Jesus Appears to His Disciples
(Matthew 28.16-20; Mark 16.14-18; Luke 24.36-49)

John 20 ¹⁹The disciples were afraid of the Jewish leaders, and on the evening of that same Sunday they locked themselves in a room. Suddenly, Jesus appeared in the middle of the group. He greeted them ²⁰and showed them his hands and his side. When the disciples saw the Lord, they became very happy.
²¹After Jesus had greeted them again, he said, "I am sending you, just as the Father has sent me." ²²Then he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³If you forgive anyone's sins, they will be forgiven. But if you don't forgive their sins, they will not be forgiven."

Jesus and Thomas

²⁴Although Thomas the Twin was one of the twelve disciples, he wasn't with the others when Jesus appeared to them. ²⁵So they told him, "We have seen the Lord!"
But Thomas said, "First, I must see the nail scars in his hands and touch them with my finger. I must put my hand where the spear went into his side. I won't believe unless I do this!"
²⁶A week later the disciples were together again. This time, Thomas was with them. Jesus came in while the doors were still locked and stood in the middle of the group. He greeted his disciples ²⁷and said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and look at my hands! Put your hand into my side. Stop doubting and have faith!"
²⁸Thomas replied, "You are my Lord and my God!"
²⁹Jesus said, "Thomas, do you have faith because you have seen me? The people who have faith in me without seeing me are the ones who are really blessed!"

Why John Wrote His Book

³⁰Jesus worked many other miracles for his disciples, and not all of them are written in this book. ³¹But these are written so that you will put your faith in Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God. If you have faith in him, you will have true life.

King Sennacherib of Assyria Invades Judah
(2 Kings 18.13-37; Isaiah 36.1-22)

2 Chronicles 32 After King Hezekiah had faithfully obeyed the LORD's instructions by doing these things, King Sennacherib of Assyria invaded Judah. He attacked the fortified cities and thought he would capture every one of them.
²As soon as Hezekiah learned that Sennacherib was planning to attack Jerusalem, ^3-4he and his officials worked out a plan to cut off the supply of water outside the city, so that the Assyrians would have no water when they came to attack. The officials got together a large work force that stopped up the springs and streams near Jerusalem.
⁵Hezekiah also had workers repair the broken sections of the city wall. Then they built defense towers and an outer wall to help protect the one already there. The landfill on the east side of David's City was also strengthened.
He gave orders to make a large supply of weapons and shields, ⁶and he appointed army commanders over the troops. Then he gathered the troops together in the open area in front of the city gate and said to them:

⁷Be brave and confident! There's no reason to be afraid of King Sennacherib and his powerful army. We are much more powerful, ⁸because the LORD our God fights on our side. The Assyrians must rely on human power alone.

These words encouraged the army of Judah.
⁹When Sennacherib and his troops were camped at the town of Lachish, he sent a message to Hezekiah and the people in Jerusalem. It said:

¹⁰I am King Sennacherib of Assyria, and I have Jerusalem surrounded. Do you think you can survive my attack? ¹¹Hezekiah your king is telling you that the LORD your God will save you from me. But he is lying, and you'll die of hunger and thirst. ¹²Didn't Hezekiah tear down all except one of the LORD's altars and places of worship? And didn't he tell you people of Jerusalem and Judah to worship at that one place?

¹³You've heard what my ancestors and I have done to other nations. Were the gods of those nations able to defend their land against us? ¹⁴None of those gods kept their people safe from the kings of Assyria. Do you really think your God can do any better? ¹⁵Don't be fooled by Hezekiah! No god of any nation has ever been able to stand up to Assyria. Believe me, your God cannot keep you safe!

¹⁶The Assyrian officials said terrible things about the LORD God and his servant Hezekiah. ¹⁷Sennacherib's letter even made fun of the LORD. It said, "The gods of other nations could not save their people from Assyria's army, and neither will the God that Hezekiah worships." ¹⁸The officials said all these things in Hebrew, so that everyone listening from the city wall would understand and be terrified and surrender. ¹⁹The officials talked about the LORD God as if he were nothing but an ordinary god or an idol that someone had made.

The Death of King Sennacherib
(2 Kings 19.14-19, 35-37; Isaiah 37.14-20; 37.36-38)

²⁰Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz asked the LORD for help, ²¹and he sent an angel that killed every soldier and commander in the Assyrian camp.
Sennacherib returned to Assyria, completely disgraced. Then one day he went into the temple of his god where some of his sons killed him.
²²The LORD rescued Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from Sennacherib and also protected them from other enemies. ²³People brought offerings to Jerusalem for the LORD and expensive gifts for Hezekiah, and from that day on, every nation on earth respected Hezekiah.

Hezekiah Gets Sick and Almost Dies
(2 Kings 20.1-11; Isaiah 38.1-8)

²⁴About this same time, Hezekiah got sick and was almost dead. He prayed, and the LORD gave him a sign that he would recover. ²⁵But Hezekiah was so proud that he refused to thank the LORD for everything he had done for him. This made the LORD angry, and he punished Hezekiah and the people of Judah and Jerusalem. ²⁶Hezekiah and the people later felt sorry and asked the LORD to forgive them. So the LORD did not punish them as long as Hezekiah was king.

Hezekiah's Wealth
(2 Kings 20.12-19; Isaiah 39.1-8)

²⁷Hezekiah was very rich, and everyone respected him. He built special rooms to store the silver, the gold, the precious stones and spices, the shields, and the other valuable possessions. ²⁸Storehouses were also built for his supply of grain, wine, and olive oil; barns were built for his cattle, and pens were put up for his sheep. ²⁹God made Hezekiah extremely rich, so he bought even more sheep, goats, and cattle. And he built towns where he could keep all these animals.
³⁰It was Hezekiah who built a tunnel that carried the water from Gihon Spring into the city of Jerusalem. In fact, everything he did was successful! ³¹Even when the leaders of Babylonia sent messengers to ask Hezekiah about the sign God had given him, God let Hezekiah give his own answer to test him and to see if he would remain faithful.

Hezekiah Dies
(2 Kings 20.20, 21)

³²Everything else Hezekiah did while he was king, including how faithful he was to the LORD, is included in the records kept by Isaiah the prophet. These are written in The History of the Kings of Judah and Israel. ³³When Hezekiah died, he was buried in the section of the royal tombs that was reserved for the most respected kings, and everyone in Judah and Jerusalem honored him. His son Manasseh then became king.

Psalm 88
[A song and a psalm by the people of Korah for the music leader. To the tune "Mahalath Leannoth." A special psalm by Heman the Ezrahite.]
A Prayer When You Can't Find the Way

¹You keep me safe, LORD God.
So when I pray at night,
²please listen carefully to each of my concerns.

³I am deeply troubled and close to death;
⁴I am as good as dead and completely helpless.
⁵I am no better off than those in the grave,
those you have forgotten and no longer help.

⁶You have put me in the deepest and darkest grave;
⁷your anger rolls over me like ocean waves.
⁸You have made my friends turn in horror from me.
I am a prisoner who cannot escape,
⁹and I am almost blind because of my sorrow.

Each day I lift my hands in prayer to you, LORD.
¹⁰Do you work miracles for the dead?
Do they stand up and praise you?
¹¹Are your love and loyalty announced
in the world of the dead?
¹²Do they know of your miracles or your saving power
in the dark world below
where all is forgotten?

¹³Each morning I pray to you, LORD.
¹⁴Why do you reject me? Why do you turn from me?
¹⁵Ever since I was a child,
I have been sick and close to death.
You have terrified me and made me helpless.

¹⁶Your anger is like a flood!
And I am shattered by your furious attacks
¹⁷that strike each day and from every side.
¹⁸My friends and neighbors
have turned against me because of you,
and now darkness is my only companion.