AWAKE, ARISE, AND TRIUMPH
Monday – February 6, 2023, Sh’vat 15, 5783
DEAD MEN CANNOT PRAISE YOU
Good morning, good day, or good evening depending on when you are reading this and welcome back to this amazing Bible Study of the Bible Book of Isaiah. God is so good to give us His Word to guide us in every aspect of our lives. Yes, every aspect of our lives. Please take a moment and share this teaching as widely as possible by every means available to you. Thank you for sharing. The featured picture today is of the Governor’s Mansion in the State of Georgia to remind us of God’s commands and our responsibilities concerning those of authority in our lives.
1 Timothy 2:1-4 (TLB)
1 Here are my directions: Pray much for others; plead for God’s mercy upon them; give thanks for all he is going to do for them.
2 Pray in this way for kings and all others who are in authority over us, or are in places of high responsibility, so that we can live in peace and quietness, spending our time in godly living and thinking much about the Lord.
3 This is good and pleases God our Savior,
4 for he longs for all to be saved and to understand this truth:
Yes, even the politicians we pray for God’s mercy upon them. Like our Heavenly Father we don’t want anyone lost, we want all to be saved understanding the Truth. That does not mean we approve of or support unrighteous laws, speech, or activities. Prayer coupled with the appropriate physical actions will accomplish the will of God. We can shine and be the answer, God in us, to a failing and sick society. The darker it gets the more our light will shine and be needed.
Isaiah 60:1-3 (KJV)
1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.
2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.
3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.
Now let’s turn our attention to our primary Bible text in Isaiah and continue reading out loud.
Isaiah 38:17-22 (TLB)
17 “Yes, now I see it all—it was good for me to undergo this bitterness, for you have lovingly delivered me from death; you have forgiven all my sins.
18 For dead men cannot praise you. They cannot be filled with hope and joy.
19 The living, only the living, can praise you as I do today. One generation makes known your faithfulness to the next.
20 Think of it! The Lord healed me! Every day of my life from now on I will sing my songs of praise in the Temple, accompanied by the orchestra.”
21 (For Isaiah had told Hezekiah’s servants, “Make an ointment of figs and spread it over the boil, and he will get well again.”
22 And then Hezekiah had asked, “What sign will the Lord give me to prove that he will heal me?”)
You will recall that we are reviewing and studying a portion of King Hezekiah of Judea when Jerusalem was under siege and he became sick in the midst of it all. We discovered that his sin was pride and brought a curse upon him, his family, and the whole kingdom. Sin very seldom effects just us but many around about us. The sin, the pride, of Hezekiah brought calamity upon not only himself but the whole kingdom, repentance removed the wrath of God upon him and the whole kingdom.
2 Chronicles 32:24-26 (KJV)
24 In those days Hezekiah was sick to the death, and prayed unto the LORD: and he spake unto him, and he gave him a sign.
25 But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him; for his heart was lifted up: therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem.
26 Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the LORD came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah.
Back to our main text continuing to read out loud. This text is a recording of the writing of King Hezekiah about what transpired. An important aspect of studying Scripture is to understand who is speaking and who are they speaking too. For example, here it is King Hezekiah speaking and he is speaking to any listener. God is not speaking through him as we have seen many times with the Prophet Isaiah and others. He is speaking what he knows as the truth. All that is in the Bible is the truth, has a lesson, but it is not all The Truth. This is one example. King Hezekiah is recounting things as he saw them not as God saw them, at least in part. Looking at verse eighteen we understand that we are three part being and that our physical body pending the resurrection cannot praise God, but what about our spirit man? Could those spirits in the Bosom of Abraham Jesus talked about praise God? Yes, of course they could and I am sure they did particularly as they could see the torment of Hell.
By: Dr. David R. Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
2 Chronicles 20:20 b (KJV)
20 … Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.
Receive the blessing in Jesus’ name!
Numbers 6:24-26 (MSG)
24 GOD bless you and keep you,
25 GOD smile on you and gift you,
26 GOD look you full in the face and make you prosper.
PRAYERS AND QUESTIONS – please contact us and we will respond. Our goal is to build a solid foundation upon which children of God can become sons of God, stand and do exploits in Jesus’ name.
PARTNERSHIP AND GIVING – Those of you who are not Partners of this Ministry and you find this ministry to be of value to you and perhaps others with whom you share it, we ask you to consider becoming Partners. A Partner is one who prays for the Ministry on a regular basis and contributes to the Ministry on a regular basis (monthly, quarterly, annually). Thank you and may the Lord be pleased with your decision.
CONTACT E-MAIL: pastordavidwood@gmail.com
BLOG: https://awakeariseandtriumphministries.org
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/awakearisetriumphministries
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/PastorDavidWood
MAILING ADDRESS: 15007 Rock River Street, San Antonio, Texas 78247-3030
