Tag: prayed to the Lord

3.g. But Hezekiah did not make return according to the benefit done to him, for his heart was proud.

2 Chronicles 32:24  In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death, and he prayed to the Lord, and he answered him and gave him a sign. But Hezekiah did not make return according to the benefit done to him, for his heart was proud. Therefore wrath came upon him and Judah and Jerusalem. But Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the Lord did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah.

And Hezekiah had very great riches and honor, and he made for himself treasuries for silver, for gold, for precious stones, for spices, for shields, and for all kinds of costly vessels; storehouses also for the yield of grain, wine, and oil; and stalls for all kinds of cattle, and sheepfolds. He likewise provided cities for himself, and flocks and herds in abundance, for God had given him very great possessions. This same Hezekiah closed the upper outlet of the waters of Gihon and directed them down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works. And so in the matter of the envoys of the princes of Babylon, who had been sent to him to inquire about the sign that had been done in the land, God left him to himself, in order to test him and to know all that was in his heart.

Deuteronomy 32:6    Do you thus repay the LORD, you foolish and senseless people? Is not he your father, who created you, who made you and established you?

Luke 17:17-18    Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine?  Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”

1 Peter 5:5-6     Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”  Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,

Daniel 5:20    But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him.

Ezekiel 28:5    by your great wisdom in your trade you have increased your wealth, and your heart has become proud in your wealth

Psalms 116:12-13   What shall I render to the LORD for all his benefits to me?  I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD,

Sections from Compelling Truth on pride;  In 1 John it says; “For everything in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life–comes not from the Father but from the world.”  Pride is a sinful, arrogant, haughty, insolent, self-reliant attitude or spirit that causes a person to have an inflated or puffed up view of themselves.  In this pride, the proud do not have a correct or sober estimation of themselves, their abilities or their positions. Proverbs says;  “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”

Conversion (born again) and baptism are not a guarantee against the temptation to pride. Even the apostle Paul was given a mysterious thorn in his side to keep him from becoming proud. We must be reliant and dependent on God for our strength if we are to keep from falling into this ever enticing trap.  As we grow in knowledge, understanding, and yielding to God’s leading resulting in good deeds, we can be tempted to glory in ourselves. Likewise, when God blesses us with health, prosperity, and wisdom there is tempting to claim this as if our own working and effort accomplished it.  In times of blessings, we need awareness that only the Holy Spirit can give to keep us from yielding to the temptation of pride.  We must be constantly alert and on guard against the temptation to pride, self-reliance, and self-righteousness. It is not by our own strength but by the power of the Holy Spirit working in and through us that we are able to imitate Christ’s humility and thereby love and serve God, our neighbors, our brothers and sisters in Christ, and even our enemies. Pride is focused inward on loving and serving oneself, Spirit-filled love is directed outward toward loving and serving God and others.

91. Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord,

Judges 13:1   Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, so the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years.

A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was childless, unable to give birth. The angel of the Lord appeared to her and said, “You are barren and childless, but you are going to become pregnant and give birth to a son. Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean. You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”

Then the woman went to her husband and told him, “A man of God came to me. He looked like an angel of God, very awesome. I didn’t ask him where he came from, and he didn’t tell me his name. But he said to me, ‘You will become pregnant and have a son. Now then, drink no wine or other fermented drink and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite of God from the womb until the day of his death.’”

Then Manoah prayed to the Lord: “Pardon your servant, Lord. I beg you to let the man of God you sent to us come again to teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born.” God heard Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman while she was out in the field; but her husband Manoah was not with her. The woman hurried to tell her husband, “He’s here! The man who appeared to me the other day!” Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he said, “Are you the man who talked to my wife?” “I am,” he said. So Manoah asked him, “When your words are fulfilled, what is to be the rule that governs the boy’s life and work?” The angel of the Lord answered, “Your wife must do all that I have told her. She must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, nor drink any wine or other fermented drink nor eat anything unclean. She must do everything I have commanded her.” Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, “We would like you to stay until we prepare a young goat for you.” The angel of the Lord replied, “Even though you detain me, I will not eat any of your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, offer it to the Lord.” (Manoah did not realize that it was the angel of the Lord.) Then Manoah inquired of the angel of the Lord, “What is your name, so that we may honor you when your word comes true?” He replied, “Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding.” Then Manoah took a young goat, together with the grain offering, and sacrificed it on a rock to the Lord. And the Lord did an amazing thing while Manoah and his wife watched: As the flame blazed up from the altar toward heaven, the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame. Seeing this, Manoah and his wife fell with their faces to the ground. When the angel of the Lord did not show himself again to Manoah and his wife, Manoah realized that it was the angel of the Lord. “We are doomed to die!” he said to his wife. “We have seen God!” But his wife answered, “If the Lord had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and grain offering from our hands, nor shown us all these things or now told us this.” The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson. He grew and the Lord blessed him, and the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him while he was in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

Another time in history when the Israelites fell away and were given into the hands of oppressors. This time for forty years.  Forty years!!  Can you imagine the change in their way of life? They were living in blessings from God and chose to disregard Him.  They chose to do what seemed right in their own eyes. They chose to walk down paths apart from God.  They chose to stop seeking to do that which pleased Him and honored Him.

Our lives are directly influenced by the choices we make.  If we choose to spend time for our own self-interest (apart from God) the culture we live in will dictate and influence our choices.  How does this happen?  How does this choice even find a place in our minds?

Do you ever find yourself neglecting God’s word for a day?  Do you ever find yourself at the end of the day where you have not sought out God leading, not sought to see His how you might serve Him, honor Him, worship Him, glorify Him, follow Him, obey Him?  This path always starts with that first day of neglect and complacency.  Can you imagine what it would be like if God gave you over to 40 years of oppression of trials and troubles so overwhelming that everyday life was a burden because you chose to live your life apart from Him?

Examine your life.  Examine how much time you spend in His word, not to just read it, but with a heart, soul and mind desire to learn of Him and how to honor Him through obedience, reliance, and humble submission. Leave no room for self-interests, cultural influences, and satan to guide you on a path apart from God.