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As King Sennacherib and his Assyrian army threatened to consume Jerusalem, King Hezekiah of Judah turned to the Lord in prayer. Though he would ask the Lord to rescue Judah (v. 20), he...
I have three children, all daughters. 20, 16, and 12. For years and years we had small ones around the house. They made messes. They were demanding. They were loud. And they were cute. Now that we...
When humans lived closer to the land, we were deeply affected by the seasons and the weather and the harvest. There was an excitement and a fear in the air. Would the crops...
After chapters of divine oracles, Isaiah 36 begins an historical section that focuses on events around 700 B.C. While King Hezekiah reigned over Judah, the Assyrians, who had recently overthrown...
The theme of exile and return runs through the Old Testament prophets, right into the New Testament. Beginning with the Assyrian defeat of the Northern Kingdom in 722 B.C. and augmented when...
Last summer, I had the privilege of participating in a medical mission trip to Guatemala. The team was made up of surgeons...
"HARMELING! My grandmother runs faster than you!" Coach Dick Bennett screamed at one of his freshmen on the Washington State University basketball team. "You—you’re a Division III player. But at...
Bradley Moore has posted a very honest and funny look at his attempts to try contemplative prayer. ...
God is our judge because he rightly sees when we do what’s wrong and because he pronounces a guilty verdict on our sin. God is our lawgiver because he establishes right and wrong...
Will Messenger is an Episcopal Priest in Boston with an MBA in marketing from Harvard Business School...
We don’t hear much these days about the fear of the Lord. In part, we avoid this language because it can be easily misconstrued, turning God into a vengeful tyrant whom we hope...
Throughout the opening chapters of Isaiah, we are repeatedly confronted with God’s judgment. Not only the chosen people, but also pagan nations are condemned for their wickedness. But every now and...
Isaiah calls Israel to “return to the Lord” even though they are “such wicked rebels.” The fact that God’s people have revolted against him does not preclude them from turning back to God.The.....
Though God showed immense patience in his relationship with the people of Israel, sometimes their persistent rebellion brought his wrath upon them. They received “adversity for food and suffering...
The story of David and Goliath has a stunning conclusion, but we tend to forget the beginning. David took food to his brothers on the front lines and heard Goliath's challenge to the...
The people of Israel were understandably frightened as the nation of Assyria threatened. Yet God has promised to protect them if they would rely on him. Nevertheless, Israel’s leaders decided to...
In Isaiah 29, the Lord indicts his people for saying the right things while their hearts are far away from him. They profess faithfulness to God, but their desires are selfish and idolatrous....
In the midst of promising to judge his people for their unfaithfulness, the Lord offers a surprising word of hope.
Isaiah 27 foresees the exile of Israel and, beyond that, the time in which God will gather his people once again. Though...
