Psalm 102; 2 Kings 19:1-20; 1 Cor. 9:16-27; Matt. 8:1-17
The king of Assyria continues to mock the Jews and their God. He promises yet again that he will destroy Jerusalem and the people with the city. Hezekiah is dismayed when he first hears of this threat and sends his counselors to see Isaiah the prophet. Isaiah speaks peace, the Lord has heard and spoken to Isaiah concerning this matter. When the second threat comes, Hezekiah goes himself to pray before the Lord, affirming that He alone is the Lord, the gods of the other nations the Assyrians have overrun are not gods at all, and implores the Lord to act for the glory of His Name. The Lord acts in accordance with Hezekiah’s prayer so that the nations who have been destroyed will know that Israel’s God is the only true God, capable of turning back this fierce nation.
Jesus heals many, beginning with a leper. The story of the leper is brief but incredibly tender. As Jesus finishes teaching He comes down to find crowds following Him and a leper comes before Jesus and kneels. This man would have risked contaminating everyone, he was required to shout, “Unclean, unclean” as he approached people in order that they might avoid any possibility of contact with him lest they become ritually unclean and disallowed from the temple and, more than that, contract leprosy from him. In the next story, Jesus heals the centurion’s servant without ever seeing the servant so we know that Jesus can speak healing and it will be as He speaks. Here, with this leper, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched the man to heal him. Human contact was the one thing this man had not enjoyed during the entirety of his affliction and Jesus touched the man. He didn’t have to do that but He surely knew how important it would be for this particular man. Even this would have been not only a tender moment but a teaching moment as well, no one but God alone could transmit cleanliness to an unclean person or thing, it was non-transferable. Hmmm.
Paul says that he is free to make choices about how he exercises his apostleship because it is not from men that he has received it but from the Lord. He is, therefore, free to be and do whatever he needs to do in order to share the Gospel. He is beholden to no one other than the Lord. He looks to no man for approval, only the Lord. His only goal is to share in the blessing of the Gospel, the salvation of those who receive it. Paul is concerned with one thing only, pleasing the Lord in his life. Paul knows the secret, that we are not to be people-pleasers, we do what we do for an audience of one, the one of whom Hezekiah says, (you are)” enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth.”
Praise Him for His grace and favor
To our fathers in distress.
Praise Him still the same as ever,
Slow to chide, and swift to bless.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Glorious in His faithfulness.
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