A Bad King and a Good King-Isaiah 7,36-39
Theme: Trusting God is a way of life and not a statement of belief. The evidence of faith is in the way you live, not in what you say you believe. (Facebook post with comments.)
Responses to the question “What is it like to trust God” (from our WL congregation):
- To give up control of our life (Jaime).
- To be OK with not getting what we want (Sarah).
- To believe that God is good (Rhoel).
- To see the big picture (Betsy).
TRUST GOD is the main theme of Isaiah 1-39. Isaiah had only one predominant message for his people in Jerusalem and in Judah (southern Israel) (Isa 1:1). This singular message was repeatedly given over four decades during the threat of the Assyrian invasion (735 BC to 701 BC). By God’s grace, West Loop has preached through this first part of Isaiah–chs. 1-39–over the past year (from early 2015) in 40 sermons.
What is the alternative to trusting in God?
It is to trust in man, who has but a breath in their nostrils (Isa 2:22). It is truly not wise to not trust God. It would ultimately be fatal and tragic. Isaiah says bluntly that that if one does not stand firm in trusting God, he or she will not stand at all (Isa 7:9b).
Why should we confidently trust God?
- Corrie ten Boom says it well: “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”
- Tim Tebow’s says that this is his favorite quote: “I don’t know what my future holds, but I do know who holds my future.”
What is faith and how does one trust God? In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis says,
“Faith … is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted in spite of your changing moods. For moods will change… This rebellion of your moods against your real self is going to come anyway. That is why Faith is such a necessary virtue unless you teach your moods ‘where they get off,’ you can never be either a sound Christian or even a sound atheist, but just a creature dithering to and fro, with its beliefs really dependent on the weather… Consequently one must train the habit of Faith.””The first step is to recognize the fact that your moods change. The next is to make sure that, if you have once accepted Christianity, then some of its main doctrines shall be deliberately held before your mind for some time every day. That is why daily prayers and religious readings and churchgoing are necessary parts of the Christian life. We have to be continually reminded of what we believe. Neither this belief nor any other will automatically remain alive in the mind. It must be fed.”
What Isaiah, Jesus and the Bible says about Faith and Trusting in God
“Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the Lord” (Isa 31:1).
“But those who trust in idols [no gods], who say to images, ‘You are our gods,’ will be turned back in utter shame” (Isa 42:17).
“You have trusted in your wickedness and have said, ‘No one sees me.’ Your wisdom and knowledge mislead you when you say to yourself, ‘I am, and there is none besides me’” (Isa 47:10).
“Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid” (Isa 12:2a).
“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal” (Isa 26:3-4).
“Those who trust in me [hope in me/wait for me] will never be put to shame” (Isa 49:23, NLT).
“Let the one who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on their God” (Isa 50:10).
“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God” (Ps 20:7).
“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you” (Ps 56:3).
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Prov 3:5-6).
“’Have faith in God,’ Jesus answered” (Mk 11:22).
“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in [Believe in] God, and trust also in me” (Jn 14:1, NLT).
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Heb 11:6).
A Bad King and a Good King (Isaiah 7, 36-39): A Tale of Two Kings; The Two Kings of Judah
Contrasting the two kings of Judah in Isaiah illustrates the truth that trusting God is a way of life, not a statement of belief
- Who are the two kings of Judah in Isaiah (Isa 1:1)? Who was bad (2 Ki 16:2)? Who was good (2 Ki 18:3)?
- What was the threat facing Judah during each king’s reign (Isa 7:1; 36:1)? What year were these threats?
- What was the common location (Isa 7:2; 36:2)? Why do you think Isaiah mentioned this location?
- What was the superpower nation at the time? Who was their king (2 Ki 16:7; Isa 36:1)?
- When threatened what was the first response of the two kings of Judah (Isa 7:2; 36:1-2, 3-4)?
- What was Isaiah’s challenge (Isa 7:4,9; 37:5-7)?
- After Isaiah’s challenge, how did the two kings of Judah respond (Isa 7:11-12; 37:15-20)? What was the result (Isa 7:13-14, 17; 37:36-38)?
- What life lesson(s) can you learn from these two kings of Judah? Comments? Reflections? Questions?
- Does this story have a happy ending (Isa 39:1-8)? Is life black and white and so clear cut? What does 39:8 tell us about Hezekiah (Isa 2:22)? Why do you think Isaiah ends the first part of his book (ch. 1-39) with this unfortunate story?
Reference: C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity: Faith (chapter 21).
