On Your Own



 

Lesson Plan



2 Chronicles 32:30-31 This same Hezekiah also stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon, and brought it straight down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works. 31 Howbeit in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him to enquire of the wonder that was done in the land, GOD LEFT HIM, TO TRY HIM, THAT HE MIGHT KNOW ALL THAT WAS IN HIS HEART.

Hezekiah was one of the best Kings of Israel. In 2 Kings 18:1-8 scriptures give a thumbnail of his righteousness before God. Hezekiah feared and obeyed God even to the destruction of the high places of idolatrous worship. His zeal was such that he destroyed the brazen serpent that had been fashioned by Moses in the wilderness because the people had started worshipping before it. He loved God and was much loved by God.

Now however, a time had come in Hezekiah's life that is called "testing time". There is always a danger of a person who gets close to God and lives a virtuous godly life of losing humility and letting pride enter. There is a danger of a person beginning to think of himself as righteous and above sin. When we reach that position we are in a position to be brought back to earth. God will get our heads out of the clouds and bring us back to reality.

Hezekiah was about to receive emissaries from Babylon and there would be much temptation to show off the kingdom and the riches including the holy things. "Bragging rights" if you will. The scripture above (vs. 31) says that God left Hezekiah to "try him that he might know all that was in his heart." If you are not careful you will read this to mean that Hezekiah is tried so that God could know all that was in Hezekiah's heart. Not so. God already knew Hezekiah's heart. It was Hezekiah that needed to know what was really in his own heart. I believe the "he" refers to Hezekiah and not to God.


David makes God's knowledge of our hearts abundantly clear: Psalm 139:1-4 O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. 2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. 3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. 4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.

Have you ever been like Hezekiah? On the mountain top? God has defeated your enemies. You are enjoying good health. Everything is coming up roses. The Lord is blessing and you are basking in it. You feel sin is so far from you that it can touch you no more? Well, if you have been there then you know what happened soon after. You fell. You went back to what you thought you had escaped from. You thought you were strong enough to withstand the temptation. You found out you weren't, didn't you. You might say: "How do you know?" Well, to tell you the truth I have been there more times than I care to admit. I would get to the point I would feel "Big boy, you got your ducks in a row and you can handle it". Well guess what. God would say. "All right big boy, we'll see." "I am going to leave you alone and let you handle it by yourself."


God left me to try my heart that I might know the blackness and weakness of it. We need reminding occasionally that without God we are putty in the Devil's hands. We need to re-discover from time to time that our strength lies in the hands of Jesus and not our own. We need to be re-minded that we are to "---be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might." We are to: "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (Ephesians 6:10-12)


All too often our heart is the devil's playground.

This study in The Word presented by Brother Dwight.

 


Poetry Corner

The Hope Within Me

I came in with nothing...yet how shall I leave?
Who has always loved me;whom do I trust and believe ?

On my own, I had only learned to fall
With help from above, I have learned to call.

Call upon His wonderful name,
Lord Jesus I cried to, without any shame.

He breaks me of wicked pride.
In His righteousness I shall abide.

I pray for help when I am weak.
He teaches me how to turn the other cheek.

Holy words are my daily bread
Only by Christ can I grow and be fed.

From the greatest to the least
I shall join the others at His feast.

Serving our God with all my heart
Remaining in Him, never to depart.

I came into this world with nothing ...
Yet will leave
With a restored soul,
Healed by our Lord, making me whole.

For all the days that I live
I will honor my Saviour
Giving all I can give.

Julie Pisacane © 2006

1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts:
and be ready always to give an answer to every man
that asketh you a reason of the hope that
is in you with meekness and fear



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