RPG Adults
WHAT CAN MELT THE HEART OF GOD? THE TEARS OF EVERY PENITENT
MONDAY, AUGUST 1
Isaiah 38:1-8, 21-22
Psalm 18:13-18
"He delivered me from
my strong enemy…"
WHAT CAN MELT THE HEART OF GOD? THE TEARS OF EVERY PENITENT
For a fuller account of this episode in the life of King Hezekiah, read 2 Kings 20:1-11. From Isaiah 38:6 we can visualise how the king became doubly burdened — the burden of saving Jerusalem from the Assyrians, and the burden of saving his own life. Hezekiah was thirty-nine years old when he was told to prepare to die of a fatal illness.
What theological lesson can we learn from Hezekiah’s sickness? In contrast with the philosophy of static fatalism, Hezekiah’s sickness and recovery teaches a dynamic theism.
From the testimony of Chew Fook Wah, an effective Bible-Presbyterian evangelist who was a staunch idol-worshipper, he was told by the medium that he would die at fifty-four. The medium said that this was determined by his fate. There was no escape from it. Imagine the mounting agony he went through as he anticipated his date with death. But he has survived that fate by over a decade since receiving Christ. The ways of God are worlds above the determinism of a fateful philosophy, whatever culture it is. God’s dealings with man are dynamic. King Hezekiah had contracted a fatal disease. He had to die. From the prophet’s pronouncement, it seemed this was God’s unalterable appointment. But Hezekiah was not a fatalist. Hezekiah believed God to be a benign Master. He cried his heart out to God. God was moved and granted him a reprieve of fifteen years.
Repentance is the key to God’s favour and merciful kindness. Did not God threaten to destroy Nineveh in forty days? He relented when the king and all his subjects repented. To confirm His promise, God moved the shadow on the sun dial of Ahaz (Hezekiah’s father) ten degrees backward, as if to reflect His pronounced prolongation of Hezekiah’s days. As to the application of a fig-poultice on his boil, that would help Hezekiah’s faith in the recovery.
THOUGHT: A Christian must never say "Die."
PRAYER: Creator God, Thou giveth life. Thou also taketh life.
Posted in Adult RPG
Isaiah 38:1-8, 21-22
Psalm 18:13-18
"He delivered me from
my strong enemy…"
WHAT CAN MELT THE HEART OF GOD? THE TEARS OF EVERY PENITENT
For a fuller account of this episode in the life of King Hezekiah, read 2 Kings 20:1-11. From Isaiah 38:6 we can visualise how the king became doubly burdened — the burden of saving Jerusalem from the Assyrians, and the burden of saving his own life. Hezekiah was thirty-nine years old when he was told to prepare to die of a fatal illness.
What theological lesson can we learn from Hezekiah’s sickness? In contrast with the philosophy of static fatalism, Hezekiah’s sickness and recovery teaches a dynamic theism.
From the testimony of Chew Fook Wah, an effective Bible-Presbyterian evangelist who was a staunch idol-worshipper, he was told by the medium that he would die at fifty-four. The medium said that this was determined by his fate. There was no escape from it. Imagine the mounting agony he went through as he anticipated his date with death. But he has survived that fate by over a decade since receiving Christ. The ways of God are worlds above the determinism of a fateful philosophy, whatever culture it is. God’s dealings with man are dynamic. King Hezekiah had contracted a fatal disease. He had to die. From the prophet’s pronouncement, it seemed this was God’s unalterable appointment. But Hezekiah was not a fatalist. Hezekiah believed God to be a benign Master. He cried his heart out to God. God was moved and granted him a reprieve of fifteen years.
Repentance is the key to God’s favour and merciful kindness. Did not God threaten to destroy Nineveh in forty days? He relented when the king and all his subjects repented. To confirm His promise, God moved the shadow on the sun dial of Ahaz (Hezekiah’s father) ten degrees backward, as if to reflect His pronounced prolongation of Hezekiah’s days. As to the application of a fig-poultice on his boil, that would help Hezekiah’s faith in the recovery.
THOUGHT: A Christian must never say "Die."
PRAYER: Creator God, Thou giveth life. Thou also taketh life.
Posted in Adult RPG