DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR MONDAY AUGUST 3:
WORD OF WISDOM
I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.
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DAILY DEVOTION
You're Going to Shine
"When the LORD saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled her to conceive, but
Rachel remained childless..."
(Genesis 29:31, NIV)
In today's Scripture Leah and her sister, Rachel, were both married to
Jacob. Rachel was more beautiful, so Jacob didn't give Leah much time and
attention. I'm sure she felt like she was inferior, at a disadvantage, not
good enough. That doesn't go unnoticed. God sees every injustice, every
wrong, every tear. Leah went on to have four sons before Rachel had one.
Having a son in those days was a big deal. God was saying, "Leah, I'm giving
you sons who'll cause Jacob to notice you."
You may feel like someone else got all the good breaks, good childhood, good
looks, good personality. Don't worry, your time is coming. God has some
advantages for you that will cause you to stand out. You're not going to
always live in the shadow of somebody more talented, more beautiful, more
successful. God's going to cause you to shine. You're going to excel, you're
going to be known, you're going to leave your mark.
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DAILY BIBLE READING
2 Chronicles 32-33 New King James Version (NKJV)
Sennacherib Boasts Against the Lord
32 After these deeds of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and
entered Judah; he encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to win
them over to himself. 2 And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come, and
that his purpose was to make war against Jerusalem, 3 he consulted with his
leaders and [a]commanders to stop the water from the springs which were
outside the city; and they helped him. 4 Thus many people gathered together
who stopped all the springs and the brook that ran through the land, saying,
"Why should the [b]kings of Assyria come and find much water?" 5 And he
strengthened himself, built up all the wall that was broken, raised it up to
the towers, and built another wall outside; also he repaired [c]the Millo in
the City of David, and made [d]weapons and shields in abundance. 6 Then he
set military captains over the people, gathered them together to him in the
open square of the city gate, and gave them encouragement, saying, 7 "Be
strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of
Assyria, nor before all the multitude that is with him; for there are more
with us than with him. 8 With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the
Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles." And the people were
strengthened by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.
9 After this Sennacherib king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem (but
he and all the forces with him laid siege against Lachish), to Hezekiah king
of Judah, and to all Judah who were in Jerusalem, saying, 10 "Thus says
Sennacherib king of Assyria: 'In what do you trust, that you remain under
siege in Jerusalem? 11 Does not Hezekiah persuade you to give yourselves
over to die by famine and by thirst, saying, "The Lord our God will deliver
us from the hand of the king of Assyria"? 12 Has not the same Hezekiah taken
away His high places and His altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem,
saying, "You shall worship before one altar and burn incense on it"? 13 Do
you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of other
lands? Were the gods of the nations of those lands in any way able to
deliver their lands out of my hand? 14 Who was there among all the gods of
those nations that my fathers utterly destroyed that could deliver his
people from my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you from my
hand? 15 Now therefore, do not let Hezekiah deceive you or persuade you like
this, and do not believe him; for no god of any nation or kingdom was able
to deliver his people from my hand or the hand of my fathers. How much less
will your God deliver you from my hand?' "
16 Furthermore, his servants spoke against the Lord God and against His
servant Hezekiah.
17 He also wrote letters to revile the Lord God of Israel, and to speak
against Him, saying, "As the gods of the nations of other lands have not
delivered their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver
His people from my hand." 18 Then they called out with a loud voice in
[e]Hebrew to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten them
and trouble them, that they might take the city. 19 And they spoke against
the God of Jerusalem, as against the gods of the people of the earth-the
work of men's hands.
Sennacherib's Defeat and Death
20 Now because of this King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah, the son of
Amoz, prayed and cried out to heaven. 21 Then the Lord sent an angel who cut
down every mighty man of valor, leader, and captain in the camp of the king
of Assyria. So he returned shamefaced to his own land. And when he had gone
into the temple of his god, some of his own offspring struck him down with
the sword there.
22 Thus the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the
hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all others,
and [f]guided them on every side. 23 And many brought gifts to the Lord at
Jerusalem, and presents[g] to Hezekiah king of Judah, so that he was exalted
in the sight of all nations thereafter.
Hezekiah Humbles Himself
24 In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death, and he prayed to the
Lord; and He spoke to him and gave him a sign. 25 But Hezekiah did not repay
according to the favor shown him, for his heart was lifted up; therefore
wrath was looming over him and over Judah and Jerusalem. 26 Then Hezekiah
humbled himself for the pride of his heart, he and the inhabitants of
Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the Lord did not come upon them in the days
of Hezekiah.
Hezekiah's Wealth and Honor
27 Hezekiah had very great riches and honor. And he made himself treasuries
for silver, for gold, for precious stones, for spices, for shields, and for
all kinds of desirable items; 28 storehouses for the harvest of grain, wine,
and oil; and stalls for all kinds of livestock, and [h]folds for flocks. 29
Moreover he provided cities for himself, and possessions of flocks and herds
in abundance; for God had given him very much property. 30 This same
Hezekiah also stopped the water outlet of Upper Gihon, and [i]brought the
water by tunnel to the west side of the City of David. Hezekiah prospered in
all his works.
31 However, regarding the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, whom they
sent to him to inquire about the wonder that was done in the land, God
withdrew from him, in order to test him, that He might know all that was in
his heart.
Death of Hezekiah
32 Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and his goodness, indeed they are
written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, and in the
book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 33 So Hezekiah [j]rested with his
fathers, and they buried him in the upper tombs of the sons of David; and
all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem honored him at his death. Then
Manasseh his son reigned in his place.
Manasseh Reigns in Judah
33 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned
fifty-five years in Jerusalem. 2 But he did evil in the sight of the Lord,
according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had cast out
before the children of Israel. 3 For he rebuilt the [k]high places which
Hezekiah his father had broken down; he raised up altars for the Baals, and
made wooden images; and he worshiped all [l]the host of heaven and served
them. 4 He also built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord had
said, "In Jerusalem shall My name be forever." 5 And he built altars for all
the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. 6 Also he
caused his sons to pass through the fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom;
he practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft and sorcery, and consulted mediums
and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to
anger. 7 He even set a carved image, the idol which he had made, in the
[m]house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, "In
this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of
Israel, I will put My name forever; 8 and I will not again remove the foot
of Israel from the land which I have appointed for your fathers-only if they
are careful to do all that I have commanded them, according to the whole law
and the statutes and the ordinances by the hand of Moses." 9 So Manasseh
seduced Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the
nations whom the Lord had destroyed before the children of Israel.
Manasseh Restored After Repentance
10 And the Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they would not
[n]listen. 11 Therefore the Lord brought upon them the captains of the army
of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh with [o]hooks, bound him with
[p]bronze fetters, and carried him off to Babylon. 12 Now when he was in
affliction, he implored the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before
the God of his fathers, 13 and prayed to Him; and He received his entreaty,
heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom.
Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.
14 After this he built a wall outside the City of David on the west side of
Gihon, in the valley, as far as the entrance of the Fish Gate; and it
enclosed Ophel, and he raised it to a very great height. Then he put
military captains in all the fortified cities of Judah. 15 He took away the
foreign gods and the idol from the house of the Lord, and all the altars
that he had built in the mount of the house of the Lord and in Jerusalem;
and he cast them out of the city. 16 He also repaired the altar of the Lord,
sacrificed peace offerings and thank offerings on it, and commanded Judah to
serve the Lord God of Israel. 17 Nevertheless the people still sacrificed on
the [q]high places, but only to the Lord their God.
Death of Manasseh
18 Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, his prayer to his God, and the
words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of the Lord God of Israel,
indeed they are written in the [r]book of the kings of Israel. 19 Also his
prayer and how God received his entreaty, and all his sin and trespass, and
the sites where he built [s]high places and set up wooden images and carved
images, before he was humbled, indeed they are written among the sayings of
[t]Hozai. 20 So Manasseh rested with his fathers, and they buried him in his
own house. Then his son Amon reigned in his place.
Amon's Reign and Death
21 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned two
years in Jerusalem. 22 But he did evil in the sight of the Lord, as his
father Manasseh had done; for Amon sacrificed to all the carved images which
his father Manasseh had made, and served them. 23 And he did not humble
himself before the Lord, as his father Manasseh had humbled himself; but
Amon trespassed more and more.
24 Then his servants conspired against him, and killed him in his own house.
25 But the people of the land executed all those who had conspired against
King Amon. Then the people of the land made his son Josiah king in his
place.
Footnotes:
2 Chronicles 32:3 Lit. mighty men
2 Chronicles 32:4 So with MT, Vg.; Arab., LXX, Syr. king
2 Chronicles 32:5 Lit. The Landfill
2 Chronicles 32:5 javelins
2 Chronicles 32:18 Lit. Judean
2 Chronicles 32:22 LXX gave them rest; Vg. gave them treasures
2 Chronicles 32:23 Lit. precious things
2 Chronicles 32:28 So with LXX, Vg.; Arab., Syr. omit folds for flocks; MT
flocks for sheepfolds
2 Chronicles 32:30 Lit. brought it straight to (cf. 2 Kin. 20:20)
2 Chronicles 32:33 Died and joined his ancestors
2 Chronicles 33:3 Places for pagan worship
2 Chronicles 33:3 The gods of the Assyrians
2 Chronicles 33:7 Temple
2 Chronicles 33:10 obey
2 Chronicles 33:11 Nose hooks, 2 Kin. 19:28
2 Chronicles 33:11 chains
2 Chronicles 33:17 Places for pagan worship
2 Chronicles 33:18 Lit. words
2 Chronicles 33:19 Places for pagan worship
2 Chronicles 33:19 LXX the seers
