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.