Sat.’s Devo - The New Kingdom Begins

Read: 2 Samuel 20:14-21:22; Acts 1:1-26; Psalm 121:1-8; Proverb s 16:18 Sheba the Bicrite had led a rebellion against David. He went back to his hometown to stir up support and David had sent Joab and Amasa to go after Sheba to kill him. Joab had taken that opportunity to kill Amasa who had been Absalom’s army commander. *** Joab continued to pursue Sheba all the way to the town of Abel-beth-maacah. Joab’s men built a battering ram and began to pound rocks against the wall. A wise woman from the city came out to talk to Joab. She told him that at one time their city was known for its wisdom and now Joab was destroying it. She wanted to know why. He told her he only wanted Sheba who was hiding there. She told him to stop and she would get him what he wanted. She told the people of the town how to save their city and they threw Sheba’s head over the wall to Joab. Joab blew the ram’s horn and called his men off. They went back to Jerusalem satisfied. *** David established godly men as his leaders. A famine arose in the land and David went to the Lord about it. He showed him that it was because Saul had killed some of the Gibeonites in his zeal. The Gibeonites were the ones who had dressed in old clothes and asked Joshua to make a covenant with them of peace. Joshua had made the covenant without asking the Lord first, but the covenant still stood. *** David went to the survivors of the Gibeonites and asked them how they could make amends. They told him that money could not satisfy this. Saul had done it, so Saul’s descendants had to pay. They asked for seven of Saul’s sons so they could execute them for the crime. David gave them seven sons but spared Mephibosheth. They did this on Pentecost. *** One of the mothers of the slain sons of Saul watched over her sons’ dead bodies and refused to let the wild animals eat them. When David found out, he gathered Saul and Jonathan’s bones and all the bones of Saul’s slain sons and buried them in Saul’s family tomb in Kish. Kish means “a snare” which is what Saul’s family had been to the nation of Israel. *** God ended the famine when Saul’s dynasty had been brought to an end. *** The kingdom of Satan did not like that defeat so he brought a giant named Ishbenaob against David who had a new sword weighing 7 pounds. He almost killed David, but Abishai came to his rescue. Satan was trying to start his plan over again with a new sword - a new tactic, but first he would have to take out David. That didn’t happen. He brought three more giants against him and they couldn’t prevail either. *** Luke had written his gospel to Theophilus and to the Greeks to show that Jesus was the Son of Man. Today we begin the book of Acts which was Luke’s second book written to Theophilus to continue the narrative. Theophilus was a convert from the Roman army who loved God. *** Jesus had appeared to his disciples during the 40 days after his suffering on the cross. He told them to go to Jerusalem and wait for the promised gift the Father was sending them. He reminded them that John baptized them with water to repentance, but he was going to baptized them with the Holy Ghost. Then they would receive power to be witnesses in Jerusalem and unto the uttermost parts of the earth. After Jesus told them this, he was taken up in a cloud to heaven. *** The disciples obeyed and went to Jerusalem and met in an upper room. There they fellowshipped and prayed. Peter stood up and spoke to them about what had happened to Judas Iscariot and what the scriptures said about appointing someone to take his place. They wanted a man who had been with them from the beginning till then. They picked two and asked God which one it was to be. The lot feel on Matthias who became the 12th disciple. Matthias means “a gift”. They were there to receive a gift also. *** Lord, your plan has been orchestrated from the beginning to the end. May we see our part in your story to return the kingdoms of the world into the kingdoms of our God.