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Learning to live off of God’s Word for a lifetime.
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2013-2014
Devotional Series
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Week 33
(April 30 - May 6, 2014)
Wednesday Devotional
Charting the Territory: Chronological Bible Reading
Read 2 Kings 18:1-8; 2 Chronicles 29-31.
• What does 2 Kings 18:4 reveal about the spiritual climate in
Israel at the time of Hezekiah?
____________________________________________________
• What made Hezekiah different from all the kings before him
and after him (2 Kings 18:5)?
____________________________________________________
• How does 2 Chronicles 31:21 describe Hezekiah’s service to
the Lord?
____________________________________________________
• What was one of Hezekiah’s first acts as king (2 Chronicles
29:3)?
____________________________________________________
• What was Hezekiah’s explanation for the disarray that the
kingdom was currently in (2 Chronicles 29:4-9)?
____________________________________________________
• What did Hezekiah do after the temple was repaired and
cleaned?
____________________________________________________
What comment does the writer add about the speed at
which all of this took place (2 Chronicles 29:36)?
____________________________________________________
• What is the significance of Hezekiah’s actions in 2 Chronicles
30:1? Where were Ephraim and Manasseh (Northern or
Southern Kingdom)?
____________________________________________________ These two kingdoms were enemies of one another, and now
they united for a Passover Feast. This was a miracle of God.
• God used Hezekiah to bring about a great spiritual revival in
both kingdoms of Israel because Hezekiah was willing to
deal with sin and obey God. Could that be said of you right
now?
____________________________________________________
Wednesday Prayer Journal
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Things about God that caused me to worship Him today:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
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Sins that I confessed to God today:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
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Needs that I brought to God today:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
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Other leadings of God that I noticed today:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
Thursday Devotional
Charting the Territory: Chronological Bible Reading
Read 2 Kings 17; 18:9-37; 2 Chronicles 32:1-19; Isaiah 36.
• 2 Kings 17 is a sad passage. Who captured the northern
kingdom of Israel (2 Kings 17:6)?
____________________________________________________
• Verses 7-12 of 2 Kings 17 give us the reasons that God let
Israel be taken captive. What is the first specific sin
mentioned at the end of verse 7?
____________________________________________________ Why do you think that they feared these gods?
____________________________________________________
• Notice what else the writer points out in verse 9. In what
manner did the Israelites sin against the Lord by building high
places?
____________________________________________________ Notice that the writer states this fact in broad daylight, for all
the world to read for thousands of years: “they sinned
secretly.” Is any sin a secret to God?
____________________________________________________
Are there any “secret” sins in your life right now?
• What happened to the foreign settlers of Israel’s old land in
Samaria? Why (2 Kings 17:24-28)?
____________________________________________________
• What was the Assyrian Rabshekah trying to do by calling to
the people of Jerusalem in their own language (2 Kings
18:28-35)?
____________________________________________________
• What had Hezekiah commanded the people in 2 Kings
18:36?
____________________________________________________ Sometimes, the best response to the taunts of God’s
enemies is just to remain silent, and continue to trust the
Lord.
Thursday Prayer Journal
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Things about God that caused me to worship Him today:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
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Sins that I confessed to God today:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
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Needs that I brought to God today:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
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Other leadings of God that I noticed today:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
Friday Devotional
Charting the Territory: Chronological Bible Reading
Read 2 Kings 19; 2 Chronicles 32:20-23; Isaiah 37.
• These verses are some of my favorite verses in all the Bible.
In context of yesterday’s reading, why do you think that
Hezekiah refers to “the remnant that is left” in 2 Kings 19:4?
What had just happened to the northern kingdom of Israel?
____________________________________________________
• What does Sennacherib accuse the Lord of in 2 Kings
19:10?
____________________________________________________
• Why does Sennacherib think that he can conquer Judah and
her God (2 Kings 19:11-13)?
____________________________________________________ How does Hezekiah deal with this thought in his prayer to
the Lord (2 Kings 19:18)?
____________________________________________________
• Look at God’s answer to Hezekiah. Who is Sennacherib
really fighting against (2 Kings 19:22)?
____________________________________________________
• But what about the fact that Sennacherib had conquered all
of these other territories (2 Kings 19:22-23)? God answers
this in a masterful and beautiful way. How would you
summarize His response in 2 Kings 19:25-26)?
____________________________________________________
• God miraculously delivered His people. George Gordon
Byron captured this battle in a powerful poem:
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The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold,
And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold;
And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea,
When the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee.
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Like the leaves of the forest when Summer is green,
That host with their banners at sunset were seen:
Like the leaves of the forest when Autumn hath blown,
That host on the morrow lay withered and strown.
For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast,
And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed;
And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill,
And their hearts but once heaved, and for ever grew still!
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And there lay the steed with his nostril all wide,
But through it there rolled not the breath of his pride;
And the foam of his gasping lay white on the turf,
And cold as the spray of the rock-beating surf.
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And there lay the rider distorted and pale,
With the dew on his brow, and the rust on his mail:
And the tents were all silent, the banners alone,
The lances unlifted, the trumpet unblown.
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And the widows of Ashur are loud in their wail,
And the idols are broke in the temple of Baal;
And the might of the Gentile, unsmote by the sword,
Hath melted like snow in the glance of the Lord.
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Friday Prayer Journal
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Things about God that caused me to worship Him today:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
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Sins that I confessed to God today:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
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Needs that I brought to God today:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
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Other leadings of God that I noticed today:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
Saturday Devotional
Charting the Territory: Chronological Bible Reading
Read 2 Kings 20; 2 Chronicles 32:24-33; Isaiah 38-39.
• How does Hezekiah describe his walk before the Lord in 2
Kings 20:3?
____________________________________________________
• How quickly did the Lord answer Hezekiah’s prayer. Where
was Isaiah when the Lord answered (2 Kings 20:4)?
____________________________________________________
• Why do you think that Hezekiah showed off all of his riches
to the officials of Babylon?
____________________________________________________
• What did Isaiah predict would happen to Hezekiah’s wealth?
____________________________________________________
• How did Hezekiah comfort himself in the face of this news
What does God record him thinking (2 Kings 20:19)?
____________________________________________________
Meditate on this for a moment. Who was Hezekiah focused
on when he thought this: his children or himself? Also, take
note of the fact that not only your actions, but also your
thoughts are being recorded before the Lord.
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Saturday Prayer Journal
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Things about God that caused me to worship Him today:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
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Sins that I confessed to God today:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
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Needs that I brought to God today:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
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Other leadings of God that I noticed today:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
Sunday Devotional
Charting the Territory: Chronological Bible Reading
2 Kings 21:1-18; 2 Chronicles 33:1-20.
• What does God point out concerning Manasseh’s
wickedness in 2 Chronicles 33:2?
____________________________________________________
• What contrast do you see in 2 Chronicles 33:4? Hint: What
was the purpose of the altars?
____________________________________________________
• What happened when Manasseh was sent to Assyria (2
Chronicles 33:10-13)?
____________________________________________________
Read Isaiah 40.
• What do you think the theme of this chapter is (vs. 1)?
____________________________________________________
How does God go about doing this?
____________________________________________________
• What is the comfort which the herald is to shout to all the
cities of Judah (vs. 9).
____________________________________________________
Note this if you have not already. God is comforting His
downcast, discouraged people in this chapter, and He is
doing it by revealing Himself to them. Are you discouraged?
Ask God to reveal Who He is to you, and to show you His
character. The rest of the chapter is a sermon on the
greatness of God’s person and power.
• What does it mean to wait on the Lord in verse 31?
This root means to wait or to look for with eager expectation. It is used
for the wicked who make an attempt to destroy the life of the righteous
(Ps 56:6 [H 7]; 119:95). Waiting with steadfast endurance is a great
expression of faith. It means enduring patiently in confident hope that
God will decisively act for the salvation of his people (Gen 49:18). Waiting
involves the very essence of a person’s being, his soul (nepeš; Ps 130:5).
Those who wait in true faith are renewed in strength so that they can
continue to serve the Lord while looking for his saving work (Isa 40:31).
(Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament)
• What will happen to those who wait on the Lord?
____________________________________________________
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Sunday Prayer Journal
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Things about God that caused me to worship Him today:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
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Sins that I confessed to God today:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
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Needs that I brought to God today:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
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Other leadings of God that I noticed today:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
Monday Devotional
Charting the Territory: Chronological Bible Reading
Read Isaiah 41-43.
• The Lord speaks of a coming conqueror in Isaiah 41:2-4.
The reaction of the heathen nations is then seen in verses
5-7. They are scrambling to set up their idols to save them.
They have to nail them down so that they will not totter back
and forth. How does Judah differ from these nations?
____________________________________________________
• What are 5 statements and promises that God makes in
Isaiah 41:10?
____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
• In Isaiah 41:21-29, God addresses the heathen nations that
are Israel’s enemies. What does He challenge them and their
idols to do (verse 22)?
____________________________________________________
• While the nations scramble to answer God’s questions from
chapter 41, God calls our attention to His Servant in chapter
42. Who is God speaking of in 42:1-9? Look at verses 6-7. I
believe Simeon alludes to this verse in Luke 2:32. Who is he
holding at that time? Notice what verse 7 says this Person
will do.
____________________________________________________
• In verses 18-20, the Lord moves from speaking of the
Servant to speaking of his servant, Israel. This is why He
says that his servant is deaf and blind. What do you think
this means?
____________________________________________________
Have you ever been blind and deaf to spiritual things?
• What startling statement does God make in Isaiah 43:25?
What does He mean by this?
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
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Monday Prayer Journal
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Things about God that caused me to worship Him today:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
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Sins that I confessed to God today:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
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Needs that I brought to God today:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
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Other leadings of God that I noticed today:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
Tuesday Devotional
Charting the Territory: Chronological Bible Reading
Read Isaiah 44-47.
• In chapter 44, God makes a special promise in verse 3. Who
will God pour water upon? What does this mean (look at the
second part of the verse)?
____________________________________________________
• Who is God talking about in Isaiah 44:9?
____________________________________________________
God will now expand on this topic, showing how utterly
foolish these people are. What 3 things does the man in
God’s story do with the piece of wood?
____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________
• What does God say about the man’s heart and soul in verse
20?
____________________________________________________
• What is the contrast that God is pointing out in verse 21
when He says, “I have formed you”?
____________________________________________________
In 44:28, and 45:1, God mentions Cyrus by name. Who was
Cyrus (2 Chronicles 36:22)?
____________________________________________________
Keep in mind that Judah has not even gone into captivity to
Babylon yet! The Persians (Cyrus’ nation) conquered
Babylon after Babylon conquered Israel. A commentator
references Josephus, a first-century historian: Again Cyrus is named as the one whom God will use to deliver His
people from Babylon and to authorize the rebuilding of the temple.
Josephus, the Jewish historian, wrote: “Now Cyrus learned this (as to
building the Temple) by reading the book that Isaiah had left of his own
prophecies 210 years before … These things Isaiah foretold 140 years
before the Temple was destroyed. When Cyrus, therefore, had read
them, and had admired their divine character, an impulse and emulation
seized him to do what was written.” (Believer’s Bible Commentary)
• What invitation does God give in Isaiah 45:22? What does
He assure us will happen in verses 23-25? How will
someone be able to say, “Surely in [Jehovah] I have
righteousness and strength.”? Can you say this?
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
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Tuesday Prayer Journal
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Things about God that caused me to worship Him today:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
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Sins that I confessed to God today:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
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Needs that I brought to God today:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
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Other leadings of God that I noticed today:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________