Archive for the ‘Hezekiah’ tag
July 25, 2010: God Reverses the Sun’s Shadow
The text for this lesson is 2 Kings 20:1-11; Isaiah 38:1-8
Key Points
- God caused the sun’s shadow to reverse as a sign to Hezekiah that He had heard his prayer and would keep His promise to extend Hezekiah’s life and deliver the Israelites. God gives us His Word and Sacraments, which bestow what He has promised us in Christ Jesus, and promises to hear and answer our prayers for Jesus’ sake.
- Law: In my sinfulness, I am like Hezekiah and the children of Israel, needing a sign or wonder to assure me that God will do as He promised.
- Gospel: God hears and answers my prayers and gives me His Word and Sacraments, which bestow all that He has promised me in Christ Jesus.
Discussion Points
- Hezekiah was about 39 years old and had reigned about fourteen years. What did Isaiah’s message mean?
- What would you do if you were told you would soon die from a sickness?
- What did Hezekiah do when he learned that he would die?
- Why did he weep bitterly?
- Did God hear Hezekiah’s prayer?
- How was Hezekiah to be healed?
- What else did Hezekiah want?
- What sign did the Lord give?
- How did God use His creation the sun to assure Hezekiah that He would do as He had promised?
- How are we like Hezekiah?
- What are God’s promises for us?
- What is the greatest deliverance or rescue that God does for people who believe in Him as their Lord and Savior from sin?
- When can we call upon God or pray to Him?
- Why should we pray?
- For whom should we pray?
- Where can we pray?
November 8, 2009: Hezekiah Prays
The text for this lesson is 2 Kings 18—19.
Key Points
- Just as Hezekiah prayed in faith to God and was delivered, so Jesus, our mediator and advocate with the Father, intercedes for and with us, granting us deliverance from sin, death, and the devil.
- Law: My sin makes me proud; thinking I can be self-sufficient and don’t need God, I avoid Him.
- Gospel: My heavenly Father is always ready to hear me and my cries for help, giving me His Son for my salvation.
Context
In the late eighth century, Assyria was the world power of the ancient Near East. Led by Sennacherib, their armies went on a blitzkrieg across various lands. Ruling Judah was Hezekiah, a top-notch king. Along with Josiah, he was one of the two Israelite rulers after David who received not a word of criticism from the biblical writer (see 18:1–8). Though he initially caved in to Assyrian pres-sure, paying them tribute (vv. 13–16), Hezekiah later refused to bow to their demands. As the story in 2 Kings 18–19 recounts, Sennacherib would pay dearly for his mocking of the true God. Assyrian records echo the biblical account of his demise, that he was slain by his own sons as he knelt praying before a god who could not save (19:37).
