About the Author of the Blogsite, Not the Author of the Bible::

About the Author of the Blogsite, Not the Author of the Bible: I was uncertain of how to accomplish this, mindful of Revelation 22:18-19, which says that nobody is to add to, or to take away from what was written in the Bible. After lots of prayerful contemplation, the Lord had it on my heart that I’m not to change the meaning of what is written in the Bible. He has also shown ways to add to people’s understating of that meaning, without altering the meaning, by putting that info within [brackets]. This is primarily accomplished with the KJV Bible and lots of prayers, but at times, BibleGateway.com, Biblehub.com, NIV Bible, Webster Dictionary, and other internet resources, as needed. Debra Seiling

About Understanding the Bible:

Understanding the Bible: After reading Isaiah 28:10 many times over the years and not totally understanding it, it recently became apparent to me that the Lord God has this passage as the means for understanding the Bible. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little. Isaiah 28:10 KJV. Being prayerful about this passage, and looking up 'precept' in the Webster's Dictionary, it gave this passage a whole new meaning, once 'commandment' is substituted for 'precept'. Within brackets are additional words the Lord had on my heart to aid in understanding the meaning. For commandment must be [built up] upon commandment; commandment upon commandment; line upon line, line upon line; [developing understanding] here a little, and there a little.

The Table Format:

The Table Format: I was overwhelmed with how to explain the process for determining if someone had leprosy in Leviticus 13, which seemed very complicated. After praying, "Lord, if this is difficult for me to understand after reading it many times, how can this be explained to others?" The thought the Lord God had on my heart was for me to put it into a vertical chart to visually see the process. This made it much easier for me to follow the progression. After doing so, I prayed, "Lord, how can this be conveyed to readers, so that they can understand this process?" The thought the Lord God had on my heart was to put it within the lines of a table. Being a stiff-necked, stubborn person, as it's often called in the Bible, I prayed, asking the Lord God if He's sure that's really what He wanted me to do? I reluctantly put Leviticus 13 into a table format. When I read this difficult leprosy process within a table format, it suddenly became easier for me to understand. That's because it builds line upon line, as explained in the Understanding the Bible section. Shortly after that, the Lord God had it on my heart, to put all of The Books of the Bible in Smaller Chunks within a table format, to aid in understanding, line upon line.

10/12/2023

2 Kings 18:1-37 No King of Judah Trusted the Lord Like Hezekiah Did

 

No King of Judah Trusted the Lord Like Hezekiah Did

2 Kings 18:1-37                              2 Kings [in Smaller Chunks]

Now, it [happened] in the 3rd year Hoshea [ruled, Elah's] son, king of Israel, that Hezekiah, [Ahaz's] son, king of Judah, began to [rule,] at 25 years old. He [ruled] 29 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abi, [Zachariah's] daughter. 

[Hezekiah] did [what] was right in the sight of the Lord [God,] according to all David, his [forefather] did. [Hezekiah] removed the high places & cut down the groves.

[Deuteronomy 12:2 You shall [totally] destroy all the places, [in which] the nations [that] you shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains & upon the hills & under every green tree.]

[Hezekiah broke] the images & [broke into] pieces the [brass] serpent Moses had made. For [until] those days, the children [people] of Israel [burned] incense to it & he called it Nehushtan.

None of the kings of Judah [either] before or after him, trusted in the Lord God of Israel like [Hezekiah did.] For [Hezekiah held tight] to the Lord & [didn't stop] from following him & kept [the Lord God's] commandments, [that] the Lord commanded Moses. 

The Lord was with [Hezekiah] & he prospered [wherever] he went [out.]

And [Hezekiah] rebelled against [Assyria's] king & [didn't] serve him. He [attacked] the Philistines [all the way] to Gaza & the borders [of it] from the [Watchman's] Tower to the fenced city.

And it [happened] in the 4th year king Hezekiah [ruled,] which was the 7th year Hoshea [ruled, who is Elah's] son & [Israel’s] king, that Shalmaneser, [Assyria's] king, came up against Samaria & [surrounded] it.

And at the end of 3 years, they [captured] it & in the 6th year Hezekiah [ruled,] that [was] the 9th year of [the rule of] Hoshea, [Israel's] king, Samaria was [captured.] 

And [Assyria's] king [carried] away [the Israelites] to Assyria & put them in Halah & in Habor by the River of Gozan & in the cities of the Medes, because they [didn't] obey the voice of the Lord, their God. 

But [the Israelites sinned against God's] covenant [contract] & all that Moses, the [Lord God's] servant commanded & wouldn't [listen to] them, nor do them. Now, in king [Hezekiah's] 14th year, Sennacherib, [Assyria's] king, [came up & fought] against all the fenced cities of Judah & [captured] them.

And Hezekiah, [Judah's] king, sent to the king of Assyria [at] Lachish, saying, I have [done wrong. Turn away & leave] from me [& I will pay you whatever you request] of me.

And [Assyria's] king [charged] Hezekiah, [Judah's] king, 300 talents of silver & 30 talents of gold. And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the Lord & in the [treasury] of the king's house.

At that time, Hezekiah cut off the gold [covering the temple's] doors & from the pillars, [that he] had overlaid & gave it to [Assyria's] king. And [Assyria's] king sent Tartan, Rabsaris & RabShakeh from Lachish & [sent them] to king Hezekiah with a [large army] against Jerusalem.

And [when] they came up to Jerusalem, they stood by the [aqueduct near] the Upper Pool, [that] is [by] the highway of the [Washerman's] Field. 

And when they called [out] to king [Hezekiah,] Eliakim, [Hilkiah's] son, [who] was over the household & Shebna, the scribe & Joah, [Asaph's] son, the recorder, came out to them.

And RabShakeh said to them, Now [say] to Hezekiah, The great king of Assyria [says this, On what do you base this] confidence [you have?] You [say,] I have [advice] & strength for war, (but they are [just worthless] words.)

On whom [do] you now trust now, that you [dare to] rebel against me?  [Look,] you trust upon Egypt, the [walking stick made from a] bruised reed, [that] if a man [leans on] it, [it will break] & will go into his hand & pierce it. 

Pharaoh, [Egypt's] king, [is like that] to all [who] trust in him. But if you say to me, We trust in the Lord, our God, [but aren't] they [God's] high places & altars Hezekiah has taken away & said to Judah & Jerusalem, You shall [only] worship [in front of] this altar in Jerusalem?

Therefore, I pray [that] you [make a deal with] my lord, [Assyria's] king & I will deliver 2,000 horses [to] you, if you [are] able [to have enough] riders to [put] on them. Then, how [can] you [disgust even] 1 captain of the least of my master's servants & put your trust [in] Egypt for chariots & horsemen?

[Have] I now come [to attack] & destroy this place without the Lord? The Lord said to me, Go up against this land & destroy it. Then, Eliakim, [Hilkiah's] son, Shebna & Jonah said to RabShakeh, I pray [that] you speak in the Syrian [language; because] we understand it.

[Don't] talk with us in the Jew's language [where] the people on the wall [can hear.] But RabShekeh said to them, Has my master sent me to [only] speak these words to your master & you?

[Hasn't] he [also] sent me [to speak to] the men [who] sit on the wall, [so] they may eat their own [feces] & drink their own [urine] with you? Then, Rabshekeh stood & cried [out] with a loud voice in the Jew's language, saying, Hear the [words] of [Assyria's] great king. 

The king says [this, Don't] let Hezekiah deceive you, for he won't be able to deliver you out of [Assyria's] hand. Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord, saying, Surely, the Lord will [certainly] deliver us & this city won't be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria. 

[Don't listen] to Hezekiah: for [Assyria's] king [says this,] Make an agreement with me & come out to me [with] a present & then, every man [will] eat his own vine & his fig tree & drink water [from] his [own well.]

[Don't listen] to Hezekiah when he persuades you saying, The Lord will deliver us. I come [to] take you away to a land like your own land. A land of corn, wine, oil, bread, vineyards, olive oil & honey, [so] you may live & not die. 

Have any of the gods of the nations delivered [their] land out of the king of [Assyria's] hand? Where are the gods of Hamath, Arpad, Sepharvaim, Hena & Ivah [a.k.a. Ivvah?] Have they delivered Samaria out of [my] hand? 

Who are they among all the gods of the countries & they [haven't] delivered their country out of [my] hand. [How shall] the Lord deliver Jerusalem out of [my] hand? But the people held their peace & [didn't] answer him a word: for king [Hezekiah] commanded, [Don't] answer him. 

Then, Eliakim, [Hilkiah's] son, [who] was over the household, Shebna, the scribe & Jonah, [Asaph's] son, the recorder, [went] to Hezekiah with their clothes [torn] [a sign of mourning]    came & told him the words of RabShakeh.