Fri.’s Devo - Restoring the Temple

Read: 2 Chronicles 29:1-36; Romans 14:1-23; Psalm 24:1-10; Proverbs 20:12 Hezekiah became king and he walked as David did. He led a great purification ceremony of the Temple. He told the Levites to purify themselves first, then the Temple. All the bad that had happened to them in the past had been because they had left worshipping the Lord and had closed the doors to the Temple. It took them sixteen days but they rid the Temple of all its idols and took them down to the Kidron Valley where they were burned. As soon as they had everything sanctified, they started offering sacrifices to God. The Levites blew the trumpets and played their music and praised the Lord throughout the whole day. They sacrificed 5,000 animals that day. The Levites had to help the priests because the priests had not been as conscientious about consecrating themselves as the Levites had. The Temple was restored to service and the people rejoiced in how fast the transformation had taken. Romans 14 is key to what we are experiencing with the masks and social distancing and all the things we are facing in our world right now. It all boils down to walking out your own faith walk and your own consciences. You have to follow what the Holy Spirit inside you is saying for you. If you have faith, don’t let someone’s lack of faith cause you to stumble and if your faith means that you are cautious don’t stumble over someone else’s bold faith. We have to honor each other and where they are in their faith. We all answer to God who knows our hearts and what level of faith we are on. Paul boiled it down to this: the kingdom of God is about living a life of goodness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Blessed are those who do not feel guilty in doing what is right. Follow your convictions. Lord, thank you for your grace to live in freedom and righteousness.

Thurs.’s Devo - Righteousness Exalts a Nation

Read: 2 Chronicles 26:1-28:27; Romans 13:1-14; Psalm 23:1-6: Proverbs 20:11 Amaziah’s son, Uzziah became the king after his death. Uzziah’s name means “my strength is Jehovah’s” and the first thing he did was to rebuild the town of Elath which means “mighty”. Strength would be a word that described his reign. As long as he sought the Lord, he was very strong and fortified his kingdom and his army and became very powerful. His power lead to his pride which lead to his downfall. He entered the sanctuary of the Temple where only the priests could enter and he started offering incense that only the priests were to offer. When the priests tried to stop him, he got raging mad. He was holding an incense burner at the time and leprosy suddenly broke out on his forehead. When the priests saw it they rushed him out but he had leprosy until he died. He had to live in quarantine the rest of his life. His son, Jotham was but in charge of the palace and ruled the kingdom until his death. Then Jotham became the next king. He followed the Lord, but the people were corrupt. He fortified his kingdom and defeated the Ammonites making them give him tribute every year of silver, wheat and barley. He was obedient to the Lord till the end. His son, Ahaz became the next king. He did not do what was pleasing to the Lord. He made his sons pass through the fire sacrificing them to the pagan gods. God sent Aram from Israel to defeat Ahaz and he took many of the Israelites back to Damascus. Israel also killed 120,000 of them. God was not happy with Aram for being so merciless so he sent a prophet, Odeb to meet him when he returned from battle. The prophet told Aram that all heaven was disturbed with how he killed so many of his brothers. Now God’s anger was turned toward him. Some of the leaders of Israel agreed and met the prisoners of war as they were being brought to Samaria. They had them released and gave them back the plunder they had taken. They clothed, fed and nursed the prisoners and sent them on donkeys back home. King Ahaz of Judah was about to be attacked by the Edomites so they asked the king of Assyria for help. Instead of helping them, they attacked them and took valuable items from the Temple and the richest people. In all of this, Ahaz refused to turn to the Lord, for help, Ahaz went further from the Lord crying out to the gods of the nations that had defeated them. In Romans, Paul encourages us to submit to the governing authority’s because all authority comes from God. We are to pay taxes so that city officials get paid. We are to respect and honor those who are in authority and owe no one anything but love. Love doesn’t no wrong to others. We are to clothe ourselves with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ and not indulge ourselves in evil desires. Lord, may we cleanse our hearts of idols and build up our walls of salvation.

Wed.’s Devo - The Cost of Disobedience

Read: 2 Chronicles 24:1-25:28; Romans 12:1-21; Psalm 22:19-31; Proverbs 20:8-10 Joash’s name means “God has become man.” Joash was a type of Jesus as long as the priest, Jehoiada was alive. Jehoiada had raised him and was his counselor and guardian. Joash prepared the Temple and replenished all the things that had been taken out of the Temple by Athaliah and used to worship Baal. He had the Temple restored to its original design and strengthened it. When Jehoiada died, he was buried along with the kings because he had done so much good for Israel, and for God and his Temple. Once he died, the leaders of Judah came and bowed down to Joash and persuaded him to worship Asherah poles and idols instead. God sent Zechariah, Jehoiada’s own son to ask the people why they disobeyed Gods command’s and wanted to stop prospering. Joash had Zechariah stoned to death. Zechariah prayed that God would see what was happening and avenge his death. God did see and God did avenge. God sent the Aramen army against Joash. They killed all of Judah’s leaders and left with much plunder. Joash was severely wounded and his own officials killed him. They did it to atone the death of Zechariah. What a sad ending for such a great beginning. Amaziah, his son became king. He started out good also. Once he was established, he executed the men who killed his father. He did not kill their children according to the Law. Amaziah did an assessment of his army and didn’t think it was large enough so he hired 100,000 experienced fighting men from Israel for 100 talents of silver. God sent his prophet to tell him not to hire the troops from Israel or God would fight against him. When he complained about all the money he had paid to hire them the prophet said to him that God was able to give him more than that. This is such an encouraging word to us when we make mistakes and it costs us money. If we will just get back on the right road, God will repay all we have lost. Amaziah did sent the men home. They raided and stole all the way home (the price he had to pay for not asking God first). King Amaziah took his army against the Edomites and they won the battle but lost the war because they brought their idols home with them and worshipped them. God sent a prophet who asked them why they would worship gods who could not save their own people. The king tried to stop him in the middle of his words and threatened to kill him. The prophet stopped but left him with a warning that God was determined to destroy him because he refused to listen. Amaziah then threatened Jehoash, the king of Israel to a battle. They captured Amaziah, brought him back to his own city where he had to watch them demolishe 600 feet of Jerusalem’s wall, raid the sacred articles of the Temple including the ark and seize the treasure of the palace and take them all to Samaria. He was allowed to come back to Jerusalem years later where he was killed by his own people. In Romans, Paul urges us to let God change the way we think and transform us to think like he does. We should not judge ourselves by one another because we each have such different gifts. We need to know the gifts we have been given and use then with responsibility and gladness. He gave a list of things to live by and sums it up by saying don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. Lord, help us to love one another and live our lives in peace with everyone.

Tues.’s Devo - Restoration and Redemption

Read: 2 Chronicles 21:1-23:21; Romans 11:13-36; Psalm 22:1-18; Proverbs 20:7 Jehoshaphat died and his oldest son, Jehoram reigned in his place. The two things that Jehoshaphat did wrong during his reign both had to do with aligning himself with Israel, and now his son became a king like the kings of Israel. Jehoram had his brothers all killed. He was as wicked as King Ahab and he married on of Ahab’s daughters. When a king rebels against the Lord, his kingdom becomes weak. The Edomites had given Jehoram’s father tribute but now they rebelled. When he tried to win them back, he was defeated. He erected high places of idolatry and enticed Judah to sin. Elijah sent him a letter rebuking him for all he was doing. He told him that God was going to strike him and his people and all he owned with a heavy blow. He would die of a horrible intestinal sickness. The Philistines and the Arabs attacked Jehoram and took everything of worth from his kingdom including his sons and his wives. Only his youngest son, Ahaziah was spared. His intestinal illness killed him and he was buried but not in the royal cemetery and no one was sorry he was dead. What a sad epitaph. His son, Azariah became king at the age of 22. His mother, Athaliah ruled with him and she was very evil like Jezebel. She was the granddaughter of King Omri, Ahab’s father. Azariah teamed up with Joram, Ahab’s son in a war against King Hazael of Aram. Joram was wounded in the battle and Azariah went to visit him. While he was there he was introduced to Jehu, the man that God had appointed to bring down the family of Ahab. He was later killed by Jehu and was only given a descent burial because of Jehoshaphat his grandfather. When Athaliah learned that her son had been killed, she began killing anyone who might take her place in their family. Her sister, Jehosheba, took Ahaziah’s infant son, Joash and hid him in the temple with the priests. He was raised there for seven years. Jehoiada, the priest decided it was time to act so he recruited 5 army commanders to help him. They went throughout the land summoning the Levites and their leaders to come to Jerusalem and meet at the Temple. When the got there, he showed them the king and proposed his plan. One third were to be gatekeepers at the doors of the Temple. One third were to go to the royal palace and a third were to stand at the Foundation Gate. They brought in Josiah and crowned him king, blew the trumpets and all the people let out a shout of praise. Athaliah heard the commotion and ran to the Temple to see what it was all about. She quickly put two and two together and cried, “Treason”. They took her outside the Temple and killed her at the entrance of the Horse Gate on the palace grounds. Then the priest led the people in a new covenant to serve the Lord and they went about tearing down all the idolatrous structures of the land. The Temple was put back in operation and the people rejoiced. There was peace in the land. In Romans, Paul gives the analogy of a tree with branches. God is the root of the tree and the Jews were the original branches. They had to be pruned and the Gentiles were grafted in to the root. They will prosper and bear fruit until it is time to redraft the Jews back into the root. Then both branches will grow on the same tree. That is God’s plan in a nutshell. It all is for his glory! Lord, thank you that your plan is always for redemption and mercy. Forgive us of our sins and heal our land for your glory.

Mon.’s Devo - The Victory is the Lord’s

Read: 2 Chronicles 19:1-20:37; Romans 10:14-11:12; Psalm 21:1-13; Proverbs 20:4-6 Jehoshaphat returned from his battle with King Ahab and was met by Jehu the seer who told him that God was not happy about his alignment with Israel. God didn’t take his kingdom away because of the good things Jehoshaphat had done. He had encouraged the people to return to the Lord and appointed judges to judge rightly. He appointed priests to judge things having to do with the Law. News came that the armies of the Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites were coming to declare war on him. Jehoshaphat was afraid and called out to the Lord and declared a fast. He declared the sovereignty of the Lord and reminded Him of his promise to save them if they called out to him and repented. God put his word in Jahaziel, one of the prophets gathered to pray. He told them to march toward the ascent of Ziz at the end of the valley that opened up to the wilderness. Once they got there they were to stand still and watch because God was going to fight their battle. The next day, Jehoshaphat stood and encouraged the soldiers. He sent out singers to walk before them singing and giving praise to the Lord. Their sound caused the armies of Moab and Ammon to fight against one another. When the army of Judah got to the lookout point, all they saw were dead bodies lying on the ground and not a single one of them had escaped. Jehoshaphat’s army just picked up the plunder which was more than they could carry. They praised and thanked the Lord and called the valley: The Valley of Blessing. They walked back and went to the Temple to the sound of the music of the minstrels. When news traveled that God had fought for them, everyone was afraid to attack Judah and Judah lived in peace and rest. Jehoshaphat didn’t learn his lesson with King Ahab and agreed to enter into a shipping business with Ahaziah, the King of Israel. It failed and the ships never left the harbor. God was not pleased with Jehoshaphat for doing this. In Romans, Paul explains that he was sent to bring the Good News of Salvation through Christ, but not everyone could receive it. Israel as a nation had rejected the good news so it was sent to the Gentiles who did receive it. God did have a remnant of Jews that he called and opened their ears, eyes and hearts to believe and receive it. The others were put to sleep and could not see or hear. The blessing of receiving has fallen on the Gentiles to provoke the Jews to jealousy because in the end they will have their eyes opened and they will come into salvation. Lord, may we remember that praise and worship is our greatest weapon and You never fail.

Sun.’s Devo - Ahab’s Last Battle

Read: 2 Chronicles 17:1-18:34; Romans 9:25:10-13; Psalm 20:1-9: Proverbs 20:2-3 Jehoshaphat followed in his father’s early footsteps when he was following the Lord. Because he worshiped the Lord, God established his kingdom and prospered the land. Jehoshaphat sent priests and Levites throughout his kingdom to teach them the Law of the Lord. Other nations feared Judah and brought them gold, silver, rams and goats. He fortified his nation and built treasuries for all the excess. He built up his army and his people lived in peace. Jehoshaphat was wealthy and respected. He made peace with Israel and made a covenant of marriage with Ahab. One of Ahab’s daughter married his son. He went to Samaria to visit Ahab and was asked to fight with Ahab against Aram to recover the city of Ramoth-Gilead. Jehoshaphat never did anything without asking God first so he asked if they could call the prophets and ask them what God was saying about their battle. Ahab called in all the prophets of Baal and they went to elaborate dramatic antics to tell him that he would win. Jehoshaphat then asked if he had a prophet of God and Ahab summoned Micaiah. He told Jehoshaphat that he hated him because he never had anything good to say. Jehoshaphat rebuked him saying that that was no way for a king to talk. Michaiah sarcastically agreed with the prophets of Baal but when he got serious, he told Ahab that he saw all Israel scattered and defeated and he, Ahab would die in the battle. Ahab got so mad he had him sent back to Samaria and put in prison. In the battle, the command of Aram’s officers was to only attack the king of Israel. Ahab had disguised himself as a normal warrior. An Armean soldier randomly shot an arrow and it hit right in the seam of Ahab’s armor and killed him. God’s Word is always true. In Romans, Paul quoted the prophet Hosea who prophesied the call of the Gentiles to come into the kingdom of God. In the past, there were Gentiles who converted to Judaism but never as a people. But, Paul explained that they were living in the fulfillment of this prophecy. Isaiah had prophesied that only a remnant of Jews would believe and the rest would be taken out by God’s army. The Jews of Paul’s day had a zeal to follow rules but their hearts were far from Him because they stumbled over Jesus, God’s son. Paul explained that salvation was a heart matter, not a ritual. Anyone who called on the Lord in Jesus’ name would be saved. Lord, may we trust in the name of the Lord, our strong tower of defense and love.

Sat.’s Devo - Building the Foundation For the Future

Read: 2 Chronicles 14:1-16:14; Romans 9:1-24; Psalm 19:1-14; Proverbs 20:1 Peace in the land is always associated with following God’s commands. Asa became king after Abijah and he did what was pleasing to the Lord. He removed all places of idol worship from the land. When there is peace in a country, then they can build up their own country which is what Asa did. He fortified his cities and built new ones. King Asa had an army of 300,000 that handled heavy artillery and an army of 280,000 who handled light artillery. His army was challenged by an Ethiopian named Zerah. Zerah had over one million warriors. When Asa saw how overpowered he was, he cried out to God who he was fighting for. God sent his army and destroyed them and Judah left with much plunder. The prophet, Azariah when out to meet Asa as he was returning home with his victory and told him that as long as they sought the Lord, He would be with them and his priests would teach them. When they got into trouble, God would save them. Then he gave them a scenario that sounds like today: dark times, not safe to travel, people of every land were troubled, nation fought against nation, city against city. It was all because God was troubling them with every kind of problem. Then he added, “But as for you, be strong and courageous for your work will be rewarded.” Asa’s response to all this trouble was to rally the people together and offer a sacrifice of all the plunder that God had gotten in the war that God had fought. Asa offered 7,700 animals to God and the people entered into a covenant to seek Him with all their hearts and soul They shouted their promise with trumpets blaring and horns sounding and all Judah was happy about their covenant and returned home to live many years of peace. Twenty-five years later, Israel invaded Judah and fortified Ramah so that no one could travel from Israel to Judah or vice versa. Ramah was the gateway. That meant that no one could come to Jerusalem from Israel to celebrate during the feast days. Asa foolishly hired King Ben-hadad from Aram to help him instead of asking God who has a much more powerful army that never fails. God sent Hanani, the prophet to tell King Asa that because he didn’t ask God to help, he missed his opportunity to crush the King of Aram. From that time forward they would be in war. King Asa got so mad at the prophet that he threw him in jail. King Asa became deceased in his feet. Even then, he didn’t ask God to heal him. He was mad at God and refused to repent. His walk with God had become like his feet - diseased. Romans Nine is a difficult chapter to understand because God’s ways are higher than ours. He chose us before the foundation of the earth and some are chosen for salvation and some are chosen for destruction. But let’s look at it another way. Paul gave the history of the nation of Israel starting with Abraham. Abraham is the father of God’s nation. He has a son named Isaac who is a picture of Jesus. Isaac has two sons Esau, the first born and Jacob the second. God rejects the first born and accepts the second. We are born first of the flesh and that birth is destined for hell unless we are born again. If we are born again then we are accepted and given eternal life and blessing. This born-again man stands for Jacob, the second born. God is saying that he rejects those who are not born again and choose to be Esau’s who despised his inheritance. All of this was settled before we were born but we still have a choice in how much of our inheritance we are going to walk in on earth and how much of our destiny we are going to fulfill or whether we will leave to the next generation to fulfill. If we fulfill all of our destiny then our children will only have to work of their own destiny which will be built on our foundation. Lord, may we fulfill all of our destiny and leave a firm foundation for the next generation to build on.

Fri.’s Devo - God Gives His People Victory

Read: 2 Chronicles 11:1-13:22; Romans 8:26-39; Psalm 18:37-50; Proverbs 19:27-29 Rehoboam rallied his troops to fight the rest of Israel but God sent Shemaiah, the prophet to instruct him not to fight against his own people. This division was the Lord’s doing. Rehoboam obeyed and took his army home. He fortified the tribes he had which were Benjamin and Judah. Jerusalem was in Judah and Rehoboam encouraged the priests to carry on their ministry. In Israel, Jeroboam erected golden calves for Israel to worship and had not allowed the Levites living in Israel to minister to the Lord. Theses priests, along with a lot of the people who wanted to serve the Lord, left Israel and defected to Judah. They lost their land and jobs in the process. God strengthened Rehoboam’s kingdom because he allowed the people to worship the Lord. When Rehoboam’s kingdom was established, he abandoned the Law of the Lord and led his people into sin. God raised up King Shishak of Egypt to attack Jerusalem. The prophet Shemaiah came to Rehoboam and told him that this was happening because he had abandoned the Lord. The king and his leaders humbled themselves before God so God relented on his judgment. Instead of destroying Jerusalem, he made Judah subjects of Shishak. He wanted them to know the difference between serving Him and serving earthly rulers. Shishak took all the gold from the temple and they had to replace it with bronze. Rehoboam was considered an evil king and when he died his son Abijah became the king. Abijah came to battle against Jeroboam of Israel and explained to Jeroboam why God had abandoned him and how God was still Lord in Judah. Jeroboam’s army had completely surrounded Abijah’s army but when the priests blew their trumpets and the men of Judah began to shout, the sound of their battle cry caused Israel to flee and Judah got a mighty victory. God eventually killed Jeroboam himself while Abijah of Judah grew more and more powerful. In Romans, we learn that the Spirit inside us pleads for us in agreement with God’s will. God knew us in advance and chose us to become like Jesus. He has given us justification and his glory. God is on our side so we will have overwhelming victory. When we go through trials and suffering, he is with us and turns everything for our good. God’s love for us is so powerful that nothing can take it away. Lord, thank you that you give great victories to your king and you show unfailing love to your anointed forever.

Thurs.’s Devo - The Next Generation

Read: 2 Chronicles 8:11-10:19; Romans 8:9-25; Psalm 18:16-36; Proverbs 19:26 Solomon took the kingdom and followed the commands of David and did not deviate in any way from his fathers’ commands concerning the priests and the Levites and the treasures. He oversaw the building of the Temple from start to finish. When it was completed, the queen of Sheba came to see Solomon to see if all she had heard about his kingdom and his wisdom was true. She came bearing great gifts and many questions. When she spent time with Solomon and saw all of the wealth and ingenuity of his kingdom, she was overwhelmed. The glory of his kingdom caused her to glorify God. She left him with much gold and spices. Hiram of Egypt also gave him much gold and wood. The wealth and abundance of Solomon’s kingdom has never been rivaled. He ruled over all the earth and everyone gave him tribute. Solomon’s kingdom was a picture of what it looks like when God’s kingdom comes to earth. Jesus prayed that so we will see that happen once again. When he died, his son Rehoboam became the next king. Sadly, Solomon had not groomed Rehoboam for the kingship like David had groomed him. The people came to Rehoboam and asked if he was going to be a hard master or a kind master. He consulted his father’s counselors and they told him to give the people a favorable answer and they would serve him forever. He asked his younger counselors that he had chosen and they told him just the opposite. They told him to use fear, intimidation and control. Rehoboam chose the advise of his friends. When the people hear it they rejected him as their kings and quit their jobs and went home. Rehoboam sent Adoniram who was in charge of forced labor to restore order to the chaos. The people stoned him to death. Rehoboam panicked and jumped into his chariot and fled to Jerusalem to hide in his palace. The northern tribe of Israel had made it clear that they refused to be controlled by him. In Romans, we learn that we can refuse to be controlled by our sins also. We can choose to be controlled by the Spirit of God that lives inside of us. We as God’s creation and his children have been made heirs of all his promises. He has promised us freedom from death and decay and a new body. We position ourselves to wait patiently and confidently for God’s great reveal - when God reveals to the earth who his children really are. I pray that we are nearing that day. Lord, thank you for the gift of hope to know that You are our loving Father who has promised us a wonderful inheritance full of glory and peace. We confidently look forward to your promises being made manifest.

Wed.’s Devo - The Glory of God’s Kingdom

Read: 2 Chronicles 6:12-8:10; Romans 7:14-8:8; Psalm 18:1-15; Proverbs 19:24-25 Solomon continued in David’s footsteps. David had taught him to have a heart for the Lord. Solomon had constructed a platform in the middle of the outer court to address the people. He stood on it and prayed a prayer praising God for his greatness and his power. He reminded God of his promise to his father, David to always let one of his descendants sit on the throne of Israel if they guarded their behavior and faithfully followed his laws. He asked God to watch over this Temple and to put his name there. He asked God to be the judge of all who presented their case on earth, and to judge between the accuser and the accused. If the people sinned and then turned back to Him, Solomon asked that God would forgive them. He prayed that God would teach the people to follow the right path and to send his blessing on his people. If there was drought, famine, and the people repented, may God hear their cry. If foreigners who are not Jews, turn to God, may He hear their prayers. If the people were battling their enemies, or in exile in a strange land because of their sin, may they turn towards this Temple and pray and may God hear their cry and deliver them. When Solomon finished his prayer, fire flashed down from heaven and consumed the burnt offerings and the glorious presence of the Lord filled the Temple so thick that the priests couldn’t enter the Temple. They fell face down on the ground and worshiped and praised the Lord. They sang Psalm 118 about the mercy of the Lord that endures forever. The priests blew the trumpets while all Israel stood and 142,000 sacrifices were made. This was the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles which is a picture of the day we will all tabernacle with the Lord in the end and enter into the new millennium where Jesus will reign the earth as King of Kings. It took Solomon 20 years to finish the Temple and when he did, God came and repeated back to Solomon all he had prayed twenty years before. God had heard his prayer and when their nation turned from Him and found themselves in the midst of drought, famine, idolatry, exile or war, if they repented and turned back to him and sought him in this place, he would hear their prayers and forgive them and heal their land. Solomon used the foreigners to be his forced laborers and assigned his people to serve as soldiers, officers, commanders and charioteers. He appointed 250 of them to supervise the people. So, God helped Solomon secure his nation from his enemies and blessed him. In Romans, Paul explained the carnal nature and how it is in opposition to what God wants. The answer to the war in our hearts is given in verse 25: “Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.” The power of the Spirit has freed us from the power of sin that leads to death. When we are controlled by the Holy Spirit we think about things that please the Spirit of the Lord. When we feed on the Word, we live by its strength. If we feed ourselves with the world, we die by its fruits. Lord, help us to hide ourselves in You and eat of your Word which is the only thing that is true and brings us life. We pray for our nation and repent for the wicked idolatry and rebellion of our nation. We pray for forgiveness and mercy. May your heal our nation and bring your Spirit to lead us and teach us your ways.

Tues.’s Devo - The Glorious Temple

Read: 2 Chronicles 4:1-6:11; Romans 7:1-13; Psalm 17:1-15; Proverbs 19:22-23 Solomon had the bronze altar made which is a picture of the cross. All of the sacrifices would be done on it. The Sea was a huge bowl set on 270 oxen where the priests would wash their hands. This was the picture of sanctification from our sins and baptism. He made 10 other bowls for washing the utensil used in the sacrifices. Then he had 10 gold lamp stands (menorahs) made and placed 5 of them at the south entrance and 5 at the north to illuminate the room. They stand for the 7 spirits of God (Isaiah 11:2) which guide our spiritual man. Ten tables were placed: 5 along the south wall and 5 along the north wall. On these the shewbread would be placed for the daily bread - the Word of God. One hundred basins were made for the people to wash their hands and be cleansed. Everything was made of or overlaid with pure gold to represent the glory of God. The Temple was dedicated on the Feast of Tabernacles. It was a foretaste of when God will set up his Temple on earth and reign on the earth in the New Earth. On that day, Solomon gathered the entire community of Israel and they sacrificed so many sacrifices they couldn’t count them. God’s covenant was brought into the inner sanctuary and placed in the Most Holy Place in the Ark. That will be when Jesus, the Word of God is placed upon his throne to reign. The priests and musicians all dressed in fine linen robes sang, played their instruments and led the people in praise and worship to God. God responded with his presence in a thick cloud that filled the Temple. It was so glorious that the priests couldn’t continue. Solomon blessed the Lord and the people. It was a glorious and powerful day! In Romans, Paul explains that we are first married to the law, God’s Covenant to Moses which points out our sin. We have to let that die to be remarried to grace - the New Covenant. It is the power over sin. The New Covenant is God’s laws written on our hearts and the power to obey them out of our hearts and not out of our will-power. Grace is the power to live righteously and it ends in life. Lord, may your temple inside us glorify your name.

Mon.’s Devo - God’s Temple

Read: 2 Chronicles 1:1-3:17; Romans 6:1-23; Psalm 16:1-11; Proverbs 19:20-21 Solomon took firm control of his nation and God made him very powerful. Solomon used his power to call all his officials to Gibeon to gather at the bronze altar and seek the Lord. He sacrificed 1,000 burnt offerings on it and that night God responded. He came to Solomon and asked him what he wanted. He asked for the favor and love that He had given David to be his and that God would give him wisdom and discernment to rule the people properly. God said that because he had prayed for the people and not for himself that God would given him his request and bless him personally also. He would be blessed both spiritually, mentally and physically. Solomon used his wealth to build up his army to defend his people and he started building a Temple to honor the name of the Lord, and a palace for himself. He knew that God would not live in the house he built him because even the highest heaven could not contain him but he built the Temple to offer God sacrifices. King Hiram of Tyre was asked to help him with his supplies and their craftsmen. King Hiram could see the glory of God on Solomon and helped him out in any way he needed. Solomon took a census of all the foreigners in his kingdom and found that there were 153,000. They became his laborers. He began building the Temple to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah where the plague had stopped. The beauty and splendor of the Temple that Solomon built was a glimpse of the Garden of Eden and a picture of the Temple of the Holy Spirit within us. The angels over the Holy of Holies are the picture of the two angels that stand guard over the entrance of the Garden of Eden. We are invited in. When the veil was torn the wall of partition went down and we are invited into the heavenly realm with Jesus. Hebrews calls it “entering into His rest”. We can enter into God’s rest while walking in the chaos of this world. In Romans, we learn that our sin lost its power when we were crucified with Christ at salvation. We are no longer slaves to sin or under its power. We are alive to God through Christ Jesus. We don’t have to give in to sinful desires or let any part of our body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. We can use our whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer our master; we live under the freedom of God’s grace. It is now our choice how we live. We can choose to be a slave to righteousness and become holy and have eternal life as our reward. This is good news! Lord, we choose to be your slave to righteousness. Remind us of this power we have when we are tempted to sin. Sin is no longer our slavemaster. Thank you for the power of the Holy Spirit living in our temple.

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

Read: 1 Chronicles 28:1-29:30; Romans 5:6-21; Psalm 15:1-5; Proverbs 19:18-19 David’s reign in Jerusalem was a picture of Jesus life on earth. They were both 33 years. Solomon’s reign is a picture of not only Jesus’s reign in the Millenium but his reign right now in heaven. What Jesus did on earth qualified him to reign in heaven as the King of Kings forever. We are gathering gold and silver and all the things of the kingdom here on earth to build our kingdom in heaven. In other words, we learn wisdom, obedience, love, trust, obedience, patience, kindness, forgiveness, etc. and these turn to gold, silver, precious stones, and all the building material needed in heaven to build our mansions in heaven. We fight spiritually now, just like Jesus did when he was on this earth, but one day we will be able to enjoy the fruits of our labor. David encouraged Solomon to be strong and courageous and not to be afraid or discouraged for the Lord God was with him. He gives us the same encouragement. He will not fail us for forsake us. He will see to it that all the work related to the Temple of the Lord is finished correctly. We are the building of the Lord and the temple of the Lord is within us. Our temple is to honor God’s holy name. In Romans, we learn that Adam was a symbol of the Christ to come. Sin entered through Adam when he chose to sin. Jesus chose to become sin for us so that his sacrifice could atone for our sin. Through the power of the blood of Jesus we are saved from the penalty of sin which was death. Now, we have eternal life through Jesus, our perfect lamb. Lord, thank you for becoming the atonement for our sins and giving us salvation. May you examine our hearts and rejoice when you find integrity there. Help us to always want to obey all your commands, laws, and decrees, and to do everything necessary to build your Temple within us.

Sat.’s Devo - David's Government

Read: 1 Chronicles 26:12-27:34; Romans 4:13-5:5; Psalm 14:1-7; Proverbs 19:17 The gatekeepers were assigned by sacred lots and God chose them without regard for their age or training. The one chosen to lead the group in charge of the east gate went to Meshelemiah which means “reconciliation”. The one in charge of the north gate was Zechariah and his name means “remembered of Jehovah,” who was given unusual wisdom. The south gate went to Obed-edom which mean “praise” and he was in charge of the storehouse. Two were assigned to the west gate: Shuppim and Hosah and their names mean “bared one” and “trusting”. Those who entered the temple were always to go out the opposite door so if you came in need of reconciliation you could go out lighthearted and trusting. If you entered with praise you would go out with wisdom remembering all God has done for you. The three that were in charge of the treasure were pictures of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It reminds me of the scripture that says we have this treasure, the Godhead, in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us (2 Corinthians 4:7). Next, we have a list of the generals and captains and their officers who are the picture of the army that God has. We have a whole army at our disposal so we need to start commanding it to fight in our behalf and for our nation. Joab was the commander of David’s army and his name means “God is our Father”. Paul encourages us to have the faith of Abraham. Abraham believed in the God that brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing. Abraham had hope when there was no reason to have hope. God had promised that he would become the father of many nations and his faith did not weaken or waver even though his body was 100 years old and the promise had not come. God counted his faith as righteousness to him just as God counts our faith as righteousness. When we don’t see the answers to our prayers right away we can know that God is producing endurance in us to make us stronger and strengthen our confident hope of salvation. He has also given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. Lord, we thank you that you have promised to make this nation great again for your glory and no matter what we see with our natural eyes, we are trusting you to bring your promises to pass.

Fri.’s Devo - Our New Covenant

Read: 1 Chronicles 24:1-26:11; Romans 4:1-12; Psalm 13:1-6; Proverbs 19:15-16 I find it interesting that Aaron’s first two sons were killed by God because they offered strange fire on God’s altar. Aaron’s tribe was the priestly tribe. Judah’s first two sons Er and Onan were both killed by the Lord for their evil acts (Gen. 38:6-10). Judah was the priestly tribe. Aaron’s other two sons and their descendants carried on as priests. They were divided into 16 groups. Every family took a month and it was all decided by lot so there could be no politics involved. They took care of the procedures in the Temple. The other Levites were assigned duties by lots and drawn in the presence of King David, and the priests and leaders. David and the army commanders appointed certain Levites to proclaim God’s messages to the accompaniment of music. Their job was to make the music and train the musicians. They were chosen according to secret lots without regard to whether they were young or old, teacher or student. The gatekeepers were chosen and the family of Obed-edom stood out as being richly blessed. He had 62 sons and grandsons capable and qualified to do God’s work. God is raising up minstrels and prophets young and old, student and teacher to minister in His house and they are appointed and decided by Him. David set up his government as a shadow of what the church should look like. The priority was the Word of the Lord and praise and worship. In Romans, Paul made the statement that Abraham was chosen and found faithful before he was circumcised. What he is saying to us is that we were chosen before the foundation of the earth to be a member of God’s family. It is not our righteous acts that make us acceptable to him it is his grace. He chose us, we said ‘yes’ and our faith makes us righteous. Our love for him and his work in us gives us the power and grace to walk in righteousness. We are constantly being sanctified and refined and pressed because we live in a sinful world and we HAD a sinful nature. But NOW, we have the nature of God and can walk in his Spirit free of sin but it takes a daily dying to our self. Lord, thank you for the power of the Holy Spirit which is the power over sin and the grace to live for You. May we walk in your spirit today.

THurs.’s Devo - Building the Temple

Read: 1 Chronicles 22:1-23:32; Romans 3:9-31; Psalm 12:1-8; Proverbs 19:13-14 How interesting that the hewers of the stones for the temple and the builders of the temple are the foreigners living in Israel. The Gentiles built the temple! David provided everything they would need to build. This tells me that we are building the temple of God within us so that we will be able to minister to God’s people - the Jews. We are to be a magnificent structure, famous and glorious thought the world! What a description of the city in Revelation 21 that came down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. David had fought and shed too much blood to be able to build this temple, but his son would be a person of peace and he would build it. Solomon would secure the peace of Jerusalem and secure the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever. Solomon is a picture of Jesus during the last millennium. David is a picture of Jesus during our time. We do spiritual warfare now and He goes out and fights our battles so we can rest in peace when he reigns on the earth. David appointed Solomon as the king while he was still living and mentored him for the job. His first priority was worship in the Temple so he made sure the priests were in their places doing their duties. Paul explained in Romans that the only way to fulfill the law was through faith in Jesus Christ. Grace is the ability to do what we can not do in our own strength. We cannot be righteous in our own strength but we can by grace. Lord, protect the oppressed and preserve them from this lying generation.

Wed.’s Devo - True Repentance Brings Restoration

Read: 1 Chronicles 19:1-21:30; Romans 2:25-3:8; Psalm 11:1-7; Proverbs 19:10-12 David’s friend, Nahash died. He was the king of the Ammonites. David sent his ambassadors with a letter of condolence to Hanun, Nahash’s son but Hanun’s friends sowed fear and distrust in his heart. They told Hanun that David’s men were there to spy out the land to take it, so Hanun had David’s men shaved and cut their robes of up to their rear and sent them home in shame. This meant war to David and when Hanun realized what he had done, he hired the Armeans to come and help him fight against David. Twice, David and his army defeated them until the Armean’s surrendered and became David’s subjects. In the time when the kings went to war, David decided to stay home in Jerusalem. He sent Joab to Rabbah, an Ammonite chief city to destroy it. Joab brought back the crown of the king and placed it on David’s head. Joab fought the Philistines and the descendants of Goliath. David’s kingdom was at its greatest and pride convinced David to number the people. Joab pled with David not to do it but David could not be swayed. Joab went throughout the kingdom counting the people but didn’t count the Levites or the Benjamites because it sickened him so much to do so. It also sickened God. He sent Gad, David’s seer to give him three choices for his punishment: 3 years of famine, 3 months of war or 3 days of severe plague from the Lord. He chose to fall into the hands of God and chose the 3 days. His census count went down by 70,000 as the plague killed this many people. David cried out to God and he stoped it right at the threshing floor of Araunah. David bought that place for 600 pieces of gold from Araunah and that is where the temple was built years later. Araunah means “shout for joy”. God does turn our sorrow into joy and forgives our sins. In Romans, Paul was arguing the point of circumcism. He told them that circumcism or being born a Jew didn’t make them entitled to God’s salvation… anymore than being born into a Christian family does for us. Salvation is individual and should produce the fruits of righteousness or it is in vain. Sin doesn’t glorify God, righteousness does. Lord, help us to walk in humility and grace. May you restore the fear of the Lord upon our nation and our hearts as your children.

Tues.’s Devo - God's Kingdom!

Read: 1 Chronicles 16:37-18:17; Romans 2:1-24; Psalm 10:16-18; Proverbs 19:8-9 As David arranged his leaders in worship he repeatedly highlighted Obed-edom, the son of Jeduthun. These names mean, “let them give praise for the blood”. Hosah is mentioned with him whose name means “trusting”, and the priests stationed at the place of worship were the Zadoks which means “to justify”. These were to give thanks to the Lord for his faithful love that endures forever. They stayed with the ark to worship the Lord continually while the people returned home. David met with the prophet Nathan to tell him that he wanted to build a house for the Lord to put the ark. Nathan agreed to his plan till God spoke to Nathan and told him that he had never lived in a house made of hands nor had God ever asked anyone to build him a house. God was building David a house on the earth - a dynasty of kings that would rule for God on the earth. His son, Solomon would be the one to build God a house on the earth. He will be the king forever over God’s house and kingdom. David’s response shows us the humble heart of David. He completely bowed to God’s plan and thanked God for all he had done for him. He acknowledged that all he had become was because of God’s favor on him. He knew that he had nothing to do with his fame and fortune - it was all God. David then defeated the Philistines, the Moabites, the Syrians and the Armeans. Many other nations paid tribute to David and he put all the gifts into the treasury of the Lord. David reigned over all Israel and did what was just and right for all his people. In Romans, we are reading what is about to happen right here in our nation. God is going to expose all the lies about the Corona virus and the false numbers and information. God is going to expose Hollywood and all the sex trafficking and Satanism going on there. God is going to expose the lies taught in education and the books used to teach our children propaganda. God is going to expose the lies in religion and the hypocrisy. God is going to expose the lies in politics and drain the swamp. In every area on every mountain of influence, God is going to judge it and bring it down. This is not the end but the beginning of his kingdom coming to earth. Do not let your heart be heavy! Lift up your heads and praise God because he is coming to bring his kingdom on earth! Lord, I pray for all the heavy hearts of your people. I pray for joy and peace to be a blanket over them. I pray for the army of God to arise with power and authority and great praise on their lips because this is our finest hour!

Mon.’s Devo - Welcome the Presence of the Lord -

Read: 1 Chronicles 15:1-16:36; Romans 1:18-32; Psalm 10:1-15; Proverbs 19:6-7 David had done his research into God’s law and found out what needed to happen to bring the ark back. The Levites and priests needed to be sanctified and bring the ark up on the shoulders of the sanctified priests. David, although he was from the tribe of Judah, wore the garments of the priest. He was both priest and king and this whole day is a picture of what it will be like in the new millennium when Jesus is both prophet, priest and king. David had the priests in their positions of their skill and god-given ability and everyone flowed like an orchestrated choir. Obed-edom who had housed the ark during this time was mentioned as a gatekeeper and a grand to the Ark. He was chosen to blow one of the trumpets as he marched in front of the ark. Obed-edom is a picture of us who have steward God’s presence well on earth. David’s wife, Michal was a picture of the religious church who are jealous of the worship that God’s presence will receive. Those who participated in praising the presence of the Lord were blessed with gifts. David’s song praised God’s wonderful works he had done on the earth and all the times that God had favored his people and told their oppressors that they could not touch his chosen people. He commands the heavens to be glad, and the earth to rejoice and to tell all the nations that the Lord reigns. That is our testimony! In Romans, Paul gives us a great picture into how man’s mind works. We can see this is the American Indian. They studied nature and knew there was a heavenly creator. They learned many things about God by watching His creation but when they didn’t know the answers they made up foolish ideas of how the things began. When the white man came and told them about the gospel, many of the Indians believed, but many wouldn’t give up their superstitious worship of demons. We can’t limit this to the American Indian, mankind will do this if not taught the truth. Deception leads a person deeper and deeper into darkness until they will think that things like homosexual lifestyles should be sanctioned by everyone. They become wicked in every way and heartless toward their fellow kind. They want everyone to participate with them and have no tolerance to those who don’t. We are seeing this in our land today which is why God in his holiness has to respond. Lord, help us to remember that the way out of fear and depression is praise and worship. Thank you that you always defend and protect us.

Sun.’s Devo - Obedience Brings God’s Favor

Read: 1 Chronicles 12:19-14:17; Romans 1:1-17; Psalm 9:13-20; Proverbs 19:4-5 When David was hiding out from Saul with the Philistines, the Philistines were about to go into battle against Saul (1 Samuel 30). David and his men were going to fight with them against Saul but the Philistines were afraid David and his men would change their minds in the middle of the battle and fight for Saul, so they sent them home. When they arrived back at Ziklag they found that their homes had been burned to the ground and all their families taken by the Assyrians. All of David’s men wanted to kill David but God raised up fighting men from all the tribes to come and help him recover his families and all their things. The warriors that came from the different tribes were a great army - like the army of God. So we have a description of the army of God. It is armed with shields and spears, brave warriors, prepared for battle and completely loyal to God. We are also given some information about the men from Issachar. They understood the signs of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take. That is a great definition of discernment. All of Israel wanted David to be their king instead of Saul so when Saul died, David became the king. The first thing David wanted to do was to bring back the ark of the Lord to Jerusalem. All of Israel was coming to welcome David as the king and David thought this would be the perfect time to bring the ark. He brought it down on a cart like the Philistines had carried it. If David had read the law he would have known that they were to carry the ark on the shoulders of the priests, using the poles. No one was to touch the ark. But, they brought it on a new cart and when the cart hit a rock, Uzzah stuck out his hand to steady the ark and immediately fell dead. This was a celebration-stopper and David just left the ark where this happened, at Obed-edom’s house in Bath. It stayed there for 3 months blessing Obed-edom in all he did. David settled in Jerusalem and built his palace. He had many sons and fought the Philistines twice with God’s guidance and help. He defeated them both times. Today we begin to read the book of Romans. Paul was sent to the Gentiles and the Romans were in control at the time. Paul especially wanted to win them to Christ so it will go well for everyone. He wrote to the believers in Rome that he had wanted to come to Rome but never could make it till the opportunity arose for him to get an escorted, Roman-payed, trip to Rome. He begins his letter telling them how excited he is to finally get to come and preached to them the good news about the kingdom. In both Testaments today, we see what happens when you walk in obedience and when you presume you know the path and walk in your own wisdom. David loved God with all his heart and asked him about his battles but presumed that God would be pleased when he moved the ark. God was pleased that he wanted to restore the ark to the people, but He had given his way to do it and David didn’t inquire of God first. It was a lesson that David had to learn. He was God’s choice to be the king, but that didn’t mean that everything he did would be automatically sanctioned by God. God was in control, not him. A great lesson for us in our walk with God. We can walk in his favor, but his obedience is the only thing that will keep that favor. Lord, may we remember to ask you about every decision we have to make and never assume we know best.

Sat.’s Devo - God's Mighty Men

Read: 1 Chronicles 11:1-12:18; Acts 28:1-31; Psalm 9:1-12; Proverbs 19:1-3 All Israel gathered at Hebron to make David their king David. He led the people to Jebus (Jerusalem) to take it for their capital. Joab became his commander because he led the attack. Joab’s name means “Jehovah-fathered”. David had three famous warriors who became known as the Mighty Three. The first one’s name means “he will return” from a family that means “skillful”. He killed 300 in a single battle. The second warrior’s name means “God is helper” who’s father’s name means “his beloved are the brethren of rest”. He fought with David against the Philistines in a field of barley. The third of the Three is not mentioned here. The first warrior sounds like God announcing Jesus’ return, the second sounds like Jesus who was helped by God to bring us rest, and the third like the Holy Spirit which is the mysterious one. Then we have accounts of some of the exploits of the Three and the Thirty which were also famous. God gives us all of their names and where they are from. If we interpreted the meanings of their names it would probably tell us something of the history of the overcomers of God. In Acts, Paul and the men of his ship wreck made it to an island. They learned they were on the Island of Malta and the people of the island were friendly. They all gathered sticks to make a fire when a snake bit Paul on the arm. The superstitious people of the island knew this to be a very poisonous snake making the people believe Paul to be a murderer. When Paul didn’t show any symptoms of dying or poison, they changed their minds and thought he was a god. They were invited to stay with the wealthy chief, Publious. His father was dying with fever and dysentery. Paul prayed for him and he was healed. Others brought their ill and he healed them also. As a “thank you”, the people of the island gave them all the supplies they needed for the trip. Everyone was blessed by the power that Paul carried. After three months, they were able to leave. They stayed with believers along the way until they reached Rome. Paul was met with a crowd of believers which was a great encouragement to him. Paul was permitted to have his own private lodging though he was guarded by a soldier. Paul met with the Jewish leaders of the city and told him his story. They agreed to meet at Pauls house. A large group met and he explained the gospel of Jesus Christ and used the law of Moses to back up his belief. They debated with him long into the night. He concluded what Isaiah had said that the people would have eyes but not be able to see, ears that couldn’t hear and hearts that would not be able to comprehend. He ended with the news that God’s salvation had been offered to the Gentiles also. Paul lived in Rome for the next two years welcoming all to his house to hear the good news of salvation. Lord, thank you for all the mighty men of courage and faith that paved the way for us to have the truth today.

Fri.’s Devo - The Return to Jerusalem

Read: 1 Chronicles 9:1-10:14; Acts 27:21-44; Psalm 8:1-9; Proverbs 18:23-24 Our story begins with “the people of Judah were exiled to Babylon because they were unfaithful to the Lord.” It ended with “So Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord. He failed to obey the Lord,’s command, and even consulted a medium instead of asking the Lord for guidance. So the Lord killed him and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.” In between these two explanations were the ones who came back to Jerusalem after being taken in exile for 70 years to Babylon, Egypt and Assyria. It begins with the posterity of Tamar and Judah’s twins: Perez and Zerah. Of their tribe 690 families returned. From Benjamin’s tribe, 956 families. From the tribe of Levi, 1,760 priests returned along with gatekeepers. The Levites from the Koran clan that had been responsible for the curtains and the linen hangings became the gatekeepers responsible for who came in and out of the temple. They also made the incense and the furniture and the shewbread for the priests. The musicians lived in the temple and were on call all the time. Saul’s clan, the Gibeonites came back. This lead to the writer telling us about Saul’s death. Saul’s three sons were all killed on the battlefield and he was wounded. He didn’t want to be taken by the Philistines and tortured so he begged his armor-bearer to kill him. When he wouldn’t, Saul took his own life, then his armor-bearer followed. Saul’s body and his son’s bodies were taken and desecrated in their pagan temples until the people of Jabesh-gilead heard about it. They went and took their bones back and buried them under the great tree at Jabesh. There, they mourned the death of Saul and his sons. In Acts, Paul declared what would happen. God would get Paul to Rome to stand trial. All of the ones with him would be shipwrecked on an island but would all live. Every time the soldiers tried to deviate from the plan, Paul would guide them back. They learned to trust in Paul’s faith and it saved their lives. Even as a prisoner, Paul was a leader. Lord, it is amazing how Paul’s gift and spiritual office reigned over his personal circumstances. Help us to remember who you say we are, not what the world thinks we are.

Thurs.’s Devo - The Sons of Israel

Read: 1 Chronicles 7:1-8:40; Acts 27:1-20; Psalm 7:1-17; Proverbs 18:22 I love genealogies and could spend all day looking up the meanings of the names but since I don’t have all day, I’ll share a few. Issachar means “he will bring a reward”. His four son’s names mean: “scarlet,” “travail,” “he will return,” and “a guardian”. Issachar was all about knowing the times he was in and seeing with spiritual eyes. Our reward is found in the blood of Jesus, his intercession for us and the fact that he will return for us. Right now he is our guardian. Benjamin means “son of the right hand”. The names of his three sons mean “swallowing,” “a runner in a race,” and “he will be made known of God.” Benjamin stands for the Church who will swallow the truth, run the race and be made known of God. Ephraim means “double fruitful” which represents the overcomes. He had two sons whose names mean “freshly appointed” and “hail”. They were murdered by the men of Gath over some cattle. Ephraim had another son whose name means “in trouble” to describe the ways things were. Ephraim’s descendants include Joshua who lead Israel into Canaan. Asher means “happy”. He had four sons whose names mean “prosperity,” “he will level,” “he will justify me,” “in trouble,” and “flowing with out friction”. I would be happy too. God has promised us all these things: prosperity, his sovereignty, his justice when we are in trouble and his ability to flow freely in the spirit in the midst of great friction. What I found really interesting was that Saul’s line came from the Gibeonites who he, in his zeal killed. The demanded his sons as payback. The Gibeonites were the enemies that tricked Joshua into making a covenant with him. When he found out they were ones God had told him to destroy, Joshua made them the slaves. God called Saul out of this family to be the people’s choice for their king. In Acts, Paul, along with many of his friends were put on a ship for Rome. They faced bad weather along the way. God showed Paul that if they continued they would face shipwreck and the loss of the ship and their cargo. The captain of the ship thought it would be better to keep going than to stop at a harbor that wasn’t safe. He should have listened to Paul because everything happened as Paul predicted. Lord, thank you that we don’t walk aimlessly, but we have your Spirit that helps us flow in the midst of great friction.

Wed.’s Devo - Boldness To Be My Witnesses

Read: 1 Chronicles 5:18-6:81; Acts 26:1-32; Psalm 6:1-10; Proverbs 18:20-21 Rueben, Gad and half of Manasseh were the tribes that chose to settle on the east side of the Jordan River. They were skilled warriors who took their land from the Hargrites, Jeturites, Naphishites, and the Nodabites. God enabled them to win when they cried out for his help and they took much booty. Sadly, over time they turned from the Lord and worshiped the gods of the nations they had destroyed. King Pul of Assyria invaded their land and took them into exile. Levi had three sons: Gershon, Kohath and Merari. Gershon’s clan had been responsible for all the fabrics of the tabernacles. They carried and hung the curtains, the veils and other hangings. They were given 13 cities in the promise land. Kohath was the priestly tribe that Aaron, Moses and Miriam were from. All the high priests came from this clan and also the worship leaders. They were the ones who ministered to the Lord. Kohath means “waiting; obedient”. Merari was the youngest son and their job was to carry the furniture and all the heavy equipment for the tabernacle. The priests were given cities scattered in every tribe so that they could teach the people God’s laws. They also officiated the cities of refuge in each tribe. In Acts, Paul now stood before Agrippa to give his defense. He gave his credentials as a learned scholar of the law of Moses. He explained that he was just like all the Jewish scholars who looked forward to the fulfillment of scripture and the promise of the Messiah. Paul admitted that he had been violently opposed to Jesus and his doctrine until he had an encounter with the light from heaven that identified itself as Jesus, the one he had been persecuting. God sent him to the Gentiles to tell them the Messiah had come and they could be saved in his name. That is what Paul had been doing when he was arrested. Festus told him he had gone crazy so Paul appealed to Agrippa. He told him that he knew Agrippa understood because he believed the prophets. Agrippa asked him, “Do you think you can persuade me to become a Christian so quickly?” Paul pretty much told him that when or how he did it was up to him, he just prayed that he would. One thing Festus, Agrippa and Bernice agreed on was that Paul was not a criminal worthy of death or imprisonment. Agrippa would have set Paul free if he had not have appealed to Caesar. Lord, we want the boldness of Paul to stand unashamed before our accusers and give the hope that is within us.

Tues.’s Devo - The Geneologies

Read: 1 Chronicles 4:5-5:17; Acts 25:1-27; Psalm 5:1-12; Proverbs 18:19 We are still reading the genealogy of Judah. In know you have heard about Jabez. He had a whole book written about him but he is noteworthy because God stopped the whole genealogy to say something about him. His mother had a painful delivery - so much so that she named him Jabez which sounded like a word that meant “trouble and travail”. It also means “mire swept away”. To be named ‘trouble and pain’ was to be born with a curse. But Jabez beseeched God and broke his bloodline curse. He turned his ‘trouble and pain’ into a blessing. Judah’s off-spring were the craftsmen. One clan worked in linen and probably made the linen garments for the priests. Others were pottery makers for the king. Judah was the most powerful tribe and produced the kings and leaders of Israel. Simeon was Jacob’s second born but his descendants didn’t grow like Judah’s. They were businessmen who got their wealth from trading. They were also farmers. Reuben was Jacob’s first-born but he dishonored his father by sleeping with his father’s concubines so he lost his birthright to Joseph, Rachel’s first born. Reuben was not listed in the geneology records as the firstborn son. He is listed after Simeon and before Gad. In Acts, Festus became the governor of Caesarea so the Jews from Jerusalem appealed to Festus to bring Paul back to Jerusalem to stand trial. They had planned to kill him in route. Festus refused but agreed to hear them in Caesarea. They went back to Caesarea and accused Paul of the same lies as before. Paul plead “not guilty” and when they wanted to bring him back to Jerusalem, Paul appealed to Caesar. Agrippa came to visit Festus and they discussed Paul’s trial. Agrippa asked to meet Paul. The next day Agrippa and his wife, Bernice went to the auditorium where Paul was brought in. Festus introduced Paul as the man who he couldn’t find anything deserving of death. He asked Agrippa to speak with Paul and come up with some charge so he could have a reason in writing for the Caesar. Lord, thank you that you defend us and protect us and know everything before it happens. Thank you for your great plan for our nation and our individual lives. May we live our destiny.

Mon.’s Devo - Judah’s Lineage

Read: 1 Chronicles 2:18-4:4; Acts 24:1-27; Psalm 4:1-8; Proverbs 18;16-18 Yesterday we read the beginning of Judah’s family. He had three sons: Er, Onan, and Shelah. God killed his first two sons because they were so evil. The wife of the first son, Tamar was given to the second son who also died. She had no heir so it was their law that the third son would be her husband when he became of age. When that didn’t happen, Tamar took matters into her own hands. She disguised herself as a harlot and tricked her own father-in-law, Judah into giving her a son. She became pregnant with twins: Peres and Zerah. In childbirth, Zerah stuck his hand out first and they tied a scarlet thread around it, but Perez was born first. You can read the story in Genesis 38. Zerah had five sons who became know for their wisdom, spiritual insight and were musical. Peres had two sons: Hezron and Hamul. From Hezron’s son came Salmon who married Rahab, the harlot of Jericho. They had Boaz who married Ruth and had Obed, who had Jesse, who had David. David was Obed’s seventh son. Today, we continue the lineage of Judah and see how it multiplied. David became king and had six sons of six different wives in Hebron where he lived 7 and a half years. He moved to Jerusalem for 33 years and had 4 sons by Bathsheba then 9 other sons. He also had a daughter named Tamar and many other sons by his concubines. Solomon became king after David so we have his lineage. His is the lineage of the kings of Judah. In Acts, Paul was brought before the governor for his trial. On the prosecution side was the high priest and his lawyer Tertillus. They charged Paul with stirring up riots, being a cult leader and desecrating the Temple. They had many witnesses with them. Paul was his own defense and when it was his turn he stood. He gave his actions as his defense. He had been in their temple to worship God for these 12 days and had never incited a riot or caused any disturbance. He defended the law of Moses but did tell them that he belonged to a group called “The Way” which they called a cult. He explained that this “Way” had been foretold by the prophets of whom he believed was true. He told them exactly what had happened in Jerusalem as it happened. Felix had heard about “The Way” and adjourned until Lysias, the commander could arrive. He had Paul kept in house arrest. Felix returned to talk to Paul and brought his Jewish wife, Drusilla with him. Paul was able to talk to them about the Law and how Jesus fit into God’s Law. Felix kept him in prison two years waiting for him to bribe him to release him, but Paul didn’t. When Felix’s term was up, he left Paul in prison to gain the favor of the Jewish people. Lord, we can look at Paul’s life and see that carrying your truth does not mean that we will not be lied about, falsely accused or not suffer persecution. Prepare us to carry your cross in the coming days.

Sun.’s Devo - God’s Family and His Plan

Read: 1 Chronicles 1:1-2:17; Acts 23:11-35; Psalm 3:1-8; Proverbs 18:14-15 Today we start reading First Chronicles. The Kings gave us the prophetic outlook of the nations of Judah and Israel and were probably written by Jeremiah during exile. The kings illustrated what happens to a nation who trusts in God and the consequences of a nation that turns from God. The Chronicles were probably written by Ezra, the priest. It is given from the priestly vantage point and was written after exile looking back at their history. It only covers the nation of Judah which housed the Temple where the priests served. First Chronicles starts with Adam and ends with the death of David. It is a history of Judah’s spiritual journey. In verse one we find that Cain and Abel are not mentioned as being Adam’s descendants. Cain was the seed of Satan that murdered Abel who was a type of Jesus, who offered the pleasing sacrifice to God. Seth was born as the “substitute” for Abel as we are the “substitute” for Jesus on the earth. The whole earth was destroyed by the flood and started over with Noah’s descendants: Shem, Ham, and Jepheth. Here are some of the ones that stood out to me: From Japheth came the Scythians, Assyrians, Medes, Greeks, Asians and foreigners and barbarians. From Ham came the Philistines and most of the “ites” in Canaan. From Shem came Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In the second chapter we have the tribe of Judah of which Chronicles tells their history. The son’s of Israel are given in this order: Leah’s sons, her concubines sons, Rachel’s sons, her concubine’s sons. In Acts, Paul had been sent to Jerusalem where he knew persecution and jail awaited him. All of this happened and he was now in jail when the Lord appeared to Paul to encourage him and tell him what was next. God was sending him to Rome where more of the same was waiting him. He was to take the message of the gospel to Rome. Paul’s nephew learned of a plot to kill Paul on the way to trial and warned the guards, who told the governor. The governor had Paul removed that night and taken with 470 armed soldiers to Caesarea. There he was ordered by Governor Felix to be kept in the prison at Herod’s headquarters. Lord, when you are leading us there is nothing to fear. You surround us with your army and we will complete our mission on the earth just as Paul did. Thank you for your marvelous plan.

Sat.’s Devo - The Last Kings of Judah

Read: 2 Kings 23:31-25:30; Acts 22:17-23:10; Psalm 2:1-12; Provers 18:13 Pharaoh Necho of Egypt had killed Josiah on his way to fight the Assyrian army. When he conquered them and their territory, he returned and disposed Josiah’s youngest son, Jehoahaz and put his eldest son, Jehoiakim as the king. He took Jehoahaz back with him as a prisoner and demanded Judah to pay him tribute. Joahiakim had to collect taxes from the people to pay the tribute. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon then invaded the land and Jehoiakim surrendered and had to pay him tribute also. After three years, Judah rebelled and refused to pay. God sent bands of Babylonians, Arameans, Moabites, and Ammonites against Judah to destroy it. God was doing exactly what he had said through his prophets that he would do, because the people had rebelled against Him and because they had shed innocent blood, especially that of the children. Jehoachin was the next king and he was as evil as the last. Jehoiakim means “God will set up” and Jehoachin means “God will establish”. God set up through the first one what he would finish during the second which was the destruction of Jerusalem. Jehoiachin surrendered to Babylon and they carried the best of everything including people to Babylon. Only the weak and poor were left in the land and Zedekiah was made the king of the remnant. He had the same mother as Jehoahaz. He was evil also and rebelled against the king of Babylon. The king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar came and totally destroyed Jerusalem and burned it to the ground. Interestingly the exact date of the end of Jerusalem would be the death dates of the two people who would come back years later and rebuild it’s walls and the Temple - Ezra and Nehemiah. The king tried to escape but was caught and had to watch his own children killed before his eyes were gouged out. What a horrible last sight. The religious, military and political elite were taken to Babylon. One of them was Ezra’s great grandfather. They were all killed in Babylon. Gedaliah, Jeremiah’s friend was appointed the governor of those left in Jerusalem. His name means “God’s gift” but he was assassinated by Ishmael, and royal family members. This caused the people to run in panic. Meanwhile, in Babylon a new king came to power named Evil-merodach which means “foolish is thy rebellion”. He gave favor to Jehoiachin and released him from jail promoting him to eat at his table. Thus ends the book of 2 Kings! In Acts, Paul continued his speech to the angry mob. He was at the part where the Lord told him to leave Jerusalem and take the gospel to the Gentiles. The once quiet mob exploded at the news of the Gentiles and demanded his death. The soldiers took Paul inside and had him whipped to confess of his crimes that would make the crowd so mad. Paul proclaimed his rights as a Roman citizen which changed their tune immediately. Now, they were afraid of him. When we know who we are in Christ, the devil is afraid of us. The next day Paul got to stand trial before the Sanhedrin. He made the same mistake as Jesus - rebuking the high priest. The high priest had paid for his position just like the guard had paid for his Roman citizenship. We don’t buy our salvation, it is our’s because Jesus bought it for us and we accepted his gift. Paul saw his audience and saw a way to divide them. Half were Sadducees and half Pharisees so he just mentioned the resurrection and he won the Pharisees and lost the Sadducees. But, he did exactly what he wanted to do - he divided their ranks and pitted them against one another. We could learn something about spiritual warfare in this. Lord, help us to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves because we are sent out as sheep in the midst of wolves (Matthew 10:16). May we pronounce our Psalm today for our nation and our leader.

Fri.’s Devo.- The Power of Our Testimony

Read: 2 Kings 22:3-23:30; Acts 21:37-22:16; Psalm 11-6; Proverbs 18:11-12 Josiah had the priests repair and clean out the Temple. While doing this they found a copy of the Law of Moses and read to Josiah probably Deuteronomy 28-30. It is about the national covenant and the blessing of obeying the Law and the curses of not obeying the Law. He gathered the people and read the whole book to them. Josiah repented immediately and began national reform like no other king had done before or after him. He got rid of all the idolatry in the land even on the high places. As he was destroying all the altars he came upon the tomb of the prophet who had prophesied that Josiah, by name, would do exactly what he was doing then (1 Kings 13). He told them not to disturb his bones. God still had to punish Jerusalem for their idolatry but not during Josiah’s reign since he repented like he did. He was killed by Neco king of Egypt in the valley of Megiddo. The people mourned his death so hard even Zechariah wrote about it (Zechariah 12:11-12). Josiah’s son, Johoahaz became the next king. In Acts, while the Roman officers were trying to get Paul to safety against the mob, Paul saw the opportunity to preach and asked if he could speak to the crowd. When Paul spoke in Greek, the officer was so surprised he let him speak and the crowd grew silent. He spoke to them in Aramaic (Hebrew). This caught their attention. Paul began giving them his own conversion story. Lord, there is nothing more powerful than a conversion. Today we read of two powerful ones - Josiah’s and Paul’s. May we never doubt the change you can bring in a soul.

Thur.’s Devo - Change Does Not Come Peacefully

Read: 2 Kings 20:1-22:2; Acts 21:18-36; Psalm 150:1-6; Proverbs 18:9-10 Hezekiah got a fatal womb and was dying when Isaiah came to him and told him to put his affairs in order because he was going to die. Hezekiah presented his case before the Lord and received mercy. God sent Isaiah back to tell him that he would recover. God would add 15 years to his life and rescue Jerusalem from the king of Assyria. When Hezekiah asked for a sign, Isaiah told him to pick which way the he wanted the sun dial to go because he was going to change it 10 steps. He decided he wanted it to go back. I found an article about NASA’s quest to find a missing day in history. They found it in the stories of Joshua 10:12-13 and Hezekiah. They found that in Joshua’s day 23 hours and 20 minutes were added and in Hezekiah, 40 minutes were added making a day which explained their missing day in the universe. The king of Babylon sent messenger to Hezekiah with his wishes of recovery. Hezekiah proudly showed them every bit of his wealth and his kingdom. When they had gone, Isaiah came to visit. When Hezekiah told Isaiah all he had shown Babylon’s men, Isaiah rebuked Hezekiah and told him they would come and take it all. Some of Hezekiah’s own posterity would be made eunuchs in Babylon’s palace. This would happen after Hezekiah died and he was glad of that. I don’t know if Hezekiah had sons or not but the one that became the king was born in his 15 added on years. He was only 12 when Hezekiah died and his name was Manasseh which means “causing to forget”. He did cause the people to forget all the ways of his father. He brought back in all the idolatry his father had been so diligent to destroy. He out-sinned the kings before him and did wicked detestable things shedding much innocent blood. He was king for 55 long years. His son, Amon followed in his footsteps. He was assassinated by his own men and his son, Josiah was made king. Josiah was only eight but reigned 31 years doing what was pleasing to the Lord like David. In Acts, Paul was accused of teaching Jews to ignore the laws of Moses. Paul was innocent and tried to prove it but there was a conspiracy against him. A riot followed and Paul was dragged out of the Temple and the doors shut. The Roman soldiers intervened and took Paul and asked the crowd what was going on. The crowd grew so angry that the soldiers had to put Paul on their shoulders to keep him from being killed. The crowd was yelling, “Kill him, kill him.” This reminds me of what they did to Jesus. It is always the religious system that hates the new wine. Lord, prepare us for the days ahead. May we be ready to give an answer for the God that we serve.

Wed.’s Devo - God is Supreme Over All The Earth

Read: 2 Kings 18:13-19:37; Acts 21:1-17; Psalm 149:1-9; Proverbs 18:8 Assyria was on its way to Egypt, in which Jerusalem was the gateway. They had to conquer Jerusalem first. Israel had decided to stop paying tribute to Assyria, so now they were coming for the payment with interest and they were using intimidation and force to get it. The commander of the Assyrian army met with Hezekiah’s three officials and gave a speech that all the men on the wall of Jerusalem could hear. He asked them how they could sit so confidently trusting in their god when all the gods of the other nations couldn’t save them. Then he had the audacity to tell them that God had sent them to take Jerusalem. It was obvious that the Assyrians threw God into the mix of all the other gods. The Assyrian commander told them that even if he gave them 2,000 of his own horses, they would be no match for his army. Even if Egypt came to help them, they would not win. He offered Israel’s people a land of their own where they could do everything they did here in his country. It was a hook and a lie. When Hezekiah heard what the commander of Assyria had said, he tore his clothes and went to the temple to pray. He sent his officials dressed in mourning clothes to Isaiah the prophet. Isaiah told them not to fear the blasphemous speech the Assyrian commander had given against Him. God would defend his name and send him home. That is exactly what happened but before he left, he sent another letter to King Hezekiah saying that he would return. They had defeated other nations whose gods were not able to save, so why did they think their god would be able to save them. Hezekiah took the letter to the temple and laid it out for God to read. Hezekiah agreed that what the Assyrians said was true, they had overcome other nations and their gods. God responded with a word from Isaiah. He said that He wasn’t like the other gods who were no gods at all. He was the only God, king over the whole earth. God had used Assyria to crush these other nations but He would crush Assyria. God gave Hezekiah this sign: they would eat the produce of what grew by itself for the next two years and on the third year, they would plant their own crops and harvest their own fruit. God would protect Jerusalem. That night the angel of the Lord killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. King Senacherib went home to Nineveh and stayed there. His own two sons assassinated him while he was worshipping his god. Reading the Kings and Acts, it is hard not to see the importance of the prophet in both. Prophets are just people who have eyes to see into what God is doing instead of just seeing the natural state of things. We need them to give us God’s perspective and hope. Today, five prophets are mentioned and they all told Paul the same thing: he was headed for imprisonment if he went to Rome. The people tried to dissuade Paul from going, but Paul knew that the words of the prophets were true but he also knew it was his destiny, not something he needed to run from. While in prison, Paul finally had time to pen most of the New Testament. God knew what he was doing…like always. Lord, help us to trust in your plan for our lives even when it is uncomfortable and includes suffering.