August 2- Seeds of Doubt

August, 2, 2011

Scripture Reading:
2 Chronicles 32:1-33:13; Romans 15:23-16:9;
Psalm 25:16-22; Proverbs 20:16-18

Any belief worth having must survive doubt. 
~Anonymous

2 Chronicles 32:1-33:13

I think I watched too many scary shows when I was a kid.  Of course, I was kind of a scaredy cat, anyway.  I would get scared of The Twilight Zone, Dark Shadows, and certain Alfred Hitchcock movies. There was one episode from Alfred Hitchcock's Hour called The Monkey's Paw that practically put me over the edge. At one point, I remember sitting in my room wondering if my parents were really just bad guys who were wearing masks to hide their real identities. I feared that at any moment they would peel back the masks, show that they were evil impostors, and reveal their true wicked intentions to harm me.  I was momentarily overcome with doubt.  Good thing I was just a dumb kid who had watched too much television.  My doubts were unfounded. 

Today, in the midst of revival, King Sennacherib of Assyria attempts to plant seeds of doubt about the God of Israel to the two tribes of Israel in the Southern Kingdom, who are experiencing God's blessings.

Hezekiah was a wise leader and had brought great wealth to his people through his faithfulness to God.  You would think that revival would prevent trials from occurring in the life of the people.  Not true.  The Scriptures teach us that right when God breaks forth within the life of a person or a community, Satan shows up and attacks.  Like a moth to the flame, enemies run to attack the godly. 

In our passage today, King Sennacherib has laid siege to the rich, fortified cities of the Southern Kingdom.  The idea is to starve the people into surrender and take over the prosperous territory.  King Hezekiah takes measures to protect his territory and the city of Jerusalem.  First, he cuts off the water supply to certain cities.  Lack of water might lead the enemies to leave the land. Next, Hezekiah repairs broken walls and builds additional walls to fortify the cities.  He develops weapons and assigns military leaders before gathering the assembly to encourage the people to be brave, and remember that Israel has the Lord God on their side to fight their battles for them.

But like any wiley enemy, King Sennacherib sends a message to plant seeds of doubt in the minds of the people of Hezekiah's kingdom.  Sennacherib's seeds include the following ideas that are shouted to the people:

• Hezekiah is misleading you about the power of your God.
• Hezekiah is going to cause your death by starvation and thirst.
• Hezekiah destroyed the Lord's shrines and altars.  (these were pagan altars)
• Hezekiah demanded that everyone only worship at one Temple.
• We, Assyrians have defeated the people who worship many gods throughout the land, and no god could stop us.
• Do you really think your God can do any better than these?
• Hezekiah is deceiving you.
• Your God cannot rescue you from me.

Sennacherib's officials mock God and heap insult upon insult upon Him.  These taunts and threats are done in the Hebrew language, in order to strike fear and doubt in the minds of the people. 

Do you realize that Satan and your own sin nature can work against you to plant seeds of doubt in your life?  Sometimes these seeds come from false messages about yourself, including your worth, effectiveness, and ability to be loved.  Some of these seeds were perhaps given to you by other people in your life.  Sometimes these seeds come from false teachings through the media.  Sometimes seeds of doubt come directly from an enemy of God, who is not personally related to you.  They can also come from our own fallen nature.  How do we handle these seeds of doubt?  How do we fight against lies and deception designed to cause us to doubt God and His love for us?

Hezekiah fights this attempt to plant doubt by crying out to God with the prophet Isaiah and asking for God's help and direction.  God's response is swift and effective.  He sends an angel to destroy the Assyrian army.  It should be noted that Sennacherib goes home in disgrace and is assassinated by his own sons.

Just as Satan tempted Eve in the Bible to doubt God and God's rules about the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, Sennacherib tempted the people of Jerusalem to doubt God's deliverance. Satan will tempt you and me to doubt the power of God in our lives to forgive our sin, renew our minds, and give us victory over trials.  When you feel the seeds of doubt being planted in your mind, remember God's Word and His promises.  God is a God of mercy and love.  God heals the brokenhearted and brings the dead back to life.  His power is alive and well in your life, and God is as close to you as the prayer on your lips.  Let God destroy the enemies who attack you.  Let God stunt the seeds of doubt. Start the process through prayer.

I wish I could tell you that Hezekiah led a perfect life with no mistakes, but I can't. I will deal with him in tomorrow's blog post.

How are you going to reject seeds of doubt in your life?

Romans 15:23-16:9

The sanctified life results in gratitude to God and others.  We see this as the Apostle Paul explains that the Gentile Christians in Greece have collected money to give to the poor Jewish Christians in Jerusalem.  Their gifts are a sign of their gratitude to the Jews for bringing the Messiah and the Good News of salvation and fellowship with God to the Gentile world.

Paul sends greetings to fellow Christians in Rome, including his good friends Priscilla and Aquila, who were apparently instrumental in founding the Church in Rome.  Please note that women are very involved in ministry in the early church, including forming house churches, acting as deacons, and serving as evangelists. Junia is mentioned as an apostle!

What can we learn from the Apostle Paul?  We learn that when a person is a new creature in Christ, he/she has humbly admitted their sins and their need of a Savior.  Believers are empowered by the Holy Spirit to live changed lives that include putting God and other people ahead of themselves.  This leads to harmony and peace among believers.  People's gifts then glorify the God who created them.  This is a gender neutral experience.  Both men and women are gifted to promote the Church on earth.  God will work through both Jews and Gentiles to bring about His Kingdom.

How are you participating in this experience?  Do you live a sanctified life?

Psalm 25:16-22

Here is a psalm to read on a really bad day.  Hezekiah may have cried out to the Lord with this psalm when Sennacherib was taunting him.

Proverbs 20:16-18

Here are good words to live by.

What did you learn today?  Please comment.

Blessings,

Jubilee Gal
Kathy Fullerton