2 Kings 19 & 20: Take Root Downward
Verse of the Day: (19:30) And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall yet again take root downward, and bear fruit upward. 

1. Rent (19:1-19)
And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD. (19:1)

King Hezekiah of Judah rent his clothes and prayed to God when he received news that King Sennacherib of Assyria was planning to invade them. He then consulted Prophet Isaiah through his servants as to how they could ride over this crisis. Isaiah encouraged them never to fear or be discouraged by the provocation and blasphemy from Rabshakeh, the representative of the King of Assyria, as God shall deliver Judah from them. Indeed, let us call upon God in all our crises, and He shall deliver us for His glory. (Psalms 50:15)

2. Root (19:20-37)
And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. (19:35)

God through Isaiah rebuked Judah that they had time and again rebelled against Him. However, for God’s sake, King David’s sake, and the faithful remnant who had taken root downward in their love for Him, and bear fruit upward for His glory, He shall again deliver them from their enemies. God then sent His angels, and destroyed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers, and the rest fled and dwelt at Nineveh. In Nineveh, Sennacherib was killed by his sons, and one of his sons, Esarhaddon, then became the King of Assyria. Amid this wicked world, let us be rooted in God’s love, and bear His fruit of love and peace by sharing the gospel that all may truly come to know Christ. (Ephesians 3:13-21)

3. Recover (20:1-21)
And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered. (20:7)

Hezekiah again prayed to God, but this time he was praying for God’s healing as he was dying. Though God through Isaiah told Hezekiah to set his house in order, and to prepare to anoint his successor, yet He extended another 15 years to him when Hezekiah wept and prayed to Him. Isaiah took a lump of figs and put it on his boil, and he recovered. As a sign of Hezekiah’s recovery, God actually slowed down the movement of the planets and let the shadow turned backward by 10 degrees. However, it was better that Hezekiah died, as the next 15 years, he sinned against God as he aligned himself with King Berodachbaladan of Babylon who invaded and defeated Judah. Indeed, only God knows best, and let us trust Him for both our physical and spiritual recovery. (2 Timothy 2:22-26)

Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please help me to be rooted and grounded in Your love for others.