Shake and Bake (Time and Chance – Part 6)
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May 29, 2009"I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong... but time and chance happen to all" Ecclesiastes 9:11 "And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and struck in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies." 2 Kings 19:35 Jerusalem was surrounded by an undefeated army. Inside they were weakened unto death through starvation. Certainly the battle would go to the strong as it had so many times before. But there's a game changer here... Time and chance. I am talking about being in the right place at the right time or as was the case for the Assyrians, in the wrong place at the wrong time. Time and chance are under God's domain. He chooses if and when He will upset the apple cart or fill it with apples. All of our efforts can be undone in an instant or multiplied favorably beyond our comprehension. Remember the great catch of fish the disciples caught when they threw their nets on the other side? Time and chance is where God works anonymously. In the case of the Assyrians, Hezekiah, king of Judah, took the letter from the king of Assyria with all its vile threats to the house of the Lord where he spread it before the Lord and prayed - fervently. God heard and introduced a game changer. That night 185,000 Assyrians died in their sleep. Here is what likely happened... Jeremiah, a contemporary of Isaiah, prophesied how the Lord would raise up a destroying wind against those who would stand up against the Lord. (Jer 51:1) Though not specifically referring to the Assyrians, they certainly fell into that class. What you might not know is that there is a hot, dry wind called a Simoon that can raise the temperature and drop the humidity to such extremes that the body cannot release its heat. It is called a "poison wind" because of its suffocating clouds of dust and sand. One of these actually hit Santa Barbara, CA in 1859 bringing the local morning temperature from a comfortable 77 degrees to 133 degrees within about two hours. The temperature stayed in around 130 degrees for the majority of the day and left as quickly as it came leaving many animals dead and people fearing the end of the world had come. What would you think if it happened to you, especially as you saw the temperature climb past the eighties into the nineties, then past 110, 120, 130... in just 120 minutes and still climbing? Here is what I believe... The Angel of the Lord raised up a destroying wind and it wiped out 185,000 Assyrians. Those who had put their trust in God knew the destroying wind was the unseen hand of God. Those that didn't believe were destroyed. The great game changer, God Almighty cloaking Himself in "time and chance" to the unbelieving revealed Himself as a mighty deliverer to the people of God. The battle is not always to the strong, because time and chance do HAPPEN! If you need a game changer in your situation, you may want to follow Hezekiah's example.
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I do love this story about Hezekiah. His faith is so great, and his love of God so strong, that when he reads the letter from the Assyrian King he brings it to God and says listen to what these people are saying about you. They are mocking you.
vs 19 records Hezekiah's closing appeal to God
“So now, O LORD our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O LORD, are God alone.”” (2Kings 19:19 ESV)”
Save us, not because we deserve it, rather save us so that the world may know \"that you, O LORD, are God alone!
The Assyrians picked on the wrong guy!
To have the faith of Hezekiah!
Thanks again Michael for connecting the dots.
Peter at 5:43am EDT - May 29, 2009
There have also been instances of people and animals dying \"unexplainably\" by the release of CO2 (carbon dioxide) gas, which settles to the lowest point (i.e., in a valley), resulting in death by suffocation.
Ken Stewart at 9:51am EDT - May 29, 2009
We sure could use this.. it not only relates on a personal level.. but for our Nation..
Lyn at 11:29am EDT - May 29, 2009
Michael, Blessings, blessings, blessings to you.
Your post is so timely, I find.
Last week, I asked My Sunday School class to read both Hezekiah's and Elija's stories ( 2Chr. 32:1-22 and 2 Kings 6:8-23),for this very reason- 'how God can deal with the Senacheribs in our lives' - utterly teaching them a lesson and affirming not just the power of God's love in our lives but his willingness to deliver us from our challenges.
Wow!
Hal at 7:44pm EDT - May 29, 2009
Can anyone identify with the time and chance that happened to the Assyrians? Were they not also the children of God created in his image? So why did God destroy them to deliver Hezekiah and Israel? Was it because of what Hezekiah did in praying and showing God the letter of the Assyrian king and how it mocked God. No, I don' t think so. Hezekiah deserves no credit for showing God something he already knew. The underlying truth of this is that God is never mocked, whatsoever a man soweth that shall he reap.
So the Assyrians must have sowed some bad seed that brought the wrath of God upon them. This makes me look back over my life to determine if I have sowed any bad seed that would cause me to prepare to experience God' s wrath. Economically I feel I have been experiencing God' s wrath. My house is in foreclosure for the past year and last year I declared chapter 7 bankruptcy. But I do not feel I have experienced this because of any one bad seed that I have planted other than to have selfishly trusted in the free market system of U. S. capitalism rather than trusting in God' s kingdom market econcomy that is based upon sharing, honesty, release of debt and mutual respect of all other human beings who are all the children of God, created in his image. I know that now as God delivers me from my economic downfall, and he is, I will give him all the glory because I now know that no flesh shall glory in his presence. Amen
Two months ago, the Veterans Administration deposited $27500 into my checking acount out of the clear blue. I did not find out why until the following day when I received the notice from the Veterans Administration that my medical disability pay for my service connected hearing loss and diabetes had been approved and backdated to 2004. Now I will be getting 50% disability pay for the rest of my life. This coupled with my SS retirement and the rent for my rental house means I can retire and not have to work any more. However I do intend to continue teaching in the public school system and to practice real estate as a real estate broker. For me this has been a miracle of miracles and I give God all the glory.
Kingdom blessings,
David Thompson
David Thompson at 9:11pm EDT - May 29, 2009
I praise God for what He has done in David T's life.. this so encouraged me... yesterday in prayer the Lord told me I now have a clean slate.. many years of waiting on His will...I am just beginning to see all that He has for me.. just by reading what He has done in Davids life and how He moved...... God is Good all the time.. it is our miss inturpretation of the word GOOD.. that gets us into trouble..
Lyn at 10:45am EDT - June 2, 2009