Study Desk

This made Hezekiah very happy, so he showed them all the valuable things in his storehouses. He showed them the silver, the gold, the spices, and the expensive perfumes. He showed them the building where he stored the weapons. He showed them everything in his treasuries and everything in his house and throughout his kingdom.

The Lord God is coming with power. He will use his power to rule all the people. He will bring rewards for his people. He will have their payment with him.

Like a good shepherd, he takes care of his people. He gathers them like lambs in his arms. He holds them close, while their mothers walk beside him.

Who measured the oceans in the palm of his hand? Who used his hand to measure the sky? Who used a bowl to measure all the dust of the earth? Who used scales to measure the mountains and hills?

Who could know the Lord 's mind? Who could be his teacher or give him advice?

Look, all the nations in the world are like one small drop in the bucket. If the Lord took all the faraway nations and put them on his scales, they would be like small pieces of dust.

Who woke up the man who is coming from the east? He called Justice to march with him. He uses his sword to crush nations. He uses his bow and conquers kings— they run away like straw blown by the wind.

"I called someone in the north to come. He is coming from the east where the sun rises, and he honors my name. He tramples kings the way a potter softens clay with his feet.

He will not grow weak or give up until he has brought justice to the world. And people in faraway places will hope to receive his teachings."

The Lord will go out like a strong soldier. Like a man going into battle, he will be full of excitement. He will shout with a loud cry, and he will defeat his enemies.

The Lord wants them to do what is right. He wants them to honor his wonderful teachings.

But look at his people. Others have defeated them and have stolen from them. The young men are afraid. They are locked in prisons. People have taken advantage of them, and there is no one to protect them. Others take their money, and there is no one to say, "Give it back!"

Who let Jacob be defeated? Who let others take what belonged to Israel? The Lord allowed them to do this. We sinned against him, so he let people take away our wealth. The people did not want to live the way he wanted. They refused to listen to his teaching.

So he poured out his anger on them and brought wars against them. It was as if there were fires all around them, but they didn't know what was happening. It was as if they were burning, but they didn't try to understand.

The Lord is making roads through the sea. He is making a path for his people, even through rough waters. The Lord says,

"One man will call himself, ‘I am the Lord 's.' Another will use the name, ‘Jacob.' Another man will sign his name as ‘The Lord 's Hand.' And another will use the name, ‘Israel.'"

One worker uses his tools to heat iron over hot coals. Then he uses his hammer to beat the metal to shape it into a statue. He uses his own powerful arms, but when he gets hungry, he loses his strength. If he does not drink water, he becomes weak.

Another worker uses his string line and compass to draw lines on the wood to show where he should cut. Then he uses his chisels and cuts a statue from the wood. He uses his calipers to measure the statue. In this way the worker makes the wood look exactly like a man, and this statue of a man does nothing but sit in the house.

When the man wanted a fire, he took some of the wood to keep him warm. He also used some of it to bake his bread. But then he used that same wood to make a statue to worship as a god! That god is only a statue that he made, but he bows down to it!

He burns half of the wood in the fire. He uses the fire to cook his meat, and he eats the meat until he is full. He burns the wood to keep himself warm. He says, "Good! Now I am warm, and I can see by the light of the fire."