Fri.’s Devo - David’s Escape

Read: 2 Samuel 17:1-29; John 19:23-42; Psalm 119:129-152; Proverbs 16:12-13
Ahithophel gave Absalom his advice which was to attack immediately. David and his men would be tired, while his men were refreshed. They would only have to kill David and the people could come home unharmed. It was great advise and would have probably worked but remember, David had prayed that God would confuse Ahithophel’s council. God had heard his prayer.
Absalom decided to ask Hushai his advise, who was secretly a spy of David’s. Hushai told Absalom that Ahithophel’s advise was not good this time. What he should do was to rally all Israel and then go after David. David and his men were too good of fighters to kill with a few men; he would need all of Israel. God turned Absalom’s heart to follow Hushai’s advice. Ahithophel was so rejected that his advise had not been used that he went home and hung himself.
In the meantime, Hushai was able to get word to David to get as far away from Israel as he could. Hushai had bought David some time for David and his men to rest up and be ready for the battle. David fled to the land of Gilead where he had made friends with the leaders of the Ammonites during his days of running from Saul. Three of the Ammonite leaders gave him and his army food and supplies. Once again, God had gone before David and prepared for him.
In John, Jesus was crucified and his garments divided among the soldiers. When it came to his robe they saw that there was no way to tear it because it had no seams. So they cast lots for it fulfilling Psalms 22:18 that says, “They part my garments among them, and cast lot upon my vesture.”
The last words of Jesus were “It is finished.” These were the same words being spoken by the priest at the same time on the other side of Jerusalem. At 3:00 in the afternoon on Passover, the high priest would slay the Passover Lamb which was to atone for the sin of all Israel. When he finished, he would say “it is finished” and everyone would leave and go home. Little did they realize that it was finished for all time. They would have no more need for sacrifices because THE LAMB of God had been sacrificed once and for all and sin had been atoned for, for eternity.
The next day would be the Sabbath so they asked Pilate to make sure the men on the crosses were dead so they could prepare their bodies before the Sabbath, since they couldn’t touch a dead person on the Sabbath. Pilate agreed and sent a soldier to make sure they were dead. If they weren’t, he would break their legs so they wouldn’t be able to push up with their legs and breathe. They would die of asphyxiation. When they came to Jesus, he was already dead fulfilling Psalms 34:20 which says, “He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.”
Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus got permission from Pilate to take Jesus’ body and bury it. They laid Jesus in a tomb in a garden and anointed his body with spices.
I keep seeing Pilates’ name mentioned and I wonder what he is thinking this whole time. He knows Jesus is not guilty of anything worthy of death but he can’t get away from the memory. He is approached all during the process with requests about him. He gives them anything they ask probably to try to rid himself of the guilt of what he has allowed to happen.
Lord, I gain more and more appreciation for what you did for us on the cross and am overwhelmed with gratefulness. Thank you for enduring all the shame and pain to purchase our salvation. You are the lamb that was slain from the foundation of the earth.

Thurs.’s Devo - Let God Call the Shots

Read: 2 Samuel 15:23-16:23; John 18:25-19:22; Psalm 119:113-128; Proverbs 16:10-11
Yesterday we read where Jesus crossed the Kidron Valley on the way to his death. Today, we read where David crossed the Kidron Valley barefoot and weeping. The Kidron Valley is associated with death and was a dumping place for idolatry.
The priests accompanied David with the ark of the covenant. They offered sacrifices on the altar until the people who were with David were safely out of the city, then David ordered Zadok to take the ark back to Jerusalem. Whether David got to see it again would be in God’s hands. Zadok and his two sons, Jonathan and Ahimaaz were to go back and be David’s spies.
David got news that one of his advisors, Ahithophel, had conspired with Absalom so he prayed that God would turn his counsel into foolishness.
David was greeted by many people on his way out of Jerusalem. One was Hushai, his friend and councelor which he sent back with the priests to gain intel for him.
Next, David met Ziba, Saul’s servant who David had given charge over Mephibosheth’s land. He met David with food and wine and a lie. He told David that Mephibosheth had stayed in Jerusalem to wait for Absalom hoping he would be made king. David, rashly gave Ziba all of Mephibosheth’s land for himself.
Lastly, David met a man named Shimei from Saul’s clan. He cursed David and his men and threw stones at them. Abishia, the kings body guard wanted to cut his head off but David wouldn’t let him. He hoped that one day God would turn this cursing into a blessing.
Meanwhile as Hushai and the priest were entering Jerusalem through one gate, Absalom and his entourage were entering another gate. They arrived at the palace the same time. When Absalom questioned Hushai’s loyalty, he convinced him that he was there to serve him just as he had faithfully served David. Absalom believed him but he took advise from Ahithophel. Ahithophel advised him to set up a tent on top of his palace and go in to his father’s concubines so all could see. This fulfilled the prophecy given to David in 2 Samuel 12:11.
In John, Peter is confronted two more times by people who recognize him as one of Jesus’ followers. He denied, and the rooster crowed.
Jesus had been up all night being interrogated and abused. When morning came, they took him from Caiphas’ house to the palace of the Roman governor, Pilate. He asked for the charge against Jesus and they couldn’t come up with a charge so he told them to judge Jesus theirselves by their laws. They explained that their laws didn’t allow capital punishment.
Pilate took Jesus into his house and questioned him. When he couldn’t find any reason to arrest or charge him he went back outside and told the Jews. He decided to let the people choose who he would pardon since it was their custom to pardon one prisoner at that season. He brought out a man named Barabbus who was in jail for murdering people who opposed his religious beliefs. He was the exact opposite of Jesus. Pilate thought for sure that they would want to save Jesus and crucify Barabbus but they wanted Barabbus released. Pilate had no backbone to stand against the mob so he had Jesus flogged. The soldiers made a crown of thorns and put it on his head and a robe on his shoulders. They mocked Jesus saying he was the king of the Jews.
Pilate asked Jesus if he was the son of God and when Jesus wouldn’t answer him he told him that he had the right to kill him. Jesus put him in his place and told him that no one could take his life. Only God could allow Pilate to kill him but the greater sin would go to the ones who turned him over to Pilate. Pilate was getting very nervous about the whole thing and did everything he knew to set Jesus free. When this became impossible, he handed Jesus over to be crucified. He prepared a sign to be read in Aramaic, Latin and Greek which said, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews”. When they tried to get him to change it to read, He claimed to be… Pilate refused to change it.
David and Jesus had so many similarities but I think the one that stands out the most to me is the fact that they let God call all the shots and didn’t try to change them. They didn’t manipulate situations to make their lives more comfortable or easy. They took the cross they were given and submitted to the pain and agony of their mission.
Lord, help us to embrace our trials as a chance to grow and not escape pain. Irritation and friction produces the best pearls.

Wed.’s Devo - Two Different Things

Read: 2 Samuel 14:1-15:22; John 18:1-24; Psalm 119:97-112; Proverbs 16:8-9
Joab was David’s commander in chief and right hand man. He was faithful to David but also very tricky and manipulating. He had been in charge of Uriah’s death so that David could have Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba. He was well trained in getting what he wanted. He saw that David was mourning his relationship with Absalom so he got a woman to act out a similar situation. It reminds me of what Nathan did but the difference was Nathan was led by the Lord and Joab was doing what he thought was best. Those are two different things.
The lady’s story did get David’s attention and he let Absalom come back and live in the area but he refused to see him. I’m not sure what David meant to accomplish by doing that because it only worked against him. After two years, Absalom had had enough of rejection and after trying to make an appointment with Joab unsuccessfully, he decided to get his attention by burning down his field. It worked; Joab got him an audience with King David.
David met with Absalom but it only gave Absalom more power to exalt his own kingdom. He used his good looks, availability and charisma to sway the hearts of the people. When he felt he had enough followers, he went to Hebron and pronounced himself king.
David knew enough about Absalom to know he better flee. He left 10 of his concubines to watch over the kingdom. Many of his servants went with him. A man named Ittai had just arrived in Israel because he had been exiled from his homeland of the Philistines. David told him he could stay if he wanted to, but he chose to go with David. He became the leader of David’s 600 men.
Absalom is a type of an anti-christ. We can see the attributes of Satan in Absalom’s life. He was self-motivated, a schemer, self-promoting and a usurper. David had the heart of Jesus. He was forgiving, humble and wise.
In John, Jesus finished his prayer and took his disciples across the Kidron Valley to an olive grove. If you have ever been to Israel you will be taken to this grove and shown the olive trees that produce a leaf that is speckled with red, like drops of blood. It is the only place on the earth that produces this leaf. It is truly a sign.
This is where Jesus was arrested and Peter, in his zeal, cut off Maichus’ ear. It doesn’t tell us in John, but in Luke, it tells us that he touched his ear and healed him (Luke 22:50). That same night Peter denied knowing Jesus. He stood up before a a detachment of soldiers, some officials from the chief priest and Pharisees to cut off the high priest servants’ ear only to cave before a servant girl.
This reminds me of how strong and empowered I feel when I am tangibly in the presence of the Lord and how quickly I forget in the everyday trials of life. Jesus was just as present with Peter when he stood next to him as when he was separated from him. His presence is ever present with us too.
Jesus made it clear that they were not in control. He was drinking the cup his Father had given him. God was in control. He was not about to be murdered, he was about to lay his life down. Those are two different things.
Lord, help us to have your perspective in every situation. You are in control.

Tues.’s Devo - Family Issues

Read: 2 Samuel 13:1-39; John 17:1-26; Psalm 119-81-96; Proverbs 16:6-7
If you have family problems then you will be able to relate to David’s family. Amnon was David’s son who fell in lust with his sister, Tamar, from another mother. Ironically, Amnon’s name means “faithful” but I think the only one Amnon was faithful to was himself. Since Tamar was a virgin and Amnon was not, he didn’t know how to approach nice girls. He and his cousin devised an evil plan to get Tamar alone. When he had her in his bedroom, he raped her, then despised her.
Poor Tamar’s life was ruined over Amnon’s selfishness and disrespect. She lived distraught in the house of Absalom, her brother. Absalom was furious at Amnon and waited for the perfect time to kill him. He finally found it two years later at sheep-shearing time. He talked his father, David into letting him take his brothers with him to shear the sheep. When he had gotten them away to himself, he told his servants to kill Amnon. They obeyed and the other sons fled.
Word got back to David that all his sons had been killed. He fell on the floor in despair. Then he learned that only Amnon had died because of what he did to Tamar. Absalom fled to Geshur and stayed with the king there. David mourned for Amnon for three years. Then he started missing Absalom.
Anger leads to murder. Absalom had two years to forgive Amnon, but instead he let his anger grow to murder. We will hopefully never kill a person, but when we get angry we kill them with our words. It all comes from the same spirit which is rooted in unforgiveness. Unforgiveness is a seed which will grow if we water it. Or, we can choose to kill it with forgiveness and water our hearts with the Word. We are constantly planting seeds in our lives. We want to be planting seeds that bring forth life and not death.
In John, Jesus invited his disciples into his intimate fellowship with his father. He had just finished making the statement that his disciples finally got who he was and now he felt they could experience his prayer life. In Jesus’ prayer, we see that he knows who he is and he knows his mission. He knows who God is also. He prays for his disciples, not that God would spare them from the world but that they would be sanctified by the truth. He prayed for us that would come to know him centuries later that we would be one just like he and God were one. He prayed that we would be in heaven and see his glory. He also prayed that we would have the same love Jesus had for God and that Jesus would be in us.
I pray that too. Lord, let your love be in us just like it is in you.

Mon’s Devo - Repentance Brings Promotion

Read: 2 Samuel 12:1-31; John 16:1-33; Psalm 119:65-80: Proverbs 16:4-5
The Lord sent Nathan to David to give him an allegory of his own life. David was blinded to his own sin but fully alive to this man’s sin in the story. When David was outraged, Nathan told him that he was the man in the story and that because he did this in secret, God would do the same to him publicly. Calamity would come to his kingdom and his wives would be taken by someone who was close to David. This person would lay with his wives in broad daylight.
Instead of protesting, David repented, but he would lose the life of his son. Because David knew the mercy and kindness of the Lord, he fasted and prayed for mercy for his son. His son lived seven days before he died. Then David got up and ate. His servants didn’t understand David’s actions so he explained that while the child was alive, he prayed for him, but now there was nothing left to pray for. He went and comforted Bathsheba. God blessed David’s repentance and gave them another son. David named this son Solomon which means “peaceableness”. Nathan named him Jedidiah which means “beloved of God”. God had put his stamp of approval on this child.
Because David put things in the right order and repented, God gave him victory over the Ammonites and gave him a new crown.
When we repent. we get promoted in God’s kingdom. God doesn’t look at the horribleness of our sin, but the purity of our heart when we repent. When God forgives, he does it completely. He never goes back to rehash it like we do. He only goes forward to the next assignment.
In John, Jesus warned his disciples of what was ahead for them. They were headed for social, religious and personal persecution because they had followed Jesus. Jesus comforted them with the fact that they would not face this alone but the Holy Spirit would be given them to help them. He would convict the world of their sin, bring righteousness to the earth, and judge the devil.
Jesus told them that in a little while they wouldn’t see him then in a little while they would see him again. They had no idea what his riddle meant so he explained that he was going to leave them and go to heaven, but then he would come back to them. Before he left, they would leave him and be scattered. He would be all alone but they were not to worry about him because his father would be with him. Jesus was referring to his arrest and his trial. Jesus told them this, so they could have some peace of mind when it happened. He reminded them that he had overcome the world.
I wonder what they thought when he told them he had overcome the world. Maybe, that he really was going to become a king and set Israel free. In their wildest imaginations, they couldn’t have seen what was about to happen. It tested their faith to the core. The trials we go through do the same to us. We have to find joy in the pain and rejoice in our sorrow. Then God can lift up our heads and give us peace.
Lord, we remember what you did on the cross and the resurrection. Help us to concentrate on the resurrection. There is life in every death! In every repentance there is great promotion! Thank you for all the men who died serving our country and giving us a life of peace. Bless them and their families.

Sun.’s Devo - The True Vine

Read: 2 Samuel 9:1-11:27; John 15:1-27; Psalm 119:49-64; Proverbs 16:1-3
David wanted to honor anyone who was left of Saul’s household for Jonathan’s sake. Saul had a servant named Ziba who had been caring for Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth. Mephebosheth had become lame in both legs a the age of five when he fell, fleeing from the enemy.
David gave all of Saul’s land to Mephiboshth and asked Ziba to farm it for his family and for Mephibosheth, but Mephibosheth and his son, Mica, were to eat every meal with David at the palace.
David also wanted to show sympathy to Hanun the new king of the Ammonites because his father had died. His father had been kind to David when he was running from Saul. David sent his men with words of comfort to Hanun but his advisors believed David’s men to be spies. They had David’s mens beards shaved and the skirts of their uniforms cut off explosing them. When David found out he sent these men to a secluded town till their beards could grow back and rallied his troops for war. Hanun knew this was coming so he hired the Armenians to fight with him. Israel won and the Armenians never helped the Ammonites again. Instead they both served David and paid him tribute.
In the spring, when David should have been out to war, he stayed home and was idle. He walked out on his balcony and saw Bathsheba bathing from her monthly period. He wanted her, so he sent for her. It didn’t seem to matter to David that she was married and that her husband was one of the best soldiers serving in his army. He had sex with her and when he found out she was pregnant, he did everything he could think of to cover his sin. David had to resort to killing her husband, Uriah, so he could legally have Bathsheba and hide his sin. He couldn’t hide it from God and I’m pretty sure most of David’s household servants knew the truth also.
In John, Jesus told his disciples that he is the true vine. A vine is a picture of a family line. If Jesus is the true vine, then there is a false vine also that produces a bad family line. Cain, Esau, and Ahab were all examples of fruit from Satan’s line.
If we are born again, then we are part of God’s vine and the only way we can produce fruit is to get the nourishment of the vine. To do this we must remain attached to the vine. Everything God does stems from the blood flowing through this vine so apart from it we are lifeless and we will die.
In case this seems confining, Jesus said that if we remain on the vine, in him, we are his friends. On the vine, we can ask anything and it will be ours because we will be asking what God wants. We will have his heart and his blood flowing through our veins. To help us know God’s heart, God sent us his Holy Spirit to give us truth.
Lord, help us to remain in you so that our words can bring life.

Sat.’s Devo - The Principle of the Kingdom

Read: 2 Samuel 7:1-8:18; John 14:15-31; Psalm 119:33-48; Proverbs 15:33
When David had settled into his new role of king, he got the idea of building God a house to live in. He told his prophet, Nathan, who thought it was a good idea also until God spoke to Nathan and told him else wise. God said that he had never lived in a house but had traveled with the people wherever they roamed. It wasn’t time to build a house for him, but it would be the right timing for his son. So, David continued to fight the enemies and bring the booty from their nations into the treasury so that his son could use it to build a temple for God.
This is the principle of the kingdom. We are to plunder the enemy and take his treasury to use for God’s kingdom. Everything in the earth is the Lord’s and it is all there to bring him honor and glory. Evil men have prospered and they use God’s bounty as weapons against God. God wants his people to prosper so they can give God back what is already his to use to further his kingdom. That is why we are seeing very prominent people falling and justice being served. God is restoring his treasury house so he can build his kingdom. Wealth is not only money but it is excelling in inventions, ideas, position, leadership, business, entertainment, arts, sports, education, government, etc. His people are to be the head and not the tail. They should be the leaders in all these areas on the earth for God’s glory.
In John, Jesus was talking to his disciples for the last time. He explained that the key to the kingdom which is love. If you love God, you will love Jesus and if you love Jesus you will obey anything he says to do. Jesus was leaving them, but only in the natural. He was sending them his spirit to always be with them and remind him of everything he had told them. They didn’t understand most of what Jesus had said, but when he was gone, they would understand it so much better.
We have the gift of the Holy Spirit that does the same for us. We read the Bible and don’t always remember what we have read until we are in a trial, then the words of the Bible come back to comfort us and encourage us. If we don’t hide God’s Word in our hearts, we have no library to draw from when we need it.
Lord, help us to hide your Word deep in our hearts that we won’t fall when we are being tested.

Fri.’s Devo - Establishing the Kingdom

Read: 2 Samuel 4:1-6:23; John 13:31-14:14; Psalm 119:17-32; Proverbs 15:31-32
Everyone wanted position with the new king, David so they did what they thought would give them favor. Baanah and Recab had been military leaders for Israel and thought that if they killed Ishbosheth, the leader of Israel, and presented his head to David, David would honor them and give them portion in his army. David was not like Saul, he had them killed for taking matters into their own hands and not letting God determine what was to happen to Ishbosheth.
Now that there was no king, all the tribes came and found David and anointed him king of Israel. David was 30 years old which is the same age Jesus was when he started his ministry. He reigned as king over both Israel and Judah for 33 years which was the age of Jesus when he died. The first thing David did as king is to take the city of Jerusalem from the Jebusites and make it his city. When Hiram sent wood for him to build a house to live in he knew that his kingdom was established and for the first time in many years he had a permanent dwelling place to live. He started growing his own family.
The Philistines found out about David’s new kingdom and came to fight him. God gave David specific orders when and how to fight them. Once he had defeated them, he was ready to bring the ark from Judah to Jerusalem. When the ark almost fell and Uzzah, one of the priests, put out his hand to steady it. God’s anger broke out and killed Uzzah. Once again, man was trying to do God’s work his way. The ark was not to be carried on cart but on the shoulders of the priests with the poles. David, not knowing what to do, stopped the festivities and let the ark stay right where it was till he could figure out why God was so mad.
The ark rested at the home of Obed-Edom and God blessed his household so much in 3 months that it was noticeable to the people. David knew it was time to bring the ark to Jerusalem and he had researched how to carry it.
David brought the ark home sacrificing a bull and a calf every time the priests took six steps. He wore the linen ephod of the priest and danced wildly in worship of the presence of the Lord. There was music and festivities and great joy. Saul’s daughter, Michal watched David dancing and was embarrassed. That night she told him that he had made a fool of himself in front to all his slave girls. David put her in her place and told her that God had chosen him over her father and he would make a bigger fool of himself in the future worshipping God. She might be embarrassed, but his slave girls would honor him. Michal was barren the rest of her life.
In John, Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment and it was to love others as he had loved them. Up to that time, Jesus had taught them to love others as they loved themselves but this was much higher. Jesus had shown them a love greater than man’s love and that was their new challenge. Then Jesus talked about leaving them and going somewhere they could not go. He was talking about the kingdom of heaven. When Peter argued he was ready to lay down his life for Jesus, Jesus gave him a sign that he wasn’t ready. He told him that before the rooster crowed, he would deny him three times.
Jesus was making the point to Peter that he could not do this on his own passion and strength. After the Holy Spirit came, not only could they go where Jesus had gone but they would have the power to resist sin and the devil. Then they would be ready to enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Lord, help us to love as you loved us. Thank you for making the way for us to approach the throne and go where you have gone. Remind us of who we are in you. Establish your kingdom in our hearts.

Thurs.’s Devo - Vengence is Mine, Saith the Lord!

Read: 2 Samuel 2:12-3:39; John 13:1-30; Psalm 119:1-16; Proverbs 15:29-30
Abner, Israel’s army commander, met Joab, Judah’s army commander and their troops at Gibeon. They matched man to man in a battle hoping not to have to fight a huge battle. That didn’t work because they killed each other and their was no survivor. This led to a battle where 360 Israelites died and only 19 from Judah. In this battle, Joab’s younger brother, Asahel relentlessly chased Abner to kill him. Abner gave him a chance to escape but he wouldn’t take it. Finally, Abner had to kill him. Asahel’s other two brothers chased Abner till they got to a hill. Abner talked Joab and his brother into peace and they went home.
There were many battles after that between them and they ended about the same. David’s side grew stronger and Ishbosheth’s weaker.
David was living in Hebron and had 6 sons with six different wives. David was a strong leader and the people loved him.
Ishbosheth was a weak leader. He rebuked his commander, Abner for sleeping with his father’s concubine when he should have had him put to death or fired him. Instead, Abner, stood up to Ishbosheth. Abner had no respect for Ishbosheth and decided he would rather serve David so he arranged a meeting with David to give him the whole kingdom. First, David wanted his wife Michal, Saul’s daughter, to be given back to him. She had been given to another man who was greatly distraught to lose her.
David met with Abner and made a covenant to be one nation. After Abner left for home, Joab returned from a raid. When he found out that David had let Abner go in peace, he was irate. He chased Abner and killed him to avenge the blood of his brother, Asahel. He didn’t consider the peace of the nation because he couldn’t get over the offense he had in his heart.
David saved the peace by honoring Abner in his death and letting the people know without a doubt, he had nothing to do with Abner’s death. Joab didn’t learn from watching David’s life and how he learned to forgive Saul and not take revenge into his own hands. God is the one who avenges us. He does it so that no one is blamed. Our part is forgiveness.
Joab got his revenge but also a huge curse on his family. The curse was that no one from his house would be without a running sore or leprosy or one who leaned on a crutch or fell by the sword or who lacked food… in other words: plague, war and famine.
In John, Jesus was about to have his last supper with his disciples. First, he wrapped a towel around his waist and washed the feet of his disciples. Then he reminded them that he was their teacher and their Lord yet he humbled himself to wash their feet. They were to do the same for one another.
Then, Jesus told them that one of them would betray him. This flabbergasted them and they put John up to asking Jesus who it was. Jesus said it would be the one who he gave the piece of bread once he had dipped it in the bowl. He dipped it in the bowl and gave it to Judas and told him to go and do what he was going to do. As soon as Jesus gave him the word and the bread, Satan entered into Judas and he left. The disciples still didn’t get it. If they had, they probably would have tried to stop God’s plan. God blinded their understanding until it was over and too late to stop it.
Psalm 119 is the alphabet song of the Hebrews. Every eight verses stands for the letters of their alphabet. Today we read Aleph for “A” and Bet for “B”.
Lord may we hid your Word in our hearts that we not stray from your commands.

Wed.’s Devo - Two Kingdoms

Read: 2 Samuel 1:1-2:11; John 12:20-50; Psalm 118:19-29; Proverbs 15:27-28
First Samuel was the story of Saul and his kingship but Second Samuel was the story of David’s kingship. Saul’s kingship lasted his lifetime but David’s covenant was eternal. Jesus would be a part of David’s kingdom.
Saul died in a battle with the Philistines and lost everything when at the same time David won a battle with the Amelekites and got back everything. On the third day, after Saul’s battle, David met an Amelekite who thought he would use David to get some kind of reward. He lied and said he had killed Saul and brought David, Saul’s crown and his arm band. Instead of a reward, it costs him his life. David carried no offense in his heart toward Saul. This is amazing since Saul had repaid David’s loyalty with distrust and attempts to kill him. David walked in forgiveness which is not easy to do. David wrote a lament and sung it in honor of Saul and Jonathan and all Israel and Judah mourned their deaths.
David asked God what he should do next and God said to go to Hebron. David and his men were well loved in the land of Judah since they had been fighting their enemies and keeping them safe all the years they lived in the land of the Philistines. David had also shared his winnings with the people of Judah. So he went to Hebron where they proclaimed him their king. In the meantime Abner, Saul’s army commander went back to Israel and proclaimed Ish-Bosheth, Saul’s son, king of Israel. Ish-Basheth means “man of shame”.
In John, Jesus and his disciples were in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover but Jesus was not appearing in public. Some of the Greek-speaking Jews recognized Philip as Jesus’ disciple and asked him if they could talk to Jesus. Philip gave Jesus the message and Jesus knew it was time to come out of hiding. He made the statement that a grain of wheat had to die in order to multiply. He was speaking of his own death which the disciples would get once he died.
When Jesus met with the crowd, he prayed aloud for God to save him from this hour. Then he said that it was this hour that he was born for, so he changed his prayer to “glorify your name”. God spoke out loud and said, “I have glorified it before, and I will glorify it again!” All heard the voice but some only heard it as thunder. Others heard it distinctly. We hear according to how spiritually tuned our ears are.
Jesus explained to them that the voice was for their sake and it was time for the world to be judged and the ruler of the world to be expelled. He was speaking of Satan. He was cast out at Jesus death so we don’t need to see him as anything to fear. He is an imposter claiming to have power when he is actually our servant.
Many believed that Jesus was the light sent from heaven to earth; God’s son. Others couldn’t see because their was no light in their eyes to see. To reject Jesus was to reject God.
Lord, help us to see clearly and believe with pure hearts. Help us not to carry any unforgiveness or resentment in our hearts.

Tues.’s Devo - God’s Perfect Set-Up

Read: 1 Samuel 29:1-31:13; John 11:54-12:19; Psalm 118:1-18; Proverbs 15:24-26
God has a way of saving us when we don’t even know we need saving. David was about to enter into a battle on the side of the Philistines against Israel. That could have sabotaged David’s kingship. Since Saul was destined to die in the battle, David would have been held responsible. God knew what he was doing in keeping David from being a part of that battle.
David and his men were offended that they were not trusted to fight but they were able to go home and rescue their own families from the Amelekites. This is such a picture of disappointment turned into a victory. God sees our lives from heaven’s viewpoint. He sees the past and the future so his ways are so much better than ours. We live in the moment but God lives in eternity.
David ended up saving his reputation with his own people, recovering his family and the families of his men and gaining so much spoil from the Amelekites that he was able to share it with 13 cities in Judah. That is a lot of spoil! God was increasing David’s favor with his people.
In the meantime, Saul and his sons were killed on the battlefield just as Samuel had prophesied. David’s long awaited time had come.
So had Jesus’ time come. In John he was six days away from Passover, the day he would give his life for the world. He was keeping a low profile because he knew the Jews were looking for him. He stopped in Bethany to visit with Lazareth and Mary and Martha one last time. Mary anointed him for his burial and used very expensive perfume. Judas objected because he saw it’s worth and wanted the money himself. Judas, like Satan, was a thief and a liar. He would betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.
I find it funny that the Jews wanted to try to kill Lazareth again. They were so jealous of the people following Jesus and now even more because he had raised Lazareth from the dead. Everything Jesus did was fulfillment of prophecy. He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey which was prophesied in Zechariah 9:9.
The people shouted the words of Psalm 118:26 which was the hallel or the hallelujah verses sung at that festival. The Pharisees were quickly losing control of the people and didn’t know what to do.
Lord, you are in total control of this world and our lives. Help us to blindly trust your goodness and your plan because it is the perfect plan.

Mon.’s Devo - Resurrection!

Read: 1 Samuel 26:1-28:25; John 11:1-53; Psalm 117:1-2; Proverbs 15:22-23
Once again Saul was bent on killing David. Jealousy doesn’t just die if left unattended: it grows. This time David knew where Saul was and went with his volunteer, Abishai to Saul’s camp. Everyone in Saul’s camp had been put into a deep sleep from the Lord so David was able to go right up to where Saul was sleeping and steal his sword and his water jug. David waited till he got far enough away for his own safety then called out to Saul’s bodyguard, Abner. He accused him of not doing his job. Saul awoke and recognized David’s voice and once again realized that he could not fight God. Again God had delivered his life into David’s hand and David had chosen not to kill him. His reputation would be shot if he killed David now. That would be so dishonorable. So they parted and David knew for certain that the only place he would be safe was out of Israel. David deflected to the Philistines.
There he had favor with Maoch, king of Gath who gave David the city of Ziklag to settle his men and their families. David and his men would go out and kill Israel’s enemies which were a part of Maoch’s kingdom. He would tell Maoch that he had raided the land of Judah. He would cover his tracks by killing everyone in the places he raided so no one could tell on him. The king believed David’s story and felt he was totally loyal to him and had abandoned his own people. Nothing could be further from the truth.
When it came time to fight Israel, Maoch wanted David to be his body guard because he so trusted David’s loyalty. In the meantime, Saul was not so certain about this battle. He had consulted all his means of hearing from God and God wasn’t answering him. He resorted to finding a medium to bring Samuel up from his grave so he could ask him. When Samuel came up, he was angry with Saul and told him that Israel would not win and he and his sons would die in the battle. His kingdom would be handed over to the Philistines.
In John, another man is brought up from his grave. It was Lazarus, who was the brother of Mary and Martha and a close friend of Jesus’. Jesus waited four days till Lazareth was good and dead before he returned. Jesus wanted to prove to them that he was the resurrection and the life so he resurrected Lazareth to give them evidence.
Some of the blind on-lookers went and told the Pharisees that Jesus had raised Lazareth from he dead as if he had done something terribly wrong. They had a meeting and were afraid that everyone would believe in Jesus and the Romans would come and take their place and their nation. Caiphas, the high priest said, “you know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” He meant that they needed to kill Jesus then their problem would be solved, but God meant that killing Jesus would bring salvation to all. They didn’t realize that they were falling right into God’s plan for the nation.
Lord, help us to realize that what we do matters to not only us, but for generations to come. We are planting good seed or bad seed and it is our choice. Help us to plant good seed. Thank you that you are the resurrection and the life!

Sun.’s Devo - Humility is the Road to Promotion

Read: 1 Samuel 24:1-25:44; John 10:22-42; Psalm 116:1-19; Proverbs 15:20-21
God set it up where David and Saul were in the same cave together. David and his men were deep in the cave when they heard voices and upon investigation found them to be Saul and his men. David’s men saw this as a divine set-up to kill Saul. Saul and his men had gone to sleep and it was the perfect time to kill them and be free of running. They could return to Israel and David could be the king.
Although this sounded good in theory, David knew in his heart that this looked more like a test, than an opportunity to usurp Saul’s kingdom. He aced the test. Instead of killing Saul, he gave Saul an opportunity to repent. He humbled himself before Saul and put his life in Saul’s hands. All of Saul’s men got to see David’s integrity because one day they would be under David’s command. It was a perfect way for David to prove that his heart was pure.
Saul had no recourse but to repent. He realized that David could have easily killed him but chose not to. Saul returned home and David stayed in the stronghold. In the meantime, Samuel died and all Israel mourned for him.
David’s men lived in the desert and were respectful of the one’s living there. There was a wealthy man, Nabal whose shepherds watched their sheep in the same area David’s men were staying. David’s men were a wall of protection for them and no robbers took their sheep. When it was time for shearing the sheep, the town would celebrate and everyone who worked with the sheep would be invited to the celebration. There would be plenty of food for all. David’s men were hungry and had every right to be invited to the party. David sent word to Nabal to ask if his men could come and Nabal, who was wicked and a bully, said, “no”.
David’s men were about to come and crash the party and kill Nabal and his men but Abigail, Nabal’s wife heard about the whole thing. She took matters into her own hand and brought the party to David. She packed up enough food to feed his whole army and went and met David herself. She apologized for her husband’s rudeness and begged the life of her town.
David accepted her food and her apology. Abigail returned to her drunk husband and waited till he was sober to tell him what she had done. When she told him, he had a stroke and died 10 days later. When David found out, he sent for her and became her husband. Abigail’s name means “father of joy”. David also married Ahinoam which means “brother of pleasantness”. The king was gathering a fruitful family.
It is hard for us to understand the culture of the Bible but the king always has many wives. Jesus as our king has many wives also. It was a sign of his compassion and care that he took Abigail, a woman who had been married to such a foolish boor, to be his wife.
In John, it was the celebration of Hanukkah. Hanukkah celebrated the time when the temple was rebuilt and there was only enough sacred oil to keep the menorah lit for a day. It took a week to make the oil but miraculously, the menorah stayed lit for the seven days until they could make new oil. I believe that Jesus was conceived on Passover and born on Hanukkah becoming the manifested light of the earth.
The Jews were still arguing with Jesus about his identity. They were about to stone him when he asked which of his miracles were they stoning him for. His acts proved who he was but they would never understand because they weren’t his sheep.
Lord, help us to understand that our identity is found in you only. We are all a part of this great family called the Body of Christ. May we learn to live together in unity.

Sat.’s Devo - God’s Protection

Read: 1 Samuel 22:1-23:29; John 10:1-21; Psalm 115:1-18; Proverbs 115:1-18
David begins his life of running from Saul. He left Gath which means “a winepress” and went to the cave at Adullam which means “a testimony to them”. The cave at Adullam would be a place David and his men hid in often. It was here that David formed his army against Saul. Four hundred men that were unsatisfied with the consequences of having a king came and joined David.
God sent his word to lead David and keep him alive. A prophet from Gad told David not to stay there but to go to the land of Judah. David obeyed and went to the forest of Hereth in Judah.
Saul met with his officers to discuss David. Doeg remembered that he had seen David talking to the priest at Nob. He told Saul that Ahimelech had fed David and given him Goliath’s sword. Saul sent for Ahimelech and all his family. He sentenced them to die for treason even though Ahimelech pled he was innocent. No one would kill the priests so Doeg did it himself. He killed 85 priests and only one, Abiathar escaped to tell David. This was a fulfillment of Eli’s descendants that none of them would live to be old (1 Samuel 2:31-33). God was keeping his promise.
Abiathar had brought with him the ephod that has the Ummin and the Thummin to ask God questions. David used these to know what to do during this time of his life. He asked God if he should go to Keilah and help the town who was being attacked by the Philistines. God said, yes, so he went and fought for them. When Saul found out where he was, David asked God if the people of Keilah would turn him over to Saul and God said, yes. David’s men left before Saul arrived.
David’s men grew from 400 to 600. They wandered through the wilderness running from Saul and fighting for Israel when they could. God protected David and his men. When Saul’s army would find out where David was, God would shield David with a mountain, a word, or a diversion.
If we could see our lives from heaven’s perspective we would see this same pattern in our own lives. God protects us from the enemy all our lives and we never know it. One day, we will get to see a movie of our lives and all the times the Lord delivered us when we had no idea we were in danger.
In John, Jesus explains the kingdom of God like being a sheep-pen. Those who enter by the door, Jesus, are his true disciples. The ones who try to get in some other way are the thieves and robbers and they won’t be allowed to stay. It seems harsh to unbelievers that we as Christians are so elite in saying there is only one way to heaven: through Jesus, but that is exactly what Jesus was explaining. There is only one way and that is through Jesus. Anyone and everyone is invited but they have to come God’s way, not theirs. The way is narrow and few there be which find it. Jesus tried to explain that he was the good shepherd. They should want to come his way because he loved them and would take care of them. He was the only one who could give them an abundant life. They couldn’t see it because of their stubbornness and rebellion.
Lord, help us to trust in your protection and plan for our lives. Thank you for your unfailing love for us. We are so grateful!

Fri.’s Devo - Seeing

Read: 1 Samuel 20:1-21:15; John 9:1-41: Psalms 113:1-114:8; Proverbs 15:15-17
David knew Saul’s intent to kill him but Jonathan was oblivious to it. David trusted Jonathan so they agreed to test Saul’s heart. Sadly, David was right and Saul indeed wanted to kill David. David and Jonathan made a pact that no matter what happened, David would always be kind to Jonathan and his family. David would keep that promise. Jonathan knew that David’s friendship might hinder his ascension to the throne but he was willing to chance it.
Jonathan was a beautiful example of the Holy Spirit and how he has no agenda of his own. He will do anything he can to get us where we are suppose to be. He is always working for our Heavenly Father to promote the kingdom of God on the earth.
Digging deeper: David was suppose to eat with Saul on the New Moon festival which is Roshashana or the Feast of Trumpets. It is the feast that Jesus will return for his bride known as the Rapture. David was taken from the presence of Saul and never ate at his table again. He met Jonathan at a stone called the Stone of Departure. The bride will depart from this earth on that day and never eat at the world’s table again!
David fled to Ahimelech, the priest’s house and ate bread that was illegal for a non-priest to eat. Normally, this would have cost him his life, but he was in a new kingdom and it gave him life instead. When we go to heaven we will eat of the mysteries of God that were not given to us before and it will be new life - eternal life.
David lied to Ahimelech about his mission in order to protect him and keep him innocent. It didn’t help that one of Saul’s head shepherds, Doeg saw Ahimelech give David the bread and Goliath’s sword. David went from there to Gath where he had to act like a crazy person to save his life.
In John, Jesus healed a man born blind. This was a big deal because the Jews believed that only the Messiah would be able to do that, and they also believed that any birth defect was due to the parent’s sin. Jesus specifically denied this to be true in this case.
The now-seeing man and his parents were interrogated by the Pharisees. The man declared that Jesus was a prophet and later he told them that he believed that Jesus was from God. His parents were not so strong. They cared more about their social standing and didn’t want to be thrown out of the synagogue. They put it back on their son. There son answered truthfully and was thrown out of the synagogue. Jesus found him later and invited him into his kingdom where he was accepted freely by grace.
Jesus explained that he was blind, but now he could see. The Pharisees could see, but were blind. This offended the Pharisees greatly.
Lord, help us to be bold like you are. Thank you for giving us eyes to see and believe. Help us to walk out our belief so that others can see.

Thurs.’s Devo - Have Faith

Read: 1 Samuel 18:5-19:24; John 8:31-59; Psalm 112:1-10; Proverbs 15:12-14
Jealousy is what moved Lucifer to rebel against God thus becoming Satan. We see that same emotion causing Saul to become obsessed with killing David. What was worse ,is that every plan he had to get rid of David only ended in promoting him. It was so obvious that God was driving David’s life and it scared Saul. He saw what he could have had if he had obeyed God.
Saul thought that his daughter Michal would be the one to bring David down. Saul had married wives from other nations who brought their own gods and idolatry and Michal was one of the offspring of one such union. She had her own gods and didn’t worship the Lord God. Surely, she would be David’s weakness. But, she protected David against her own father so that backfired also.
Saul hoped the Philistines would kill David, but he had success every time he went into a battle. The cards were stacked against Saul and there was nothing he could do. He couldn’t even kill him in his own bedroom with a spear. David finally had to flee to Samuel, his only hope.
Saul eventually found out where David was hiding and sent men to bring him back. The Spirit of God would hit them and all they could do was to prophesy. Saul came and the same thing happened to him. Don’t say that God will do something to you against your will because it did it over and over in the Bible. He will never cause you to accept him beyond your will but he can do whatever he wants to with you. He is the potter and we are the clay.
In John, Jesus was still speaking with the unbelieving Pharisees and teachers of the law. The argument was over Jesus’ identity. They believed he was from Satan and he told them that he was from God and they were from Satan. They accused Jesus of lying and he accused them of the same. It was a stand-off, but some of these people actually believed after the resurrection. I’m sure they remembered arguing with God and had to be full of regret.
Satan will always challenge our identity and he is ruthless and mean. We have to know who we are and stand unwavering like Jesus did. Jesus never backed down or let them intimidate him. Our enemies are usually our thoughts and our emotions. We can talk to them just like Jesus talked to the religious leaders.
Thank you Father that we are your children and have every right to stand before you in righteousness because of the blood of Jesus. Help us to be bold and unwavering in our faith.

Wed.’s Devo - The Fate of Satan

Read: 1 Samuel 17:1-18:4; John 8:21-30; Psalm 111:1-10; Proverbs 15:11
The story of David and Goliath is told in locker rooms around America. It is probably the most repeated story in the Bible because it is such a picture of the victory of the under dog.
The name of the place where the showdown took place was called Shochoh which means “his branch”. It was in Judah. How interesting that Jesus was The Branch from the same tribe and David was a type of Jesus. Even Goliath called David “sticks”.
We have a detailed description of the great outward appearance of Goliath. Not only was he nine feet, nine inches tall but he was covered with so much metal there was no place for a spear to even touch him. The only thing exposed was his face.
David had been sent to the battle field to bring his brothers some food and see how the battle was going. There was no battle because it had been at a stand off for 40 days while Goliath taunted the army of Israel and challenged a dual. The outcome of the dual would determine the fate of Israel.
David arrived and stirred up the soldiers with his great faith in God to deliver them. Finally his words reached Saul and having no other volunteer or recourse, he sent David out with no covering and no weapon except a sling and a stone. The contrast of David and Goliath was undeniable.
Goliath thought David was a joke and told him what he was going to do to David. David knew that Goliath was all hot air and told him what God was going to do to him. David felled Goliath with the first stone. He cut off his head with Goliath’s own sword and that was the end of the battle.
Goliath stands for our enemy the devil. He is loud, proud and looks big and ferocious. He is intimidating and uses fear to take our strength away, but he is only a smoke screen. David put his trust in the Lord making him so much more powerful than any giant. His rock stands for the Word of God and that is all we have to have in our arsenal: faith and the Word. It will fell all our fears and uncertainties.
Jonathan had a heart like David’s so he was instantly drawn to David. The kingdom would have been Jonathan’s but Saul had already blown that for Jonathan. Jonathan was a picture of John the Baptist who recognized he was in the presence of someone greater than him. Instead of fighting God’s plan like Saul did, Jonathan joined with God’s plan. I know that Jonathan’s reward in heaven will be great.
In John, Jesus was having yet another discussion with the Jews about who he was. He told them he was going away but they would not be able to come where he was going. They thought that maybe he was going to commit suicide. Jews believed that it was against God’s law to take their own lives or even harm themselves. Anyone who did was to be buried outside the city walls in a special place.
Jesus wasn’t talking about suicide. He came out and told them: he was from heaven and they were from the world. If they did not believe in him and who sent him, they would die eternally. If they did believe, they could live eternally. Our fate has always been handed to us to decide. We choose where we spend eternity. God is a good God but he gives us the choice.
Lord, thank you that you are gracious and compassionate. You remember your covenant forever. To you belongs eternal praise.

Tues.’s Devo - To Obey is Better Than Sacrifice

Read: 1 Samuel 15:1-16:23; John 8:1-20; Psalm 110:1-7; Proverbs 15:8-10
Saul was told by God to attack and completely destroy the Amalekites. There was nothing but evil about them and God wanted them off the face of the earth. Instead of killing all of them, he left the king alive and the best of their sheep and cattle. God was not pleased with Saul’s disobedience and sent Samuel to tell him.
Samuel found Saul erecting a monument of himself. When Samuel confronted Saul about keeping the best animals alive, Saul excused his actions by saying he let them live to make a sacrifice to the Lord. Samuel told him that obeying the Lord is much better than a sacrifice of our own choosing. Rebellion is the same as witchcraft and arrogance was the same as idolatry. Since Saul had refused to obey God, then God had to relieve him of his office of king.
Saul was humiliated and sad, but he worried more about how the people would see him. He begged Samuel to go with him to make a sacrifice so it would look like Samuel still honored him. Saul was eaten up with insecurity and pride. He cared more about what the people thought than what God thought.
Samuel killed Agag, the Amalekite king then left for home where he grieved for Saul. God finally told him to stop grieving and go anoint the next king. He would find him in Bethlehem, the same place the angels found Jesus when he was young. This man had eight brothers and the one God was looking for was the youngest and he was not even invited to the party. It was David. He was out keeping the sheep and too young to be considered by his father, but his heavenly father knew his heart. David was brought in and anointed as the next king in front of his brothers. The Spirit of God came upon David, but an evil spirit came upon Saul. Saul’s advisors sent for a harp player and found David. Whenever Saul would go into one of his spells, David would come in and play and soothe his nerves. Saul loved David and made him his armor-bearer.
In John, they brought the woman caught in adultery. Where is the man? In the law they are both to be judged. They wanted Jesus to judge her. Instead he judged them. There is a verse in Jeremiah that says, “Cursed is anyone whose name is written in the dirt.”. I wonder if Jesus was writing their genealogies down. Anyway, when Jesus finished writing, all had left and Jesus told her that he wouldn’t condemn her either.
Jesus went back to the temple and proclaimed to be the light of the world. They challenged his statement because he only had one witness: himself. Their law demands that you have two witnesses. Jesus explained he did have two witnesses, him and his father. But, they would not understand that because they didn’t know his father.
Lord, we want to know you. We don’t just want to know about you, but we want to know you like Jesus knew you.

Mon.’s Devo - Fighting Our Battles

Read: 1 Samuel 13:23-14:52; John 7:30-53; Psalm 109:1-31; Proverbs 15:5-7
The battles of the Old Testament are given to us as lessons on spiritual warfare. Saul stands for the ways of man and Jonathan stands for the ways of God. Jonathan had to walk down a pass where on one side was a cliff called Bozez that stood to the north. The other was a cliff called Seneh and it stood toward the south. Bozez means “surpassing whiteness; glistening” which is a picture of God’s glory. It stood toward the north toward Mismash which means “a report which is heard” which stands for the Good News. The other cliff was called Seneh which means “thorny” which is another picture of the curse. It stood facing Geba which means “elevation” which stands for pride.
In every trial we face we have to walk down this pass. On one side is the Lord in all his glory wanting us to hear his Word of faith so we will not fear. On the other is the devil and he is loud and fearful. He wants us to play it “safe” and not step out into the unknown and stand against our fears. His reward is curses and defeat. He tells us that if we step out in faith we will lose our reputation and our position. He is a liar.
Jonathan walked down this pass and chose to believe that God could deliver them with 2 as well as he could with thousands. He was not depending on his own strength but the power of God. He and his armor bearer defeated 20 men after climbing a cliff.
Their courage and faith caused God to fight in their defense. God sent an earthquake and put panic in the hearts of the enemy so that they killed themselves. Jonathan’s courage spread to his own countrymen and they climbed out of their hiding places and fought also. People who had defected to the Philistines returned and fought for Israel.
Saul, who didn’t have anything to do with their victory had to get some control back so he ordered his men not to eat anything till they had totally won the war. Jonathan hadn’t heard his father say that or the curse he had put on anyone who did. He ate honey and was immediately strengthened. He was found out later but the people saved Jonathan and once again embarrassed Saul.
Saul was driven by insecurity, self-centeredness, control and pride. Jonathan was driven by a desire for God. This put them at odds all through their lives.
In John, Jesus was still at the Feast of Tabernacles. Every day the priests would go down to the pool of Siloam and draw a pitcher of water and bring it up to the altar and mix it with the wine and pour it on the altar. Siloam means “living water”. As they were doing this Jesus cried out, “if anyone is thirsty, let him keep coming to me and drinking. Whoever puts his trust in me, rivers of living water will flow from his inmost being.” He was explaining the ritual they were doing. He was the living water sent to the world. This resonated in the spirits and hearts of many of the people, but made the religious leaders madder. They had to do something about Jesus once and for all. Even some of the priests could not come against Jesus because of the way he talked.
They went back to the fact that Jesus wasn’t from Bethlehem but from Galilee and the scriptures said nothing about a prophet coming from Galilee. This was Jesus’ little secret because he didn’t want them to figure it out in their minds but in their hearts. To believe in his required faith not reason.
Lord, help us to believe with our hearts and not our minds. Thank you that you are the living water that refreshes and gives life.

Sun.’s Devo - Saul’s First Mistake

Read: 1 Samuel 12:1-13:22; John 7: 1-29; Psalm 108:1-13; Proverbs 15:4
Samuel was about to turn over the headship to Saul so he gathered the people together and reminded them that he hadn’t taken a cent of their money or behaved unrighteously. Everything he had done, he did as a servant to the people. This would be a stark contrast to what the kings would do in the future. Samuel made the people agree with him that he had ruled them fairly. He reminded them of their steps of rebellion and how it was their request to have a king. Samuel called down rain to prove that God was displeased with their request for a king. Samuel left them with a warning to follow the Lord only.
Saul had reigned over Israel only two years when he faced his first battle. He appointed an army of 3,000 men. He took 2,000 of them to the hill country of Bethel and Jonathan, Saul’s son, took 1,000 of them to Gibeah to guard their borders. Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost at Geba and killed its governor making the Philistines want to retaliate. Saul took the credit and told the people he had done it. The Philistines showed up with 30,000 chariots and 6,000 horsemen and an enormous army.
Samuel had told Saul to wait for seven days and he would come and offer a sacrifice so they would have favor in the battle. Saul waited on the seventh day until the people were getting restless and leaving. Saul, impatiently offered the sacrifice himself. Immediately, Samuel showed up and asked Saul why he couldn’t wait. He explained that the people were leaving so he “forced” himself to offer it. Samuel was so upset with Saul. He told Saul that if he had waited, his kingdom would have been established forever but now it would be given to a man after God’s own heart. Saul was after the people’s heart.
By this time, Saul only had 600 men left in his army. He and Jonathan were the only ones with swords since the Philistines had ordered all of their metal workers to stop working and if they needed their plows sharpened they had to pay a Philistine. We will have to wait until tomorrow to see how this battle ended.
In John, it was the time of the Feast of Tabernacles. The feast lasted for seven days. Jesus knew that the Judeans were out to kill him so he waited till the middle of the feast before he went to the temple and began to teach. The people had been talking about Jesus and the Judeans had been looking for him also…to kill him. When he started teaching and no one did anything the people wondered if the Judeans had had a change of heart and maybe they were contemplating him being the Messiah.
The thing that tripped them up was the fact that the prophets had said that no one would know where the Messiah came from and everyone knew that Jesus came from Galilee. He actually came from Bethlehem, but no one asked him. Jesus knew what they were thinking so he explained that they only thought they knew where he was from. He didn’t come on his own accord but was sent by someone they didn’t know.
Jesus cracks me up! He was not afraid to call a spade a spade. He was not afraid of man or his opinion. He was the exact opposite of Saul.
Lord, help us to be uncompromising to the truth in the spirit of love.

Mon.’s Devo - Saul’s Trip Down Memory Lane

Read: 1 Samuel 10:1-11:15; John 6:43-71; Psalm 107:1-43; Proverbs 15:1-3
Saul stayed at Samuel’s house for the night and in the morning before he left, Samuel took Saul aside and anointed him with a flask of oil and kissed him. He told him that he was anointing him to be leader over Israel. Then he told him exactly what was going to happen to him on the way home. He would meet two men near Rachel’s tomb who would tell him that his donkey’s had been found but his father was worried about him. Rachel died giving birth to Benjamin of which Saul was a member of the tribe of Benjamin. She was buried on the entrance to Bethlehem. So Rachel’s tomb was the birthplace of Saul’s roots.
Then by the great tree at Tabor he would meet three men on their way to Bethel to worship. The great tree was a well-know landmark or a high place where people worshipped. These three men were carrying three goats, three loaves of bread, and a skin of wine. They would offer Saul two of their loaves of bread and he was to take them. (Mt. Tabor was the place of the transformation where Jesus talked to Moses and Elijah in Matthew.)
Next, he was to go to Gibeah, a Philistine outpost, and meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with instruments. They would be prophesying and he would get a new heart and prophesy with them. Gibeah was Saul’s birthplace and the place where the horrible act was done to the concubine that caused the tribe of Benjamin to almost become extinct. So, Saul was entering his hometown when he started prophesying and the people wondered how he could prophecy since they knew his father was not a prophet.
It is like God took Saul through events that would remind him of the history of his tribe and how important his roots were to God.
Samuel had told Saul to wait home for seven days then Samuel would come to him and tell him what to do next. Everything happened as Samuel said. When Samuel returned after seven days, he came to tell the people who would be their leader. Saul hid and they had to go find him.
Later, the Ammonites came up against the people of Jabesh-Gilead and told them that the only way they would be allowed to live would be to cut out their right eye and serve them. When Saul found out, he did what the man had done to his concubine’s body except he did it to an ox. He cut it up in pieces and sent it out to the tribes saying if they didn’t come and fight he would do that to their oxen. Thirty-three thousand men showed up to fight. They slaughtered the Ammonites and that was when the people accepted Saul as their leader.
In John, Jesus told them to stop grumbling over what he was saying. He reminded them of scripture that said the people would be taught by God. He was fulfilling that in their day and offering them eternal life - something that no one had been able to offer them before now. The manna in Moses’ day couldn’t offer eternal life, but the true bread of heaven - Jesus, could. Then Jesus said that unless they ate his flesh and drank his blood they would not have eternity. This lost him a lot of followers. They couldn’t grasp this spiritually, they were only seeing it carnally.
Jesus asked his own disciples if they would leave him also and they said, no… but one would.
Lord may we give thanks to you for your unfailing love and the wonderful things you have done for us.

Fri.’s Devo. God is Past Finding Out

Read: 1 Samuel 8:1-9:27; John 6:22-42; Psalm 106:32-48; Proverbs 14:34-35
Samuel’s sons were just like Eli’s. They used their father’s reputation and ministry for their own gain. I don’t think it was that Eli and Samuel were such bad parents as much as Eli and Samuel had to plow the road so their sons could walk on it. Instead of them being grateful, they turned to entitlement. Every generation needs to have to fight for something. If they grow up in an era of ease then they tend to become bored, entitled and ungrateful. I think it is important that we dedicate our children to the Lord like Hannah. We also need to let them go through hard things without rescuing them. They have to learn to depend on the Lord. If they only depend on us, they will expect us to rescue them out of the things they get themselves into even when they are adults.
Back to the story…the people wanted a king. God had wanted to be their king, but since they had rejected God, God told Samuel to tell them He would give them a king. But, he told Samuel to tell them what a king would do to them. He told them all the personal things they would have to sacrifice for this king: their sons, daughters, land, money, food, etc. Once they realize how oppressive a king could be and they cry out to God, he said he would not answer them.
They still wanted a king so he could lead them into battle and fight their battles for them. All they could think about was how they would look to other nations with a king and what he would do for them. They never counted the cost.
God gave them a king named Saul which means “people’s choice”. He looked like a king: tall, strong and handsome. He had one big fault: he cared what people thought. He had insecurities in who he was and where he came from. He couldn’t understand that through God he could do anything.
In John, we see the crowd who Jesus had miraculously fed looking for Jesus. They knew he didn’t get in the boat with the disciples but somehow, he was on the other side of the lake. They took boats over to the other side and asked Jesus how he got there. Instead of telling them that he walked across the water, he told them that their hearts were all wrong. They weren’t looking for him because he had done the impossible, but because he had fed them. He told them that they needed to hunger for spiritual things more than natural.
Next, they wanted Jesus to work a miraculous sign like Moses did when he rained manna from heaven. Jesus corrected them and said that Moses didn’t give that manna but God did. What happened in Moses’ day was a picture of their day. Jesus was the true manna sent from heaven to sustain them. They couldn’t understand because they couldn’t figure it out with their own reasoning. Man’s reasoning fights the spirit of God. God is past finding out; it takes total faith to believe.
Lord, help us to believe the impossible even if it messes with our understanding.

Thurs.’s Devo- The God of Help

Read: 1 Samuel 5:1-7:17; John 6:1-21; Psalm 106:13-31; Proverbs 14:32-33
The Philistines had taken the ark and placed it in their temple, in Ashdod right next to Dagon, the fish god. Every night God and the spirit of Dagon would have a war and Dagon always lost. The last night God made his point and beat Dagon up so badly he decapitated him and took off his hands and once again he was found on the ground. The people finally realized that the ark was no match for Dagon. Also, all the people were being plagued with tumors in their groin and rats. They connected the dots and decided it was time to get rid of the ark.
They sent it to Gath and the same thing happened so they sent the ark to Ekron. Everywhere the ark went brought panic and tumors. The people of Ekron devised a plan to send the ark back to the Israelites. They offered guilt offerings of 5 golden tumors and 5 golden rats. - one for each city the ark had visited. They took two mother cows who had just had calves and separated them. The ark was put on a cart and tied to the mother cows. If the cows took the road to Israel, they would know that the plagues were because of the ark. This would take a miracle because mother cows would naturally go crazy getting back to their calves. Also, how would a cow know the way to Israel except he was lead by the Holy Spirit?
That is exactly what happened. They went straight to Israel and entered the field in Beth Shemesh while they were harvesting their wheat. That tells me it was the time of Pentecost. How appropriate that the Spirit of God in the box would come back on that season. The people foolishly opened the ark and took the things out to worship them. Over 50,000 of them were struck down by God because they handled the holy things of God so thoughtlessly.
The ark was taken to Kiriath Jearim to be taken care of by Abimadab. It stayed there for 20 years while Israel repented and turned back to the Lord. They met at Mizpah to have Samuel sacrifice and pray for their sins. The Philistines heard they were all at Mizpah and came to attack them. The people of Israel told Samuel to keep sacrificing because God was their only hope. Because they put God above their own safety, God took care of them. He roared from heaven and put the Philistines in such a panic that they ran. The people of Israel were able to chase them and defeat them.
Samuel erected a stone to memorialize the fact that God was now their help. Samuel was Israel’s prophet and judge. He traveled the land but his home was in Ramah.
In John, Jesus did two huge miracles. He fed 5,000 Israelites with five small barley loaves and two small fish. When everyone was finished there were 12 baskets left over. Then he sent his disciples across the lake to the Gentile side. Halfway across they encountered a huge storm. Jesus came walking on the water and when he stepped into their boat, the storm stopped and they were immediately on the other side.
Jesus wanted his disciples to know that there is no obstacle that he can’t overcome. If he has to create more food, he can do that. If he needs to calm our storms, he can do that. None of these were a process but an instant in time. God is going to do these kind of miracles through us. We just need to believe.
Lord, help us to reach out and believe the impossible. You are so ready to act on our behalf to show your glory to the world.

Tues.’s Devo - God’s Judgment and His Mercy

Read: 1 Samuel 2:22-4:22; John 5:24-47; Psalm 106:1-12; Proverbs 14:30-31
As Eli grew older his natural eyes grew dimmer but Samuels’ spiritual eyes were seeing clearer and clearer. Samuel began hearing God’s voice at a very early age. Eli had to tell him he was hearing God’s voice and mentor him to be a prophet. His first word from the Lord was against Israel and Eli’s house. He told him again the same word we read yesterday. God was coming to judge the sins of Eli’s family and the fact that he refused to discipline his sons, Hophni and Phinehas. There was no offering that could atone for the sins they had done.
Samuel’s fame spread throughout Israel as a prophet and that he spoke the Word of the Lord. What he said about Israel became true as they went to fight against the Philistines. Israel didn’t fare well the first day so they decided to take the ark with them on the second day. This scared the Philistines to terror, but instead of being the “good luck charm” the Israelites thought the ark would be, they lost very badly that day and the ark was captured by the Philistines. Hophni and Phinehas were killed on the battle field. A messenger came and told Eli the news of his sons and the ark. When he heard about the ark being captured, he had a heart attack and died. Phinehas’ wife was pregnant and when she heard the news, she went into premature labor and delivered a son. She named him Ichabod because the glory had left Israel. Ichabod means “inglorious; there is no glory).
God is very merciful but once his mercy is refused over and over, he has to judge. It was time to judge and nothing could save Israel, not even the ark.
Jesus was still talking to the religious leaders in John. He told them that he came with two witnesses that testified who he was. One was John the Baptist and the other was the things he did. He only did what God told him to do so his miracles testified that he was from God. They studied the Torah to no end yet missed that the Torah testified of Jesus. Even Moses would one day stand in judgement against them that they had the truth but refused to see it because their love for praise blinded them.
Lord, help us to be aware of what you are doing in our day and rejoice because our redemption is drawing near!

Tues’s. Devo - From Death to Life

Read: 1 Samuel 1:1-2:21; John 5:1-33; Psalm 105:37-45; Proverbs 14:28-29
Hannah had a hard life. First she was married to Elkanah who had two wives and Hannah referred to the other wife, Peninnah, as her adversary. Peninnah had children but Hannah was barren. She cried to the Lord for a child but it looked like he wasn’t answering her prayer until one year on their yearly visit to Shiloh to bring their sacrifice to the Lord. As Hannah sat quietly praying, she made a vow to the Lord that if he would grant her a son, she would give him back to the Lord. Eli was watching her pray and thought she was drunk. When he rebuked her, she told him she wasn’t drunk but deep in prayer. He told her to go in peace because the Lord was going to give her what she asked for. Sure enough, she went home and became pregnant with Samuel.
When Samuel was weaned, she brought him to Eli to raise in the temple. I can’t imagine giving up my son like that, but she did. Samuel was a comfort to Eli who was a devout follower of God. His two sons, Hopni and Phineas were wicked and dishonored the sacrifices people brought to the Lord. They took them for themselves and treated the people with contempt as well as the Lord. Samuel was their replacement and he followed after the ways of Eli and ministered to the Lord in righteousness.
God blessed Hannah for giving her son as she had promised. she had three more sons and two daughters. God is so good!
In John, Jesus was at Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles. I know that because of the places mentioned. The pool of Siloam is right next to this pool of Bethesda and it is close to the Kidron Valley. During the feast of Tabernacles, these places are very significant. When Jesus fulfills this feast it will be a Sabbath and everyone will be healed. Jesus went to the place of healing and healed a man who had been sick for 38 years. Jesus knew he had waited a long time to be healed and couldn’t help himself; he healed him then slipped away. The man didn’t even find out till later, who had healed him.
When the Judeans saw the man carrying his mat on the Sabbath, they were incensed! They asked him why he was carrying his mat on the Sabbath and he told them the man who had healed him told him to take up his mat and carry it. They were too upset that Jesus was healing on the Sabbath to see the miracle of a man who was crippled being healed. Jealousy is a blinding mote! Jesus explained that his Father always works so he does too. That just made them madder because now Jesus was saying that God was his Father, making him equal to God.
Jesus went further and told them that not only was he God’s Son, but one day he would speak to the dead and they would rise from their graves. He would also execute judgment on everyone who did not believe in him. That had to make them irate! Jesus didn’t say all that to make them mad but to make them believe and be saved.
Lord, help us to see that everything you do is for salvation. You raise the dead and give it life.

Mon.'s Devo - Don't Be Afraid

Read: Ruth 2:1-4:22; John 4:43-54; Psalm 105:16-36; Proverbs 14:26-27
God orchestrated it so that Ruth would meet Boaz in his own field. Boaz made sure she was welcomed, cared for and protected. He also made sure she went home with plenty of grain because he had heard of how kindly she had treated Naomi. Ruth had chosen to leave her homeland to come take care of Naomi.
Boaz’s mother was Rahab in the story of the spies at Jericho. She had also chosen to leave her home town to live as a Jew in a foreign culture. Boaz had compassion for Ruth because I’m sure he had listened to his own mother’s story and realized how hard this was for Ruth.
Naomi played the matchmaker and it worked. Ruth made it obvious that she had chosen Boaz and Boaz was delighted. He had done his homework and knew who was the closest relative. It was a matter of getting him to relinquish his rights to her and her property. The relative didn’t want to raise up a child for someone else so he sold Ruth and her land to Boaz. Now Boaz was free to marry Ruth. They did and even though she had been barren with her first husband, she was fruitful with Boaz and had a son right away. The people blessed Ruth with the blessing of the house of Pharez who Tamar had born to Judah to carry on his son’s lineage. Pharez was the oldest twin who pushed his brother aside in the womb to be born first. Little did they know that in five generations King David would come from their line and later Jesus!
In John, Jesus went back to Galilee to the same place he had turned the water into wine. Galilee was known as the heathen circle. Jesus wasn’t welcome among his own people so he flip-flopped from the Jews (Judea) to the Gentiles (Galilee). Today, he did another miracle to speak truth to the Gentiles. He healed a man’s son who was close to death. He didn’t even go and touch him but healed him by his word. The man believed Jesus word and received his son’s life back. His whole family became a family of faith in Jesus. The Gentiles had more faith than the Jews making it easier for Jesus to move among them.
Lord, help us to be bold in our testimony because the world is hungry for what we have. Thank you for the power of the Holy Spirit that we can walk in. May we prosper your kingdom today.

Sun.’s Devo - Life from Death

Read: Judges 21:1-Ruth 1:22; John 4:4-42; Psalm 108:1-15; Proverbs 14:25
After the great battle with Benjamin, the people of Israel realized that they had sworn themselves into a box. They had pronounced a curse on anyone who gave their daughters to the sons of Benjamin and now that all of the women and children of Benjamin had been killed, there was no way to continue their tribe and the tribe of Benjamin would eventually die out. To remedy this they found one town, Jabesh Gilead who did not meet with them. Since they had to be punished for not meeting, they killed all the people that were not virgin women in Jabesh Gilead and gave the 300 virgins to the Benjamites. It still wasn’t enough so they remembered a festival in Shiloah where the virgins would come and dance in remembrance of Jepthah’s daughter who never got to marry. Since they couldn’t “give” their daughters to the Benjamites, the Benjamites would have to “take” them and that would be their solution. I’m sure if they had asked God what to do, he could have come up with a better plan but everyone was doing what was right in their own eyes. So that was their plan and the tribe of Benjamin continued to be.
That is why there was a famine in the land in Ruth. Every time the people strayed from the Lord, the curses he promised fell on them and famine was one of the curses. Naomi and Abimelech with their two sons moved to the land of Moab to find food. While they were there Abimelech and their two sons who had married Moabite women, died. Ruth was left husbandless and childless but heard their was bread once again in Bethlehem so she decided to go home. She told her two daughter-in-laws to stay with their families and gave them her blessing to remarry as they chose. They both wanted to go with her, but only Ruth remained with her. Ruth gave her famous speech that is used in many weddings: ...”where you go I will go and your God will be our God.”
When they returned home, the whole city was stirred with excitement over them. Naomi quenched their excitement when she told them her state. She was bitter and empty. It was the beginning of barley season which means it was Passover season. Passover is about life coming out of death. Naomi was going to experience salvation of her soul.
The story of Ruth is the picture of Jesus going to the Gentile nation when his own rejected him and getting a bride from the Gentiles. Naomi is the picture of the Jew who abandons Israel in her time of discipline to a foreign land but she ushers in the bride. Ruth actually is Naomi’s salvation just like the Gentile will provoke the Jew to jealousy in the end and they will return to the Lord and God will take them back. God’s plan is always redemption for anyone who will come.
Lord, thank you for your great unending kindness and love for your people.

Sat.’s Devo - Points of View

SatRead: Judges 19:1-20:48; John 3:22-4:3; Psalm 104:24-35; Proverbs 14:22-24
The story of the concubine always makes me sick to my stomach. It is the picture of the mind of man when he becomes perverted in his thoughts; everything is upside down. The concubine left her Levite husband to go back to her family, probably because he was abusive (just my opinion). He went to get her back and the father did everything he could to give his daughter a few more nights at home. When the Levite couldn’t be stopped, he left with his “wife”. He refused to stay in a town that wasn’t an Israelite town, so they walk on till they come to Gibeah which is a small town in the tribe of Benjamin. Then we see a rerun of Lot in Sodom (Genesis 19). He sat at the city square waiting for someone to invite him to stay at their house and no one did. Finally, an old man from Ephraim who was temporarily working there saw him and invited him to his house.
That night, just like in Sodom, the men of the city surrounded the house and wanted the Levite to have sex with him. He made his concubine go out to them and they raped her to death. The next morning when he saw her on the doorstep and told her to get up. When he realized she was dead, he cut her into 12 pieces and sent the body parts to all the tribes to fight for him.
First of all, it was all his fault. He should have laid down his life for her, not vice versa. Then he should have taken responsibility for her life himself and repented. But, this is how sin twists our thinking. This is how the government can have laws to protect murderers of innocent babies. It is all centered around rebellion from God and selfishness. We have to worship something, and if it isn’t God; then it is ourselves.
This led to a civil war which was a war of numbers. Thirty thousand Israelites lost their lives in this battle and 25,000 Benjamites! The tribe of Benjamin was not very big to begin with. This all happened over very confused morals.
In John, his disciples were concerned that Jesus was becoming more popular than John and asked him about it. John explained to them that Jesus was the bridegroom coming for his bride and he, John, was a friend of the bridegroom’s. He was thrilled just to hear his voice. What a servant’s heart. John went on to explain that he taught from an earthly point of view because he was born on this earth, but Jesus taught from heaven’s point of view because he came from heaven. They needed to listen to Jesus.
Lord, may we see our life from heaven’s point of view and love like you do.

Fri.’s Devo - You Must Be Born Again

Read: Judges 17:18-31; John 3:1-21; Psalm 104:1-23; Proverbs 14:20-21
Judges is a picture of what man does without godly leadership and when he is left to make his own laws. Micah, a man from Ephraim stole 1,100 shekels of silver from his own mother and aive it back when he heard the curse she put on the one who stole it. Instead of disciplining him, she blessed him and wanted to give it back to him to make an idol! (What would James Dobson say about that?) This poor woman had very weak parenting skills. The son did give his mother all but 200 shekels back and with those 200 shekels he had a shrine and an ephod made and put one of his sons as the priest.
A real Levite happened upon Micah’s house and was looking for a place to stay. Micah offered to house him and pay him to be his priest. The Levite agreed. Everything seemed to be going well, but you will reap what you sow. Micah had sown seeds of robbery and deceit so he reaped it. The Danites came in and took his shrine, his ephod, and his priest.
The Danites had never taken land in the promise land as their own. They came upon an isolated Sidionite settlement with great land and no fortification or reinforcements around. They took the land as their own. This is a great reminder that when we isolate ourselves from the body and feel secure, be sure we have become easy picking for the devil. God made us to be tribes who need each other and will stand in prayer and fight for one another.
The Danites, who had stolen the shrine, ephod and priest from Micah’s house and put it in their new land which became a thorn in their side and brought a curse upon them…probably the same curse Micah’s mom had pronounced!
In John, Jesus is confronted by Nicodemus at night. Nicodemus was a Pharisee who was humbly seeking truth. He told Jesus he knew he was from God and that his works were from God. Jesus told him he had to be born again to see the kingdom of God. I love how Jesus never really answers the questions they ask but answers the questions that they should be asking.
They have a long talk about what it means to be born again. Jesus explains that the first time we are born we are born naturally, but to be born again means we are spiritually born. You can sense the frustration of Jesus as he realizes that a leader of the law has no idea how to understand the spirit. Jesus gives the example of the spirit being like the wind. Then He patiently tells Nicodemus God’s plan of redemption for the world. The way it would be saved is by Jesus coming down from heaven to earth and being lifted up on a pole like the serpent was in Moses’ day. I don’t know if Nicodemus understood it that night, but he did eventually. I love that about Jesus, he didn’t worry about if they believed right then. He gave them time for his words to sink in and eventually they would die or bear fruit.
Lord, help us to be like Jesus and scatter your seed and let the Holy Spirit bring in the results.

Thurs.’s Devo - The Best is Yet to Come

Read: Judges 15:1-16:31; John 2:1-25; Psalm 103:1-22; Proverbs 14:17-19
After Samson got over his anger of being tricked at his wedding he went to get his wife only to find they had dishonored him again and given his wife to his best man. Now, he felt justified for revenge and caught 300 foxes and tied their tails together in pairs, lit their tails and set them free in the middle of the Philistines wheat fields. The stalks of wheat burned quickly and luckily for Samson there was no animal protection agency in place.
Samson fled to a cave at the Etam Rock. He had put his whole nation in peril so his own people asked him to surrender to the Philistines. He did, but only to kill a thousand more with the jawbone of an ass. For the first time, we see Samson cry out to the Lord for some water. Samson does give God the credit for his strength and Samson does know that he is part of God’s family. But…Samson lives a life of being a slave to his passions and being very selfish. He doesn’t fight the Philistines for his nation but for revenge for himself. God uses his weaknesses for His purposes even though Samson is not a good role model in his personal life or the motives of his heart.
He is brought down by a woman named Delilah, which means “weak”. She was his weakness and her power of persuasion caused him to lose his power of strength. He was blinded to her wiles and ended up blinded and weak.
The good news is that the Philistines didn’t watch over what they had gotten and Samson’s hair began to grow. He must have felt his power being renewed because he asked to be taken to the columns that supported the building. Once again his motive was for revenge for his two eyes, but God used it to bring down 3,000 more enemies.
Samson is mentioned in the “hall of faith” in Hebrews because he believed in the gift God had given him and used it. He did recognized it came from God and never shrunk back in fear.
In John, it is important that we know the timing. It is right before the Passover feast, three years before Jesus will become the Passover lamb. He and his family is invited to a wedding. They run out of wine and when his mother wants him to do something about it, he replies that his time is not yet come. What he is saying is that it is not time for him to die and pour out his blood so that the Holy Spirit can turn it to wine. Jesus was saving the best wine for last and he would have to die to bring that wine. That wine will be poured in clay vessels (us) and through the power of salvation, be turned to wine for all to drink.
Jesus went to the temple and cleansed the temple because it was the feast of Unleavened Bread. That is what the people do in that feast. They get all the leaven out of their house…all the sin out of their lives. Jesus was cleansing all the leaven out of his Fathers’ house. Jesus did many things that no-one understood until after he had died, then it all made sense.
It is the same in our lives. We go through things that don’t make sense to us why God is letting things happen the way they do, but afterwards, we can look back and see it from a different perspective. God is working everything for our good.
Lord, thank you for your wisdom and interaction in our lives. Your ways are always best.

Wed.’s Devo - The Lamb of God Revealed

Read: Judges 13:1-14:20; John 1:29-51: Psalm 102:1-28; Proverbs 14:15-16
Today we read the story of the beginning of Samson. I can’t help but see the similarities in the birth of John the Baptist. An angel proclaimed that these barren women would have a son and he would be a Nazarite from the womb. Samson was to deliver Israel from the Philistines and John was to prepare the way of the Lord.
Samson needed some prodding to fulfill his destiny so God used a Philistine woman to get him mad enough to fight the Philistines. Samson fell for a Philistine woman and wanted to marry her. Samson proposed a riddle with a price attached. His Philistine wedding attendants were to figure it out or pay with fine expensive clothing. When they couldn’t answer it on the seventh day, they threatened his bride with her life and the life of her family. She enticed Samson into telling her and she told the men. Samson knew what had happened when they came with the answer. He went and killed 30 of their men and gave their clothes to the wedding party. Then he went home enraged. They gave his wife to Samson’s best man.
Nothing in this story is right. No one acted out of wisdom but that was the way of the times. Everyone did what was right in their own eyes and not in God’s.
In John, we see John pointing out Jesus to his disciples. He tells them that Jesus is the lamb of God, the one he had told them would come to take away the sin of the world. He reminisces over seeing the Spirit come like a dove and remaining on Jesus when he was baptized. God had told John that that would be a sign of the Messiah.
Andrew was one of John’s disciples but when he heard what John said, he ran and got his brother Simon Peter and told him that he had found the Messiah. They became Jesus first two disciples. Jesus went and found Andrew, a man also from Bethsaida and told him to become his disciple. Andrew ran and found Nathaniel who had been awaiting the coming of the Messiah. Nathaniel had a hard time thinking the Messiah would come from Nazareth, especially since the prophets said he would come from Bethlehem. Little did they know, he did. Sometimes Jesus hid the truth so they would act out of faith instead of facts. He does that in our lives too. He knows the future and exactly how he has worked everything out but instead of giving us the blueprint, he asks us to walk by faith.
When Jesus told Nathaniel that he saw him under the fig tree, he was revealing Nathaniel’s heart. Rabbinical students would pray under the fig tree. They believed that prayer was not real prayer unless you were praying for the return of the Messiah. So Nathaniel must have gotten interrupted by Andrew while he was praying for the Messiah. This also tells me that Nathaniel must have been studying for the priesthood. God saw his desire to see the Messiah come and took him straight to the Messiah. When Jesus said this to Nathaniel he was instantly changed. He went from skepticism to total faith.
Lord, I am so grateful that you remain the same. You still call us by name and love us as a father. Thank you for your lovingkindness. Help us to give that lovingkindness to others today.