Thurs.’s Devo - The Fulfillment

Read: 2 Samuel 17:1-29; John 19:23-42; Psalm 119:129-152; Proverbs 16:12-13
Absalom asked the council of Ahithophel and Hushai. They told him two opposite things and he took Hushai’s advice. Hushai’s advice was not to attack at once but to rally more troops and then attack. This gave Hushai time to get the message to David so he could get across the Jordan River and hide. Ahithophel’s advice would have been better for Absalom but God intervened to save David. He also helped Jonathan and Ahimaaz escape Absalom’s grasp by hiding them in a well.
In John, scripture was being fulfilled right and left. The soldiers divided Jesus’ garments and cast lots for his clothing as was prophesied in Psalms 22:18. Jesus said, “I thirst.” to fulfill Psalm 69 which says, “They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” When Jesus had fulfilled every scripture about his death, he said, “it is finished.” and died. When they came to break the bones of those being crucified, they left Jesus’ bones unbroken to fulfill Psalms 34:20 that says, “He kept all his bones: not one of them is broken.” The soldier pierced his side to fulfill Zechariah 12:10 which says, “…and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced…”. He was laid in Joseph’s tomb which fulfilled the scripture in Isaiah 53:9 that said, “And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death…” Nicodemus, the Pharisee that came to Jesus by night and asked him how to be born again, came and anointed Jesus’ body with spices and wrapped it in a linen cloth. He did this at night also. Jesus was buried in a garden. How fitting that the first Adam would be placed in a garden and the second Adam would rest in a garden.
Our Psalm says that God established his commands to last forever. That is something to ponder.
Lord, help us to walk in your everlasting covenant.

Wed.’s Devo - The Players

Read: 2 Samuel 15:23-16:23; John 18:25-19:22; Psalm 119113-128; Proverbs 16:10-11
Today’s reading has many different players so it’s a little hard to keep everyone straight. David fled from Absalom across the Kidron Valley to the Mount of Olives. This is the path that Jesus will enter Jerusalem when he comes back. He sent Zadok, the priest and his two sons back so they could be spies for him. He prayed that God would make the advice of Ahithophel foolishness. Ahithophel had been David’s advisor but he rebelled to follow Absalom.
Ziba, who had been Saul’s servant that David honored when Saul died, met David and his men with provisions. When David asked about Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s cripple son, Ziba lied and said that he had stayed hoping to get his father’s kingdom back. David flippantly gave Ziba all of the things he had given to Mephibosheth.
David was next met with a man named Shimei who cursed David and threw rocks at him from the hillside. Shimei was of the clan that Saul was of. David’s men wanted to kill him but David wouldn’t allow them to.
While David was leaving the city, his friend, Hushai was just arriving and they missed each other. Hushai stayed and acted like he was loyal to Absalom so he could protect David.
When Absalom asked Ahithophel advice about what to do, his advice was to make a tent on the roof of the palace and sleep with David’s concubines so all Israel could see. What foolish advice!
In John, Peter was going through his own fire. He was asked by the relative of the man whose ear he cut off if he was the man with Jesus in the garden. He denied it. This was Peter’s third denial of knowing Jesus. Meanwhile, Jesus was taken from Caiaphas’ house to the palace of the Roman governor, Pilate. The Jews couldn’t enter his house because it would make them unclean and they wouldn’t be able to celebrate the Passover. What a farce! Everything they were doing was making them unclean to ever enter heaven and they were worried about their manmade laws! Pilate wanted them to settle this themselves, but their Jewish laws wouldn’t allow crucifixion so they had to include the Romans.
Pilate had a conversation with Jesus about being a king. He decided there was no just cause to charge him with so he tried to get Jesus released. It backfired and he was forced to flog Jesus. His soldiers mocked him with a crown of thorns and a robe, hailing him king. Pilate handed him back to the Jews. The Jews said he had to die because he claimed to be the son of God. This scared Pilate even more and he tried everything he could to set Jesus free. The Jews made Pilate choose between Caesar and Jesus. Pilate felt his hands were tied and sent Jesus to be crucified. He made his men make a sign that said “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews”. This made the Jews mad but he refused to change it.
So many players and so few faithful. We are all players in the game of life and we all get to chose whose side to follow. The crowd is loud and forceful and the way to life is always death.
Lord, help us to chose life.

Tues.’s Devo - A Different Perspective

Read: 2 Samuel 14:1-15:22; John 18:1-24; Psalm 119:97-112; Proverbs 16:8-9
Joab knew that David longed for his son Absalom but might need some help bridging the gap, so he sent a woman to help David see his situation with different eyes. She was able to change his perspective about Absalom so David allowed Absalom back into the kingdom. He just didn’t want to see him face to face. This was ok for Absalom for a while but then he grew restless. When he couldn’t get Joab’s attention, he burned down his field. That got his attention and finally David’s. David allowed him back into his presence.
Absalom had an agenda. Little by little he flattered the people into loving him. When he knew he had the heart of the people, he went to Hebron and proclaimed himself king. When David found out, he and his household fled Jerusalem for their lives.
Absalom is a type of the anti-christ. He plants himself in the middle of what God is doing and then draws the attention to himself. His goal is to take over and be the head. There have been so many anti-christs throughout the ages.
In John, Judas was the anti-christ. He was planted right in the middle of what God was doing and rose up to gain the attention himself. What anti-christs don’t realize is that they never win. It always ends bad for them.
In verse 4 it says that Jesus went to the soldiers because he knew all that was going to happen to him. When he said, “I am he” they went backward and fell to the ground”. How embarrassing for them! That is when I would have wanted to tuck tail and go home, but they were committed. You have to wonder if Malchus came to accept Jesus as his Lord after having his ear cut off and put back on. He would have to have been blind not to see that miracle.
They took Jesus to the palace of the high priest, Annas and while Jesus was defending who he was inside, Peter was outside denying him.
Everything we read today has to do with having spiritual eyes to see. Things are rarely as they seem on the outside. It takes looking through God’s eyes to see the real picture. I wonder how our situation we are going through right now looks through God’s eyes. Ask him to let you see.
Lord, help us to see through your eyes and put on love and understanding. Give us discernment to see what the devil is planning also and not fall into his traps.

Mon.’s Devo - Love and Faithfulness

Read: 2 Samuel 13:1-39; John 17:1-26; Psalm 119:81-96; Proverbs 16:6-7
All I can say about today’s reading is: where is David in all this? I can’t help but think that if David had intervened and punished Amnon, he would have probably spared Amnon’s life and brought unity back to his family. I wonder if David went to Tamar and comforted her. But, any way you look at it, Absalom shouldn’t have taken matters into his own hands. God says that vengeance is his and that he would repay. God would have dealt with Amnon in a way that everyone would have benefited. That is one thing David had learned with Saul. If Absalom had just waited, God would have disciplined Amnon and restored Tamar.
All through David’s life he showed patience and integrity. He longed for both his sons even though both had done despicable things. David had the heart of God.
In John, Jesus prays to be given the glory he had before the world began. He wanted his chosen ones to have one more chance to believe that he was from God. It was not about vindicating himself but about vindicating his Father. He wanted his disciples to be strengthened in their faith because he knew that what they were about to face. He wanted them to make it to the end and be with him in heaven.
Our Proverbs tells us that through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for. If David’s family had lived this, how much differently things would have gone.
Lord, help us to live our lives in love and faithfulness to you.

Sunday’s Devo - Joy in Sorrow

Read: 2 Samuel 12:1-31; John 16:1-33; Psalm 119:65-80; Proverbs 16:4-5
God sent Nathan to David to give him a parable about a sheep and a rich man. It was a mirror so David could see how God looked at what he did with Uriah and Bathsheba. He totally ruined their lives for one night of pleasure.
He would now face the death of their son. David’s response shows us the other side of David whose heart was tender toward God’s. He repented and took responsibility for the child. The only hope for the child’s life was in the hand of God and David knew that. David couldn’t save the child, but he taught us a valuable lesson. Our relationship with God is the most important thing we own. It must come first. The things of this earth are changeable, but God is the same. God promised them another son and he would hold the promise. It is always the second birth that brings life. Our first born stands for our natural birth and the second born stands for spirit being reborn in salvation. When Bathsheba gave birth to Solomon, Nathan sent word that God called this son Jedidiah which means “beloved”.
Right after this, David got word that they were about to take the city of Rabbah which means “populous”. This city was huge and would be a great victory. David went to fight with them for the victory and named it the city of David. David had gotten back on track.
In John, Jesus was still speaking to his disciples and told them of what was to come. They would be persecuted and put out of the synagogue because of Jesus. He was leaving but he was going to send them the Holy Spirit who would continue to teach them the things they were not ready for. He would lead them into all truth and tell them what was to come.
They would first be filled with grief because he was gone, but this grief would be turned to joy.
In both stories death brought sorrow but joy was always the end product.
Thank you Lord, that You work everything for your own end and it is always for joy.

Sat.’s Devo. - Choices

Read: 2 Samuel 9:1-11:27; John 15:1-27; Psalm 119:49-64; Proverbs 16:1-3
In one reading we see the kindness and compassion of David and the man who will murder to cover his sins. He seeks out anyone from Saul’s family that he can honor and finds Ziba, a servant of Saul’s and Mephibosheth, a crippled son of Jonathan’s. He gives all of Saul’s personal house to Mephibosheth and puts Ziba’s family in charge of it so both are well cared for. Mephibosheth is to eat every meal at the kings’ table which was not only the best food but the highest honor.
David protects his men when they are humiliated by the Ammonite army but then in the spring when kings were suppose to be off to war, David decides to stay home. David was a warrior and that was his calling. He decided not to take up the charge and let his guard down. This lead to lust, which led to adultery, which led to an unwanted pregnancy, which led to murder to cover up. In the end the child would also die.
If we would only live with the future in mind instead of the present. The present says, “I want that” or “I need that”. But if we look ahead to the consequence of that action we might decide that maybe, “I don’t need that”, or I really don’t want that”. It would certainly cause us to reflect and give us time to change our minds.
Jesus talked about two vines. His is the true vine and the branches on his vine were tended by God. If we remain attached to the vine then we will bear fruit and do the things that Jesus did, but if we don’t remain in him then we will be like the branch that is thrown away and withers. Our lives will not be worth keeping and we will die. We are to always be bearing fruit.
Lord, may we be trees of righteousness planted by the river of living water and may our leaves not die or wither and may whatever we do prosper for your kingdom.

Fri.’s Devo -The Temple of the Holy Spirit

Read: 2 Samuel 7:1-8:18; John 14:15-31; Psalm 119:33-48; Proverbs 15:33
David had always wanted to build God a house to live in on earth. This was not God’s idea, but David’s, yet God told David he could do whatever was in his heart to do. God sent Nathan to tell him that his offspring, not David, would build the house and God would give him rest from his enemies. David’s job was to secure the kingdom and fight and subdue the nations that hated Israel. God gave him victory wherever he went and made David’s name great on the earth.
God’s plan was to put his house in us. We are his temple of God’s Spirit on the earth and his presence here. We carry his presence wherever we go.
In John, Jesus promised to send the Comforter, the Holy Spirit when he left. He would be the Spirit of truth. He would remind them of all that Jesus had said and done and teach them all things. He encouraged them that they had nothing to worry about or fear because he was leaving his peace with them and with us. He also told them that he was coming back.
Lord, thank you for the Holy Spirit! Enlarge our vision of what you want to do through us today.

Wed.’s Devo- God’s Plan

Read: 2 Samuel 2:12-3:39; John 13:1-30; Psalm 119:1-16; Proverbs 15:29-30
Abner was the commander of Ish-bosheth’s army and Joab was the commander of David’s. Ish-bosheth ruled Israel and David ruled Judah. Both armies had a showdown where twelve from each side fought one another. All twenty-four of them died so a battle followed and Abner’s side lost. Joab’s brother, Asahel ran after Abner to kill him. Abner warned him to stop because he didn’t want to kill Asahel, but Asahel wouldn’t give up so Abner had to kill him. After this, Abner and Joab called a truce and stopped the battle. David’s army had killed 390 men and Abner had only killed 20 of theirs.
That battle ended but the war between the house of Saul and the house of David continued for years. David’s house got stronger and Saul’s weaker.
David moved to Hebron and had six sons by six different wives. Saul’s house started to weaken from within. Saul had had a concubine named Rizpah who Abner had taken. Ish-bosheth rebuked him for doing this which made Abner extremely mad - so mad that he deflected to David’s side.
David saw this as a good time to demand his wife, Michal, back. It is amazing how women were used as pawns of power and prestige while they were treated like property.
Abner talked to all his men and they agreed to follow David so Abner went to David to make peace and make plans to follow him. David agreed and sent him home in peace. When Joab came back from a war and heard the truce David had made with Abner, he was furious. Joab and his other brother, Abishai secretly pursued Abner and killed him in his own land to avenge the blood of their brother, Asahel. David was so sorrowful over Abner’s death that the people realized he had nothing to do with his death. David wanted to bring two nations together, not rip them further apart.
In John, Jesus knew this would be his last supper with his disciples. He washed their feet then sent Judas out. If I was Jesus, I would have sent Judas out before I washed feet, but not Jesus. He wanted to show Judas he loved him no matter what he was about to do.
Lord, your plan is always best. Help us to rest in your plans for our lives especially when we don’t understand.

Tues.’s Devo - Be a Follower

Read: 2 Samuel 1:1-2:11; John 12:20-50; Psalm 118:19-29; Proverbs 15:27-28
Yesterday, we read where a sick Amelikite’s slave gave them news of the war. David let him live. Today we read of an Amelekite who gave David news of the war thinking he would get an award. Instead, he was killed.
Saul and Jonathan had died on the battlefield which caused mourning and sadness for David and his men even though they were one of Saul’s enemies; David never considered Saul his enemy. That is the perfect way to look at those who persecute us and don’t understand our heart. They may look at us as their enemy, but we can guard our hearts and not think of them as ours. That is what Jesus did with the ones who killed him.
David was now free to go home where they crowned him king of Judah. Saul’s son, Ish-Bosheth became king of Israel. Ish-Bosheth means “man of shame”.
In John, we hear that some Greeks wanted to see Jesus. I thought this commentator’s thoughts were good: "These men from the west represent, at the end of Christ's life, what the wise men from the east represented at its beginning; but those come to the cross of the King, even as these to His manger" [STIER]. “As far as the east is from the west, so he has removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12)
That must have been a cue for Jesus, because he began talking about his death in a new way. He showed them how he had to die so his seed could produce many more seeds on the earth. He was the seed that would germinate the world with the gospel. He cried out for God to glorify his name and God answered from heaven, “I have gloryfied it, and will glorify it again.” He was talking about being glorified through the church and his second coming.
All who were around him heard the voice from heaven and still some of them hardened their hearts just like Isaiah had seen they would. But, some of the leaders believed, but wouldn’t confess they believed because they didn’t want to be put out of the synagogues. They might have made it to the synagogues but missed God’s heavenly synagogue. Romans 10:10 says, “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” It goes on to say that if you truly believe in him then you will not be ashamed. So, they didn’t truly believe in him to the point of wanting to lay down their lives to be his disciple. The devil knows that Jesus is Lord, but that doesn’t make him a follower and certainly not a partaker of salvation.
Lord, help us to lay down our own desires for yours today. We want to be a follower.

Mon.’s Devo - The Cost

Read: 1 Samuel 29:1-31:13; John 11:54-12:19; Psalm 118:1-18; Proverbs 15:24-26
Aphek, one of the king of the Philistines was good with taking David to war against Israel but the other kings had misgivings. They were afraid that David would change his mind and fight against them for Israel. So, Aphek had to send David home. It was a good thing because in the time that he was gone, the Amelekites had raided Ziklag and burned the city and taken all their wives and children.
David’s men were ready to stone David, but he turned to the Lord and found strength. He called for the priest and had him ask God if they would be successful if they pursued the Amelekites and God said, yes.
They found a wounded Egyptian in a field and he was able to lead them to the Amelekites where they recovered everything that had been stolen from them and more. They got the spoils of war from the Philistines and from Judah, their own people.
There was another good reason why God didn’t want David in that battle fighting against Saul. He didn’t want anyone to say that David killed Saul. Saul died on that day along with his sons just as Samuel had prophesied.
In John, it was getting close to Jesus last Passover and he knew his time was short. Six days before Passover, Mary anointed Jesus feet with expensive perfume that she had saved probably for her future husband. Jesus meant more to Mary than any human ever would. She poured it on his feet and wiped it with her hair. Judas Iscariot was outraged that she didn’t sell the perfume and give it to the poor since he was in charge of the money. Judas loved money more than God which cost him eternity.
Little did Mary know, she was anointing Jesus’ body for burial.
Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey fulfilling Psalm 118:25-26 and the crowd proclaimed Zechariah 9:9. This was the same crowd that had been with Jesus when he raised Lazareth from the grave. All of this was making the Pharisees more and more nervous.
We have no idea why we do the things we do when we walk in the Spirit but everything has meaning and purpose with God.
Lord, help us to pour out our lives for you as Mary poured out her costly perfume.

Sun.’s Devo - God’s Redemptive Plan

Read: 1 Samuel 26:1-28:25; John 11:1-53; Psalm 117:1-2; Proverbs 15:22-23
Today we read about two mean who rose from the grave: Samuel and Lazareth. David spared Saul’s life which was a life spared from the grave. After revealing to Saul that he could have killed him David gave Saul back his water bottle and his spear. Saul provoked a blessing on David telling him he would do great things and surely triumph. Saul wanted David to come home but David knew better than to trust Saul. Instead, David went to Achish of Gath, the very king he had acted insane in front of and asked if he could join forces with him. I wonder what Achish thought when he saw David standing before him totally sane. Instead of punishing David for deceiving him, he gave him the city of Ziklag. When the day came to fight against Israel, Achish wanted David to be his personal bodyguard. All I can say is that when God wants to hide you, he can hide you and when God wants to give you favor, he can give you favor.
Saul would face the Philistines the next day and he was not feeling very confident so he had his men search for a living medium since he had had them all killed. They found one in Endor. Saul tried to hide his identity, but God exposed him. He had to promise not to kill her and then admit that he wanted her services. He broke his own law to bring up Samuel because he knew he couldn’t hear God’s voice for himself. Saul always trusted in man more than God. Samuel was mad about being woken up and he didn’t have anything good to say to Saul. He told him that God had torn his kingdom from him and given it to David because Saul didn’t obey Him. He also told him that God was going to turn him over to the Philistines on the next day and his sons would die. After his devastating news, the medium fixed Saul his last supper.
In John, Jesus brought Lazareth back from the grave and he got to continue living on earth. Jesus used this as an illustration that he was the resurrection and the life. This was too much for the Jewish hierarchy and they met to decided what to do about Jesus. Caiaphas, the high priest prophesied that it would be better for one man to die for the whole people than that the whole nation perish. How true! That was exactly why Jesus came, only they would not be on the receiving end of that salvation. They used the excuse that if they let Jesus continue then the Romans would come and take away their place and their nation. I think they were more interested in their place than the nation.
God used all their scheming to bring about his redemptive plan because that is what God does. He works all things for his and our good.
Lord, we trust that all the things we are going through are working for your redemptive plan.

Sat.’s Devo - Judgement and Justice

Read: 1 Samuel 24:11-25:44; John 10:22-42; Psalm 116:1-19; Proverbs 15:20-21
David spares the life of Saul and Saul, in turn, spares his. Saul even prophesies David’s rise to the throne. He leaves for a season from chasing David and David meets another Saul by the name of Nabal. Nabal’s servants had become friends with David’s men while they watched their sheep. David’s men had been protection for them while in the field. During those days when the time came for sheering the sheep, the owner of the sheep would have a huge sheep sheering party and everyone that had anything to do with helping with the sheep was invited. There was plenty of food and wine for everyone. David and his men were starving and had helped with the success of the harvest. Because of them, none of the sheep had been stolen and none of the shepherds killed. So, his request to come to the party was very well warranted. Nadal was told this, but refused to let him come because Nabal was evil and stingy. It would have cost Nabal and his family their lives if not for Abigail who was told what was going down. She rescued herself and all her servants by taking David food and wine. Instead, Nabal died of a heart attack and David took Abigail as his wife.
This was a small snapshot of what was going to happen in the kingdom. It seemed like everyone knew David would become king one day yet no one was doing anything to make it happen…but God.
In John, the people had cornered Jesus and demanded that he tell them if he was the Christ. He said that he was from God and opened scripture to them but they refused to believe it. They wanted to stone him but he slipped away and crossed the sea to the other side. He landed at the place where John baptized many people. He opened their eyes to who he was and many believed.
Lord, thank you for giving us eyes to see who you are and to believe. Help our unbeliefs.

Fri.’s Devo - Don’t Be Deceived

Read: 1 Samuel 22:1-23:29; John 10:1-21; Psalm 115:1-18; Proverbs 15:18-19
It is easy to see how David was led by God and Saul was always one step behind. God sent David prophets to warn him, spies to give him intel and diversion when he was about to be caught. Saul had his spies also. One of them was Doeg which means “anxious”. He told on David and cost the lives of 85 priests and the lives of all the people of the town of Nob. Only the priest’s son, Abiathar escaped to tell David. David felt horrible and took responsibility for protecting Abiathar.
Every step of David’s life, he was always asking God what to do. Saul was led by man’s warnings only. God’s eyes are better than man’s.
Jesus, in John, was talking about spiritual things. He told them about a sheep pen which represents the spiritual realm. He said that others can get into that pen by other means like climbing over the fence but this person is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd. He opens the gate for his sheep and they enter when he calls their name. He is the gate and he is the shepherd that cares for his sheep.
There are many spiritual people who can do miracles, healings, and teach things that sound amazing, but if they aren’t doing it in the name of Jesus, then they are the thief and the robber. They don’t know that they are deceived just like the scribes and Pharisees didn’t know they were deceived. Jesus promised that the ones that are in his will know his voice and won’t follow the voice of a stranger. The way to know Jesus’ voice is to practice hearing it by being quiet and listening. He will never say anything opposite of his Word. If we know the Word and know how to listen, we will not be deceived.
Lord, help us to hide your Word in our hearts that we won’t be deceived.

Thurs.’s Devo - How To See

Read: 1 Samuel 20:1-21:15; John 9:41; Psalms 113:1-114:8; Proverbs 15:15-17
David had to convince Jonathan of his father’s disdain for him so he gave Jonathan a test to prove it. Saul had taken David from his family and became his family and now rejected him. Jonathan put his father to the test and realized that David was right. His father hated David and was obsessed with the idea of killing him. David would spend years running from Saul and fighting for his life.
David went to the priest, Ahimelech and didn’t want to tell him he was running from Saul. He didn’t want Ahimelech to have to make the choice between him and Saul. He asked for food and a sword. The only bread he had was bread from the shewbread table that was only for the priests but he gave it to David and his men. God didn’t kill them for eating the holy bread. The only sword the priest had was the one of Goliath’s - the one that David had taken from him. In a way, God was restoring to David what was rightfully his. David was a true priest to the Lord because he knew how to worship God and evoke his presence.
He then left for Gath where he had to pretend to be insane to save his own life. God will give us witty ways to outsmart the devil if we will listen.
In John, Jesus healed a man who was born blind. The Pharisees made such a big deal about this because healing a person born blind was one of the three criteria they had written in their books that would be something only the Messiah would be able to do. The healed man’s own parents wouldn’t take up for him because they didn’t want to be thrown out of the synagogue. They knew that if they acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah, then they would be excommunicated. How sad, that they loved the laws and religion of man more than their own son and more than God, himself.
The man that was healed was brought before the religious leaders to testify about what happened to him. He ended up being excommunicated so he came back to Jesus and received his salvation. Jesus explained that he came to make the blind see and those who see, blind. The Pharisees claimed to see, so they became blind, but those who were teachable began to see.
It is the same today. If we remain teachable and humble, our eyes will be opened more and more. But if we claim to know everything, we will become blind.
Lord, help us to remain teachable and open to what you are revealing on the earth.

Tues.’s Devo - The Players 5–30-18
Read: 2 Samuel 15:23-16:23; John 18:25-19:22; Psalm 119113-128; Proverbs 16:10-11
Today’s reading has many different players so it’s a little hard to keep everyone straight. David fled from Absalom across the Kidron Valley to the Mount of Olives. This is the path that Jesus will enter Jerusalem when he comes back. He sent Zadok, the priest and his two sons back so they could be spies for him. He prayed that God would make the advice of Ahithophel foolishness. Ahithophel had been David’s advisor but he rebelled to follow Absalom.
Ziba, who had been Saul’s servant that David honored when Saul died, met David and his men with provisions. When David asked about Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s cripple son, Ziba lied and said that he had stayed hoping to get his father’s kingdom back. David flippantly gave Ziba all of the things he had given to Mephibosheth.
David was next met with a man named Shimei who cursed David and threw rocks at him from the hillside. Shimei was of the clan that Saul was of. David’s men wanted to kill him but David wouldn’t allow them to.
While David was leaving the city, his friend, Hushai was just arriving and they missed each other. Hushai stayed and acted like he was loyal to Absalom so he could protect David.
When Absalom asked Ahithophel advice about what to do, his advice was to make a tent on the roof of the palace and sleep with David’s concubines so all Israel could see. What foolish advice!
In John, Peter was going through his own fire. He was asked by the relative of the man whose ear he cut off if he was the man with Jesus in the garden. He denied it. This was Peter’s third denial of knowing Jesus. Meanwhile, Jesus was taken from Caiaphas’ house to the palace of the Roman governor, Pilate. The Jews couldn’t enter his house because it would make them unclean and they wouldn’t be able to celebrate the Passover. What a farce! Everything they were doing was making them unclean to ever enter heaven and they were worried about their manmade laws! Pilate wanted them to settle this themselves, but their Jewish laws wouldn’t allow crucifixion so they had to include the Romans.
Pilate had a conversation with Jesus about being a king. He decided there was no just cause to charge him with so he tried to get Jesus released. It backfired and he was forced to flog Jesus. His soldiers mocked him with a crown of thorns and a robe, hailing him king. Pilate handed him back to the Jews. The Jews said he had to die because he claimed to be the son of God. This scared Pilate even more and he tried everything he could to set Jesus free. The Jews made Pilate choose between Caesar and Jesus. Pilate felt his hands were tied and sent Jesus to be crucified. He made his men make a sign that said “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews”. This made the Jews mad but he refused to change it.
So many players and so few faithful. We are all players in the game of life and we all get to chose whose side to follow. The crowd is loud and forceful and the way to life is always death.
Lord, help us to chose life.

Wed.’s Devo - The Evil of Jealousy

Read: 1 Samuel 18:5-19:24; John 8:31-59; Psalm 112:1-10; Proverbs 15:12-14
Two times it says that Saul was afraid of David and one time it stays that Saul was still more afraid of David. Saul realized that the spirit of God had left him and was on David and this terrified him. Instead of repenting so that he could have the spirit of God, he rebelled and tried to fight God by trying to kill David. Spiritual jealousy is just this ridiculous. There is nothing you can do to buy favor, only God can give that.
Saul had lost God’s favor and David oozed with it. Saul tried over and over to kill David and when they didn’t work he tried to trap him by giving him his daughter in marriage. Saul’s daughter, Michal, and his son, Jonathan, favored David above him. Saul had become an enemy in his own house because of jealousy.
In John, Jesus was facing the same demon. The Pharisees were so jealous of his following and his power that they did everything they could to discredit him even calling him a demon possessed. Jesus explained that he was the Son of God. They wanted to kill him too.
Lord, help us to guard our hearts against jealousy and walk in your favor.

Tues.’s Devo - Defeating the Devil

Read: 1 Samuel 17:1-18:4; John 8:21-30; Psalm 111:1-10; Proverbs 15:11
The Philistines had a champion named Goliath. Goliath means “stripped” or “exile”. This is how God saw him yet to the world he looked nine feet tall, strong and heavily armored. He was a picture of a spiritual principality that causes fear and stops God’s people. God gave David eyes to see beyond the nature. David understood who was on his side and that there is no power greater than God.
David’s brothers didn’t encourage him at all. They were more like adversaries which is sometimes how it is in families. But, David didn’t give up. When he couldn’t encourage the soldiers to go out and fight, he got drafted to do it himself. Israel was desperate for someone with courage. That is all it takes to fight the devil: courage and the Word of God. David’s stone stood for the Word. It hit the devil between the eyes and knocked him out. David finished the job with Goliath’s own spear.
David’s reward was wealth, Saul’s daughter in marriage and tax exemption for his family but the greatest thing David won was the heart of Jonathan’s. A friend is greater than all the worldly riches and we have a friend that sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24).
In John, Jesus nailed the Pharisees. He told them that he was going to heaven and they were going to hell. He explained that they would believe who he was when he was gone. Some people there heard him and believed.
Lord, help us to see the devil stopped and exiled instead of strong and powerful. Thank you for reminding us of how powerful your Word is and that we have nothing to fear when we trust in you.

Mon.’s Devo - Obedience is Better than Sacrifice

Samuel gave Saul a commission from God to go and kill the Amalekites who had attacked Israel when they came out of Egypt. God had promised to wipe them off the face of the earth and it was now time to do that. Saul readily obeyed but when it came to burning all the loot, he couldn’t bring himself to kill perfect cattle so he just killed the weak ones. He also brought back the king alive. That is like casting out demons and leaving the principality.
Samuel was furious when he found out and went to talk to Saul. Saul had gone to Carmel to set up a monument in his own honor, then on to Gilgal. Carmel was the place that Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal. In Gilgal there was a school of the prophets of God. Gilgal was the first place that Abraham made an altar to the Lord. Samuel had commissioned Saul to be king here and many altars had been established in Gilgal which is in the area of Shechem. Those two different places show us a picture of Saul - he was confused between his own power and God’s.
His excuses to Samuel were lame and Samuel didn’t fall for them. Samuel told him that to obey was better than sacrifice. Saul admitted that he was afraid of the people more than God. Samuel told him that the Lord had torn the kingdom from him that day and given it to someone better than him. What a blow! Samuel put Agag to death and left for Ramah lamenting Saul’s outcome. The Lord encouraged Samuel and told him to put oil in his horn because he was going to let him anoint the next king. God took Samuel to the house of Jesse where he chose his eighth son, David to be the next king. David was not even included in the choosing at first. God always chooses the least and makes them the greatest.
God had to get David from the hills to the palace so he used his gift of playing the harp. Our gifts may seem unnoticed but there is a reason he gave them to us and he will call us up to service when he needs us. Our job is to polish the gifts we have so we will be ready whenever God needs them.
In John we have the story of the woman caught in adultery. Where is the man caught in adultery with her? Was he a priest? Jesus stood up for her because Jesus saw the injustice in their hearts. Jesus wrote something in the dust that made the accusers have a change of heart. In Jeremiah 17:13 it says, “all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters.” I wonder if he didn’t start writing their own genealogies in the dirt. They were scholars of the Word and they would have known this scripture…just a thought.
When Jesus talked about being the light of the world, the Pharisees questioned the fact that he was witnessing on his own behalf. He tried to explain to him that he did have another witness and it was God, his Father. They had a hard time with this but were not allowed to seize him yet. God, his witness, was protecting him.
Lord, help us to be bold in our witness to you and know that you back us up in heaven. Let us obey you to the letter of your Word.

Sun.’s Devo - The Power of the Word and the Spirit

Read: 1 Samuel 13:23-14:52; John 7:30-53; Psalm 109:1-31; Proverbs 15:5-7
This story is as amazing as David against Goliath and yet we don’t hear about it told much. Jonathan and his young armor bearer go against the Philistine outpost by themselves. Remember that Jonathan was the only one with a sword other than Saul and the sword stands for the Word of God. He went out and single-handedly and killed twenty Philistines causing a panic in their camp and a stampede that shook the earth as they ran away killing themselves with their own swords. This is an amazing look into spiritual warfare. The enemy might be mighty in number, but against the Word of God they are powerless. If we would realize that, we would fight more and lose less.
We see this same power in John. The people want to arrest Jesus, but no one can because God won’t let them until it is time. On the last day of the feast, the priest do this great celebration where the priests bring in huge water vessels full of water from the Pool of Siloam. They bring them up the steps of the temple and pour them on the altar. It is a huge procession of worship. It was during this event that Jesus stood on the steps to commentate the meaning of what they were doing. He said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink…whoever believes in me, streams of living water will flow from within him.” This was the meaning of their ritual. The water represented God’s Spirit that he wanted to pour out on all his people. God still wants to pour out his Spirit on his people if they are willing.
Lord, baptize us with your Holy Spirit today for the ministry you have for us today. May we wild your sword and rightly divide and conquer.

Sat.’s Devo - Saul’s Downfall

Read: 1 Samuel 12:1-13:22; John 7:1-29; Psalm 108:1-13; Proverbs 15:4
Samuel reminded Israel of her rebellious history and now she wais adding more sin to her list by asking for a king. Israel was sad about her past, but not sad enough to repent and not take a king. Samuel gave them hope by saying that if they obeyed the Lord, even thought they had asked for a king, it would go well with them, but if they rebelled it would not. To add fear to the people, God sent thunder and rain.
Samuel told them he would never cease to pray for them because they were God’s people and he loved them. One more time he encouraged them to walk in truth with all of their hearts.
Saul chose his army and sent everyone else home. Jonathan attacked the Philistine’s outpost getting them all stirred up. Then Saul summoned the rest of Israel to fight the whole Philistine army at Micmash. Saul’s army was already getting scared and starting to flee but Saul waited for Samuel seven days just like he was told to do. On the seventh day, Saul saw his army dissipating and couldn’t wait any longer, so he offered the sacrifice only the priest was suppose to offer. As soon as he finished, Samuel arrived. This one act of disobedience cost Saul his kingship. Samuel rebuked Saul for his impatience and left. Saul’s army had shrunk from 6,000 to 600. Since the only blacksmiths were Philistines, only Saul and his son Jonathan had swords. They were a weaponless army!
In John, we see that even Jesus’ brothers were ashamed of him and taunted him. It was the Feast of Tabernacles when all the Jewish males go to Jerusalem. Jesus waited till everyone had gone and left himself. Everyone at the feast was talking about him to themselves, wondering if he would appear. Some wanted to kill him and others wanted to see a miracle. Jesus appeared half-way through the seven day feast and began teaching in the temple. The people complained that they knew where Jesus came from and there was no way he could be the Messiah, but Jesus argued that they didn’t know where he came from and they only knew how to see with natural eyes. He came from his Father in heaven but they couldn’t conceive it.
Just like Israel was a weaponless army, the children of Jesus day were a sightless army.
Lord, help us to use the weapon you have given us which is your Word and help us to have eyes to see who you are and what you are doing.

Fri.’s Devo - The Anointing of Saul

Read: 1 Samuel 10:1-11:15; John 6:43-71; Psalm 107:1-43; Proverbs 15:1-3
Samuel anointed Saul’s head with oil and told him he was to be the leader over God’s inheritance then he told him specific things that would happen on his way home. These things would be signs to him that what Samuel said about the kingship was true. He would be given two loaves of bread from three men who were on their way to sacrifice at Bethel. He was to eat them. Then he would meet a procession of prophets coming down from Gibeah and they would be praising God and prophesying. He would be changed into a new man and prophesy right with them. Last of all, he was to wait 7 days and come to Gilgal where Samuel would tell him what to do from there.
All this happened just as Samuel said it would and when Saul got home, his father was so happy to see him. Saul didn’t tell him anything about what Samuel told him about the kingship. Samuel called a meeting at Mizpeh and called out Saul from all the tribes. He was found hiding in the baggage. Saul looked like a king. He was the epitome of what the people wanted. Samuel explained to the regulations of the king they were wanting and wrote them down on a scroll. Many of the people brought Saul gifts but some were not pleased with God’s choice.
It didn’t take long for them to need a leader. The Ammonites come up against Jabesh Gilead and threatened to kill them if they didn’t gouge out their right eyes and become their slaves. When Saul found out he summoned 330,000 Israelites and fought them. He divided them into three divisions and they attacked the Ammonite camp at night and slaughtered them.
Now, even the naysayers were on Saul’s side and Samuel reaffirmed Saul as the king.
God knows how to exalt the one he is anointing to lead. He doesn’t pick as man picks or he would have been from the tribe of Judah. Instead, God chose the tribe that was the smallest. The emphasis is not the person but the one who sent them. The mission is the Lord’s and he will make sure it gets done.
In John, Jesus culled out the crowd when he started talking about eating his flesh and drinking his blood. Jesus knew this would be a stumbling block to so many of them, but he wasn’t after the crowd - he was after the remnant. The ones left when the smoke cleared were his true disciples. God always offends our flesh to speak to our spirit. We cannot understand God through carnal reasoning, we have to have spiritual eyes. God’s ways are not our ways nor his thoughts our thoughts. But the closer we get to him the more we have the mind of Christ and we understand his thoughts.
Lord, help us to stop trying to figure things out with our minds and trust in your spirit.

Thurs.’s Devo - We Want a King

Read: 1 Samuel 8:1-9:27; John 6:22-42; Psalm 106:32-48; Proverbs 14:34-35
Samuel’s sons, Joel and Abijah did the same thing that Eli’s sons did. They perverted the worship of God by accepting bribes and perverting justice. The knew that when Samuel died it would be the end of righteous leadership so they asked for a king. Samuel was devastated because he knew this was not God’s perfect will. But God assured Samuel that the people had not rejected him but God. He told Samuel to warn them of what they were asking for and if they still wanted a king, then to give them one. So Samuel laid out the cost of getting a king. The cost would be theirs and they and their posterity would pay heavily to have a king. They couldn’t see so they agreed.
Meanwhile, there was a man from the tribe of Benjamin named Saul. Saul means “asked for, or people’s choice”. He was sent be his father to find his missing donkeys. When he couldn’t find them he went to ask the seer. Instead of finding the donkeys, God found him. God sent Samuel to the city and told him he would meet Saul from the tribe of Benjamin and he was the one the people had asked for to be their king.
Saul ate with Samuel and thirty men then was taken on the roof and told to meet Samuel when they got ready to leave.
In John, the people realized that the disciples had left in the boat but they knew Jesus wasn’t with them. They went searching for him and realized he was on the other side of the lake. They asked Jesus when he got there but the real question was “how” did he get there. Jesus was translated from one place to another so many times which just kept the people wondering.
Jesus knew that these people came to him for another meal but what they needed was so much more than a temporary fix. They needed him, the bread of life from heaven.
Lord, help us to hunger for more than the temporary things of this world.

Wed.’s Devo - The Power of God's Presence 8-9-18

Read: 1 Samuel 5: 1-7:17; John 6:1-21; Psalm 106:13-31; Proverbs 14:32-33
The ark was brought to Ashdod which was one of the five Philistine satrapies. Ashdod means “I will spoil”. The ark of God was a small piece of furniture that was placed before the huge statue of Dagon, their country’s main idol. Dagon means “fish god” because of its ability to reproduce so many eggs. Dagon was like a man from the waist up and like a fish from the waist down. This huge statue fell on its face before God’s presence and was beheaded and its hands cut off. The people of the city started getting ulcers in their reproductive parts. God was showing them that this god of theirs had no power over him. The people of Ashdod sent the ark to Gath. Gath means “a winepress”. They panicked and started getting the same ulcers. They sent the ark to Ekron. Ekron means “uprooting or eradication”. God sent deadly destruction throughout that city and the ones that didn’t die were afflicted with the tumors. They were desperate to get the ark out of their country so they asked the religious leaders of their country how to send it back since it was such a powerful spiritual box. The leaders said it must be sent with a guilt offering and they came up with five golden tumors and five golden mice. The mice stood for the five lords of the Philistines. They put the ark with their gifts on a cart and sent it with two cows that had just given birth to calves and were still nursing them. They put them on the road and said that if the cows found their way back to the land of Israel, then God had heard their cry and would forgive them.
Naturally, a nursing cow would never leave it calf, but these cows marched straight to Beth-shemesh bellowing as they went.
Beth-shemesh means “house of the sun”. When the people of Beth-shemesh saw the ark returning they rejoiced! It went into the field of Joshua which is another name for Jesus.
In John, Jesus fed 5,000 with 5 barley loaves and two small fishes. There were enough left overs to fill 12 baskets. That is a miracle! When Jesus realized they were about to take him by force and make him king, he left and went to a mountain to be with his Father. His disciples left in a boat.
Tomorrow, we will continue the story and see the significance of it all.
Lord, help us to see that you are more than enough for every thing we need. You protect and provide for your children and there is nothing we need to fear.

Tues.’s Devo - The Word of the Lord

Read: 1 Samuel 2:22-4:22; John 5:24-47; Psalm 106:1-12; Proverbs 14:30-31
How sad to read: “It was the Lord’s will to put Hophni and Phinehas to death.” But while God was judging them for their sin, he was blessing Samuel for his obedience. Samuel was growing in the natural and in the spiritual.
God sent a prophet to Eli to tell him that because he honored his own sons more than God’s altar, God was going to cut his family line short. None of his line would live to be old and his two sons would die on the same day. God would raise up an anointed man to take his place. This man would be Samuel who was living in his very house. Eli was able to witness God speaking to Samuel and mentor him in hearing God’s voice even when what he heard was for Eli.
Everything that the prophet and Samuel said happened. Hophni and Phinehas were both killed on the same day and the ark of the Lord was taken by the Philistines after a heavy defeat. God had told Israel that He would not fight for them any more and he proved it on this day.
In John, Jesus explained eternal life was for all who heard his voice and believed in him. In him is resurrection power. He went on to teach them that he was more important than Moses and John because they were just leaders to lead the people to Him.
Lord, help us to believe your Word and honor You above all.

Mon.’s Devo - Samuel

Read: 1 Samuel 1:1-2:21; John 5:1-23; Psalm 105:37-45; Proverbs 14:28-29
Elkanah was an Ephramite who had two wives: Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had many children but Hannah was barren.
Peninnah gave Hannah a hard time and became her adversary making Hannah’s life miserable, even though Elkannah loved Hannah the most. This reminds me of Rachael and Leah.
Hannah cried out to the Lord about her situation and the Lord heard her cry and gave her a son named Samuel which means “heard of God”. She gave her son to the Lord which translates that when she had weaned him, she took him to Shiloh to live with Eli. Eli was the high priest at the time and he did a horrible job of raising his own children, but Hannah trusted him with her son. Really, Hannah trusted the Lord with her son. God can be trusted. He blessed her gift with three more sons and two daughters.
Samuel was to be a gift from God to the nation of Israel. He would be a stark difference from Eli’s sons Hophni and Phinehas. Hophni means a pugilist or someone who boxes with his fists. Phinehas means “the mouth of a serpent”. Samuel was sent to cleanse the priesthood and bring righteousness back to the nation.
In John, Jesus was in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover. Passover has to do with salvation so no wonder Jesus is at a sheep market by a pool. Jesus came to gather his sheep through grace. This market had five porches. Five is the number of grace. An angel was to come down at a certain season into the pool and stir up the water. After that, the first one into the water would be healed. Jesus was that angel sent from heaven to stir up the waters of religion and heal the sick. The man who had been waiting the longest got healed that day. Since it was the Sabbath day, the Jews got really mad. Jesus gave a long explanation of his Father, God and the authority God had given him which made them even madder. They couldn’t comprehend that he was the Son of God.
Lord, thank you that you have opened our eyes to see the truth. We honor you and what you have done for us. May we walk in the authority you have given us.

Sun.’s Devo - Jesus, Our Friend

Read: Ruth 2:1-4:22; John 4:43-54; Psalm 105:16-36; Proverbs 14:26-27
Ruth means “friend”. She is a picture of Jesus as our friend. She gave up her homeland, her family, and her culture to go to a strange place and live as a foreigner to take care of her mother-in-law, Naomi. Jesus gave up heaven, his kingship, and his heavenly family to come to earth to live as a man to save us and give us eternal life.
What is interesting about Boaz is that his mother was Rahab, the harlot that hid the spies when they canvassed the city of Jericho. Boaz knew first hand what it was like for a woman of another culture to come into the Jewish camp and become one of them. He had grown up with stories of how his mother was welcomed into the Israelite family and married Salmon, his father. He was honored to do the same for Ruth. Boaz was a type of Jesus as our kinsman redeemer. Jesus is coming for a bride that is a new man: neither Jew nor Greek, circumcised nor uncircumcised, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free but one that Christ is all, and in all. (Colossians 3:11)
I find it interesting that in the blessing given by the women in the town to Naomi, it was that Ruth’s offspring be like those of Tamar. Tamar had lost her first husband and had no offspring until she tricked Judah, her father-in-law into having sex with her. They had a son named Perez. Even though he came into the world under very difficult circumstances and probably grew up with a single mother, Nehemiah 11:6 says that all the sons of Perez were 768 valiant men. That is some heritage!
In John, Jesus spent most of his time ministering in Galilee, only going to Jerusalem during the feast days. He did many miracles in Jerusalem but when he came back to Cana where he had turned the water into wine, it says that he healed the son of a royal officer and that this was his second miraculous sign. This means that this miracle was more than just another miracle but it was significant in why Jesus came. This man’s sick son was in Capernaum which means “village of comfort”. The father was a Roman officer making him a Gentile. The sign was that Jesus came to save the Gentiles as well as the Jew.
I have to comment on the Proverb for today. It says that if we, as parents put our trust in the Lord, our faith will be a refuge for our children.
Jesus, thank you for being our friend and our kinsman redeemer. Thank you, that you came to save the whole world. Help us to have your eyes to see what we need to see.

Sat.s’ Devo - God’s Plan for Evangelism

Read: Judges 21:1-Ruth 1:22; John 4:4-42; Psalm 105:1-15; Proverbs 14:25
Judges was a time people did life their way, then ran to God to fix their mess. Today’s story is the epitome of this. The leaders of Israel didn’t think ahead to realize that in their zeal to avenge the Levite and his concubine, they would be wiping out a whole tribe. Now, they had to fix their mess by finding a way to keep the tribe of Benjamin alive without breaking their foolish vows they had made not to let any of their females marry a Benjamite. They found a loop hole and were able to save face, but leaving a lot of collateral damage behind.
When they still didn’t have enough women, they went to the festival at Shiloh to snatch the virgin dancers. I found out that Shiloh was another name for Jesus meaning “bringer of peace”. Shiloh was a very secluded place in Ephraim where the ark was located before the Philistines stole it. It was like a haven for the remnant. God always has a remnant that doesn’t go the way of the world and stays true to Him. Shiloh was such a place.
Our next book is Ruth which is one of my favorites. Elimelech and Naomi should have never left Bethlehem. Famines were always God’s discipline on a people who rebelled against him. They should have stayed and persevered and waited for God’s deliverance, but instead they tried to escape. Sadly, they found pain and death instead of rest. It is never best to escape God’s discipline. Patience brings such good benefits.
God spared Naomi and rescued Ruth because God is always in to redemption and restoration. Ruth was a Moabite who saw something she wanted in the faith of Naomi. She returned to Naomi’s land to make it hers and find salvation.
In John, Jesus had just entered his ministry and he felt the need to go through Samariah. This was Gentile territory, but Jesus came to save the world so he had two ministries - one to the Jew and the other to the Gentiles. He flip-flopped between these two groups all through his ministry. Today he was with the Gentiles. He stopped in the town of Sychar which was once Shechem. It was the place Abraham built his first altar to the Lord when he came into the promised land and it was in the valley between the two mountains that the tribes stood on reading the curses and the blessings. It was like a valley of decision. Joshua purged the place of idols and burned them in this place. Jacob built a well here in the land he gave to Joseph. It is the picture of what was to come. The woman at the well was the first Gentile recorded that came to know Jesus as the Messiah. He told her point blank that he was the Messiah which was something he didn’t tell too many people. She became his missionary to the Gentiles and many were saved because of her testimony.
Lord, help us to see the bigger picture and join you in your pursuit of the world.

Fri.’s Devo - Taking Responsibility

Read: Judges 19:1-20:48; John 3:22-4:3; Psalm 104:24-35; Proverbs 14:22-24
You can sum today’s reading in four words: “They had no king”. God had wanted to be their king but they rejected him and his prophets and his law. They did what was right in their own eyes and this story is a picture of what man does when left to himself. It starts with a Levite who is suppose to be the spiritual standard of the tribes. He has an unfaithful concubine who has left him to go back to her father. The Levite goes to persuade her to come back home with him. She would have been better off to stay with her father. He was traveling through the country of Benjamin and stopped for the night in Gibeah. After sitting all day waiting for someone to take them in for the night, an old man invites them home. The people of the town surrounded his house to abuse him, He abandoned his concubine for his own safety and she let her be abused to death. Then, he had the audacity to cut her body up into pieces and send it to the other tribes to protest her treatment, taking no responsibility himself. I hate this story!!!
When the tribes of Israel asked Benjamin to turn the wicked men who were responsible over to them, they refused. This started a war in which 30,000 Israelites were killed. In the end, 600 Benjamites fled to the caves in the desert and their towns were attacked and burned with fire. To me, this is a story where no one wanted to take responsibility for their own sins. When sin is allowed to run rampant, this is what happens. Everyone is righteous in their own eyes and no one wants God’s standard.
In John, his disciples noticed that Jesus was attracting a larger crowd than their teacher, John, so they asked him about it. John gave the best answer. He reminded them that he wasn’t the Christ and had never claimed to be. He was just a friend of the bridegroom. His joy came from hearing the voice of the bridegroom and feeling his joy. That is what John felt when he heard Jesus’ teaching and saw his ministry.
What a humble and mature answer. If we had that attitude about other ministries, we could accomplish so much as a body of believers. The world would see our love for one another and have to have what we have. I pray that one day, we will have the heart that John had.
Lord, may we realize that it truly is about lifting up your Son not about lifting up ourselves. May we walk in the humility of the truth of why we are here.

Thurs.’s Devo -God’s Way -

Read: Judges 17:1-18:31; John 3:1-21; Psalm 104:1-23; Proverbs 14:20-21
The stories in Judges show us what man does when there is no godly standard. They do whatever they think is right and it doesn’t end well for them. Micah stole money from his own mother, and when he heard the curse she put on whoever stole it, he confessed. Instead of disciplining him, she gave it back to him to have an image and an idol cast from it, breaking two of the ten commandments. They added it to their shrine of other idols.
To make things even worse, they hired a young Levite to be their priest and thought this would bring the blessing of the Lord on their household. The Danites, who had never taken the land of their inheritance came through and took all the idols and the priest. They were going to take them back for themselves. They took the next city and used these idols as their gods. Dan’s tribe was so idolatrous that God didn’t mention it in Revelation 7 when it named the tribes that were sealed.
In John, Nicodemus, a member of the Pharisees came to Jesus at night. He was one of the few of the Pharisees that truly had a heart to understand. He recognized that no one could do the things that Jesus did except by the power of God. Jesus told him that the only way he would be able to see the kingdom of God was if he was born again. Nicodemus didn’t understand being born again but Jesus explained that first we are born in water in our mothers womb, but then we have to be born of the spirit. He went on to explain that God sent him as his son to save the world because he loved the world. The only way to be born again is to believe in God and his son.
Lord, help us to live according to your ways and not our own because your way is always higher.

Wed.’s Devo - Pentecost

Read: Judges 15:1-16:31; John 2:1-25; Psalm 103:1-22; Proverbs 14:17-19
Samson is an interesting study but I want to bring out some things you might miss when reading it. Today’s reading starts out during the wheat harvest which is the season of Pentecost. God set his seasons and feasts around certain things that he does during those times. Pentecost is about spiritual warfare, multiplication, and the Spirit of God manifesting on earth. On the first pentecost, God gave the law and appeared on the mountain with thunder lightning and fire. Eventually, 3,000 were killed because of the golden calf they made. On the pentecost in Acts, the sound of a rising wind came and filled the disciples with the Holy Spirit and the had fire on their heads. Eventually 3,000 who had come to Jerusalem for the feast were saved. On the pentecost in Samson’s day, fire was spread by 300 foxes to the fields of the Philistines. This caused 3,000 of the men from Judah to give Samson over to the Philistines. Because of this, Samson was able to kill 1,000 of his enemies with the jawbone of a donkey.
All of these have the same key ingredients. Pentecost happens in the spring after Easter and it is a great time of spreading the fire of the Holy Spirit to the world and seeing prayers answered.
God has placed his pentecost inside each one of his believers if we want it.
In John, Jesus performs his first miracle prodded by his mother. This was a significant place to start because it was the end. The whole purpose of earth was to find a bride for the Son of God. Jesus told his mother that “his time has not yet come” meaning that it was not time for him to produce the wine at the wedding. But to demonstrate why he was here, Jesus took 6 earthen vessels and filled them with water. When he poured them out they produced wine. Six is the number of man since man was created on the sixth day. We are the earthen vessels that God places his spirit (the water) in. When we are poured out in the earth, we are like wine - the Holy Spirit.
Jesus went from the wedding to Jerusalem where he cleansed the temple of the money changers. No one knew who Jesus was since he hadn’t even started his ministry so can you imagine what the people thought of what he did! When Jesus talked about the Temple being his Father’s house the disciples remembered what the Psalms said about how the zeal for God’s house would consume him…speaking of the Messiah. They understood what he did, but the people wanted to know by whose authority he did this. Jesus reply to them was “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” We know that he was talking about his death and resurrection because he is the temple, but they thought he was crazy.
Jesus always spoke in spiritual terms and they only had natural understanding so they couldn’t understand his teachings.
Lord, give us spiritual understanding into your kingdom.

Tues.’s Devo - Redemption for Israel

Read: Judges 13:1-14:20; John 1:29-51; Psalm 102:1-28; Proverbs 14:15-16
It is hard for me to read Samson, because he was such a man of power with such an obvious flaw. God used his flaw for His glory, which is redeeming.
Israel had fallen into sin and God had delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for 40 years. Their time of bondage is getting longer and longer. God chose Manoah to have a son to deliver them. Manoah means “rest” and God was going to bring hope and rest to his people even though it doesn’t say that the people were crying out for a deliverer or turning back to him.
God sent his angel to Manoah’s barren wife, whose name is not mentioned, to tell her that she is going to have a son. She is given explicit instructions not to drink wine or anything that comes from the vine or anything unclean because this boy is to be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death. This reminds me of John the Baptist.
Manoah’s husband wants to meet this angel and ask him how they are to bring him up, so God comes back. When Manoah asks him how they should bring him up, God just repeats what he had told his wife. They wanted more details, I am sure, but God gave them what to do first, the rest would come when they needed it.
That is the way the Lord does with us. We would like the whole picture, but he gives us enough to get us started. The rest comes by faith as we start to walk it out. It keeps us dependent on him for our daily bread.
Samson was born and his name means “sunlight”. God was bringing light into their darkness. Samson had a propensity for the things he shouldn’t have but God used all of his wrong desires to accomplish His desires. Israel was like Samson. She had acclimated herself with where she was. God wanted her to stand up and fight. Samson was willing to do this even though it was for selfish motives. God used it for His purposes. Through Samson’s lust, God was able to start delivering his people from the bondage of the Philistines.
John tells us that God sent him to start baptizing people so that He could reveal the Messiah. He would be the one whom the spirit of God came down and remained on. When Jesus came to be baptized, John saw this happen and knew for certain that Jesus was the Messiah. The next day, John pointed out Jesus to two of his disciples, Andrew and Peter, and they immediately left John and started following Jesus. They became his first two disciples. Then Philip and Nathanael were added. These four were fishermen already, but Jesus was going to teach them how to fish for men.
Lord, help us to be fishers of men today.