Wed.’s Devo - Courage to Do What is Right

Read: 2 Kings 17:1-18:12; Acts 20:1-38; Psalm 148:1-14; Proverbs 18:6-7 In Israel, King Hoshea ruled and was evil, but not as evil as the kings before him. He was attacked by King Shalmaneser of Assyria and forced to pay Assyria tribute which he did at first. He went to King So of Egypt to ask him to help Israel free themselves of Assyria’s hold on them. When Assyria found out, they seized Hoshea and put him in prison. The king of Assyria besieged Samaria for three years until it finally fell. The people of Samaria were exiled to Assyria. This all happened because Israel had continually worshiped idols and sinned against God. These rituals done to worship these gods included child sacrificing, all sorts of perverted sexual practices and sorceries. God had sent his prophets to warn them to repent but they refused to listen. God finally swept them away from his presence and only allowed Judah to remain in the land. When the people of Judah rebelled against the Lord, He had to reject them also. The people of Israel were taken by the Assyrians and assimilated into the earth. People from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sephrvaim were sent to Samaria to take their place. Since they didn’t worship the Lord, God sent lions among them. A message was sent to the king of Assyria telling him that since his people he had sent to Israel didn’t know how to worship the Lord, they were being attacked by lions. The king of Assyria responded by sending back one of the exiles to Bethel to teach them the customs of God. The people just added the worship of God to their list of gods. In Judah, Hezekiah was ruling. He ruled for 29 years and did what was pleasing to the Lord. He removed the pagan shrines and cut down the Asherah poles and god rid of all the gods the people had worshipped and trusted in the Lord alone. God was with him when he revolted against the king of Assyria and refused to pay him tribute. He conquered the Philistines around him and recovered land. He was reigning in Judah when the Assyrians came against Samaria and exiled their people to Assyria. In Acts, Paul was glad the riot was over and he was free to go to Macedonia. He stopped in Greece and stayed there for three months encouraging the people. He had to flee for his life and continued his journey to Macedonia. They stopped at Phillippi to celebrate the Passover and then continued to Troas where he joined his friends. Paul stayed a week and the last night he was there he preached till after midnight. A man named Eutychus was sitting on the windowsill when he fell asleep and dropped three stories to this death. Paul went down and embraced him. He awoke and they took him back upstairs where they shared the Lord’s Supper. They talked all night and left the next morning. In Assos, they boarded a ship and sailed hoping to reach Jerusalem by Pentecost. They landed at Miletus and preached. Paul’s message was his testimony of how his life was an offering to the Lord and he wanted to fulfill everything God had destined him to do. It included jail and suffering but he was innocent before God because he had not shied from teaching the truth. He encouraged them to do the same and told them he would probably never see them again. Lord, may our lives be like Paul’s who gave everything for the Kingdom. Lord, may nothing of the world keep us from what You have for us to do for you.

Tues.’s Devo - Spiritual Warfare

Read: 2 Kings 15:1-16:20; Acts 19:13-41; Psalm 147:1-20; Proverbs 18:4-5 Uzziah became the king of Judah. His name means “my strength is Jehovah.” He did what was pleasing to the Lord but he didn’t destroy the pagan shrines. He was struck with leprosy which lasted till he died and had to live in isolation in a separate house. His son Jotham was put in charge of the royal palace and governed the people and continued after he died. In Israel, Zechariah ruled only six months. He did evil and refused to turn from worshipping idols. A man named Shallum rose up and assassinated him in public. His name means “restitution”. Shallum became the next king. Zechariah was Jehu’s fourth generation so the Lord’s prophesy came true. Shallum only lasted a month when Menahem from Tirzah assassinated him and became the next king. He was ruthless and destroyed the town of Tappuah and its countryside because the citizens refused to surrender. He killed the entire population and ripped open the pregnant women. He reigned in Samaria for 10 years. When Assyria attacked, Menahem extorted money from the people to bribe the king of Assyria from attacking them. After him, his son, Pekahiah reigned for 2 years and did evil. He was killed by Pekah who ruled for 20 years. During his ring, he captured town of Assyria and took back much of their land that had been stolen. He was assassinated by Hoshea. Meanwhile in Judah, Jotham, Uzziah’s son was ruling. Jotham pleased the Lord like his father but he also didn’t remove the pagan shrines where the people worshipped idols. He reigned in Jerusalem 16 years and rebuilt the upper gate of the Temple. While he was reigning, God sent King Rezin of Aram and King Pekah of Israel to fight against Judah. When Jotham died, his son, Ahaz became king of Judah. He reigned for 16 years and did not do what was pleasing to the Lord. He worshipped idols and even sacrificed his own son on the fire of Molech. King Reza of Aram came to attack Jerusalem. They surrounded it but couldn’t conquer it. Edom took this time to recapture the town of Elath from Judah and replaced the people with their people. King Ahaz of Judah asked the king of Assyria for help. Ahaz sent him silver and gold from the Temple as payment. The king of Assyria attacked the king of Aram’s capital, took the Arabian people out of the city and killed the king. King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria to thank him and was impressed with his altar to his god. He drew a picture of it and sent a model of it to Uriah the priest. Uriah had this altar built in Jerusalem right next to the brazen altar they had used for years. When the king came home and saw it, he moved the brazen altar to the north side of the new altar and told the priests to start sacrificing on this new and improved altar. He also removed the basin that the priests washed in before and after the sacrifices. They took it from off the backs of the bronze oxen and placed it on a stone pavement. He also changed the entrance that the priests went through and made it like the Assyrians had. This was a picture of what was happening in the hearts of the people. Jesus, the final sacrifice was crucified north of the altar. The Passover lamb was slain on the altar that Ahaz built which was the modern version of religion. When Jesus came to the earth, the religious leaders had replaced the law of God with all their manmade laws. Everything had been modernized. Jesus was the promise of the ages. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. When Ahaz died, his son, Hezekiah became the next king. In Acts, there were a group of Jews that did exorcisms. They started adding the name of Jesus to their incantations, but one time the demon spoke to them and told them that they knew the name of Paul, they didn’t know them. It then attacked them so violently they had to run. When word spread about this, the fear of God fell on the people. Many came out of their New Age occults and started trusting in Jesus. Paul felt led to go to Macedonia on his way to Rome. In Ephesus, there lived a silversmith named Demetrius who made his living crafting images of idols. Paul’s influence was hurting his business so he stirred up a following to oppose Paul and his companions. They all met in the amphitheater and it soon became a riot. They were there to protect the worship of their goddess Artemis that their city was famous for. The mayor finally calmed down the crowd and told them that Paul had not committed a crime or spoken against their goddess so they needed to handle this peacefully through their legal system. He then dismissed the crowd. Lord, it is obvious that the truth stirs up the demons in people. May we learn to fight this fight with spiritual weapons and not our flesh. May we use the Word of God to face our battles and not be afraid.

Mon.’s Devo - The Battles of the Kings

Read: 2 Kings 10:32-12:21; Acts 18:1-22; Psalm 145:1-21; Proverbs 18:1 Jehu’s son, Jehoahaz continued in the sin of Jeroboam which was to worship the golden calves in Bethel and Dan. God allowed King Hazael of Aram and his son Benhadad to defeat them over and over. Jehoahaz finally cried out to the Lord, and God heard him and gave Israel peace. But after a while, Jehoahaz and the people went back to worshipping idols. His army was whittled down to a small amount of men. When Jehoahaz died, his son Jehoash became the king. Jehoash did evil and refused to stop worshipping idols. When he heard that Elishah was dying, he went to visit him and cried over his dying. Elisha had him put his hands on a bow while he put his hands over them. Together they shot an arrow out of his eastern window toward Aram. This was the signify total victory for Israel over the Arameans. Then he told him to take the rest of the arrows and strike them on the ground. He struck the ground three times. Elisha was angry and told him that he should have struck them five or six times because now, they would only be victorious three times. Elisha died, but when a dead man’s body was hastily thrown on top of his tomb, it sprung to life. Elisha had prayed for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit and Elijah had raised one boy from the dead. Elisha had only raised one, so he was due one more. He got it after his death. True to Elisha’s prophecy, Jehoash defeated Ben-hadad three times and recovered the Israelite towns. In Judah, Joash died and his son, Amaziah ruled. Amaziah did what was pleasing to the Lord but he didn’t get rid of the pagan shrines. When he had established his kingdom, he executed the men who had assassinated his father. Then he picked a fight with Israel. King Jehoash of Israel tried to talk him out of it but Amaziah refused to listen. The two armies faced each other and King Jehoash of Israel captured Judah’s king, Amaziah. King Jehoash took out 600 feet of Jerusalem’s wall and stold the gold and silver and all the article from the Temple of the Lord. He also seized the treasures of royal palace and took hostages back to Samaria. When Jehoash died, his son Jeroboam II became king. After Amaziah suffered such a defeat against Israel, his life was in danger from his own men. He fled to Lachish but was found and killed. His sixteen-year old son was crowned king. His name was Uzziah. In Israel, Jeroboam II refused to turn from the sins of idolatry but he did recover land that Jonah had prophesied he would. When he died, his son Zechariah became king. In Acts, Paul spent time in Antioch then went back through Galatia and Phrygia encouraging the churches he had started. A devout Jew named Apollos came to Ephesus and boldly taught repentance. Priscilla and Aquilla drew him aside and taught him about Jesus’ baptism in the Holy Spirit. He took that experience and knowledge with him and began teaching about the Holy Spirit. When Paul laid his hands on the new believers they received the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues. Paul also performed many mighty miracles. Many were healed of diseases and delivered from demons. Lord, help us to walk in the power of the early disciples and desire the baptism of Jesus which is the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

Sun.’s Devo - The Rise of Joash

Read: 2 Kings 10:32-12:21; Acts 18:1-22; Psalm 145:1-21; Proverbs 18:1 At this time in Israel’s history, they started losing land to King Hazael of Aram. They lost all the land east of the Jordan River that belonged to Reuben, Gad and Manasseh and also all of Gilead. King Jehu died after 28 years of ruling Israel and his son Jehoahaz became king. The scene then turns to Judah which becomes confusing because some of their kings were the same names as the kings of Israel. Athalia, who was the mother of King Ahaziah was Judah’s counterpart to Israel’s Jezebel. When Athalia learned that her son had died, she started killing all of his sons so that she would be the ruler. Ahaziah’s sister hid the youngest son of her brother in the temple with Jehoiada, the high priest. Joash was an infant at the time. The priests raised Joash until he was seven and then Jehoiada devised a plot to seize the throne from Athalia and give it to Joash. He positioned three groups of guards around the Temple. Inside, he brought out Joash, anointed him, placed the crown on his head, and gave him a copy of God’s laws. He pronounced him king and all the people shouted in celebration. When Athaliah heard the noise and saw what had happened, she shouted, “Treason!” She was seized and brought out of the Temple where she was killed. Jehoiada made a covenant before the people that they would follow the Lord and serve Him only. Joash ruled under the leadership of Jehoiada and pleased the Lord until Jehoiada died. He brought financial accountability to the House of God and repaired the Temple. King Hazael of Aram attacked Jerusalem and Joash gave him all the treasures that the previous kings had gained in order to save Jerusalem. Joash’s life ended when his own officers assassinated him. His son, Amaziah reigned in his stead. In Acts, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. He met an Italian couple named Aquila and Priscilla. Paul worked with them in business because they were all tentmakers. Paul started out preaching in the synagogue but when Silas and Timothy arrived he was free to leave the Jews to them and go preach to the Gentiles. Paul was able to stay in Corinth for a year and a half because God had showed him in a vision that the people in Corinth were hungry for the Word and he would be safe here. When Gallio became the governor, some of the hostile Jews saw this as their opportunity to bring Paul to trial. Gallio threw them out of his courtroom when he realized this was a matter of Jewish law. Paul was free to leave Corinth and spread the Good News to other regions. He took Aquilla and Priscilla with him. They went to Ephesus, Caesarea, Jerusalem and then back to Antioch. When we put You first, all things work together for the good of the kingdom. Use us today, Lord to further your work in the world.

Sat.’s Devo - Jehu Rid’s Israel of Baal Worship

Read: 2 Kings 9:14-10:31; Acts 17:1-34; Psalm 144:1-15; Proverbs 17:27-28 Jehu led a conspiracy against King Joram who was at Ramoth-gilead, fighting King Hazazel of Aram. When King Joram got wounded in the battle, he returned to Jezreel to heal. Jehu had given his men orders not to let anyone leave the city or warn Joram about him. Jehu left for Jezreel to kill Joram. The King of Judah, Ahaziah was there visiting King Joram. The watchmen reported that troops were approaching, which were Jehu and his men. They sent out two horsemen to learn if they were coming in peace. Each time, Jehu told the horsemen to join him and they did. The two kings rode out to meet Jehu to ask him if he was coming in peace. He answered, “How can there be peace as long as the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother, Jezebel, are all around us?” Joram shouted “Treason” to Ahaziah. Jehu shot an arrow in Joram’s heart killing him. He had his officer throw his body into the field that belonged to Naboth. Ahaziah was shot also and died in Megiddo. Jehu then went to Jezreel where Jezebel was waiting on her balcony for him. She called down and accused him of being like Zimri who was a captain of king Baasha. Zimri had conspired against him and took over as king. Jehu didn’t let her intimidate him. He asked if anyone up there was on his side. Two eunuchs poked their heads out and Jehu told them to throw her down. I bet they took pleasure in throwing Jezebel off her balcony. She hit the ground and splattered. Jehu went into the palace and ate a meal. Then he told his men to go and bury Jezebel but her body had been eaten by the dogs and the only thing left was her skull, her feet and her hands. This fulfilled Elijah’s prophecy about her. Jehu then sent letters to Samaria asking for the lives of all of Ahab’s sons. The officials feared Jehu and beheaded the 70 sons of Ahab putting their heads in a basket. Jehu had the baskets put at the entrance of the city gate and left there all night. In the morning he went out and met with the people. He explained why this had to happen and reminded them of the words of Elijah. He continued to get rid of all of Ahab’s relatives, his officials, his personal friends and his priests. Ahab was left without a single survivor. If this is a picture of President Trump then he still has some unfinished business to do. God gave Jehu a faithful partner in Jehonadab who helped him complete his mission in cleaning out the swamp of Ahab’s dynasty. Jehu called a meeting of all the worshippers of Baal and slyly told them that he would worship Baal. He had them come to a sacrifice and gave all the Baal worshippers a special robe. Jehu stationed 80 soldiers outside the temple and when he had finished the sacrifice, he ordered his men to kill every one of them. This is how Jehu destroyed every trace of Baal worship from Israel. He didn’t destroy the gold calves in Bethel and Dan which is sad. His descendants were promised to reign for four generations. Baal worship came from other nations but the golden calves were gods that the Israelites made of their own. I wonder if they don’t represent the gods of the church and not the world’s gods. In Acts, Paul and Silas went to Thessalonica and taught in the synagogue but jealous Jews ganged up against them and stirred up trouble accusing them of treason. The believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea for their safety. The people there were more open-minded to their teaching and many became believers. The trouble-makers of Thessalonica heard that Paul had gone to Berea so they showed up to reek havoc there also. Paul and Silas were then sent to Athens. In Athens, Paul noticed all the idols in the city. He went to the Jewish synagogue and spoke but also had many debates with the philosophers and Epicureans. They had him come to the high council of the city to share their philosophy. He was able to address the council and tell them about Jesus. He had seen a monument built for the “unknown God”. He told them that he was there to tell them who this unknown god was. He was the God who made the universe and everything in it. He had sent his son to show man who he was and then raised him from the dead. When he got to this part he lost some of them but others were intrigued to hear more later. Some of them joined him and became believers. Lord, may we not be ashamed or hold back from telling the whole truth even it we lose some and seem ridiculous to them. Your Kingdom is not of this world and can only be understood through the spirit.

Fri.’s Devo - The Boldness of God’s People

Read: 2 Kings 8:1-9:13; Acts 16:16-40; Psalm 143:1-12; Proverbs 12:26 Elisha told the Shunamite woman to take her son and family and move out of Israel because God had called a famine on the land to punish them. When it was over she came to the king to appeal for her land. She walked into the house of justice just as Gehazi was telling the king “Elisha stories.” He had just finished telling him how he raised the Shunamite’s son back to life. He pointed her out and she repeated the same story. The king gave her all her land and gave her the value of any crops that had been harvested while she was gone. Elisha went to Damascus, the capital of Aram where the king, Ben-hadad was sick. Ben-hadad heard that Elisha was there, so he sent Hazazel with gifts to ask Elisha if he would recover. Elisha said he would recover, and then die. Then he told him that he, Hazazel would do terrible things to the people of Israel because he would be then next king of Aram. In 1 Kings 19:15, God had told Elijah to anoint Hazazel the next king of Aram and Jehu as the next king of Israel, but he never did either of them. Instead, he had anointed Elisha to be the next prophet of Israel and he would follow through with his mission. Hazazel went back and killed the king and became the next king of Aram. Jehoram was the king of Judah, but he had married one of Ahab’s (king of Israel) daughter and did evil. During his reign, the Edomites revolted against Judah and crowned their own king. Judah tried to get them back but lost the battle and Edom gained their independence. Libnah also rebelled against Judah. When he died, his son Azaziah became king. Azaziah only ruled in Jerusalem one year. His mother was Athaliah who worshipped Baal. Azaziah joined with Joram, the king of Israel to war against King Hazazel of Aram at Ramoth-gilead, a city they had wanted to gain back for a long time. King Joram was wounded in the battle and returned to Jezreel to recover. Elisha sent one of his prophets with a flask of oil to Remote-gilead and find Jehu who was an officer at the battle. He was to call him privately and anoint him king over Israel then flee for his life. (This was the other thing Elijah had been told to do.) His mantle was to destroy the family of Ahab and avenger the murder of God’s prophets and all the Lord’s servants who were killed by Jezebel. Then he told him the gruesome death of Jezebel. When Jehu went back to his fellow officers, he tried to shrug it off but ended up telling him that he had just been anointed king of Israel. They blew the horn and announced that he was king. Johnathan Caan, a Hebrew believer wrote a book called The Paradigm where he showed that the kings of Israel coincided with the Presidents of the United States. Ahab and Jezebel represented Bill and Hillary Clinton. Ahaziah was Bush, Jehoram was Obama and Jehu represents Trump. It paints a very interesting picture. In Acts, one day Luke, Paul and their companions were going to the place of prayer when a young fortune teller started following them yelling that they were the servants of God and had come to tell everyone how to be saved. This was true but the way she was doing it was very loud and demonic. They finally commanded the demon to come out of her. When it did, she was no longer able to tell people’s fortunes and her handlers were very upset. They grabbed Paul and Silas and brought them before the marketplace police. They accused them of teaching the people to practice things illegal in Roman culture. A mob formed so the officials ordered them stripped, beaten and thrown into the inner dungeon with their feet chained in stocks. Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God while the other prisoners listened. An earthquake shook the prison and all the doors flew open and they chains of every prisoner fell off. The jailer woke up and assumed the prisoners had escaped so he drew his sword to kill himself. Paul stopped him and told him they were all there. The jailer was so overwhelmed he asked how he could be saved. They led him into salvation. The jailer brought them home and nursed them, fed them and all in his household were saved. The next day, the police came to release them but Paul told them that they were Roman citizens and demanded an apology before they would leave the city. Lord, may we have the boldness and tenaciousness of Paul and Silas. May we not cower to the threats of the enemy but stand fearlessly for You.

Thurs.’s Devo - The Signs and Wonders of Elisha

Read: 2 Kings 6:1-7:20; Acts 15:36-16:15; Psalm 142:1-7; Proverbs 17:24-25 The Kings were written by the prophets so we have many stories about them. Elisha had a school of prophets where he taught young students of the Word how to hear God’s voice. The building they were meeting in was too small so they were building a new one. As one of them was cutting down a tree, his axe head fell into the river. He was most upset because he had borrowed the axe. Elijah threw in a stick where the axe head had fallen and the axe head floated to the surface where the man could grab it. No problem is too big for God! Aram and Israel were at war. God would tell Elisha the strategy and position of Aram’s army and he would tell the king of Israel. The king of Aram accused his own army of having a mole who was giving information to Israel, but his soldiers told him it was Elisha. When the king heard that Elisha was in Dothan he sent a great army with many chariots and horses to surround the town. Elisha’s servant went out that morning and seeing the troops he came in panicked and told Elisha. Elisha told him that there were more on their side than on the enemy’s. He prayed that his servant’s eyes would be opened and that he would be able to see in the spirit. When his servant looked again, he saw the army of God and chariots of fire. As the Aramean army approached, Elisha prayed that they would be made blind. God struck them with blindness and Elisha went out to meet them. He told them they were in the wrong city and led them to Samaria. Then he prayed for their eyes to open. When they did, they found themselves in the middle of Israel’s capital. The king of Israel asked Elisha what he should do to them and Elisha told him to feed them and send them home. They left and didn’t return for a while. After a while, Ben-hadad, kind of Aram came and besieged Samaria. The siege lasted so long, the people were starving. One woman came to the king complaining about her friend who wouldn’t give his son for them to cook and eat. She had given her’s the night before. This so upset the king that he put on sackcloth and mourned. He blamed Elisha for all the trouble and came to kill him. Elisha met the king and told him that the Lord said that by this time tomorrow, six quarts of flour would cost only one piece of silver and twelve quarts of barley grain would cost only one piece of silver. The king’s officer commented that what he said was impossible. Elisha told him that because he didn’t believe, he would see it with his eyes but not be able to partake of any of it. There were four lepers who were so hungry, they decided to go surrender to the Arameans hoping they would feed them. When they got to their camp they found it empty of men but full of provisions. They came back and told the king. The people stampeded to the camp, trampling the man who had doubted and everything that Elisha said came to pass. In Acts, Paul and Barnabas disagreed about whether to take John Mark with them. John Mark had abandoned them the first trip, so Paul wouldn’t consider taking him. Their disagreement led to them separating and Paul and Silas going to Syria while Barnabas and John Mark went to Cyprus. Paul met a young disciple in Lystra named Timothy and invited him to join them on their journey. They strengthened the churches as they went but the Holy Spirit kept them from going into Asia. Paul had a vision of a man from Macedonia in Greece pleading them to come there. They went there and met with women who were hungry to hear the gospel. One of them was Lydia from Thyatira. She and her household were baptized and she invited them to stay at her house. We don’t know what happened to Barnabas and John Mark but it just shows us that they were human with the same problems we face. Lord, help us to live our lives filled with your Holy Spirit and walking in love and forgiveness.

Wed.’s Devo - The Wonders God Did Through Elisha

Read: 2 Kings 4:18-5:27; Acts 15:1-35; Psalm 141:1-10; Proverbs 17:23 One day the son of the Shunmite woman complained of his head hurting while working in the fields with his father. He was sent home to let his mother take care of him. He died in her arms by noon. She carried him to the bed that Elisha slept in and went to find Elisha. She rode a donkey to Mt. Carmel and refused to tell Gehazi what was wrong, but when she saw Elisha, she ran and fell at his feet. She told him about her son. When Elisha offered her his staff to lay on the child, she insisted that Elisha come in person. Elisha went into the child and lay on his body with his mouth on the child’s mouth, eyes on his eyes and hands on his hands. The life of Elisha flowed into the boy’s body and he sneezed seven times then opened his eyes. Elisha took the boy down and presented him to his mother who was overcome with gratitude. Elisha returned to Gilgal where there was a famine in the land. A group of prophets were cooking stew but had unknowingly gathered poisonous gourds. When they realized they couldn’t eat it, Elisha told them to throw some flour in the stew. Then, the stew was good. Another man came to give Elisha a gift. It was enough grain and bread for a few people but Elisha told his servant to feed all the prophets. There were over a hundred prophets. God multiplied the food so they all ate and there were left overs. The king of Aram had a loyal commander of his army named Naaman. Naaman had a young female captive from Israel as a slave. Naaman suffered with leprosy and the young slave told his wife that there was a prophet in Israel that could heal him. Naaman told the king of Aram what she had said, so he sent letters of recommendation to the king of Israel. When the king of Israel read the letter it said for him to heal Naaman’s leprosy. The king was irate and thought the king of Aram was picking a fight with him, but Elisha heard about what happened and sent word to send the man to him. When the man reached Elisha’s place, he was met by his servant, Gehazi with instructions to dip in the Jordan River seven times. Naaman was offended that Elisha didn’t come out and meet him face to face and also offended that he told him to dip in the Jordan River that was very muddy when there were much clearer rivers he could have chosen. He was about to leave angry but one of his men talked some sense into him. He pointed out that the instructions were very simple; he could have given him much harder things to do than just wash and be clean. So, Naaman agreed and did it. He came out totally healed of his leprosy. Naaman had come with gold and silver and ornate clothes to give as a gift but Elisha had refused them. As Naaman left, Gehazi got greedy and ran after him making up a story of why Elisha had changed his mind about receiving his gifts. He took them and hid them. When Gehazi came back to Elisha, Elisha asked him where he had been. Gehazi lied and Elisha told him that there was a time to receive gifts and a time not to receive gifts and because he disobeyed, the leprosy that had left Naaman would be on him and his descendants forever. This seems like a harsh curse, but to whom much is given, much is required. Gehazi walked with one of the greatest prophets of his time and had seen God provide and do so many miracles and yet he still yearned for the wealth of the world. In Acts, false teachers had come teaching the new Gentile converts that they had to be circumcised and follow the law to be Christians. Paul came and set them straight. He told the Gentiles to not eat food offered to idols, not to engage in sexual perversion, and not to eat the meat or blood of strangled animals. All of these things were present in worshipping idols so Paul was not telling them what to do to be saved, but what to abstain from to keep the presence of God in their lives. Salvation is free and is a gift that requires nothing but faith, but walking with God requires sanctification and death to self. Lord, we choose to give our desires and life to your service because we love you. Lead us by your Spirit to walk in your ways today.

Tues.’s Devo - Victory!

Read: 2 Kings 3:1-4:17; Acts 14:8-28; Psalm 140:1-13; Proverbs 17:22 Joram reigned over Israel and even though he was evil, he did tear down the Baal pillar that Ahab had set up. But, he continued to worship the golden calves that Jeroboam had set up. When Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled and stop paying Israel tribute. They had supplied Israel with lambs and the wool of rams. King Joram led his army to defeat Moab. He picked up King Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, and the king of Edom along his way. After many days of travel they ran out of water and there were no natural springs anywhere around. King Joram, full of guilt, immediately blamed God for getting them out there so He could kill them. King Jehoshaphat asked if there was a prophet of the Lord that they could ask about their outcome. King Joram told him about Elisha who was the follower of Elijah. King Jehoshaphat knew about Elijah so they called for Elisha. When Elisha came he told the king of Israel that he would not have wasted his time to come for Joram, but because King Jehoshaphat was with them and God honored him, he came. LOL! He told them that God would cause water to come from nowhere and it would be enough for all of them and more. He also said that they would completely destroy the Moabites and conquer the best of the towns, even the fortified ones. The next day, water filled the valley. They were able to water themselves and their animals. When the Moabites saw all the water, the sun hit it making it appear to be blood. They thought it was the blood of their enemies and attacked. They were met by the armies who were alive and well. Moab was defeated just as Elisha had prophesied. One of Elisha’s prophets died leaving a wife and two sons. The wife came to Elisha saying that her creditors were going to take her sons as slaves to pay their debt. Elisha asked what she had in her house. She had one little bottle of olive oil. He told her to borrow as many jars as she could from neighbors and start pouring the oil into them. It filled all the jars. Then, Elisha told her to sell the oil and pay off their debts and live on the rest. She did. Elisha spent much time in the town of Shunem. Shunem means “double rest,” so this was a place where Elisha found rest for his body and his soul. A rich woman lived there with her husband and noticed how much Elisha came there. She asked her husband to build a room onto their house for Elisha. She furnished it with a bed, a table, a chair and a lamp and Elisha enjoyed visiting often. He wanted to do something for the woman to thank her but when he called her in and asked her what she needed, she didn’t need anything. He asked his servant, Gehazi if he had any ideas of what they could do for her. He told Elisha that her husband was old and she had no son. Elisha called the woman in and told her that next year she would be holding a son. She was skeptical but it happened just as Elisha said it would. In Acts, Paul and Barnabas were in Lystra. Paul noticed a man who had been crippled from birth. He discerned that he had the faith to be healed so he called him to stand and walk. When he did the crowd thought Paul must be Hermes and Barnabas must be Zeus. They had a temple to Zeus just outside the town so the people started bringing offerings to sacrifice for Paul and Barnabas. They tried to stop them and tell them that they were just men. Some of their enemy Jews arrived and took Paul outside the town and stoned him. They thought they had killed him but Barnabas picked him up and brought him back. Paul and Barnabas left the next day and went to Derbe. They returned to all the places they had been and encouraged the believers there. They went back to Antioch and gave the church reports about their trip and how well the Gospel had been received by the Gentiles. Lord, thank you for you Word and the examples of godly men who stood for You in dangerous times. May we have that same faith to stand in the day we live in. May we see the crippled walk and the blind see and many come to believe that you are the Lord of all lords.

Mon.’s Devo - Elijah to Elisha

Read: 2 Kings 1:1-2:25; Acts 13:42-14:7; Psalm 139:1-24; Proverbs 17:19-21 King Ahab died and his son, Ahaziah became king. Ahaziah fell through the latticework of an upper room in his palace and was badly hurt. He sent messengers to the temple of Baal-zebub in Ekron asking if he would recover. Ekron was in Philistine land and Baal-zebub was one of their gods. Elijah met the messengers and asked them why the king of Israel would go to another nation to ask their god if he was going to recover instead of asking the God of his own nation. He sent them back to the king and told him that because he did this he would die. The messengers went back and told them what Elijah had said. He was so mad he sent 50 of his men to get Elijah. The 50 men found Elijah on a hill and told him that the king demanded that he come with them. Elijah called down fire from heaven and it consumed them. The king sent another 50 and the same thing happened. When he sent he next 50, the captain fell on his knees humbly before Elijah and begged for his life. God told Elijah to go with this man. He went to see the king and told him he would die because he consulted a Baal instead of God. Ahaziah died and had no son to take his place so his brother, Joram became the next king. It was time for God to take Elijah to heaven in a whirlwind and Elisha knew it. He traveled with Elijah and when Elijah tried to get him to stay in Gilgal while he went to Bethel, Elisha would not leave him. There were a group of the prophets in Bethel who also knew that. Elijah went next to Jericho and then to the Jordan River. Fifty of the prophets followed at a distance to watch. When Elijah had crossed the Jordan, he asked Elisha what he wanted from him. Elisha said he wanted a double portion of Elijah’s spirit to fall on him. Elijah told him if he saw him leave he would get his request. As they were walking a chariot of fire drawn by horses of fire came down between them and picked up Elijah and took him to heaven. His cloak was left so Elisha picked it up. He went to the Jordan and struck it with Elijah’s cloak and asked where the Lord, the God of Elijah was. The river divided and Elisha went across. The prophets saw it and knew that Elijah’s spirit now rested upon Elisha. They talked him into letting them search for Elijah’s body for three days but didn’t find it. A while later, citizens from Jericho visited Elisha and told him that the water was bad and causing the women to be infertile. Elisha put salt in the water and it was made pure. Elisha left Jericho and went up to Bethel and some the boys from the town mocked him calling him baldy. Elisha cursed them and two bears came out and mauled 42 of them. Elisha then went to Mt. Carmel and then to Samaria. He was retracing Elijah’s last steps of his life. In Acts we see the vicious hatred of religion. The people of Antioch and Iconium were hungry for truth, but the religious and elites were threatened by their popularity and power. They slandered them and ended up throwing them out of their towns. But the people were filled with the Holy Spirit and joy over hearing the Good News of Jesus Christ. This is such a picture of what is happening in our world right now. Truth is being slandered and called a “conspiracy theory” while lies are being told as truth. The people are waking up, but he religious and elites are fighting to hold their power over us. The truth will set us free. Jesus is the Host of the Army of the Lord and he is fighting for truth. Lord, we trust in You! We pray for a double portion of the spirit of Christ to be in your body. We will not be afraid.

Sun.’s Devo - God’s Promises are True

Read: 1 Kings 22:1-53; Acts 13:16-41; Psalm 138:1-8’ Proverbs 17:17-18 King Jehoshaphat of Judah went to visit King Ahab of Israel. King Ahab was concerned that the town of Ramoth-gilead still belonged to Aram and asked Jehoshaphat if he was interested in helping get it back. King Jehoshaphat was, but first wanted to see what the Lord had to say. King Ahab asked his prophets and they all promised victory. King Jehoshaphat asked if Ahab had any of God’s prophets since these prophets were Baal’s. He called in Micaiah though he didn’t like him because he never gave him any good words. At first Micaiah sarcastically agreed with the false prophets but when King Ahab told him to stop teasing, he told the truth. He had seen a vision of everyone in Israel’s army dead on the battle field and their master was killed. That would be King Ahab. King Ahab had Micaiah arrested and sent back to Samaria and put in prison. Foolishly, the kings refused to heed his warning and went to war. King Ahab thought he could disguise him self and not be killed. He thought he could outsmart God. He dressed like a common soldier but a warrior from the army of Aram randomly shot an arrow that “randomly” landed in the small joint of Ahab’s armor killing him. The dogs licked his blood at the pool of Samaria where the prostitutes bathed just as the Lord had promised. Ahab’s son, Ahaziah became the next king. He followed after the sins of his father, Ahab and worshipped Baal. Jehoshaphat had been a good king of Judah. He failed to remove the high places where pagans sacrificed but he did banish the male and female shrine prostitutes. He made peace with Israel’s king, and died at the age of 60. His son, Jehoram became the next king. In Acts, Paul and Barnabas were in Pisidia at the synagogue when they asked if they had any word of encouragement for the people. Paul stood and gave the history of the Israel nation and the promise of a Messiah. When he came, they killed him but he rose and was coming back soon. He admonished them to believe in Jesus and not miss what he was doing now. Jesus is coming back soon and he is doing something in our own day that will amaze us. Lord, I thank you that You are not slow concerning your promises but you are right on time. Your timetable is different from ours so we wait for your return with oil in our lamps and our faces looking to the heavens. Come, Lord Jesus, Come!

Sat.’s Devo - Nothing is Impossible with God

Read: 1 Kings 20:1-21:29; Acts 12:24-13:15; Psalm 117:1-9; Proverbs 17:16 Ben-hadad, the king of Aram and 32 other allied kings came to besiege Samaria. Ben-hadad demanded Ahab’s silver and gold, his wives and the best of his children. Ahab agreed to this if they would just leave them alone. Ben-hadad then demanded the same of his officials. When Ahab took this message to his officials they weren’t so benevolent. They were fine with Ahab giving everything he had, but not fine with giving all they had. They sent that message to Ben-hadad. It made him so mad, he promised them he would take it all. God sent a prophet to Ahab saying that today God would hand this great army over to Ahab and he would use the provincial commanders to do it. There were 232 of them. They issued a surprise attack and killed Ahab’s leaders causing their whole army to panic and run. King Ben-hadad and a few of his charioteers escaped on horses. The prophet told Ahab they would return in the spring and in the spring, they came back in force. Israel mustered up their army but it was very small next to Ben-hadad’s huge army. They camped across from each other for 7 days. The prophet came back to Ahab and told him that their enemy thought that Israel’s god could only save them in the mountains but not in the plains. They didn’t understand that God was the God of the whole earth, but today they would. When the fighting began, Israel killed 100,000 Arameans and a wall fell on 27,000 more of them. Ben-hadad and his men knew that the Israelites were merciful, so they surrendered. Ben-hadad offered land and trade agreements for his freedom and Ahab agreed and made a covenant with him and released him. God sent Ahab a prophet to tell him that since he released the man God had wanted killed, he would now die in his place and Israel would die instead of his people. Ahab went home sad and angry. You would think that since he knew he was about to meet God, he would try to get his life in order, but instead he coveted the land that belonged to Naboth. Naboth’s family had owned the land next to his palace where they had a vineyard. Ahab wanted it for a vegetable garden. He offered to give Naboth land for a vineyard which takes years to establish or to pay him for his. This land had been in his family for years and he didn’t want to sell. This made Ahab so depressed he went to bed without eating. Jezebel noticed and asked him why he wouldn’t eat. When she found out why, she was indignant. He was the king and could have anything he wanted and she would get it for him. She devised a plan to frame Naboth and have him stoned. She sent her minions to do it and then told Ahab that the land was his. Ahab went to look over his new land and was met by Elijah who had a word from the Lord. God would bring disaster on him and all his male descendants because he had murdered Naboth and stole his land. Dogs would eat Jezebel’s body at the plot of land in Jezrel. None of Ahab’s family would get a burial; they would all be eaten by wild animals. Ahab was so affected by what Elijah said that he lived in burlap and fasted because of his sin. God saw it and sent news to him that he would not live to see the disaster on his family but his dynasty would end. In Acts, the three: Barnabas, Saul and John Mark left Jerusalem to go back to Antioch. Then they were sent to the islands of Cyprus. In Paphos they met a Jewish sorcerer who was very close to the governor, Sergius Palus. The governor invited Paul and Barnabas to visit him so he could hear their teaching. The sorcerer urged the governor not to believe their teaching. Paul looked the sorcerer in the eye and called him out for his lies then struck him blind. When the governor saw this, he became a believer. They left and continued visiting the islands. They ended up at Pisidia for the Sabbath and went to the synagogue. when the usual service had concluded, the leaders asked Saul and Barnabas if they had anything they wanted to add. We will read tomorrow what they said. Lord, help us to be as zealous for the gospel as Paul and Barnabas. Lead us to the people who are hungry for the Word of God. We believe that nothing is impossible with You.

Fri.’s Devo - The Cost

Read: 1 Kings 19:1-21; Acts 12:1-23; Psalm 136:1-26; Proverbs 17:14-15 When Ahab got to Samaria and told Jezebel that Elijah had called down fire from heaven and then killed all of her prophets she was livid. Elijah thought he was coming back to be the prophet of Israel, but instead he got a message from Jezebel swearing to kill him by that time tomorrow. Elijah fled to Beersheba, left his servant there, then walked all day into the wilderness and sat down under a tree to pray. Elijah, exhausted and defeated, soon fell asleep. An angel came and touched him and told him to get up and eat. There was hot baked bread and a jar of water so he ate it and went back to sleep. The angel touched him again and told him to get up and eat some more. He would need that nourishment for the journey ahead. He traveled 40 days and nights to Mt. Sinai and spent the night in a cave. The Lord appeared to him and asked him what he was doing there? Elijah explained how bad the nation had gotten and how he was the only one of his prophets left and they were trying to kill him also. God told him to go and stand on the mountain. The Lord passed by and a windstorm hit the mountain. Then there was an earthquake and after that, a fire. God wasn’t in any of them. When Elijah heard the gentle whisper of the Lord he went to the entrance of the cave and the Lord asked him again what he was doing there. He told him again that Israel had broken their covenant with him and he was the only one who was serving him. God told him to go back the way he had come and anoint Hazael to be king of Aram, Jehu to be king of Israel and Elisha to replace him as the prophet. Then he added that he had preserved 7,000 people in Israel who have never bowed down to Baal. Elijah started at the third thing God gave him to do. He went and found Elisha plowing his father’s field with 12 oxen. Elijah threw his cloak across his shoulders and walked away. Elisha knew what it meant and ran after Elijah telling him to wait until he could say good-bye to his parents. Elijah told him he would but Elisha needed to consider what it would mean to be the prophet of Israel. Elisha slaughtered all of his oxen and gave the meat to the townspeople. Then he went with Elijah. Elisha did this to show the Lord that he was giving all to his people. His livelihood would be serving God and his people. In Acts, King Herod Agrippa started persecuting the Christians. He started by killing James. When he saw how popular it made him with the other religious jews, he arrested Peter. He placed him under the guard of 16 soldiers. He was to have a public trial after the Passover. But the night before his trial, a bright light came into his cell and an angel stood before Peter and struck him on the side to awaken him. He told him to quickly get up. The chains fell off his wrists and he was told to get dressed and follow him. The angel led him right out of the jail to the street. When Peter realized it was not a dream he went to Mary’s home where many disciples were. The next morning there was a great commotion at the prison when they couldn’t find Peter in his cell. Herod ordered a search to be made of him and when he couldn’t be found, he had the guards killed. Peter went to Caesarea to stay for a while. Meanwhile, the people of Tyre and Sidon needed to make peace with Herod because they were dependent upon him for food so they sent a delegation to talk to his assistant Blastus. Herod met to hear their case and when he sat on his throne, the people hailed him as a god. Immediately the Lord struck Herod because he accepted their praise and he died of worms. When God says vengeance is mine, he means it and he will avenge his people. Elijah, Elisha and the early Christians lived what it meant to give your life to God. They were our examples of the cost of following God. Lord, this is comforting to know that you see everything and nothing gets by you. You are the God of Justice and Your truth will prevail against evil. We choose to follow You.

Thurs.’s Devo - The Showdown on Mt. Carmel

Read: 1 Kings 18:1-46; Acts 11:1-30; Psalm 135:1-21; Proverbs 17:12-13 After three years of no rain, Elijah was told by God to go tell King Ahab that it would soon rain. Ahab had gone out with Obadiah to find grass for his horses. Obadiah was a God-fearing man who had hidden 100 of God’s prophets when Jezebel wanted them killed. Ahab went one way and Obadiah the other. Obadiah ran into Elijah and recognized him right away. When Elijah told Obadiah to go tell Ahab he wanted to meet with him, Obadiah didn’t want to do it. He was afraid it would cost him his life if he brought Ahab and Elijah was not there. Elijah promised he would stay so Obadiah ran to Ahab. When Ahab met Elijah, Ahab blamed him for all the suffering in Israel. Elijah made it clear that their worship of Baal was the reason for the famine, not him. He told Ahab to bring the 850 prophets of Baal and Asherah to Mt. Carmel and all the people. They met on the mountain and Elijah told them the conditions. They would both prepare a bull for a sacrifice and the god who answered in fire would be the true god. The prophets of Baal would go first. They prepared their bull and did all sorts of antics and gyrations trying to get their god to answer and bring fire. When they were exhausted, Elijah took his turn. He dressed his bull and had the altar covered with gallons of water. He offered to God what they needed most, which was water. God received his sacrifice and immediately answered with fire. The fire even burned up the stones and the dust! All the people fell on their faces to the ground and worshipped the Lord. Elijah commanded that they seize the prophets of Baal. The people seized the prophets and brought them down to the Kidron Valley and killed them. Elijah then told king Ahab to eat something because he could hear the sound of rain and he would need strength to get home. Elijah then went back on top of Mt. Carmel, bowed in a fetal position and prayed. He sent his servant to go and search for a cloud coming. On the seventh time, he reported seeing a small cloud coming out of the sea. Elijah told his servant to run and tell Ahab to hurry or he would be stopped by the abundance of rain. God gave Elijah supernatural strength and he outran Ahab’s chariot all the way back to Jezreel. What a miracle of God’s power and what courage God gave to Elijah to believe. Satan’s power is no match for God’s power. In Acts, Peter went back to Jerusalem where they criticized him for eating and sharing Jesus with the Gentiles. Peter told them the vision he had had and all that happened with Ananias. They changed their minds and praised the Lord that God had given the Gentiles the privilege of repenting of their sins and receiving eternal life. Scattered Jews were spreading the news about salvation as far as Antioch and many believed. The church at Jerusalem sent Barnabas to Antioch and he was able to see what God was doing in the believers there. He was greatly encouraged. Barnabas went to Tarsus looking for Saul and brought him back to Antioch where they state with the church a year teaching to the believers there. This was where believers first became known as “Christians”. It was also here that Agabus prophesied a famine that was coming upon the entire Roman world. They sent food and supplies to their Christian brothers in Judea to help them through the famine. This is how the church is suppose to function. God does nothing that he doesn’t first tell his prophets. They warn the people of God so we are always prepared for what is coming. Lord, thank you for your power and your prophets.

Wed.’s Devo - Righteous Obedience

Read: 1 Kings 15:25-17:24; Acts 10:24-48; Psalm 134:1-3; Proverbs 17:9-11 The Book of Kings are the history of the kings of Israel written by the prophets. The Book of the Chronicles are the history of Judah’s kings written by the priests. Kings highlights the kings of Israel and the way that the prophets relate to them but also gives us the kings of Judah and what year they are in which is important. Today, we see that the kings of Israel change from Jeroboam to Nadab to Baasha to Elah to Zimri to Omri to Ahab all in the same reign of Asa in Judah. Asa was a good king so he was blessed with a stable kingdom and a long life. The kings of Israel were evil and worshipped idols so their lives were cut short by murder, treason and sedition. At one time there were two kings in Israel. The capital of Israel was moved from Tirzah to Samaria and ended in the worse king of all - Ahab. Ahab married Jezebel who was the daughter of a people who worshipped Baal. The first thing Ahab did as king was to build a temple to Baal and then he set up an Ashtarah pole. He did more to provoke the anger of the Lord than any of the other kings before him. During his reign, Hiel rebuilt Jericho. Joshua had cursed Jericho since it was the seat of Satan and said that whoever rebuilt that city would lose their first born son when he laid the foundation and his youngest son when he set the gate. This happened to Hiel. God sent Elijah, the prophet to Ahab to tell him that it would not rain until he said it would. Then God told Elijah to go and hide by the Kerith Brook.. God would send ravens to feed him and he could drink from the brook. Elijah stayed there till the brook dried up then God told him to go to the town of Zerephath where a widow would feed him. Of course, the widow didn’t know that, so when Elijah found her, she was preparing the last meal she had for her son and her and then she was going to die. Elijah told her to fix him a meal and her flour and oil would never run dry. She obeyed and God provided for her and her son and Elijah. After a while her son became sick and died. She blamed Elijah but he went and laid on the son three times crying out to the Lord. God heard and revived the boy. Elijah brought him down and gave him to his mother. Her faith was renewed. In Acts, Peter arrived at Cornelius’ house where he bowed down to worship Peter. Peter would have none of that and told him to stand up. Cornelius told him that he had asked for him because he wanted to hear the word that the Lord had given him. Peter realized that God had indeed extended his grace to the Gentiles and preached to them the gospel of Jesus Christ. They believed and were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues. Peter was amazed that God saw everyone as equal - Jew and Gentile. Lord, may we learn the lesson from Israel and Judah, that walking in righteousness is rewarding and leads to life. Help us to see everyone through Your eyes and not our prejudice. May we love as you love.

Tues.’s Devo - Obeying the Holy Spirit

Read: 1 Kings 14:1-15:24; Acts 10:1-23; Psalm 133:1-3; Proverbs 17:7-8 Jeroboam’s son became very sick. Jeroboam sent his wife to find the prophet who had told him he would become king. She was disguise herself and ask him about their son and what would happen to him. He sent him with a give to bread and honey. God told Ahijah that the king’s wife would come in disguise and what to tell her. When he heard her walking up he called to her to come in and called her the wife of Jeroboam. He asked her why she was pretending to be someone else. He told her that the son would die and so would every male descendant of Jeroboam’s. He was very upset with what Jeroboam had done by setting up shrines to foreign gods and the golden calves and the Ashterah poles. God was going to raise up a king of Israel that would destroy their family which would start that very day. When she got home, her son would die. Her son did die as she walked through the door of her home. In Judah, Rehoboam wasn’t following the Lord either. He had set up pagan shrines and Asherah poles. In his fifth year, the king o Egypt came and attacked Jerusalem. He ransacked the Lord’s Temple and took everything of worth. There was constant war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam’s kingdoms. When Rehoboam died, his son, Abijam became king. He only ruled three years and did the same sins of his father. When Abijam died, his son, Asa became king. He was a good king and reigned 41 years. In Israel, Jeroboam died and Baasha, his son became king. There was constant war between King Asa and King Baasha. King Baasha invaded Judah and fortified Ramah which was on the border of Israel and Judah. King Baasha kept people from crossing over to Israel from Judah. Asa took all the silver and gold they had left and sent it to Egypt to beg King Ben-haddad to break his alliance with Israel and make a treaty with them. The king agreed and sent commanders of his army to attack Israel. When Egypt did this, King Baasha left fortifying Raamah and withdrew too Tirzah. King Asa of Judah had all Judah help take the stones and timber that King Baasha had been using in Raamah and carry them to the town of Geba and Mizpah to fortify them. When Asa died, his son, Jehoshaphat became the king of Judah. In Acts, God wanted to share his gospel to the ones whose hearts loved Him. Cornelius was one of them. He was a Roman officer who loved God and gave generously to the poor. Peter was still staying in Simon’s house when God called him to go and share to the gospel with Cornelius. First he had to clear up his doctrine and show him that all men are clean when God calls them clean and his gospel was to save the world, not just the Jews. God taught him with three visions of the same thing. It was a large sheet with all the pictures of the unclean animals their law didn’t allow them to eat. A voice told him to kill them and eat them. This was so against everything Peter had learned but God was doing something new. Peter had to learn how to listen to the Holy Spirit and obey which was what he did. When men came for him, he invited them in and housed them for the night then left with them the next day. Lord, help us to be as pliable as Peter was and be willing to follow the leading of the Holy Spirt even when we don’t understand.

Mon.’s Devo - The Spreading of the Gospel

Read: 1 Kings 12:20-13:34; Acts 9:26-43; Psalm 132:1-18; Proverbs 17:6 When the people of Israel realized Jeroboam had returned from Egypt, they made him their king and he reigned in Shechem. Rehoboam reigned over Benjamin and Judah in Jerusalem. Rehoboam mobilized his army to fight against Jeroboam but a prophet came and told him not to fight against his own brothers and that this division was from the Lord. Rehoboam obeyed. Jeroboam didn’t want his people traveling to Jerusalem three times a year for feasts so he set up two golden calves in Bethel and Dan and told the people to worship them. He changed the Feast of Tabernacles to a month later and appointed men who were not Levites to be priests. He also appointed priests for pagan shrines he had made. Jeroboam set up a counterfeit religion. God sent a prophet from Judah to Bethel who arrived just as Jeroboam was offering incense on his altar. The prophet cursed the altar and said that a child named Josiah would be born of David’s lineage who would sacrifice the pagan priests on it. To prove his message was from God, the altar would split and the ashes would be poured out on the ground. The king pointed at the man and shouted, “Seize that man!” Immediately, the altar split and ashes poured out on the ground. The kings arm was paralyzed in the outward position. He begged the prophet to pray for his arm and he did. It was restored and he was free to leave. An older prophet heard about what had happened and sent for the prophet. The prophet told the older man the same thing he had told the king: the Lord had told him not to stop and eat in Israel. The older prophet lied and told the prophet that the Lord told him he was to stay with him. So he spent the night with him then went his way. A lion attacked and killed him. The older prophet sent for his body and buried him. He told his servant that when he died he wanted to be buried beside him. This story is a mystery to me. I don’t know if the older man wanted fellowship so badly that he was willing to risk the young prophets life to get it, but I do know that what happened to the young prophet was a travesty. In Acts, Saul arrived in Jerusalem with the apostles but the believers were afraid of him. Saul was able to speak out in the open and even debated with some of the Greek-speaking Jews. When they tried to murder Saul, the believers realized that he was on their side. They helped Saul escape to Caesarea, then to Tarsus, his hometown. Now that Saul had become a believer, the Christians had some peace and safety; their main enemy had been converted. Peter went to Lydda and healed a man who had been paralyzed for 8 years. The whole population of Lydda was converted. In Joppa, a well respected woman named Tabitha died and the believers sent for Peter. He came and raised her from the dead causing many in Joppa to become believers. One was a tanner named Simon who housed Peter while he was there. Lord, thank you for the revival that is coming and is here on the earth. Thank you that we will walk in the works and miracles of Jesus just as the early believers did.

Sun.’s Devo - Solomon’s Downfall

Read: 1 Kings 11:1-12:19; Acts 9:1-25; Psalm 131:1-3; Proverbs 17:4-5 Solomon was warned two times by the Lord not to worship other gods and he continued to marry foreign wives who brought their gods into his house. He ended up building shrines and temples to their gods and worshipping them himself. He even built a shrine for Chemosh and Molech on the Mount of Olives. To worship them you had to give children to sacrifice which makes it even more powerful that that was the place Jesus would go to to pray. God came to Solomon again and told them that since he disobeyed his decrees, He would tear the kingdom away from him and give it to one of his servants after he died. The Lord raised up three adversaries: Hadad from Edom, Rezon from Damascus, and Jeroboam, one of his own officers. God sent the prophet Ahijah to Jeroboam to tell him that God was going to divide the kingdom and give 10 of the tribes to him and leave the other two to Solomon. Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but he fled to Egypt where he stayed until Solomon died. When Solomon died, his son, Rehoboam became the king. He went to Shechem to be crowned and Jeroboam came also. The leaders of Israel summoned all the people to be there to speak with Rehoboam. They asked him what kind of king he was going to be. His father had been a hard master, taxing the people with labor and money. They told him that if he would lighten their burden, they would serve him loyally. Rehoboam told them that he needed three days to decide and then he would let them know. He went to the elderly counselors of his father and asked them how he should respond. They told him to respond favorably to the people, then they would serve him forever. But then he asked his peers. They told him to tell the complainers that he would be even harder than his father had been. Sadly, Rehoboam took the advise of his peers and gave the people a harsh answer. The kingdom split and 10 of the tribes rebelled against Rehoboam and didn’t accept them as their king. Jereboam had to flee for his life to Jerusalem. In Acts, Saul became blood-thirsty after watching Stephen’s death. He requested permission to bring more Christians back to Jerusalem in chains. As he on his way to Damascus to persecute more Christians when he was stopped by a light that shone from heaven. A voice spoke his name twice and asked why was he persecuting him. Saul asked who the voice was and was told it was Jesus. Jesus told him to get up and to go into the city where he would be told what to do. Saul went to get up and realized he was blind and had to be led into the city. He was blind for three days. In the meantime, God spoke to a believer in the town whose name was Ananias. He told Ananias to go to Straight Street to the house of Judas. There he would find Saul who was praying. He was to place his hands on him and pray that he would regain his sight. Ananias argued with the Lord about Saul, but the Lord said that Saul was his chosen instrument to take his message to the Gentiles and to kings. He was showing Saul how much suffering he would have to go through for his name’s sake. Ananias obeyed and found Saul where God said he would be and prayed for him. Saul regained his sight and was filled with the Holy Spirit. He stayed with the believers in Damascus for a few days, preaching about Jesus in the synagogues. The people were so shocked to see the transformation in Saul but some of the Jews plotted to kill him. The friends of Saul snuck him out of the city through a hole in the wall. Rehoboam was a type of leader that refused to repent and it cost him most of his kingdom. Saul gave up his kingdom on earth to gain an eternal kingdom. He gained a kingdom family who would lay down their lives for his safety. Saul chose wisely. Lord, help us to choose wisely. May we put your kingdom first and be willing to die for You.

Sat.’s Devo - Solomon’s Greatness

Read:1 Kings 9:1-10:29; Acts 8:14-40; Psalm 130:1-8; Proverbs 17:2-3 When Solomon finished constructing everything he had intended to build, the Lord appeared to Solomon again and promised to always watch over the Temple he had built. If Solomon walked in the footsteps of David and continued to follow Him, then one of his descendants would always sit on the throne of Israel. If he or one of his descendants abandoned the Lord and his decrees then God would uproot Israel and reject this Temple. Israel would become a mockery and be ridiculed by all nations. The Temple be destroyed and all who see it will be appalled at what happened. The world will be able to look at it and know what God does to those who rebel against him. Solomon gave Hiram twenty towns in the land of Galilee to thank him for helping him but when Hiram came to see the towns, he was not impressed. He said they were worthless but paid Solomon 9,000 pounds of gold for them. (That is how they do business in the Middle East.) The Pharaoh of Egypt had conquered the Canaanite town of Gezer and gave it to his daughter as a wedding present when she married Solomon. It had been one of the Canaanites royal cities. Solomon had a huge number of forced labors from the nations they had conquered. No Israelites were his slaves. The Israelites were appointed to his army as soldiers and commanders. Solomon offered sacrifices to the Lord three times a year and moved his wife to her new palace he had made. Solomon also built ships that brought him 16 tons of gold. The queen of Sheba from southern Arabia heard of Solomon and his fame and wisdom and came to see if what she had heard was true. She gave Solomon 9,000 pounds of gold and spices and jewels. In return, Solomon gave her anything she asked for and showed her his entire kingdom. Then she returned home. Solomon had a huge decorated throne overlaid with gold. It had six steps and a rounded back with arm rests. A figure of a lion sat on each end of the steps. All of the cups Solomon drank from were pure gold as well as his utensils. Solomon imported gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. He had a huge army with 1,400 chariots. He imported 12,000 horses from Egypt. He sold the horses to the Hittites and people of Aram. In Acts, the apostles heard that the Samaritans had received the Good News, they sent Peter and John there. They laid their hands on them and the people received the Holy Spirit. When Simon saw this he wanted to buy this power but they told him to repent for thinking you could buy the things of God. Simon did repent and the prayed for him. Peter and John returned to Jerusalem and visited many Samaritan villages along the way. An angel of the Lord told Philip to go south . On a desert road, he met the treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch of the queen. (Many believe that he was from the nation that the Queen of Sheba had come from.) The Holy Spirit told Philip to run up and walk beside the man and listen to what he was saying. The man was reading from Isaiah 53. Philip asked him if he understood what he was reading and he told him he didn’t. The scripture was talking about the death of Jesus so Philip explained to him about how Jesus fulfilled this scripture. The Ethiopian believed and wanted to be baptized. They stopped and he was baptized right there and then Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. The eunuch went his way praising the Lord. Thank you, Lord for your power and the wonderful news of salvation. Thank you for your Holy Spirit that speaks to us and moves through us.

Fri.’s Devo - The Dedication of the Temple

Read: 1 Kings 8:1-66; Acts 7:51-8:13; Psalm 129:1-8; Proverbs 17:1 Solomon dedicated the Temple in the month of Tishri. It was the seventh month on the religious calendar and the first month on the civil calendar. He did it at the Feast of Tabernacle which represents the month that the Lord dwells with his people. It will be the feast that Jesus will one day reign on the earth as our king. Solomon had the Ark of God’s Presence brought into the Temple. It was surrounded by a cloud of God’s presence which filled the entire Temple. Solomon stood before the people and offered a prayer up to God. He proclaimed that this was the altar of God and all could use it to have their innocence judged. If the nations sins and is being judged with drought, famine, or war, they can come to this place and present their case before God. If they repent, God will hear and forgive them and heal their land. Solomon blessed the Lord for giving them peace and being true to all his promises. Then Solomon offered 142,000 cattle as offerings to the Lord on the altar. He offered peace, grain, and burnt offerings to the Lord. After seven days of celebration, he sent the people home and they blessed the king and went home joyful and glad that he was their king. In Acts, Stephen was at the end of his sermon where he accused the Jewish leaders of killing all the prophets and now killing the Messiah. This infuriated the leaders. Stephen looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at God’s right hand. He told them what he was seeing and they rushed at him and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. His accusers’ took off their coat and laid them at the foot of Saul. As Stephen was being stoned he cried out for their forgiveness. Saul saw all of this and was fired up to kill more of Jesus’ followers. He led a campaign to persecute the Christians. The Christians scattered to escape and went to other towns sharing their faith in Jesus. Philip ended up in the city of Samaria and preached, healed and delivered many. A man named Simon lived there who made his living from sorcery. He was saved and began following Philip wherever he went. Lord, thank you that your altar is in us and we can come to you for mercy and deliverance anytime we desire. We pray that your Presence would fill us so that others might come to your glory.

Thurs.’s Devo - The Glory of the Temple

Read: 1 Kings 7:1-51; Acts 7:30-50; Psalm 128:1-6: Proverbs 16:31-33 Solomon’s buildings were ornate and magnificent. It took Hiram and his crew 13 years to build Solomon’s palace. He also built the Palace of the forest of Lebanon with the dimensions of 100-50-30 in cubits. He built the Hall of Pillars whose dimensions were 50-30 in cubits. He made a porch with a throne where he would judge the people. All these are smaller versions of heaven’s structures. He also made a house like his for Pharoah’s daughter he married from Egypt. She represents for the Bride of Christ. We are all from Egypt and were bought with a price. God redeemed us and grafted us into his family. The foundation of his court was made of costly stones. Some of the stones were 18 feet long. Three layers of stone would be laid and then a layer of cedar, then three more layers of stone. His master craftsman was Tiram from Tyre whose mother was from the tribe of Naphtali. He was gifted in working with bronze, wood and gold. He made to huge pillars that were 27 feet tall and 18 feet in circumference ornately decorated. He cast a huge basin for the priests with was 15 feet across and 7.5 feet deep. It was filled with water and placed on a base of 12 bronze oxen all facing outward. It held 11,000 gallons of water. He also made 10 bronze water carts which were moveable on wheels and decorated with lions, oxen and cherubim. Each cart had smaller bronze basins and were placed to the north and south side of the Temple. Hiram also made all the utensils and the altar, table of Shewbread, menorahs, etc. There were storerooms for the rest of the gifts David had given to the Lord from his spoils of war. In Acts, Stephen continued his account of the history of the Hebrew nation. Today he told the story of Moses and how God sent Moses went back to deliver his people out of Egypt. They carried their false idols with them even when God showed them how they should worship him. God gave Moses the measurements in proportion to the exact replica of the Temple in heaven along with all the furniture they would need. They carried this Tabernacle with them all through the wilderness and finally God gave them a king. David made arrangements for a permanent Temple and Solomon built it. Lord, you are the builder of heaven and earth and yet you choose to build a temple in each of us and fill it with your presence. Thank you for choosing us to carry your glory and your presence. May we carry it in awe and reverence.

Wed.’s Devo - Building the Temple

Read: 1 Kings 5:1-6:38; Acts 7:1-29; Psalm 127:1-5; Proverbs 16:28-30 Solomon was ready to build the temple and reached out to David’s friend, Hiram the king of Tyre. Hiram’s people were the best in the land for building with wood and they had a forest of cedar trees. Solomon asked him if he would supply them with cedars and workmen and he would pay them what they wanted. The king of Hiram was pleased with Solomon’s request and sent news that he would be honored to work with him building God a Temple. He asked in return for Solomon to supply his country with grain and olive oil. Solomon gathered 30,000 laborers and sent them in shifts of 10,000 at a time. They would stay one month in Lebanon and two months home. In the month of Pentecost, the fourth year of Solomon’s reign, he began to build the Templ elf the Lord. The building would be 90’ by 30’ and 45 ‘high. It had three stories with each story being wider than the one below. On the construction site there was no sound of hammering or sawing. It was all done off-site so that the area would be respected as holy. The inside was paneled with wood and overlaid with gold. The Most holy Place was partitioned off and . The inner sanctuary was also overlaid with gold. The altar was put in the center of the room and overlaid with gold. Two huge angels were made of wood that had a wingspan of 15 feet a piece. They touched in the middle and spanned the whole room. They were overlaid with gold and put in the inner sanctuary. The walls of the Temple were carved with trees, cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers overlaid with gold. It was to be a replica of the Garden of Eden with the glory of God reflected in the gold. It took seven years to build the temple. In Acts, the high priest asked Stephen if the accusations about him were true. Stephen began to give the history of their nation starting with Abraham. Our Psalm is so appropriate, as it says that unless the Lord build a house the workers work is in vain. Lord, may you build your Temple within us.

Tues.’s Devo - Transition to the Kingdom

Read: 1 Kings 3:3-4:34; Acts 6:1-15; Psalm 126:1-6; Proverbs 16:26-27 Solomon was king and tried to follow the Lord. One day he offered 1,000 burnt offerings to the Lord and God came to him in a dream that night. He told Solomon to ask for anything he wanted. Solomon asked for wisdom to rule his vast kingdom and discernment to know the difference between right and wrong. God was so pleased that he asked for these things rather than riches and long life that he said he would give him these things also. God would make Solomon the wisest, most discerning king as well as the richest and oldest. When Solomon woke up he realized it was a dream. It wasn’t long before Solomon got to test his wisdom so all could see. Two women brought their grievance to Solomon. They had both had a child and one of their sons had died during the night. That mother took her dead son and put it in the arms of the other woman and took her live baby as her own. They brought the baby in before Solomon for him to choose who would get the baby. Solomon asked for a sword to cut the baby in two and give each woman a part. The real mother was willing to give up her child just to let it live so Solomon knew she was the real mother. The other woman was willing to cut the baby in two. Solomon gave the baby to the real mother and everyone was in awe of his decision. Solomon had a list of officers and people who helped him run his kingdom. In Acts, the church was having administration issues. The Greek-speaking believers complained that they were being treated unfairly in the distribution of food. The Twelve apostles met to appoint me to run the food program while they taught and discipled the people in the Word. Stephen was appointed to help with food. He was full of the Holy Spiret and moved in miracles, signs and wonders. The Freed Slaves wanted to debate with Stephen over doctrine and but Stephen had the same wisdom that Solomon had. None of the debaters were able to stand against the wisdom and Spirit with which Stephen spoke. So, they brought false witness against him accusing him of speaking against the law of Moses. They said that he taught Jesus would destroy the Temple and change the customs Moses handed down to them. As they watched, Stephen’s face shone like an angel’s. It is amazing how the Old Testament and the New dove-tail. Both Solomon and the early church realized they needed many wise men to help run a kingdom. Solomon was a type of a physical kingdom where he was a type of Jesus, the king. The church was a type of a spiritual kingdom where Jesus is the king in spirit. Everyone has to do their part in both kingdoms to make it work. Stephen met opposition because he was running the kingdom in the Spirit and his accusers were stuck in the old system. Lord, help us to make the transition to your kingdom on earth. Give us grace and patience to make the shift.

Mon.’s Devo - David’s Last Requests

Read: 1 Kings 2:1-3:2; Acts 5:1-42; Psalm 125:1-5; Proverbs 16:25 Before David died, he gave Solomon a charge to have courage to be a man. If he observed all the requirements of the Lord written in Moses’ law, he would be successful. Then David gave Solomon a list of some loose ends he needed to tie up to secure his kingdom. The first was Joab. He needed to die for the murders of Abner and Amasa. Shimei, the man who cursed David when he was fleeing Absalom also needed to die. There were also men David wanted Solomon to take care of and remember and they were the sons of Barzillai of Gilead who fed his men when he was fleeing Absalom. David wanted Solomon to feed him at his table as long as he lived. Once David gave his last requests he was free to die. He was buried in the City of David. One day, Adonijah went to see Bathsheba to ask if she would ask Solomon to give him Abishag for his wife. Abishag was the beautiful young virgin who slept with David to keep him warm. When Bathsheba took his request to Solomon, he saw right through it and knew that this was Adonijah’s attempt to infiltrate the kingdom and get it back. He had Adonijah killed. When Joab heard about Adonijah’s death he knew he was next. Joab had sided with Adonijah when he rebelled, so he went and took hold of the horns of the altar and refused to let got. Solomon had him killed in front of the altar. Benaiah took Joab’s place as Solomon’s army commander. Next, Solomon called Shimei in and gave laid out the rules of his house arrest. Shimei thought it was fair but in three years he broke his part of the bargain giving Solomon a reason to have him killed. Solomon had now rid the earth of David’s last enemies. He made a treaty with Egypt and secured it by marrying one of his daughters. In Acts, Ananias and Sapphirra were both struck down for lying to the Holy Spirit. This caused the fear of the Lord to fall on the church. The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders as they met at the Temple’s Colonnade. It was known as Solomon’s Colonnade which was an outside porch designated for teaching and debating. It was where Jesus was found when he was 12 talking to the elders of the Temple. Sick people were brought on mats and laid so that Peter’s shadow might fall on them. Many who were demon possessed and sick were all healed. The Sadducees were the most upset with the apostles because of their teaching that Jesus had resurrected. Resurrection was one of their pet doctrines that they didn’t believe so the apostles teaching was a threat to them. They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. That night an angel came and opened the gates of the jail and brought them out. He told them to keep preaching. So the next morning, they arrived at the Temple and began teaching. When the high priest and his men met that morning to sentence the apostles, they sent for them. They found the jail securely locked but the apostles were not there. News came that the men were teaching in the Temple. They arrested them again and had them brought before them. They told the apostles they could not teach in Jesus’ name anymore. Peter answered and said that they had to obey God rather than man. This really made the high council angry and they wanted to kill the apostles but Gamaliel, an expert in the law stood up and calmed them down. He told of others who had risen up and after a while they were silenced. If these men were doing these things on their own, they would soon be over thrown, but if their power came from God, they would not be able to fight them and win. They decided to set the apostles free, telling them not to speak in the name of the Lord but they continued daily to do just that. This is a great reminder to us that when man’s law conflicts with God’s law, we must follow God’s law. He is the ultimate judge. Lord, give us courage to put your law above everything else. May we stand with power and authority in your name.

Sun.’s Devo - The Rightful King

Read: 1 Kings 1:1-53; Acts 4:1-37; Psalm 124:1-8; Proverbs 16:24 David was old and could not keep warm so they brought in a young virgin named Abishag to care for him and keep him warm at night. Interesting note: Abishag means “my father erred.” She came to the kingdom as David’s son, Adonijah self-proclaimed himself to be the king. David had never questioned anything Adonijah did, so Adonijah was never disciplined by his father. Adonijah convinced Joab, Abiathar the priest to help him but they excluded Zadok the priest Benaiah, Nathan, Shimei, and Rei and the mighty men of David. Adonijah took sacrificial animals down to the Rock of the Serpentine (snake), which was in En-rogel (fount of the spy) and invited all of David’s sons except Solomon. There he pronounced himself the king. Nathan went to Bathsheba to tell her to go in and speak to David about it. He would go behind her and confirm her words. When David heard both of them, he proclaimed that Solomon would be his predecessor and sit on his throne. David told them to have Solomon ride on his donkey to the Gihon river. There they were to anoint Solomon king, blow the horn and say, God save king Solomon. The people yelled it too. The sound of rejoicing was so loud that the earth ripped open with the sound. All of the men with Adonijah heard the sound and wondered what it could mean. Abiathar’s son, Jonathan came to tell them the news. He told them of the celebration and what everyone was saying about Solomon being the king. Everyone was in favor of it. All of Adonijah’s guest scattered in fear and Adonijah was so afraid for his own life that he went and caught hold on the horns of the altar. When Solomon heard about what Adonijah had done, he had him brought to him. He told him that he could live as long as he didn’t cause any trouble. He sent him home. In Acts, Peter and John were teaching the crowd when the priests and many Sadducees came to confront them. The Sadducees were upset that they were teaching that Jesus rose from the dead since they didn’t believe in a resurrection. And, they were upset that now 5,000 had decided to believe what they were saying. They couldn’t deny the fact that the crippled man was standing right there totally healed. Peter spoke and preached Jesus to them. They were amazed that such unlearned men could know so much about scripture. It was apparent that they had learned from Jesus. The leaders conferred among themselves as to what to do about all this. They finally brought Peter and John in and told them to stop teaching about Jesus. Peter and John answered that they could not obey them over God and could not help but tell what they had seen and heard. The leaders had no recourse but to set them free. They feared the people. In both stories, this is what happens when the people rise up with the truth. Government and Satan’s kingdom is afraid of the masses. When America decides to unite for justice and freedom, the government will be afraid of us instead of vice versa. They are elected to serve us. We pay them. Lord, may we unite under your banner to fight for truth and justice in Your land. We pray that Your man, Your anointed, be the President over our land.

Sat.’s Devo - God’s Mercy

Read: 2 Samuel 23;24-24:25; Acts 3:1-26; Psalm 123:1-4; Proverbs 16:21-23 David’s thirty mighty men are listed and Uriah the Hittite, Bathsheba’s husband was listed last. There were seven others that are not mentioned who were his mighty warriors. God was angry with Israel for probably a multitude of reasons so he moved on the leader, David, to count the people. I don’t understand this but I wonder if God didn’t want to give them one thing they could actually point to so they could fix it. God is so merciful and he will do anything to get our attention back on the right focus. God had told them that when you count the people, they were to give a half a shekel as a ransom for their soul so that no plague would come (Ex. 30:12). David didn’t do this so when he numbered them, he was calling them into account for their sins. It was like they were all being judged with no ransom for their soul. After David counted the people, he repented of what he had done. His seer, Gad, came to see him and gave him three choices of punishment for the people: 3 years of famine, 3 months of fleeing from their enemies, or 3 days of severe plague. He chose the plague because he would rather fall into God’s hand than his enemies. He knew that God was merciful. The plague came and lasted three days killing 70,000 of his counted people. David saw the death angel as it was approaching Jerusalem. God stopped it right at the threshing floor of Araunah. Araunah means “I shall shout for joy.” That was exactly how David felt when he saw it stop before it reached Jerusalem. He went to Araunah and asked to buy his threshing floor to build an altar to worship the Lord. Arahunah tried to give it to David, but David would not offer to the Lord what he had not paid for. He gave him 50 pieces of silver and the plague was stopped. In Acts, Peter and John are now filled with the Holy Spirit to do the things that Jesus did and see as Jesus saw. This morning as they came to the Temple, they saw the lame beggar they had seen every Sabbath beside the Temple gate. But this time, they were different so they stopped and told him to get up and walk in the name of Jesus Christ. Peter took the man by the hand and helped him up and when he did, his feet were instantly healed. He began to walk, leap and praise the Lord. He got to go into the Temple for the first time with them. The man was praised the Lord so loudly that he drew a crowd. The people recognized him as the lame beggar and were astounded. Peter saw his opportunity to preach and took it. He explained that Jesus, who they crucified resurrected and they can still believe in him. He would come back for them one day to restore all things. Before he does, he will send them a prophet from among their own people and if they reject that prophet, they will be cut off from God’s people once and for all. All the prophets from Samuel up to that day had spoke of the Messiah who came in the form of Jesus Christ. Jesus came to turn them back to God and it was not too late to repent. Lord, thank you for your mercy. Thank you for giving your son to atone for our sins.

Fri.’s Devo - The Gift is Given 6-4-21

Read: 2 Samuel 22:1-23:23; Acts 2:1-47; Psalm 122:1-9; Proverbs 16:19-20 This same song was recorded in Psalms 18. It is a Messianic psalm and I believe it describes what went on during the three hours of darkness on the cross. Jesus is describing his battle with his spiritual enemies and especially the enemy of Death. When the grave was wrapping its ropes around him (vs. 6) He cried out to his Father for help. The earth quaked and trembled and the foundations of the heavens shook. God was so angry he opened the heavens and came down shrouded in dark storm clouds. God shot arrows scattering Jesus’ enemies with his lightning and confusing them. God reached down and rescued Jesus from those who hated him and were too powerful for him. God took Jesus to a place of safety and rescued him because of his innocence. He rewarded him for obeying him. He ends it with a promise to show unfailing love to Jesus and all his descendants. In David’s last words he proclaims who he was on the earth. He was the son of Jesse, the man that God raised up on high, the man God anointed and the sweet song writer. He experienced the Lord speaking through him and identified God as the Rock of Israel. Then he proclaimed how God identified him, who was a type of Jesus: David was the one who ruled righteously and in the fear of the Lord. He was like the light of a cloudless morning when the sun shines on the wet grass. God’s Word is guaranteed to the last detail and it ensures our safety and success. Our enemies will be torn down and totally consumed by fire. David’s mightiest warriors were named. The first one with his city means “the wise ones will return.” The second one’s names mean “God helps those he loves and is a brother to those who rest in him.” The third one’s names mean “the desolation of the curser.” These men snuck into the enemy camp to get some water for David when he was thirsty. They lived up to their names: they returned because they rested in the Lord and knew that they had power over the curser. Abishai, Joab’s brother was also a great warrior who killed 300 in one battle. He was over 30 mighty men. His name means “father of the gift”. Benaiah was David’s body guard. His name means “built of Jehovah.” He was built to be a body guard of God’s leader. In Acts, it was the day Jesus had told them about. God sent his gift to them, the Holy Spirit. It had been prophesied by Joel and when it came, they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in tongues. The day of Pentecost celebrated the giving of the law in the days of Moses. When God gave the law, the mountain quaked; fire and smoke rose out of the top of the mountain. On this day, the disciples became the holy mountain of the Lord and tongues of fire appeared over their heads. They went out on the busy streets of Jerusalem as all the Jewish men had come for the celebration. They spoke their tongues which were the languages of the people who were there from everywhere. In their tongues, they proclaimed the mighty Word of the Lord. Peter stood and spoke to the crowd explaining what was going on and 3,000 were saved. That was the same number of people who were killed by the Lord when they made the golden calf. The law kills, but the Spirit gives life. The “New Testament Church” was born on this day. Lord, thank you for the Gift of the Holy Spirit. Thank you that it is always with us and empowers us to be your witnesses wherever we go.

Thurs.’s Devo - The Gift Promised

Read: 2 Samuel 20:14-21:22; Acts 1:1-26; Psalm 121:1-8; Proverbs 16:18 Joab chased Sheba to the town of Abel-beth-maacah which means “house of oppression.” Joab’s army surrounded the town but a wise woman went to the wall and called down to Joab and asked him why he was destroying a town in Israel. Joab explained that it wasn’t the town he wanted, it was just Sheba. She told him she would send his head over the wall. Then she went to the men in the city and convinced him to save their town by killing Sheba. They threw his head over the wall and Joab and his men went home. There was a famine in the land for three years and there is always a reason for a famine. David knew this and went to the Lord to ask him how they had offended him. He said that Saul had zealously killed the Gibeonites who Joshua had made a covenant with. David needed to make amends with them if he wanted the famine to lift. David went to the surviving Gibeonites and asked them how he could make amends. Since it was Saul that had killed their people, they wanted Saul’s family to suffer the consequences. They asked for seven of Saul’s sons so they could execute them at Gibeon. David agreed but spared Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth. They were all killed at the beginning of the barley harvest. This was Passover season making the death of these seven atone for the sin of Saul just as Jesus would one day die at that same time and atone for the sins of the whole world. The mother of two of the sons’ stayed with her son’s bodies and kept the birds from eating them during the entire harvest season. When David heard what she had done, David sent for the bones of Saul’s sons and Saul and Jonathan to be buried in their family tomb in Zela. When he did that, the famine ended. David went to war with the Philistines and got cornered by a giant. He would have been killed if Abishai hadn’t come to his rescue. David’s men told David he could not go to war again; they didn’t want to risk losing their king. Four times David’s men fought giants from Gath, descendants of Goliath, and defeated them. David had taught them well how to fight a giant and win. The book of Acts and the gospel of Luke were written by Luke. He wrote them both addressed to Theopolis, his young mentee. Jesus appeared to his disciples often during the 40 days after his crucifixion and spoke about the Kingdom of God. He instructed them not to leave Jerusalem until God had given them the gift he promised…the Holy Spirit. It would come on Pentecost which is always 50 days after Passover. Jesus was taken up in a cloud after 40 leaving them 10 more days to have to wait for their gift. During that time 120 of them met daily in an upper room to pray and fellowship. They voted in a new disciple to take the place of Judas Iscarot. The lot fell on Matthias. Lord, thank you for your faithfulness to show us what we have done wrong, so we can repent and be blessed once again. Thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Wed.’s Devo - David’s Return/ Jesus’ Return

Read: 2 Samuel 19:11-20:13; John 21:1-25; Psalm 120-1-7; Proverbs 16:16-17 David sent word to Zadok and Abiathar to meet with the leaders of Israel and tell them to welcome him back. They were to tell Amasa, the man who had been Absalom’s commander that he would become David’s commander instead of Joab. Amasa and Joab were cousins. When Amasa heard that he would be David’s commander he convinced the men of Judah to return and be under David’s rule again. When David came to the Jordan, Shimei, the same man who had cursed him when he left, was there to humbly seek his forgiveness now that he was king again. Abishai wanted to kill Shimei but David stopped him because it was a day of celebration, not of death. (When Solomon became king, David had him kill Shimei.) For now, Shimei was spared. Mephibosheth was next to meet him. He explained that Ziba had lied about him. He had told Ziba to saddle his donkey so he could leave with David, but Ziba left him. David gave him back half of what he had given to Ziba. Barzillai met David to escort him across the Jordan. Barzillai had met David’s men as they left and supplied them with food and ammunition. David asked him to come with him to Jerusalem where he would provide for him but Barzillai was old and wanted to die in his own home town. He sent his son,Kimham, with him instead. Judah’s troops escorted David back. When the troops from the other tribes saw that they were not included in bringing David back, they were offended and argued about it. Finally Sheba from the tribe of Benjamin blew a ram’s horn and chanted, “Down with the dynasty of David!” He urged the men to go back to Israel so they deserted David. When David arrived at the palace he had his 10 concubines who had been defiled by Absalom put away but provided for. Then he told Amasa to mobilize an army to go after Sheba before he could start a revolution. Joab mobilized a group and met Amasa at Gibeon. Amasa went to greet Joab, but Joab stabbed and killed him. One of Joab’s men called to Amasa’s army and told them to join Joab’s army. They followed but had to pass by Amasa’s bloody body, so Joab covered it so they wouldn’t have to look at it. That is how Joab captured Amasa’s army for himself. In John, Peter returned to what he had done before he met Jesus, which was fishing. He was having no luck until Jesus called out to him from the shore and told him to cast his net on the other side. When they did the net was completely filled with fish. This joggled Peter’s memory of the time Jesus had helped them catch so many fish it broke their nets. He jumped out and headed for shore. Jesus was cooking fish for their breakfast. He even had some bread. All this was to remind them of the miracles he had done with bread and fish. The disciples sat and let Jesus served them. After breakfast, Jesus asked Peter if he loved him more than these. I think he was referring to the 153 large fish he had caught. Peter had returned to what he had done before meeting Jesus…what he knew and loved to do. Jesus was asking him if he could make the shift to catching men instead of fish. He asked him three times which was the number of times Peter had denied Jesus. Each answer erased a denial. Jesus explained that when Peter was young, others decided what he did, but now he had to make the decision about his future. If he chose the destiny God had for him it would end the same way. Men would take him where he didn’t want to go once again. But Jesus beckoned him to “Follow Him.” In other words, follow me to the cross. John ended his book by saying that Jesus did so many miracles that no amount of books could contain the stories. The Holy Spirit had the writers record the ones that were teachable to us. Lord, thank you for how strategic your Word is and how you have given us wisdom for every trial or situation we face. Thank you for your wisdom and grace.