Mon.’s Devo - God’s Faithful Love

Read: Judges 2:10-3:31; Luke 22:14-34; Psalm 92:1-93:5; Proverbs 14:1-2 Todays reading is the saddest story. It could read “America” in the place of Israel. *** That generation died and the next did not serve the Lord. They did not remember the things God had done for them as a nation and a people that God had called his own. They chose to serve Baal and Ashtoraeth. This caused God to turn them over to their enemies and they were no longer able to resist them. God fought against them. *** When they got desperate, they would cry out to God and he would send a judge who would lead them in victory. But when that judge died, they would return to idolatry and evil. God had left nations in their land to test them to see if they would follow God and teach them to fight. They were the Philistines, Canaanites, Sidonians, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites, and the Hivites. *** The first judge God raised up was Othniel which means “the seasonal speaking of God”. He was Caleb’s nephew. He went up against the king of Aram and won. Israel had 40 years of peace. When he died, Israel went back to their idolatry and God raised up the king of Moab against them. They served the king of Moab, Eglon for 18 years bringing him tribute every year. *** The people cried out to the Lord and God raised up Ehud to defeat the king Eglon. He went in with a two-edged sword and stabbed him. Because he was so fat, the knife was lost in his layers of skin. Ehud escaped to Seirah, in Ephraim and sounded a call to arms. They attacked and killed about 10,000 of Moab’s strongest warriors and there was peace for 80 years. Later, Ehud killed 600 Philistines with an ox goad. *** In Luke, Jesus sat down to eat his last supper with his disciples. He told them he would not eat this meal again until its meaning was fulfilled in the Kingdom of God. In other words, he would not eat the Passover meal with his followers until the meaning of Passover was understood. The Passover was the picture of his crucifixion which was given to God’s people to practice year after year, so that when it happened they would remember what they did and understand what it meant. *** Jesus was the lamb that they slaughtered every year and everything that they did to that lamb, was done to Jesus. Jesus explained to them that night that the wine they drank represented his blood which would be poured out to cover and take away the sin of the world The bread was his body which would be broken for them. Jesus took the cup that was to be drunk after the supper and said that it was the new testament, the new covenant he was making with them. *** Jesus said that the very one who would deliver him up to the enemy was sitting with them at the table and much grief would be his for doing this great betrayal. The disciples argued about who would betray him and who would be the greatest. Jesus tried to show them the way to the top was to stay at the bottom and serve. *** Jesus turned to Simon and assured him that he had prayed for him that Satan’s will would not win in his life. Jesus knew that he would face great temptation and failure. He told him that before the cock crowed he would deny him three times. *** I think Jesus told this to Simon to say that he knew he would fall but he loved him so much he had prayed that his failure wouldn’t ruin him. This is the faithful love of our Great Shepherd. *** Lord, may we not be devastated by our failures but rise to fight again. This life is our test. This is the pre-life to prepare us for our heavenly life. May we stay faithful till the end.