Mon.’s Devo - David’s Escape

Read: 2 Samuel 17:1-29; John 19:23-42; Psalm 119:129-152: Proverbs 16:12-13 Ahithophel, Absalom’s advised Absalom to leave immediately and attack David and his troops while they they were tired. Absalom called in Hushai, David’s advisor and after he heard Ahithophel’s advice, he told Absalom he should not do that, but instead send out messages to the other tribes and gather a big army. They would need that to fight David because David was such a great warrior. God caused Absalom to take Hushai’s advice even though Ahithophel’s was better. Hushai sent the priests to find David and tell them what Absalom was going to do. He told David to quickly take his men across the Jordan during the night. When Ahithophel realized his advice had not been taken, he got his affairs in order and hung himself in his hometown. David crossed the Jordan and camped in Mahanaim where leaders of the Ammonites brought him food and provisions. David had lived among them for years when he fled from Saul, so many of them were his friends. Lo-debar was where Mephibosheth was from so they would have heard of the kindness David showed to him. In John, the Romans soldiers divided Jesus clothes and cast lots for his robe just as David prophesied in Psalms 22. Jesus said, “It is finished” at the exact time the high priest said it at the temple. The temple lamb would have been sacrificed right before 3 which was exactly when Jesus died. The Jews had till 6 o’clock that evening to get Jesus’ body off the cross before the Sabbath. When the soldiers came to break his legs so he would die faster, they didn’t need to break Jesus’. He was already dead. A soldier pierced his side where water and blood flowed just like it did from the altar. All of the things they did to Jesus had been prophesied years before. Two secret disciples of Jesus had been Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. They went to Pilate and begged for the body of Jesus. They laid it in Joseph’s tomb and anointed his body with spices of perfumed myrrh and aloes. Lord, thank you that when things look so bleak, we know that resurrection is right around the corner. Joy comes in the morning!

Sun.’s Devo - Your Will Be Done

Read: 2 Samuel 15:23-16:23; John 18:25-19:22; Psalm 119:113-128; Proverbs 16:10-11 David’s faithful followers prepared to leave with him. David told the priests to take the Ark of the Covenant back to the city because, God willing, he would return. He told the priest Zadok and Abiathar, Jonathan’s son, to stay in the city as his spies. David’s adviser, Ahithophel now supported Absalom. David prayed that he would give Absalom bad advice. David and his crowd left weeping and barefoot. Hushai was waiting for him. Hushai was old and would slow them down so David told him to go to the palace and pretend to be faithful to Absalom. He could send David, Absalom’s plans. Hushai went to the city and arrived at the same time Absalom did. David met Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth who had two donkeys loaded with bread, fruit and wine for David and his men. When David asked about Mephibosheth, Ziba lied and told him that Mephibosheth had betrayed him. David gave all of the land he had given to Mephibosheth to Ziba. When David came to the town of Bahurim, Shimei came out cursing him and throwing dirt and stones. Shimei was from the lineage of Saul. Abishai wanted to kill Shimei for David, but David wouldn’t let him. When Hushai came to the city, he went straight to pledge his loyalty to Absalom. Absalom asked Aphibosheth for advice in what to do first. He told him to go and sleep with David’s concubines in broad daylight. This will show everyone that Absalom had made a clean break with David making the people free to support him. In John, Peter continued denying he knew Jesus. Caiaphas had Jesus taken to Pilate, the Roman governor. When Pilate asked what his charge was, Caiaphas said he was a criminal. Pilate told them to judge him by their own law, but Caiaphas explained that only Roman law could execute. Pilate had no choice but to try Jesus. He brought him in for questioning. The first question he asked him was if he was the king of the Jews. Jesus asked him if he really wanted to know or if he was told to ask that question. He was trying to know if Pilate was seeking truth in his own heart or whether this was simply a script he was following. Pilate got a little angry. He could care less about their religion, he only cared if it posed a threat to their government. Pilate told him that Jesus’ own people had turned him over, so what had he done? Jesus explained that the people who turned him over were not his followers and his kingdom was not of this world. Pilate asked him again if he was a king. Jesus tried to tell him that he came into the world to bring truth and only those who loved truth would understand. Pilate went out to the crowd and told him that Jesus was not guilty of any crime, but according to Jewish custom, he would release one prisoner. He brought out the worse criminal in his prison and stood him beside Jesus. To his surprise, they chose to have Barnabas released and Jesus killed. Pilate had Jesus flogged and soldiers wove a crown of thorns for his head. They put a purple robe on him and hailed him King of the Jews. They mocked and slapped him in the face. Then they brought him out to the people and presented him to them. They shouted, “Crucify him!” Pilate told him that he didn’t not find him guilty and if they wanted to crucify him, they could do it themselves. When the Jewish leaders told Pilate that Jesus called himself the Son of God, he was scared. He took Jesus back into his chambers and begged him to talk to him since he had the power to release or crucify him. Jesus told Pilate that he had no power over him unless God had given it to him. Pilate tried to release Jesus back to the Jews but they accused Pilate of rebelling against Caesar. Pilate was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He sat on the judgment seat and gave the verdict to crucify him. They rushed Jesus out to crucify him. Pilate had a sign made that said, King of the Jews. The Jews wanted to change it but Pilate wouldn’t let them. Jesus was nailed to a cross between two sinners. David and Jesus was both chosen by God to be kings. They were both wrongly accused and rebelled against. They both willingly gave themselves to the people and let God vindicate them. Lord, thank you that You are just and fair and your purposes are greater than our will or comfort. May Your will be done.

Sat.’s Devo - Absalom Rebels

Read: 2 Samuel 14:1-15:22; John 18:1-24; Psalm 119:97-112; Proverbs 16:8-9 It had been three years since Absalom killed Amnon. David was longing to see Absalom but couldn’t bring himself to reach out and invite him back. Joab perceived that David needed some help so he sent a wise woman to pretend she had a similar situation. When she presented her story, he had compassion for her son that had killed his brother and promised her that nothing would happen to him. She turned the story on David and asked him why he couldn’t do the same with his son. That was the nudge that David needed. He asked her if Joab had put her up to doing this and she confessed it was. David called in Joab and told him to go to Geshur and bring Absoalom back. He told him that Absalom could live in Jerusalem but never see his face. Absalom was the most handsome man in all Israel and had three sons and one daughter named Tamar. He had named his daughter after his sister that Amnon raped. She was asbeautiful as her namesake. Two years went by and Absalom got tired of being ignored by David so he sent for Joab. Joab also ignored him so he set fire to Joab’s field which did get his attention. He finally got an audience with his father. Absalom must have felt empowered after seeing David because he bough a chariot and horses and hired 50 body-guards to run ahead of him. He would go to the gate of the city where legal business was done and campaign for himself. He stole the people’s hearts. He did this for four years. When he felt he had enough support, he went to Hebron and proclaimed himself the king of Israel. Word got back to David of what Absalom had done and how many followers he had. He and all his household fled the palace. Six hundred of the men who left with David were Philistines from Gath. He told their leader to return to the palace and take care of himself and his men. He had no idea what home he could offer them. The leader, Itti, refused to leave David so David let him come with him. Jesus was betrayed by one of his own also. His betrayer was Judas Iscariot. When they came to arrest Jesus, he stepped forward and said, I AM he. When he said this, the men fell to the ground. Peter jumped up to defend Jesus with his sword and cut off the ear of Malchus, the high priest’s slave. Jesus put the ear back and told Peter to put his sword away. It was not time for swords. Jesus was first taken to Annas, the father-in-law of Caiphas, the high priest. Peter followed behind but John was allowed in because he knew the high priest. Jesus went inside to tell the truth, while Peter stood outside denying the truth. They didn’t like Jesus’ answer so they sent him to Caiphas. Lord, we know that in this world there will be tribulation. Help us to remember that you have overcome the world.

Fri.’s Devo - Amnon and Tamar

Read: 2 Samuel 13:1-39; John 17:1-26; Psalm 119:81-96l Proverbs 16:6-7 The sin of David’s with Bathsheba opened a door in that area that manifested in his children. David had a son and daughter whose mother was the daughter of the king of Geshur. They were beautiful children. Absalom and Tamar were their names. David’s first born son was Amnon whose mother was Ahinoam. Amnon lusted after Tamar and was afraid to ask his father for her as a wife. Amnon was so affected by his feelings for Tamar that it made him sick. His friend helped him devise a wicked scheme to get Tamar alone. When it worked and they were alone, he raped her. She was humiliated and devastated. His affections toward her changed immediately and with the same fervor in which he had wanted her, he now hated her and had her thrown out. She was now no longer a virgin and her chances of marriage were diminished greatly. Women were considered property and had few rights. Tamar had no defense but God and her father on earth who should have come to her defense. I don’t know if David felt so responsible for his own sin that he didn’t feel qualified to judge or what. But, for some reason he never stepped up to rectify what had happened to his daughter, Tamar. When Absalom found out what Amnon had done to Tamar, he was furious. David learned of it too and was upset. Two years went by and nothing was done to punish Amnon, so Absalom decided to take matters into his own hands. He invited all Davids’ sons to come to a feast. He invited David also, but David reclined. Absalom, then asked his father if he could take Amnon with him. His father was curious as to why he would pick Amnon, but was persuaded by Absalom to let him. David finally relinquished. When Absalom got Amnon alone and away from Jerusalem, he had his men kill Amnon. David received word that Absalom had killed all of his sons, but then found out it was only Amnon. Absalom had been plotting this day since he raped his sister. All the other sons arrived weeping and upset. Absalom fled to his grandfather in Geshur and stayed there for three years. Geshur is in Syria. In John, Jesus was praying to his heavenly Father and let us hear his words. He explained that God had given him total authority to give whoever he willed eternal life. He was looking forward into entering back into the glory he had before he came to earth. He had done everything God asked him to do. He had passed his message to his disciples. He prayed for those that would be his on the earth for protection from the evil one and unity. He prayed that the Word of truth would make them holy so they could go into the world and be his witness. The world would not recognize them as special, just as they didn’t recognize Jesus as the Son of God, but God’s love would be in us like it was in Jesus. Lord, help us to fellowship in your sufferings that we might be conformed to Your will.

Thur.’s Devo - The Holy Spirit

Read: 2 Samuel 12:1-311; John 16:1-33; Psalm 119:65-80; Proverbs 16:4-5 God gave Nathan a parable to show David his sin. He, who could have had any woman in the kingdom, took Uriah’s wife, had him killed and thought nothing of it. When David realized how his sin looked to God, he was repentant and confessed. Nathan told him that he wouldn’t die for this sin, but the baby Bathsheba had would. The baby soon got a deadly illness. David fasted and prayed for God to have mercy but the child died. When he did, David got up and ate. There was nothing he could do now. He knew that one day he would see him. David comforted Bathsheba and she became pregnant again with Solomon. Solomon means “peaceableness.” God called the baby Jedidiah which means “beloved of the Lord”. Joab was out battling Rabbah the capital of the Ammonites. He sent word to David to come and fight with him in the final battle so he could get the credit. David did and helped capture the city. He took the town from the king’s head and placed in on his own head. That was a picture of David taking the authority of that principality and setting himself over it or binding the strong man. He made the people his slaves and plundered their goods. Mark 3:27 says, “No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house. Jesus just finished telling his disciples that he was going to send them an Advocate, the Holy Spirit to help them be faithful when life got hard. The time was coming when people would think they were doing God a favor by killing them. Jesus was about to leave them and was surprised that no one asked him where he was going. It was best that he leave so he could send them the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit would convict the world of sin, and righteousness and warn them of his coming judgment. Jesus wanted to tell them more but he knew they wouldn’t be able to handle it then. The Holy Spirit would come and tell them the rest. He would tell them the future. Jesus told them that we would experience labor pains but they would also experience the joy of seeing the baby. Jesus told them over and over to ask in his name what we want…anything. When we are in Christ, our desires are in Him also so what we ask will be in him. Jesus predicted that they would leave him but he comforted them in the fact that this would be a trial and they would have many. Some they might not do so well but God’s peace is always there. The good thing about God is that he gives us many chances to get it right. We are in his school. Lord, thank you for your long suffering and patience with us. Thank you for forgiveness and second chances.

Wed.’s Devo - Remain in Him

Read: 2 Samuel 9:1-11:27; John 15:1-27; Psalm 119:49-64; Proverbs 16:1-3 Jonathan had made David swear to take care of his family when he was gone. David wanted to honor Jonathan, so he inquired if there was anyone left in Jonathan’s family. He learned of a surviving son named Mephibosheth. He was the child that had been dropped fleeing the palace. He was left crippled in both of his feet. David sent for Mephibosheth and gave him all of the property that belonged to Saul and invited him to eat at David’s table. Mephibosheth was had a young son named Mica who also lived with him. David put Ziba, one of Saul’s slaves, in charge of Mephibosheth’s land to farm it for him. The king of the Ammonites, King Nahash died. Nahash had been loyal to David so he sent some of his men to pay his respect to Nahash’s son, Hanun. Hanun’s men were suspicious of David’s men and told Hanun that they had come to scout out his land so they could attack later. Hanun ordered his men to shave their beards and cut their robes to the top of their legs. David’s men were so ashamed of their looks that David told them to stay in Jericho till their beards grew back. King Hanun realized how angry he had made David, so he hired 33,000 men from neighboring countries to fight David. They positioned themselves in front and in back of the city. Joab took his elite soldiers to fight the ones in the back and his brother, Abishai took the rest of the soldiers and fought the ones in front. The soldiers of both sides ran from Joab’s armies and regrouped. Hadadezer, the leader of the Aramean came with additional troops and joined them. David took his army and went out to meet them and once again the Aramean’s fled. David’s troops killed 40,700 of the Arameans including their commander, Shobach. His name means “thy turning back.” After that, they surrendered to Israel and became their subjects. They never helped the Ammonites again. In the Spring when David should have been out fighting, he stayed home. He was on his balcony where he saw a woman bathing. He wanted her, so he sent for her. She was married to one of his elite warriors, Uriah. Bathsheba and David had an affair which left her pregnant. David wanted to cover his sin, so he had Uriah brought home from war hoping he would sleep with his wife and think that the baby was his. Problem solved! Only, it didn’t go as planned. God would not let him get away with his sin. No matter what David did to get Uriah to go home and be with Bathsheba, he wouldn’t go. Finally David wrote Uriah’s death sentence in an order and sent it by Uriah to his officer. The officer was to put Uriah on the front line and then pull his men back so Uriah would be out there unprotected. Murder worked for David and Uriah was killed. Bathsheba mourned for her husband and David brought her to the palace to be his wife. Once again… problem solved, so he thought. God was not pleased. In John, Jesus used the example of a vine to give us three choices: remain in Him, get pruned or get cut completely off from Him. He admonished us to remain in Him. If we do then we will produce much fruit. Also, if we remain in Him and his words remain in us then we can ask for anything and he will give it to us. Jesus explained how much he loves us and the fact that he chose us to be his friends. He also explained why the world doesn’t love us, but instead hates us. They hated Jesus making them an enemy of God. He gave them every proof of who he was and they still rejected him, fulfilling Psalms 35:19 and 69:4 which both say, “they hated me without a cause.” Once again, Jesus promised them another Advocate called the Holy Spirit who would testify of Jesus. Lord, thank you for your faithfulness to every promise you have given.

Tues.’s Devo - Christ In Us

Read: 2 Samuel 7:1-8:18; John 14:15-31; Psalm 119:33-48; Proverbs 15:33 David built his house and was enjoying peace from his enemies. He summoned Nathan and told him that he would like to build God a cedar house. Nathan told him to do whatever was in his heart because the Lord was with him. But that night, God dealt with Nathan and gave him a word to go back and tell David. Nathan obeyed the next day. God asked David if he was the one to build him a house since he had never dwelt in a house before. He had just moved with the people and dwelt among them. God had established this people into a mighty nation and given them rest from their enemies. He would make David’s name great but he would not be the one to build God a physical house. One of his descendants would build the Temple for God. He would be with him and His favor would remain with him all his life. David accepted God’s word with humility and gratefulness for all God had done for him and his posterity. David continued to protect and fight for the people to give God a dynasty of kings. He conquered Gath which was the Philistine’s biggest stronghold. He destroyed Hadadezer the king of the Ammonites and the Arameans that came to help King Hadadezer so David made them his subjects. Their capital, Damascus, fell and came under David’s control. David killed some and made others his slaves. In John, Jesus told his disciples to obey him and he would send them another advocate, the Holy Spirit. He would lead them into all truth. The world would not be able to recognize him because they wouldn’t be looking for him, but they would. He lived with them but he would soon live in then. It would be the same about Jesus. When he was gone, he would live in them also. Their obedience was the proof of their love for him. Judas, not Isacariot, asked Jesus why he was just revealing himself to them and not the rest of the world. Jesus answered that that was the Father’s decision. God was sending the Holy Spirit to remind them of all the teaching of Jesus and to guide them in truth. Jesus left them with the gift of peace of mind and heart. He was leaving them with hope. Lord, thank you that you are the God of Hope and Peace. Thank you for the Holy Spirit.

Mon’s Devo - David is Established King Over All Israel

Read: 2 Samuel 4:1-6:23; John 13:31-14:14; Psalm 119:17-32; Proverbs 15:31-32 When Ishbosheth heard that Abner, his army commander had died ,he was paralyzed with fear. Abner had been the strength of his campaign. All of Israel knew it and they were also afraid. Abner had two men who were brothers who led his raiding parties and they saw an opportunity for advancement in David’s army. They went into Ishbosheth’s bedroom at noon when he was napping and killed him. They took his head to David for a reward and advancement. Instead, David killed them like he had done to the man who bragged about killing Saul. Israel met at Hebron and established David as their king. He was 30 years old when he began to reign and reigned 40 years: 7 in Hebron and 33 in Jerusalem. Jesus was 30 years old when he began his ministry and died at 33. God was with David and he took Jerusalem from the Jebsuits and built a palace there. King Hiram from Tyre sent cedar and workers to help David build his palace. David married more wives and concubines and had 11 more sons. God helped David defeat the Philistines and confiscated their idols. David wanted to bring the ark of God to Jerusalem but didn’t look in the law to know how to transport it. They put it on a cart and when the oxen stumbled, the cart almost capsized. Uzzah reached out to steady the Ark of God and was struck down dead. David was mad at God and afraid to continue moving the Ark so he left it at the house of Obededom of Gath. It stayed there for three months. During those three months, the house of Obed-edom was blessed. When David heard of the blessings Obed was receiving because of the Ark, he went there to get the Ark. This time he had the priest carry the Ark on their shoulders using the poles on the Ark and sacrificed a bull every six steps. David danced before the Lord wearing a priestly garment and the people celebrated with him. As the Ark entered the City of David, Michal, Saul’s daughter looked out of her window at the celebration. She saw David, not in his royal kingly clothes and was disgusted with him for being so humble before the people. When he got home, she told him how undistinguished he had looked in front of all the common people. David told her that he was glad to be humiliated by praising God. God closed Michal’s womb and she was unfruitful till she died. Jesus entered into his glory through humility also. Before he left he gave them a new commandment to love each other as he had loved them. This love would be a testimony to the world that we are his disciples. Peter couldn’t understand that Jesus was going somewhere he couldn’t go yet. Jesus told him Peter that he wasn’t ready but Peter replied that he was ready to die for him. Peter had to go through a humbling process to see for himself that he was not ready, yet. Jesus told him that he would deny him three times before the rooster crowed in the morning. Then Jesus assured them that he was going ahead of them to prepare a place for them. The disciples were still so confused. Jesus told them that all they had to do was to trust in him because he was the way to the Father. When Phillip asked to see the Father, Jesus despaired that he had been with them for so long and they still didn’t understand that to see Him was to see the Father. Jesus told them that they would do greater works than he had done because he was going to be with the Father. He told them to ask anything in his name and he would do it. Lord, we long to do the greater works you promised and to show your glory to the world. May they know us by our love.

Sun.’s Devo - Abner and Joab

Read: 2 Samuel 2:12-3:39; John 13:1-30; Psalm 119:1-16; Provers 15:29-30 Abner was Ishbosheth’s army commander and Joab was David’s. They met up with only a brook between them and decided to pit their best 12 warriors against each other. They grabbed their opponent’s hair and stabbed one another killing all 24 in a matter of minutes. A fierce battle then ensued. Joab had two brothers who fought with him. The youngest, Asahel chased Abner relentlessly. Abner tried to persuade him to stop but Asahel continued untill finally Abner thrust his blunt end of his spear through Asahel’s chest. When Joab heard that Abner had killed his brother he was out for revenge. He met Abner, and Abner was able to offer peace so the battle ended. Each went to their homes. Joab’s army had only 19 casualties where Abner’s men had 360. The war went on for years with David’s side becoming stronger and stronger while Ishbosheth’s became weaker and weaker. Six sons were born to David while he lived in Hebron. One day Ishbosheth accused Abner of sleeping with one of his father’s concubine, Rizpah. Abner got so offended he swore he would go to David’s side and help him win all of Israel. He did go to David and promise to help him. David said he would believe he was loyal if he returned his wife, Michal, to him. Michal was Saul’s daughter who had been promised to him. Abner went and took her from her husband and brought her to David. Amazing how these two women were used as pivotable pawns in the story of Israel. Abner persuaded Israel to follow David and help his prophecy come true. Then he went to tell David that all Israel was behind him. David entertained Abner and his men and they made a covenant of peace. Abner left to go back home as Joab was returning from winning a battle. When he found out what Abner had done he was upset. He told David that it was just a trick. He could only see Abner as the murderer of his brother and his heart was bent on revenge. He ended up following after Abner and stabbing him. When David found out what Joab had done, he was upset. He declared his innocence and cursed Joab and his family with open sores or leprosy or being crippled or poor. (I wonder if the man from Acts 14:8 was one of his descendants.) David mourned for Abner and wrote his funeral song. All Israel knew that David was innocent of his death. David also knew that if Joab and his other brother, Abishai was allowed to live, he would always be dangerous. He asked God to repay them for their evil deeds. In John, Jesus was with his disciples for the last time. He washed their feet to represent their baptism. He was also putting on them his authority to walk as he had walked on the earth. After he had washed their feet he declared that not all of them was clean, speaking of Judas. What he did was a physical action but it could not clean the heart. He explained that he had washed their feet as an example of what they must do for others. He told them that one of them would betray him and even demonstrated who it was. Jesus wanted us to know that Satan didn’t get away with anything. Lord, it is so comforting to know that You know everything and are not worried or taken by surprise. We trust in Your plan.

Sat.’s Devo - The Rightful Kings

Read: 2 Samuel 1:1-2:11; John 12:20-50; Psalm 118:19-29; Proverbs 15:27-28 David came home to Ziklag with his family and the families of all his men and began to rebuild. After three days, a man stumbled into their town from the battle. He said he was from Saul’s army although he was an Amelekite. None of his story sounded legit. He said that he was the one who killed Saul. He had brought his crown and armband to David hoping for a reward. Little did he know his lies would cause his death. David rebuked him for killing God’s anointed and had him killed immediately. David composed a song lamenting the death of Saul and Jonathan. David asked the Lord if he should move back to a town in Judah and the Lord said he should move to Hebron. So, David took his two wives and his men and moved to Hebron where the men of Judah anointed him king over the people of Judah. Saul’s commander, Abner had proclaimed Ishbosheth king over Ephraim and Benjamin and all the rest of Israel. Ishbosheth ruled for two years whiled David ruled 7 and a half years in Hebron. In John, some Greeks had sought to meet Jesus but when Philip went to tell Jesus, he was in another dimension. He talked of entering into his glory. I’m sure they were thinking he was about to become the king of the Jews on the earth, but he was talking about entering into heaven and ruling from there. Jesus was showing his humanity as he didn’t know how to pray. Should he pray to be saved from this hour? He concluded that this was the very reason he came to the world, to bring glory to His name. God spoke from heaven and said, “I have already brought glory to my name, and I will do so again.” Some of the crowd heard the voice and some heard it as thunder. (Isn’t that true about God’s voice. Those who are spiritually listening to his voice will hear it clearly while others will hear it as noise.) Jesus told them that it was time to throw Satan out as the ruler of this world and for him to rule. The people listening liked that part until he talked about dying and then they were really confused. They told him that they thought the Messiah would live forever. Jesus told them that his light would shine a little longer, meaning his life on earth, but they must put their trust in the light so they themselves could become children of the light. Despite all the signs and wonders that Jesus did, most of the people did not believe in him. Isaac had prophesied this. Others did believe in him. Some of these were the religious leaders but they were afraid of losing their position if they acknowledged it publicly. Jesus shouted to the crowds that to trust him was to trust in God who sent him. He would not judge those who didn’t believe in him now, because he came to save them. But they would be judged at the end of world. He was only telling them what God said. Both of our testaments are about the rightful king being declared to the world. Only a few acknowledged David as their king and only a few saw Jesus as their king. Both of those audiences grew and grew until David was brought back as the king of both nations and Jesus was declared the Saviour of the world. Lord, may our ears be in tune with Your voice and may we hear You clearly.

Fri.’s Devo - God’s Perfect Will

Read: 1 Samuel 29:1-31:13; John 11:55-12:19; Psalm 118:1-18; Proverbs 15:24-26 When I read this story, I always wonder what David would have done if he had gone to war with Israel. Would he have turned on the Philistine army? I see it as God’s way of taking David completely out of the picture so no one could accuse him of killing Saul. God knew that this was Saul’s end and he needed David innocent. David had been offended when he was asked to leave and not fight with them but God needed him in another war fighting for his family. If David had been allowed to stay and fight he might have never seen his family again and all of his men would have wanted to kill him. God’s way was best and David and his men were able to recover everything that had been taken from them and even the plunder from battles they didn’t have to fight. That is what happens when we walk in the Spirit. God gives us back everything the devil has stolen and even more. We are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus. Two hundred of his six hundred men had stayed behind with the equipment and when the others came back with the spoil, they didn’t want to share it with them. David rebuked them for their selfishness and made a law that those who guard the equipment get the same as those who go to war. Both are important. Many people cannot go on mission trips but they can support the ones who can with money and prayer. The ones who support the missions will get the same reward as those who go. Meanwhile, in the battle between the Philistines and Saul was playing out just as Samuel had said it would. Saul’s three sons, including Jonathan were killed on the battle field. Saul was wounded and asked his armor bearer to finish him off because he didn’t want the Philistines to taunt and torture him. When his armor bearer couldn’t kill him, Saul did it himself. His armor bearer followed suit. Then the Philistines took Saul’s body and taunted and tortured his body. They put his head in their temple to Ashroreth and hung his body and his son’s bodies on the wall at Beth-shan. Israel warriors came at night and took their bodies and buried them and fasted for seven days. In John, it was almost Passover and Jesus was making his way to Jerusalem where the leading priests had ordered anyone who saw Jesus to tell them so they could arrest him. Jesus stopped at the home of Lazareth’s and Mary anointed his feet with expensive perfume. Judas commented that her perfume was worth a years wages and instead of being wasted, it could have been sold and the money used for the poor. Judas was only thinking of how much of it he could have stolen for himself. Jesus told him to leave her alone because she was preparing his body for burial. No one understood that comment but they were used to that. News spread that Jesus was riding his donkey on his way to Jerusalem, so the people took palm branches and spread them on the road and sang the praises of the Hallel to him. He was fulfilling scripture that soon they would remember. There were such crowds around Jesus that the religious leaders realized they would not be able to arrest him in broad daylight or there would be chaos. Lord, thank you for reminding us that we might not understand our lives at the time, but it will all make sense in the end. Your will will be done.

Thurs.’s Devo - The Resurrection and the Life

Read: 1 Samuel 26:1-28:25; John 11:1-54; Psalm 117:1-2; Proverbs 15:22-23 Some of Saul’s men told him where David was hiding out so Saul brought his 3,000 elite soldiers again to hunt down David and kill the prophecy. David slipped over to Saul’s camp at night with his friend Abishai. They found Saul asleep surrounded by sleeping soldiers. Abishai wanted to take Saul’s sword and kill him but David wouldn’t allow it. He refused to kill God’s anointed. Instead, David stole Saul’s sword and water bottle that was sitting near his head. David went and climbed up on a hill and shouted down to the soldiers and Abner to wake up. (Abner was Saul’s army commander.) He rebuked Abner for not protecting his king. Saul recognized David’s voice and called him his son. David asked Saul why he was still chasing him. Saul confessed he had sinned…again and begged him to come back to Israel to live. He promised to leave him alone. David had him send a man to take back his sword and water bottle and they parted. David knew better than to go back to Israel. He didn’t believe anything that Saul said. David went to the land of the Philistines to ask for mercy. He went to Gath and talked to King Achish. This is the same king that David had played insane in front of (1 Samuel 21:10.) When Saul found out that David had gone to Gath he stopped hunting him. David asked King Achish if he could live somewhere other than the royal city. He was given the town of Ziklag. David and his men would spend their days raiding enemy villages within the Philistine’s land. They would be sure not to leave any survivors so there was no evidence. When the king asked him what he had done that day, he told him that they had gone into Judah and captured towns there. The king believed him and thought that Israel must hate David now. The Philistines went to war with Israel and King Achish told David to have his men join him in battle He wanted to make David his personal body guard which was the most honored position. Samuel had died so Saul had no one to seek the Lord for him. He needed to know if he would win in this war with the Philistines. When he saw the vast army of the Philistines, he panicked. When he sought the Lord, there was no word. Saul sought out a medium, even though he had banished them from the land. He heard that there was a witch in the town of Endor. He disguised himself and went to see her. He asked her to call up Samuel and she did. Samuel was mad and asked Saul why had he awoken him. Saul told him the dilemma he was in and asked him what he should do. Samuel told him that God had left him and become his enemy way back when he didn’t kill all the Amelekites. Tomorrow he and his sons would die and Israel would be defeated. Saul was faint with fear and hunger after Samuel left. He was coerced into eating and had his last supper. Saul would die but in John, Lazarus would be resurrected. Lazarus had become very sick and Martha and Mary sent for Jesus. Jesus purposely waited 4 days so he would be good and dead. Then he came to show them the glory of God. Lazarus would be a precursor to Jesus. Martha met Jesus and they talked of faith and resurrection. Mary came in tears which moved Jesus to tears. Jesus when to the tomb and called Lazarus out of death and into life. The witch at Endor could bring Samuel out of sleep but she could not give him life. Only Jesus could do that and he did it for Lazarus. Many believed but others went and told the Pharisees. They were afraid if they didn’t stop Jesus everyone would believe in him and then what would happen to them. They were afraid that the Roman army would come and destroy the Temple and their nation. Caiaphas even said that it would be better for them if one man died for the people than the whole nation. He was prophesying exactly what would happen. Jesus would die for the whole nation. Jesus had to flee to the village of Ephraim to get away from the Pharisees who were plotting his death. Lord, thank you that you are the resurrection and the life. We choose to walk in life and not death.

Wed.’s Devo - Wise Decisions

Read: 1 Samuel 24:1-25:44; John 10:22-42; Psalm 116:1-19; Proves 15:20-21 Saul came with 3,000 of his elite warriors in search of David. Saul stopped to rest in a cave that David’s men were hiding in. David’s men saw the opportunity to kill Saul and tried to get David to act on it. David crept close enough to cut a piece of Saul’s robe while he was sleeping but couldn’t bring himself to kill him or allow his men to. When Saul left the cave, David called after him and told him what he had done. He showed him the piece of cloth he had cut from his robe. Saul broke when he realized his life was in David’s hands but he had refused to end it. He even confessed that he knew that David would one day be the king and that the kingdom would flourish under him. Saul made David swear not to kill him or his family. David swore he would honor his request and Saul left. Samuel died at this time and was buried in Ramah, a city of refuge. There was a wealthy man named Nabal that had 4,000 sheep and goats in the wilderness of Maon. His wife’s name was Abigail. David’s men had been protection for Nabal’s shepherds while they grazed their sheep and it was time to sheer the sheep. David had been a shepherd so he knew that when it was sheep shearing time, all the town would have a celebration and everyone who helped in keeping the sheep would be invited to the feast. His men would qualify for this invitation so David asked if they could come. Nabal foolishly refused his invite making David so angry he got his men ready to go and fight Nabal and his family. Abigail overheard what Nabal had said to his men concerning David so she wisely and quickly prepared food for David and his men. She took it to them and humbly begged forgiveness for the foolishness of her husband and contended for his life. David thanked her and promised not to harm her family. When Nabal found out what she had done he immediately had a stroke. He died 10 days later. When David found out, he sent his men to get Abigail to marry her. She gratefully came and joined David. David also married Ahinoam. Saul had given his daughter Michal to a man named Palti. David had the wisdom to wait on the Lord. He knew God had anointed him as the king and that it would come to pass but he wisely waited on God to bring it to pass. In John, Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Feast of Hanukkah. Hanukkah commemorated when Israel came back to Jerusalem after being exiled for 70 years. They found the menorah in the Temple but only had enough oil to keep it lit for one day. It would take seven days to make the olive oil to refill the lamp. Miraculously, God kept the menorah burning for seven days.J Jesus was the light that keeps shining miraculously in the world and in us. The people that couldn’t see this were children of the darkness, not children of the light. People kept asking Jesus to tell them if he was the Messiah or not. He pretty much answered that if they didn’t know by now, they were not his sheep. They didn’t recognize the voice of the shepherd or the light. The people didn’t like that response and took up stones to stone him. Jesus asked them for what miracle were they going to stone him for. They responded that they weren’t stoning him for something good he did, but for his blasphemy. They said that Jesus was only a mere man and was claiming to be God. Jesus quoted Psalm 82:6 where God was talking to the judges calling them ‘gods.’ If God could call the judges ‘god,’ why did they say it was blasphemy for him to call himself the Son of God? If they couldn’t believe what he said, he told them to at least believe that his works were God’s works. They tried to arrest him again but he slipped away and went to the Jordan where John had baptized. The people that followed him talked among themselves concluding that John didn’t do miracles but everything he had said about Jesus had come true. Lord, may we not take things into our own hand but learn to wait on You to bring your plans to pass. May we have wisdom to know when to act and when to wait.

Tues.’s Devo - Our Good Shepherd

Read: 1 Samuel 22:1-23:29; John 10:1-21; Psalm 115:1-18; Proverbs 15:18-19 David escaped to the cave at Adullam where his brothers and relatives joined him with a whole group of others. They were men who were were in trouble, in debt or just not happy with Saul’s leadership. They totaled around 400 men. David went to the Moabites to ask them to let his parents seek refuge with them. The prophet Gad told David it was time to return to the land of Judah so David obeyed. Saul heard that David had returned and went on a tirade. He was surrounded by his army and asked them if David had promised them fields and vineyards or promotions or rewards. Then he accused them of fighting against him and not telling him of the pact between David and Jonathan. He accused Jonathan of telling David to kill him. (All of this was lies, but Saul had lost his sanity.) Doeg, which means “fearful,” stood up and confessed to seeing David at Nob. He saw the priest pray over David and give him food and Goliath’s sword. That is what fear will do. It will cause you to do anything to defend yourself. Saul sent for Ahimelech and all his family who served as priests in Nob and accused them of conspiring against him. Saul’s jealousy wouldn’t allow him to even hear the truth of what had really happened. When Saul ordered his army to kill the priests, no one would step up to shed innocent blood. Doeg stepped up because he had sold his soul to fear and now he was in over his head. He killed all 85 priests and their families - men, women, children and babies. I bet he didn’t sleep well that night! One of Ahimelech’s sons escaped and fled to David and told him everything that had happened. David told him to stay with him and he would protect him with his life. David heard that the Philistines were stealing the harvest from the people of Keilah and asked the Lord if he should go help them. His men didn’t want to go but the Lord told them that they should go and that they would prevail. David led his men and they did prevail. Saul found out where they were and came to Keilah. Keilah was a walled in city. David asked the Lord if the people of Keilah would give him over to Saul and God said they would, so David fled to the countryside. Jonathan found David and encouraged him. He told him that he knew David would become king and he wanted to serve under him. They renewed their covenant of friendship and love and parted for the last time. When Saul got to Ziph, the men of Ziph told Saul where David had fled. David had ran to a rock in the wilderness. Saul got so close, they were on the same mountain. God sent word to Saul that the Philistines were raiding Israel so Saul had to hurry home and David was able to escape. He named the rock, The Rock of Escape. Jesus, is our Rock of Escape - our rock in our wilderness. In John, Jesus tells a parable about the sheepfold and those who sneak over the wall and those who enter through the gate. Saul would be an example of those who sneak over the wall and David would be an example of those who come through the gate. The true disciples are those who hear God’s voice and follow his leading. Jesus explained that he was the good shepherd who sacrifices his life for us. He won’t leave us when the wolf comes to attack us. He laid down his life for us on the cross because of his great love for us. Lord, thank you for your great love for us. You truly are the great shepherd of our soul.

Mon.’s Devo - Open Our Eyes

Read: 1 Samuel 20:1-21:15; John 9:1-41; Psalm 113:1-114:8; Proverbs 15:15-17 David was on the run from Saul and found Jonathan to ask him if he knew why his father was so upset with him that he wanted him dead. Jonathan was certain that his father didn’t want to kill David. He told David that the next day was the beginning of the new moon festival so he would talk to Saul then, and let him know. They devised a signal that would tell David the answer. Jonathan made David promise that when he became king that he would treat his family with love. David agreed and they reaffirmed their vow of friendship. At the festival, David’s place was empty and noone said anything. But, the next day, Saul asked Jonathan about why David was not there. Jonathan told him that he was at a family sacrifice. Saul boiled up in anger and shouted at Jonathan saying that as long as David was alive, he would never be king. He told him to go get David so he could kill him. Jonathan argued that David had done nothing wrong but saw that his father was determined to kill David. Jonathan left enraged at his father. He went to signal to David what his father had said. They embraced and both cried. They knew they would not be able to continue their friendship and said their good-byes. Jonathan reminded David that they had made a covenant that would extend to their children forever. He left and went back home and David fled to Nob to see the priest, Abimelech. David didn’t let Abimelech know that he was running from Saul. He asked for bread for his men and a sword. Abimelech gave him the shew bread that only the priests ate and gave him Goliath’s sword. David was very grateful. He left with his men to go to Achish of Gath. When he arrived the people recognized him as their enemy. Gath was a Philistine city. David had to play like a madman to save his life. In John, Jesus healed the man born blind. Jesus had healed the man by recreating his eyes with dirt and his spit. We came from dust so Jesus was just doing what he did to Adam when he created him. When the man washed in the pool of Siloam, he could see. This was a big deal since the Sanhedrin had decided a long time ago that one of the litmus tests of the Messiah would be that he would heal a man born blind. So they questioned him over and over. They even questioned his parents who were afraid of testifying for him for fear that they would be thrown out of the synagogue. But, when they asked the one who had been healed again he took up for Jesus. He argued with the Pharisees that the only way he could be healed was from God, so this man, Jesus, had to be from God. They threw the man out of the synagogue because he spoke against their narrative. Jesus found him and revealed who he was to the man and he believed. He told them that he came to this world to judge - to give sight to the blind and to show those that think they see, the fact that they were really blind. The Pharisees that heard him were indignant. They wanted to know if Jesus thought they were blind. Jesus replied that if they were blind, then they wouldn’t be charged as guilty; but because they claimed to see, they would be charged as guilty. God only holds us accountable to what we have been shown as truth. The Pharisees had the law and were the keepers of the truth. They should have recognized the truth, but they had so covered up the truth with their own laws and traditions that they couldn’t see the real truth right in front of their eyes. Lord, help us to open our spiritual eyes and see. Thank you for the Holy Spirit who leads us into all truth.

Sun.’s Devo - David and Jesus Defend the Truth

Read: 1 Samuel 18:5-19:24; John 8:31-59; Psalm 112:1-10; Proverbs 15:12-14 David worked for Saul and succeeded in everything he did. Saul eventually made him a commander over his men. When Saul came back after the war with the Philistines he heard the women singing about how David had killed ten thousands and Saul had killed thousands. The seed of jealousy entered Saul’s heart and took root. Saul became tormented and David would come and play his harp. He tried several times to kill David, but God saved him. Saul saw the favor of God on David and it frightened him even more. He had to remember the words Samuel had given him about giving his nation over to someone more deserving than him. He sent David to war…hoping he would be killed. Saul offered David his daughter, Merab as his wife when he came home. God was with David and he succeeded in all he did and won his battles. Instead of giving Merab to David, she was given to Adriel instead. Saul’s youngest daughter, Michal fell in love with David and Saul saw it as another chance to get rid of him. He told David that his bride price would be 100 Philistine foreskins. Instead, David gave him 200. I can’t even imagine! Saul had to give him his daughter. Saul, then tried to get Jonathan to kill David, but Jonathan told David the plan. Jonathan tried to reason with his father and it worked for a while. David went back to fighting for Saul. One day, while David was playing for Saul, he came so close to killing him that he had to flee. Saul sent men to surround David’s house but Michal had warned David the night before to escape out the window. She took a statue and put it in his bed and told the soldiers that he was in bed sick. Saul sent them back to bring David in his bed. That was when they found the idol in the bed. Saul was so mad at Michal for defending David. She blamed it on David and said that he made her do that. David escaped and went to Ramah. When Saul found out, he sent his troops to get him but every time they would be filled with God’s spirit and begin prophesying. Saul went himself and the same thing happened to him. (God definitely has a sense of humor!) Jesus continued his talk about who he was and they still didn’t get it. He told them that his true disciples would continue to believe in him. They would come to more and more truth and the truth would set them free. The religious people, said they were children of Abraham but Jesus disagreed because if they were, then they would accept him. He told them they were children of the devil who was a murderer from the beginning who had always hated the truth. That was why they couldn’t believe Him. This made the people irate. They called him a Samaritan devil. Jesus denied that he had a demon. He honored his Father who was the true judge. He told them that anyone who obeyed his teaching would never die. Jesus said that his Father would glorify him and even Abraham looked forward to his coming. This really got them mad. How could he say he knew or saw Abraham? Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I AM!” They picked up stone to throw at him but he was hidden and left the Temple. Wow! Jesus was not running for a popularity contest. He spoke the truth as he saw it and he saw it from God’s perspective. No one could understand him then, but we all understand him now. Lord, help us to realize that the truth is not something we have to make people believe, but you will make all things known one day. You are our defense.

Sat.’s Devo - David and Goliath

Read: 1 Samuel 17:1-18:4; John 8:21-30; Psalm 111:1-10; Proverbs 15:11 The Philistines met Israel with a valley between them. The Philistines sent out a champion to fight one of Israel’s champions. The Philistine’s champion was a giant named Goliath. Goliath means “stripped as a captive.” Saul would have been the most likely candidate since he was Israel’s giant - head and shoulders taller than any other Israelite. Goliath was over 9 feet tall and Saul was over 7 feet tall. Day after day, Golath would stand and taunt the Israelites challenging them to send someone to fight and settle who was going to reign over the other. The Israelites were terrified. David was the youngest of nine children and had three brothers in the army. You had to be 20 to join the army, then David would have been around 12 or 13 years old. David was sent by his father to take food to his brothers in the army and find out how it was going. When he arrived, he assessed the situation and walked around asking what the reward would be for fighting Goliath. The winner would be given a huge reward, Saul’s daughter to marry and his whole family would be tax-exempt. David’s brothers heard his questions to the troops and got upset with him. He didn’t listen to them but volunteered to fight Goliath. When asked why he thought he could fight the giant, David told stories of protecting his sheep from lions and bears. He told them that this uncircumcised giant would be like them. Saul, finally consented but asked him to wear his armor. David tried it on, but it was too big so he went uncovered. He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them in his bag and took his shepherd’s staff and sling and went to face Goliath. Goliath was indignant when he saw who the Israelites had chosen to fight him. He teased him because he came to fight him with a sheperd’s staff. David stood up to him and declared that it was him that was under armed. Goliath only had a sword, a spear and a javelin but he came in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s armies, the God of Israel. Then, David told him exactly what was going to happen. He was going to kill him and cut off his head. He would feed the bodies’ of his army to the birds and wild animals. The whole world would know that there was a God in Israel when that day was over. As Goliath approached David, he took out his stone and slung it at Goliath, hitting him in the forehead. He fell face down to the ground. David ran over and used Goliath’s sword to cut off his head. Goliath’s army fled with Israel on their heals. David was brought before Saul and made to stay with him. Jonathan met David and formed an immediate bond with him. In John, Jesus told them again that he was leaving but they would not be able to find him or go where he was going. This was confusing to them. When they asked where he was going he told them that he was not from this world but from heaven and would return there. They would not understand until he was sifted up on the cross. Then they would understand that God had sent him and that everything he did was what God had told him to do. Lord, everything you do declares your glory and majesty. May we see your hand print in our lives and on our nation.

Fri.’s Devo - Obedience is Better Than Sacrifice

Read: 1 Samuel 15:1-16:23; John 8:1-20; Psalm 110:1-7; Proverbs 15:8-10 God was ready to punish the Amelekites who opposed Israel when they left Egypt. He instructed Saul to completely annihilate their people and animals and spare no one. Saul took 210,000 soldiers with him to fight them. Saul warned the Kenites to get out of town because he was coming to kill all the Amelekites in their town. (The Kenites were Moses’ father-in-laws kin who had been allies to Israel.) They attacked the Amalekites and captured their king, Agag, and spared the best of the animals. They only destroyed things that were worthless. The Lord came to Samuel and told him he was sorry that he ever made Saul the king because he was so disobedient. This greatly saddened Samuel because he loved Saul as a son. The next day, Samuel went to tell Saul what God had said. He was told that Saul had gone to the town of Carmel to set up a monument to himself. When Samuel found him he asked Saul if he had done what God had asked him to do. Saul assured him he had. Samuel asked him why he was hearing the bleating of the sheep. Saul had a quick answer. He had saved the best animals to make a sacrifice to God. Samuel had heard enough. He told Saul what the Lord had said about him. Saul argued that he had done what the Lord asked. He brought back King Agag, but he destroyed everything else. He only kept the animals to sacrifice them. Samuel told him that God wanted obedience more than he wanted a sacrifice. His rebellion was just like witchcraft to God and his stubbornness was as bad as offering idols. Because Saul rejected God’s command, God had rejected him as king. Saul then repented and said that he had done those things because that was what the people wanted him to do. He begged Samuel to come with him to his sacrifice. Samuel refused to go with him and Saul tried to keep him but tore the hem of his robe accidentally. Samuel said that in the same way the Lord had torn the kingdom from him that day and given it to someone else. Saul begged him to please come to his sacrifice so the people would see that he still honored him. (Saul had a real big rejection/ego problem.) Samuel finally agreed. Samuel told them to bring King Agag to him and cut him to pieces. Agag means “he will overtop”. Samuel knew that if he let him live, he would do just that. God told Samuel to go and anoint God’s choice as a king. He would be one of Jessie’s sons. Sure enough, the one God chose didn’t look like a king that people would choose. He was the youngest of the sons and still a shepherd. Samuel anointed David with a flask of olive oil. When he did, the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day on. The Spirit of the Lord had left Saul and a tormenting spirit had come to take its place. It made Saul depressed and fearful. Saul’s servants recognized what had happened to Saul so they recommended that he let a good musician come and play the harp to chase away the spirit. Saul agreed, and the found David who played the harp with the Spirit of the Lord. He was brought to the palace to play whenever Saul was oppressed. In John, it was the day after the Feast of Tabernacles. It was the day in the Temple that they would begin to read the Torah again. They celebrated this day as a return to Eden. Jesus was teaching them when a woman was brought to him. She had been caught in the act of adultery. They wanted Jesus to judge her so they could trap him somehow. Jesus didn’t fall into their trap, instead, he started writing in the dirt. When they demanded an answer from him he told them that he would give them an answer, but let the one who had never sinned throw the first stone. Then he started writing again. The accusers started leaving from the oldest to the youngest. I’m sure that the Holy Spirit had begun to point out things in their past that they and others knew. No one had never sinned. Jesus, the only one who could accuse her, looked at her and said, “Woman, where are your accusers?” Then he told her that he didn’t accuse her either. She was to go and not sin anymore. This woman was a type of Eve and Jesus was undoing the curse that had come on mankind because of sin. He was the removal of the curse. Lord, thank you for your atoning blood that redeems us from the curse of the law.

hurs.’s Devo - The Boldness of Jonathan

TRead: 1 Samuel 14:1-52; John 7:31-53; Psalm 109:1-31; Proverbs 15:5-7 Jonathan decided to take his armor-bearer over to spy on the Philistine military post without telling his father, Saul To get there, they had to go between two rocky cliffs. Jonathan wanted to go on to the outpost and made a very bold statement. He said, “Perhaps the Lord will help us, for nothing can hinder the Lord. He can win a battle whether he has many warriors or only a few!” His armor bearer was totally behind him whatever he decided to do. So Jonathan decided to let the Philistines see them. He told his armor bearer that if the Philistines told them to stop or they would kill them, then they would stop and not go up. But if they told them to come up and fight, then they would. That would be their sign that God would give them the victory. They told them to come up, so they did, knowing God would help them defeat them. They killed some 20 men leaving their bodies scattered over about half an acre. When this happened, an earthquake struck and everyone panicked. Saul’s lookouts saw the Philistine army melting away as they killed each other. Saul ordered a roll call to see who was missing that might have started this war and they found out it was Jonathan. Saul shouted to the priest to bring the ephod so they could ask the Lord whether they would win or not. The noise of the battle had gotten so loud he just told the priest, “Never mind,” and told his men to move. They rushed out on the battle field and saw the confusion everywhere. There had been Hebrews who had defected to the Philistine army who turned on the Philistines and joined Saul. God saved Israel in a day! The Israelites chased the Philistines out of their land. The men were exhausted because Saul had placed a curse on anyone who ate that day. Jonathan hadn’t been there to hear the curse so he ate some honey he saw on the ground. One of the men told him about the curse his father had said. Jonathan thought it was a foolish idea. When the evening came and the fast was over, the men were so famished they attacked the animals and ate them without draining the blood from them first. Saul had his men roll over a big stone so they could kill the animals and drain the blood like the law said. He asked the Lord if they should continue chasing the Philistines and the Lord did not answer. Saul knew someone in the camp was guilty of sin. He vowed to kill that person when he found out who it was. They cast lost and Jonathan was found guilty. Jonathan confessed to eating a little honey. Saul would have killed Jonathan but the people broke in and defended Jonathan and saved his life. Saul decided to let the Philistines go home and secured his kingdom. He fought against his enemies on all sides and was victorious. Saul had three sons: Jonathan, Ishbosheth and Malkishua. He also had two daughters named Merab and Michal. His cousin, Abner was his army commander. Saul fought the Philistines his whole life and drafted any young man he wanted. In John, the Pharisees realized that the people were beginning to believe that Jesus was the Messiah. They sent men to arrest Jesus, but he told them that he was only going to be with them a little while longer. His words confused them so they didn’t arrest Jesus. On the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus stood and said, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me.” He told them that he would give them rivers of living water from his heart. He said this during the water libation ceremony. The water libation ceremony was where the priest would take a pitcher to the Siloam Springs and fill it up and then bring it and pour it on the altar. Jesus was trying to explain the symbolism of what they had practiced all these years. He was telling them that the Holy Spirit was coming. When the ones who were suppose to arrest Jesus returned without him, the Pharisees wondered why they hadn’t brought him in. The temple guards said that they had never heard anyone talk like he did. Nicodemus also tried to defend Jesus. He said that Jesus deserved a fair trial. His fellow Sanhedranites didn’t agree. Lord, may we be as bold as Jonathan and Jesus. They lived to please God without worrying about their own lives.

Wed.’s Devo - Overcoming the Odds

Read: 1 Samuel 12:1-13:23; John 7:1-30; Psalm 108:1-13; Proverbs 15:4 Samuel met with the people and proclaimed his innocence as their judge. They all agreed that he had not taken bribes or perverted justice even though both of his sons did. Samuel had been a prophet and a judge. He told the people that asking for a king had displeased the Lord and to prove it to them, it would rain and thunder even though it never rained during the time of wheat harvest. Wheat harvest is at the time of Pentecost. God fulfilled Pentecost in the New Testament by raining down his Holy Spirit with the sound of a mighty windstorm. This time God sent thunder and rain and they were afraid of God and of Samuel. The fear of God was upon the people so Samuel calmed them and told them not to fall back into idolatry. If they did, they and their king would be swept away. Saul was 30 when he became king and reigned for 42 years. Saul immediately began his campaign of freeing Israel from the Philistines who were ruling over them. He took 2,000 of his warriors with him to Micmash in Bethel and sent 1,000 with Jonathan to Gibeah. Jonathan’s group were successful in their mission so the war was officially started with the Philistines. Saul sounded the alarm for all Israelites to rise up and revolt. The Philistines gathered a huge army of chariots and men. Saul’s army was sandwiched between the Philistines and greatly outnumbered. When Saul had been anointed king, Samuel had told him to meet him in 7 days at Gilgal for a sacrifice. Saul was there surrounded by the Philistine army and losing men by the moment as he waited on Samuel. When it looked like Samuel wasn’t coming, Saul offered the sacrifice himself. Just as he was finishing, Samuel walked up and asked him what he was doing. He told him that because he had not kept the Lord’s command to wait until Samuel came to offer the sacrfiice, his kingdom would be taken and given to a man who would be after God’s own heart. Samuel left and went home and Saul continued to move toward the battle. When he got to Gibeah, his army had whittled down to 600. The Philistines divided their army into three parts and sent them out over the land. The Israelites had no swords because the Philistines didn’t allow them to have weapons. Only Saul and Jonathan had swords. In John, Jesus was trying to stay out of Judea because the religious leaders where plotting his death. But, it was the time for the Feast of Shelters or Tabernacles and all Jews would be going to Jerusalem to celebrate. Jesus’ brothers who didn’t believe him tried to get him to go so he would be caught and killed. They told Jesus he would never be famous hiding. Jesus didn’t come to be famous. He explained that he world hated him because he accused it of doing evil. So, he sent them ahead. At the feast, everyone was looking for him especially the religious leaders. Everyone was afraid of the leaders so they were afraid to say anything good about Jesus. In the middled of the week-long feast, Jesus went to the Temple and started teaching. Everyone was amazed at his teaching since he hadn’t been to “seminary school.” Jesus explained that he got his teaching from God and anyone who really wanted to know the will of God would be able to discern the truth of his teaching. Then he really stepped on their toes. He told them that Moses had given them the law but they didn’t obey it, in fact he told them they were trying to kill him. Nothing like putting it all out there. The crowd agreed that he was possessed of a demon. He called them out of circumcising on the Sabbath when the 8th day came on a Sabbath. If they could circumcised on the Sabbath, why could he not heal on the Sabbath? The crowd was confused about why the leaders were allowing him to speak if they wanted him dead. They also couldn’t figure out how Jesus could be sent from God when they knew about his birth. Jesus had told them to look below the surface, but they couldn’t do it. Neither could the leaders arrest him because his time was not yet come. Both Saul and Jesus were standing against unbeatable odds but when God is for you, who can be against you! Lord, it is obvious reading through your Word that nothing happens before You say it is time. You are in control of our calendar and we choose to be on Your side.

Tues.’s Devo - Saul is Made King

Read: 1 Samuel 10:1-11:15; John 6:43-71; Psalm 107:1-43; Proverbs 15:1-3 Samuel anointed Saul’s head with oil and kissed him. He told Saul that the Lord had appointed him to be the ruler over Israel and that when he left he would see two men beside Rachel’s tomb who would tell him that his donkeys had been found. When he got to the oak of Tabor he would see three men on their way to Bethel. One would have three young goats, another would have three loves of bread, and the third would be carrying a wineskin full of wine. They were to offer him the two loaves of bread and he was to accept it. When he got to Gibeah he would meet a band of prophets playing a harp, a tambourine an, a flute and a lyre and they would be prophesying. He would be changed into a different person and be given a new heart. He was then to come to Gilgal in seven days where Samuel would meet him for a sacrifice to the Lord. All of this happened just as Samuel said it would. When the prophets prophesied, Saul joined them. Samuel called Israel to Mizpeh and told that they had rejected God as their king so He would choose a king by lot. It came down to Saul but he was hiding. When they brought him out, he was taller than anyone there. Samuel presented him as their new king. Some of the people followed Saul, but others scoffed and complained. The tribes of Gad and Reuben had been oppressed by the Ammonites who would gouge out the right eye of all the men. They came to the town of Jabesh-gilead to take it also. The people begged them to sign a treaty of peace with them. The Ammonites said that they would if they could gouge out their right eye. The people asked for 7 days to decide. Meanwhile they sent for help from Saul. The Spirit of the Lord came upon Saul and he took two oxen and cut them into pieces and sent the me with messengers to the tribes throughout Israel. He told them that that would happen to whoever refused to come and help. It worked because 330,000 people showed up to fight. They sent news to the people of Jabesh-Gilead and showed up the next morning. They divided into three parts and defeated the Ammonites. It had been seven days, so they met with Samuel where Samuel conducted a solemn ceremony making Saul their king and offering peace offerings to the Lord. The people were filled with joy. In John, Jesus told them not to be upset that he said that no once could come to him unless the Father draws them to him. He was the way to God; he was the bread of life. Jesus explained that the people who ate manna died, but the ones who eat the bread of Jesus will live forever. This bread was his flesh. Boy, did that make them mad. They couldn’t image how Jesus expected them to eat his flesh. Jesus offended them even greater when he also told them that they had to drink his blood. Jesus did this on purpose because he wanted to weed out the ones who were just there for a show. He explained to his disciples that this could only be understood spiritually. Jesus lost many but his disciples knew that Jesus was their only hope. They had put all their eggs in his basket. Lord, even if we don’t understand everything that you are saying, we understand that You are the way, the truth and the life. We choose to follow you.

Mon.’s Devo - Finding a King

Read: 1 Samuel 8:1-9:27; John 6:22-42; Psalm 106:32-48; Proverbs 14:34-35 Sadly, Samuel’s sons were no better than Eli’s sons. They took bribes and distorted justice. The people complained to Samuel because he was getting old and they didn’t want his sons being their judges. They demanded a king like the other nations. They wanted someone who would lead them into battle and judge them. Samuel explained to them the downfalls to a king. He would take away their best fields and a tenth of their harvests. The would take their sons and daughters as slaves and their animals for his own use. The people would become his slaves. One day they would wake up and beg for God to rescue them from the king, but he would not help them. The people heard all that Samuel said and still wanted a king. Samuel told the Lord and the Lord said to do what they wanted and give them a king. Samuel told that to the people and sent them home. There was a wealthy man named Kish which means “a snare.” He had a son named Saul which means “people’s choice.” Saul was the most handsome man in Israel and taller than anyone. One day Kish’s donkeys escaped and he sent Saul and some men to find them. They looked all through the hills of Ephraim and couldn’t find them. Saul was ready to give up and go home when his servant remembered that there was a seer nearby and told him they should ask him. In the meantime, God had told Samuel that he would meet the man who was to be king that day. When he saw Saul, God told him he was the man. He invited Saul to eat with him that night. He also said that his donkeys had been found and that he and his family were the focus of all Israel’s hopes. Saul didn’t see how that could happen since he and his family were the least of the tribes. He was from the tribe of Benjamin. Samuel brought Saul to the feast and gave him the place of honor. Samuel told his cook to bring Saul the finest cut of meat that had been set apart for him. After they ate, Samuel took Saul to his own house and set him in a room on the roof. Everything he was doing was showing Saul and the people that this was the man chosen above all others. The next morning he walked to the edge of the town and told Saul’s servant to go on ahead because he had something to say to Saul. We will read what he said tomorrow. In John, the night before, Jesus had taken to walking on the water get to the other side. The next morning, the people were in wonder of how Jesus got to the other side when they had seen that he didn’t get in the boat with the disciples. They went looking for him. When they found Jesus they asked about it. Jesus told them that they were following him because he fed them but he told them to seek him for deeper meanings. Natural bread is so temporal. God gave the children of Israel bread from heaven as a type and shadow of his true bread he had now sent down. He was that bread. And He could give them eternal life. The people had a hard time with this because they knew that he didn’t come down from heaven, he had been born of Mary. They let their brains get in the way of their spirit. God can not be figured out with carnal reasoning. We only see what is in front of our eyes, but there is a bigger picture happening in the spiritual realm that we might not understand till we get to heaven. We are just asked to believe and have faith in what we cannot see. Lord, help us to open our hearts to have more and more faith. Increase our understanding and may we walk with our heart and not our head.

Sun.’s Devo - God is Bigger!

Read: 1 Samuel 5:1-7:17; John 6:1-21; Psalm 106:13-31; Proverbs 14:32-33 The Philistines took the Ark of God and placed it in their temple to Dagon. They must have thought they would get along but they fought at night and the Ark won every time. God tore off the arms and head of Dagon and left them at the door and then his spirit went out and brought tumors to the people. It was like the angel of death moving across Israel. When the people realized what was happening, they sent the Ark of the Lord to the town of Gath. When they began to get rumors also, they sent the Ark to the town of Ekron. When the people of Ekron saw the Ark coming they cried out and begged the rulers to send the Ark back to Israel before it killed them all. The Ark had been with the Philistines for 7 months. The rulers called for the priests and diviners to ask them how they should send the Ark back. They told hthem they must send a gules offering with it. They suggested sending 5 golden tumors and 5 golden mice. There must have been an infestation of mice that caused the tumors. They made the golden gifts and were told to put the Ark on a new cart and to find two cows that had just given birth to calves. They were to put the babies in a pen and hook the mothers who had never worn a harness to the cart. If the cart went to Israel, they would know they were on the right track. Mother cows would never leave their baby calves or let anyone harness them to a cart so the whole thing was supernatural. The cows went straight to Beth-shemesh (“house of the sun”) where the Israelites were harvesting their wheat making it the time of Pentecost. Pentecost is the time of the Holy Spirit coming to the church in the New Testament so here was the presence of the Lord returning to Israel. The cart went to the field of Joshua and stopped beside a large rock. That could read, “The presence of the Lord went to the ones saved by Jesus and stood beside Him.” The people of Beth-shemesh gave sacrifices and burnt offerings to the Lord that day. The five Philistine rulers watched all this from afar. Seventy of the men of Beth-shemesh looked into the box of the Ark and died, so they sent messengers to Kiriath-jearim to come and get the Ark. They kept it for 20 years. Israel felt like the Lord had abandoned them so Samuel told them what to do to return to the Lord. He told them to get rid of all their foreign gods and their images of Asgtoreth and to thur to Him with all their hearts. Then he would deliver them from the Philistines. Samuel called them to Mizpah and made a sacrifice to the Lod. The Philistines came to attack them but the Lord spoke with such a loud thunder that the Philistines were thrown into confusion and the Isralites defeated them. This marked the beginning of Israel’s return to power. Samuel continued being their judge until he died. He set up courts in Bethel, Gilgal, Mizpah and Ramah. In John, it was Passover season so all the men of Israel were coming to Jerusalem to celebrate. Many brought their whole families. Jesus was teaching on a mountainside and there were 5,000 who sat listening. Jesus asked Philip where he could find bread to feed the people. Philip must have thought Jesus had lost his mind. Andrew spoke up and said there was a little boy who had 5 barley loves and two fish. Jesus told them to tell everyone to sit down. Jesus took the loaves and thanked his Father then started districting them to the people. Ht did the same with the fish until everyone was fed. They picked up the leftovers and had 12 baskets full. The people were so amazed they were ready to make Jesus their king so he slipped away. When Jeuss didn’t return, the disciples got into their boat to cross to Capernum. A storm came up and the sea. After fighting it to no avail they looked up and saw Jesus walking toward them on the sea. He told them not to be afraid and when he stepped into the boat, their boat was immediately on the other side. Lord, you meet all of our needs and you deliver us to the other side of whatever storm we are in. May our lives be clear of idols and anything that doesn’t please you. You are bigger than all the gods of the earth and all of our problems.

Sat.’s Devo - The Ark was Taken

Read: 1 Samuel 2:22-4:22; John 5:24-47; Psalm 106:1-12; Proverbs 14:30-31 Eli had been aware of all the evil things his sons Hophni and Phinehas had been doing. They had not only been taking their sacrifices for themselves but also seducing the young women who worked at the Tabernacle. Eli tried to talk to them but never disciplined them for their actions. Meanwhile, Samuel was growing in righteousness. One night God called to him three times before Eli realized it was God who was calling him and told him how to respond. God did respond and he told him what was going to happen to Eli’s legacy. Because Eli didn’t discipline his sons, judgement was coming to his family and to Israel. The next morning Eli made Samuel tell him everything the Lord had said. Eli believed him. Everything that Samuel begin to say came true and everyone from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was a confirmed prophet of the Lord. The Philistines were at war with Israel in Ephraim. Israel had lost 4,000 men so they sent men to Shiloh to bring the Ark of the Covenant to be with them in war. The Philistines heard the sound of Israel shouting so loud that it shook the ground and went to see what the commotion was about. When they realized that the Ark was coming into their camp, they were panicked. They knew the stories of Egypt and how God had brought Israel down. They encouraged each other to fight their hardest. The next day, the Philistines defeated Israel and killed 30,000 of them. They killed both of Eli’s sons and took the Ark. A messenger found Eli sitting on the side of the road on a seat. He was waiting to hear of the battle. The messenger told him about the defeat, his sons and the Ark. When he heard the news of the Ark, he fell backwards and died. The wife of Phinehas was pregnant and near the time to deliver. When she heard that her husband had died and that the Ark was taken she went into labor and gave birth to a son before she died. She had named him Ichabod which means “Where is the glory?” She said that the glory had left Israel. In John, Jesus was talking to the Pharisees who were questioning his authority to heal on the Sabbath. He told them to have eternal life you had to listing to what he said and believe. A day was soon coming when the dead would hear his voice and rise to eternal life God have his authority to judge to Jesus. Jesus judges as God would. John the Baptist was Jesus’ witness that what he was saying was true. Jesus rebuked them for having the scriptures yet they missed the message of the scripture. He was the message. They honored men more than God so they would never be able to see God in Jesus. Moses would be the one to accuse them before God. Moses had written all about Jesus and yet they refused to see it. It would be held against them. Lord, help us not to get so concerned with this life that we miss the most important things in life which are You and your plan.

Fri.’s Devo - The Honor of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit

Read: 1 Samuel 1:1-2:21; John 5:1-23; Psalm 105:37-45; Proverbs 14:28-29 We have read several people who were from the hill country of Ephraim: Micah (Judges 17:1), the man with the concubine (Judges 19:1), and now Elkanah and Hannah. Elkannah had two wives named Hannah and Peninnah. Hannah was barren but Peninnah had many children. Every year Elkannah would take his family to Shiloh to offer God a sacrifice. He would give Peninnah more of the meat so she could feed her children. Peninnah would vex Hannah because Hannah was childless. This time, Hannah stayed before the altar and cried out to the Lord. Eli saw her and at first thought she was drunk. When he learned that she was heavy-hearted, he blessed her with peace and the promise of receiving her request. She left light and happy. God did grant her request and she became pregnant. She vowed to give the child to the Lord and to never cut his hair. She named him Samuel which means “God heard.” When Samuel was weaned she took him to Eli and Eli raised him in the temple. Hannah made a new coat for him and brought it every year. God blessed Hannah with three sons and two daughters. You just can’t out-give God. Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord. In John, Jesus was in Jerusalem for one of the feasts. My guess is that it is the Feast of Pentecost also knowns as the Feast of Weeks. Pentecost is about the giving of the living waters that overflows in the person of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was at the pool of Bethesda where all the sick and afflicted people came hoping to be there when the water bubbled up. They believed that an angel came at certain times and stirred the water. When this happened, the first one into the pool would be healed. One greater than a myth was there and He had the power to heal all who were there. Jesus picked one particular man who was crippled and told him to stand up, roll up his mat and walk. He did! This happened on the Sabbath so the religious leaders were upset. They questioned the man, but he didn’t even know who had healed him. Jesus found him later and told him that now that he was well he needed to stop sinning or something even worse would happen to him. That tells us that his crippled state had been due to some bad decisions he had made in life. He was being given a second chance and Jesus didn’t want him to mess it up. He must not have liked what Jesus said, because he went and told the religious leaders who had healed him. The religious leaders accused Jesus of breaking the Sabbath and calling God his Father, making himself equal to God. Jesus told them that he was subject to God… not equal to him as a man. He only idd the things God showed him to do but they hadn’t seen anything yet. He explained that God gives life to those who die and Jesus could give life to anyone he wanted to. God doesn’t judge anyone because he gave that power to Him, Jesus. God did this so that people would honor his son. No one can honor God without honoring the Son. That is a powerful statement. Lord, thank you for reminding us once again that Jesus is the only way to You. Thank you for your judgments that are fair and righteous. May we walk in the fear of the Lord.

Thurs.’s Devo - Restoration

Read: Ruth 2:1-4:22; John 4:43-54; Psalm 105:16-36; Proverbs 14:26-27 Ruth wanted to be a help to Naomi and work so she asked to go into the fields and pick up grain that the harvesters dropped. That was what the poor people did; it was legal. Ruth just happened to end up in Boaz’s field. He was a relative of Naomi’s husband and a kinsman redeemer. Boaz noticed Ruth. (There must have been something about Moabite women that was attractive.) He asked his men about her and was told her story. Boaz went to speak to her and told her to stay behind his men for the duration of the harvest because he had told them to not harm her. He told her to help herself to the water he had for his men. She was so grateful and asked why he was showing her such favor. He told her he knew her story and commended her on her loyalty to Naomi. Boaz was the son of Rahab the harlot that hid the spies when they came to Jericho. Rahab and her family left their home to become a part of Israel’s life and serve their God just like Ruth had. Boaz felt a connection to Ruth and wanted to protect her as a memorial to his mother. Boaz had his men purposely drop grain for Ruth so when she come home with and entire basket of grain, Naomi questioned her about where she had been. Ruth told her of Boaz and his kindness. Naomi could see the hand of God. She told Ruth that Boaz was a kinsman redeemer and for her to stay in his field. At the end of harvest, Naomi told Ruth to go to the threshing floor and watch where Boaz laid down for the night. She was to go and uncover his feet and lie there. When Boaz woke up he felt a woman at his feet. Ruth told him that she asked him to be her covering in marriage. Boaz had already inquired about Ruth and knew that there was a relative that was closer and had first rights to her. He went to talk with him. Boaz took the relative to the city gates where all the official matters were done. He told him about Ebimelech’s land that he would inherit. The man wanted the land. Then Boaz told him that it required that he marry Ruth. The man didn’t want to do that so he gave the right to the land and Ruth to Boaz. Boaz and Ruth were married and she became pregnant with Obed who had Jessie who became the father of David. Naomi was rewarded with a daughter, a son and a baby. All of her needs were provided for and all the past pain was forgotten in the joy of the present. It was always God’s plan to save the whole world. He started with the family of Abraham but dispersed among his line is the Gentile. We see that in John. Jesus was not accepted in his own hometown but the Galileans welcomed him. They had been to the Passover and seen all the miracles he did. In Cana, a Roman official came and begged Jesus to help his dying son. Jesus healed him. Lord, thank you that your plan was always to save the “whosoever will’s.” Thank you that you can restore us and our inheritance…nothing is lost in You.

Wed.’s Devo - The Gentile Bride

Read: Judges 21:1-Ruth 1:22; John 4:4-42; Psalm 105:1-15; Proverbs 14:25 Now that Benjamin’s women and children had all been killed, they had a dilemma. They had vowed at Mizpah not to let any of their daughters marry Benjamin men and if these 600 men didn’t marry, then the tribe of Benjamin will cease to exist. The men met and cried out to the Lord. They asked around to see if there was any town that hadn’t showed up to fight and didn’t make the vow. They found the town of Jabesh-gilead. So, they took matters into their hands…again and took 12,000 soldiers to Jabesh-gilead to kill every person except the virgin daughters. They found 400 girls but they needed 200 more. They remembered about an annual festival held in Shiloh. During the festival they did a dance where the virgins of the town would come out and dance. They told the Benjamin men who still needed a bride to hide and when they did the dance, they were to go grab a wife. When the people of Shiloh protested about the curse, they were going to tell them that since they didn’t “give” the men their daughters, they wouldn’t be cursed. Once again…they did what was right in their own eyes, because they had no king. In other words, God was not their king. In those days there was a severe famine in the land. Famines came because the people rejected God. There was a man and wife from Bethlehem named Elimelech and Nomi. They had two sons named Mahlon and Kilion. Elimelech took his family to live in Moab to ride out the famine. Both sons married Moabite women and both sons died in Moab. Ruth heard that the famine was over and wanted to go back home. Her two daughter-in-laws wanted to go with her. Naomi tried to persuade them to go back home. Orphah did return to Moab but Ruth was determined to go with her. She told Naomi that she wanted to go and live where Naomi lived and to worship her God. When they came to Bethlehem all of Naomi’s friends were so happy to see her, but Naomi was very sad because she had lost her family in Moab. They arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest. The story of Ruth is the story of the Gentle bride. Naomi, the Jew, left her land much like the Jews left their God. She returned empty-handed. Only Ruth came back willingly. She is the Gentile Bride who is led by the Jew to Jesus. We as Gentiles had chosen the God of the Jews to be our God. We have been grafted into the family of Abraham and into God’s heart. How fitting that the story we read in the New Testament would be the Samaritan woman at the well. Here is another picture of the Gentile bride. Jesus and her talk of living water and she is the only one who Jesus comes out and says, “I am the Messiah!” Jesus speaks into the woman’s rejection of men and then invites her to worship God. When Jesus’ disciples return, they are shocked to find him talking to a woman, much less a Samaritan. They don’t have the nerve to ask him about it but while they were wondering, she went to the village and told everyone about him. When the disciples asked Jesus if he was hungry he told them he had lost his appetite doing the will of God. It was so much more exciting than eating. They didn’t understand so Jesus talked to them about farming. He related it to witnessing. He had just harvested the soul of this woman whom others had planted the seeds. He was offering them the same job. He wanted them to have the joy he was experiencing. The Samaritans from the town came out to hear Jesus and many believed in him because of the woman’s testimony. Lord, thank you for choosing us to be in your family. We pray to be the bride whose heart is only for her lover. May we be spotless and without wrinkle.

Tues.’s Devo - The Demise of Benjamin

Read: Judges 19:1-20:48; John 3:22-4:3; Psalm 104:24-35; Proverbs 14:22-24 This story reminds me of the craziness of our nation. Yesterday we read about Micah from the hill country of Ephraim who had a Levite from Bethlehem. The Levite worshipped idols and followed the money instead of God. Today we have a woman from Bethlehem who married a man from the hills of Ephraim. The man had brought the woman home to be his concubine. She got mad at him and went back home. They might have argued over the fact that she hadn’t gotten pregnant yet and it had been four months. He married her just to have children. Anyway, he went after her and after staying at her home for 5 days, he left with her to go back home. On the way they had to stop for the night. They chose to stop in Gibeah since it was a Benjamin town (an Israelite town). They sat in the town square until finally an old man came and took them home. That night a bunch of evil men of the town came knocking. They wanted the man to have sex with him. The man threw out his concubine instead. In the morning when she made it home only to die, he gets mad at the town. What about him? I get boilings mad reading this story but it only goes to further show what happens to human nature when left to its own devises. The man cut his concubine into 12 pieces and sent them to the leaders of the 12 tribes. They all met at Mizpah and he told his story only he left out the part about shoving her out the door. Women were property and men were the kings during those days. A whole army of Israelites came together to confront the tribe of Benjamin. They asked them to hand over just them men responsible for the act. Benjamin had gathered 26,000 men plus 700 who were elite fighters. Israel brought 400,000. Before Israel fought, they went to Bethel to ask of God which tribe should go first and God said Judah. The first day, Benjamin’s army killed 22,000 Israelites. They were devastated and cried out to the Lord who encouraged them to go again. The next day they lost 18,000. Then all Israel went to cry out to the Lord and fast. They offered burnt offerings to the Lord and asked God again if they should go and fight. God answered that they were to go and that He would deliver them into his hands. God led them to do an ambush and ended up killing all but 600 men. In the New Testament, John defends Jesus. His disciples try to make him jealous of Jesus and he tells them there is no comparison. He is from earth so what he says is earth’s perspective while Jesus is from heaven so what he says is so much higher than him. Jesus also knew that the Pharisees were noticing how popular he was getting so he left and returned to Galilee. I think it is interesting that Jesus ran from the crowd and was not afraid to offend his crowd talking about eating his flesh and drinking his blood. He didn’t come to get a following; he came to make a few disciples who would carry his gospel to the nations. Lord, forgive us for wanting numbers over disciples. Show us who is to disciple us and who we are to be discipling. Thank you that you are the Great Shephard.

Mon.’s Devo - God So Loved

Read: Judges 17:1-18:31; John 3:1-21; Psalm 104:1-23; Proverbs 14:20-21 Micah lived among the hills of Ephraim. His name means “who is like Jehovah.” He tried everything but Jehovah, which was a picture of what Israel was also doing. Micah had stolen 1,100 pieces of silver from his mother and because he heard her put a curse on the one who stole it, he confessed. She was so pleased to get her money back that she took 200 of the silver coins to the engraver and had him build a silver idol for them to worship. Nothing could describe the spiritual climate of Israel better than these words: “Israel had no king: all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.” They were ruled by their carnal reasoning instead of the heart of God. Micah was visited by a traveling Levite from Judah. He convinced him to stay and live with him and be his priest. He Levite agreed and he was paid and housed in return. The tribe of Dan had not taken their land yet so as they were scouting out their land, they came upon Micah and his priest. They convinced the priest to come with them and be priest over their tribe. They robbed Micah of his idols and ephod. Micah argued with them but he and his men were no match for Dan and their 600 warriors. Dan’s scouts had found a city past Micah’s house that was unfortified and rich. They were on their way to attack it. They did and burned the town to the ground. They rebuilt the town and called it Dan. Jonathan was made their priest who continued as their priest until the exile. Jonathan was the son of Gershom who was the son of Moses. I don’t know if this was Micah’s priest or not. In John, we are introduced to Nicodemus, a leader of the Pharisees. He came to Jesus at night to ask him questions. He told him that it was obvious that Jesus was sent from God to teach them. Jesus told him that unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God. Nicodemus questioned how to be “born again.” Jesus answered that man must be born of water and of spirit. He told him that the Son of man has come down from heaven and must be lifted up like the bronze snake that Moses put on the pole. Then Jesus told him how much God loved the world that he gave his only son to bring eternal life to anyone who would believe in him. There is no judgement against anyone who believed in him. Lord, that is such good news! Thank you that we are free from judgment because we believe in you. Who is like Jehovah!

Sun.’s Devo - Jesus First Public Miracle

Read: Judges 15:1-16:31; John 2:1-25; John 3:1-21; Psalm 104:1-23; Proverbs 14:20-21 Samson got over being mad at the men at his wedding party and went back to claim his bride. When he found out she had been givens to his best man, he took revenge. He caught 300 foxes and tied their tails together in pairs. He fastened a torch to each par of tails and lit them the set the foxes free to run through the grain fields of the Philistines. He burned all their grain to the ground and also destroyed their vineyards and olive groves. When the Philistines found out who did it and why, they burned the woman and her father to death. This was the very thing they had used to threaten her to find out the answer to the riddle. When Samson found out the Philistines killed the woman he loved and her father, he went and killed many Philistines then went to live in a cave. The Philistines sent an army looking for Samson. The men of Judah saw them coming and feared for their lives. They sent 3,000 to look for Samson so they could turn him over to the Philistines to save their own lives. Samson agreed to let them do that if they promised that they wouldn’t kill him. They were to hand him over to the Philistines at a place called Lehi which means “Jawbone.” Samson snapped the ropes off his arms and picked up a jawbone of a donkey and killed 1,000 of the Philistines with it. After the battle, Samson was so thirsty he cried out to the Lord and water gushed out of a hollow in the ground. One day Samson went to Gaza in the Philistine territory and spent the night with a prostitute. The Philistines waited all night to kill Samson, but he snuck out at midnight taking the city gates with him. He carried them to a hill and set them up there. Samson eventually fell in love with the Philistine woman, Delilah. The Philistines offered her 1,100 pieces of silver to find out the secret of his strength. He told her lies three times. Eventually, she wore him down and he told her the source of his strength. She lulled him to sleep on her lap and had the Philistines come and cut all his hair off. When she woke him suddenly crying that the Philistines were there to capture him, he got up and had no idea his strength had left him. They over powered him, gouged out his eyes and forced him to grind grain in the prison. Time went by and his hair grew back. The Philistine rulers held a great festival to their god Dagon and had Samson brought out to amuse them. Samson asked to stand against the pillars that held up the temple. His strength had returned with his hair and he put his hands against the pillars and prayed for strength to bring down the temple. He brought the whole building down killing himself and 3,000 Philistine people who were watching as well as all the rulers. He killed more in his death than in his life. His relatives came and got his body and buried it with his father. He had ruled Israel for 20 years. In John, we read one of my favorite stories. I think I like it so much because the mother played such an important part. She knew who Jesus was and even though he didn’t realize this was his time, she did. She called upon him to do something he probably did all the time at home. It was now time to go public and she felt it. The six stone water jars stand for man and the transformation God does in us when He puts his new wine into our lives and brings salvation to our souls. It was God’s plan and it was the best yet. It was the time of Passover and Jesus cleansed the temple of all the money changers and those that sold sacrifices. The Jewish leaders wanted to know who had given them the authority to do that. They wanted a sign he was the Messiah. He told them that when they destroyed this temple, he would raise it up in three days. He was referring to his own body and the disciples remembered this when he did rise from the dead. Jesus did many miracles during the Passover celebration but Jesus didn’t trust man’s heart because he understood human nature. Lord, may we rise above our human nature and have the nature of God moving in us.