Wed.’s Devo - The Last Supper

Read: Judges 2:10-3:31; Luke 22:14-34; Psalm 92:1-93:5; Provers 14:1-2 Once the generation of Joshua died, the next generation did not follow the Lord. They did not remember the things God had done for them. They began to worship Baal and the Ashtereth’s. So God turned them over to their enemies who plundered them and distressed them. The Lord himself fought against them. *** When they cried out for God’s help, he would send them a judge to deliver them but they quickly turned away from the Lord once those judges were gone. *** God’s anger burned against them. He brought the Philistines, Canaanites, Sidonians, and Hivites to test them and teach them warfare. The Israelites lived among the other nations and intermarried with them. God turned them over to Chushan-rishathaim which means “double wickedness” for eight years. *** The people cried out to the Lord and He sent Othniel to rescue them and judge them. He defeated Cushan-rishathaim and there was peace for 40 years. *** When Othniel died, they Israelites did evil again. God sent King Elon of Moab to take Jericho and he ruled over them for 18 years. The people cried out to the Lord and he sent Ehud to deliver them from the great tribute they were paying Elon. Ehud went right into his bedroom with a secret message for him. When Elon cleared the room of all his men, Ehud took his sword and drove it through all his thick stomach till he lost his sword in his layers of fat. He escaped down the latrine. *** When Ehud made it back to Ephraim, he sounded a call to arms and took an army of Israelites to fight the Moabites. They killed about 10,000 of their strongest warriors and no one escaped. They had peace for 80 years. *** After he died, Shamgar rescued Israel from the Philistines using an ox goad. *** In Luke, Jesus sat down to have his last meal with his disciples. When he took the cup he explained that he would not drink wine again until the kingdom of God comes. He gave them the bread and told them this represented his body which would be given for them. The wine was his blood he would shed for them. They were to always remember what he told them. *** Jesus said the one who would betray him was at the table and it would not go well with him. *** The disciples wondered who might be the betrayer and who might be the greatest in his kingdom. Jesus explained that in the heathen world the greater was the benefactor, but in the kingdom of God, the greater was the one who served. *** Then Jesus gave Simon a word that would sustain him later. Satan had desired to take him out, but Jesus had prayed for Peter’s faith not to fail. When he returned to the Lord, he would be able to be a source of strength for his brothers. *** Peter defended his faith but Jesus told him he would deny him three times before the rooster crowed. *** Jesus knew how weak Peter was even though Peter thought he was strong. Jesus wanted to encourage him that when he fell, he could get back up. *** Jesus knows how weak we are and intercedes for us to be strong.