The Living (Quality: good)

[0:00] Trusting the Lord may help us, let us turn to the prophecy of Isaiah, chapter 38 and verse 19.

[0:15] The prophecy of Isaiah, chapter 38 and verse 19. The living, the living, he shall praise thee as I do this day.

[0:33] The father to the children shall make known thy truth. The living, the living, he shall praise thee as I do this day.

[0:47] The father to the children shall make known thy truth. I want to try as help to look at those two words, the living.

[1:03] Each one of us enjoys life, naturally speaking.

[1:22] But there is that which is in these words that is outside and beyond the life that is by nature.

[1:39] Because we have recorded here concerning Hezekiah, the living, the living, he shall praise thee as I do this day.

[1:57] And who can praise the Lord rightly, truly, except it is heartfelt praise.

[2:11] And how can a heart that is a stone, for such is the heart by nature, know that which is needful to bring forth praise, for it cannot feel, it cannot know.

[2:30] And more, the carnal mind is enmity to God and cannot know these things. So that when the prophet here records those words of Hezekiah, the living, the living, he shall praise thee as I do this day.

[2:56] He speaks of that which he himself has been taught, that which he has proved. And he now follows with those experiences, and upon those teachings with heartfelt praise.

[3:17] And it is a remarkable thing that he gives unto us, the cause for heartfelt praise.

[3:34] In the 17th verse we read, Behold, for peace I had great bitterness, but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption, for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.

[3:58] If the Lord brings you and me into the experience of those things, like Hezekiah, we shall say, He shall praise thee as I do this day.

[4:15] And I want to try as help to look at some of those things that are recorded concerning Hezekiah, that we might see the pathway in which the Lord brought him and led him to this wondrous place.

[4:42] It is a wondrous place to be motivated of the Holy Spirit of God, to show forth His praise.

[4:58] When we read in the book of Kings in Isaiah, and also in Chronicles, we understand that Hezekiah was a gracious man, though he was young in years when he came to the throne, for he was 25 when he began to reign.

[5:29] And he reigned 29 years in Jerusalem. And we have to deduct from those 29 years, the 15 years that the Lord added to him, from that time when he was sick to death.

[5:45] So he was 39, when the Lord brought him into that pathway, wherein he walked in bitterness, bitterness, as he mentioned in that verse.

[6:02] He was but a young man then. But even at 25, the word says concerning him that he did not follow the way of his father Ahaz, for Ahaz did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.

[6:27] But Hezekiah removed the high places and break the images and cut down the groves and break in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made.

[6:39] For unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it. He had a zeal and a love toward the things of God.

[6:54] And in the book of the Chronicles it tells us that he opened up the temple which his father Ahaz had closed. And he gathered together the Levites and the priests.

[7:07] And he encouraged them to sanctify themselves that they might attend once again to the ordinances of the temple worship to serve God as Moses and Aaron had commanded.

[7:28] And then we read these things concerning his character. He trusted in the Lord God of Israel for he clave to the Lord.

[7:41] And departed not from following him but kept his commandments. And the word says and the Lord was with him.

[7:53] He was a man very favored. A man who loved the things of God had a concern and an interest for his people and their well-being.

[8:10] for it's evident that he believed that which was written concerning obedience and blessing and rebellion and judgment.

[8:27] He did not encourage Israel Judah to follow after the idolatrous practices his fathers but rather to serve the Lord in meekness in godly fear.

[8:50] And we know that the king of Assyria came against Judah and Jerusalem and made many threatenings against it.

[9:08] And he sent his servants and they ridiculed the faith that Hezekiah had in the Lord God of Israel.

[9:20] And they blasphemed the name of the Lord. They terrified the people and we read that they sent letters also and we know that Hezekiah went and spread the letter before the Lord.

[9:42] So in addition to those things that we read that he trusted he claimed unto the Lord he departed not and kept his commandments. It was not only in times when Judah was at peace that he continued but in times of great trial also he had a tender conscience he had a faith in God's ability to deliver he was exercised often times in prayer we know that he was favoured with promises and he was favoured to see them fulfilled a gracious character and yet it is apparent from what he has to say that the

[10:48] Lord led him in deep paths deep waters that he might know and understand and experience things hitherto unknown and we may say well surely if a man has this testimony written concerning himself in God's own word that he trusted that he claimed that he departed not that he kept his commandments he was zealous he was tender in conscience he waited upon the Lord he saw many deliverances surely these are sufficient tokens for him to rest upon of his part and his lot in God's love and purposes in grace well in the 38th chapter of

[11:51] Isaiah from which we have taken those words the living in the 16th verse Isaiah writing after he was recovered from that sickness unto death says before the Lord O Lord by these things men live and in all these things is the life of my spirit now it's evidently that there are some things these deep matters wherein it was proved to Hezekiah alone abode life we know that the

[12:53] Lord sent the prophet unto him when he was sick and commanded him to set his house in order for thou shall die and not live 39 years old sellers for God's house for God's people for his truths for his ways it is written concerning bloody and deceitful men they shall not live out half their days and I wonder if Hezekiah thought upon such things why why and at this time why in these circumstances and I'm sure there will be those round about him who say well look what you've done look look how you've tried could you have done any more but when the sentence of death was passed upon him he couldn't find any comfort in what he had done he couldn't find any comfort in those that surrounded him who no doubt tried to assure him of this and that matter and bring their own comforts from their own words and their own hearts and that it was so is evident because the word of

[14:40] God says that Hezekiah turned to the wall if we are in our own room in solitude and our bed is there our friends come in our loved ones from the door and we see them and look upon them but you know when we turn to the wall we shut all of them out the view of them and of their presence is no more and I believe that we see in these things that Hezekiah was brought to that place when the comforts of men the comforts of what he had done of works was of no avail was no help to him and he turned his face to the wall and prayed it's a wonderful thing in truth if the

[16:07] Lord brings us into those places where we can find no comfort in ourselves or in any other creature and our soul's desire and needs are such that we go unto the Lord alone desirous of nothing else but the word of his mouth and from his mouth to know his mercy to know his compassion to prove his love we know that Hezekiah not only prayed but he wept sore he was grieved it was a bitter thing unto him not only was he comparatively young but he had no heir and no doubt he would have thought as most men do how nice it would be if I were granted the favour of a son who should follow me and follow him these ways and

[17:29] Israel should know peace and quietness and blessing that the attention of the nation should be continually toward the Lord God the Lord God of Israel because we read that when Hezekiah died after 29 years upon the throne his son Manasseh was 12 so it was three years after this time that his son was born and no doubt this again was a matter of concern and grief and the word says he turned his face to the wall and prayed and wept sore how the Lord brought him into these things and his testimony is this by these things men live what is it that underlies the experience through which

[18:40] Hezekiah has passed well I believe it is so in the experience of many that they are favoured with a tender heart they have a love for God's truth and for his ways they find blessing and comfort and access in prayer the promises are precious and sweet unto them and they find the fulfilment of them by God's grace and mercy but it seems a remarkable thing that Hesekiah says the living the living he shall praise thee as I do this day and the implication is that he praised in such a way as he had never praised before that day we can be content with that which is not so deep as the

[20:13] Lord will have it to be in his grace and mercy in the spiritual experience of his people we surely see in the world at large a contentment with a superficial religion that which is without depth but it pleases almighty God to bring his children into those paths and into those places those deep places prayers where they sing praise from the heart not superficially not in ignorance not unwisely but as a consequence of his dealings with them to bring them into the deep things of the love of

[21:13] God in Christ Jesus the Lord when you consider that which was said unto Hezekiah thou shalt die and not live I suppose like every other man ultimately he could look forward only to death as all his fathers had but the sentence of death came from the Lord's own mouth and it wasn't only applied and understood in his head in his natural understanding it evidently entered into his conscience and I believe that this is the difference between knowing truth in our judgment and knowing it as the

[22:20] Lord will have his people to know it in their consciences in their hearts affections because it is as we know those truths in our consciences and in our hearts affections that we alone can praise him truly we have to be brought off every other matter of every other thought of every other hope that we might cleave unto Jesus only the apostle in the epistle to the corinthians says that we had the sentence of death in ourselves.

[23:20] In the eighth chapter of Romans we read to be carnally minded is death. Now every one of us is carnally minded.

[23:38] There isn't one man that can say he has not a carnal mind and thereby death is the consequence and that sentence of death is from God's own mouth.

[23:56] And dear friend we may have all our lives attended the means of grace. We may be familiar with all other scriptures in some measure.

[24:08] We may have done many things that gain perhaps the approval of men.

[24:22] We may have often times been found in prayer waiting upon the Lord. We may have had promises fulfilled unto us.

[24:33] But dear friend except we are brought to know the truth of God in our conscience and in our heart's affections we are not deeply taught and neither can we give praise as from the heart.

[24:55] to know the truth in our judgment is a very different matter from knowing it in the conscience. I can look back to my youth and there were many many things of God's word which I could repeat and find something sweet and precious in it.

[25:31] And yet subsequently it is proved that these things were only known in the natural understanding and the natural judgment.

[25:42] moment but when the Lord shows us ourselves you see when Hezekiah was confronted with a sentence of death he was caused to stop he was caused to consider and the truth of God's word entered in not only to His head so that His mind was aware of what God has said in truth and in righteousness but His conscience was afflicted bowed down under the truth.

[26:33] You may say well He was a gracious man He acted in this way and He acted in that way. Dear friend none of His actions can save His soul and none of your actions can save your soul nothing but Jesus precious blood can save no sins are washed away by what we've done all the volume of the zeal that we have put forth from time to time the hymn writer says and the Lord brings us to know it and to prove it my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus' name on Christ the Lord brings us into the deep pathways that we might be severed from all other ways all other hopes from all works from every aspiration that rises in the heart of the creature to look unto Christ you know it's a wondrous measure of God's love if he so brings us into deep places and teaches us what we are in and of ourselves and the sentence of death weighs upon our consciences and we have to say if ever my poor soul be saved tis Christ must be the way but oh how safe a place that is for that man lives and we read in

[28:28] God's word the living the living he shall praise thee as I do this day because he praises as from the heart all the affections of his heart go out unto the great mercies of almighty God that have been manifested but that he now enjoys peace if you and I are brought into these deeper pathways then those things that we formerly counted upon those things of which we were pleased before our fellows will be as nothing you know that the apostle

[29:28] Paul himself could give a catalogue of his great things he spoke of the tribe from which he sprang of the strictest sect of all his nation of his perfection as touching the law of his zeal but he had to say I count all these things but don't why because he had been brought to see and to know and to trust only in that excellent glory which is manifested in Christ Jesus the Lord his desire is this not to be found in the eyes of men as one who has done this and done that one who has been zealous one who has tried

[30:41] Paul's desire was this all that I might be found in him he knew what it was to be lost and his whole desire was to be found in Christ these are the deep things that the Lord teaches his people causes them to long for and I believe those songs of heartfelt praise that go up from the living soul is as they cry after him tell me oh thou who my soul loveth where thou feedest where thou causest thy flock to rest at noon for why should I be as one that turneth aside with the flocks of thy companion nothing but him nothing but Jesus well if we are brought to walk these things out

[31:52] I'm sure that though we formerly were satisfied our satisfaction will be in the words of one of old I shall be satisfied when I awake with his likeness nothing else will satisfy a living soul but that living soul believes and hopes and expects to come even unto that place for Job declares though worms destroy this body yet in my flesh shall I see God but only upon that same only ground I know that my redeemer liveth well may the Lord favor us and bring us even to these deep places that we might trust only in Jesus

[32:57] Christ whom he has sent by whom he hath made the atonement may he add his blessing Amen