Saturday, March 6, 2010

Hezekiah

I've been procrastinating for the last two hours.  I need to write my Sunday School lesson on Hezekiah (2 Kings 18-20) some time in the next 11 hours.  I also need to sleep in that time, eat breakfast, iron clothes and get us all to church.

But I've been wasting time instead of writing.

I have an idea, though.  I have a map of the ancient middle east (a bit like this one).  I'll raid Nathan's game of Risk and steal some figures and use them to represent the scary Assyrian army that was moving through taking over everyone.  I'll talk about how Israel was already wiped out and how King Sennacherib had taken over most of the other countries in the region. 

Some questions.
Where do I start? With scarry King Sennacherib or with godly King Hezekiah, or with Joash from last week, or with the fall of Samaria?
What bits of the story do I draw out? If I want to paint Hezekiah as a good king, I need to draw out the ways in which he is like The Good King - Jesus.  In the Assyrian taunts I'm hearing hints of Psalm 2, 1 Samuel 17 and Matthew 27:43.  Hezekiah is like Jesus because he (mostly) trusted God to deliver him.  God vindicated his name and delivered Hezekiah from death at the hand of King Sennacherib.  Jesus was delivered through death as are we.  God will always vindicate his name.  The whole world will see that he is Lord. 
What is my take home message?  Hmmm.
Where do I finish?  I think I might finish where 2 Kings starts - with God's assessment of Hezekiah.  Pretty good.  8.5/10 I think.

No comments:

Post a Comment