00:00 Introduction and Greetings

00:10 Discussion on 'The Truman Show' and Simulation Theory

01:50 Biblical Perspective on Reality and Simulation

05:21 Hezekiah's Story: Trusting in God

09:45 Hezekiah's Illness and Prayer for Healing

14:27 Hezekiah's Mistake with Babylonian Envoys

15:58 Psalm 76: Praise for God's Deliverance

16:55 Closing Remarks and Prayer

Find out more about Compass Bible Church.

Learn more about our Bible Reading Plan.

Questions or Comments? Email us podcast@compassntx.org

Hey everybody.

2

Welcome back to another edition

of the Daily Bible Podcast.

3

Good morning, and hello.

4

Yeah, or good afternoon, good evening,

whatever you happen to listen to this.

5

Good day to you, sir.

6

We just hope that you're having

a good day, whatever it is.

7

Did you ever watch that

movie The Truman Show?

8

I did, yeah, probably recently,

now that I think about it.

9

Yeah.

10

Yeah, it was it was interesting.

11

Fascinating concept.

12

Yeah.

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Ahead of its time.

14

'cause I remember back in av, as a

college pastor, I was dealing with college

15

kids four or five years ago that were

like, what if we're in a simulation?

16

What if this whole thing is fake?

17

And that was the premise, although

it was a controlled simulation in

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a real movie studio and set there.

19

But I still remember watching

that movie the first time and

20

seeing the boat hit the wall.

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Be like, wait a minute.

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Rod: What?

23

What's going on?

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Yeah.

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Yeah, you're removed by that scene.

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I was Did you start crying it?

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I teared up maybe a little bit.

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I could tell.

29

Yeah.

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It's still moving you now.

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PJ: It was like when everybody's

watching it happen on the TV and the

32

movies and they're all crying, they're

cheering him on, getting to the Yeah.

33

To get out and and then it

goes, the TV's all go blank.

34

Felt like the first time in 40

years there's no feed going anymore.

35

Rod: Yeah.

36

PJ: Yeah.

37

What a fascinating idea that is.

38

Let's chop that up for a second.

39

What do we do with the person

that says we're in a simulation?

40

How do you know that?

41

Okay, how do, what if they respond

back and you go chances are as

42

good that we are as that we're not.

43

How can you prove that we're not?

44

Rod: Elon Musk is a proponent of that

theory, and I think this is a really good

45

example as to why we all need, and we

all possess, even if we don't believe it.

46

A highest value, a highest.

47

Highest level, authoritative

source of truth.

48

Yeah.

49

Because at the end of the

day, I can't disprove him.

50

And he can't prove it.

51

He can only suggest this is a possible.

52

Reality.

53

And I would say the ultimate level of

authority has to come from somewhere.

54

And for you who believes in the

idea of a simulation, it's coming

55

from you and your own idea and maybe

other people who suggested the idea.

56

Your highest authority is other people.

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My highest authority comes from God who

says he created the heavens and the earth

58

and scriptures framework for reality

fits better with our lived experience

59

as opposed to you're in a simulation,

and here's what I mean by that.

60

I can look at scripture and

scripture better explains my

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experience of how life works.

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It doesn't feel like a simulation,

and I know that's a weak

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argument, but it is an argument.

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It showcases that scripture

explains reality better than alter

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alternative and competing theories.

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PJ: Yeah, I would agree with that.

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And I remember a conversation I had

with a student back in California and

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one of the other things that I said

to him is, to your point, you can't

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necessarily disprove it, but one thing

that we can do is we could say, okay, I.

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Set aside whether or not we are, let's

ask ourselves the question, what's our

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responsibility within the parameters of

this, if you wanna call it a simulation?

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This simulation?

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That's where we can go into the apologetic

arguments for the existence of God.

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And it's absurd to say in this

simulation, 'cause we're gonna reject

75

the notion that a simulation exists.

76

But even still, if you want to jump

onto their playing field for a second

77

in this simulation that evidence

stacks up for the existence of gup.

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And we have to reconcile with that.

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And now all of a sudden you're into

a conversation about what are you

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going to decide to do right now?

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Because if you, if that's really

your worldview that this is a

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simulation, okay then how do you

quote unquote win the simulation?

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How do you survive this thing

and come out on the other side?

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'cause you can't remove yourself from it.

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Nobody can that's not a possibility.

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So then you have to live within

the parameters of the designer.

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We can even get there.

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The one that designed this.

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You have to live within those parameters.

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And what is the one that designed

this simulation, again, using

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that term very loosely here.

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What is he required?

93

We have a creator who

we're accountable to.

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So let's talk about again, the

existence of God and what you're gonna

95

do about that in the here and now.

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Rod: Yeah.

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And to your point.

98

If you were going to say, this is

a simulation, I could easily argue.

99

Okay.

100

The simulation is called Reality

and the simulator is called, God.

101

You should look at what scripture

says about this, because I think

102

there's a lot more there than

what you understand presently.

103

A lot of people, I guess the alternative.

104

Or at least one of them is nihilism.

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Nihilism.

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The idea that none of this really matters.

107

It's all for Naugh.

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We're just the latest of the random

beneficial mutation that's taken place

109

according to Darwinian evolution.

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So I can understand the appeal

because then if there is a simulation,

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that means there's a simulator.

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That means there's an intelligence beyond

us that gives us a sense of comfort.

113

I suppose the discomfort is we have no

idea who's behind this, the terminal

114

who's putting in the commands and

letting things run as they will, and

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maybe that designer and that simulator

decides to turn the computer off someday

116

than what I think bi, the biblically

defined reality, which is to say true

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reality is so much more satisfying.

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And so much more hopeful and so

much better than this alternative.

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PJ: And I used to teach our students

at Campus Bible Institute during my

120

worldview class that once you reject

the existence of God, then every

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other worldview, the God of the Bible,

that is every other worldview, ends

122

up as an attempt to escape nihilism.

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Nihilism is the only logical, rational

conclusion if God doesn't exist.

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Why do we exist?

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What's the point?

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Why do I get up in the morning?

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If God doesn't exist, if I've taken

him out of reality, nihilism is the

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only thing that makes sense anymore.

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That there is no meaning.

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There's no purpose, there's no reason

to get outta bed in the morning.

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And so you have these other false

religions emerge that are creating

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ways to try to escape and avoid that.

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And a lot of it comes down to.

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A man based I control my own fate, my own

outcome, my own destiny type situation.

135

And I would say the simulation thing

is just another version of that.

136

It's trying to avoid reconciling

the idea that there is a creator,

137

there is an intelligent designer,

and we're accountable to him.

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And we need to understand

based on his revelation, how

139

we should conduct ourselves.

140

And speaking of that revelation,

we should turn to some of that

141

in the form of God's word today.

142

That was a good transition.

143

Isaiah 37, 38, 39, and then we're in

the Psalms again, I think today, right?

144

Psalm 76.

145

I believe so, yeah.

146

Isaiah 37.

147

We are back into Hezekiah.

148

So just to re remind everybody

and to set the stage, you've

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got Assyria coming against Judd.

150

In the Southern Kingdom now Jerusalem,

and this is 7 0 1 bc so the Northern

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Kingdom's already gone off the scene.

152

He's sakib and really in the form

of the Rabbis Shaka, which was

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probably not the guy's name as much

as his title is being dispatched.

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He sent from Sakib and he's come with a

message that says to the Judean people,

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who are you to trust in the Lord?

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Has anyone been able to deliver you from?

157

From the Assyrians.

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Has anyone been able

to stop the Assyrians?

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And he's saying, don't trust in Hezekiah.

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Don't trust in the Lord.

161

Don't trust in these things.

162

So we left off there with the people

not answering them a word because

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they trusted the king at this time.

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Hezekiah.

165

Hezekiah, what does he do?

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Chapter 37.

167

He does what so many before him had

not done and what the Israelites

168

in the north had not done.

169

And he seeks the Lord.

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And this is key.

171

And I think this is one

of the main reasons why.

172

God sustains Judah at this time, aside

from his faithfulness to the covenant

173

of that he had made with David.

174

He's gonna take Judah out by

the hands of Babylon later.

175

So it's not as though he couldn't have

just said, okay, Assyria, you're gonna

176

be the Babylon instrument for me.

177

But here, Hezekiah turns to the

Lord and he prays and he asks

178

the Lord to to intervene, and

he seeks guidance from the Lord.

179

And the Lord responds and basically

says, okay, I'm gonna take this rap

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Shaka out of the picture, which he

does, but then later in 37, Rab now.

181

Sends a letter to Hezekiah that says,

Hey, buckle up because I'm coming for

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you and it's not gonna go well for you.

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So again, what does Hezekiah do?

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Hezekiah?

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Verse 14, he takes the letter and

he goes and he lays it before the

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Lord in the temple and he prays

to God and he turns to the Lord.

187

Again, a commendable act

here from King Hezekiah.

188

And God responds and says, because of

Hezekiah's concern for his direction

189

and his glory he responds and says,

Hezekiah, I'm gonna take out Sinna rib.

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And that's the rest of chapter 37.

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Sin and as Syria, they're gonna fall.

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And God is saying, I'm

gonna get glory over him.

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I'm gonna defend this city.

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He says, in 37 35, I will defend the

city to save it for my own sake and

195

for the sake of my servant David.

196

And then you find the angel of the Lord

going out to fight for the people of Judah

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Rod: and he slays 185,000.

198

That's pretty impressive.

199

Yeah.

200

Yeah, it's, yeah.

201

One of the things that's amazing about

Hezekiah, and there's a lot of things is.

202

This is the guy that God uses to

protect, providentially, sustain

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the kingdom of Judah for another

a hundred and some odd years.

204

And of course, the thing that's most

remarkable that you'll see is that he

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responds by taking his issue to the Lord.

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And I love the way that it puts it here.

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He spread it before the Lord in verse 14.

208

He's essentially saying, Lord

look at what they're saying.

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Look at what they're doing.

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And I love that that imagery

because I think we can sometimes.

211

It's as one Peter five says to,

cast off your burdens to the Lord.

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So many of us, we just carry it upon our

own shoulders and we think, Lord I've got

213

this, Lord, this, that would be helpful

if you take care of this for me, but

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I'm gonna take care of it until you do.

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I think a lot of us need to unburden

ourselves with what has been in

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order to, how does Kamala say it?

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Unburden yourself with what has been,

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PJ: I don't remember Ben.

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Rod: It was some word salad.

220

Anyway I was trying to make a joke.

221

You need to spread it before

the Lord is my point here.

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Like Hezekiah, you need to

take your issues to the Lord.

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So many times we don't do it

until we absolutely have to.

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Like we are in a crisis

situation, we can't act anymore.

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And sometimes the Lord will put us

there in order so that we could do that.

226

But at Hezekiah, he takes it to

the Lord, spreads it before him and

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says, Lord, look at what he's saying.

228

Will you please do something about that?

229

That's so commendable.

230

That's so good.

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But notice also in verse 20 the

reason that he wants God to act.

232

He says, so now, oh Lord, our

God, save us from his hand.

233

That.

234

All the kingdoms of the earth may

know that you alone are the Lord.

235

His concern is for his kingdom,

yes, but it's not disconnected

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for from God's kingdom.

237

He sees him as interwoven, and

ultimately he's praying for the

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Lord's glory and the Lord's honor.

239

And so he's saying,

protect us for your sake.

240

Protect us so that you might

be honored and glorified.

241

And I think that's a really

helpful measurement of your prayer.

242

If you can pray and say, Lord,

this is about your glory, I

243

think you're on solid footing.

244

If it's not, if it's about something

else, I think you ought to examine the

245

thing that you're concerned about and

say, is this really the thing that I

246

should be giving my attention to here?

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Hezekiah prays to the Lord spreads

before, and then it says, Lord,

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its about you and your glory.

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PJ: Yeah, in, in chapter

30, 38, then it's not.

250

The Assyrians drawn up against Judah, but

it's sickness coming up against Hezekiah.

251

And so Hezekiah is waylaid by

some form of sickness that takes

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him 38 1 to the point of death.

253

And again, just like he did with Sinna

rib and with the rap Shaka, Hezekiah

254

turns to the Lord and he seeks the

Lord's favor here, and he prays.

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And the Lord says to him, Hey.

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I'm gonna gather you and Hezekiah

asks for more time, and he's given

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15 years more added to his life.

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And God even gives him a sign

that this is gonna be the case.

259

As the sundial of Ahaz turns back 10

steps on the the time instrument there.

260

And so Hezekiah is granted these

15 years in, in response, Hezekiah.

261

Praise and recounts what's happened

after he recovers from his sickness.

262

And it's an interesting

it's an interesting thing.

263

I read it this time, I guess maybe in

light of a little bit of everything gone

264

on with John MacArthur of late and people

celebrating his passing into eternity.

265

And I think, I don't know.

266

'cause I wasn't there and, but I've heard

some things about his final moments.

267

I don't think John.

268

Feared death.

269

I, in fact, it was reported recently

some of his final words where there

270

is no sting and I fear I have no fear.

271

Yeah, I read that too.

272

Yeah.

273

So cool.

274

So cool.

275

And here you see a what a boss man.

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Yeah.

277

Yeah.

278

Come at me death to, to have like

eisha with Elijah, to have just a small

279

portion of MacArthur's faithfulness.

280

I want double, bro.

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Rod: I'm gonna do Elisha man.

282

Let's

283

PJ: get triple,

284

Rod: I want a quadruple portion board.

285

Yeah, please.

286

PJ: But how cool.

287

And.

288

And yet what we've seen in

Hezeki is a guy who fears death.

289

And this is, I think, a little bit

of the discontinuity between the Old

290

Testament and the New Testament and

the view of death that was possessed

291

by those Old Testament Saints

versus the New Testament saints.

292

We've talked about that before.

293

Somebody in the churches has had

lots of conversations with me before

294

going, Hey, why didn't God reveal more

in the Old Testament about eternity

295

and about what that looked like?

296

Versus what we understand as New Testament

Saints because he's afraid of death.

297

And even in verse 17, it was for my

welfare that I had this great bitterness,

298

but in love, you have delivered my life

from the pit of destruction for you've

299

cast all my sins behind your back.

300

And there it's oh, maybe he's hoping

an eternal life except very next.

301

He says, but shield does not thank

you and death does not praise you.

302

So he's Hey you gave me 15

more years of actual life here.

303

So it just struck me this time.

304

Hes Aki.

305

Death was not something that, that was

a, he was not MacArthur in this instance.

306

He was not saying there's no

sting and there's no fear.

307

He was afraid of dying.

308

Rod: In fairness, hezeki did not

have the whole corpus for sure.

309

No canon.

310

So it would be harder for him to

see some of the things that we see.

311

But I do take issue with it as well.

312

I think, and.

313

Part of the reason why is because

his progeny as a result of this 15

314

extra years, is Manasseh one of the

worst kings that Judah ever has.

315

I would also say that it's one of the

things that should be characteristic of

316

God's people, that we don't fear death,

that in fact we look forward to it.

317

Paul will say, I'd rather.

318

Die.

319

Die.

320

His gain to live his Christ to die.

321

His gain is what he says.

322

He says, but I'm gonna stay

here so that I can serve you.

323

In other words, I'm gonna,

I'm gonna be in the flesh.

324

I'm gonna support this endeavor

so that I can serve you here.

325

I think, Hezekiah's sadness, and I'm

reading between the lines here, it's

326

hard to know exactly what motivated him.

327

But notice here in verse number

three, it says, he prayed, please.

328

Oh Lord, remember how I have

walked before you in faithfulness

329

and with a whole heart.

330

And have done what is good in your sight.

331

And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

332

It doesn't seem like Hezekiah is

concerned for much else except

333

man I like living, I like this.

334

I like what I have here.

335

I like my kingdom.

336

I like whatever he's enjoying as king.

337

It's evidence that he is focused much more

on the here and now than on the there.

338

And then into what you just said.

339

He doesn't have a fully orbed

conception of the next afterlife.

340

We understand that, but.

341

It is a sign of maturity and

Christian wisdom to say, I'm ready

342

to die when the Lord has set for me.

343

I think God honors his prayer, and this

shows me that God really does interact

344

with us in a dynamic and real way.

345

Notice God doesn't say I expected

to for you to pray this way, so I'm

346

gonna add 15 years as I planned.

347

No, God responds.

348

In real time from our perception

to Hezekiah's Embittered request,

349

please let me live longer.

350

And God says, okay, I'm

gonna let you do that.

351

This isn't apart from God's

plan, God didn't change his mind.

352

God knew what he was gonna do, and yet

at least he gives this sense that he is

353

dynamically and truly acting with us.

354

And so on the one hand,

I see God's graciousness.

355

On the other hand, I

see Hezeki immaturity.

356

And in all of it I see God's sovereignty.

357

PJ: Yeah we're gonna talk a little bit

on Sunday about a different facet of

358

what you're describing there in, in God's

emotions because that's fascinating.

359

'cause scripture describes God as an

emotional God, but he's not one that

360

re responds and reacts in the moment.

361

So it's similarly here.

362

He's not hearing Hezekiah's prayer going,

oh, I hadn't considered that actually.

363

Yeah.

364

I'll change my mind.

365

But as we read this, and from

Hezekiah's perspective, yeah.

366

Hezeki was gonna die had he not.

367

Made the decision to turn to the Lord

and seek the Lord and pray these things.

368

So yeah.

369

Good point on that.

370

Chapter 39, then he Hezekiah to celebrate

invites the king of Babylon in his envoys

371

over to, to show him all the kingdom.

372

And he's Hey, look at all this cool

stuff I've got that you guys don't have.

373

That would be really cool if

you guys could have someday.

374

And then he's confronted,

Hey, what did you show them?

375

And he says I'm everything.

376

And this is where Hesi.

377

Slips a little bit in, in our esteem

because the word from the Lord says,

378

man, you made a grave error and now

Babylon is gonna come and carry all

379

of these things away to Babylon.

380

And here's the first time

that he doesn't seek the Lord.

381

He doesn't go to the Lord and repent,

which what he should have done.

382

He doesn't go to the Lord and

say the Lord I'm so sorry.

383

I shouldn't have done this

and this was wrong of me.

384

Is there any way that you might show mercy

to us and not have that be the outcome?

385

Instead he says it's not gonna happen on

my watch, so I don't really care about it.

386

Rod: Yeah.

387

And then he just basically throws

his whole family and his city.

388

Yeah.

389

All of his subjects under the bus.

390

I hate verse eight.

391

If I could rip it outta my

Bible I don't hate it that bad.

392

I just, I don't like reading it.

393

Hezekiah said to Isaiah, Hey, the

word of the Lord that you have

394

spoken, that's good for, he thought

there will be peace insecurity in my

395

PJ: days, which goes back to his

mindset in chapter 38 as some of

396

the reason why he didn't wanna die.

397

'cause he was just loving life so much.

398

And now he's as long as I can keep

loving my life, what does it matter?

399

What happens after my life?

400

Rod: Yeah.

401

Who cares about my progeny?

402

Yeah.

403

Who cares about my family?

404

Yeah.

405

PJ: Man, that's rough.

406

Rod: Cares about my subjects.

407

Yeah.

408

PJ: Ugh.

409

Overall Hezekiah is a good king.

410

Yeah.

411

And he's one of the best kings that

Israel, that Judah has, and yet

412

even the best are our men at best.

413

That's right.

414

We see some of that there in the end.

415

Let's pray and then we will

be done with this episode.

416

Or we can look at Psalm 76 or

that because we forgot, because

417

I forgot that we have Psalm 76.

418

That's a good call.

419

And then we, thanks for checking that.

420

We'll, yeah, then we'll pray.

421

Psalm 76 expresses praise, fear of God

praises God for defending Jerusalem calls

422

on the people to fear him in his wrath.

423

So I, I think this is here and probably

rightfully so because it fits the context

424

that this could have been written.

425

After Sin Arab was turned away.

426

And it's praising God

for winning the battle.

427

Verse three, he broke the flashing arrows,

the shield, the sword, the weapons of war.

428

In other words, God did.

429

And the response of verse seven,

God, you are to be feared,

430

Yahweh, you are to be feared.

431

Who can stand before you one.

432

Once your anger is roused.

433

Think about this.

434

They go to bed and they wake up

in the morning and there's 185,000

435

corpses lying on the ground out there.

436

And not a single arrow

was fired from the city.

437

That's.

438

Overwhelmingly frightening and terrifying

to realize, man, that's what God did.

439

And so Psalm 76, I think rightly

responds by worshiping God for

440

what he did to deliver them.

441

Rod: Yes and amen.

442

Should we pray now?

443

That's a good idea.

444

PJ: Okay, let's pray.

445

God, we want to be like Hezekiah

and that we want to seek you,

446

especially when things are difficult.

447

We don't want to pull ourselves up by

our own bootstraps or turn to idols or

448

other sources of hope in this world.

449

And so we want to model ourselves

after Hezekiah in that sense.

450

But Lord, we also want

to be those that are.

451

That are confident in death, like Dr.

452

MacArthur was, that can say there

is no staying and there is no fear.

453

We want to look forward to it

even as a friend in the sense that

454

it brings us into your presence.

455

And certainly we don't wanna be

those that say it doesn't matter

456

what happens after us, as long as

our life is comfortable here and now.

457

And so help us to do the good things

that we see in Hezekiah's life and

458

to leave behind the things that are

less admirable and less less imitable.

459

And so God we understand that so much of

scripture is to see the good things and

460

the flaws in these men that you record

for us in the Bible, and to learn from

461

both their strengths and their weaknesses.

462

And so help us to do that here with

Hezekiah and to respond as Psalm 76

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calls us to respond when we see your

power exercise, to respond in fear

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and to worship you with our lives.

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And we, so we pray this in Jesus name.

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Amen.

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Amen.

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Keep reading your Bibles.

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Tune in again tomorrow for another

edition at the Daily Bible Podcast.

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And.

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Ladies, don't forget about Women's

Bible Study tomorrow morning.

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Rod: That's right.

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PJ: Bye bye.

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thanks for listening to another

edition of the Daily Bible Podcast.

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This is a ministry of Compass

Bible Church in north Texas.

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You can find out more information

about ourChurch@compassntx.org.

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We would love for you to leave a

review to rate to share this podcast

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on whatever platform you happen to

be listening on, and we will catch

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you against tomorrow for another

edition of the Daily Bible Podcast.