Tues.’s Devo- Passover and Unleavened Bread -

Read: Exodus 12:14-13:16; Matthew 20:29-21:22; Psalm 25:16-22; Proverbs 6:12-15 God went to great details to explain what must happen on this day of remembrance. This was a special festival that would be celebrated forever. It was the beginning of the Festival of Unleavened Bread. It would begin on the fourteenth day of Abib and last seven days. During the week they were to eat bread without yeast. On the fifteenth, they were to celebrate the Passover by killing a young lamb and draining its blood into a basin. With a hyssop branch they were to apply blood on the top and sides of the door frames fo their houses. They were to go inside and not come out till the next morning. God would pass over every house that had the blood applied and their first born would not die. That night, God struck down all the first born of the Egyptians and their first born animals. A loud wailing was heard throughout Egypt as people found their first born dead. Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron and kicked them out of his land before they all died. The Israelites asked the Egyptians for their clothing and silver and gold and the Egyptians gave them whatever they asked for. That night about 600,000 men plus their women and children left Egypt. They had been in Egypt for 430 years to the day. They had come to Egypt to preserve their very lives from a famine and they left this time to preserve their very spiritual lives. Now they would be able to worship the Lord the way he wanted to be worshipped. On the seventh day of this festival they were to explain to thier children why they were celebrating this festival. This festival was to be like a visible sign to them, like a mark branded on their hand or on their forehead. We have just entered the seventh day and we know that sometime in this millennium, this seventh day, that the Anti-christ will try to put his mark on our hand or on our forehead. That is why we celebrate Passover, the fulfillment being when Jesus died on the cross and saved our souls. God marked us for him. When they got to the land promised them they were to present their firstborn sons and male animals to the Lord because they belong to the Lord. A firstborn donkey could be bought back. If the donkey is not bought back then its neck had to be broken. This explains why in our reading today in Matthew, that Jesus rode on a donkey into Jerusalem. This donkey was presenting the Lamb of God in its place. The donkey represents us who bring our sins and burdens to the Lord and they are crucified with him on the cross. The people spread their garments under the donkey’s feet that carried Jesus into Jerusalem to show their honor for Jesus. Others cut branches from the trees so they could walk on them. They worshipped him as the Son of David, the Messiah. They were crying out, “Hosannah” which means “save us”. Jesus was on his way to do just that. Jesus went straight to the Temple and knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of the ones selling doves. He told them that his Temple will be called a house of prayer. They had turned it into a den of thieves.” I think we are about to see a lot of that in the coming future. Judgment comes to the house of the Lord first and many of God’s churches have become dens of thieves instead of houses of prayer. Jesus healed the blind and the lame who came to him in the Temple. This is another thing we are about to see. Those who have been spiritually blind and not able to walk in the Spirit are going to be healed so they can. The next morning, Jesus was on his way back to Jerusalem when he noticed a fig tree. He went over to see if it had figs even though it was not the season for figs. It had none, so Jesus cursed it and it withered up and died. When the disciples asked about why the fig tree died so quickly, Jesus explained that if you have faith, nothing would be impossible - you could lift mountains and throw them into the sea. Jesus was referring to the Jews as a nation. They were under terrible Roman oppression which was the mountain that needed to be lifted and thrown into the sea. Jesus came as their deliverer but they were not ready. They, like the fig tree could not see the possibility of blooming out of season. They doubted their time of deliverance so they would be cursed and not receive salvation and eternal life with God. Lord, may we discern the season we are in and be prepared in our hearts to see your great salvation.

Mon.’s Devo - The Last Plague

Read: Exodus 10:1-12:13; Matthew 20:1-28; Psalm 25:1-15; Proverbs 6:6-11 God explained why he hardened Pharaoh’s heart all these times. One: so He could display his miraculous signs. Two: so they could tell their children and grand-children about how God made a mockery of the Egyptians with His signs, and Three: so they would know that He was the Lord. God sent the 8th plague of locusts and Pharaoh wanted to know who Moses wanted to take with him. Pharaoh refused to let the children go with them. Moses said, No. So, God sent the 9th plague of darkness and Pharaoh wanted them to leave without their livestock. Moses said, No. Moses told Pharaoh that the Lord would kill all of the first-born which was the plan all along. God told Moses after this, Pharaoh would kick him out of his land. The Egyptians had come to highly respect Moses and the people of Israel. In the end, they would give them all of their wealth before they left. God told Moses that this month would now be the first month of the year for them. He was giving them a new birth day. This month, Nisan or Abib was the seventh month and it was to become the first month, Tishri, which was their first month, would become the seventh. They would have a civil new year starting in Tishri and a religious new year starting in Nisan. It represented their second birth or what we call being “born again”. It represented their salvation and deliverance from bondage which is what happens when we get saved. They were to go through a ritual which would depict Jesus on the cross. They were to kill a lamb and the father was to put the blood on the sides and top of the door post. The bowl would sit in the bottom to catch the dripping blood. Then they were to go through the door into their house where they would be safe from the Angel of Death which would pass over them that night. The lamb they were to slaughter represented Jesus who was crucified for us. It was to be roasted by fire which represented the beating and cruel death he would suffer. The door represented the cross and the blood was on every place Jesus bled: his head, hands and feet. Going through the door represented surrendering to the death of Jesus and the death of yourself. They were to eat the lamb with unleavened bread which represented the fact that Jesus was sinless and the bitter herbs they were to eat represented the bitterness of the slavery they had lived under for so long. In Matthew, Jesus was giving stories to explain what the Kingdom of Heaven was like. The story was about a foreman who paid all his workers a day’s wage even though some of them worked the whole day and some of them only worked an hour. When the ones who worked a whole day complained, he told them that it was his money and he could be generous to whoever he wanted to be generous, but he had paid them exactly what he had promised. This story is for us who have served the Lord for a long time. We will get eternal life just like the person who dies on their deathbed. It also speaks into timing. The ones who worked the longest and hardest got their reward last. The ones who worked the shortest were paid first. Jesus explained that that was a law in his kingdom. We should not think it is unfair when God answers the prayers or blesses a new Christian when we who have been walking with him for years wait and wait for our prayers to be answered. Jesus was saying that it is an honor to wait and get your reward last. Jesus explained he was going to Jerusalem where he would die but rise from the dead on the third day. This flew over their heads because then the mother of James and John came to Jesus and asked him if her sons could sit in places of honor on either side of him in his Kingdom. The other disciples were so upset because they wanted those places. Jesus explained that in his Kingdom, to be a leader you had to learn to serve. The Kingdom of God is an upside down kingdom from the world’s kingdom. The world is about self-honor and self, self, self. God’s kingdom is about God and others. Lord, help us to remember this when going about our day today. Remind us that to live for You is to die to ourselves.

Sun.’s Devo - The Plagues

Read Exodus 8:1-9:35; Matthew 19:13-30; Psalm 24:1-10; Proverbs 6:1-5 I noticed for the first time that it never says Moses prayed for the Nile and it stopped being blood. It just says that Pharaoh went back to his palace and forgot about it while his servants had to dig for water. Moses was sent back to tell Pharaoh about the second plague. Out of the Nile would come frogs. They would also come from the rivers, canals and ponds of Egypt. The magicians were able to do the same thing but they weren’t able to stop the frogs. Pharaoh had to beg Moses to have his God do that. Pharaoh promised he would let them go, but once the frogs were gone he refused to let them go. This time God didn’t sent Moses back to Pharaoh, he told Aaron to lift his staff and strike the ground. The dust turned to gnats which infested the land. This time Pharaoh’s magicians couldn’t do that and they said it was the finger of God. Pharaoh refused to listen to Moses so God told Moses to meet Pharaoh on his way to the river and tell him if he refused to let them go he would send flies. This time he would spare the region of Goshen where the Israelites lived to show Pharaoh that God made a distinction between his people and God’s people. When the flies covered the land of Egypt, Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and told them to go sacrifice but they had to do it in his land. Moses explained why they had to leave. The people of Egypt would stone them when they saw them sacrifice animals that they worshipped. Pharaoh finally agreed but told him not to go too far. Moses prayed for the flies to leave and they did. Pharaoh hardened his heart again and wouldn’t let them leave. Moses told Pharaoh that the next plague would be on their horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, sheep and goats. They died the next day and none of the livestock of the Israelites were plagued. This affected their transportation, harvest, and their food supply. Pharaoh still refused to let them leave. God told Moses to take soot and stand before Pharaoh. He was to throw it into the air and when he did, boils broke out on the people and animals that were still alive. His magicians were unable to stand with Pharaoh because of the boils. Moses was to tell Pharaoh that if he didn’t let his people go, he would continue to send more plagues. He could have killed them but he kept them alive so he would show the earth his power. Tomorrow he would send a hail storm. Any living creature left outside would die. Some of the Egyptians feared God and took their animals inside. The thunder, lightning and hail killed all the people, animals and plants that were living outside. But, there was no storm in Goshen. Pharaoh summoned Moses and finally admitted he had sinned and the Lord was the righteous one. He admitted that he and his people were the ones that were wrong. Moses called his bluff, but he did pray for the hail to stop and it did. Sure enough, Pharaoh refused to let them go. In Matthew, Jesus rebuked the disciples for stopping the children from coming to him. Then a man asked what good deed he needed to do to have eternal life. This man was missing the point that salvation was about the heart and not deeds. When Jesus told him to sell everything he had and come and follow him he was speaking to the man’s heart. He knew that money was his heart, not following God. The man could not do it. Jesus told his disciples that it was hard for a rich man to enter heaven but with him all things were possible. Everyone who sacrifices here on earth will be rewarded a hundred times more in heaven. When our hearts are right, we want to do good deeds. Our deeds should follow our heart and not vice versa. Lord, help us to give our hearts to you completely. May we be about your Kingdom.

Sat.’s Devo - God’s WILL

Read: Exodus 5:22-7:25; Matthew 18:21-19:12; Psalm 23:1-6; Proverbs 5:22-23 The cycle continued. God would tell Moses what he was going to do. Moses would tell the people and Pharaoh. Things would get rough. The people would complain to Moses and Moses would complain to God. So far, nothing that God promised had happened and it only stirred everyone up. Pharaoh was as brutal as ever making life even more difficult than it was before Moses came. God did have a response. He reminded Moses about his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to bing them into the land of Canaan and give them it to them. God gave them six “I WILL’s”. He said, “I WILL free you from oppression.” “I WILL rescue from the slavery of Egypt.” “I WILL redeem you with powerful acts.” I WILL claim you as my own people.” And, I WILL bring you into the land I promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” “I WILL give it to you as your own possession.” When Moses told this to the people, they were done with his false promises and wouldn’t listen. God told Moses to tell Pharaoh to let them leave his country. How was Pharaoh going to listen if his own people weren’t behind him? God told him to go anyway and tell the people and the Pharaoh what He had said. Then in the middle of the story we have the genealogy of the first three sons of Israel. The sons of Israel in their order represent the timeline of history. Reuben represented Adam and his birth. When Leah had Reuben she said, “See a son.” which was the meaning of his name. Simeon means “God hearkens and hears.” which describes how God heard the sin of man and came down and destroyed the earth but heard the righteousness of Noah and preserved his generation because of his righteousness. Levi means “attached or joined”. They would be God’s priests here on earth. God attached himself to Abraham calling him his own family and making him the Father of many nations. He gave promises to Abraham which are to be continued through Moses. The three clans of Levi describe the three types of people that would serve as priests. Gershom means “a refugee, a stranger there.” They were the group that never made Egypt their home. They truly wanted to be delivered and would be true worshippers of God. The next group were the Kohath’s which mean “to ally oneself; waiting, obedient.” Moses was a Kohath. Then there were the Merari which means “bitter”. The timeline stops for now and resumes with the narrative because that was where they were in history. God told Moses he would make him seem like God to Pharaoh and Aaron would be Moses’ prophet. When he met with Pharaoh, Pharaoh demanded a supernatural sign to prove that Moses had godly authority. Moses threw down his staff and it became a serpent. Pharaoh took the challenge and had his magicians do the same only Moses’ snake ate their snakes. Pharoah should have seen the sign right there. Pharaoh hardened his heart so Moses proclaimed the first plague. He went to the Nile and announced to Pharaoh that since he refused to obey God’s order to let his people go, the Nile would turn to blood. When he raised his staff over the water, it all turned to blood. All the waters of Egypt turned to blood, even the rivers, canals, ponds and reservoirs. Even the water stored in wooden bowls and stone pots so all Egypt was affected by this. The magicians could turn water to blood, but they couldn’t turn blood to water. So, for a week the water remained blood. In Matthew, Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive someone. He came up with seven times but Jesus told him that seven times ten. In other words, Jesus was telling Peter HOW he should forgive sins - completely and thoroughly. Then he gave the account of the man who owed the king a great amount of money that he couldn’t pay. He went to the king to ask for mercy and the king forgave him. But when some of the man’s creditors came to him with the same request, he wouldn’t show mercy toward them. When the king found out about it, he rebuked him for his lack of mercy and threw him in prison till he could pay his debt. We are the man who owed God a great debt because of our sin. He forgave us of our sin completely so we should forgive others their sins the same way. Next, Jesus got the question about divorce. Jesus explained that Moses allowed for divorce because of their hard hearts. The man was to give the woman a writ of divorcement which was a legal paper giving the woman concessions and taking care of her. What they were doing in Jesus day was divorcing their wives without the legal document. This did not make the divorce legal thus if either remarried, they were committing adultery because they were still legally married. What superseded the papers was unfaithfulness of the wife. God divorced both Israel and Judah because of their unfaithfulness. Lord, help us to remember your covenant with us to free us from our sin, rescue us from the slavery of this world, redeem us supernaturally, claim us as your people and give us a land that is all our own. We believe you will do that for us.

Fri.’s Devo - What is in Your Hand?

Read: Exodus 4:1-5:21; Matthew 18:1-20; Psalm 22:19-31; Provers 5:15-21 Moses tried everything he could to get out of his assignment. God was asking him to go back to his past and overcome some fears he had run from. When he asked God what he would do if they didn’t believe him, he asked Moses what he had in his hand. God has given us everything we need. All we have to do is give what we have to the Lord. When Jesus was wanting to feed the multitudes he asked the same question. If God tells us to do something, he can turn what we have into what we need. God gave Moses two signs. One was turning his staff into a snake and back and the other was to turn his hand to leprosy and back. The first was to show them that the authority they were under was really a snake and they needed to get out from under it. The second was to show them that they were covered with sin and needed their soul delivered, not just their bodies. Next, Moses complained about his inability to speak and God already had that covered. Aaron was on his way at that very moment and he was sent to walk with Moses through this ordeal. God was one step ahead of Moses and was not letting Moses win. He was God’s man. Moses took his wife and sons and headed to Egypt with the blessing of Jethro. God spoke to Moses on his way and told Moses how this was going play out and end. Moses would do all his miracles but God would harden Pharaoh’s heart so he won’t let them go. Then he was to tell the Pharaoh that the children of Israel were God’s first born son and God commanded him to let His firstborn son go so he could worship Him. Since he refused, God would kill his first born son. On the way, God had to teach Moses something about the first born son. Moses had not circumcised his first born and God came to kill Moses because of it. Zipporah quickly took the knife and circumcised Gershom and threw the foreskin at Moses’ feet, saving his life. Scholars speculate that Zipporah must have been what was holding Moses back from circumcising his son, but when she had to choose between Moses and her son, she chose Moses and doing what his God required. Moses and Zipporah had to give their first born to the Lord. Moses met Aaron and told him what God had told him and showed him the signs. Together they met with the elders of Israel and showed them the plan. They all went to meet with Pharaoh. Pharaoh was not easily convinced. He told them to get back to work and sent word to make their work even harder. They would have to go and find material themselves to make the bricks and still reach their quotas. The Israelite foremen then went to intercede to Pharaoh for their worker’s sake. Pharaoh refused to hear their complaints. The foremen then turned on Moses and Aaron and told them this was all their fault. This would become a theme in Moses’ journey. He would be blamed for everything. Many want to be leaders but they should read Exodus to prepare. They might want to change their minds. When God calls forth a leader, He gives them trials to toughen their skin and train them to trust God. In Matthew, the disciples were wanting to be leaders in heaven. God brought a little child among them and told them that they must humble themselves like a child to be great in the kingdom. To be a leader, you must first learn to follow. There are those who would lead others to sin and it will not go well for them. Jesus had a word to those who were leaders not to look down on any of the children below them. They have angels in heaven who are always in the presence of God. They might not look important on earth, but they are important in heaven. Jesus gave the perfect formula for anyone who sins against you. Then he said that whatever we forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever we permit on earth will be permitted in heaven. That is a heavy saying. God doesn’t want us to permit wars and murder, and deception here. We were given this earth to steward and exercise authority over it. What we allow matters in eternity. If only two of us agree in prayer it will be done. Lord, may we walk in the authority you have given us and realize that everything we do in this life matters in eternity. May we steward well what you have put in our hand.

Thurs.’s Devo - The Mission

Read: Exodus 2:11-3:22; Matthew 17:10-27; Psalm 22:1-18; Proverbs 5:7-14 Moses grew up in Pharaoh’s house but never forgot that he was a Hebrew. One day when he was a man, he went to visit his own people and saw an Egyptian killing one of the Hebrews. He looked around to see if anyone was watching and killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand. News traveled really fast about what he had done and when it reached the Pharaoh, he tried to kill Moses. Moses flee for his life and went to Midian where he saw a well and sat beside it. The priest of Midian had seven daughters who soon arrived to water their father’s flocks. When other shepherds tried to shoo them away, Moses stood up for them and watered their flocks. When they came home that day, their father questioned why they were home so early and they told him what happened. He asked why they hadn’t asked the man who saved them to come home and eat with them. They went back and got Moses. Moses ended up staying with them and working with Jethro, the father. Jethro gave Moses his daughter, Zipporah to marry. They had a son and Moses named him Gershom meaning “A stranger there”. All through Moses’ life, he had been a stranger living among strangers. Meanwhile, back in Egypt, the Pharaoh died and a new man rose to the throne. He continued to use the Hebrews as slaves and they cried out to the Lord for help. God’s answer was Moses. He appeared to Moses in a fire in the midst of a bush. God called to him out of the bush and told him to take his shoes off because the ground he was standing on was holy. God shared with Moses that he had heard the cry of the Hebrews back in Egypt and had come down to deliver them and give them their own land which would be a good land in Canaan. It was now occupied by the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites. Moses was to go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt. Then they will come and worship God on this very mountain. Moses asked who he was to tell them had sent him. God told him to say I AM THAT I AM. I AM has sent you. Moses was to call a meeting with the elders of Israel and tell him his mission and they would hear him. Then they were to all go to the king of Egypt with their request to go three days’ journey into the wilderness to sacrifice to the Lord. The king would not let them go so God would hit them with all sorts of wonders until he let them go. When they do leave, they will leave with the wealth of Egypt . They will ask for their jewels and nice clothing and the Egyptians will give it to them. That was the mission in a nut shell but reality posed many interesting obstacles along the way. It really isn’t about the destination as much as it is about the journey. God develops our character in the process. In Matthew, the disciples asked about what the scriptures said about the fact that Elijah had to come before the Messiah came. Jesus answered that Elijah had come and no-one accepted him. The disciples realized he was referring to John the Baptist who came in the spirit of Elijah. A man brought his son to Jesus because the disciples were not able to heal him. Jesus rebuked their generation for being faithless and not interpreting the things of God rightly. Jesus rebuked the devil from the boy and he was well. The disciples asked Jesus why they had not been able to heal the boy and Jesus told them it was because of their unbelief. Their unbelief would not leave without prayer and fasting. When they came to Capernaum, the tax collectors came to get their census tax. Jesus asked Peter if kings took census tax on their citizens or strangers in their land. Peter answered, “strangers”. Jesus agreed that the citizens go free. He was making the point that the earth was theirs and they should not have to pay a tax to live on their land. But since the Romans would not understand this, he told them to pay them. He told Peter to go to the sea and cast one hook and he would catch a fish. In his mouth would be the coin to pay the tax. Jesus realized that nature is our servants and we are the rightful owners of the earth. Lord, there is so much to learn. Renew our minds to think as you do and increase our faith to believe all things are possible in You.

Wed.’s Devo - God’s Perspective

Read: Genesis 50:1-Exodus 2:10; Matthew 16:13-17:9 Psalm 21:1-13; Proverb 5:1-6 Jacob gave his last words to all his sons and laid down and died. Joseph had his Egyptian physicians embalm him which took 40 days. Then Joseph asked the Pharaoh permission to take his body back to Canaan and bury him in a tomb he had prepared. Pharaoh agreed and sent many of his charioteers with them. In the land of Canaan, they mourned deeply for Jacob. They buried him in the cave of Machpelah where Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah and Leah were buried. When they returned to Egypt, Joseph’s brothers were afraid that Joseph might want to seek retaliation on them now that Jacob had died. He kindly assured them that he would not do that. He knew that this had all been God’s plan to save many people not just them. In time, Joseph and his brothers all died. A new Pharaoh came to power who didn’t know anything about Joseph and what he had done to save their nation. The Hebrews had become so numerous they outnumbered the Egyptians and the new Pharoah was afraid that they would rise up and overpower them if they had the opportunity. He came up with a plan to make the Hebrews their slaves and work them to death. It did’t work because God was with them and continued to multiply them. Pharaoh came up with a new plan to have the mid-wives kill all the baby boys but the mid-wives were Hebrew and feared God and his laws over the law of the government. They refused and God blessed them. They lied to the Pharaoh and told him the Hebrews were too strong and had their babies before they got there. The Pharaoh’s next plan was to throw the boy babies into the Nile River. At that time, two Levites married and had a son. When he was born they knew there was something special about him so they hid him for three months. When it was apparent they could hide him no longer, the mother made a basket and laid him in the basket. The baby’s sister, Miriam, watched the basket from afar. The Pharoah’s daughter came down to bathe in the river and saw the basket. She had it brought to her and when it was opened the baby who began to cry. She took the baby into her arms and fell in love with it. She knew he was a Hebrew baby. Miriam approached the princess and asked if she should go find a woman to nurse the baby and the princes said, Yes. She took the baby home and let his mother nurse him until he was older, then she brought him back to the Pharaoh’s daughter to raise him as her own. She named him Moses because she drew him from the water. The midwives and the mother defied the government they were under to follow a greater government - the government of God. The mid-wives defied the government to save the Hebrew boys and God blessed them. Miriam and her mother defied the government to save their posterity and God blessed them. Sometimes we have to make a choice. Are we going to obey the government of the land or the government of God. In Matthew, Jesus asked his disciples who they thought he was. Some thought he was John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or another prophet resurrected. Then Jesus asked them who they thought he was. Peter said, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus blessed Peter and said that he could only deduce that by the Spirit of the Lord. Upon that revelation he would build his church and all the powers of hell would not be able to conquer it. He gave the church the keys to heaven that whatever we forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven and whatever we permit on earth, will be permitted in heaven. Jesus told the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. He told them what was about to happen to him. He would be arrested by the religious leaders who would kill him. On the third day, he would rise from the dead. Peter took Jesus aside and tried to tell him all that was not going to happen to him but Jesus rebuked Peter and told him to stop seeing things merely from a human perspective. He had to see from God’s perspective. Jesus told the disciples that to follow him would cost them their lives also. But in losing it, they would find real life. Six days later, Jesus took Peter, James and John to a high mountain. Jesus transfigured into his glory before them. Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared with him and they talked. Peter wanted to make three shelters for them but a voice came out of heaven saying, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.” Jesus came over and touched them and they awoke from their vision. Moses and Elijah were gone and Jesus was back to himself. Lord, may we see from your perspective and choose to follow you no matter the cost.

Tues.’s Devo- You Must Be Born Again

Read: Genesis 48:1-49:33; Matthew 15:29-16:12; Psalm 20:1-9; Proverbs 4:20-27 Joseph got word that Jacob was near death so he took Ephraim and Manasseh to see their grandfather. Jacob gathered the strength to sit up in bed and told them that God had appeared to him in Bethel and blessed him. God would make him so fruitful that his seed would become many nations. Right there, he adopted Ephraim and Manasseh as his own children. Any children born after them would be Joseph’s own. Jacob asked that the boys be brought near him and Joseph positioned them where Jacob’s right hand would be in front of Manasseh since he was the first born and his left hand in front of Ephraim. Jacob was half blind but he moved by the spirit and crossed his hands putting his right hand on Ephraim’s head and his left on Manasseh’s. When Joseph tried to correct him but Jacob refused to change saying that Manasseh would be great, but Ephraim would be greater. He blessed them with prosperity and greatness. Then Jacob called for all his sons and gave them prophecies according to what the Lord said. He took away Reuben’s right as the first born. So far every patriot’s first born lost that right: Ishmael, Esau, and now Reuben. Our first birth will never receive the promises of God. We have to be born again as a second birth to receive the promises of God. This is the picture of that concept. Jacob kissed them all and asked to be buried in the cave of his ancestors in the field of Machpelah in Canaan. In Matthew, Jesus was still north but he came down to the Sea of Galilee. He healed all manner of diseases and disabilities. The people had been with him for three years and Jesus wanted to feed them. They found seven loaves and a few small fish. That was enough for Jesus. He blessed and gave out enough to feed 4,000 men plus the women and children. Jesus sent them home filled and then got into the boat and went over to the Jewish side to the town of Magadan or Magdala. One day, the Pharisees and Sadducees came to test Jesus demanding to see a sign from heaven to prove he had authority to do all these things from God. He told them that they knew how to read earthly signs but had no idea how to read heavenly signs, so the only sign he would give them was Jonah. Jonah was in the whale three days then resurrected. They would have to figure it out. His disciples weren’t that great at discerning the spiritual signs either. When Jesus told them to beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees they took it literal. Jesus was telling them to beware of the false teachings of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Lord, may we be able to read your signs and discern the difference between earthly and spiritual. May we see your signs everywhere.

Mon.’s Devo - Faith in Action

Read: Genesis 46:1-47:31; Matthew 15:1-28; Psalm 19:1-14; Proverbs 4:14-19 Jacob left the land of Canaan with all his possessions. When they had come to Beersheba the place where Abraham had made an oath to Abimelech, God spoke to him in a vision. He told him not to be afraid to go to Egypt because he was leading him there. God promised him that Joseph would be with him to close his eyes to his life on earth. Jacob left with 66 descendants, not counting the wives. Joseph had two sons in Egypt so counting Jacob there were 70 total. Joseph went to meet them in Goshen and had a tearful reunion with his father, Jacob. He left them there and took five of his brothers to present them to Pharaoh. Pharaoh was glad to give them the best land of Goshen to live and pasture their sheep. The Egyptians hated farmers so it was the perfect scenario. They didn’t have to live in Egypt and they also got the best land where they could worship their God without hindrance. The famine grew worse till the people had no money to buy grain so they sold their property and themselves for grain. They were thankful to be able to live. Joseph bought up all the land except the priest’s land and all the people became the property of the Pharaoh’s. Joseph gave the people grain and in return they had to give back a fifth of their produce to the government. But, in Goshen, the people of Israel were able to acquire property and were fruitful. They grew rapidly. Jacob lived for 17 more years and died at 147. Joseph was called in before he died so he could make Joseph promise to take his bones out of Egypt and bury them in the land of Canaan with his ancestors. Joseph swore he would do that. Jacob knew the future and wanted to be buried in the future. In Matthew, the Pharisees came to Jesus offended about why he didn’t teach his disciples to go through their traditional hand washing ritual before they ate. Jesus asked them why they chose tradition over God’s laws. He gave them an example. They were not honoring their parents. Everything in their religion had to do with outward appearances. The more you gave to the Temple, the higher you were esteemed. They had made it legal to use the money you had saved up to care for your aged parents and give it to the Temple instead. You would gain importance in the Temple while your parents were neglected and poor. Jesus told them their worship was a farce because they taught man to obey their commands instead of God’s. Jesus told the crowd that it was not whether they were eating from clean hands that would defile them, it was the words that came out of their mouths that would defile them. Jesus told the people to ignore the laws of the Pharisee because they were blind guides leading them into a ditch. No wonder the Pharisees hated Jesus! A Gentile woman came to him pleading for her daughter who was demon-possessed. Jesus ignored her but she wouldn’t give up. She wore them down with her begging so Jesus finally told her that he was sent to the people of Israel only. She worshiped the Lord and asked him one more time to help her. He told her that it was not right to throw the children’s bread to the dogs. She responded that even the dogs get to eat the scraps from the master’s table. Jesus was amazed at her faith and her daughter was delivered at that moment. This story gives me so much hope. The mother was like Mary when Jesus was at the wedding and they ran out of wine. He did not think it was time to start publicly doing miracles, but Mary knew that the situation warranted a miracle. She pressed in to have Jesus move before he was ready to move. This woman did the same thing. Jesus came to save the lost in the whole world, Jew and Gentile and healing was for the Gentile too, only it was not time. She was able to press the future into the present. She got her miracle before it was ‘time.’ We can do the same thing. We can pioneer into the future and bring it into our present. Lord, teach us to live in the future and not in the past. May we cast off limitations and doubts and press into the future with faith and vision. May we act on your promises.

Sun.’s Devo- The Revealing of the Son of God -

Read: Genesis 44:1-45:28; Matthew 14:13-36; Psalm 18:37-50; Proverbs 4:11-13 Joseph needed to test his brothers with one more test to see if they would protect Benjamin with their life or if they would abandon him like they did him. He had his servant plant his silver cup in Benjamin’s bag. After they had left the city he was sent to stop them and accuse them of stealing the cup. When he accused them of stealing it the brothers were so sure they had not taken it that they said he could kill the one who took it and all of them would become servants of the governor. When the cup was found in Benjamin’s bag, the brothers were distraught. They returned with the man to Egypt. When they met with Joseph, Judah stepped forward to speak for them. He told him all about their father’s love for Benjamin and his brother. His brother had been eaten by wild animals but this child was his father’s delight. To take him away from him would break his heart. They could not return without him so they said they would all stay and be Joseph’s servants. Joseph could see that their hearts had changed so he ordered all his men to leave the room. He revealed his true identity to them and after they got over the shock of it all, they gathered around Joseph and hugged him and cried. The servants outside heard the great reunion and told the Pharaoh. He was delighted and offered the best land, provisions and blessings for Joseph’s family. They were to return and get Jacob and all their families and move them to Goshen which was Egypt’s best land. They would be fed from the king’s table and all their needs would be supplied. It was only the second year of the famine and there would be five more years. This was the only way to sustain them and keep their posterity alive. God had provided! Jacob could hardly believe what they were telling him about Joseph until he saw all the gifts Joseph had sent from Egypt and the vehicles they had sent to bring them back. Joseph was a type of Jesus who was despised and almost killed by his own brothers. He was sent ahead of them to prepare a place for them just like Jesus was sent to heaven to prepare a place for us. Goshen means “drawing near”. John the Baptist came preaching that the Kingdom of God was drawing near. The Kingdom of Heaven is closer than its ever been and we can access it anytime we want to. In Revelation 4:1 gives us the invitation to “come up here” and see the things which are in the future. In Matthew, when Jesus received the news that John the Baptist had been beheaded, he went to spend some time alone. His death was a marker in Jesus’ life that he was the only one who understood. The crowds caught up with him and his heart compelled him to meet their needs over his own. He healed them and ministered to them all day. As it was getting late, the disciples reminded Jesus that he needed to send them home to eat. Jesus told the disciples to feed them. There were over 5,000 people there and all they had was five loaves of bread and two fish. The disciples thought he was crazy. Jesus had them sit everyone down and took what they had and blessed them. Then he began breaking the bread and fish and passing them to the disciples who gave them to the people. Everyone was fed and the disciples picked up twelve baskets of left-overs. Then Jesus sent them home filled. Jesus finally got his time alone while he sent his disciples in their boat across the lake. A violent storm rose up around three in the morning. As the disciples were fighting the waves they looked up and saw Jesus walking on the water. I’m sure he had done this many times before only this time he got caught. The disciples thought it was a ghost and were terrified. Jesus called out and calmed their fears. Peter asked if he could do the same thing and Jesus invited him to join him. Peter was doing fine until he looked at the waves and allowed fear to drown his faith. He dropped into the water. Jesus reached out and pulled him into the boat and asked why he doubted him. The minute Jesus climbed into the boat, the storm stopped. The disciples had an epiphany that Jesus really was the Son of God. They landed in Gennesaret, the very place Jesus had delivered the demoniac. The last time, the people had cast Jesus out of town. This time they were flocking to see him with their sick and oppressed. The testimony of the delivered had changed their minds and hearts and they were ready for Jesus. Lord, may we be ready for the next thing you want to do on the earth. We see and feel the shift of change and know you are inviting us to join you in what is coming. We wait with joyful expectation for your sons to be revealed on the earth.

Sat.’s Devo - Return to Egypt

Read: Genesis 42:18-34; Matthew 13:47-14:12; Psalm 18:16-36; Proverbs 4:7-10 Instead of making all the brothers stay in prison and only send one home, Joseph chose Simeon to stay and sent all the rest home. He had told his men to secretly put every man’s money back in the top of their sack and give them provisions to make it back home safely. They were to bring Benjamin back and then he would release Simeon. When they returned home and told Jacob all that had happened, he was determined not to send Benjamin and was upset that they had told the man that they had another son. They explained how he had questioned him and they had no idea he would demand to see Benjamin. Then they found their money in their sacks and were even more afraid. Simeon stayed in jail until their grain was almost gone. They had to go back so Jacob finally allowed them to leave with Benjamin. When they arrived in Egypt and Joseph saw them he told his servants to kill a fattened calf and prepare a feast. They would be eating with him. The brothers were brought to Josephs own house and brought inside. They were petrified and tried to give the servant the money that had been returned in the sacks. He told them that God must have put it there because they had their money. When Joseph arrived they gave him the gifts their father had sent from the land of Canaan. Joseph asked if their father was still living and they said yes and presented Benjamin to him. Joseph had to leave the room because he was so overcome with emotion. When he had composed himself, he returned. The brothers were served from Josephs own table but seated at another table since the Egyptians didn’t eat with Hebrews. They were seated according to their age and Joseph filled their plates himself. He gave Benjamin five times as much as he gave the others. In Matthew, Jesus was still giving parables about the Kingdom of Heaven. At the end of the ages there will be a separating of the righteous ones from the wicked ones. The wicked ones will be thrown into hell. Jesus explained that if you are a teacher of the law who becomes a disciple of the Kingdom of Heaven, you will bring new truths as well as old from heaven to your students. That was who Jesus was and what he was doing. Jesus returned to Nazareth and taught in the synagogue but the people wondered where he got his information because they knew he was only one of them. They were offended by his authority and refused to believe in him so Jesus could do little miracles there. When Herod heard about his miracles he was afraid that John the Baptist had been raised from the dead. He had arrested John as a request from his new wife, Herodias. Herodias had been the wife of Herod’s brother Philip, but she divorced him to marry his brother who was more powerful. John had preached that it was against God’s law from him to marry her. Herod hadn’t had the courage to kill John but when Herodias’ daughter danced for him at a party he had publicly asked her what she wanted as a gift. Her mother instructed her to say she wanted John the Baptist’s head on a platter. To save face in front of all his guests he had him beheaded and his head presented to her. Lord, may we be those who bring the Kingdom of Heaven down to earth. May we enjoy the fruits of our labors and live in your blessings.

Fri.’s Devo - The Interpretation

Read: Genesis 41:17-42:17; Matthew 13:24-46; Psalm 18:1-15; Proverbs 4:1-6 Pharaoh shared his dream with Joseph about the cows and the grain. These were the two sources of Egypt’s food supply so Joseph knew by discernment that God was speaking about a famine in the land since the good was overwhelmed by the weak. When he told Pharaoh that God was entrusting him with the future of the known world, he did this to honor him and give him hope. Pharaoh could see that God favored Joseph with administrative gifts so he put him in charge of his court and all his people. He gave him the authority to make any decision he thought was right for his nation. Amazing, since Joseph was clearly not an Egyptian. Pharaoh also gave Jospeh a wife named Asenath and they had two sons Manasseh and Ephraim. Manasseh means “causing to forget”. He was a statement of what God had done in Joseph’s heart to cause him to forgive his brothers. Ephraim means “fruitfulness” because God had caused him to be fruitful where he was. Just as the dreams said, Egypt experienced its greatest harvests for seven years. Then a famine swept in and began the next seven years. Joseph had stored up grain during the seven years of plenty and began to sell it to the people during the beginning of the famine. This was a world-wide famine so it had spread to the land of Canaan also. Jacob heard that there was grain to buy in Egypt so he sent his sons, minus Benjamin, to Egypt to buy some grain. Joseph was in charge of the distribution of grain so he was the one to meet with his brothers. He recognized them at once but they didn’t recognize him because he was shaven and wearing the royal robes of Egypt. He played the role of the mean Egyptian ruler and interrogated them. He accused them of being spies and they spilled out the fact that they were all brothers and had another brother at home. To prove they were telling the truth and not spies, Joseph put them in jail for three days to decide who would go home and bring Benjamin back as proof that they were telling the truth. They would get some jail time, like they had given Joseph, to do some soul-searching. Yesterdays’ parable in Matthew was the catalyst for all of Jesus’ parables. The seed was the Word, the gospel of the Kingdom of God. In this next parable the farmer’s good field was infiltrated with the enemies’ seed. When the crops began to grow there was grain and weeds. The farmer instructed his workers to let them grow together and in the end they would separate the weeds from the grain. Jesus told his disciples later that the good seed was his seed that He planted on the earth and the bad seed was Satan’s seed that he planted on the earth. They were to grow together until the end of time when the angels would reap the world. Then the weeds would be separated from the grain and thrown into he fire of hell. Jesus told two other parables from his perspective. God had hidden his treasure in the world, his remnant. The Jews were the treasure and the Gentiles were the pearls. They are hidden all over his world. He gave his son to purchase the whole world just to get the treasure and the pearls. Lord, thank you that you didn’t give up on the world but you gave your only son to purchase us and restore us back to you. You are our rock and our fortress. You are our place of love and safety.

Thurs.’s Devo - From the Prison to the Palace

Read: Genesis 39:41-16; Matthew 12:46-13:23; Psalm 17:1-15; Proves 3:33-35 Everywhere Joseph went he had the favor of man and God. He had been his father’s favorite, Potiphar’s favorite and soon became Pharoah’s favorite. No doubt he was a favorite in jail for people to open up and share their dreams with him. Satan hates God’s favorites and does everything he can to discourage and depress what God wants to do in them. God turned all the efforts of Satan for good for Joseph. Joseph got wrongly accused of raping Potiphar’s wife and thrown in prison. He was elevated to head person in the king’s royal prison. Two of Pharaoh’s closest men got thrown in prison for attempting a coup on the king. The cup bearer and the baker must have been accused of trying to poison the king because both had access to the king’s food and drink. Their dreams ratted them out. The baker was guilty while the cup bearer was innocent. In three days, just like Daniel had predicted, their judgment day came and the baker was impaled and the cupbearer was restored to his position. He was suppose to remember Joseph and get him out of jail but instead forgot all about him. God was preserving Joseph for a special moment when he would need him to save a nation. That moment came when the Pharaoh had a dream. Then the cup-bearer remembered Joseph and he was brought before the king. Every time Joseph was questioned about dreams he was sure to give God the credit for his interpretation. The world has their dream interpretation but God’s is the right one. In Matthew Jesus gave a parable we have come to know as the Seed and the Sower. In the parable there was a sower of seed who scattered his seed along the highway, on stony places, among thorns and in good ground. The seed scattered in the first three places were devoured, scorched and choked by their environment. The third seed scattered in good ground brought forth fruit at different degrees. Jesus explained the parable to his disciples later. He reminded them of Isaiah’s prophecy about this generation, “By hearing they will not hear, and will not understand, and seeing they will see but not perceive.” This prophecy summed up the people of Jesus’ time. Because their hearts were hard and closed, it affected the way they heard and saw things. The parable exposed four types of people. They received his teachings with varying degrees of understanding and belief. The only ones who could keep his teachings were the last ones whose hearts were ready and hungry enough to receive it. They were the ones who would bring forth fruit for the kingdom of God. May our hearts be fertile and ready to receive all the seed you scatter our way today. Open our hearts, eyes, ears and understanding to perceive your presence, your voice and your heart.

Wed.’s Devo - The War of the Kingdoms

Read: Genesis 37:1-38:30; Matthew 12:22-45; Psalm 16:1-11; Proverbs 3:27-32 Jacob had settled in Canaan where he was the foreigner in his own God-given land. His son, Joseph was seventeen and worked with the sons of his father’s concubines Dan, Naphtali, Gad and Asher. They hated him because he tattled on them for all the bad things they did and it was obvious he was his father’s favorite, and because of his dreams. They were very mean to him. Joseph shared his dreams with his brothers. In his first dream, he saw their bundles of grain all bowing down to his. In his next dream, he saw the sun, moon, and stars bowing down to him. He told this one to his father who understood the dream. Jacob, his wife and his sons would bow down to him. (Joseph’s mother was dead so I speculate the wife would be Leah although we don’t hear anything else about her alive.) Later, Jacob sent Joseph to Shechem to check on his brothers who were suppose to be pasturing his sheep. He found out they had gone to Dothan. When his brothers saw him from afar off, they conspired to kill him and hide him in a pit. Reuben heard their plans and planned to stop them from killing him. They did put Joseph in a pit then sat down to eat planning to attend to him later. In the meantime, God prepared a company of Ishmaelites from Gilead on their way to trade in Egypt. The brothers decided it would be more advantageous to profit from Joseph so they sold him. They took his coat his father had given him. Reuben found out Joseph wasn’t in the pit and was upset. They took Joseph’s coat and smeared it in the blood of a goat and took it to their father. He surmised that Joseph had been attacked by wild animals and died. He mourned for years. Meanwhile, God was with Joseph and he was sold to Potiphar in Egypt. Potiphar was Pharaoh’s captain of the guard. Our story shifts to Judah, one of Leah’s sons. Judah traveled to Adullah and married a woman named Hirah. They had three sons named Er, Onan and later Shelah. Judah arranged for Er to marry Tamar. Er was so wicked, God killed him. Judah made Onan marry Tamar to have a son in Er’s name. Onan didn’t want to do that so he made sure she didn’t get pregnant. God killed him also. Judah promised Tamar that she would be given Shelah when he grew up but he didn’t keep his promise. When Tamar realized Judah wasn’t going to give her Shelah, she took matters into her own hands and set up a prostitute’s stand on Judah’s way home. Judah had lost his wife so he would be lonely. Tamar disguised herself and enticed Judah to come into her tent. He had no money to pay for sex so he gave her his staff, his bracelets, and his signet ring. He would send a kid from his flock and get his things back. True to his word, Judah sent a kid to the prostitute but no one around there knew of a shrine prostitute so Judah kept his mouth shut. Tamar became pregnant and when Judah was told she had played the prostitute, he wanted to burn her to death. She sent him his things and told him that she was pregnant by this person. There was no way he was going to kill his own offspring so she was allowed to live. Tamar had twins. In childbirth, an arm came out first so the mid-wife put a scarlet thread on it. Then the other baby came out first. She called the one who came out first Perez since he broke through to be first and she named the one with the scarlet thread Zerah meaning “scarlet or brightness”. The first born in the Old Testament was a picture of our first birth in the natural. The second born is a picture of our “born again” experience, thus the scarlet thread. In Matthew, when Jesus healed the blind, deaf and dumb man who was also demon-possessed, the Pharisees gave credit to Satan. Jesus nailed them. They accused him of being Beezebub (Satan) and now he was casting demons out of a man. If he was from Satan’s kingdom, why would he be casting himself out. But if he was casting out Satan’s kingdom by the power of God’s kingdom then God’s kingdom had arrived. Only someone stronger than Satan could cast out Satan and so far no-one had been able to do that. They could blaspheme him and be forgiven but to blaspheme the power in him would not be forgiven. Demons had to occupy a person’s body because they have no body of their own. If a demon is cast out of one body he will search for another body to occupy. If he doesn’t find one, he will return to the one he was cast out of and if it is not occupied by the spirit of God, he will bring seven other spirits more evil than itself and occupy that person making him worse than before. Jesus said that that would be the case in their generation. Lord, we honor your power over all of Satan’s kingdom. We thank you that we carry your kingdom in us and have been given authority over Satan’s kingdom. May we use this power to bring your kingdom nearer.

Tues.’s Devo - Jacob’s Return

Read: Genesis 35:1-36:43; Matthew 12:1-21; Psalm 15:1-5; Proverbs 3:21-26 God told Jacob to move to Bethel where he had built an altar to the Lord when he was fleeing from Esau. Jacob had everyone in his household get rid of all their pagan idols and changed their clothes to purify themselves. (I wonder if Rachel got rid of hers?) Jacob took the idols and buried them under a tree near Shechem. God put fear in the nations around them so they didn’t harm Jacob. Rebekah’s nurse Deborah died and was buried in the valley below Bethel. They mourned greatly for her. Jacob went on to Bethel and was met by God again. God changed his name to Israel and blessed him. He told him that His name was El-Shaddai which means “God Almighty”. Jacob would become a mighty nation - even nations would come from him. He was giving him the land he gave to Abraham and Isaac and to his descendants after him. Jacob set up a stone pillar to mark the place where God spoke to him. He poured wine over it and anointed the pillar with oil. He called the place “God’s house”. They moved on toward Ephrath. On the way, Rachel went into labor and was dying. The midwife told her it was a son and she named him Ben-anoi which means “son of my sorrow”. Jacob changed his name to Benjamin which means “son of my right hand.” Jacob returned to his father, Isaac and was there to bury him when he died. He was buried in the same burying ground that Abraham and Sarah were buried in. Esau had three wives who had children. When Jacob moved back home, Esau left and moved to the hill country of Seir. Esau’s sons became kings of nations. They were called the Edomites. In Matthew, the Pharisees watched every thing Jesus and his disciples did to find fault in them. When the Pharisees saw the disciples break off some heads of grain and eat them on the Sabbath, they accused them of harvesting on the Sabbath. When Jesus healed on the Sabbath, they accused him of work on the Sabbath. Jesus gave them examples of great men like David who broke the Sabbath for good reasons. He told them that God wants us to show mercy over sacrifices. Jesus was the lord of the Sabbath and what he said goes. Jesus explained that people were more valuable than law. Isaiah had prophesied that Jesus would cause justice to win and his name would be the hope of all the world. Lord may we be those who lead blameless lives, speak the truth from sincere hearts, refuse to gossip, honor the faithful and cannot be bribed to lie about the innocent. May we stand firm forever.

Mon.’s Devo -Jacob Becomes Israel

Read: Genesis 32:13-34:31; Matthew 11:7-30: Psalm 14:1-7; Proverbs 3:19-20 In Genesis 28:22 Jacob had set a pillar and worshiped the Lord. He had pledged to give a tenth of all he had to the Lord. I wonder if this was not Jacob’s tithe that he set apart to give to his older brother Esau. Jacob took out a set number of all he had and put them in charge of the servants that would be in the first group. They were to be a peace offering to Esau. Jacob sent the second group over the Jabbock River and spent the night alone. That night an angel came down and wrestled with Jacob all night long. The only way the angel could get free was to touch Jacob’s hip and wrench it out of its socket. He begged Jacob to let him go before the day dawned but Jacob wouldn’t let him go until he blessed him. The angel asked Jacob what his name was and he changed it to Israel because as a prince, he had fought with God and with men and had prevailed. Israel means “he will rule asa prince of God.” Jacob named the place Peniel which means “face of God”. He limped from that day and Israelites don’t eat the meat around the hip socked to honor his victory. When Jacob saw Esau coming, he placed the children of his concubines first and Rachel and Joseph last. Jacob went ahead of them and bowed down before Esau. Esau ran to hug and kiss Jacob and they both wept. Esau asked about the people with him and Jacob intruded them. He asked about all the animals that he met first and Jacob told him they were a gift of friendship. Esau said it was unnecessary but Jacob insisted. Esau wanted to escort him to Seir but Jacob insisted on staying behind and moving slowly for the sake of his flocks. Instead of going to Seir, Jacob stopped in Succoth in Canaan, where he bought some land from Hamor the prince of the country and set up booths for his cattle. He erected an altar and called it El-elohe-Israel which means “the mighty god of Israel.” Leah’s daughter Dinah went out to make some friends and was met by Shechem, the son of Hamor. He took her and raped her. Shechem asked his father to get Dinah for him to marry. Hamor went to Jacob and told him that Shechem wanted to marry Dinah and asked that they make a covenant and intermarry with one another. It would be financially a win for both of them. He asked Jacob to name his price for Dinah. Dinah’s brothers had a confrontation with Shechem and schemed to get back at him for defiling Dinah. They told them that if they would circumcise themselves as they were then they would intermarry. Hamor and his son Shechem and all the men in the city agreed to do that. Then all that Jacob owned would be theirs too. When they had all circumcised each man, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s blood brothers took swords and came to the city and killed all the men who were too sore to fight. They slew Hamor and Shechem and took Dinah back. They also spoiled the city of all its wealth. They took the children and wives captive and all their cattle. Jacob was not happy with what they had done and was afraid that the other nations in Canaan would seek revenge on him. Their response was, “Should he deal with our sister as with a harlot?” I have to agree with their statement but maybe not the way it was done. I think God saved them from making a very unwise covenant with the people of the land. In Matthew, Jesus commended John the Baptist as being the greatest prophet. He was the one who prepared the way for him to come. He chastised the people for not eating and drinking and said he was demon-possessed yet the chastised Jesus for eating and drinking. Nothing satisfied them. He condemned the cities where he did most of his miracles: Korazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. They loved the miracles but rejected him. It would be better for Sodom and Tyre and Sidon on judgement day than them. Jesus calle for all who were weary and tired of the yoke of the Pharisees. His requirements were light and his way was easy and in him they would find rest for their souls. Our only burden is to carry his light. Lord, may we courageously carry the light of Jesus and rest in him. May we be satisfied in Christ.

Sun.’s Devo - Jacob Returns

Read: Genesis 31:17-32:12; Matthew 10:24-11:6; Psalm 13:1-6; Proverbs 3:16-18 Jacob left Laban’s house secretly while Laban was out shearing his sheep. Unbeknown to Jacob, Rachel stole her father’s household gods. This would cost her her life. After Jacob had been gone for three days, Laban realized his gods and Jacob were gone with all Jacob owned. Laban took off after him and caught up with him in seven days in the area of mount Gilead. Laban had been warned in a dream not to harm Jacob so he asked him why he snuck away and why he took his gods. Jacob told him he fled because he was afraid Laban would not let him take his wives with him. He knew nothing about the gods but pronounced a curse of death over whoever took them. Laban’s men searched all of Jacob’s stuff but couldn’t find the idols. Rachel was sitting on them and told them she was in her period so she couldn’t get up. Jacob was irate at Laban because he had worked for 20 years for him: 14 for his daughters and 6 for his cattle. His wages had been change 10 times. Laban answered that all Jacob had had been his but there was nothing he could do about that so he wanted to make a covenant with Jacob. Jacob set up a pillar and a stone. They had a meal and called the place “Heap of witness”. It would be a dividing line that neither of them would pass to do harm to the other. Jacob offered a sacrifice and they all ate together. Laban got up early the next morning kissed his family and left to return home. Jacob went the other way to his home. Angels met him and Jacob realized he was in a camp of angels. Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to Esau. He told Esau of his prosperity and his hope that their reunion would be friendly. Esau was already on his way to meet Jacob with 400 men. Jacob was terrified so he divided his household into two groups. He reasoned that if Esau attacked the first group, the second could escape. Jacob then reminded God of his promise that one day he would bring him back to his own land and that he would multiply his descendants too many to count. Jacob did what we need to do when we are faced with fear. We need to remember the promises of God for us and repeat them back to God. This is spiritual warfare - claiming what is ours. In Matthew, Jesus said that students were not above their masters but should want to be like their masters. They had said that Jesus was the master of the house of Beelzebub which was a name for Satan and meant “the dung-god”. If they called him this, what would they call his disciples. He told the disciples not to fear their enemies because all that was being done in darkness would one day be brought to the light. Nothing would stay hidden. They were to bring to the light everything he told them in secret. It works both ways. He also told them don’t be afraid of the people who threaten to take your life because they can never have your soul. God watches every soul that is taken and rewards them in heaven. Whoever denies the Lord on earth, will be denied in heaven. There will always be conflict on earth, even in families. Jesus came to bring a sword which is truth. It divides people. We are to take up our cross and follow Jesus. If we receive a prophet as a prophet, we will receive what he says. If we receive a righteous person as a righteous person, we will receive a righteous man’s reward. This means that if we see the gifting in another person and honor that, we will receive the same reward as them. Their gift came from God so to honor it is to honor God. Lord, may we honor the giftings we see in others instead of being jealous or feeling less than them. May we see you in others and be blessed by their gifts. May we bless others with our gifts. Thank you that you are the gift and the giver.

Sat.’s Devo - Birthing the Tribes of Israel

Read: Genesis 30:1-31:16; Matthew 10:1-23; Psalm 12:1-8; Proverbs; 3:13-15 When Rachel couldn’t get pregnant, she complained to Jacob who blamed it on God. Instead of going to God for an answer or help, Rachel gave him her maid as a concubine to have children for her. Through Bilhah (which means “timid”) Rachel had Dan which means “to judge”. Rachel believed that God had judged her and vindicated her. Bilhad had another son which Rachel named Naphtali which means “my wrestling”because she had wrestled with her sister and won. Leah, not to be outdone, gave Jacob her maid Zilpah (which means “to trickle like myrrh”). She had a son that Leah named Gad (which means “an invading troop”). Jacob now had children from four different women - imagine the dynamics of that household! Zilpah had another son and Leah named him Asher which means “happy and blessed”. Rueben found some mandrakes and brought them home to his mother, Leah. Mandrakes were called “love plants” and “Satan’s apple” because it possessed stimulating and narcotic properties. When Rachel found out about it she traded her night with Jacob for the mandrakes. Leah took it and got pregnant with another son she named Issachar which means “he will bring a reward”. He had been her reward for giving her mandrakes. Leah then had a daughter named Dinah meaning “justice”. God then remembered Rachel and she had her own son and named him Joseph which means “let him add”. This son did something to Jacob because he finally wanted to leave Laban and go back home to his own land. He went to Laban and asked for his wages. In Matthew, Jesus gave his twelve disciples authority to cast out unclean spirits and heal all manner of sickness and disease. The twelve disciples were Simon Peter, Andrew his brother, James and his brother John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James, Thaddaeus, Simon and Judas Iscariot. He sent them to the city of the Samaritans and told them to find the Jews and preach to them that the kingdom of heaven was near. They were to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils and give as they had been given. They were not to take money or provision. The people of the places they went were to house them. If they didn’t receive them or their message then they were to shake the dust off their feet of that city and go to the next. That city would be judged at the judgment day. Jesus then looked far into the future even to us. When we are brought before the governors and kings for teaching about Him, the Holy Spirit will speak through us. Brothers will deliver up his own brother, and fathers will give up their own child. The children will rise up against their parents and cause them to be put to death. We will be hated of all men because of Christ. Those who endure to the end will be saved. We can see some of this happening right now but it is not close to how it will be in the end. Lord, may we preach your kingdom until the end. May we use the authority you have given us to heal the sick and raise the dead. May we have no fear.

Fri.’s Devo - Jacob’s Journey

Read: Genesis 28:1-29:35; Matthew 9:18-38; Psalm 11:1-7; Proverbs 3:11-12 To save Jacob’s life, Isaac sent Jacob to Paddan-aram and marry one of Laban’s daughters. Laban was Rebekah’s brother. His father Bethuel was Abraham’s brother making him a grandfather. He reminded Jacob that the land he was living in was the land God had promised to his descendants and was his to own one day. Esau realized that Jacob was being sent away and told not to marry one of the Canaanite women like he had. To please his father he went to Ishmael’s and married one of his daughters. He chose Mahalah which means “sickness”. Jacob left Pandan-aram and stopped to sleep along the way. He found a stone for his pillow and dreamed of a stairway to heaven. Angels were going up and coming down the stairway. The Lord was at the top. The Lord spoke to him and told him that the land he was sleeping on was his also and he would one day return to this land with many children. He awoke in awe and called the place Bethel which means “house of God”. It had been named Luz which means “perverse”. Jacob promised God that if he did bring him safely back he would give the Lord a tenth of all he owned. God prospered Jacob and he found a daughter of Laban at the first well he came to in the land of Haran. Her name was Rachel. Jacob watered all of her flock and went home with her to meet Laban. Laban was so happy to meet him and gave him a job working with his animals. He wanted to pay Isaac so he asked him his price. Jacob said he would work seven years to marry Rachel because he loved her. Laban agreed. Laban had another older daughter named Leah who was still unmarried when the wedding took place. That night Laban slipped in Leah instead of Rachel so Jacob slept with Leah. When Jacob found out what had happened he was irate. Laban told him it was their tradition that the older daughter had to marry first. He told Jacob that he could marry Rachel in a week but he would have to work another seven years for her. Jacob agreed. God has a way of disciplining us and conforming us into his image. Jacob was a trickster and a deceiver. He was given a father-in-law who was even more cunning than him. He was the sand paper to Jacob’s rough edges. Jacob had to learn obedience through the things he suffered just like it said Jesus did. So do we. God rewarded Leah with an open womb. She had four sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah. With each son, Leah proclaimed something about getting Jacob’s love until the forth where she only praised the Lord. She then stopped baring children for a while. In Matthew, Jesus was met by two people who needed his help. One was a Jewish woman who had bled for 12 years. The other was a Gentile daughter who was fatally sick. They were pictures of the two covenants. The first was to the Jew and the next was to the Gentile. The Jewish woman was drowning in blood. The Jews were full of sacrifices and yet they were still sinners. The Gentile girl was dying and hopeless. She stood for the Gentiles who had no hope except she die and be risen in Christ. Jesus healed the Jewish woman and raised the Gentile girl. He came to save the Jew and the Gentile. Jesus then healed a deaf and dumb man who had been kept that way because of demons. Jesus cast out the demons and he could speak. The Jewish leaders had decided that there were three tests that the Messiah must fulfill and this was the last. The other two were to heal a man born blind and to cleanse a Jewish leper which Jesus had already done. When Jesus did this third test, all the people looked at the leaders to see what they would say. They refused to name Jesus as the Messiah so they said he did his miracles through the power of the prince of demons. They were pretty much saying that Jesus was the Anti-Christ. Jesus left and went to teach in the small towns and villages. He continued to heal and prayed for more harvesters because he could see the great harvest of people that wanted to know God. Lord, may we not have boundaries around you and your power. May your kingdom expand in our lives and in our hearts.

Thurs.’s Devo - Getting the Blessing

Read: Genesis 26:17-27:46; Matthew 9:1-17; Psalm 10:16-18; Proverbs 3:9-10 Isaac reopened the wells that Abraham had dug plus he dug a new well of fresh water in the Gerar Valley. The Philistines argued that it was in their land. Isaac named the well Esek (argument) and moved on. He dug another which the Philistines argued over also. He named it Sitnah (hostility) and moved on and dug another. This time they didn’t argue over it and he named it Rehoboth (open space). Isaac moved to Beersheba where the Lord appeared to him and told him not to be afraid that the Lord would bless you. He said he would multiply his descendants and they would become a great nation. Isaac built an altar and worshiped the Lord. One day, Isaac got a visit from King Abimelech’s army commander and adviser. Isaac asked them why they had come since they had kicked him out of their land. They wanted to make a treaty with Isaac since he was becoming so big and powerful. They wanted to make sure he was on their side. Isaac prepared a feast to celebrate the covenant they were making. Then they parted ways. That very day, Isaac’s men told him they had dug a new well and named it Shibah meaning “oath”. Meanwhile, Esau married two Hittite wives that made life for Isaac and Rekekah miserable. When Isaac realized he was close to death he called for Esau to bless him. He asked that he kill some game and cook it. After he ate he would bless him. Rebekah heard it and told Jacob to go get two goats from the flock and she would cook the meal. She put animal skins on Jacob’s arms so he would feel like Esau then he sent him in to Isaac. Isaac recognized Jacob’s voice and three times Jacob had to lie to get his blessing. Isaac blessed him with many nations becoming his servants and all of his brothers bowing down to him. All who cursed him would be cursed and all who blessed him would be blessed. As soon as he had finished blessing Jacob, Esau returned from hunting. He prepared his meal and took it to his father, Isaac. Isaac shook when he realized what had happened. Esau begged his father for a blessing and finally Isaac told him that he would live away from the goodness of the earth and live by the sword. He would serve his brother but the he decided to break free he would shake his yoke from his neck. Esau hated Jacob so much he planned to kill him once Isaac died. Rebekah heard of his plan and sent Jacob away to Haran and his uncle Laban’s house. In Matthew, Jesus went back to his home town and was brought a paralyzed man. He told the man that his sins were forgiven and the teacher of religion were so upset. They called “blasphemy”. Jesus asked them which was easier to tell someone their sins were forgiven or to tell a paralyzed man to stand and walk. To prove that the Son of Man had the authority on earth to forgive sins he turned to the paralyzed man and told him to stand, pick up his mat and go home. He did. As Jesus was walking by a tax collector’s booth, he saw the tax collector, Matthew and told him to come and follow him. He did. Matthew invited Jesus and the disciples to his home as dinner guests along with his friends. Among them were other tax collectors and disreputable sinners. The Pharisees criticized Jesus for eating with sinners. Jesus told them that healthy people didn’t need a doctor, sick people did. He came to show mercy and to call the sinners to righteousness. One of John the Baptist’s followers came and asked Jesus why his disciples didn’t fast like John’s did. Jesus told him that it was because they had the bride groom with them. One day he would be taken away and then they would fast. Then he gave him an example of mixing the Old Testament way with the New way. It wouldn’t mix. New wine that Jesus was bringing had to go into new hearts and a new system. Lord, give us new hearts for your new system. May we welcome the new and understand the authority you have given us to forgive and heal.

Wed.’s Devo - We are Satan’s Greatest Fear

Read: Genesis 24:52-26:16; Matthew 8:18-34; Psalm 10:1-15; Proverbs 3:7-8 Once Abraham’s servant heard that they believed he was sent by God, he was ready to get back home with Rebekah. They tried to convince him to stay for 10 days but Rebekah said she was ready to go so they returned to the land in the Negev. Isaac saw the camels coming and walked to meet them. Rebekah got down from her camel and walked to meet him. Isaac brought Rebekah into his tent and loved her deeply. Abraham married another woman named Keturah and had six children. He gave everything he owned to Isaac but gave gifts to the sons of his concubines. Abraham died at the age of 175 and was buried with Sarah. Ishmanel had 12 sons who became princes of their areas. Ishmael lived for 137 years and then died. His descendants lived in the area of Asshur and lived in open hostility to their relatives just as was prophesied. Rebekah was barren but Isaac prayed for her to bear children and God heard his prayer. She became pregnant with twins who battled in the womb. God told her that there were two nations in her womb and they would be rivals. The older one would end up serving the younger. When she gave birth, Esau came out first. He was red and hairy like an animal. Jacob came out holding on to his heel. Esau grew up to be Isaac’s favorite because he was a hunter who killed wild game and Isaac loved to eat it. Jacob was Rebekah’s favorite because he stayed at home and helped her. One day while Jacob was cooking some stew Esau came in from hunting famished. Jacob would feed him only if he gave him the right of the first born. Esau was so hungry he pledge an oath, thus despising his birthright. A famine came that drove Isaac and his family to Egypt. God told him to live there as a foreigner but this was his land in Canaan. God would multiply his descendants He told Rebekah to tell everyone she was his sister to save his hide just like Abraham had done. Abimelech happened to see Isaac being intimate with his wife and called him in to rebuke him for lying. Isaac told him he was afraid he would be killed for his wife. Abimelech issued a public proclamation saying if anyone touched Isaac’s wife would be killed. Isaac harvested his crop and made a hundred times more grain than he planted. He became so rich that the Philistines filled up all of Isaac’s wells with dirt. These were the wells that Abraham had dug. Abimelech finally ordered Isaac to leave and go somewhere else because he was becoming too powerful. In Matthew, Jesus and his disciples were on their way across the Jordan to the land of the Gadarenes. Both times they tried to go to this area, Satan sent a storm to stop them. Both times Jesus rebuked the storm and they made it safely to the other side. This time their mission was to take the principality of the region who lived in a man. Jesus rebuked the demons and sent them into a herd of pigs and they ran off the cliff to drown in the water. The men watching the herd ran into the town telling everyone what had happened. The entire town came to chase Jesus away. In both the Old and the New Testament we see the fear Satan has of God’s people. When we become who we are suppose to be, we will cause the devil to tremble. Lord, may we become the sons of God who know our inheritance and walk in power and authority.

Tues.’s Devo - Finding a Wife for Isaac -

Read: Genesis 23:1-24:51; Matthew 8:1-17; Psalm 9:13-20; Proverbs 3:1-6 Sarah died when she was 127 years old and Abraham wanted to bury her in Canaan. He went to the Hittites who owned the land and asked to buy a piece of land in Machpelah to use as their burying ground. They agreed that Abraham pay Ephron 400 pieces of silver for the land. Machpelah was near Mamre also called Hebron. This land became a city of refuge years later. Abraham was very old and wanted to find a wife for Isaac so he called in his servant and told him to go to his home land and bring back one of his own relatives to marry Isaac. He asked if he should take Isaac there if no woman was willing to come back with him and Abraham said no, God would send his angel ahead of him and find a wife. If she was unwilling to come back then he was free from this oath. The servant went to the town where Abraham’s brother Nahor had settled in and sat by the well waiting for the women to come to draw water. He asked God to give him success that day and looked up and saw Rebekah. She was beautiful and a virgin. He asked her to draw water and she drew water for him and his camels. This was the sign the servant was looking for so he gave her bracelets and a nose ring.Then he asked her who’s daughter she was and if her father had room to board him for the night. She told him she was the daughter of Bethuel whose parents were Nahor and Milcah. She told them they had plenty of room for them. The servant worshiped the Lord for making his mission successful. Rebekah ran home and showed her brother, Laban her bracelets. He went to meet the servant and brought him home with him. The servant told Laban and Bethuel his story of why he was there and how the Lord had led him to Rebekah. He then asked them for an answer. They could not deny that it was the Lord who brought him to them. What a great example of being led by the Spirit. In Matthew, Jesus healed a Jewish man of leprosy. This was something that had never happened before. He told the man to go to the priests and show them as a public testimony. Jesus then returned to Capernaum where he met a Roman officer who had a servant who was in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain. Jesus was going to go to his house when the Roman officer told him he didn’t need to do that. All he had to do was to use his authority and say it and he would be healed. Jesus was amazed that this man understood the power of authority and how it worked in the natural and in the spiritual. Jesus commented that he had not found this kind of faith among the children of Israel but the Gentils would come from all over the world and find the Kingdom. Jesus then turned and told the officer to return home because his servant had been healed. When he returned he found that he had been healed at the exact time Jesus had proclaimed it. That evening, many demon possessed were healed with a simple command. When we realize the authority God has given us over demons and sickness, we will be dangerous to Satan’s kingdom. Lord, may we grow in our faith and expand our spiritual view to see the power you have given your body and may we use it to restore your kingdom to earth.

Mon.’s Devo - The Making of Nations

Read: Genesis 20:1-22:24; Matthew 7:15-29; Psalm 9:1-12:Proverbs 2:16-22 It is easy to want to judge Abraham for his foolish decisions but we are watching how God teaches and grooms his leaders. Abraham didn’t have a written law about God. He learned about him through his life experiences and today we see him learning how to have faith in God and how much he had grown in that faith. Abraham feared the nations he traveled in so he had told Sarah to tell everyone she was his sister so his life would be spared. It sounds very chauvinistic to us but if something happened to him, Sarah wouldn’t stand a chance. Sarah was taken into Abimelech’s harem and both Sarah and Abraham had to be tested by God. God did come to their rescue in such a powerful way. He put the fear into Abimelech and he gave Abraham back his wife with a sharp rebuke and gave him 1,000 pieces of silver compensation. Abraham prayed for Abimelech’s family to not be barren and what he prayed for them came true for Sarah as well. She became pregnant with Isaac. Abraham was 100 years old and circumcised Isaac when he was 8 days old. Hagar and Ishmael made fun of Isaac and Sarah had had enough. She insisted that they leave. This made Abraham sad, but he did as Sarah wanted. God assured him that this was the right decision and promised Abraham that Ishmael would also make a nation of his descendants of Ishmael because he was his blood. Abraham sent Hagar and Ishmael away with food and water. They wandered in the wilderness until the water was gone. Hagar prepared her mind to die. God spoke to her and told her not to be afraid because he was going to make a great nation from Ishmael’s descendants. He showed Hagar a well full of water. Ishmael became a skilled archer and lived in the wilderness of Pagan. His mother arranged for him to marry an Egyptian woman. Abimelech came to pay a visit to Abraham and to make a covenant with their peoples. Abraham got back the well in Beersheba in the covnenant. Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba Years later, Abraham was tested again. He was to take Isaac to a mountain that God would pick out and sacrifice him to the Lord. Abraham immediately obeyed. Isaac was a teen-ager by now. He questioned why there was no lamb but soon found out he was the lamb. He, like Jesus laid down his life willingly on he altar because he so trusted his father. God called out to Abraham and stopped him with his knife in the air. He told Abraham that he had passed the test and showed him a ram in the thicket that he could sacrifice in Isaac’s place. Abraham anted the place Yahweh-Yireh which means “the Lord will provide”. God promised Abraham that he would bless him and multiply his descendants beyond number. They would conquer the cities of their enemies and through his descendants, all the earth will be blessed. All of this was because Abraham obeyed him. Abraham got news that his brother Nahor had had eight sons from his wife Milcah and four others from his concubine, Reumah. One of his sons was Nahor who would have a daughter named Rebekah. She would become the wife of Isaac. Jesus told us how to recognize a false prophet. It was not like in the Old Testament where the litmus test was whether his prophecy came true. The litmus test now was the fruit of the prophet - his actions. Many will not be exposed until the judgment day. Lord, may we welcome our testing because we know that testing makes us stronger.

Sun.’s Devo - Destruction of Evil

Read: Genesis 18:16-19:38; Matthew 6:25;7:14; Psalm 8:1-9; Provers 2:6-15 The Lord and his angels got up to go to Sodom. God decided to share with Abraham what his plans were. He was going to destroy both Sodom and Gomorrah for their sins. Abraham asked if he would kill the righteous with the wicked. Then he began to bargain with the Lord. He began with asking if he would save the city if there was fifty righteous people in it. He ended up with ten. God said if he found ten righteous people he would not destroy the city. He already knew the answer. The angels were met in the square by Lot who brought them to his house. The men of the town came that night to command him to give them the men to have sex with them. Lot tried to negotiate his own virgin daughters for the men but the angels grabbed Lot and brought him safely into the house and blinded the eyes of the men outside. They commanded Lot to take his family and escape that night and not look back. Lot’s daughters had finance’s who only laughed and refused to leave. Lot’s wife turned back to look and was turned into a pillar of salt. The whole city was destroyed with hail stones and sulfur. Lot was told to go to the mountains but begged to go to a little town near by. When he got there, the men of the town scared him so much he ended up going to the mountains after all. After living there for a while, Lot’s daughters decided the only way they would be able to carry on their family line was to have a child through their father. They got him drunk and each had sex with him and both got pregnant. The older daughter gave birth to a son. She named him Moab where we get the Moabites and the younger daughter gave birth to Ben-Ammi where we get the Ammonites. Too bad they didn’t hear Jesus’ sermon. He told the people not to worry about anything, that God would provide. God could have provided a wife for Lot and husbands for them if they had waited on the Lord. If we seek God’s kingdom, everything we need will be added to us. We are told not to worry and not to judge others. We are told to judge ourselves and walk in righteousness and love. We are to keep asking and seeking because we will find what we need in our loving Father. The way into his kingdom is a narrow gate. Lord, help us to not hesitate to ask you about everything and keep asking till we get your answer. Thank you that you do answer us and provide all we need and more.

Sat.’s Devo - The Promise

Read:Genesis 16:1-18:15; Matthew 6:1-24; Psalm 7:1-17; Proverbs 2:1-5 Sarai hadn’t produced a son so she gave her servant Hagar to Abram and told him to have a son through her. He reluctantly obeyed and Hagar became pregnant. She then made Sarai’s life so miserable that Sarai retaliated. Hagar ran away. God appeared to Hagar and told her to go back and submit to Sarai because she was pregnant with a son who she would name Ishmael. He would be an enemy to all his relatives but he would have more descendants than she could count. Hagar went back to Sarai and her son was born. Abram was eighty-six. Hagar called the place the Lord spoke to her, Beer-lahai-roi meaning “God sees me.” Thirteen years later, God appeared to Abram. He told him that he was making a covenant between them. Abram’s name would be changed to Abraham meaning “Father of many nations.” He was giving him and his seed the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession. He and all his descendants would be circumcised on the eighth day after their birth. Sarai would now be called Sarah meaning “mother of nations”. She would indeed have a son who would be named Isaac. He would be born the same time next year. Then God left. Abraham took all the male in his household and circumcised them and himself. He was 99 years old. God sent three angels as men to him. Abraham prepared food for them and as they sat to eat, they told him that when they returned in a year Sarah would have a son. Sarah heard them from inside her tent and laughed. They asked her why she laughed. She tried to tell them that she didn’t laugh but they didn’t accept her words. In Matthew, Jesus continued his sermon. He was teaching us how to be humble. Give, pray, and fast privately. He gave us an example of how to pray. We are to learn to forgive those who mean harm to us and to store up our treasures in heaven instead of on earth. We can only have one master so we need to choose wisely, our eternity is at stake. Lord, help us to live with eternity on the forefront of our minds. May we remember that you do see us and love us. You have a purpose for us and our posterity to be a blessing to the world.

Fri.’s Devo - The Battle of the Kings

Read: Genesis 13:5-15:21; Matthew 5:17-48; Psalm 6:1-10; Proverbs 1:29-33 Lot and Abram were traveling together but their flocks had become so numerous that their shepherds were quarreling over land. Abram told Lot it was time to go their separate ways so he gave Lot his choice of where he wanted to go. Lot chose the land that already had cities established so he would have a place of civilization to live. When Lot had gone, God told Abram to look in all directions because he was giving the land as far as he could see to his descendants as a permanent possession. Abram moved his camp to Hebron and settled near the oak grove of Mamre. He built another altar to the Lord there. War broke out in the region with the kings of Babylonia, Ellasar, Elam, and Goiim against the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim and Bela. The five kings against the four. Kedorlaomer, a king of the five had ruled over the four and made them pay him tribute for twelve year. It was the thirteenth year and they were rebelling. The nine armies met in the valley of the Dead Sea and fought. The valley was filled with tar pits and many fell into the tar pits. Sodom and Gomorrah were captured and all their people were taken as captives including Lot and his family. When Abram found out what had happened he gathered relatives from Eshcol and Aber along with the 318 trained men from his family and went to fight Kedorlaomer and his army. They caught up with them at Dan and chased them to Hobah. Abram recovered everything they had stolen as well as the people. He met the king of Sodon on his way home. He also met Melchizedek the king of Salem and priest of God Most High. Melchizedek brought him bread and wine and blessed Abram. Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the goods he had recovered. The king of Sodom only wanted the people that Abram had recovered. He told Abram he could keep all the plunder from his city. Abram refused to keep any of it. He only asked that his relatives from Echol and Aner and Mamre be paid. Later, God appeared to Abram and told him not to be afraid and that his reward would be great. Abram complained that blessing did him no good if he had no son to pass it down to and to carry on his legacy. God promised he would have a son. He told him he would be given descendants like the stars in the sky - uncountable. Abram believed the Lord and his faith pleased God. God also promised him the land for his possession. Abram asked for assurance. God told him to bring a heifer, a female goat, a ram, a turtledove and a young pigeon. The animals all had to be three years old. He cut each animal down the middle and splayed them. He didn’t cut the birds in half. Abram worked to keep the vultures away. The sun went down and Abram was put to sleep. God told Abram that his descendants would be strangers in a foreign land for 400 years, then their enemies that enslaved them would be punished. They would leave with great wealth. After four generations his descendants would return to this land and the Amorites would be destroyed. Abram saw a smoking repot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the carcasses. The land that God was giving Abram was now occupied by 10 different nations of “ites”. In Matthew, Jesus used the law to teach them spiritual concepts of his kingdom. It was not just the letter of the law they were to keep, but the spirit. Their heart was what would be judged more than their actions. The new law of the kingdom was love. Everything was to be done with the motive of love - even for their enemies. They were to go the extra mile. Jesus never said they couldn’t do it, but that they could. They could love their enemies and they could walk in righteousness. So can we. Lord help us to see that living a righteous life is our mandate and with the Spirit of God it is possible. Help us to seek the kingdom first and all these things will follow.

Thurs.’s Devo Abram’s Beginning

Read: Genesis 11:1-13:4; Matthew 5:1-26; Psalm 5:1-12; Proverbs 1:24-28 God had told the people to be fruitful and multiply across the earth but instead they had all migrated east together and settled on a plain in the land of Babylonia. They all spoke the same language and decided to make a great city with a tower that had its top that reached into heaven. Because they were one, God knew they would do it and anything else they imagined to do. God went down with his angels and confused their language so they couldn’t communicate. This caused them to scatter throughout the earth like God had intended them to do. The name of the city they had built was Babel which means “confusion”. We are given Shem’s lineage. Man began to have children at a much younger age and died much younger than before the flood. Abram was in Shem’s lineage, the ninth generation. Abram’s wife was Sarah and she was barren. Abram’s father Terah had two other sons Nahor and Haran. Haran had a son named Lot, then Haran died. Terah took his family and Lot to the land of Canaan but stoped in Haran where they lived until Terah died. Then God called Abram to finish what his father had started out to do. Abram came to Shechem which was inhabited by Canaanites. God appeared to Abram and told him that he was giving this land to his descendants. Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the Lord. He went on to the hill country between Bethel and Ai and built another altar and dedicated it to the Lord. Abram continued across the land toward the Negev. A severe famine struck the land of Canaan which forced Abram to go to Egypt for a while. He told his wife to tell everyone that she was his sister so they would spare his life because Sarai was so beautiful. She obeyed him and the Pharaoh took Sarai into his palace. He gave Abram many gifts to pay for her. The Lord protected Sarai and sent diseases to the Pharaoh and his household. They realized it was because of Sarah and when they investigated further, they found that Sarai was Abram’s wife. The Pharaoh was very upset at Abram and called him in. He ordered him to take Sarai and get out of his country. Abram left with all his gifts and all his livestock. He went back to where he had built his altar between Bethel and Ai and worshiped the Lord again. Jesus saw he had a drawn a large group of followers so he sat them down on the mountain and taught them. He pronounced a blessing on his followers for their many circumstances they might find themselves in. He told them that they were the salt or seasoning of the earth and the light of the world. He encouraged them to use these attributes to further the kingdom of God. Jesus explained that he didn’t come to do away with Moses’ law but to fulfill it. He then went through the Ten Commandments teaching the spirit of the law. Lord, help us to read your word with your Spirit as our teacher and our guide. Lead us in the way of righteousness.

Wed.’s Devo - God’s Covenant

Read: Genesis 8:1-10:32; Matthew 4:12-25; Psalm 4:1-8; Proverbs 1:20-23 God sent a wind to dry the ground and finally a year later, Noah was able to exit the boat. Noah released the animals and sacrificed to the Lord some of the ones he had seven. God promised to never curse the ground again because of the human race even though everything they think and imagineer is bent toward evil from childhood. God blessed Noah and his sons and told them to be fruitful and multiply. God put in the animals and the fish a fear of man because from then on, they would be food for man. God would require the blood of anyone who took another person’s life. Even if a wild animal killed a person, it had to die. If a person took the life of a man, then his life would be taken by a man. Never again would a flood destroy the earth. As a sign of God’s covenant, he gave them his rainbow in the clouds. Year later, Noah reaped the grapes from his vineyard he had planted. He made wine and got drunk. He lay naked in his bed and his son Lot saw him. He came out of the tent and told his brothers Shem and Japheth. They covered their father without looking on his nakedness. When Noah awoke and found out what had happened he cursed Ham’s son Canaan to be a the lowest of servants. He blessed Shem and Japheth and said that Ham’s descendants would be their servants. Japheth, Ham and Shem’s lineage is given. Japheth’s descendants settled in Europe, the peninsula of Lesser Asia, and the region lying on the east of the Euxine. The sons of Ham went southward into Arabia, Canaan and Mizraim in Egypt. Nimrod is mentioned as a famous warrior. He was know for killing wild beasts which gained him the public gratitude and was exalted as a hero. He founded the first kingdom in the world. Nimrod headed an army that went into Assyria and conquered some of the land of Shem fulfilling the meaning of his name “rebel”. Nimrod also built the town of Nineveh and other towns. Shem was the father of Eber, the ancestor of the Hebrews. Aram was the countries of Armenia, Mesopotamia and Syria. Included in his land was Shinar and the country of Eden. During the life of Peleh the earth was divided probably by an earthquake. All the nations came from Noah’s descendants. In Matthew, Jesus learned that John the Baptist had been arrested and went to his territory and encouraged all of John’s followers continuing his teaching repentance because the kingdom of God had come near. Jesus called brothers Simon Peter and Andrew from their boat to come and follow him. He then found James and John, also brothers, who were mending their nets and called them to follow him. They all did. Jesus spoke in the synagogues in Galilee announcing the Good New about the Kingdom of God. He healed every kind of disease and illness. People from as far as Syria heard and brought their sick and demon-possessed. Jesus healed them and set them free. Lord, may we do the works that you did and set people free.