Wed.’s Devo - The Sorrow of Defeat will Lead to Victory

Read: 2 Samuel 17:1-29; John 19:23-42; Psalm 119:129-152; Proverbs 16:12-13 Absalom asked Ahithophel for advise first and then Hushai. Ahithophel told him to go after David at once and attack him while he was tired and discouraged. Hushai told him to wait and summon all Israel together and then attack with a full army. Ahithophel’s advise was the best, but Hushai’s advise is what Absalom chose which was God’s plan. Hushai had bought David time to get far away and rest and regroup. Hushai sent Zadok and Abiathar to tell David Absalom’s plans and to warn him not to stay by the Jordan but to flee into the wilderness. *** When Ahithophel saw that Absalom took Hushai’s advice over his, he went and hung himself. *** David and his men continued and came to Mahanaim and was met by Shobi, Makir and Barzillai. They brought provision for David and all his men. Shobi was the brother of Hanun who had cut off the beards of David’s ambassadors when they came to give their condolences for the loss of their father. Shobi must have disapproved of his brother’s actions and was now making amends to David. Makir is believed to be the brother of Bathsheba. Barzillai was an older elder who was very wealthy. He was not in good health himself which made his appearance and gifts really special to David. *** Mahanaim had been the seat of Ishbosheth’s government. He was the king who was appointed after Saul by Joab. Now, it is his town that reaches out to David in his time of greatest need. This shows the love and respect David had of the whole land. *** In John, Jesus had been crucified and was close to death. Everything he said and did was a fulfillment of scripture. He had referred his followers to the song which begins, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.” which is Psalm 22 to us. In that Psalm it describes Jesus’ event on the cross to a tee. It refers to his garments being distributed among them and gambled for. It speaks of the spiritual warfare he went through and even the fact that his bones were out of joint, and in Psalm 34:20 it says they were not broken. Psalm 69:21 says that they gave him gall and bitter vinegar when he was thirsty. *** Zechariah 12:10 says that they will look upon the one they pierced and mourn for him as one mourns for his only son. Everyone mourned in their own way. Joseph of Arimathea got permission to take Jesus body and place it in his own tomb. Nicodemus came with 75 pounds of spices and helped Joseph wrap Jesus body. The women would come later with their spices. *** Lord, thank you for the cross. Thank you for all the pain and suffering you went through to gain the victory over the penalty of sin and death. We also mourn your death but rejoice in your victory.

Tues.’s Devo - Stand With Truth

Read: 2 Samuel 15:23-16:23; John 18:25-19:22; Psalm 119:113-128; Proverbs 16:10-11 David left the city with the people mourning him as he passed. He carried the Ark with him. Zadok offered sacrifices until everyone had passed out of the city, but David told him to take the Ark back. If it was the Lord’s will, he would bring him back to see the Ark and the Tabernacle again. *** David sent Zadok and Abiathar, both priests, to return to the city and send their sons Ahimaaz and Abiathar with reports of what was happening to David. He would wait by the Jordan River. *** David came to the Mount of Olives where Jesus had travailed in prayer the night before he died. Hushai, a foreigner was waiting for him in sorrow. David sen him home because he was too old to travel with him. He told him to go back and tell Absalom that he would be his advisor, only give him unwise advice. Husai went back to Jerusalem and arrived at the same time Absalom was entering the city. He convinced Absalom that he was loyal to whoever sat on the throne. *** When David reached Bahurim a man named Shimei came out to curse David and his men. He was from the lineage of Saul and called David a murderer. David’s men wanted to kill him but David wouldn’t let them. He said that maybe God had sent him to curse him. Or, maybe God would turn these curses into blessings. *** Absalom’s advisor was Aithoepel and he told Absalom to go and sleep with David’s concubines to show all Israel that David wasn’t coming back. So, they set up a tent on top of the palace where the concubines were and Absalom slept with David’s wives in front of all Israel. This was the fulfillment of prophecy. What David had done with Bathsheba in private was now being done in public. *** In John, Peter denied Jesus the last two times and the rooster crowed. *** The trial with Caiphas ended and Jesus was take to the headquarters of the Roman governor. Pilate came out and asked them what their charge was against Jesus. Their answer was that he was a criminal (they knew they had no case.) Pilate then asked Jesus the only question he was interested in… are you the king of the Jews? Jesus asked him if that was his question or did he get it from what he had heard about him. Pilate answered “Am I a Jew?” *** Then he asked him what his crime was and Jesus told him that his Kingdom was not on earth, but if it were, there would be nothing he could do to keep it from succeeding. *** Pilate asked him again if he were a king and he answered that he came into the world to testify to the truth and all who love truth will recognize it as truth. *** Pilate came before the people and told them that he found Jesus innocent of any crime. He tried to give them the choice between Jesus or Barabbas and they chose to let Barabbas free and to crucify Jesus. Pilate had Jesus flogged and they mocked him as the King of the Jews by putting a robe on him and a crown of thorns on his head. Pilate then presented Jesus to them but made it clear to them that he found him innocent. This was all their doing. *** The people cried to crucify Jesus, so Pilate turned him over to them to do the job. The Jewish leaders said that by their law he ought to die, because he called himself the Son of God. This frightened Pilate and he took him back in and asked him where he was from. He was afraid of killing a son of God. When Jesus wouldn’t answer him, he got frustrated and said, “Don’t you realize that I have the power to release you or crucify you?” To which Jesus said, “You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above. So the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.” *** Pilate was in a pickle. He wanted to release Jesus, but he was too afraid of the angry crowd. He announced Jesus as their king and sent him to be crucified. He had a sign written that said, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews”. It was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. The leading priests wanted him to change it to read: “He said he was the king of the Jews,” but Pilate refused to change it. *** This is what fear will do to a person who doesn’t have the Holy Spirit to empower them against the onslaughts of the enemy. Pilate didn’t want to crucify Jesus, he was afraid to, but he was more afraid of the crowd. He compromised his conscience to please people and lost his soul. *** Lord, give us boldness and courage to stand up in a world that is crying “Crucify”. They want to crucify all that is good and righteous. May we not fall under the pressure to conform to the enemy and compromise our convictions. May we be strong and courageous!

Mon.’s Devo - The Conspiracy

Read: 2 Samuel 14:1-15:22; John 18:1-24; Psalm 1129:97-112; Provers 16:8-9 Joab found a wise woman who he sent to David to act like she had a problem that paralleled Absalom’s. She told a story about her two sons who fought and one killed the other. Now, the people of her town wanted to kill her other son. David vowed he would not let them hurt her son. Then she revealed that her problem was like his, and asked why wouldn’t he let Absalom back into the city and reconcile with him. David asked her if Joab had put her up to this and she confessed that he had. *** David agreed to let Absalom come back into the city but he was never to see him face to face. Absalom came back but was not happy with the arrangement. After two years of this, Absalom asked to have a meeting with Joab, but Joab didn’t respond. Absalom set Joab’s barley field on fire and got his attention. They met and Absalom told him he wanted to see the king. David finally agreed to meet with him. *** Once Absalom had good standing with David, he bought a chariot and hired 50 bodyguards to run ahead of him. He would go out to the gate of the city where all the cases were held and listen to their grievances. He would tell them they had a strong case and if he was a judge, he would take their case. When people went to bow to him, he would hug them instead. Doing this, he gained the heart of the people. *** After four years, Absalom asked David if he could travel to Hebron to offer a sacrifice to the Lord. David agreed, but Absalom’s real reason was to proclaim himself the king and lead a rebellion against David. He took 200 people with him who had no idea his plan and when they were all assembled he had the ram’s horn blown and his men cried “Absalom has been crowned king in Hebron. *** News came to David that all Israel had crowned Absalom king so David and his men fled the city. David left his concubines to look after the palace. They left on foot with 600 men from Gath whose leader was Ittai. David encouraged him to go back and not get involved, but he vowed to follow David to death if it came to that. David let him come with him. *** Families can be so complicated. It is easy for us to see from a bird’s eye view of how this might have been avoided if David had spent time with Absalom and forgiven him or disciplined him in love. Or, if David had disciplined Amnon for raping Tamar and consoling her and Absalom. But, none of that happened so we have a big mess. So many times it is lack of communication and pride that divides a family which could have been avoided if someone would have humbled themselves and become the peacemaker. *** But, then Absalom was like Judas and he would have found another reason to betray his father just like Judas found a way to betray Jesus when Jesus didn’t do anything wrong. *** In John, Judas led the priests and Pharisees along with the Roman soldiers and Temple guards to where Jesus went to pray. They came with torches, lanterns and weapons and looked like an army. Jesus met them knowing what was happening. He turned himself over to them and only requested that they let his disciples go free. Peter drew a sword and cut off Malchus right ear. He was the high priest’s slave. Jesus rebuked Peter and in Luke 22:50 it says Jesus touched his ear and healed him. (I wonder how Malchus felt about Jesus then?) *** They took Jesus to the house of Annas the father-in-law of Caiaphas the high priest at the time. Peter and John followed. John was allowed to enter the courtyard with Jesus. Peter had to stay outside the gate but John got him in. A woman asked Peter if he was one of Jesus’ disciples and he denied it. *** Jesus was taken inside and questioned about his teaching. He told them that he had only spoken in public his teaching and they heard it. He didn’t have any secrets. He got slapped for not respecting the high priest. Then he was bound and taken to Caiaphas’ house. What a goat rope! Lord, thank you that you know the heart of man and you still choose to save us. Thank you that you love us and help us to be strong in spite of our weaknesses. We depend on You for our righteousness and wisdom.

Sun.’s Devo - Christ in Us, the Hope of Glory

Read: 2 Samuel 13:1-39; John 17:1-26; Psalm 119:81-96; Proverbs 16:6-7 David had six sons when he lived in Hebron, all from different wives. The first was Amnon and the third was Absalom. Absalom’s mother was the daughter of a Syrian king from Geshur. David also had a beautiful daughter with Absalom’s mother, Maacah. The daughter’s name was Tamar. *** Amnon was obsessed with Tamar and didn’t know what to do. He had a crafty cousin named Jonadab who told him how to connive and steal some time with Tamar. He told Amnon to fake sickness and ask if Tamar could come and cook his favorite meal. David allowed her to go but after she had prepared his food, Amnon forced himself on her and raped her. Then he kicked her out and was abhorred by her. *** David and Absalom knew what had happened. David did nothing, but Absalom plotted revenge. Two years later, Absalom asked David if he and his sons could come to his sheep shearing party. David was too busy so Absalom specifically asked if Amnon could come. David must have smelled a rat, because he wanted to know why he wanted just Amnon to come. As a precaution, David sent all his sons thinking Absalom wouldn’t do anything with all of them there. Absalom ordered his men to kill Amnon once he had gotten good and drunk. The other sons fled back to David. *** David had received news that all his sons were killed but then was told by Jonadab that only Amnon was killed. Jonadab was Amnon’s friend who had plotted his meeting with Tamar. He had known his plot against Amnon so I wonder if he wasn’t in on it too. *** All of David’s sons came home sobbing and David mourned many days for his son Ammon. Absalom fled to his grandfather’s house in Geshur. Geshur means “proud beholder”. That could describe Absalom to a tee. He was a proud beholder of himself. *** John 17 is Jesus prayer he prayed in the ears of his disciples. He prayed that God would be glorified through him. God had given Jesus power over all flesh to give eternal life to the ones God had given him. Eternal life was given to those who knew God and Jesus…BOTH of them. There is only one way to the Father and that is through Jesus Christ. *** Jesus was praying for the ones that God had given him and for us who were to come. Jesus was glorified in them as he is glorified in us. Jesus prayed that all who were his would be one, just like he and the Father are one. Jesus prayed that God would protect them from the evil one as He had protected Jesus from Satan. We are not of this world just as Jesus was not of this world. Our citizenship is with God in his kingdom. *** Jesus last words of his prayer were that we have the same love that He had because He would be in us. How can we not prosper in all things? *** Lord, it is amazing the plan you have for your children. May you be glorified in us and in our lives. May we experience your love and live your love. May we allow you to live through us today.

Sat.’s Devo - And We Know

Read: 2 Samuel 12:1-31; John 16:1-33; Psalm 119:65-80; Proverbs 16:4-5 Nathan came to David with a hypothetical tale about a rich man who took a poor man’s only lamb to serve his guest when he had plenty of other animals in his own stock. David was incensed when he heard the story and said that that man deserved to die. Then he doled out his sentence. He must repay four lambs to the poor man for the one he stole because he had no pity. *** Nathan explained that e was that man. He had stolen Uriah’s only wife when he had all the virgins in the kingdom to choose from. then, he had killed an innocent man to cover his sin. *** David had thought he had done all this in secret, but God was going to make his penalty public. One in his own household would rebel against him and God would give his wives to another man before his very eyes. All Israel would see this. This was fulfilled through his son Absalom. *** David confessed his sin and repented. After Nathan left, God sent a deadly illness to the child of David and Bathsheba. David fasted and prayed for God to heal him but he finally died. David worshipped the Lord and brought Bathsheba to him and they had another child. They named him Solomon. God loved this child and called him Jedediah which means “beloved of the Lord”. *** Joab had been fighting David’s battles and told him he was about to take Ammon’s capital city, Rabbah. If he wanted credit, David needed to come and lead the final attack. David did and they won. David took the crown from the king’s head and placed it on his own head. That was symbolic for taking down that principality and ruling over it. Rabbah means “populous or masses”. *** The book of John was written to the Church and it contains no parables. In John, Jesus spoke clearly and not in code. He told them over and over that he was leaving but coming back and that he was sending them the Holy Spirit to lead them into all truth. He also warned them that what the people did to him, they would do to them. *** Jesus told them that they would grieve at first, but their grief would turn to joy. They would learn to ask God directly, in Jesus name, for what they wanted like he did. The time was coming when they would abandon Jesus, but he is never alone because his Father is with him. He told them this so they would not feel condemned, but have peace. Jesus knew it would happen and would always love them. *** We can sum up everything we read today in the verse in Romans 8:28. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” *** Jesus was perfect love. Lord, may we walk in that love knowing that You are in us. Thank you for the Holy Spirit that lives in us. Thank you that we have access to You and your courtroom and can always come to you with our needs and thoughts. Thank you for peace.

Fri.’s Devo - The Love of the Father

Read: 2 Samuel 9:1-11:27; John 15:1-27; Psalm 119:49-64; Proverbs 16:1-3 David wanted to fulfill his vow to Jonathan to honor his family so he asked Ziba who had been one of Saul’s servants if he knew of anyone in Jonathan’s family that was still alive. He knew of Mephibosheth, the boy who had become crippled when his nurse dropped him when fleeing Jezreel (2 Sam. 4:4). David summoned Mephibosheth to his court. *** David met Mephibosheth and told him he had nothing to fear, he was going to take care of him because of his great love for his father, Jonathan. He gave Mephibosheth all the land that had been owned personally by Saul and told Ziba and his sons to farm it for him. But, Mephibosheth would eat at his table like his own sons. Ziba had 15 sons and 20 servants so this had to be both a burden and a blessing for him. It was a windfall for Mephibosheth who had one son named Mica. . *** The king of the Ammonites, Nahash died and David wanted to show honor to him since he had been an ally, so he sent ambassadors to give his condolences to his son, Hanun. Hanun’s commanders told Hanun that David’s men were spies spying out his land. They took David’s men and shaved off half their beards and cut their robes really short and sent them home. When David found out, he told his men to stay in Jericho until their beards had grown out. *** The Ammonites rallied for a retaliation from David. They hired 20,000 Aramean foot soldiers, 1,000 men from Maacha and 12,000 from Zob. David found out and sent Joab to fight them. Joab divided his men and put Abishai, his brother in charge of the other half. They fought in the fields and at the city gate. Israel prevailed and won. *** The Arameans brought in more troops for a rematch. David sent all his troops to fight them. David’s troops killed 700 charioteers and 40,000 foot soldiers. All the kings who had allied with Hadadezer surrendered to Israel and became their subjects. The Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites anymore. *** Kings went to war in the spring, but this spring, David decided not to go. He stayed home and was walking on his roof in the afternoon when he looked down and saw a very beautiful lady taking a bath. He asked his servants who she was and they found out she was Bathsheba, the wife of Urriah who was out fighting for him. David had them bring her to his palace and slept with her. She later found out she was pregnant and send word to David. *** David tried to get himself out of it by calling Uriah home to sleep with her, then Uriah would think it was his baby. It didn’t work because Uriah slept at the palace entrance which David’s guards. Then, David tried by getting him drunk and sending him home and he refused to go home. So, David sent a letter to Joab telling him to put Uriah on the battle front and be sure he was killed. He sent the message in Uriah’s hand. Joab did as David had requested and Uriah was killed. *** Bathsheba mourned the death of her husband and then David sent for her to come to the palace and be his wife. She had a son, But God was not pleased with what David had done. *** Jesus explained to his disciples that he was the true vine and they were the branches. The Father was the gardener. He cuts off branches that don’t produce fruit and prunes the vine. Jesus told them that he chose them to be on his vine because he loved them. If they remained in him, on his vine, they would produce much fruit. Because of this, the Father would give them what’re you asked for using my name. All of this applies to us as the branches he grafted in (Romans 11:17-36). *** Jesus warned them that the world would hate them because it hated him. To be his disciple, they had to come out of the world and abide in him. They hated Him with out a reason and they would hate them also without a reason. Jesus was sending his Holy Spirit to them to testify and confirm all Jesus had said. *** Lord, thank you that we were bought with a price and we are not our own people. We are Your’s and You care for us and love us. Thank you for the comfort of your Spirit.

Thurs.’s Devo - Expanding the Kingdom of God

Read: 2 Samuel 7:1-8:18: John 14:15-31; Psalm 119>33-048; Proverbs 15:33 David wanted to build God a house to honor him and where he could live on earth with them. God sent Nathan to tell him that he had never lived in a cedar house but had traveled with them living wherever his people lived. As for David, God had taken him from tending sheep to the palace and would make his name famous for what he had done for the Lord. Instead of him making a house for the Lord, God would make a house for him which would be a dynasty of kings. *** God would take one of David’s offsprings and make his kingdom strong. He would be the one to build a house for his name. David went into the Tabernacle and praised the Lord for his answer. *** David went on to take Gath, the Philistines largest royal town. He also conquered the land of Moab and had the captives lie down in a row. He told his men to measure them with a rope and every two thirds were killed. The other third was spared to pay him tribute. He also destroyed the forces of Hadadezer the king of Zobah who had been hired to fight against David by the Ammonites. The Armenians came to help the army of Hadadezer and he killed most of them and put the rest in Damascus and made them pay tribute to him also. *** King Toi of Hamath had been a long time enemy of Hadadezer so when he heard how David had conquered them he sent David gifts of silver, gold and bronze. *** David reigned over Israel with justice and righteousness. He appointed a new cabinet of men he trusted and had his sons serve as priestly leaders. *** In John, Jesus told his disciples that if they loved him they would follow his commandments and God would send them another Advocate who will never leave them. He had told them over and over that he was leaving, but the Holy Spirit wouldn’t leave them. The Holy Spirit would lead them into all truth. He was living with them now in Jesus but he would one day be in them like he was in Jesus. *** The Holy Spirit would be their teacher and remind them of all the things Jesus had taught them. He was also leaving them the gift of peace of mind and heart. He was going away, but he would come back to them. At this time, Jesus had to complete what his Father wanted him to do. His obedience to his Father would prove his love for his Father just as our obedience proves our love for God. *** Lord, may our obedience to you prove our love for our Father. Thank you for the Holy Spirit who leads us into all truth. May we hear and obey.

Wed.’s Devo - The Kingdom is United

Read: 2 Samuel 4:1-6:23; John 13:31-14:14; Psalm 119:17-32; Proverbs 15:31-32 Jonathan had another son who had been five when Saul was killed. He was whisked away so quickly by his nurse that she accidentally dropped him in flight. He had been cripple ever since. His name was Mephibosheth. *** Now, all Israel was in an uproar as they learned of Abner’s murder. Two men from Ishbosheth’s raiding party learned of their captain’s death. and worried about their own fate. They snuck into Ishbosheth’s room and killed him. They cut off his head and took it to David expecting a reward and a promotion in his army. David killed them and cut off their hands and feet and hung their bodies beside the pool in Hebron. David had no sympathy on anyone who turned on their leader. *** At Hebron, David made a covenant before the Lord with all the elders of Israel and they anointed him king of Israel. He was thirty years old, the same age of Jesus when he came to his public ministry. *** David attacked the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem and captured the city. He reigned in Jerusalem 33 years which was the age of Jesus when he gave his life for us. David had many wives and they had 11 children born in Jerusalem. Jesus’ left 11 disciples to carry on his work when he died. *** Twice the Philistines met David in the valley of Rephaim and the Lord gave David victory. *** David now wanted to bring the ark to Jerusalem. They placed the Ark on a cart. They were supposed to carry it by the poles on the shoulders of the priests. When the cart hit a bump in the road and started to shift, the priest Uzzah reached out his hand to stead the Ark. God struck him dead right there beside the Ark. David was afraid to go any further and was upset with God for killing Uzzah. The great procession ended there and they took the Ark to the house of Obededom of Gath. It stayed there for three months blessing all Obed-edom’s household. *** When David learned it had become a blessing to Obed-edom, he had his priests bring the Ark up the right way. Every six steps they would stop and offer a sacrifice. They entered with shouts of joy and the blowing of the ram’s horns. *** David’s wife, Michal who had been Saul’s daughter looked down from her window and saw David dancing in praise to the Lord. He had taken off his kingly robes and was only wearing the linen of the priests. She was humiliated at his actions and told him so later. David rebuked her and told her he was willing to look foolish and humiliated to exalt the Lord. She remained childless. *** Lord, may we be willing to look like a fool in the world’s eyes to honor you. Our kingdom is much higher than the world’s kingdom and they will never understand the things of God unless the Holy Spirit helps them. May we be a light to lead others to the truth.

Tues.’s Devo - Choices

Read: 2 Samuel 2:12-3:39; John 13:1-30; Psalm 119:1-16; Proverbs 15:29-30 The troops of David faced the troops of Ishbosheth. Isbosheth’s army commander was Abner who was Saul’s uncle. David’s army commander was Joab who was David’s nephew. Joab had two brothers also in the army named Abihai and Asahel, all sons of David’s sister Zeruiah. *** Joab and Abner each chose 12 men to fight each other. They killed one another, beginning the battle. The army of David (Joab) defeated the army of Israel. Joab’s younger brother, Asahel chased Joab relentlessly. Joab kept telling him to go kill someone else because he didn’t want to have to kill him, but Asahel wouldn’t relent. Finally, Joab thrust the butt end of his spear through Asahel’s body killing him. *** When Asahel’s brothers found out what had happened to him, they went after Joab. They met him at the hill of Ammah and Abner called for peace. Joab agreed and blew the ram’s horn calling his men from the fight. Joab led his men home and accessed that they had only lost 20 men while Abner had lost 360. *** They had many battles against each other with David’s dynasty increasing and Saul’s army decreasing. David had seven sons while living and reigning in Hebron. *** Abner was a powerful leader in Saul’s kingdom. One day, Ishbosheth rebuked Abner for sleeping with his father’s concubine, Rizpah. Abner was so offended, he threatened to join David’s efforts. He sent a message to David offering to defect to his side. David told him he could prove his faithfulness by bringing him back his wife, Michal. Abner brought her to David along with twenty of his men. David prepared a feast for them and they made a covenant to make David their king and rule all of Israel and Judah. Abner left to rally all Israel to David. *** In the meantime, Joab returned from battle and learned that the king had sent Abner away in peace. He was still fuming over the death of his brother that Abner had killed. He went after Joab and killed him. When David found out about it he was very upset. He cursed every generation of Joab with leprosy, crippling, violent death by the sword or starvation. *** David wept and fasted the day of Abner’s funeral and proved he was innocent in his death. This pleased the people and David became more and more popular and his kingdom stronger and stronger. ** In John, Jesus was having his last supper with his disciples before Passover. Jesus knew it was time to leave earth and go back to his Father in heaven. Jesus got up and went around to all his disciples and washed their feet. Simon protested when he came to him, but Jesus explained that he would not belong to him unless he allowed him to wash his feet. Peter then asked Jesus to wash his hands and head as well. Jesus answered that if you have clean feet then the rest of you will be clean. What he was saying was that if your walk and path is righteousness, then your mind and your deeds will be righteous also. He even washed Judas’ feet to show that he had been given the chance to have a clean heart, but he chose on his own not to walk in it. Jesus even said, “The one who acts my food has turned against me.” He was telling them beforehand that he knew Judas would betray him but it will lead to their salvation. *** Jesus was deeply troubled when he told them one of them would betray him. He then dipped the bread in the bowl and gave it to Judas. When he ate it, Satan entered into him and he left. The disciples were still in the dark as to what was happening. It all made sense after Jesus died and came back. *** Joab and Judas were both examples of fallen men who refused to forgive and believe in God’s way. They both ended their lives cursed from their own choices. God gave us free will so that we could determine our fate. May we choose wisely. *** Lord, help us to believe even when we don’t understand. May we not take things into our own hands but trust in your wisdom and guidance.

Mon.’s Devo - The Shifts of Kingdoms

Read: 2 Samuel 1:1-2:11; John 12:20-5-; Psalm 118:19-20; Proverbs 15:27-28 David returned from his battle with the Amalekites totally victorious, recovering all and gaining much more. Saul didn’t come back from his battle with the Philistines. He lost everything including his life and his position as king. *** A man from Saul’s camp came to David with news of the war and the crown and armband of Saul’s. He was expecting a reward. He gave David the news of Israel’s defeat then confessed that he had killed Saul by Saul’s request. David and his men mourned the death of Saul and Jonathan and the defeat of Israel. David ordered the messenger to be put to death. David composed a funeral song for Saul and taught it to the people. It gave honor to Saul and Jonathan. *** David asked God what he should do next and God told him to move to Hebron. The men of Judah crowned him king over Judah. He sent news to the people of Jabesh-Gilead thanking them for burning Saul and Jonathan. He asked them to be loyal to him since Judah had crowned him king. They told him that Abner, Saul’s army commander had proclaimed Ishbosheth, Saul’s son the king over Gilead, Zezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, the land of the Ashurites, and all the rest of Israel. Ishbosheth ruled for two years in Mahanaim. Meanwhile, David made Hebron his capital and ruled as king of Judah for seven and a half years. *** In John, some Greeks who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover came to Philip’s house wanting to see Jesus. All Jesus could talk about was his death which would lead to his glory. When they could not understand what he was saying, he explained it like a kernel that had to go into the earth and die so that it could produce many new kernels and result in a huge harvest. He was the kernel of wheat. He had come to plant his seed in all of them also. *** Jesus prayed that God would save him from the hour he knew was coming soon, but he also knew this was the very reason he came to earth. He prayed that God would bring glory to himself through Jesus. God answered from heaven with a voice that said he had already brought glory to his name and would do it again. Many heard the voice but to them it sounded like thunder or those with ears to hear thought it was an angel’s voice. *** Jesus explained that the voice was for them. It was time for judgment to fall on the world and Satan, the ruler of the world would be cast out. When he, Jesus would be lifted on the cross, drawing everyone to himself. *** The people were confused because they thought the scriptures said that the Messiah would live forever. Jesus didn’t answer their question but told them what they needed to hear. Jesus replied that he was the light and they were to walk in his light because the time was coming when the light would be gone. *** With all the miracles and wonderful things Jesus taught, most did not believe… fulfilling the words of Isaiah. A remnant did believe, including some of the Jewish leaders, but they wouldn’t admit it for fear that the Pharisees would throw them out of the synagogue. They proved that they would rather have the praises of man over the praises of God. *** Jesus came right out and explained that if they trusted him, they were trusting God. He was the light in this dark world and to believe in him was to walk in the light. He didn’t come to judge them now, but judgment would come in the end to all people. It is God’s commands that will lead to eternal life which will save them from judgment. *** Lord, may we desire your praises over man’s. May we walk in the light as you are in the light and shine to the darkness in the world. May we spread the good news everywhere we go today.

Sun.’s Devo - God’s Plans Always Succeed

Read: 1 Samuel 29:1-31:13; John 11:55-12:19; Psalm 118:1-18; Proverbs 15:24-26 David planned to join Achish and the other Philistine armies in their battle against Saul’s army and Israel. When the other Philistine commanders saw David and his army bringing up the rear they threw a fit. They told Achish that there was no way David and his army was fighting with them because David might use it as a way of becoming a hero for his people and fighting against the Philistines. David acted offended when Achish had to tell him to go home. Achish totally trusted in David’s allegiance to him. *** It was such a move of God’s plan to send David home. Now, David would not have to fight against his own people, which I believe he would have turned on Achish. If he didn’t he might be accused of killing Saul since God had determined that he would die in this battle. Also, David needed to get back home because the Amalekites had raided Ziklag and taken all their wives and children and burned their town to the ground. **** When David arrived at home and found this had happened, his men were very bitter and talked of stoning David. David found strength in the Lord. He told Abiathar the priest to bring the ephod and asked God if he would get their families back if they pursued the Amalekites. God said they would, so he took 400 men and left 200 who were too exhausted to continue. *** They found an Egyptian who had been left for dead. He had not eaten for three days and was sick so they nursed him back to life. He told them that he had been a captive of the Amelekites and promised to lead them to them if they swore they wouldn’t kill him or return him to his owner. *** He led them to the Amalek army where they were eating, drinking and partying. David and his men fought them for two days and recovered all, plus all their spoil they had from other battles. They returned to the other 200 that had not had the strength to go with them. Some of the men who went with David were called men of Belial which means they were wicked and ungodly. They didn’t want to share with the men who had not gone with them but David rebuked them. He set a new policy which said that both those who fight and those who guard the supplies would share in the same reward. *** When they got back to Ziklag, David sent the excess spoils they had gathered to other towns in Judah. These were towns that had housed and helped David and his men. *** Back at the battle between the Philistines and Saul… it happened just as Samuel had predicted. Saul, and three of his sons were killed in battle. Jonathan was one of his sons who died. They took Saul and his son’s bodies and fastened them to the wall in the city of Beth-shan. They proclaimed their victory in the pagan temple to Ashtorah and placed Saul’s armor there giving the glory of their victory to their pagan gods. The victory was really the Lord’s. Now God could put his anointed choice of king on the throne of Israel. *** Men from Jabesh-gilead came and took the bodies from the wall and brought them to Jabesh and buried them. They fasted for seven days to mourn the death of their king. *** In John, it was nearing the time of the Passover. The Jewish leaders had sent out notice that if anyone saw Jesus, they were to report it to them so they could arrest him. *** Six days before the Passover, Jesus stopped and had his last supper with Lazareth, Martha and Mary. Mary anointed Jesus feet with expensive perfume and wiped them with her hair. Judas Iscariot commented that the perfume she wasted could have been better spent if she had sold it and given it to the poor. Judas had no care for the poor, he was only thinking of himself. He was the treasure of Jesus’ money and he often stole from it for himself. Jesus knew all this. *** Jesus told Judas to leave Mary alone. She was doing this in preparation for his burial. There would always be the poor among them. People flocked to their house because they had heard the wonderful miracle of Lazareth. The leading priests decided they might need to kill Lazarus also. *** As Jesus approached Jerusalem, the people who had palm branches laid them down for him to walk on. Jesus came into the city riding on a donkey. That was the symbol of a king coming to his kingdom. It had also been prophecied years before (Zechariah 9:9). They sang songs to Jesus from the Hallel. *** The Pharisees were indignant and jealous of Jesus’ popularity. *** Lord, thank you for your perfect plan. Help us to trust in your plan for our lives and the future of our nation. Thank you that you have great plans beyond our imagination.

Sat.’s Devo - Satan’s Downfall, God’s Victory

Read: 1 Samuel 26:1-28:25; John 11:1-54; Psalm 117:1-2; Proverbs 15:22-23 So much for Saul’s promise not to chase after David. Saul found out he was in the hill of Hakilah and went to kill him. He went to the very hill and camped but David had gone into the wilderness. He could see Saul and his army from where he was hiding out. *** He asked two men for a volunteer to go with him into Saul’s camp at night. Abishai spoke up first, so he went with David. When they got to Saul’s camp they found Saul sleeping in the middle of a circle of soldiers along with Abner, his commander. God had put them into a deep sleep. David crept right up to where Saul was sleeping. Abishai tried to convince David that God had given Saul to him and offered to kill him for David, but David refused. Instead, he told him to take his water bottle ,which was right by his head, and his sword. *** When they had gotten a safe distance away, David shouted to Abner, Saul’s commander and woke him up. He asked Saul again, why he was trying to kill him and keep him from living in his own land and worshipping God there. He showed Saul his sword and water bottle and proved again that he could have killed him and didn’t. *** Once again, Saul repented for trying to kill David and blessed him again. He told him he would do heroic deeds and succeed. They parted and Saul went back home…again. *** David escaped to the Philistines and made peace with Achish in Gath, the same one he had acted insane in front of. He convinced him this time to let him and his men join his army. David brought his two wives and they settled in the town of Gath. *** After proving his loyalty, David asked Achish if he could live somewhere besides the royal city of Gath. I am quessing that David did not want his children being brought up and a pagan city where there was so much idolatry. King Achish gave him the town of Ziklag. There, David could come and go as he liked and was free from the Philitine’s watchful eye. *** He would take his army out and to fight the Geshurites, the Girzites and the Amelekites. These were aboriginal people of Palestine who inhabited the south-west border of the land. David made sure he didn’t leave any person alive so no one could report where he had been. He told Achish that he was raiding the Jerahmeelites and Kenites who lived in Judah. The ones he killed lived in Philistine land and could have been allies with the Philistines. *** In time, the Philistines went to war against Israel. Achish expected David and his men to join them. David agreed. Achish wanted to make David his bodyguard for life. The two armies met and set up camp opposite each other. Saul panicked and asked God for a sign that they would win, but God wasn’t answering by any of the means he had before. Finally, Saul asked if there was a psychic anywhere around. He had banned all the mediums and witches, but one of his men knew about a witch who lived in Endor. Saul went to her house and disguised himself so she would not be afraid. *** He asked her to bring up Samuel so he could ask him if they would succeed against the Philistines. When she did, she screamed because she instantly knew that he was Saul. He promised he wouldn’t kill her. She described the man she saw in the spirit and Saul knew it was Samuel. Samuel was mad that he had been woken up and told Saul that he would not only lose the battle, but he would lose his life and the kingdom. His kingdom would be given to his rival, David. *** Saul fell to the ground in fear and was also faint from hunger. Although he had lost his appetite over the words he heard, they convinced him to eat. The lady of Endor prepared his last supper of a calf and unleavened bread for him. *** In John, Jesus was told that his beloved friend, Lazareth was dying and he needed to come at once. When Jesus told his disciples that they were going back in Judea where he had just fled from being stoned, they were not happy. Thomas expected they were all going back for their death. Jesus explained that when they walked in God’s light, no matter where they went, they were safe. *** Jesus told his disciples that Lazareth’s sickness would not end in death but when they got there, he was dead. Jesus had made sure they were gone four days after his death because the Jews believe that a person is legally dead after four days. *** Martha met Jesus and he told her that Lazareth would rise again, Martha agreed that everyone rises in the last day. Jesus told her he was talking about today. Mary and Martha took Jesus to Lazareth’s tomb where all the mourners were. He heard all the people blaming him for not being there to heal Lazareth. *** Jesus was angry by the time he got to the tomb. He told them to roll the stone away and he called Lazareth to come out. He came out with all his grave clothes on. Jesus told them to unbind him and set him free. Many believed Jesus was the Messiah when they saw this happen. *** The Jewish council met and agreed that if they let Jesus keep doing this, the Roman army would come and destroy their Temple and their nation. This proved they had no faith in God. They feared man more than God. *** Caiaphas, the high priest at the time said a very prophetic statement. He said, “You don’t realize that it is better for you that one and should die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed.” He was saying that Jesus should die but not understanding that his death would save the whole world if they believed. *** Lord, give us eyes to see your bigger plan. Your ways are higher than our ways and our thoughts higher than our thoughts. We trust in your plan. Help us not to fear your enemies because they are nothing to you!

Fri.’s Devo -A Turn of Events

Read: 1 Samuel 24:1-25:44; John 10:2-42; Psalm 116:1-19; Proverbs 15:20-21 Saul went home and fought the Philistines, but when he was done there he was ready to start pursuing David again. He and 3,000 of his elite soldiers heard David was in the wilderness of En-gedi. Saul went into a cave to relieve himself which just happened to be where David and his men were hiding. David saw his robe and cut off a piece of the hem. He resisted the temptation to kill Saul because God had anointed him the king and it was God’s job to unannoint him. David waited until Saul was reunited with his men and he was on his way. Then David shouted to him and told him what he had done. He proved that he would never kill Saul since he had an opportunity and didn’t do it. Rather than chance his men joining David’s side if he tried to kill David, he repented and spoke the truth. David would be the next king and Israel would flourish under his rule. He made David swear he would not kill his family or destroy his line of descendants the this happened. David promised and Saul went home. *** That reminds me of yesterday’s, Proverb: “A hot-tempered person stars fights: a cool-tempered person stops them.” *** Samuel could now die and was buried in Ramah. Saul had proclaimed David the next king. *** David moved down to Maon where a wealthy man named Nabal lived. He had 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats. It was sheep-shearing time where everyone in town is hired to help. When the sheep are all sheared the owner, Nabal would have a feast for all who helped in the shepherding and shearing of the sheep. David’s men and protected the shepherds and the sheep from invaders while they were out in the wilderness. They were starving and David asked if they could come to the feast. They had earned a meal and Nabal had plenty. *** Instead of returning the favor, Nabal refused to feed David and his men. When David learned they were not invited, he told 400 of his men to strap on their swords and they were going to kill Nabal and take his food. Nabal’s wife, Abigail found out the foolishness of her husband and ran and prepared food for David and his men and took it herself. She explained the foolishness of her husband and begged his forgiveness. David was appeased and thanked her and turned from his plan of killing Nabal. *** When Abigail returned home, her husband was feasting and drunk. In the morning she told him what she had done and he immediately had a stroke. Ten days later he died. When David learned he was dead, he sent for Abigail to be his wife. She gladly accepted and brought four of her servants with her. David also married Ahinoam from Jezreel. Saul had given his daughter Michal to another man to marry. *** Amazing how God turns all things from bad to good for those who put their trust in him. *** In John, Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Festival of Dedication (Hanukkah). He was still being interrogated by the religious people. They wanted him to come out and say that he was the Messiah so they could stone him for blasphemy. *** He never would come out and say it. He told him he had already said it and his works proved it, but since they were not of his sheep, they didn’t believe. When he said that he and the Father were one, they picked up stones to throw at him. He asked them which of the good deeds he had done were they going to stone him for. They said they weren’t stoning him for his good works but his blasphemy. *** Jesus replied, if you don’t believe me for who I claim to be, then at least believe what I have done. If they took that step, it would lead them to believing who he was. *** They tried to arrest him but he slipped through their fingers again because the time was not right. Jesus went to the place where John had baptized many and many who believed followed him. *** Thank you that we are your sheep and we hear your voice. May we hear stronger and stronger and do the works that Jesus did and greater.

Thurs.’s Devo - The Protection of the Lord

Read: 1 Samuel 22:1-23:29; John 10:1-21; Psalm 115:1-18; Proverbs 15:18-19 Four hundred men who had been faithful to David found him hiding out in the caves of Adullam and joined him. Many were not happy about the politics of the day and some were in debt. Adullam was two miles south of the place David had killed Goliath. *** David left there and went to Mizpeh in Moab where he asked the king to let his parents stay there in hiding. The prophet Gad told David, one day that it was time to return to the land of Judah so David went to the forest of Hereth. Saul soon heard where he was hiding. Saul had been hunting David down and spoke harshly to his solders. He accused them of being faithful to David who could give them nothing in return. He had the power to reward them. He accused them of conspiring against him like Jonathan. Doeg, the Edomite who had seen David when he took the bread and sword from Ahemelech, told what he had seen. *** Saul took his men immediately to Nob and accused the priests of treason. He would not listen to Ahimelech’s testimony and ordered his men to kill the priests. His men would not do it so he commanded Doeg to kill them. He killed all the priests and their whole families. These priests were all relatives of Eli. Abiathar was the only priest to escape. He ran to David and told him all that happened. David told him to stay with him and he would protect him. He had brought an ephod with him which means they could use it to ask the Lord for direction. *** David heard that the Philistines had attacked the town of Keilah and were stealing their grain. He asked the Lord if he should go and deliver them from the Philistines and God told him to go. He won their freedom back for them. Keilah was a fortified city with walls and gates. David and his men stayed there in the town. Saul found out where they were and were coming to kill David and his men. David asked the Lord if Saul was coming and if the people of Keliah would give him over to Saul. God said “yes” to both so David and his men fled the city. *** Jonathan found where David was hiding and encouraged him to stay strong in his faith in the Lord, because he was to be the next king of Israel and Jonathan would be next to him, supporting him. They renewed their pact of friendship before Jonathan left for home. *** The people of Keliah told Saul where David was hiding which saved their lives. Saul sent his men into the wilderness to find David. They ended up on the same mountain on opposite sides. David was just about to be found out when Saul got an urgent message from home that the Philistines were raiding Israel. (I wonder if Jonathan sent that message to save David.) *** In John, Jesus gives them an illustration of what happened in Eden. Satan was the one who snuck over the wall into Eden. God entered every day through the gate. Adam knew his voice. Eve listened to the voice of the serpent. *** Jesus was the good shepherd and all who heard his voice and believed in him would follow his voice. He would give them a rich and satisfying life. He would protect them from the wolf and lay down his life for his sheep. *** Jesus made it clear that he was laying down his life for them. No one was going to murder him. He was the willing sacrifice. *** The crowd was divided: some thought he was demon-possessed and others thought he was a miracle worker from God. *** Lord, we believe you are who you say you are, the only true God. Thank you for laying down your life for us and bringing us salvation. You are the loving Shepard and keeper of our soul. We put all our trust in you and your goodness.

Wed.’s Devo - Seeing By Faith

Read: 1 Samuel 20:1-21:15; John 9:1-41; Psalm 1143:1-114:8; Proverbs 15:15-17 David fled Saul’s wrath and went to Ramah to find Jonathan. He told him that his father was determined to kill him. He wanted Jonathan to find out why his father wanted him dead. Jonathan couldn’t believe Saul wanted to kill David, so they devised a plan to find out if it was true. *** David wasn’t coming to the new moon festival and Saul would expect him to be there. If he didn’t get mad, they would know he was not wanting to kill David, but if it upset him, they would know he wanted David dead. *** The second day of the festival, Saul asked Jonathan where David was and Jonathan gave him David’s excuse. Saul flew off the handle and cussed Jonathan and told him he knew that he wanted David to be king in his place which would shame his mother and himself. As long as David was alive, he would never be king. He told Jonathan to go get David so he could kill him and the crown would be safely his. *** When Jonathan defended David, Saul threw his spear at him. Then, Jonathan knew his father was set on killing David. He went to their prescribed hiding place and met with David. He told him everything that happened. They hugged and said their tearful good-byes. *** David left and went to Nob to see Ahimelech the priest. He asked for food and a sword. He didn’t tell the priest that he was running from Saul because he didn’t want to endanger him. It ended up costing him his life anyway because Saul was a murderer. Ahimelech descended from Eli in the line of Ithamar. Samuel had prophesied in 1 Samuel 2:30-36 that none of Eli’s descendants would grow to be old. *** Ahimelech gave David and his men the bread of the priest’s and the sword of a king (Goliath’s). Then David escaped to King Achish of Gath. “Achish” means “angry” and he lived up to his name. He was angry that David had come to him for refuge. He had heard of his exploits against his people, the Philistines. David was afraid of the king so he acted like he was insane, drooling and scratching on doors. He threw David out of his presence. Later Ahimelech would welcome David back to fight with him. *** Jesus was still in Jerusalem when he met a man who had been blind from birth. The disciples asked Jesus if the man was blind because his sins or the sins of his parents, but Jesus said neither - it was so that the power of God could be seen in him. Jesus made the statement that the night was coming when no one could work but while he was here in the world he was the light of the world. He spat on the ground and made mud and spread it over the man’s blind eyes. He told him to go and wash it off in the pool of Siloam. He did and came back seeing! *** The man testified to everyone what had happened to him. The Pharisees questioned him at length because this was one of the litmus tests they had in their doctrine that only the Messiah could do (to heal a man born blind.) So they did extensive investigation into this miracle. The man’s parents wouldn’t even back him up because they were afraid they would lose their status in the Temple. The man defended Jesus and when they told the healed man that they didn’t know where this man, Jesus came from, he said that if Jesus wasn’t from God, he would not have been able to do this miracle. They were so offended, they threw him out of the synagogue. Jesus found him and asked him if he believed in the Son of Man. When he told him that he was the Son of Man, the man instantly believed. Jesus said that he entered into this world to render judgment - to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind. *** Some of the Pharisees that heard this, asked Jesus if he was saying that they were blind. Jesus replied, “If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty, But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.” *** Lord, may we not be guilty of thinking we see when we are blind. May we be open to new things you want to show us and teach us. We see through a glass darkly, help us to see more clearly.

Tues.’s Devo - Trust the Truth

Read: 1 Samuel 18:5-19:24; John 8:31-59; Psalm 112:1-10; Proverbs 15:12-14 Saul made David a commander over his men of war and he was successful in everything he did. One day when he came back from killing the Philistines, he went to meet Saul. They heard the women of the town singing, “Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” Saul was already insanely jealous of David and this just added to his sickness. The next day his tormenting spirit came back on him and David played the harp to calm him. He threw a spear at David trying to pin him to the wall. David escaped him twice. Saul could see that the Spirit of God had left him and now rested on David. He sent David away to fight with his men. The more successful David became the more afraid Saul became. *** Saul devised a plan to give his daughter in marriage to David but first he had to prove himself on the battlefield. He wanted the Philistines to kill David so he would be innocent. Instead, God protected David and he had success in every battle. Saul ended up giving the daughter he had promised to David to another man. *** Saul’s other daughter, Michal was in love with David and Saul found out. Here was another chance to kill David. He told David that for his bride price, he wanted 100 Philistines foreskins. David gave him 200. He had to give Michal to David. *** Jonathan had a talk with his father about David and he reminded him of all the things David had done for him. He told him it didn’t make sense for him to kill an innocent man who did so much good for him. Saul repented and David was able to come back to his court and serve like before. *** Saul did not stay repented. One day when David was playing his harp for Saul, he hurled his spear again, trying to kill David. David fled for his life. Michal told him that he had to leave the city or her father would kill him that night. She was right. She put an idol in his bed and told the soldiers that David was sick. Saul told them to bring him in his bed to him. When they went to get him they found the trick Michal had pulled on them. She saved herself by saying that David had made her do it or he would kill her. *** David fled to Ramah where Saul lived and told him everything that Saul had done to him. Samuel told David to stay with him there. When Saul found out where David was hiding out, he sent troops to capture him but every time, they would end up prophesying and when it happened the third time, Saul himself went to Ramah. The Spirit of God hit him also and he prophesied all the way to Naioth where David was. He lay completely exposed prophesying with the people watching. *** In John, Jesus was talking about setting them free if they believed in him. They didn’t know they were in bondage. Jesus explained to them that they were slaves to sin, but a slave was not a permanent member of the family. They were like slaves, they didn’t need to be permanent slaves to sin. And if the son of the house, set a slave free, then he was free. He was the Son of God and he could set them free if they believed in him. *** They told him Abraham was their father, but Jesus said that if Abraham was their father then they would follow his example. They were the sons of their father the devil. They argued that God was their Father. but Jesus said that if God was their Father, then they would accept him. *** Satan was their father who was a murderer from the beginning. He was also Saul’s father whose only goal, like the religious leaders of Jesus’ day, was to murder God’s anointed. *** Jesus’ crowd started getting angry because as Jesus said, they couldn’t hear the truth because the truth was not in them. They accused him of what they were. They accused Jesus of having a demon. Jesus said that God would glorify him when he judged him innocent. *** Jesus accused them of not knowing God and being a liar. When he said that Abraham rejoiced to see his coming, they couldn’t take it. When he said, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I AM!” they picked up stones to kill him. But Jesus stepped into the spirit and disappeared from their sight, proving they did not have eyes to see. *** Lord, help us not to stumble over the truth when we don’t understand. Your thoughts and ways are higher than ours. May we trust in your Words.

Mon.’s Devo - The Battle is the Lord’s

Read: 1 Samuel 17:1-18:4; John 8:21-30; Pslam 111:1-10; Proverbs 15:11 The story of David and Goliath is a favorite! Who couldn’t love this story? Goliath means “stripped as a captive” and David means “beloved” so, of course David will win. But we are God’s beloved standing against our enemy, Satan, who is God’s adversary and even with all the promises God gives us in his Word - we still sometimes fear. *** Israel found themselves standing against the Philistine army who had a giant as a champion. They sent out their giant, Goliath to taunt the Israelites soldiers every day. Whoever fought him, the fate of their country would be in their hands. The winner would rule the loser. *** David had been sent to the battle with food for his three oldest brothers who were in Saul’s army. When David saw Goliath come out and taunt Israel and heard what would be given to the one who fought him, he was ready to fight. He couldn’t believe that Israel was allowing this to happen. In David’s words, “Who is this pagan Philistine that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?” David pegged who Goliath was and who they were. *** David got his chance since he was the only one with enough courage to face Goliath. Saul was willing to put his future kingdom into the hands of a teenage boy who was not even a part of his army. David convinced Saul with his stories of lions and bears. He was also Saul’s only volunteer. *** David met Goliath with no physical armor, only the shield of faith. Goliath had all the physical armor, sword, strength and taunting words. He cursed David using the names of his god and David told him about his God whose name was the Lord of Heaven’s Army. David told him exactly what he was going to do in detail. He was going to conquer him, kill him and cut off his head. Then he was going to give the dead body of his men to the birds and wild animals and the whole world would know that there was a God in Israel who rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This was the Lord’s battle and he would win. *** David ran toward him and hurled his sling and hit Goliath in the head and the giant fell face first! He took Goliath’s own sword and killed him and cut off his head just like he had said he would. *** Then the army of Israel chased the Philistines leaving their dead soldiers for the birds and wild animals to eat… just like David had said. *** Saul watched all of this in awe and had to find out who David was. His son, Jonathan met David and was immediately bonded to him. They became soul brothers and made a solemn pact with each other. Jonathan sealed the pact by giving David his robe, tunic, sword, bow and belt. This was symbolic of Jonathan giving David his right to the throne. *** As a reward for fighting Goliath, David would be given one of Saul’s daughter in marriage and his family would be tax exempt. *** In John, Jesus was still talking about heavenly things which they could not understand. He told them that they would die in their sin unless they believed that he was the I AM. When they couldn’t understand what he was talking about, he told them that when he is lifted on the cross, they would understand that he was the I AM and that God had sent him. *** Lord, help us to identify our enemy and have courage to stand against him with our armor on. May the Sword of the Spirit be in our hearts and in our mouths that we would speak your truth and believe with our hearts.

Sun.’s Devo - To Obey is Better Than Sacrifice

Read: 1 Samuel 15:1-16:23; John 8:1-20; Psalm 110:1-7; Proverbs 15:8-10 In Exodus 17 we read the story of how the Amalekites came out against Israel when they had left Egypt. Joshua lead the battle and Moses had to hold up his hands the whole day so that they would win the battle. Joshua finally won and God told Moses, in verse 14, to write this down and rehearse it in the hearts of Joshua - He would utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. *** Samuel told Saul that it was time to completely destroy the entire Amalekite nation - the people and their animals. Saul took 210,000 men and completely destroyed the Amalekites but he let the king, Agag live and the best of the animals. *** God knew what Saul had done and told Samuel that he was sorry he ever made Saul king because he was not obeying him. *** Samuel went out to confront Saul as he was returning from war. Saul was happy to see him and told him all he had done. When Samuel asked him about the animals and Agag, he said he had kept the animals alive to sacrifice to the Lord. (I doubt that was true.) Samuel told him that to obey the Lord was better than any sacrifice. *** Saul said he was sorry but the people had convinced him to do what he did. He begged Samuel to come back with him and worship the Lord. Samuel refused to go and told Saul that God had rejected him as king of Israel. As Samuel turned to leave, Saul grabbed his robe and tore the hem. Samuel told him that the Lord had torn the kingdom of Israel from him that day and would not relent. *** Saul, the people pleaser, begged Samuel to come and honor him before the people and worship the Lord with them. Samuel finally agreed to do this. Samuel called for King Agag and killed him and cut him into pieces. He then returned to his home in Ramah and never met with Saul again. He mourned him until finally the Lord told him to quit mourning and go anoint God’s choice as king. *** Samuel knew he could not do this openly or Saul would kill him, so he went to Bethlehem with the pretense that he was there to offer a sacrifice to the Lord. He invited Jesse and his sons to join him. At the sacrifice, Samuel went through Jesse’s sons starting at the oldest, who like Saul, looked like a king. God told him that He didn’t choose like men chose. He finally asked Jesse if he had any other sons. He had the youngest, who was watching the sheep. Samuel told him they wouldn’t eat until he had come. *** When David arrived, God said, this is the one. Saumel anointed David and the Spirit of the Lord are powerfully upon David from that day on. Samuel went back home. *** Meanwhile, a tormenting spirit from the Lord came upon Saul and his servants offered to find a man to play the harp. One of the servants knew about David and described him as a talented harp player, a brave warriors, a man of war, one with good judgment, fine-looking, and the Lord was with him. *** David came with his father’s blessing and served Saul. Saul came to love David and he made him his armor-bearer. Every time the tormenting spirit came, David would play his harp and the spirit would go away. *** In John, Jesus went back to the Temple to preach and the teachers of the religious law brought him a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They didn’t bring the man. The thought they had Jesus. They put her in front of the crowd and demanded of Jesus what he thought they should do to her. They reminded him that the law of Moses said to stone her. *** Jesus knelt down and wrote with his finger in the sand. Then he stood and said, “Let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Then he stooped and wrote some more. One by one, the elders slipped away. Jesus stood and asked the woman where her accusers were. Then he told her, he didn’t condemn her either. He was the only one who could have. He told her to go and not sin anymore. *** Jesus told them that he was the light of the world, a term used to describe Jerusalem during this festival because of the huge lights they had. He told them that if they followed him, they would not walk in darkness but have the light that leads to life. The Pharisees said his claims were not valid. *** Jesus disagreed and told him that he and the Father were the witnesses to what he said. When they asked where his father was, he told them since they didn’t know who he was, they would not know who his father was. They knew that he was saying that since they didn’t believe he was the Messiah, they didn’t know God. The only thing that kept them from arresting him was the fact that it was not his time yet. God decided when it was time, not them. *** Lord, our times are in your hands. Our days are numbered just as Jesus’ were. We do not need to fear death or our time to leave this earth and go to our reward.

Sat.’s Devo - Those with Faith Will Do Exploits

Read: 1 Samuel 14:1-52; John 7:31-53; Psalm 109:1-31; Proverbs 15:5-7 One day, Jonathan secretly took his armor bearer to one of the Philistine outposts. Saul was with the rest of his men and the priest, Ahijah at Migron. No one knew Jonathan had left. *** Jonathan and his armor bearer were in the valley between two cliffs. Jonathan put forth a fleece saying that if the Philistines asked them to come up and fight them, then they would know that God had given them the victory. If they told them to stay and they would come down to them, they would flee. *** They told them to come up, so Jonathan and his armor bearer confidently climbed the cliff knowing that God would give them victory. They killed 20 men and scattered their bodies over the field. *** This broke something in the spiritual realm and the whole Philistine army panicked. At that moment an earthquake struck adding to their terror. They fled. *** Saul led his army against them but found them fighting themselves. Israelites who had deflected to their side turned on the Philistines and fought against them. Men who had fled to the hills in Ephraim came out and fought them. *** Israel’s army fought all day and were exhausted because Saul had made them promise not to eat anything until they had defeated their enemies. They would be cursed if they ate. Jonathan had not been there when they made this vow and he ate some honey he found. Another soldier saw him eat it and told him about the curse. Jonathan thought the vow and thoughtless and unwise. ***When the battle was finally over, the men were so hungry they fell upon the cattle of the spoils and ate the meat before the animals were dead. Saul had them roll a stone so that they could kill the animals on the stone first, draining them of their life before they ate. *** Saul wanted to go after the Philistines but the priest told him they should ask God first. When God didn’t respond, Saul knew someone had sinned. They asked God and he pointed to Jonathan. Jonathan told his father what he had done and even though he had innocently eaten, Saul said he had to die. The people stood up for Jonathan and rescued him and he was not killed. *** Saul didn’t pursue the Philistines and they all returned home. During Saul’s reign, he fought his enemies on all sides and God gave them victory. Saul drafted every able man into his army just like Samuel had warned. *** In John, the crowds were coming to believe that Jesus might be the Messiah because of all the miracles he did. The Pharisees heard this and sent Temple guards to arrest Jesus. Jesus told them that he would only be with them a little while longer, then he would return to the one who sent him. They would search for him but not find him because they could not go where he was going. *** At the Water Libation ceremony, the priests were bringing water up from the waters of Siloam. Jesus stood and said that he was the living water and whoever was thirsty could come to him. Whoever believed in him could come and drink and living water would flow from his heart. “Siloam” means “sent”. This ceremony was a picture of Salvation and Jesus was explaining its meaning. He was salvation, sent from heaven, offered freely to whoever wanted it. When they received it the Holy Spirit like living waters would flow out of them. He was speaking of what was to come at Pentecost. *** Many believed but others were stumbling over the fact that they thought Jesus was from Galilee and they knew the scriptures said, the Messiah would come from Bethlehem. The Temple guards came back empty handed because of all Jesus said. The Temple leaders accused the guards of becoming believers also. Nicodemus stood up for Jesus and said, “Is it legal to convict a man before he is given a hearing?” They told him to do his research, no prophets ever came from Galilee. It was them who needed to do their research. *** Salvation comes by faith, not facts. It is a heart issue, not a head issue. The Pharisees were looking for a loop hole not to believe in Jesus and they found one. They ignored the truth because their hearts were hard. Jealousy consumed them. Believers could believe because their hearts were thirsty. *** Lord, help us to believe and have faith even when things look impossible. Nothing is impossible with you.

Fri.’s Devo -Saul’s First Seven Days as King

Read: 1 Samuel 12:1-13:23; John 7:1-30; Psalm 108:1-13; Prover s 15:4 Samuel addressed all Israel about the king God had given them. First he reminded them that he had been a faithful judge and they agreed. He had never perverted justice or swindled any money from them. He reminded them of Israel’s history of turning away from the Lord and worshipping other idols. *** As a sign of how wicked they were by asking for a king, God would send thunder and rain down upon them even though it was not the time of rain. Samuel prayed and it rained and thundered. It scared the people so much that they cried out for Samuel to pray for them. Samuel warned them to stay faithful to the Lord. If they abandoned the Lord, God would abandon them. *** Saul was thirty years old when he became the king and reigned for 42 years. Samuel had given Saul the command to meet him in 7 days at Gilgal and on his way, he and his men defeated a Philistine garrison at Geba. This caused the Philistines to gather a huge army of thousands as well as chariots. They camped at Micmash. Israel was so outnumbered and in an impossible situation. Many ran for their lives. Saul waited for Samuel and when he didn’t come, he saw his men were leaving by the minute. He finally panicked and offered the sacrifice himself. As soon as his finished, Samuel arrived. He was not pleased with Saul for not waiting. Saul had been king for 7 days and already, Samuel told him he would lose his leadership for a man after God’s own heart. *** Samuel left and Saul took his 600 men he had left and went to meet the troops of the Philistines. Meanwhile the Philistines divided their troops into three groups and sent them in different directions scouting out the land. *** There were no blacksmiths in the country because the Philistines didn’t allow the Israelites to have them to sharpen their swords. The only men on Israel’s army that had swords were Jonathan, Saul’s son, and Saul. Israel was between a rock and a hard place. *** In John, Jesus and his disciples knew that the Jewish leaders where plotting his death so they stayed out of Judea but it was the time of the Feast of Tabernacles when all Jewish men were required by the law of Moses to come to Jerusalem and participate. Jesus told his disciples to go ahead of him because he was not going. *** Jesus surprised them all by showing up in the middle of the seven day festival. He went into the Temple and began to teach. The people were astonished because they had heard of how the Jewish leaders wanted to kill him and here he was teaching in public and no one was doing anything. Some wondered if he could be the Messiah but they argued that the scriptures said that no one would know where the Messiah came from and they all knew where Jesus came from. *** Jesus knew what they were talking about and told them that they didn’t know where he came from. They also didn’t know the one who sent him. This made the religious leaders so mad they wanted to arrest him right then, but didn’t. *** No one could touch Jesus until the Father said it was time. He would finish every word he had to say and every miracle he needed to perform before he would be released into their hands. Jesus wasn’t murdered, he freely gave himself to them. They could do nothing on their own. God was in control. *** Lord, you are soverign over everything and all the earth. It is comforting to know that. We trust you to rule our lives and the affairs of our nation. We war against the evil and stand for your truth. We wait for our deliverance to come on your wings.

Thurs.’s Devo - Faith - The Evidence of Things Not Seen

Read: 1 Samuel 10:1-11:15; John 6:43-71; Psalm 107:1-43; Proverbs 15:1-3 Samuel had drawn Saul aside to speak privately with him. He took a flask of olive oil and poured it over his head, kissed Saul and told him that God was anointing him to be the ruler over Israel. He also told him that when he leaves, he would see two men beside Rachel”s tomb at Zelzah. They would tell him that his donkeys have been found and that his dad is looking for him. *** When he reached the oak of Tabor he would meet three men. One would be carrying three young goats, the other three loaves of bread and the other a wineskin full of wine. They would offer him two of the loaves which he should take. Next, he would come to Gibeah, the hill of God where the Philistines had a garrison. He would meet a group of prophets with instruments who would come praising the Lord. He would prophesy with them and be changed into a different man. Then he was to go to Gilgal where he was to wait seven days for Samuel to come and give him further instructions. *** Everything that Samuel said would happen, happened. He met his uncle who asked him where he had been. He told him about the lost donkeys and meeting Samuel, but he didn’t tell him what Samuel had said about him. *** Samuel called all Israel to meet him at Mizpah. He showed them by lot that God had chosen Saul to be their king they had asked for. Saul was found hiding among the baggage. Samuel presented him before the people. Most of the people accepted Saul and gave him gifts but some were not pleased with God’s choice. *** King Nahash of Ammon had been oppressing the people of Gad and Reuben on the east side of the Jordan. They had gouged out the right eye of all the men who lived there except the men of Jabesh-gilead. The Ammonites went to attack Jabesh-gilead, but they asked them to make a peace treaty with them. The Ammonites replied that they would if they were allowed to gouge out the right eye of all their men. They asked for 7 days to see if Israel would help them. They sent messengers to ask for help from their fellow tribes. News reached Saul in Gibeah and he was filled with righteous indignation. He cut two oxen in pieces and sent the pieces throughout Israel saying that his was what he would do to the oxen of anyone who did not come and help them fight the Ammonites. He rallied 330,000 men and told Jabesh-gilead that they would rescue them by noon the next day. The men of Jabesh-gilead were elated and sent word to the Ammonites that they would surrender at noon the next day. Instead, Saul came at dawn and laughed a surprise attack on the Ammonite camp killing all who did not escape. *** The people wanted to kill the men who had not accepted Saul as their king, but Saul wouldn’t let them. Instead, he called them to Gilgal to renew the kingdom. They made Saul their king and offered peace offerings to the Lord. The people were filled with joy. *** In John, Jesus had just told the crowd that he was the bread of life that came down from heaven. All the people could see was the natural. They knew that he had been born of Mary and Joseph so how could he have come down from heaven. He told them to stop arguing about that. No would would be able to understand his words unless God draws him to himself. That person would be raised on the last day. He explained that the ones who ate the manna in the time of Moses ended up dying, but he would give them bread which would cause them to live eternally. *** They were very confused about his words about bread. He confused them even further when he told him that unless they ate his flesh and drank his blood they would not have eternal life. His disciples complained that this was too deep for anyone to understand and it offended the people. Jesus said if this offended them then what would they think when they saw him ascend into heaven. *** This was a great turning point in his ministry and he lost a large amount of his followers. He asked his disciples if they were going to leave also but they said that he had the words to eternal life and they believed that he was the one sent by God. Jesus told them that he knew that one of them was a devil. He even knew who it was. *** Jesus knew that they didn’t understand all he was telling them but he was not just saying what he said for them but for us who would come later. He also knew that they would understand much better after he had left. The Holy Spirit would take them back through his words and they could see that they all came true. *** Lord, help us to have faith like the disciples who believed even when they didn’t understand the big picture. We are living in a day much like that day where we have promises that seem impossible to come true, but our faith carries us. May we believe without having to understand.

Wed.’s Devo - Our “Work” is to Believe

Read: 1 Samuel 8:1-9:27; John 6:22-42; Psalm 106:32-48; Proverbs 14:34-35 Samuel’s sons perverted justice much like Eli’s sons perverted worship. They took bribes and did not have a heart for the Lord like their father, Samuel. The people came to Samuel to complain. They knew Samuel was growing old and they did not want to be led by his sons. They told Samuel to give them a king like other nations. *** Samuel was sad that they wanted a king and took their request to the Lord. God said that they were not rejecting Samuel, but Him. He told them to give them what they wanted, but warn them first what a king would do to them. *** Samuel told them that a king would end up making them all his slaves. He would take their sons and daughters, their property and their wealth. They didn’t care; they wanted a king to lead them into war like other nations and to judge them. *** God found exactly what they were looking for. Saul was tall and handsome and from an elite family of Benjamin. His father’s name was Kish which means “a snare”. Saul means “requested”. He was the “people’s choice”. David would be “God’s choice”. *** God told Samuel that he was sending a man to him on his way to sacrifice at the celebration and he would be the one he was to anoint to be their king. Saul had been sent by his father to find some stray donkeys and had been looking for them for days. His servant suggested they ask Samuel, the seer, so they set out to find him. *** When they met up, Samuel told him that his donkeys had been found 3 days ago and he and his family were the focus of all Israel’s hopes. Saul was humbled at this statement but Samuel didn’t have time to explain. He brought him to the place where they were going to eat the sacrificial meal and placed Saul at the head of the table as his guest of honor. He fed him with the special portion of meat and had him stay at a place he had prearranged. *** In the morning, Samuel woke Saul telling him it was time he left. He sent his servant on ahead and asked to speak to Saul alone. He had a word from the Lord for him. *** In John, Jesus and his disciples had ended up on the other side of the Jordan in Capernaum. Jesus had walked on the water and the disciples had taken the boat. When the people he had fed on the other side realized where he was, they soon followed. Jesus told them that they should be hungering for more than food, but what only God could give them. They replied that they wanted to do the works of God also. Jesus told them the only work God wanted them to do was to believe in Him who God had sent to them. They told him that if he would do a miracle they would believe. (What had he been doing all this time?) *** Jesus said that God had given the people manna from heaven in Moses’ day and now God was giving them the true bread of God sent from heaven. This bread would give life to the world. He explained that he was the bread of life and all they had to do is to believe. He had come down from heaven to do whatever God told him to do. If they believe in him, he would give them eternal life and raise them up the last day. *** The people couldn’t get past the physical to believe the spiritual. This was indeed their work to do. *** Lord, may we have our spiritual eyes opened to see what you see and believe when we don’t see it manifest. May we work on believing what You say.

Tues.’s Devo - The Ark Returns

Read: 1 Samuel 5:1-7:17; John 6:1-21; Psalm 106:13-31; Proverb s 14:32-33 When the Philistines captured the Ark, they took it to Ashdod and set it in their temple of Dagon beside an idol of Dagon. Dagon was the fish-god which was half man- half fish. God and Dagon must have fought that night and Dagon lost. The image of Dagon was found lying face down in front of the Ark. They set it up again and the next morning found it face down again with its head and hands broken off, lying in the doorway. Dagon lost even worse that night. The people of Ashdod and surrounding area were all struck with a plague of emeralds. Emerods were burning and inflamed hemorrhoids which were fatal in their case. They linked it to having the Ark and sent the Ark to Gath. The plague hit them, so they panicked and sent the Ark to Ekron. When the people of Ekron saw the Ark coming to them they begged their leaders not to send it to them. *** After the Ark had been in the Philistine territory for seven months, they were ready to send it back remembering the stories of Egypt when the Pharaoh refused to repent. They called in their priests and diviners and asked them how they could send the Ark back and atone for their sin so that they might be healed. They told them to send it back with a gift. Since they had rats and tumors because of the Ark, and it hit five rulers, they should put five gold tumors and five gold rats on a new cart with the Ark and have mother cows who had just given birth to baby calves. They were to put the calves in a barn and attach the Ark to the mother cows and see where they went. If they went to Beth-shemesh, they would know that the Ark had caused all their trouble. *** One thing we need to realize is that to separate a mother cow from her calf is close to impossible. Naturally, the mother cow would tear down the barn to get to her calf. This was a miracle that the cows ignored the mooing of their new calves to carry this cart away from the barn. *** The cart arrived in the Israelite territory to the field of Joshua who was harvesting wheat at the time, making it the season of Passover. The cart stopped beside a large rock which stood for Jesus (1 Corinthians 10:4). The men took the wood from the cart and used it to make a fire and sacrificed the two cows on the altar to the Lord. The five Philistine rulers watched and went home satisfied. *** God smote 50,070 men of Bethshemesh because they looked into the Ark. They didn’t want to keep the Ark after that, so they sent word to the people at Kiriath-jearim to come and get the Ark. They came and ordained Eleazar to be in charge of it. It remained there for 20 years. The people mourned because they felt abandoned by the Lord. Samuel told them that if they were serious about returning to the Lord, they had to get rid of all their images of Baal and Ashroreth and worship only the Lord. He told them to come to Mizpah and he would pray for them. *** They met and poured water out to the Lord. They fasted and prayed and repented of their sins. The Philistines heard of their great assembly and came to attack them. Samuel offered a sacrifice to the Lord and prayed that he would rescue them from the Philistines. The Lord answered his prayer in a thunder so loud it threw the Philistines into a panic and the Israelites defeated them. *** Samuel rolled a large stone between Mizpah and Jeshana and named it Ebenezer which mens “the stone of help” because God helped them up till then. *** The Philistines stopped their attacks and the Israelites retook Ekron and Gath which were in the land God had given them. They had peace with the Amorites during that time. *** Samuel traveled to Bethel, Gilgal and Mizpah setting up court and judging their cases. He built an altar to the Lord at Ramah. *** In John, it was also the season of Passover. Jesus went to the far side of the Sea of Galilee and sat down to teach his disciples There were over 5,000 men who came to listen. Jesus wanted to feed all the people and asked Philip where he could buy bread for the people. Phillip thought that was impossible, but Andrew found a boy with five loaves and two fish. Jesus told them to tell the people to sit down. Then he took the loves and thanked the Lord and distributed them to the people. Then he did the same thing to the fish. They all ate and he took up 12 baskets of left-overs. *** Jesus saw the people wanted to make him their king so he slipped away into the hills by himself. The disciples left when they saw a storm was coming. They wanted to make it to Capernaum before it hit. They only made it to the middle of the sea when the storm came. They looked up and saw Jesus walking across the water. When he stepped into the boat, the storm stopped. That is exactly what happens when Jesus steps into the boat of our lives and in the midst of our storms. He brings instant peace. *** Lord, remind us in the midst of our storm s that you are our peace. There is nothing to fear but You. You go before us and have conquered all of our enemies.

Mon.’s Devo - Testimony

Read: 1 Samuel 2:22-4:22; John 5:24-47; Psalm 106:1-12; Provers 14:30-31 Eli’s sons were very sacrilegious. They were seducing the young girls who served at the Tabernacle as well as not honoring the Lord with the sacrifices. Eli confronted them both but his sons wouldn’t listen or repent, so the Lord planned their death. *** Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord and honored God. He had great favor with God and with the people. *** God sent a prophet to warn Eli of what God would do to his sons and his whole family line. Even Eli had gotten fat on the sacrifices to the Lord. The prophet told him that He had promised Eli that his descendants would always serve as his priests, but God would only honor those who honored him and they had not honored him as his priests. God was going to put an end to his family and none of his descendants would live long lives or be prosperous. They would be beggars, and to prove what he was saying would come to pass, both of Eli’s sons would be killed on the same day. God would raise up a priest who would be faithful to him and establish his family as his priests to his kings forever. *** One night Samuel continued to hear his name called and went to Eli’s bed three times before Eli realized it was the Lord speaking to him. He told Samuel to ask God to speak to him and listen. The Lord came the fourth time and called Samuel and told him that He was about to bring his judgment down on Eli’s sons. They would never be forgiven with sacrifices or offerings. In other words it was too late to repent. *** Eli threatened Samuel if he didn’t tell him everything the Lord had said. He told him. *** Israel was at war with the Philistines. Four thousand were killed at a battle at Aphek. They decided to bring the Ark to the next battle. When the Philistines saw the Ark, they were afraid, but more determined to fight harder. They killed 30,000 Israelite soldiers that next day. Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas were killed and the Ark was captured. When the news reached Eli, he fell backwards off his seat and died. Phinehas’ wife was pregnant and about to deliver. When she heard the Ark was taken, she went into labor and died. She named her son Ichabod saying that the glory had departed from Israel. Ichabod means “woe, where has the glory gone?” *** In John, Jesus said that those who believe that God sent him to earth have already passed from death into life. One day, those who have died will hear his voice and if they listen and believe, they too will be given life and rise from the grave. Those who have done good in their lifetime will rise to eternal life and those who did evil, will rise to be judged. Jesus will be the one to pass judgment as God tells him. *** John the Baptist was the one who testified about his coming. Jesus’ words and his miracles were another testimony. The scriptures were another testimony to who Jesus is because all of it pointed to Jesus. Moses will stand as a witness against them who don’t believe. Jesus ended with, “Since you don’t believe what Moses wrote, how will you believe what I say?” Jesus nailed them. *** Lord, we are so grateful that you have revealed the truth to us about who Jesus is. May we live as testimonies to his life and resurrection.

Sun.’s Devo - The Justice of Jesus

Read:1Samuel 1:1-2:21; John 51-23; Psalm 105:37-45; Proverbs 14:28-29 Elkanah was a prosperous man who had two wives - Hannah and Peninnah. They lived in the fruitful area of Ephraim. Every year they would travel to the Tabernacle in Shiloh and offer sacrifices. Elkanah would give Hannah the best part of the animal to offer to the Lord because she had no children and he felt sorry for her. Peninnah had many children and would taunt Hannah because of this. It seemed that Hannah was her husband’s favorite. ***Hannah would be so upset by the time she reached Shiloh that she wouldn’t be able to eat the sacrificial meal. One time she went apart to pray and cried out to the Lord for a son. She made a vow to the Lord that if he would give her a son, she would give him back to him. *** Eli, the priest saw her mouth moving and thought she was drunk. She explained to him that she was deep in prayer, so he prayed also that she would get her request. *** She did get her request and became pregnant and had a son. They named him Samuel and when he was weaned, she brought him to Eli to be raised to serve the priest in the Tabernacle. *** Eli’s sons were selfish and dishonest and they did not respect the Lord’s sacrifices. They would take the best for themselves and if anyone complained, they would threaten to kill them. Samuel lived with Eli and grew up serving the Lord. He wore a linen robe like the priests and Hannah would bring him a coat every year on her annual visit. Eli blessed her with more children and she had three sons and two daughters. Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord. *** In John, Jesus walked by the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem. He was there for one of the feasts. He saw a paralyzed man lying on the porch and asked him if he wanted to get well. He told Jesus that he couldn’t because he couldn’t make it to the water fast enough when it bubbled up. This man had been lying there with that hope for 38 years. Jesus told him to get up, pick up his mat and walk, and the man did. The Jewish leaders objected that he was carrying his mat on the Sabbath, but the man told them that the man who healed him told him to do it. He couldn’t tell them who told him because Jesus had disappeared into the crowd. *** Jesus found him later and told him to stop sinning or something even worse might happen to him. He went and told the leaders who had healed him and ratted on Jesus. I wonder if something worse happened to him. *** When the Jewish leaders found Jesus and rebuked him for healing on the Sabbath, Jesus told them that he did what he saw his Father doing. His Father had given him the authority to judge men so he who didn’t honor the son didn’t honor the Father. *** God had sent Jesus to earth to live, feel and experience being human. Then he could be our faithful and just High Priest, like Hebrews says. He also could judge fairly and righteously because he understood temptation and sin. *** Jesus, thank you for being the righteous judge. Thank you for your grace and love for us. We trust in your judgments because they are just and fair.

Sat.’s Devo - Tour Kinsman Redeemer

Read: Ruth 2:1-4:22; John 4:43-54; Psalm 105:16-36; Proverbs 14:26-27 It had to be difficult for two single women to make a living during those days after the famine. It was customary for the poor people to walk behind the reapers and pick up what the reapers dropped. In Leviticus 19:9-10, 23:22; and 24:21 the law says that when you harvest the land you should only pass through the field once and leave whatever is left for the stranger, the fatherless and the widow. Ruth told Naomi that she would like to go and glean in a field since it was barley harvest. Naomi let her go. *** She just happened to glean in Boaz’s field who was a relative and a kinsman redeemer of Naomi. Boaz just happened to have come out to the field that day and noticed Ruth gleaning behind his gleaners. He asked about her and when he learned who she was, he instructed his men to leave her alone and to let her drink freely from their well. He went and told Ruth the same. Ruth asked him why he was being so kind to her and he told her that he knew of the kindness she had given to Naomi. *** At lunch, Boaz told her to come and eat with them and shared his food with her. He told his workers to purposely drop the heads of barley from their bundles for her to pick up. By the end of the day, Ruth had much grain. *** She showed Naomi her great harvest when she returned home and told Naomi all about her day. Ruth was elated and told her that Boaz was a relative and a kinsman redeemer. She should stay in his field throughout the harvest time f the barley and the wheat season. *** One day, Naomi told Ruth it was time she found a husband and told her what to do. It was time to thresh the wheat so she knew Boaz would be spending his nights at the threshing floor. She told Ruth to clean up and wear her best dress. She was to go to the threshing floor and hide until Boaz lay down to sleep. Then she was to uncover his feet and lay there. When he awakened and found her there she was to ask him to redeem her. Everything went according to plan. When she told Boaz her request, he was elated. He already knew there was another kinsman who was before him in order of redemption of her. He scooped her out six scoops of barley in her cloak and told her to go home an d he would let her know how the day went. *** He went immediately to the town gates where legal transactions were made and met with the kinsman redeemer who was nearest Naomi. When he asked her if he would want to redeem Elimelech’s property and his son’s wife, the man wasn’t interested. He already had a wife. So he did a legal transaction to buy the land and Ruth as a wife. *** Boaz and Ruth were married and blessed by the elders and all the people who witnessed their union. Ruth became pregnant and had a son and named him Obed which means “serving”. Ruth had served Naomi and now she was rewarded with a son and a wealthy husband who loved her. Naomi finally had a grandson. *** Ruth would be mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:5. Boaz’s mother was Rahab, the harlot that hid the spies at Jericho. She, like Ruth had been a foreigner who married into the line of Jesus. Boaz could relate to Ruth’s plight as a foreigner. The bride of Christ will be a people who is neither Jew nor Greek, but saved by the grace of God. Jesus is our Kinsman Redeemer. *** After preaching to the people from Samaria, he went to Galilee to his own hometown. The ones who had seen the miracles he did at Passover welcomed him. He traveled back to Cana where he had turned the water to wine. A government official there had a son who was deathly sick,. He begged Jesus to come to Capernaum to heal his son. Jesus told him to go back home, his son would live. When he returned he found his son alive and well and learned that he had recovered the same hour Jesus spoke those words about him. His whole household became believers. Jesus had asked, “Will you never believe in me unless you see miraculous signs and wonders?” *** That is a question to us also. Is our faith built on answered prayers or on the sovereignty of God? Will we believe when we don’t see his power, when he is quiet and we can’t hear or feel him? Faith is the evidence of things not seen. It is not activated by results but by our heart of belief. *** Lord, help us to stay strong when we don’t see the evidence or the results we want to see. Thank you for faith and your Word. We stand on what you say and not what we see. You work under the surface, our part is to believe and praise you.