Stay Spiritually Alert - Isaiah 36:1 - 39:8

In preparation for the first five lessons in Isaiah we have read through the first 39 chapters. In the first four lessons we learned about the sins of Israel and Judah under the evil rule of King Uzziah—and we were made aware of God’s judgment that was assuredly coming. The setting for the book thus far has been the general area from the Mediterranean Sea and the Jerusalem area and then east to the Tigris River. Today’s study includes Babylon which is in the area of the valley where the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers converge, and it runs north to Assyria which includes the vast area of the northern water sheds that feed the two rivers. Yes, the major portion of this area makes up the land of Iran, Arrack, and all parts west to the sea.

The Israelites were having difficulty “Remaining Spiritually Alert” from day one. They had been warned about placing their faith in other gods and other powers. They had been warned not to marry women from heathen nations because it would lead them to accept other gods. King Uzziah had ignored God’s warnings and allowed all of the above to be practiced throughout the country. He had even permitted the people to bring the idols representing their other gods into the Holly Temple in Jerusalem, and they were being worshipped along with or by the side of the Holly One. God did not overlook their disobedience—and he will not overlook the rejections he is now receiving from disobedient Americans.

In the year that King Uzziah died [740 BC.] God commissioned Isaiah to become their spiritual eyes so they could avoid the problems they were facing. His people were warned about the attacks that would come from all of their enemy nations. Isaiah’s prophecy about the fall of Jerusalem and Tyre fell on minds that were not spiritually alert. It is of great interest to me as I examine the map of this area today, 2009 AD, I find the most troubled area in the entire world is still in the same place and occupied by the same nationalities of people that never have found how to become spiritually alert. In fact, the vast majority still worship idols and false gods. It is noteworthy to mention that all of these “other gods” died…and remained dead. It is only the spiritually alert people who worship THE LIVING GOD!

This scripture regarding this lesson is found in chapter 39. The first six verses deal with the period of time when Jerusalem is being threatened again. Hezekiah is now in his fourteenth year as King of Judah, and King Sennacherib of Assyria captured all the fortified cities of Judah up to the gates of Jerusalem. The king stopped at the pool and aqueduct, Jerusalem’s water supply, and waited until Hezekiah sent envoys out to meet them. In essence he told Hezekiah that he had no army of his own—and that he was depending on Egypt which was weak and undependable. The hardest jolt came when the King of Assyria ask if he was depending on the same God that was in the temple when King Uzziah removed God’s alters from the temple. Uzziah had destroyed alter worship and God had become distraught with his people because of their alien marriages and the worship of alien idols. Hezekiah was somewhat more devoted to God, but because of his weakness he had not restored true worship to the temple.

The next encounter that Hezekiah had with his enemies they were out of Babylon. He had been very ill and Isaiah told him that God said he would surely die. But after he went to God in earnest prayer and ask for extended time, God granted him an extra 15 years of time on earth. He gained some time but did not grow in spiritual alertness. The king of Babylon sent an envoy to see him bearing a gift since he had been very ill, and had recovered. While the envoy was in Jerusalem, Hezekiah showed them through out his vast holdings. This is another example of Hezekiah’s spiritual blindness. He either did not realize they were spies or he may have thought that they were not his enemies. Read 39: 1- 7.

At the time of this incident, Assyria was in total control, the most powerful of all the nations in the area including Babylon. None of these leaders realized that God was moving in and would switch power control over to Babylon. Isaiah knew, and he asked Hezekiah what information about his assets he had revealed to the envoy from Babylon. When the King said, everything he had, Isaiah told him that this information would be use by Babylon when he came to conquer the nation.

Though spiritually weak at times, Hezekiah was one of Judah’s most faithful kings. He did what he could to stamp out idolatry and restore the temple to its rightful place in the lives of the people. It was his efforts that gave the nation extended peace for the extra fifteen years that God added to his life. At his death, Manasseh became one of the wicked kings, and went back to idol worship. He actually rebuilt some of the idols that his father had removed from the temple.

It has been somewhat difficult to look deeply into this scripture and understand how it teaches us to be spiritually alert. It now remains a challenge for me to make sure that this lesson becomes relevant to those of us in bible study today. The first step in this attempt will be for me to help you see and understand how we measure, weigh, or place a value on things. One of the most troublesome contentions we must face in this life is that we must accept the fact that some things are objective and some are subjective.

As an example, go with me to the gym. When the basketball goes through the hoop everyone in the building KNOWS that the shooter made 1, 2, or 3 points. In football, when the ball goes between the goal post, the kicker has scored either 1or 3 points. These are objective facts that will always be scored alike by two or more scorekeepers. The highest score wins. Everyone understands. The decision is made in an objective way—without question and one of the teams goes home a KNOWN winner.

On Saturday the Heber Springs band plays in competition with other schools our size. The object of the concert, or marching, band is to be the winner. Can our band be the KNOWN winner? NO! The measurements used are subjective, and the ways the measurements are used are also subjective. Any one of the judges can be biased, and you and I can never know for sure that the band would have been the winner if it had been judged by different judges.

Spirituality must always be measured subjectively. No one can measure the spiritual alertness of any saint. Now, listen, the sad part is that you can never know for sure what your score is regarding your spiritual alertness. Before you become distressed, let me help you remember that the best, easiest, and only sure way you can measure your spiritual alertness is for you to read and study God’s word and learn how to be like Christ. It does not require an educated mind to know how to be spiritually alert, but it does take a broken and contrite spirit—a heart dedicated to Jesus.

Do you have a person in mind that always seems to know the right thing to say and do when the time is right? Do you know someone that is not overly blessed that seems to experience overflowing joy of others without showing any jealousy? Can you offer strength and hope to one that is burdened? Yes, but first you must have the spiritual talent of being able to recognize a burdened brow. I hope you will assess your spiritual disciplines and determine what you need to cultivate in order for you to stay spiritually alert. Just remember that you can not be both self-centered, and spiritually alert.

When the Kings of old, and the Leaders of the USA, and each of us are not SPIRITUALLY ALERT, we fail to be sensitive to our spiritual needs and the needs of others. This leads us to depend on ourselves and our armed forces, our allies [if we have any left] and money [which the US does not have left] instead of The Lord Jesus Christ. What happens when we are not alert nationally? I believe that biblical examples are better than guesses.

The first example is King Uzziah, with no spiritual alertness, disobeyed God and gave in to idol worship and allowed the people to desecrate the temple with idols of foreign gods.

The second example was King Sennacherib, of Assyria who had already captured the northern kingdom and in this lesson he defeats all the gated cities of Judah except Jerusalem and delivers an ultimatum for their surrender.

The third is King Hezekiah, one of the better kings, but still not strong enough to stay spiritually alert and depend on God instead of Egypt and the walls of his city for protection from Assyria and Babylon.

Manasseh is the forth I will mention because he was the final straw that broke God’s back when he destroyed all the good his father Hezekiah had accomplished.

What happened to them? God prepared Babylon with wealth, armies, and means to conquer the entire area from Judah to Assyria—whom everyone believed to be the strongest of all nations at that time. Jerusalem was considered to be God’s city, God’s temple home, and God’s people. The total city including the walls and temple was completely destroyed just as God had instructed his prophets to warn them. I believe that we in America are also God’s people and if we continue to disobey Him He will treat us in the same way. Many believe that history repeats itself. Read your history books and see if we are not following in the footsteps of the kings and people of the Southern Kingdom.