READING FOR MARCH 18, 2026: ISAIAH 36, ROMANS 5, PSALM 24:1-6 ISAIAH 36
| Year | Ultimatum Given | Immediate Result | Eventual Result |
| 700 BC | Sennacherib, king of Assyria, de- manded that Jerusalem surrender or be taken by force like many other countries before them. | Hezekiah’s men did not answer Sennacherib for the king’s command was, “Do not answer him.” | “The angel of the Lord went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians... Sennacherib the king of Assyria departed.” |
| 1938 | Adolph Hitler demanded that Austrian leader Schuschnigg hand over all power to the Nazis or face an invasion. | Schuschnigg resigned and handed over control to the Nazis, who then occupied country. | Nazis surrendered to the allies in 1945 after Germany was totally devastated. They were occupied by several countries. |
| 2003 | George W. Bush set a deadline for the ruler of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, and his two sons, Uday and Qusay, to leave the country or face military action. | Ultimatum rejected. Iraq was invaded and occu- pied by the USA. Sad- dam’s sons died in battle. Saddam was hung. | Caused an estimated 150,000 to over a million deaths. Al- leged weapons of mass de- struction not found. Led to the emergence of the Islamic State, |
This chapter is one of many times in history when a large country gives a smaller country an ultimatum. The League of Nations after WW1 and the United Nations after WW2 were formed to stop this from happening but have not succeeded. Despite these failures, this writer be- lieves such efforts are good: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God” (Matt. 5:9).
The long-term results of such ultimatums are usually not positive for the threatening country, as can be seen above. It would be nice if political leaders read history, but history itself tells us it is unlikely. The Bible’s history is the most interesting of all, because it is explicit about the role of God in the affairs of countries. Israel was in a covenantal relationship with God, unlike any other country. Thus, their situation was totally different. Still, God’s standards are universal, and He desires all nations to be just and peaceable: “I urge that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made in behalf of all people, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity” (1 Tim. 2:1-2).
The situation was indeed bleak for Jerusalem. Lachish, one of Hezekiah’s nearby fortified cities, had been seized by Assyria and was now a base for their operations. Rabshakeh, speaking for King Sennacherib, made some sense when he said it was foolish to rely on Egypt. He also reasoned that because the gods of other countries did not deter Assyria, Jerusalem’s God would let them down, too. Bible-believing Christians must never accept the common belief that all religions are either equally good/true or bad/false. Rabshakeh’s bet against Judah’s God was an eternally lost one. Many famous atheists are making this same deadly wager today. Consider the famous wager of philosopher Blaise Pacal: "You must wager; it is not optional. Let us weigh the gain and the loss in wagering that God is. Let us estimate these two chances. If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation that He is”
ROMANS 5 The opening of Romans 5 states we can have peace with God through faith in Jesus (vs 1-2). Before being saved, we were/are enemies of God (vs 10). There is no neutral position. For those who are saved, we can frame our troubles as a starting point for a virtuous cycle of development leading to greater perseverance, character, and hope—all enabled through the Holy Spirit. This faith development through difficulties is also seen in James 1:1-4 and with the Leibniz concept discussed on March 1, 2024. Are we framing our troubles with this in mind?
READINGS FOR MARCH 18, 2026 CONTINUED: ROMANS 5, PSALM 21:8-13 One explanation for Rom. 5:13: There are different interpretations for this challenging verse. Here we will offer one with great humility. Verse 12 states that, through Adam, sin resulting in
death entered into the world. Since death spread to all men, we know all men sinned. Verse 13 says before “the Law,” which seems to refer to the Mosaic Law because of the definite article used, sin was in the world. Then Paul makes the observation about sin that it is not
“imputed” or credited when there is no law. He did not say that no law existed then, only that sin is not imputed without the presence of law. (Also note no definite article precedes the word “law” in this phrase). Verse 14 reaffirms that death, which we know is a result of sin, indeed reigned from Adam to Moses, even though people may not have sinned in the way Adam sinned. Jude’s statement that Sodom and Gomorrah are undergoing eternal punishment means their sins were imputed against them even though this happened before Mosaic Law.
What might be some law other than Mosaic law that was present before Moses and that could be the basis of holding humanity guilty of sin? Romans 1:18 states God’s wrath comes against all unrighteousness of men who suppress God’s truth. Verse 19 says God’s divine nature is understood through the created universe, but still people did not honor Him (vs 21). As a result, they participated in unnatural acts (Rom vs. 26-27). They did not acknowledge Him (vs. 28). As a result, they committed “shameful acts” (vs.29-31). Finally, they knew the ordinance of God (32) but still violated it. This could be considered God’s natural law/ordinance as opposed to God’s written law. Romans 2:12 discusses sinners who perish both “with the [Mosaic]Law” and “without the [Mosaic] Law.” They will be judged by the law available to them, which in verse 15 includes the inner law written on their hearts: their conscience. Thus, Rom. 5:13 seems to assert that law was present, and sin was imputed to man before Mosaic Law. Ironically sin increased and became more visible with the Mosaic Law (Rom 5:20). The good news is that humankind became more aware of their sinful state and need for redemption. Also, with the work of Jesus, grace increased at a greater rate than sin. Eternal life is now possible through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom. 5:21).
PSALM 21:8-13 The Psalm 21 prayer team prays with confident anticipation about the time when God will defeat His enemies. What is one victory that has occurred since the Psalm team prayed, about which we can join with our praise? Consider this one: “There is now no condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Rom. 8:1-4).
What about a victory over God’s enemies that is still to come, about which we can pray with this same confident anticipation? This is a good one: “But when this perishable puts on the imperishable, and this mortal puts on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:54-57).
