Hezekiah, in fear, appeals to the prophet Isaiah for a word
from the Lord concerning the boasts of the messengers of Sennacherib the king
of Assyria. Isaiah tells him not to fear
that the Lord has heard this nonsense and has things well under control. The messenger, the Rabshakeh, returns to find
Sennacherib dealing with a revolt in Libnah, a part of Judah that they thought
was under their thumb and then hears a rumor that the king of Cush was sending
aid to the Judeans. The Rabshakeh is
sent back to deliver the message again, there is no hope for you against us,
look at what has happened to all the other nations around you. Now, however, Hezekiah is able to stand firm
in the word of the Lord through Isaiah, at least for the moment. The king's prayer is powerful, you can hear
the mingling of fear of this mighty nation but also his ultimate confidence in
the Lord. He has done great things for
His people in the past and based on that, Hezekiah believes He is certainly
able to do so now. The only question is
"Will He?"
The Gospel lesson has two great stories of faith. The leper should never have approached Jesus
in this fashion, he was required to call out, "Unclean" lest anyone
come into contact with him. His coming
and kneeling before Jesus is itself a statement of faith. His humility and faith combine in his
statement, not a request, a statement, "If you will, you can make me
clean." Can you just see the smile
on Jesus' face at this man's faith when He says, "I will; be
clean." His command to see the
priests was in keeping with the Law that the priests had to examine the leper
to admit them to the fellowship of the community but Jesus meant more than
that, it was a testimony to Him for the priests who would surely ask what
happened. The centurion, a non-Jew,
shows similar faith in Jesus, believing that Jesus need only speak the word of
healing, He need not come to the house, His authority is great enough to extend
across space and time. This is the kind
of faith we are to have in Jesus, there is nothing too great for Him, but we
leave all things to His will, His sovereignty over all things.
Paul says he has no choice but to preach the Gospel. Rich Mullins wrote the Apostles' Creed into a
song and in it he put the chorus, "And I believe what I believe, Is what
makes me what I am, I did not make it, no it is making me, It is the very truth
of God and not The invention of any man."
Paul says he is under compulsion to preach, he can do no other, so he can
take no credit for what he does. He has
willingly submitted himself entirely to the will of God for his life, and his
only goal is to arrive at the end having run all the way to the finish line
just as the Lord wills. What could be
done through our lives, individually and corporately, if we were thus submitted
completely to His will? Would there be anything
that could stop us? We would need have
no fear and we would know that so long as He was with us His will would be
done. The church would be a mighty and
unstoppable force for building the kingdom on earth.
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