, health, family, friends, and the nation we live in, despite all its flaws. But even more than that, I’m thankful for my salvation, my Church family, and the mercy that God showers upon us each d...
Read more

Daily Devotion: Psalm 100:4-5 - Thanksgiving

By
Psalm 100:4-5     "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.  (5)  For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations." Many songs have been written about these verses and with these words included. What do they mean? Today, we celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving. I've listened to many people speak about their family traditions and most of them include family, food, and football. These are wonderful and fun things that enrich the day, but is it the true meaning that was intended when the day was established?  The Psalmist instructed us to include a special action with our words of thankfulness.  We are to "enter into HIS gates." The heartfelt words of thanksgiving allow us to enter the gates of the Lord, but there is a much deeper place into which we can go. Not only are we to enter into HIS gates, but He invites us to come much closer to H...
Read more

Daily Devotion: Proverbs 11:19-20

By
Proverbs 11:19-20    "As righteousness tendeth to life: so he that pursueth evil pursueth it to his own death.  (20)  They that are of a froward heart are abomination to the LORD: but such as are upright in their way are his delight." We notice in these two verses that righteousness and uprightness are bookends that stand out. Sandwiched between these are evil and "a froward heart".  The Lord goes on to tell us, "Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered." (Proverbs 11:21) We understand that the total being of God is so much greater than our minds are able to comprehend; yet, He opens windows for us to look into a portion of His character.  He loves that which is right and He hates that which is wrong. He rewards the upright, or those who walk in a way that is right according to His standard. Remember yesterday we saw that "A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weigh...
Read more