Gary Gleans

Finishing well is a very hard thing to do.  Hezekiah was one of Judah’s best kings.  He tore down idols, called out to the Lord in times of trouble and worshiped God in times of deliverance; but he did not finish well.  His legacy would have been far greater had he died instead of living the extra fifteen years.  No matter how old we are and no matter how many victories God grants in our lives, it only takes one failure to mar a reputation and scar ones legacy.  God calls us to lean on Him for our direction and to honor Him in all circumstances of our lives from the start to the finish.  Starting well is normal, finish well is supernatural. HEZEKIAH FALLS INTO ARROGANCE: When Hezekiah recovers from his illness he receives a delegation from the land of Babylon that supposedly came to congratulate him on his recovery.  The reality is they were more than likely coming to spy out the land.  Hezekiah is so relieved by his prolonged life and his vi...

Death is a blessing for believers but we are not in a hurry to experience it.  We know that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.  We long to be reconciled with God and leave this sinful world behind but all of us would rather experience that kind of transformation through the rapture instead of death.  Death is an unknown experience and we all tend to fear the unknown.  There is also a certain amount of pain associated with death and most of us would prefer to avoid pain.  King Hezekiah became ill and Isaiah was told by God to go inform him of his impending death.  It must have been a hard message to deliver and an even harder message to receive.  God illustrates in this narrative His sovereignty over death.  He has the power to grant and take away life.  Our lives will be lived more effectively and our deaths will have more tranquility if we always remember God’s sovereign control over both life and death. HEZEKIAH...

Responses to circumstances are very important to God and will determine a great deal about the final outcome of our lives.  God also responds to us based on our trust in Him.  When we are faced with difficulties in our lives we must be careful to respond in ways that show our faith in God and bring glory to God.  The circumstances of our lives are often out of our control.  How we respond to those circumstances is a great responsibility and completely within our control.  ISAIAH RESPONDS TO HEZEKIAH’S PLEA WITH PROMISE: Hezekiah has received the threats from Sennacherib with great distress.  His response to those threats is to tear his clothes, cover himself with ashes and send the priest to plea with Isaiah concerning this matter.  This shows genuine concern for the nation as well as God’s reputation.  Isaiah responds to Hezekiah with a promise from God guaranteeing defeat for Sennacherib. God is faithful to give us assurance when we seek Hi...

Intimidation is one of Satan’s greatest tricks.  Lies and twisted truths are the key tools that he uses to cause intimidation.  Isaiah is now relating historical events instead of speaking prophetically of the future.  Sennacherib, the king of Assyria is on the march against the nation of Judah.  All of the fortified cities of Judah have fallen so the king, Hezekiah, the prophet Isaiah and all of the leadership and military might that has survived to this point are all isolated in the city of Jerusalem.  Their food and water supply has been cut off so from a human perspective, there is no hope of victory.  Sennacherib sends out a commission of leaders to dictated Judah’s surrender and Hezekiah sends out his representatives to hear what is being offered.  The content of this chapter is this commission’s intimidating message for Hezekiah and the people that have taken refuge with him in the city of Jerusalem. NO NATION CAN DELIVER YOU: Judah’s initi...

In a world marked by chaos, sin and the consequences of sin it is easy to think that things are out of control.  As believers, we can be assured that nothing is out of God’s control.  He is at work in the history of mankind and has a plan for being glorified by the inhabitants of the world He has created.  Isaiah has foretold the destruction of Israel as well as Assyria.  There are time of desolation and destruction in store for the land and all who live in the land, but the story does not end there.  God has a plan of hope for His children and the land. GOD’S PLAN OF RESTORATION FOR THE PLACE: It is easy for us to lose hope when things go wrong or are not in accordance with our idea of how things should proceed.  It is clear from the previous chapters that there will be a time of great hopelessness in store for the children of Israel.  However, the story does not end in this way.  The land will be destroyed, desolation will cover the land bu...

There are things about God with which we are not comfortable.  It is hard for us to comprehend the gravity and totality of the coming judgment upon the earth and all of the nations of the earth.  We are comfortable with a loving and forgiving God but an angry and vengeful God does not sit well with us.  The truth is that God is both loving and angry, forgiving and vengeful.   In reality, our difficulty to understand should be much more about how He could save any of us and not about how He will judge some.  All of mankind has rebelled against God and despite His repeated warnings and attempts to reconcile men to Himself the multitudes have continued to reject Him and preferred their sinful lives.  God’s delay in judgment should surprise us much more than the severity of His judgment. GOD WILL JUDGE ALL THE NATIONS: Just as there will be representatives from every nation that will worship God in heaven for all of eternity; there will be representat...

God is never surprised because He always knows what will happen.  There are many things that worry us and cause us stress because we do not know how the circumstances of our lives will play out.  God has chosen to reveal certain things about the future to us in His Word so that we do not become over anxious.  However, there are many things about the future that have not been revealed and that is where trusting God is essential.  Israel is under the threat of invasion from Assyria, the people and the leaders are stricken with fear.  God sends Isaiah to reveal God’s plans for the future in order to help the people find relief and place their faith in the Lord.  We too face many distresses in our lives and must remember to go to the Scriptures so that our hopes can be anchored in the promises of God instead of our hearts being troubled by the circumstances of life. THE DEFEAT OF ASSYRIA: The Lord has determined that He will deliver Israel from the Assyria...