Day 53 ~ Don't show all your treasures to the enemy!

• Isaiah 28:10 - this is how I feel the reading challenge is - "precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little.”
• 29:1 - Jerusalem is referred to as Ariel. I don't recall that name for the city.
• Chapter 36 - what Isaiah has been going on about for at least 8 chapters has finally begun. Sennacherib of Assyria besieges Jerusalem during the 14th year of Hezekiah's reign. We know from 2 Kings that 7 years earlier Hezekiah had begun to pay money to Assyria to keep them away - and we see that didn't last long. But we know that this will not be the end of Judah, for they are taken away captives by the Babylonians.
• Chapter 37 makes a big switch over from poetry to history.
• 37:4 - remnant. Which remnant? The southern kingdom that is left now that the northern kingdom has been taken captive by Assyria before the reign of Hezekiah in Judah? Those that are left behind as the Babylonians move the captives out of Jerusalem in stages? Those who return to Jerusalem with the king of Persia's blessing?
• 37:36-37 into chapter 38 - see what some serious, fervent prayer can do? It gets 185,000 Assyrians killed, seemingly without Judah raising a finger. It adds 15 years to Hezekiah's life.
• Sennacherib returns home to Ninevah in defeat and is welcomed home to be killed by his own sons.
• The Assyrians and this whole scenerio have to play a role in the story of Jonah. Guess we'll find out in about 12 days.
• Wonder if figs are part of modern medicine's treatment of boils? 38:21
• We get the third telling of Hezekiah's stupid move of showing off all the treasures of the kingdom to the nice new king of Babylon; soon to be the future ruler of Judah. Hezekiah's response to Isaiah's prophesy of Babylon's conquering of Judah? "At least I won't have to deal with it"

Chapter 40 is to be the break where we begin to tell of the coming messiah. Right off the bat I see a reference to Luke chapter 3.

• 40:22 - the earth is described as a circle.
• 40:31 - "But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint."
• 41:2, 25 - ruler from the East, North - Persia? A future ruler even past our time?
• 42 - a passage for us - the Servant of God, His elect one, with the Spirit upon him (Jesus) will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. The days of the closed club only for the Jewish chosen by God is going to have it's doors opened.