TIME OF TESTING (8 OF 8)
by Jeff Strite
Scripture: 2 Chronicles 32:24-33
This content is part of a series.
Time of Testing (8 of 8)
Series: Getting There
Jeff Strite
2 Chronicles 32:24-33
OPEN: A man spoke of one of the most challenging courses he'd had at his college as being a business law class in which the professor gave difficult true/false tests. ''During one of the more exasperating exams, I noticed another student flipping a coin. The professor approached him. 'Son are you guessing on this test?' he asked.
'No sir,' replied the student. 'I'm just checking my answers.'''
APPLY: When I was in college it was a fact of life that you'd be given tests. There were essay tests, true and false tests, fill in the blank tests… and I got to the point where I knew which teachers would give what kind of tests - and I'd study accordingly.
The purpose of tests was to find out how much I (and others in class) had learned. But, for the most part, they were never fun. They were just part of college life.
Now, here we have the story of Hezekiah.
II Chronicles 32:32 tells us God put him to the test… but the closer I looked at his life, the more I realized that this was only one of many tests God had Hezekiah take.
We often get the impression that when we belong to God, the road will be smooth. Kind of like getting in our car and driving down a superhighway with no obstacles in sight. But in reality, life with God is often more like the roads we encounter around here… road work, detours, and delays that drive us to distraction. That's because God tests us. He challenges our faith on occasion. In the same way, Hezekiah's faith was constantly being tested and challenged.
In Deuteronomy 13 the Israelites were instructed to watch any prophet or ''dreamer of dreams'' very closely to make sure that such individuals would not try to lead them astray with heretical teachings. Then it says the oddest thing: ''you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all you ...
Series: Getting There
Jeff Strite
2 Chronicles 32:24-33
OPEN: A man spoke of one of the most challenging courses he'd had at his college as being a business law class in which the professor gave difficult true/false tests. ''During one of the more exasperating exams, I noticed another student flipping a coin. The professor approached him. 'Son are you guessing on this test?' he asked.
'No sir,' replied the student. 'I'm just checking my answers.'''
APPLY: When I was in college it was a fact of life that you'd be given tests. There were essay tests, true and false tests, fill in the blank tests… and I got to the point where I knew which teachers would give what kind of tests - and I'd study accordingly.
The purpose of tests was to find out how much I (and others in class) had learned. But, for the most part, they were never fun. They were just part of college life.
Now, here we have the story of Hezekiah.
II Chronicles 32:32 tells us God put him to the test… but the closer I looked at his life, the more I realized that this was only one of many tests God had Hezekiah take.
We often get the impression that when we belong to God, the road will be smooth. Kind of like getting in our car and driving down a superhighway with no obstacles in sight. But in reality, life with God is often more like the roads we encounter around here… road work, detours, and delays that drive us to distraction. That's because God tests us. He challenges our faith on occasion. In the same way, Hezekiah's faith was constantly being tested and challenged.
In Deuteronomy 13 the Israelites were instructed to watch any prophet or ''dreamer of dreams'' very closely to make sure that such individuals would not try to lead them astray with heretical teachings. Then it says the oddest thing: ''you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all you ...
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