Title: People with God (2 Kings 18:1-8)
Content Introduction: This text is a record of the choice and faith of Hezekiah, king of Judah.
King Hezekiah of Judah was the 12th king of Judah, succeeding his father, King Ahaz, and became king of Judah at the age of 25. He was blessed to rule in Jerusalem for 29 years.
Verse 7 of today's text says that Hezekiah prospered wherever he went.
This is probably the saying that Hezekiah, king of Judah, led the army and prospered wherever he went. This fact is recorded in verses 7-2-8 of the main text.
As a king who rules a country, when he overcomes the enemies, wouldn't that country prosper, enjoy stability and peace, and lead a prosperous life while earning the respect of the people as well as in 2 Chronicles 32:27:30? Verse 29 records the blessings I received as a result of God's blessings on me. 30 , and all my business prospered .
The secret of King Hezekiah's success was that he was with God, who had all the blessings. Verse 7 Besides King Hezekiah, God was with him, so the person who prospered was Joseph Genesis 39:2 , Joshua 6 Chapter 27 , 2 Samuel 5:10 , Moses 1:5:17 , etc. There are people who are young, etc. In this way, whoever is with God, all things will become splendid. Therefore, those who want to live a prosperous life must be with Hannah.
Then, who is the person God is with?
1 He who does what is right in the sight of the LORD.
In verse 3, verse 4, it says, “Hezekiah did what was right in the sight of the Lord, just as he had done all that David his father did.
As King Hezekiah did what was right in the sight of the Lord, like his father David, God was with him, and God was with him, and he prospered.
Among the kings of Israel, King David was famous for being honest in the sight of the Lord. How has God not blessed David like this?
But Solomon son of David was rejected because he was dishonest in the sight of the LORD, 1 Kings 11:33
Although it is easy for us to live honestly in front of people, it is difficult to live honestly in the sight of God. King David and Hezekiah did these difficult things, and God was with them.
Even we liars like honest people more than liars and rejoice to be with them. 1 Chronicles 29:17 says that God is pleased with the upright, Psalm 84:11 says that he will not spare good things for those who do uprightness, Isaiah 26:7 says that the way of the righteous is upright; the upright Lord You make the path smooth,
Like David and King Hezekiah, in order to become prosper with God, we must become honest people in the sight of the Lord.
2 He is with those who trust completely in God,
In verse 5, verse 6, we see that King Hezekiah relied on God, and among the kings of Judah before and after him, he relied on him to such an extent that there was none.
When you read these words, you can guess how severe his faith was. He thought that if he left his God, he would die and could do nothing.
God was with him like this.
Just as a parent cannot separate a child who knows how to die when they leave their parents, so God does not leave me alone with a believer in Jesus Christ. David, who defeated Goliath with five slingstones, completely depended on God, and God was with me, and therefore he was victorious. 1 Samuel 17:40:49
The army led by King Hezekiah also won every time he went to war, which was the result of his total dependence on God. If we look at the extent to which Hezekiah relied on God, it can be seen from the words of verse 6 that he was united with the Lord and did not depart.
The word unity here refers to a close relationship with God. It means being with God everywhere,
If we turn away from God, the Lord may not be with us. 2 Chronicles 15:2 says that if you are with the LORD, the LORD will be with you...
Therefore, in order to become prosperous because God is with us, we must unite with God and become those who depend entirely on Him.
3 He is with those who keep the commandments.
King Hezekiah kept the commandments that the Lord commanded Moses, and became a companion of God, v. 6b.
King Hezekiah kept the commandments he had given to Moses as a concrete sign of his dependence on God. Those who love and depend on God keep the commandments, but those who do not keep the commandments cannot.
The more we depend on and love God, the more we strive to keep the commandments and the better we keep them. Therefore, God is with those who keep the commandments. 3:24 , 1 Kings 11:38 ,
2 Chronicles 17:3:5 says the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he went in the first ways of his father David...but he spoke to his father's God and carried out his command, and did not follow the ways of Israel.
A physical father would like to be with him and give him help and praise if his child keeps his commandments, much less God would do that.
conclusion ; Now we summarize today's sermons.
Dear brothers and sisters, do you want your life to be prosperous? Then, let's become a person God can work with.
The person whom the Triune God is one
1, a person who walks honestly in the sight of God;
2, A person who does not depart from being united with God and completely depends only on God.
3, those who strive to keep the commandments of God,
I hope that you and I will work hard in the life of these saints and that God will be with them so that they will live a prosperous life for the rest of their lives.,