Pardon My Interruption: Craig's Thoughts About This And That
These green apples are now in season. They are grown in the northernmost area of the country in the Golan Heights by Druze famers. Something like 70% of Druze farmers produce apples.
This year, like last, about 1/5 of the apple harvest will be shipped to Syria, which helps keep the apple prices from falling too low in Israel, and some hope it will raise the possibility of peace with Syria.
I’m more confident the former is more likely to be accomplished than the latter.
Many of our friends in the USA worry about our safety here in Israel. Seemingly, every news report from Israel is one that gives them cause to worry that there is “war going on everywhere.”
For those who are worried about us, please take a close look at the above photo. The three ladies in the photo are soldiers in the Border Guard of the Israel Defense Forces.
Soldiers like them are stationed at all the main entrances of the main market in Jerusalem, and preventing terrorists from entering the market is their objective. I’m not going to unfold all the security strategies implemented in that job, but I will make this observation: playing the scratch and lose lottery isn’t one of their authorized strategies.
I gather from their lack of attention to who is coming and going in the market that they have not received any security warnings, and that they are fairly relaxed about the overall security situation in Jerusalem at this time. However, they may just be bad soldiers. I’m hoping the former and not the latter is the case.
It is clear that Hezekiah feared for his life and the life of the kingdom of Judah. And like most others would have done, he asked God to rescue him. However, unlike many, his motivation wasn’t self preservation.
Let’s analyze his prayer.
First, he acknowledges the serious physical threat that Assyria poses: “It is true, O LORD, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands. (2 Kings 19:17)”
Second, he distinguishes between Yahweh and the gods of those defeated nations: “They [the Assyrians] have thrown their [the defeated nations’] gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by men’s hands. (vs. 18)”
Finally, he begs God to deliver Israel not for his well being, but for God’s glory: “Now, O LORD our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O LORD, are God. (vs. 19)”
In this case, God chose to answer Hezekiah’s prayer favorably, and Jerusalem was spared.
We’ve all heard someone dead pan: “I’ve got some good news and some bad news; which do you want to hear first?”
Isaiah’s first short word from the LORD to Hezekiah followed the good news bad news pattern. See 2 Kings 19:7.
The good news for Hezekiah:”I am going to put such a spirit in him [Sennacherib] that when he hears a certain report, he will return to his own country [Assyria].” In other words, God will sovereignly turn Sennacherib’s attention elsewhere so that Sennacherib will not destroy Jerusalem.
The bad news for Sennacherib: “I will have him [Sennacherib] cut down with the sword.” In other words, not only will the LORD turn Sennacherib’s attention away from Jerusalem, but the LORD will bring him down.
Isaiah will have more to say later, but for now, this will have to be sufficient to encourage Hezekiah.
