Thursday, August 4, 2011

Thurs.'s Devo - Trumpets and Fire

Read Isa. 9:4, 5
Yesterday's verses had to do with Christ's first coming but today's have to do with Jesus second coming. When Jesus comes again he will abolish three things: the burdens of life, the way we support ourselves to live such as food, and the attacks of the enemy. He compares it to the conquest of Midian so let's look at that. It is found in Judges 6 and 7. Israel had gone into sin so God sent the Midanites to oppress them for 7 years. Every time Israel sowed seed so they could have a harvest, the Midianites would come in and destroy the seed and trample their land. Israel had no food to eat so the people began to call out to God to deliver them. At the end of the 7 years God wanted to deliver his people so he raised up Gideon. God sent an angel to call him out of hiding and fear to empower him to lead his people to victory. First he told him to tear down the strongholds of the enemy that the people had raised up (the altars to Baal). Then after many series of events Gideon took 300 men and surrounded the Midianites tents armed with trumpets and pitchers with burning lamps inside them. They woke the enemy with the trumpets and scared them with their lights and they were so confused they started killing each other and finally fled. Then Gideon called the other tribes to help him finish off the enemy.
In the end there will be a battle and those who have their garments rolled in the blood of Jesus (trumpet with their mouth the coming of Jesus) and are burning with the light and fire of the Holy Spirit inside will be able to fight. We will stand back and see the salvation of the Lord as God confuses the enemy with the noise of the trumpet and they fight each other.
Lord, prepare us to be trumpets of your Word and vessels burning with the light of the Holy Spirit.

No comments: