Wed.’s Devo - God’s Visitations

Read: 2 Samuel 23:24-24:25; Acts 3:1-26; Psalm 123:1-4; Proverbs 16:21-23 David’s mightiest warriors were listed and where they were from. It begins with Joab’s brother, Asahel, and ends with Uriah, the man David had killed so he could cover his infidelity with his wife, Bathsheba. They were called David’s Thirty even though there were 37 of them. *** God was angry with Israel so he caused David to harm them by calling a census. In the law, when you take a census every man was to buy himself back for a half a shekel. David didn’t include this part so the penalty was a plague. *** It all played out like the law said it would. David had Joab number the people, then felt guilty for doing so. *** God sent the prophet Gad to David to give him the choice of three penalties for his sin: three years of famine, three months of fleeing from their enemies, or three days of severe plague throughout the land. He chose the plague. He wanted God handling the punishment, not men. *** The plague came and killed 70,000 people. When the angel bringing the plague got to Jerusalem, the Lord had mercy and told the death angel to stop. The angel was by the threshing floor of Araunah. David prayed that it would stop and took responsibility for it. *** David asked Araunah if he would sell him the land that the threshing floor was on. Araunah offered the land to David but David insisted on paying for it. He bought it for 50 pieces of silver and built an offering to the Lord on it. *** In Acts, Peter and John went to the Temple at the three o’clock prayer time. They saw a lame man begging by the door. They told him they didn’t have any silver or gold to give him but they could give him what they did have. They told him to rise and walk in the name of Jesus and he did. He was so happy he began leaping and praising God and went into the Temple with them. *** When the people realized what had happened, they were astounded and went to see him. Peter saw this as a teaching moment and began preaching about how Jesus was the Messiah and his name had healed this man. *** He told them that he knew they killed Jesus in ignorance but it had all be foretold by the prophets. Jesus would remain in heaven until the appointed time, then he would return to earth and restore all things. *** Peter reminded them that Moses had said that God would raise up a Prophet and to be careful to listen to everything he tells you. Anyone who did not listen to him would be cut off from God’s people. Peter began with the prophet Samuel and told them what every prophet had said about Jesus. *** Then Peter explained that this was the day those scriptures were being fulfilled. Abraham and said that through them all the families on the earth would be blessed. *** We are in the time where we are seeing everything restored. May we be like the disciples who aligned with God’s plan and were able to see it and believe it. Lord, we are keeping our eyes on you.