The Daily Word: Friday, August 2nd, 2019
2 Chronicles 32:1-33:13
Romans 15:23-16:9
Psalm 25:16-22
Proverbs 20:16-18
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Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
After these deeds of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and entered Judah; he encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to win them over to himself. – 2 Chron 32:1
Hezekiah had just overseen a radical transformation in the Kingdom of Judah. He became king when we has twenty-five years old, and “…did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done” (2 Chron 29:2). He cleansed the temple and restored Biblical worship all throughout Judah (2 Chron 29). He reinstituted the Passover as a national holiday according to God’s command (2 Chron 30). He outlawed idol worship and re-commissioned the Levites and priests to live lives of service to the Lord (2 Chron 31). Hezekiah, “…did what was good and right and true before the Lord his God… [and] he did it with all his heart” (2 Chron 31:20-21).
You would think that after everything Hezekiah had done for God, God would have given him an easy life, right? Surely the enemy would leave Hezekiah alone so he could continue to serve God with all his heart, right? Wrong. As soon as Hezekiah completed this radical transformation, the enemy attacked. “After all these deeds of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and entered Judah” (2 Chron 32:1).
The enemy attacks on the heels of your faithfulness. Satan wants to trick you! He wants you to think that the more you serve God, the more difficult and dangerous your life will become. He wants you to give up: to convince yourself that a life of service to God is not worth it if it’s going to open you up to spiritual attacks!
Don’t be discouraged. Just because the enemy is coming against you doesn’t mean your service to God was in vain. When the enemy attacked, Hezekiah prayed. Judah was delivered and the king of Assyria, “…returned shamefaced to his own land” (2 Chron 32:21). When the enemy attacks, it doesn’t mean you did something wrong; it often means you are on the right track! Just keep serving God, and He will give you victory in the end.
Prayer:
Father, thank You for defending me! Thank You for calling me to serve You. I want to live a life of complete service and dedication to You. Help me to do it with faith in my heart and a smile on my face, in Jesus’ name!
Archives
See commentary from this day in 2014.
See commentary from this day in 2015.
See commentary from this day in 2016.
See commentary from this day in 2017.
See commentary from this day in 2018.
© Michael D. White, 2019. All rights reserved.