Life Lessons from Isaiah “Trust What Is True” Isaiah 36-37 PSYOPS = Psychological Operations “Psychological operations (PSYOP) are planned operations to convey selected information and indicators to audiences to influence their emotions, motives, and objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of governments, organizations, groups, and individuals.” AKA: Military Information Support Operations (MISO) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_Operations_(United_States) First PSYOPS Operation: Genesis 3:1-5 “Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’ ” The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”” First PSYOPS Operation: Genesis 3:1-5 Message: ✓Don’t Trust God ✓Trust me ✓Trust yourself Home Links & Next Week’s Text 1. What causes you to doubt God’s sufficiency? 2. How did the Assyrians raise doubts? 3. On what did Hezekiah’s and God’s responses focus? 4. How can this help you with your doubts? Next Week’s Text: Isaiah 38-39 Isaiah 36:1 “Now in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them.” Sennacharib Attacks Anyway (2Kgs. 18:17&ff) Discovered in 1830 among the ruins of Sennacherib’s Palace in Nineveh Isaiah 36:2 “And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem to King Hezekiah with a large army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool on the highway of the fuller’s field.” Outline of Events Isaiah 37:8-9 • Sennacharib moves on to attack Libnah • v.8 Rabshakeh joins the king at Libnah & reports on Hezekiah’s silence • v.9a Sennacharib hears that a Cushite army is advancing • v.9b Before withdrawing from Libnah to deal with the Cushites the king sends a follow-up letter to Hezekiah sowing doubt that this withdrawal is God’s deliverance A Prayer Based on Deut. 31:8 “Enable us to have invincible confidence in Your promises, and Your sovereign power to bring Your promise to pass, in light of Your perfect will. Let the fear of the Lord be preeminent in our hearts. Keep us all encouraged, and safeguard our minds from being dismayed.”.