Day 183

2 Kings 20:1–22:2; Acts 21:18-36; Psalm 150:1-6; Proverbs 18:9-10

YESTERDAY IN 2 KINGS, we read of a desperate time when King Hezekiah put all of Israel’s hope in God as they faced the taunting threats of the Assyrians. Today, the prophet Isaiah visited the king, who had become gravely ill. Isaiah told Hezekiah that he should get his affairs in order because he would not recover.

No one longs to hear news like this, and Hezekiah was no different. He turned to face the wall and wept bitterly: “Remember, O LORD, how I have always been faithful to you and have served you single-mindedly, always doing what pleases you” (2 Kings 20:3).

As Isaiah was leaving the palace, God spoke to him: “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. I will add fifteen years to your life, and I will rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria’” (2 Kings 20:5-6).

Hezekiah asked for a sign, and Isaiah told him the sun’s shadow could move forward or backward ten steps. Hezekiah chose backward. Many have speculated that God used a solar eclipse to move the shadow backward. But no matter how He did it, God restored Hezekiah to health.

In Acts, Paul finally reached Jerusalem. As he met with the leaders of the Jerusalem church, it became apparent once again that the issues involving Gentile believers and the observance of Jewish religious law were very much alive. For believers in Jesus, Paul brought a gospel that opened the way for everyone who believed to enter into relationship with God. But for devout Jews who rejected Jesus, Paul had become nothing more than a heretic who had abandoned his faith and deserved to die.

When Paul entered the Temple complex, a mob formed (as had happened so many times before), and the situation nearly turned into a riot. Had it not been for the Roman soldiers dispatched to quell the unrest, Paul would likely have been killed. Instead, he was arrested. The Holy Spirit had led Paul to Jerusalem and given him advance words about this very thing. Paul would never be a free man again. But as we will see, this would not slow him down. His influence would only grow as the gospel continued to spread throughout the world.

As we watch Paul’s ministry, we continue to see how a person becoming Christlike each day looks and behaves. Paul chose to live his life as a “living and holy sacrifice” (Romans 12:1). To the core of his identity, Paul realized that his life meant nothing without his relationship with God. We must do the same.

MEDITATION:

The name of the LORD is a strong fortress; the godly run to him and are safe.