Daily Quiet Time Bible Study
These daily online studies are adapted from our Quiet Time Bible Guide. The studies go through the Old and New Testaments in just over two years. The approach taken by our quiet time Bible studies does not include answers. The goal of the study is to help you dig into Scripture for yourself. You can go deeper using a commentary, Bible background guide or Bible handbook.
2 Kings 18:17-37: Identity
For more context before you begin studying, read this introduction to the book of 2 Kings.
Our society is locked in a longstanding identity crisis. From the troubled teen years beset with self-image problems to the midlife crisis and beyond, many of those around us do not know who they are. After the Sunday message many Christians walk out into the world only to sink back into the quagmire of their own identity crisis. We shouldn't be surprised that so many of us wrestle with this problem. God's Word makes it clear that his people live in a halfway house between heaven and hell, adherents to God's truth within a world of lies. The following passage from 2 Kings gives one such example. Besieging Jerusalem with a powerful army, the Assyrian king, Sennacherib, issues not only a threat to King Hezekiah and the kingdom of Judah but also a direct challenge to the entire identity of God's people.
Warming Up to God
Every day we are challenged by our society. Sometimes our culture intimidates us and attempts to erode confidence in our identity as God's people. In what ways do you struggle with this?
Discovering the Word
- Speaking through the field commander, Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, addresses Hezekiah and his assistants. What kinds of questions does Sennacherib raise in verses 19-20?
- How does Sennacherib try to shake Judah's confidence in verses 21-24?
- Compare Hezekiah's exhortation (v. 30) with the offer of the king of Assyria (vv. 31-33). What are the relative benefits of these two appeals?
- In what sense does the king of Assyria attempt to undermine their identity as God's chosen people (vv. 33-35)?
Applying the Word
- What tactics does our culture use to cause us to question our identity as God's people?
- In what aspect of your identity do you feel particularly vulnerable to attack?
- What would it mean for you to "trust in the LORD" (v. 30) in responding to this threat?
Responding in Prayer
Ask God to teach you what trust means for you today.
Daily Reading and Bible Study Resources
Expand your daily time with God with these devotionals or our Daily Bible Podcast.
IVP Daily Bible Podcast
Experience the entire Bible in just fifteen minutes a day for one year. Get started now and listen to Episode 1 below.
Keep listening to Get in The Word with Truth's Table Podcast.
Are you grappling with a difficult verse in the Bible? And are you looking for a short, easy-to-read answer that really makes sense without explaining away the verse? Visit this page for a new difficult passage explained daily.
