Author Archive for: meiling

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 19:1-19.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 

2 Kings 19:1-4 (NIV)
1  When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the temple of the LORD.
2  He sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz.
3  They told him, “This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the point of birth and there is no strength to deliver them.
4  It may be that the LORD your God will hear all the words of the field commander, whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent to ridicule the living God, and that he will rebuke him for the words the LORD your God has heard. Therefore pray for the remnant that still survives.”
 
On verses 1-4:   King Hezekiah’s officials deliver Assyria’s intimidating message to Hezekiah.  In response, Hezekiah does two wise things: (1) he pours his heart out to God, spending time in His presence (v1); and (2) he seeks counsel and support from the prophet Isaiah (v2-4). 

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 18:17-37.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 

2 Kings 18:17-19 (NIV)
17  The king of Assyria sent his supreme commander, his chief officer and his field commander with a large army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They came up to Jerusalem and stopped at the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Washerman’s Field.
18  They called for the king; and Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went out to them.
19  The field commander said to them, “Tell Hezekiah: “‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: On what are you basing this confidence of yours?
 
On verses 17-19:  In verses 17-37 Assyria’s field commander tries to intimidate Hezekiah’s Israelite troops.  At the same time I believe through this passage we can learn 6 ways that our enemy, Satan, tries to erode our confidence and soften us up for a defeat.  The quicker you can identify these 6 ways that Satan will try to attack you, the quicker you can defeat him in Jesus’ name.   Let’s go! 

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 18:1-16.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 

2 Kings 18:1-16 (NIV)
1  In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign.
2  He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah.

On verses 1-16:  After Judah had been led by a handful of spiritually rotten, idol-worshiping kings, Hezekiah bursts onto the scene.  Hezekiah courageously breaks with his predecessors’ idol worshiping traditions.  He begins to use his authority as king of Judah to remove idolatry from his land.  Hezekiah also courageously stands up to the king of Assyria, even while Hezekiah’s counterpart Hoshea king of Israel was being defeated by Assyria.

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 17:34-41.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 

2 Kings 17:34-41 (NIV)
34  To this day they persist in their former practices. They neither worship the LORD nor adhere to the decrees and ordinances, the laws and commands that the LORD gave the descendants of Jacob, whom he named Israel.
35  When the LORD made a covenant with the Israelites, he commanded them: “Do not worship any other gods or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them.

On verses 34-41:  We see some of the main lessons of 2 Kings reiterated here in these verses:

1.  We were made to worship the Lord alone (v36).  Three times in this short passage it says “Do not worship other gods” (v35, 37, 38).

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 17:24-33.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 

2 Kings 17:24-26 (NIV)
24  The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sepharvaim and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took over Samaria and lived in its towns.
25  When they first lived there, they did not worship the LORD; so he sent lions among them and they killed some of the people.
26  It was reported to the king of Assyria: “The people you deported and resettled in the towns of Samaria do not know what the god of that country requires. He has sent lions among them, which are killing them off, because the people do not know what he requires.”
 
On verses 24-26:  Shalmaneser king of Assyria has deported the Israelites from Samaria (Israel’s capital city) and replaces them with people from foreign lands.  These foreigners do not worship the Lord in Samaria and are attacked, and in some cases killed, by lions.