A major automobile company reached the pinnacle of success, more cars being sold worldwide than any other manufacturer, and then suddenly a catastrophe. What happened? They cheated. Smart, but not wise, people in the company figured out a way for the car to register compliance with government exhaust emission standards when in fact the car was not in compliance.

The commander of the Assyrian army stands just outside Jerusalem and addresses anyone who will listen. “I have a message for Hezekiah from the great king of Assyria,” he shouts. “Ask Hezekiah why he feels so sure of himself. Does he think he can plan and win a war with nothing but words?” (verses 4-5).

The king’s officials had asked him to speak in Aramaic, which they understood, but which was not well understood by the ordinary people.

Ever since Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, we have been a broken people. We make mistakes and bad decisions. But that shouldn’t keep us from seeking God and growing in our desire to live for him. King Hezekiah was no exception. He didn’t live a perfect life.

King Hezekiah falls seriously ill, so Isaiah encourages him to get his affairs in order. Filled with grief, the prophet turns toward the wall (perhaps the nearby temple) and pleads with God to save his ailing friend. The Lord answers Isaiah’s prayer and promises to give Hezekiah another fifteen years of life. The king is jubilant.

“Clear a path in the desert! Make a straight road for the Lord our God” (verse 3). If these words sound familiar, that’s because John the Baptist is recorded speaking them in the New Testament (Matthew 3:3 and John 1:23). And the message is clear through the ages: “The Lord is coming, so repent and prepare!”

Have you ever taken a sip of concentrated juice before the water has been added! Your taste buds explode because of the concentrate. These verses from James are like concentrate. Filled with wisdom to help you and me live a life that brings God and other people pleasure.

Psalm 34 is a wonderful salvation sermon song. In the original Hebrew text it’s arranged as an acrostic with all but the last verse beginning with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

Song (v.1-3). David wrote this psalm shortly after feigning insanity before Achish the Philistine king of Gath (cf. 1 Samuel 21).