Wed.’s Devo - Cleansing the Temple

Read: 2 Chronicles 29:1-36; Romans 14:1-23; Psalm 24:1-10; Proverbs 20:12 Ahaz had closed the Temple and led the people into Baal worship. When he died, his son Hezekiah came to reign. He was the grandson of the priest Zechariah and he wanted to open up the Temple and turn the nation back to the Lord. He reopened the doors of the Temple the first month of his reign and called the priests and Levites together. He asked them to purify the Temple and get all the defiled things out of it and get it back into operation as God had commanded. *** The Levites got to work and purified themselves. They got the Temple purified in 16 days. The next morning, King Hezekiah met with the city officials and took them to the Temple. They brought seven bulls, seven rams and seven male lambs as a burnt offering to the Lord. They cleansed the altar with the blood of the animals and laid hands on the goats to transfer the sins of the nation to the goats then killed them on the altar. *** The musicians were put in place and the burnt offerings were made to the sound of praise and worship. All the people worshipped the Lord and the singers sang and the priests blew the trumpets until all the offerings were made. They sang the songs of David and Asaph then Hezekiah let the people bring their sacrifices and offering to the Lord. They brought 3,370 animals to be sacrificed. *** It was noted that there were too few priests to help because the priests hadn’t been as conscientious about purifying themselves as the Levites had been. They had to let the Levites help them with the sacrifices. *** The Temple of the Lord was restored to service and all the people rejoiced at what God had done so quickly. *** In Romans, Paul talked to them about their different convictions. He explained that some people have more sensitive consciences than others and we must let people work out their own salvation the way they feel comfortable. We will all stand before God and he will have the final say. Everyone must honor God the way he feels is right but not forsaking his commandments. God is a personal God and will judge us all personally. We are not to condemn another person just because they don’t have the same convictions we do. We must not violate our own consciences. Paul encourages us to be sensitive to other’s convictions and not purposely do anything to hurt another’s faith. *** Paul summed it up by saying, the Kingdom of God is not about what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. *** Lord, may we cleanse your Temple in our own hearts. May we have the gift of ears to hear and eyes to see.

Tues.’s Devo - Honor the Lord and his People

Read: 2 Chronicles 26:1-28:27; Romans 13:1-14; Psalm 23:1-6; Proverbs 20:11 Uzziah became king at the age of 16. He was taught by Zachariah the high priest how to seek the Lord. *** He broke through the defenses of the Philistines and took some of their cities and made the Menuites pay annual tribute to him. He became powerful and wealthy. He built fortified towers in Jerusalem at strategic places along the wall and constructed forts in the wilderness and dug up wells. He loved the soil had farms and vineyards. *** He built up his military of strong elite warriors. But then he became proud which led to his downfall. He entered into the sanctuary of the Lord’s Temple and personally burned incense on the incense altar. This was an act only the priests were to do. Azariah the high priest tried to stop him and tell him to leave the sanctuary but the king became furious at the priests. As he was holding the incense burner, leprosy suddenly broke out on his forehead. The priests saw it and rushed him out. His leprosy remained until he died. He had to live in isolation and his son, Jotham was put in charge of the royal palace and governing the people. *** When Uzziah died he had reigned 52 years. His son Jotham became the king at the age of 25 and reigned 16 years. He honored the Lord like his father had except he didn’t offer incense. He rebuilt the upper gate of the Temple and continued expanding the kingdom. He went to war against the Ammonites and they began to pay him tribute in silver, wheat and barley. *** He became powerful because he trusted in the Lord. When he died his son Ahaz became king at the age of 20. He did not honor the Lord. *** Ahaz worshiped Baal and offered his sons as sacrifice to Molech. He followed the detestable practices of the pagan nations they had driven out of the land. God allowed the king of Aram to defeat him and exile many of his people to Damascus. Israel also defeated him and killed 120,000 of his elite warriors. They also killed his son, his palace commander and took 200,000 women and children captive to Samaria, as well as tremendous amount of his wealth. *** When the army of Israel arrived in Samaria they were met by Obed the prophet. He told them that it was the Lord that let them defeat Judah but all heaven was disturbed at their merciless killing of their brothers in Judah. He told them to return the prisoners and to watch out because God’s anger was now turned against them. *** Four of the leaders of Israel agreed with the prophet and met with the men returning from battle. They released the prisoners and gave them clothes, and food, and cared for their wounds. They put the wounded on donkeys and took them back to Jericho. *** Judah was being attacked by the Edomites and the Philistines so they asked the king of Assyria for help. But when the king of Assyria arrived, he attacked Ahaz instead of helping him. Ahaz took valuables from the Temple, the palace and the homes of the rich to pay them off but it didn’t help him. *** Despite all his troubles, Ahaz refused to ask for God’s help. He continued to add gods to his list of gods which didn’t help him one bit. It only aroused God’s anger. *** When Ahaz died, he wasn’t buried in the royal cemetery of the kings. *** In Romans Paul talked about submitting to those God has put in authority. We don’t submit to those who put themselves in authority illegally like our sitting president. Our leaders are to be examples of God, as our authority. They are to represent him. *** We are to obey the laws of the land and respect those God has put in authority. We are to owe no-one anything but to love them. We are to follow God’s commandments and honor one another. *** We are to walk as children of the light and representatives of Jesus Christ. *** Lord may we be your representatives on the earth. May we put on Christ as we walk as children of your light.

Mon.’s Devo - The Rule of Joash and Amaziah

Read: 2 Chronicles 24:1-25:28; Romans 12:1-21; Psalm 22:19-31; Proverbs 20:8-10 Joash became the king at the age of seven. He followed the Lord as long as Jehoiada the high priest was living and mentoring him. Jehoiada chose his two wives and they had many sons and daughters. *** Joash wanted to repair and restore the Temple so he instructed the priests and Levites to take up the Temple tax to pay for the repairs. They finally obeyed and a box was set up for the people to give offerings to repair the Temple. They gave abundantly. Renovation began on the Temple which had been plundered by Athaliah and the dedicated things used in Baal worship. *** Jehoiada died at the age of 130 and things began to change. The leaders of Judah came and enticed King Joash to abandon the Temple and worship at the Asherah poles instead. God sent prophets to warn the people to repent but they refused to listen. Jehoiada’s son, Zechariah was one of the ones who confronted the king for abandoning the Lord. Jehoiada had Zechariah stoned to death in the courtyard of the Lord’s Temple. His last words to Joash were, “May the Lord see what they are doing and avenge my death!” *** That next spring, the Aramean army attacked Jerusalem with a very small army and killed all the leaders of the nation. They were successful because God was using them to judge the nation. Joash was severely wounded in the attack and his own officials plotted to kill him for murdering Zechariah. He died and was buried in the City of David, but not in the royal cemetery. *** Joash’s son, Amaziah became the next king. He was 29 and he did what was pleasing to the Lord only not wholeheartedly. He had the men who executed his father killed. Then he organized the army and hired 100,000 experienced warriors from Israel to help him. *** God sent his prophet to tell him not to hire the troops from Israel because God was not with Israel and would not help him if he did. When he asked the man of God what about the 7,500 pounds of silver he had paid to hire them, his response was “The Lord is able to give you much more than this!” So Amaziah sent them home which made them very upset. *** Amaziah courageously led his small army against the Edomites and God gave them victory. The hired men from Israel went home raiding several of the towns of Judah on their way home. They killed 3,000 people and carried off much wealth. *** Amaziah brought back some of the idols of Edom with him and set them up as his own gods and worshiped them. God sent a prophet to ask him why he was bowing down to idols that couldn’t even save their own people. Amaziah got very angry with the prophet and was told that God would destroy him because of what he had done. *** Amaziah sent a message to King Jehoash, the king of Israel challenging him to battle. King Jehoash tried to get King Amaziah to relent but he wouldn’t listen. So they met on the battle field at Beth-shemesh in Judah and Israel won the battle. Amaziah was captured and brought with them to Jerusalem where he witnessed the demolition of 600 feet of his wall and the seizure of the wealth of the Temple, the taking of the Ark and all his treasures from his house being taken. He was eventually killed as he fled to Lachish. *** In Romans Paul reminds us that we all represent each other and Christ. What we do or don’t do affects the other people in the Body. We all have different gifts that will build up the body or tear it down. We are to use our gifts to build up the body because we love others. We are to take delight in honoring one another and help those in need. *** I love Paul’s quote: “Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.” *** Lord, may we conquer evil with your goodness. May we use the gifts you have given us to bless the body of Christ.o

Sun.’s Devo - Turmoil in the Kingdom

Read: 2 Chronicles 21:1-23:21; Romans 11:13-36; Psalm 22:1-18; Proverbs 20:7 Jehoshaphat was buried and his son, Jehoram became the next king. Jehoram had married Athaliah, Ahab’s daughter. She led him into the worship of Baal. *** Jehoram had six other brothers who had been put over towns and given a great amount of wealth from their father. Jehoram had them all killed so that none of them could rise up and kill him and take his throne. *** Because Jehoram turned away from the Lord, the Edomites rebelled against Judah and Jehoram had to escape during the dark of night. *** Elijah sent a message to Jehoram in a letter exposing all the evil he had done by forsaking the Lord and killing his own brothers. It said that God was going to hit his family with a terrible blow and he would die of a painful intestinal disease where his bowels would come out. *** The Philistines and the Arabs attacked and took everything of value from his palace along with his wives and his children. Only his youngest son, Ahaziah was sparred. Then he got the intestinal disease which killed him. *** He was not given a funeral to honor him because the people were glad he died. He wasn’t even buried in the royal cemetery. He had only reigned 8 years. *** The people made Ahaziah, Jehoram’s youngest son their king. He was 22 years old and only reigned one year. His mother Athaliah encouraged him to do evil. King Ahab’s family became his advisors and encouraged him to go to war with them against King Hazael of Aram at Ramoth-gilead. Joram, Israel’s king was wounded in battle. King Ahaziah went to visit him and together they went out to meet Jehu who the Lord had appointed to destroy Ahab’s dynasty of which both of them were a part of. *** Jehu had met some of Ahaziah’s relatives on the way and killed them then found Ahaziah hiding in Samaria and killed him also. He was given a decent burial since he was Jehoshaphat’s son. *** When Athaliah heard that Ahaziah was dead, she started killing all the other royal relatives so she could reign. Ahaziah’s sister hid his infant son, Joash and he was raised by priests in the Temple for six years. *** In the seventh year of Athaliah’s reign, Jehoiada the priest had all the priests come to the Temple and they surrounded the altar and brought out Joash and with rest ceremony they anointed and crowned him king. When Athaliah heard all the noise and came to see what was going on she cried “Treason” but the commanders took her to the front of the Temple where she was killed. They also killed Mattan, the Baal priest in front of his altar as they were smashing all the altars of Baal. *** Jehoiada gave the priests of God control over the Temple once again and commanded them to begin the sacrifices to the Lord once again. *** Then Joash was escorted from the Temple to the royal throne and all the people of the land rejoiced. *** What a quick change of events. It all happened in a day but had been planned for years. We are experiencing that same thing in our day. A plan has been going on for years which we are about to see open up in a day. Be patient! *** In Romans, Paul explains that the Jews were the root and the Gentiles were the branches. The root gave way for the branches to grow but one day the root will be restored. But he warned them to walk in the fear of the Lord because branches can be broken off and new ones grafted in. The way to be broken off is to lose faith and the way to stay on is to have faith and stay faithful. *** Lord, we pray to stay faithful in all we do.

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

Read: 2 Chronicles 19:1-20:37; Romans 10:14-11:12; Psalm 21:1-13; Proverbs 20:4-6 When Jehoshaphat got back from Israel, God was not happy with him for going to help Ahab. He sent Hanani, the seer to ask him why he helped the wicked and loved those who hated the Lord. God was mad at what he had done but loved him for what he was doing in his nation to bring people back to him. *** Jehoshaphat traveled throughout his nation encouraging the people to return to the Lord. He appointed judges from among the Levites and priests who would judge with integrity and not take bribes or show partiality in their decisions. He admonished them to judge with the fear of the Lord. *** Amariah the high priest would have the final say in cases involving the Lord and Zebadiah, a leader from the tribe of Judah would have the final say in all civil cases. *** Jehoshaphat was warned that the armies of the Moabites, Ammonites and some of the Meunites were coming to declare war against them. Jehoshaphat went immediately to the Lord to ask for help. He called for a fast and all the people came to Jerusalem to pray for God’s help and guidance. Jahaziel, a Levite stood up and gave then a word from the Lord. He told the not to be afraid or discouraged because this battle was not theirs but the Lord’s. They were to march out to meet them and take their stand and watch what God was going to do. *** Jehoshaphat fell on his face praising and worshiping the Lord. The Levites stood and gave the Lord a very loud shout. *** The next morning, the army went out to meet their enemies. Jehoshaphat appointed singers to walk ahead of the army singing “Give thanks to the Lord: his faithful love endures forever!” The moment they began, the armies of their enemies began fighting one another. They killed each other and it took Israel three days to collect all the plunder. *** What an amazing story of what God will do for us when we are faced with impossible circumstances and we look to him to help us. God really wants to bless us and all we have to do is to look to him. *** Romans asks the question, “How can they call upon him to save them unless they believe in him?” Without faith it is impossible to please God. Jehoshaphat had to believe on God to see God’s salvation. *** Romans was making the point that someone has to have been told about the Lord so they can believe in him and that is where we come in. We are his witnesses. It is not our responsibility to make them believe, but it is our responsibility to tell them and give them the opportunity to choose for themselves whether they are going to believe or not. *** The Gentiles responded to God’s invitation. A remnant of Israel believed - the ones with softened hearts. One day they will return and receive their blessing and be a blessing to the whole world. *** Lord, may our lives provoke others to jealously desire You. May we be your faithful witnesses.

Fri.’s Devo - Ahab’s Last Battle

Read: 2 Chronicles 17:1-18:34; Romans 9:25-10:13; Psalm 20:1-9; Proverbs 20:2-3 Jehoshaphat, Asa’s son became king of Judah. He made Judah a safe place to live. He got rid of the images of Baal and Asherah and worshiped the Lord. God established his kingdom and the people loved Jehoshaphat and brought him gifts. *** Jehoshaphat was committed to teaching the people about the Lord so he sent his officials with copies of God’s Law to the towns of Judah to teach them the ways of the Lord. *** The surrounding nations feared Jehoshaphat and sent him tribute. He made an alliance with Israel and his son married one of Ahab’s daughters. After a few years, he went to visit the king of Israel. Ahab asked him if he would help him get control of Ramoth-gilead and he agreed to help him. Before they went into battle, Jehoshaphat wanted to ask the Lord if they would have success. Ahab brought all his 400 prophets of Baal and they all prophesied success for Israel. Jehoshaphat asked if there was a prophet of God they could ask. Ahab knew of one but he hated him because he never had anything nice to say to him. Jehoshaphat wanted to hear from him first so they brought him Micaiah. *** Micaiah was warned to prophesy success like the other prophets so he sarcastically mimicked them. King Ahab got mad and told him to tell him the truth, so he did. He had seen Israel scattered on the mountains and their leader killed. He had seen a meeting in heaven with the Lord. They were talking about how they could get Ahab to go to battle so he could be killed. One stepped forward and said he would go and be a lying spirit in the mouths of his prophets. God told him to go, he would have success. *** When they heard this, Zedikiah, one of Ahab’s prophets slapped Micaiah in the face. He asked him when God’s spirit left him and went to Micaiah. Micaiah told him he would find out when he wound try to hide in a secret room. Micaiah was put in prison and ordered to be fed only bread and water until Ahab returned. *** Ahab went into battle disguised as a normal soldier. Jehoshaphat was chased down until they realized he wasn’t Ahab. Finally, a soldier shot a random arrow into the army of Israel and it went between the joints in Ahab’s armor. He bled out on the field and died just as the sun was setting. *** In Romans, Paul recalls Hosea’s prophecy that said that God would call a people he hadn’t love before to be his children. Isaiah had said that only a small remnant of Israel would be saved and not judged severely. They were referring to the time Paul was living where God was saving Gentiles and calling then his children. This was according to their faith, not their lineage or rigid adherence to his Law. *** The Jews stumbled over keeping the Law and missed the one who fulfilled it - Jesus. The Jews were so bent on getting to God their way, they refused to see that Christ accomplished the purpose the Law was given. Now we are made right with God by trusting in him and calling on his name. *** Lord, may we learn to hear your voice and trust you with all our hearts. May our faith please you.

Thurs.’s Devo - King Asa’s Reign

Read: 2 Chronicles 14:1-16:14; Romans 9:1-24; Psalm 19:1-14; Proverbs 20:1 Abijah died and his son, Asa became the next king. The land of Judah experienced peace for the next 10 years. During that time, Asa built and fortified many towns and sought the Lord. He also built up an army of over 500,000 men. *** They were attacked by an army from Ethiopia of a million soldiers and 300 chariots. With the help of the Lord, Judah defeated them and carried off a great amount of plunder. *** On his way home, Asa was met by Azariah the prophet. He told Asa that as long as they stayed with the Lord, he would be with them and help them. Asa listened to what he said and removed all the detestable idols from the land of Judah and Benjamin and the towns they captured. He repaired the altar of the Lord and celebrated a Passover like had not been done in years. He deposed his grandmother Maacah as the queen mother because she worshiped Asherah. *** Asa brought treasures into the Temple of the Lord and there was no more war until his 36th year as king. Then King Baasha of Israel invaded Judah and fortified Ramah which was the gateway between the two nations. Israel kept anyone from entering into Judah. Asa responded by hiring King Ben-hadad of Aram to break their treaty with Israel and join with them instead. He paid him with gold and silver from the Temple. *** Ben-hadad agreed to make a covenant with Judah and sent his army to attack the towns of Israel. When Baasha realized what was happening he stopped fortifying Ramah, but God was not happy with King Asa. *** God sent his prophet, Hanani to speak to Asa and told him that since he put his trust in the king of Aram instead of Him, he missed his opportunity to destroy the king of Aram. He reminded him of how God helped him destroy the army of Ethiopia who had chariots and twice the army. He told Asa that because he did this he would be in constant war. *** Instead of repenting, Asa was mad at the prophet and put Hanani in jail and put him in stocks. He began to oppress his people also. He developed a serious foot disease and refused to ask for the Lord’s help. Instead, he went to the doctors for help. He died and was buried in the City of David. *** In Romans, Paul explained that God adopted Abraham to be his son. Abraham’s descendants were to inherit the promises that God had given to him but Abraham had many sons. It was only the sons of promise, through Isaac that these promises would go to. It was not enough to be Abraham’s sons, his promise went to the ones he called. Isaac went on to have two sons: Jacob and Esau but God called Jacob and not Esau to inherit the promise. The same is true for us. God chooses those he wants to be his witnesses to the earth. He is very patient with those he destines for destruction. They have a choice to do what is right. *** To those he chooses to have mercy on, he gives them his glory also so that they would shine for all to see. *** Lord, may our lives display your glory so that we may be your witnesses. Thank you for calling us out of darkness into the light of your dear son.

Wed.’s Devo - Judah and Israel

Read: 2 Chronicles 11:1-13:22; Romans 8:26-39; Psalm 18:37-50: Proverbs 19:27-29 Rehoboam went home from his meeting in Shechem and mobilized an army from the two tribes that were still loyal to him - Judah and Benjamin. The Lord sent Shemaiah to tell Rehoboam not to fight against his relatives because this division was His doing. Rehoboam obeyed the word of the Lord and didn’t fight against Jeroboam. Instead he went home and fortified the towns he did have control over to keep their food supplies and their people safe. *** All the priests stayed with Rehoboam and many that lived in Israel moved to Judah because Jeroboam wouldn’t let them serve as priests in Israel. Jeroboam made golden calves and goats for them to worship and appointed priests of his own choosing. *** For three years, Rehoboam followed the Lord like David and Solomon. He married his cousins Mahalath and Maacah and had children. He also had other wives and concubines and through all his women he had 28 sons and 60 daughters. He appointed Maacah’s son Abijah as his successor and gave his other sons responsibilities over the fortified towns and provided them with generous provisions and found them many wives. He kept his family happy and well cared for. *** When Rehoboam’s kingdom was established he abandoned the Lord. Because of this, King Shishak of Egypt came and attacked Jerusalem. The prophet Shemaiah told Rehoboam that because the kingdom of Judah had abandoned the Lord, he had abandoned them. Rehoboam and the leaders humbled themselves before the Lord and God didn’t allow Shishak to destroy Judah but they were attacked and robbed. *** Rehoboam continued to rule a total of 17 years. He died at the age of 58 and his son, Abijah became king. Jeroboam was still ruling in Israel. *** War broke out between Jeroboam and Abijah. Jeroboam had twice the soldiers of Abijah but Abijah relied on the Lord and his promises and defeated the army of Israel. Jeroboam lost over half of his army during that battle and never regained his power. He was finally struck down by the Lord and died. Meanwhile, Abijah grew stronger and stronger. He married 14 wives and had 22 sons and 16 daughters. He only ruled three years. *** In Romans, Paul continues his teaching. We have the Holy Spirit that helps us in our weakness. He prays with us with groaning that only God can understand. The Holy Spirit prays God’s will for us. God causes all things to work for our good and his will. God calls those that are his and gives them his glory. *** God did not spare his only son but gave him up for us. Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us. He is now sitting at God’s right hand making intercession for us. All of this is because he loves us and there is nothing that can separate us from his love. No matter what we are going through, our victory is in Christ who loves us. *** Lord, thank you for your love and care. With you on our side there is nothing we can’t do. With your help, may we follow your will and accomplish your plan on the earth.

Tues.’s Devo - God’s Kingdom In Us

Read: 2 Chronicles 8:11-10:19; Romans 8:9-25; Pslam 18:16-36; Proverbs 19:26 Solomon ran the Temple like David had set it up. They celebrated the feasts and the new moon festivals and offered the daily sacrifices. *** The queen of Sheba heard of Solomon’s fame and came with gifts to see if all she had heard was true. Solomon showed her everything about his kingdom and how it ran. She was amazed at his wisdom and wealth. She gave him 9,000 pounds of gold, spices and precious jewels. She also brought him red sandalwood that he used to make steps for the Temple of the Lord and his royal palace and to make musical instruments. Solomon gave her anything she asked for which was more than she had brought him. She returned to her land. *** Each year Solomon received about 25 tons of gold as well as revenue from trade. He had 200 hammered large gold shields and 300 smaller ones made and placed them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. *** His throne was huge and decorated with ivory and overlaid with gold. His armrests were figures of lions with lions on both sides of the six steps leading up to the throne. *** King Solomon was richer and wiser than any other king on earth. Kings from all over came to sit and listen to his wisdom. His wealth was evident in Jerusalem where silver was as plentiful as stones and cedar timber as common as the sycamore-fig trees. *** He ruled for forty years and when he died, his son, Rehoboam became king. Rehoboam went to Shechem to meet with his people. Jeroboam who had fled to Egypt came to hear him. *** All of Solomon’s show of wealth had come at the expense of the people because the first thing they wanted to know was if Rehoboam was going to lighten their load and lessen their taxes. He told them he would let them know in three days. *** Rehoboam asked his father’s advisors what he should do and they told him that if he gave the people what they wanted, they would serve him forever. Then he went to the advisors of his peers and they told him to tell the people that if they thought his father was tough, they hadn’t seen anything yet; he would be tougher. *** When he met with the people, he took the advise of the younger advisors. When the people saw that he wasn’t going to listen to them they split from David’s kingdom. Rehoboam sent Adoniram who was in charge of his forced labor to restore order but the people stoned him to death. Rehoboam fled home. *** From that time on, the northern tribes of Israel refused to be ruled by a descendant of David. *** In Romans, Paul reminds us that we are not controlled anymore by our sinful nature but we are now controlled by the Spirit of God because we have the Spirit of God living in us. Our bodies will still die because of sin but the Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead will give life to our mortal bodies. *** We no longer have any obligation to sin but have the power of the Sprit to put to death the desires of our sinful nature. We can be led by the Spirit of God. *** The Spirit of God has made us God’s children and the right to call him our Daddy. This also makes us heirs of his glory. But it also means that we will share in his sufferings. But the things we suffer now are nothing compared to the glory that he will reveal to us later. All creation is waiting for the day that we will be free from death and decay. This will be the day we are given our full rights as his adopted children and the new bodies he has promised us. *** Lord, help us to patiently wait for this day when death has no power over our bodies and we can be filled with your glory as the Temple was years ago.

Mon.’s Devo - Lord, Have Mercy

Read: 2 Chronicles 6:12-8:10; Romans 7:14-8:8; Psalm 18:1-15; Proverbs 19:24-25 Solomon had made a platform that stood in the middle of the outer courtyard of the Temple. He stood on top of it and bowed before the people to pray to the Lord. God had kept his promise by helping him build the Temple. He reminded the Lord of another promise he had made that if he and his descendants guarded their behavior and faithfully followed his Law then one of them would always sit on the throne of Israel. *** He prayed that God would be their judge and punish the guilty and acquit the innocent in front of this altar. If the nation sins and is defeated by their enemies and prays toward this altar, then may God hear their prayers and forgive their sins and return them to this land. *** If there is a drought, or a famine in the land because of their sins, and the people repent, then may God hear their prayer and forgive them and send rain. *** When foreigners come from distant lands and hear of his great name and pray toward this Temple, then may God hear their prayer. If God’s people are on the battlefield defending their nation or if they have been taken captive to another country turn and pray toward this Temple, then may God hear their prayers. *** Solomon invited God to come and rest along with the Ark. He prayed that the priests would be clothed with salvation and his servants would rejoice. He prayed that God would not reject him. When he finished praying, fire flashed down from heaven and burnt up the burnt offerings and sacrifices and the presence of the Lord filled the Temple. The priests could not enter the Temple because of the presence of the Lord. *** The people fell on the ground and worshiped the Lord singing “He is good! His faithful love endures forever!” They celebrated the next seven days of the feast. On the eighth day they had a closing ceremony and the people went home full of joy. *** It had taken 20 years to build the Temple and his palace. When it was completed, God appeared to Solomon. He told him he had heard his prayer and he would forgive anyone who repented and sought his face. He would watch over his Temple and his name would be honored there forever. *** God told Solomon that if he and his descendants continued to worship him as their God, he would always have one of then on the throne, but if they abandoned him and worshiped other gods, then the people would be uprooted from the land. The Temple would be rejected and become a place of mockery and all would know why. *** Solomon rebuilt the towns King Hiram gave him and settled Israelites in them. He built his cities using foreigners for laborers and assigned his people to fight in his army and be officers and commanders and appointed 250 of them to supervise the people. *** In Romans, Paul describes spiritual warfare. He then gives the answer which is Jesus Christ our Lord. He takes all the condemnation away and gives us his power over sin. If we are controlled by the Holy Spirit then we will think of things that please the Lord instead of letting our sinful nature control our minds. *** Lord, may we be completely controlled by the Holy Spirit and wield our members to be subject to your power. We choose life.

Sun.’s Devo - The New Covenant

Read: 2 Chronicles 4:1-6:11; Romans 7:1-13; Psalm 17:1-15; Proverbs 19:22-23 Solomon had the bronze altar made which was 30 feet long and 30 feet wide and 15 feet tall. Imagine that! They could put a lot of animals on the altar at the same time. This altar was lifted 15 feet tall so all in the Temple could see it. *** The Sea, which was the bronze basin for the priests to wash in was placed on the backs of twelve bronze oxen and held 16,500 gallons of water. It was placed near the southeast corner of the Temple. Smaller basins were made to wash the utensils in which were placed on the north and south side. *** Ten gold lampstands or menorahs were made and five were placed against the south wall and five on the north side. Ten tables were placed, five on each side. *** There was a courtyard for the priests and a large outer courtyard. The doors for the courtyard were overlaid with bronze. There were water carts to hold the smaller basins and other instruments made by Hurami-abi. *** The gold altar for incense, the tables for the Bread of the Presence, the menorahs, were all made of solid gold. *** When all was finished, Solomon brought the gifts David had dedicated to the Lord and stored them in the treasuries of the Temple. Solomon called all the elders and head of the tribes and leaders of the families to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles. The priests brought the Ark from the City of David to the Temple and the entire community offered sacrifices to the Lord. The priests put the Ark in the Holy of Holies and the singers and musicians led in praise and worship. God responded with a thick cloud that filled the Temple. The priests could not continue because the cloud was so thick. *** Solomon gave a speech that honored the Lord and his father David. *** In Romans, Paul tried to explain that the law was good but it brought attention to what was unlawful for us to do. This made our sinful nature want to do it. The Spirit brought us the power not to sin. We were first married to the law and were bound by it. But through Christ the law has died and we are no longer bound to it. We can now marry the Spirit and be bound to it. It brings life and freedom. *** Lord, we choose your Spirit. We thank you for your laws. May we build your temple within us to glorify you.

Sat.’s Devo - Setting Up Solomon’s Kingdom

Read: 2 Chronicles 1:1-3:17; Romans 6:1-23; Psalm 16:1-11; Proverbs 19:20-21 Solomon gathered all the leaders of Israel to Gibeon where the Tabernacle of Moses was. The Ark had already been moved but the bronze altar where they offered sacrifices was still in Gibeon. He offered 1,000 burnt offerings on it. *** That night, God appeared to Solomon and asked him what he wanted. Solomon asked for wisdom and knowledge and discernment to lead the people of God. God was very pleased with his request. He told him he would grant his request and add to that riches and honor. *** Solomon returned to Jerusalem and built up a huge army of horses and chariots. He enlisted 153,600 foreigners to get stone from the quarry and to build the Temple to honor the name of the Lord and a royal palace for himself. He sent a message to King Hiram at Tyre asking for cedar logs and a master craftsman to supervise the work. In exchange he would give him wheat, barley, wine and oil. *** Hiram sent him Huram-abi as the master craftsman and Solomon began to build the Temple on the threshing floor of Araunah on Mount Moriah. He began on the second day of the second month of his fourth year as king. *** The foundation of the Temple was 90 feet long and 30 feet wide. The walls were made of cedar and had carvings of cherubim, palm trees and chains and decorated with jewels. The inside of the Temple was overlaid in pure gold. *** The Most Holy Place was 30 feet by 30 feet. It was overlaid with gold. Two figures of cherubim were placed in the Most Holy Place. They stood side by side with their wings outstretched. Their total wingspan was the width of the room and they were overlaid in gold. The entrance of the Holy of Holies was a curtain made of fine linen decorated with blue, purple, and scarlet thread and embroidered with figures of cherubim. *** Two pillars 27 feet tall were set up at the entrance of the Temple one to the south and one to the north. They were named Jakin (“God will establish”) and Boaz (“in him is strength”). *** In Romans, Paul as answering the question of the day. There was much false teaching about sinning to show God’s grace. Paul taught this was absurd since when we become saved, our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ and sin loses its power in our lives. We died to our sins so that we might live resurrected lives that bring glory to him. *** Paul explained to them that they didn’t gave to give in to sinful desires or serve sin anymore. They could choose to give themselves completely to God and enjoy their new life in Christ. Our bodies were meant to glorify God and live under the freedom of God’s grace. *** If we choose to keep on sinning then we become its slave. We are a slave to who or whatever we choose to obey. We can choose to obey God who give us life or sin who give us death. We are no longer slaves to sin but can choose to become a slave to righteous living and become holy. Lord, may we live our lives so that we can join David in saying, “Every good thing I have comes from you. You are our Master!”

Fri.’s Devo - The New Temple and the New Covenant

Read: 1 Chronicles 28:1-29:30; Romans 5:6-21; Psalm 15:1-5; Proverbs 19:18-19 David called a meeting of all the leaders of the tribes, the commanders of the army divisions, generals, captains, overseers of the royal property and livestock, the palace officials, the mighty men and all other brave warriors of the kingdom. In other words, all the people in authority were to come to Jerusalem and hear what he had to say. He explained to them that it had been his great desire to build a temple to the Lord, but because he had shed so much blood, the responsibility would go to his son, Solomon. God had promised that if he continued to obey his commands that he would make his kingdom last forever. *** David told Solomon to learn to know God and worship and serve him with all his heart and mind. He sees every heart and knows all man’s plans. If he seeks him, God will be found of him but if he forsakes him, God will forsake him forever. *** David then handed Solomon the blueprint for the Temple and its surrounding rooms and courtyards. He also gave him instructions for the priests and all the workers in the Temple. He detailed the materials to be used and what all the furniture should look like. He designated the gold to be used. Everything was to glorify the Lord. *** As an example to the leaders, David gave all his gold and silver for the Temple. The leaders followed his example and gave generously from their own supply. David was very pleased and prayed a prayer of praise as he dedicated all that was given to the Lord. *** The next day the people brought thousands of animals to be sacrificed to the Lord as an offering. They feasted and drank with great joy. Solomon was crowned as the king an anointed before the Lord by the priest. David had ruled 40 years over Israel - 33 in Israel and 7 in Hebron. He died having enjoyed long life, wealth, and honor. Solomon ruled in his place. *** Paul explains the whole plan of salvation in Romans. Sin entered through the sin of Adam. Sin brought death yet it didn’t account to them as sin until the law came. Once the law came man was condemned until Christ came and broke the power of sin and restored our relationship back with God. *** God’s law was given so that we could see how sinful we were but as sin grew, so did God’s grace. Now God’s grace rules instead of death and it results in eternal life. That is the Good News and the New Covenant. Death has been replace by life if we choose grace. *** Lord, we choose life and the joy of having right standing with you. Thank you for the gift of grace and your plan to restore us to you.

Thurs.’s Devo - The Temple is Within Us

Read:1 Chronicles 26:12-27:34; Romans 4:13-5:5; Psalm 14:1-7; Proverbs 19:17 The way the Temple was run was a picture of how we as the Temple of the Lord are suppose to be. There were appointed people from the Levites to guard the gates of the Temple. Our gates are our eyes, ears, mouths and reproductive organs. Our guards are discernment, judgement, conscience and righteousness. We choose what we allow through our gates. Enemies can force there way through our gates or we can let them in. If we want our Temple to glorify God, we have to fight the enemies that want in and cleanse our Temple often to get them out. *** Other Levites were in charge of the treasuries that were gifts offered to the Lord. These are found in our hearts. They are memories, victories, promises of God, our families, whatever we hold dear. The Levites were to guard them from being stolen and we have to guard our hearts so we don’t have our treasures stolen by our enemy, Satan. *** The generals and captains of the army were in charge of making sure the things of the Lord were running well in the nation. The spiritual climate was the highest priority for them. The way we keep our generals and captains in top shape is by feeding ourselves the Word of God and talking to God and listening to his Spirit. We, like generals and captains need to be obedient to our Lord’s commands and be quick to obey. *** Solomon also had outside help: a wise counselor and a scribe. He had men to teach his sons and an advisor and a friend. He also had a commander over his army. We need good shepards, teachers, and friends to help us in our walk. We are also compassed about by a crowd of witnesses and have been appointed angels to minister and help us. We are well equipped to win any battle that comes our way. *** In Romans, Paul reminds us that God promised to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants which was based on his right relationship with God. Whether we get the promises we are waiting for are based on the same thing - not our obedience to a law. We receive his promises by faith which is a free gift. *** Abraham had been promised a son and the older he got the more his faith grew which is the opposite of how we would think. His faith brought glory to God. *** When we stand in faith in the God who raised Jesus our Lord from the death, we are given undeserved privilege with God. We can look forward to sharing in God’s glory. We can rejoice when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance which leads to strength of character. Then we know that what we are hoping in will not disappoint us because our other loves us and has given us his Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. *** Lord, this is so encouraging for us. We are overwhelmed with your love for us. We put all our hope in your promises and believe what you say and who you are.

Wed.’s Devo -The Priests, Levites and Gatekeepers

Read: 1 Chronicles 24:1-26:11; Romans 4:1-12; Psalm 13:1-6; Proverbs 19:15-16 Aaron’s descendants were the priests who directly ministered before the Lord. Aaron had four sons but two died before they had children because they offered strange fire to the Lord. Aaron’s other two sons were Eleazar and Ithamar. Their descendants were the priests. Their assignments were chosen by lots so that there was no preference given. Twenty-four lots were given out. *** The Levites also received their assignments by lots so that no preference was given and they were not discriminated against because of their age or rank. God chose as he saw fit. *** The musicians were chosen by David and the army commanders. These men were to proclaim God’s messages to music from the lyres, harps and cymbals. David’s own seer was Heman. ( Human means “faithful”.) There were 288 accomplished musicians chosen. They were divided into 24 stations. *** Gatekeepers were chosen. Obed-edom had housed the Ark and he was a gatekeeper. It had been said that when he kept the Ark, God blessed everything in his household. His blessing was children. He had 62 descendants who were all very qualified and capable men. *** In Romans, Paul explained that Abraham was the human founder of their nation. He discovered that it wasn’t his good deeds that made him righteous before God, but it was his faith. Our good deeds are expected of us just like the things we do in our job are expected of us. We are blessed and joyful when we realize our sins are forgiven and forgotten. *** God had chosen Abraham before he was circumcised just as God chooses us in our sin and then makes us righteous through the blood of Christ. *** Lord, thank you for forgiving our sins and counting us as righteousness. May we increase in faith and may our deeds accompany our faith.

Tues.’s Devo - Solomon’s Commission

Read: 1 Chronicles 22:1-23:32; Romans 3:9-31; Psalm 12:1-8; Proverbs 19:13-14 David knew that Solomon was young and would need help in the task of building a Temple to the Lord so he prepared for him. He gathered all the stone, wood and materials for building and stored them. He sat down with Solomon and instructed him in how to build it. He explained to him how he had wanted to build it himself but because he had shed so much blood in God’s sight, he was not the one to build it. It would be built in a time of peace by his son who would be known as a man of peace. He would be a son to the Lord and God would be his father. His throne would be secure over Israel forever. *** David provided all the workmen Solomon would need for the job and ordered all the leaders of Israel to help him. He told Solomon to seek the Lord with all his heart so that he could bring the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant and the holy vessels of God into the Temple he built to honor the Lord’s name. *** When David was an old man, he appointed Solomon to be king over Israel and gathered all the leaders of Israel and the priests and Levites. There were 38,000 of them. He assigned some of them to supervise the work of the Temple, some as officials and judges, gatekeepers and some to praise the Lord with musical instruments. He divided the Levites into their clans: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. *** The Kohathites were set apart to dedicate the most holy things, offer sacrifices and pronounce blessings in God’s name. All Levites over twenty years of age were to serve in the Temple. They took care of the courtyards and side rooms, helped perform the ceremonies of purification, and were in charge of the sacred bread that was set out on the table, the grain offerings and the weights and measures. Every morning and evening they stood before the Lord and sang songs of thanks and praise to Him. They assisted with the burnt offerings and new moon celebrations and all the appointed festivals. *** The Levites were under the supervision of the priests and faithfully carried out all their duties at the house of the Lord. *** In Romans, Paul explained how the Gentile was no different from the Jew. They both sinned just the same and both needed a Savior. *** The law was given to show man he was guilty before God. No one could ever be made right before God by doing everything it said. It was there to show us how sinful we are. But, now God has shown us a way to be made right before him without keeping the law. It is by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus freed us from the penalty for our sins and died as our sacrifice for sin. We don’t forget about the law, now we can fulfill it. It is written in our hearts and we desire to do what it right. *** Lord, thank you for salvation through Christ. Thank you for making a way for us to be made right with you. Let us put our faith in you and not our own righteousness.

Mon.’s Devo - Lies Lead to Death

Read: 1 Chronicles 19:1-21:30; Romans 2:25-3:8; Psalm 11:1-7; Proverbs 19:10-12 David learned that King Nahash of the Ammonites had died and his son had taken the throne. He sent ambassadors to give his respects for his father but his officers thought they were there to spy out their land for a future attack. They took David’s men and cut off their beards and their robes. They returned to David in shame. David let them stay in Jericho until their beards grew out. *** The people of Ammon realized how angry David was with them and hired chariots and soldiers from Aram-naharaim, Arammaach, and Zobah. David’s army met them at Medeba. Joab had enemy armies to fight on both sides to fight so he divided his army. He took some of Israel’s elite troops with him to fight the Arameans in the fields. His brother Abishai took the rest to fight the Ammonites. They both fled before Israel’s armies. The Arameans gathered more troops from beyond the Euphrates River. Israel crossed the Jordan where they battled again. Once again, Israel won and Hadadezer’s allies surrendered to David and became his subjects. *** Just to think, all of this was over a misunderstanding. All David was trying to do was to send condolences to King Nahash. This is how little offenses can grow into great wars. The answer to all of this is communication, trust, and forgiveness. *** Chapter 20 begins, “in the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to war.” The priests don’t record this, but this was when David sinned with Bathsheba. Joab did go out to war and destroyed the city of Rabat taking the king’s crown. He had David come and remove the crown from the king’s head so he would get the credit for the victory. *** War broke out with the Philippines at Gezer and they killed a giant named Saph. They also killed Lahmi, Goliath’s brother in another battle. David’s nephew killed a giant at Gath who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. *** David sinned by taking a census of the people. Joab tried to talk him out of it but he insisted. After it was done, God gave him three options for his punishment. He could have three years of famine, three months of destruction by war or three days of severe plague on his nation. He chose the latter because he would rather fall into the hands of God than man. Good choice! *** The plague killed 70,000 of his people and just as the angel of the Lord was going to destroy the people of Jerusalem, David and his leaders put on sack cloth to show their repentance. They fell on their face before God and he relented. The angel stopped at the threshing floor of Araunah. Araunah and his four sons saw the angel and ran and hid. David walked up and offered Araunah to buy his threshing floor where the plague stopped so he could offer sacrifices to the Lord. Araunah offered to give David the land and the animals to sacrifice but David insisted on paying full price. He gave him 600 pieces of gold to pay for it. *** Romans begins with a valuable statement: “The Jewish ceremony of circumcision has value only if you obey God’s law.” This is true of salvation. We could say it like this: “Walking down an aisle and giving your heart to the Lord only has value if you walk in Jesus’ teaching.” *** Paul goes on to say that a change of heart can only happen by the Spirit of God. That person will have a heart that seeks to praise the Lord and seek his praise and not man’s. *** The false teachers of his day were saying that by sinning it made God look more righteous so they were justified in their sinful lifestyles. Paul totally disagreed. He will speak more about that tomorrow. *** Lord, may our righteousness be to your glory because only you can make a person righteous. May we glorify you.

Sun.’s Devo - God’s Witness to the World

Read: 1 Chronicles 16:37-18:17; Romans 2:1-24; Psalm 10:16-18; Proverbs 19:8-9 David set the Levites in place to serve at the place he put the Ark. Obed-edom was mentioned because he had housed the Ark for months. He was made a gatekeeper for the Ark. *** The priests were stationed at the Tabernacle of the Lord in Gibeon where they continued to sacrifice and offer burnt offerings to the Lord morning and evening. The musicians sang praises to the Lord and played their instruments. All the people returned to their homes as well as David. *** David went home and called Nathan to his palace. He told him he wanted to build God a house of cedar so he wouldn’t have to live in a tent. Nathan told him to do whatever was in his heart because God was with him. But that night God spoke to Nathan and sent him back to David to tell him that he was not the one to build him his house. He had never lived in a house but had traveled with them. He had established David as the king and given them a homeland to live in peace. He had built David a house which was a dynasty of kings. One of his descendants would build a temple for him. His throne would last forever. *** When Nathan told David, he completely submitted to God’s plan was was grateful to be chosen. David went on to defeat the Philistines by capturing Gath and conquering the land of Moab and making subjects of their survivors. David also destroyed the forces of Hadadezer capturing his chariots and crippling all his chariot horses. He defeated the Arameans who came to help Hadadezer and captured Damascus making them his subjects. He brought their gold shields to Jerusalem along with large amounts of bronze. Later that bronze would be melted down to make the Sea for the Temple. *** King Toi of Hamath rewarded David with gold and silver and bronze for defeating Hadadezer since he was a great enemy of his. David dedicated all the spoils to the Lord. *** David’s men captured Edom and they became David’s subjects also. David reigned over all Israel and did what was just and right for his people. *** Solomon would build a Temple for the Lord, but he was not the one God was speaking of. Jesus would come from David’s line and build a Temple that would never be shaken or destroyed and we are part of that Temple. *** In Romans, Paul preached about a judgment that was coming that would judge every man’s deeds. Those who continued sinning would have trouble and calamity, and those who did good and honored God would be rewarded with glory, honor and peace. *** The Gentiles who didn’t have the law would be destroyed for their sins, but the Jews who had the law would be judged by the law. The Gentiles who followed their conscience and did good would be rewarded accordingly. The Jews who did wrong would not be saved just because they were Jews. Having the law and not obeying it dishonors God and condemns those who do so. Their actions caused the Gentiles to follow them and be condemned also. *** From the beginning God chose Israel to be his witnesses to the world of who God was. They will be judged on how they did this. Now, we who know God are his witnesses and we will also be judged by how we live this out before the world. *** Lord, may we be your witnesses of righteousness and truth. May we bring honor to your name.

Sat.’s Devo - Bringing Up the Ark

Read: 1 Chronicles 15:1-16:36; Romans 1:18-32; Psalm 10:1-15; Proverbs 19:6-7 David had several buildings built in the City of David and even a tent for the ark. He researched how to carry the ark and found that it must be carried by priests with the poles on their shoulders. He gathered the priests and Levites together and organized the music. He ordered the Levite leaders to appoint those who would sing and those who would play instruments. Among the priests they chose men to guard the ark and those to blow trumpets as they marched in front of the ark. *** They brought up the Ark with shouts of joy and blowing of ram’s horns and trumpets and clashing of cymbals and loud playing on harps and lyres. *** As they entered the City of David, Michal, Saul’s daughter looked out her window at David and was angry with him. He was skipping and laughing with joy in the street. *** The Ark was placed in the special tent David had made and they presented burnt offerings and peace offerings to the Lord. David blessed the people in the name of the Lord and gave everyone bread and cakes of dates and raisins. *** David appointed Levites to play the instruments regularly before the Ark. David had written a song of praise to the Lord and gave the words and music to Asaph. In his song he praises God as the creator of the whole earth and everything that is in it. God is the only god. All the people were to respond, “Amen.” *** In Romans, Paul tells us who God is angry with - all sinful wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. He makes the point that God can be found in his creation and those who refuse to not know him are responsible themselves. *** Instead of worshiping him and thanking God for all he had made and done, some had thought up foolish ideas of what God was like. This led them to become confused and foolish. They began worshipping idols made to look like people, or birds, or animals or reptiles. *** Since they refused to know the truth, God turned them over to their own imaginations and they did vile and degrading things to each other. They traded the truth about God for a lie. *** God turned them over to shameful desires and women became lesbians and men homosexuals. They suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved. *** They refused to acknowledge God so God abandoned them and they did things that should never be done. They became full of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior and gossip. They were backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invented ways to sin and disobeyed their parents. They became heartless and merciless and refused to count the cost. Worst of all, they encouraged others to do them also. *** What a description of what we are seeing in our world today. We can rise above all this and show the world that we do know God and will reflect his glory and not the glory of his creation. *** Lord, may we be your glory on the earth. May we show others your love, mercy, righteousness and grace. May hard hearts become softened and come to the knowledge of Christ.

Fri.’s Devo - The Army of God

Read: 1 Chronicles 12:19-14:17; Romans 1:1-17; Psalm 9:13-20; Proverbs 19:4-5 When David was living among the Philistines, they were going to fight Israel. David and his army came to help them but some of the Philistine rulers voted not to let David and his men join them in case they changed allegiance in the middle of the battle and fought them instead. They sent David back to Ziklag where he lived. When he got there he found that a group of mercenaries had raided his town and stolen their wives and all they had. *** Men from the tribe of Manasseh came and help David chase down the raiders and they recovered everything. They became members of his army. David’s army was like the Army of God. Their goal was to make David their king instead of Saul. *** Here is a list of the tribes and the warriors that joined with David: Judah - 6,8000 warriors with shields and spears Simeon - 7,100 brave warriors Levi - 4,600 warriors and officers Benjamin - (Saul’s relatives) 3,000 warriors Ephraim - 20,800 highly respected warriors Manasseh - 18,000 Issachar - 200 leaders who understood the sings of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take Zebulun - 50,000 skilled warriors, fully armed Naphtali - 1,000 officers and 37,000 warriors armed with shields and spears Dan - 28,600 prepared warriors Asher - 40,000 trained warriors Manasseh - 120,000 troops armed with every kind of weapon *** If this describes David’s earthly army, can you imagine God’s heavenly army. We have nothing to fear. ***They believed along with the people that David should be the king. They stayed with David for three days making preparations and bringing food for a celebration to make David their king. *** It was David’s desire to bring the Ark of God to the City of David. They placed it on a new cart and brought it from Abinadab’s house. As Uzzah and Ahio were guiding the cart, David and all Israel were celebrating before the Lord with singing and music. *** When the arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled and Uzzah stuck out his hand to steady the Ark. God struck him dead because he laid his hand upon the Ark. *** David was angry with the Lord because he had killed Uzzah and was afraid to bring the Ark any closer, so he left it at the home of Obed-edom. God blessed Obed-edom immensely while his ark was there. *** King Hiram of Tyre sent David cedar logs, stonemasons and carpenters to build himself a palace. David married more wives and had 13 more sons in Jerusalem. *** When the Philistines learned that Israel had made David their king, they came out against him. David and his army went to meet them. He asked the Lord if he would turn the Philistines over to him and he said he would. David defeated them and burned all their gods. They returned later to the same valley and God told David to ambush them from behind and he defeated them again. *** Today we start the book of Romans. It was written by Paul before he went to prison in 56 A.D. He wrote this letter to the church at Rome that he had not yet visited. In it he gives the principles of the gospel that he preached everywhere. *** From the start, Paul proclaims who Jesus is. He was born into King David’s line and the evidence that he was God’s son was in his resurrection. *** Paul had heard of the faith of the believers in Rome and commended them for their testimony. He longed to come and visit them and bring them some spiritual gifts that would help them grow stronger in the Lord. *** Paul established that it is by faith that we are made right with God through Jesus Christ. *** Lord, may we find encouragement in reading about David’s army knowing that it is “like” the army of God. If God be for us… who can be against us! May we find strength in the power of the resurrection.

Thurs.’s Devo - The Truth Prevails

Read: 1 Chronicles 11:1-12:18; Acts 28:1-31; Psalm 9:1-12; Provers 19:1-3 Once Saul was dead, all of Israel gathered with David at Hebron and gave their allegiance to David. David made a covenant before the Lord with all the elders of Israel and they anointed him King of Israel just as Samuel had prophesied. *** David went to Jerusalem and captured it and called it the City of David. He had told his troops that the first to attack would become the commander of his armies. Joab his nephew was the first to attack. *** David made the fortress at Jerusalem his home and the surrounding land was rebuilt by Joab. David became more and more powerful because God and His army was with him. *** David had three mighty warriors known as “the Three”. We are only given the names of the first two. Jashobeam and his descendants mean “the people will return with skill” and Eleazar and his descendants mean “God is a loving helper who will give them rest”. The third was not named. Like the third in the Trinity, he was a ghost. Other great warriors and their exploits were listed. They killed giants and fought under harsh conditions but prevailed. *** Thirty men joined him at Ziklag when he was hiding from Saul. They could shoot arrows and sling stones with their left hand as well as with their right. Other warriors came from Gad which were known for their expert fighting skills. Eleven of them were named. They came to David while he was hiding at his stronghold. The Spirit of God came upon Amasai, the leader of the Thirty and he proclaimed their allegiance to David. David let them join him and they became his officers over his troops when he became king. *** In Acts Paul and all the people in the boat landed on the island of Malta. They were welcomed by the people. It was cold and rainy so they people made a fire to warm them. Paul was bit by a poisonous snake while gathering sticks for the fire. The people saw the snake hanging on his skin and thought he was a murderer and this was his punishment. But, when he didn’t die, they changed their minds and decided he was a god. *** The chief official, Pubius, welcomed them into his estate and they stayed with him for three days. His father was ill with fever and dysentery. Paul laid his hands on him and prayed for him and he was healed. Paul was showered with honors and supplies when the time came for them to leave. *** They boarded another ship that had wintered there for the winter named the Alexandrian. They made several stops and encouraged believers along the way and finally made it to Rome. *** The believers in Rome had heard of their coming and came to meet them at the Forum. Paul was encouraged by seeing them. Three days after Paul had arrived, he called a meeting of the local Jewish leaders. He told them his plight with the Jews in Jerusalem and his arrest. The Romans had wanted to release him because he was innocent of any crime but the Jewish leaders protested so strongly, he felt he needed to appeal to Caesar. He didn’t want to press charges against his own people but he felt he had no other choice. *** Paul told them that all of his troubles were over the fact that he believed the Messiah had already come. The people had heard of the movement he was talking about and wanted to hear more. Paul was able to tell them about the Kingdom of God and about Jesus, using the scriptures to prove what he was saying. Some believed what he had to say and others didn’t. He told the ones who argued with him what the prophet Isaiah had said about them that having eyes, they wouldn’t see, and having ears they wouldn’t hear, and having a heart they wouldn’t understand. Then he told them that what they were rejecting was being offered to the Gentiles and they would accept it. *** Paul lived in Rome for two hears at his own expense. He boldly taught about the Kingdom of God and about Jesus Christ. No one tried to stop him. *** Lord may we be like Paul who didn’t back down from what he knew in his heart to be the truth. May we stand bold against evil and lies and wave the banner of truth.

Wed.’s Devo - Safety in the Storm

Read: 1 Chronicles 9:1-10:14; Acts 27:21-44; Psalm 8:1-9; Proverbs 18:23-24 The census of all the families who had lived in Israel were written in the Book of the Kings of Israel. The first people to return from the Babylonian exile were the priests, Levites, Temple servants and other Israelites. They were from the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh. *** Their family names were recorded. One thousand, seven hundred and sixty priests returned who were heads of their clans and very able men. The names of the Levites, gatekeepers, and musicians were all recorded. *** Chapter Ten takes us back to the battlefield where Saul and his three sons were killed. Saul was wounded and asked his armor-bearer to kill him so he wouldn’t be captured by the Philistines and tortured. His armor-bearer couldn’t do it so Saul fell on his own sword. When Saul and his sons died, his dynasty had come to an end. The army of Israel learned of their deaths and fled and the Philistines occupied their towns. *** When the Philistines found the body of Saul and his sons, they took his armor and cut off his head and fastened it to the temple of Dagon. They rejoiced throughout their land. *** The people of Jabesh-gilead heard about what the Philistines had done and their warriors went and brought the bodies of Saul and his sons back to Jabesh and buried their bones and fasted for seven days. *** Saul had died because he was unfaithful to the Lord. His kingdom was turned over to David, a man after the heart of God. *** In Acts, the men on the ship Paul was on had not eaten for a long time because they were fighting the storm. He called the crew together and told him they should have listened to him when he told them not to leave Crete, but, he had a new word from the Lord. An angel had come to him the night before and told him not to be afraid because they would live through this. He would stand before Caesar and everyone with him in the boat would live. So he encouraged them to put their trust in God. He also told them they would be shipwrecked on an island. *** A few nights later, the fourteenth night of the storm, they found they were coming close to land. The sailors tried to escape on the lifeboat, saving themselves, but Paul told them that if they didn’t stay with the ship, they would die. So they cut the ropes of the lifeboat and let it slip away. *** As the day was dawning, Paul encouraged the men to eat something since they hadn’t eaten in two weeks. He took bread and gave thanks to God and broke it and gave it to them all. There were 276 aboard the boat. They then threw the cargo of wheat overboard. Finally, they saw land. The bow of the ship stuck in the sand and the boat broke apart. The commander let the prisoners swim aboard because he wanted to spare Paul’s life. *** It is amazing how going through a crisis together bonds hearts together even when they were once enemies. God used Paul to save the lives of all who were on board to get Paul where he needed him to be to testify of him and to show all the men on board who He was. *** Lord, help us to see the bigger picture. Enlarge our vision. We are here for Your glory, not ours. May your majestic name fill the earth. May we find you in our storms.

Tue.’s Devo - Paul’s Storms

Read: 1 Chronicles 7:1-8:40; Acts 27:1-20; Psalm 7:1-17; Proverbs 18:22 We read today about the sons of Issachar, Benjamin, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, and Asher. *** Issachar’s tribe accented its warriors since they were predominately a military tribe. *** Benjamin’s warriors were mentioned in Chapter 7 and his leaders and the rest of the tribe were mentioned in Chapter 8. Saul came from the tribe of Benjamin. *** Naphtali was given two sentences. It gave his four son’s names and reminded us that he came from Jacob’s concubine Bilhah. *** Manasseh had been Joseph’s son who was born in Egypt and grew up in the royalty. He had an Aramean concubine who bore his sons. The wives of his sons were mentioned which was probably a cultural thing to mention the women. *** Ephraim’s center was the town of Bethel. All the other towns were around it. *** Asher didn’t get too much press either, but what they said about him and his tribe was pretty noteworthy. It was stated that they were all select men - mighty warriors and outstanding leaders. *** In Acts, It was time for Paul to go to Rome and Luke and other friends of Paul went with him. Paul and other prisoners were put under the custody of the Roman officer, Julius. Julius was very kind to Paul and allowed him to go and visit friends during their many stops at ports. *** The weather became too dangerous to be on the sea and Paul spoke to the ship officers about it. He saw in the Spirit that if they continued on they would shipwreck and lose their cargo and maybe their lives. But the officer in charge wouldn’t listen to Paul and listened to the captain instead. He disagreed with Paul and kept sailing. *** They met with a typhoon that blew them out to sea and the sailors couldn’t turn the ship around. They had to give up and let it ride with the wind. The gale became so fierce they had to throw the cargo overboard and some of the ship’s gear. Still, the storm raged on for days. The sun was blotted out by the storm and all hope was gone. *** If only they had listened to Paul. God uses everything for his glory and he would use this for the good of Paul and all involved because that is what he does. *** Lord, help us to remember that you are in the midst of our storm and you always have the answer. It is always redemptive. May we learn to wait on your salvation.

Mon.’s Devo - The Boldness of Paul

Read: 1 Chronicles 5:18-6:81; Acts 26:1-32; Psalm 6:1-10; Proverbs 28:20-21 The armies of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh were the tribes that settled east of the Jordan. They were on the outskirts of the land and fought many enemies to protect all of Israel. They were great warriors but their mistake was they took 100,000 people captive when God told them to kill them. Because of this those captives led them into idolatry. God sent King Pul of Assyria to invade their land and took them as exiles to Assyria. *** The tribe of Levi was divided into three families: Gershon, Kohath and Merari. The descendants of Kohath were the ones who served as the high priests in the Temple of God. They were sent into exile under Nebuchadnezzar. *** The family of Kohath included Samuel. They led the music in the Temple. The family of Aaron was from this family and they alone served as the priests. They performed all the sacrifices and offerings to the Lord. They lived around Jerusalem. They were also given towns in the territory of Benjamin, and the half-tribe of Manasseh west of the Jordan. *** The family of Gershon received towns in Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, the half-tribe of Manasseh on the east of the Jordan, Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin, Ephraim, Issachar, Asher, and Naphtali. *** The remaining descendants of Merari received towns of Zebulun, Reuben, and Gad. Every tribe had access to the law and the ministers of God. *** In Acts, God had told Paul that he would testify of him in Rome and he was given his chance to give his testimony in front of King Agrippa and all who were present. He boldly told his own experience and testified that Jesus had died and rose from the dead. *** When he got the part where he explained that the scripture and the prophets all said that this good news would be preached and accepted by the Gentiles and the whole world, the Jews got extremely agitated and yelled that he was crazy. *** Paul appealed to Agrippa and asked him if he believed the prophets. Agrippa didn’t like being singled out, but Paul continued to push his point. He told the king that he wished he would become a believer also. *** The king and his officials met to discuss Paul’s fate. They agreed that he was not guilty of a crime and could have been set free if he hadn’t appealed to Caesar. *** Lord, may our testimony be what drives us to do your will. May our lives glorify you.

Sun.’s Devo - Paul’s Injustice

Read: 1 Chronicles 4:5-5:17; Acts 25:1-27; Psalm 5:1-12; Proverbs 18:19 We finish the genealogy of Judah which include all the kings. Judah was the largest tribe. Jabez, whose prayer was recorded, came from that tribe. He was the product of a very painful birth. He prayed for God to bless him and expand his territory and be with him in all he did and keep him from trouble and pain. God granted his request. Some of his descendants were pottery makers. *** The next tribe was Simeon which didn’t grow very large but they completely destroyed the descendants of Ham from their land and took their houses. *** Rueben, Jacob’s first-born gave up his birthright when he slept with his father’s concubines. Judah received his blessing and became the most powerful tribe which provided the kings. Rueben’s birthright was given to the sons of Joseph which were Ephraim and Manasseh. *** The next tribe was Gad. They lived east of the Jordan along with the tribes of Rueben and the half-tribe of Manasseh. *** In Acts, Festus had arrived in Caesarea to begin his new position. In Jerusalem he met with the leading priests and other Jewish leaders who hated Paul. They asked Festus to transfer Paul to Jerusalem so they could ambush and kill him on the way. He didn’t comply to their wishes. He told them they could return with him and make their accusations there. He would decide if Paul was guilty or innocent. *** When Festus returned to Caesarea he took his seat in the court and ordered to see Paul. The Jewish leaders made their accusations against him. Festus realized none of their accusations were about breaking laws but about whether Jesus was alive or dead. *** Paul denied their charges and said he was innocent of any crime against their laws and Rome’s. Festus asked Paul if he was willing to go to Jerusalem to stand trial but Paul refused knowing he would never get a fair trial in Jerusalem. He appealed to Caesar in Rome, instead. Festus was very glad to be freed from making the decision himself so he agreed to send him to Caesar. *** Days later, King Agrippa came to visit Festus. Festus discussed Paul’s case with him and Agrippa asked to see Paul. Festus was happy to let him hear Paul’s story so he would know what to write to Caesar since he wasn’t guilty of any crime. *** Lord, I am reminded of all the people in prison strictly because people hate them like the J-6 people. May you set free all who are innocent and wrongly accused. May you grant them great peace and comfort as they await their release. God of Justice bring your justice to our nation and the world.

Sat.’s Devo -Suffering for Christ

Read: 1 Chronicles 2:18-4:4; Acts 24:1-27; Psalm 4:1-8; Proverbs 18:16-18 We continue the chronicles of the family of God. These are the founding fathers of Israel and their families. We continue with Judah’s line. Judah had had three sons. God killed the first two because they were so wicked (Er and Onan). The third son had been promised to Er’s wife, Tamar but when he grew old enough to marry her, he was not give to her. Tamar planned a scheme to get an heir. She ended up having twins by their father, Judah. These sons were named Perez and Zerah. The first-born of Perez was Hezron. *** Hebron had many descendants, one of them being David. David had six sons born in Hebron: Ammon, Daniel, Absalom, Adonijah, Shephatiah, and Ithream. He reigned in Hebron seven and a half years. He reigned another 33 years in Jerusalem. There he had thirteen sons and many sons born from concubines. He had a daughter named Tamar. *** His son, Solomon took his place as the king and his descendants were the next kings until they were taken to Babylon as prisoners. *** In Acts, Paul remained in prison for protection. Ananias, the high priest arrived in town with other Jewish elders and their lawyer, Tertullus to present their case against Paul to the governor. Paul was called in and their lawyer gave all the charges they had against him. *** Tertullus began by praising the governor for giving the Jews a long time of peace and for enacting good reforms for them. But, they had found Paul to be a troublemaker who was constantly stirring up riots all over the world. He was a ringleader of the cult known as the Nazarenes. He was also trying to desecrate their Temple. *** Paul was then given a chance to speak. He pointed out that he had been in Jerusalem for twelve days and had not argued with anyone. *** He stated that he was a member of the Way in which they call a cult. He worshipped the God of their ancestors and believed in the law of Moses and everything the prophets said. He believed in the same hope his accusers believed in. He was not guilty of any crime. The only thing he did was to cry out, “I am on trial before you today because I believe in the resurrection of the dead!” *** Felix was familiar with the Way so he adjourned and told them to wait until Lysias, the garrison commander came. He would decide the case. He had Paul kept in custody but gave him freedom to have visitors. *** Days later, Felix returned with his Jewish wife, Drusilla. They sent for Paul and listened to his testimony about Christ. Paul talked to them about righteousness, self-control and the coming day of judgment. This frightened Felix and he had him stop for a while. He hoped Paul would bribe him to release him but he didn’t. Paul stayed in house arrest for two years until Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. Felix had kept Paul in prison to gain the favor of the Jews. *** Lord, may we be like Paul who was willing to suffer for the sake of Christ. May we be encouraged by his life. We trust in your plan for our lives and the plan for mankind.

Fri.’s Devo - The Chronicles of the Kings

Read: 1 Chronicles 1:1-2:17; Acts 23:11-35; Psalm 3:1-8; Proverbs 18:14-15 Chronicles is the recap of the kings through the eyes of the priests in Judah, where the Kings were written by the prophets of Israel. Therefore, the Chronicles will highlight the kings of Judah where the Kings highlighted the kings of Israel. We get some of the same stories from their different view points. *** Chronicles begins with the genealogy beginning with Adam and will take us through to the families of Jacob. All of this information would have been kept by the scribes and priests. 
 *** Notice that the descendants of Adam do not include Abel or Cain. Seth was Abel’s replacement but Cain was the seed of Satan’s union with Eve, not Adam’s. *** Today we read the sons of Noah and their descendants and the sons of Abraham and their descendants. Then we have the kings of Edom which were Esau’s descendants and the sons of Judah or Israel. *** In Acts, Paul had had some trying days in Jerusalem bearing witness of Jesus. God encouraged him that he would be his witness in Rome as well. *** There was a group of about 40 Jews that hated Paul so much they bound themselves with an oath that they wouldn’t eat or drink until they killed Paul. They went to the leading priests and elders and told them their plan. They wanted the priests to ask the council if they could examine Paul’s case better and if they could question him more. When they brought Paul to them to question, they planned to kill him on the way. *** Paul’s nephew heard of the plan and told it to Paul who told him to tell the Roman officer. The Roman officer ordered 200 soldiers along with 200 spearmen and 70 mounted troops to take Paul that night to Felix, the governor. He sent a letter telling Felix about Paul. In if he noted that Paul was a Roman citizen who had offended the laws of the Jews. He had done nothing worthy of imprisonment or death but he had learned about a plot to kill Paul so he sent him to Caesarea. *** When Felix received the letter, he put Paul on the docket to hear the next day. He was ordered to be kept in the prison at Herod’s headquarters until then. *** God thwarts man’s best laid plans and protects his own people. Paul was to be God’s witness and he put him under God’s Witness Protection Plan. *** Lord, may we see that no plan the enemy has against us can prosper, because we are called to be his witness. You are a shield around us. We wake up every morning in safety because You watch over us.

Thurs.’s Devo - Judah’s Fall and Decline

Read: 2 Kings 23:31-25:30; Acts 22:17-23:10; Psalm 2:1-12; Proverbs 18:13 The people of Judah had made Josiah’s son, Jehoahaz their king. He only reigned in Jerusalem 3 months and did evil in the Lord’s sight. Pharaoh Nero of Egypt put Jehoahaz in prison in Egypt where he eventually died. Neco demanded that Judah pay him 7,500 pounds of silver and 75 pounds of gold. Neco installed Eliakim, another son of Josiah to rule Judah and changed his name to Jehoiakim. *** Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked Jerusalem and Jehoiakim surrendered to him and agree to pay tribute. He paid it for three years, then rebelled. The Lord sent bands of raiders against Judah to destroy it just as God’s prophets had foretold. The Babylonians captured all the land Egypt had captured from Judah and Egypt didn’t retaliate. *** Jehoiakim died and his son Jehoiachin became the next king of Judah. He only ruled for 3 months and did evil. When the king of Babylon came and besieged Jerusalem, Jehoiachin surrendered to them. Jehoiachin was taken prisoner and all the treasures from the Lord’s Temple were carried to Babylon just like Isaiah had told Hezekiah would happen when he showed the Babylon messengers everything in his kingdom. *** All the elite, the best warriors, officers and craftsmen were taken to Babylon. The king of Babylon installed Mattaniah, Jehoiachins’ uncle as the next king and changed his name to Zedekiah. He was only 21 years old. He reigned 11 years but he was evil, too. He rebelled against the king of Babylon so Nebuchadnezzar led his army against Jerusalem. They besieged it for 2 years. The famine became so severe that the Zedekiah and his men tried to escape at night and were captured. They made Zedekiah watch as they killed all his sons. Then they gouged out his eyes and took him to Babylon. *** Babylon’s captain of the guard came to Jerusalem and burned down the Temple, the royal palace, and all the houses in Jerusalem. He destroyed all their important buildings and much of the wall. He took the rest of the people who lived in Jerusalem and any defectors to Babylon. He left the poorest people behind to care for the vineyards and the fields. *** They took anything of worth from the Temple back to Babylon. He took all the officers and priests and had them killed. Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah as governor over the people that were left. All the people left in the land met with Gedaliah in Mizpah to talk about their fate. Gedaliah told them that the Babylonians wouldn’t harm them as long as they served the king of Babylon. But, later that year, Ishmael, who was a member of the royal family went to Mizpah with ten men and killed Gedaliah. He also killed the Babylonians who were there as overseers. The people fled to Egypt afraid of what the Babylonians would do to them when they found out what Ishmael had done. *** In the 37th year of King Jehoiachin’s exile, Evil-merodach ascended the throne in Babylon. Jehoiachin who was in prison found favor in his eyes and Merodach promoted him. He gave him new clothes to replace his prison garbs and let him eat with him as long as he lived. *** In Acts, Paul had been allowed to address the people rioting against him. He had been giving them his testimony. When he got to the part where God told him to leave Jerusalem and go to the Gentiles because the Jews there wouldn’t accept his message, they got very aggressive again. *** The Roman commander had Paul brought inside and tied down to whip him. Paul asked him if it was legal to beat a Roman citizen. He asked if Paul were a Roman citizen which he was. The commander quickly withdrew the ropes and whips. *** The next day the commander ordered a trial and brought Paul out to testify. Paul said he stood before God with a clear conscience. Ananias the high priest commanded the one next to Paul to slap him on the mouth. Paul called Ananias a corrupt hypocrite because he broke the law by ordered him slapped. He hadn’t realized he was the high priest. *** Paul saw that many of the members of the high council were Sadducees and some Pharisees so he shouted, “Brothers, I am on trial because my hope is in the resurrection of the dead!” He said this because he knew they were divided on this subject. This caused an uproar among the council and they grew so hostile the Roman soldiers had to rescue Paul and put him back to the fortress. *** Religion is a terrible demon that causes internal conflict and fights against unity. Love unites and gives grace. *** Lord, may we walk in the Spirit of love and unity and resist the temptation to argue about religious or other matters. You are our unifying truth.

Wed.’s Devo - Revival

Read: 2 Kings 22:3-23:30; Acts 21:37-22:16; Psalm 1:1-6; Prover’s 18:11-12 Josie had the high priest count the Temple money and give it to the supervisors he assigned to restore the Lord’s Temple. He trusted them so much he didn’t even require them to keep an account of the money they received. *** During the construction, they found a copy of the law and brought it to read to the king. When Josiah realized all the things they had done to provoke the Lord’s anger, he gathered the people and read it to them. Then he began the biggest campaign cleansing of the land of idolatry any king had ever done. He renewed their covenant with the Lord promising to keep his commands, laws, and decrees with all their heart and soul. *** His massive revival of righteousness covered the whole land and left nothing uncleaned. When they were tearing down the pagan altars at Bethel and burning the bones of the false prophets, Josiah noticed a tomb of the man of God. When he asked about it he learned that it was the tomb of the prophet who had prophesied he would do that very thing. He ordered that his tomb go untouched. *** When Josiah had rid the nation of idolatry, he ordered that everyone must celebrate the Passover to the Lord. Never before or after had there been a king who turned to the Lord with all his heart and souls and strength. *** But, God was still angry with Judah because of all the wicked things Manasseh had done. He had promised to banish Judah from his presence just as he had Israel. *** Josiah was killed on the battlefield fighting with the king of Assyria to conquer the king of Egypt. He died at Meggido and his son Jehoahaz was anointed king. *** In Acts, Paul had been saved by the Roman officers from the mob. He asked the commander if he could speak to the people. When he found out he was a Roman citizen, he agreed to let him talk. *** Paul talked to them in Hebrew telling them who he was and of his Jewish blood and education. He had been so zealous against Christ that he had murdered all who believed in him. But on the road to Damascus he was stopped by a brilliant light and a voice. The voice identified himself as Jesus and asked him why he was persecuting him. When he asked him what he should do he was led blind to Damascus. A man by the name of Ananias prayed that he would regain his sight and he did. He told him that God had chosen him to witness what he had seen to everyone. He rose up and was baptized. *** Lord, I pray that the cleansing that Josiah did in his lifetime would be what we do in our nation and in the world. I pray for a a massive cleansing of all the idolatry and evil that is being done. May our revival not only be in deed, but in heart. I pray for world revival.

Tues.’s Devo - Signs and Wonders

Read: 2 Kings 20:1-22:2; Acts 21:18-36; Psalm 150:1-6; Proverbs 18:9-10 Hezekiah became deathly ill and Isaiah was sent to tell him to get his affairs in order because he was going to die. When Isaiah left, Hezekiah cried out to the Lord. He reminded him of his faithfulness. Before Isaiah could get to the door, the Lord told him to turn around and go back and give Hezekiah a new word. God had seen his tears and heard his cry. He would be healed in three days and the Lord would give him 15 more years of life. Then he gave Hezekiah the cure. *** Hezekiah asked for a sign that he would be healed and Isaiah asked him if he wanted the shadow on the sundial to go forward ten steps or backward ten steps. Hezekiah asked for the impossible. He wanted it to go backwards ten steps, and it did. *** Soon after he had recovered, the king of Babylon sent ambassadors to send him his best wishes and a gift since he had heard he had recovered from a bad illness. Hezekiah received them with hospitality and showed them the wealth and defense of his nation. When they left Isaiah came to see him. He asked him who they were and what he showed them. Then he told him that all he showed them would one day be theirs. His own sons would be made their eunuchs and taken into exile. *** Hezekiah was just glad it was not going to happen in his lifetime. During his 15 years of added life, he had a son named Manasseh. Hezekiah died and Manasseh became king at the age of 12. He did evil and worshiped everything but God. He led the people into great idolatry and sin. He even sacrificed his own son in the fire. He set up an image of Asherah in the Temple of the Lord, the place where the Lord had told David and Solomon that His name would be honored forever. He also murdered many innocent people. *** God send words through his prophets that Manasseh had done more evil than the Amorite kings who lived in the land before Israel. God said he would judge Judah as he had judged Israel. Manasseh died and was buried in his garden and Amon became king. *** Amon was 22 when he became king and followed in the sins of his father, Manasseh. His own officials assassinated him in his palace. The people killed his conspirators and made his son, Josiah their king. Josiah was only 8 years old and reigned in Jerusalem 31 years. His mother was Jedidah and he did what pleased the Lord, following the example of David and not his father. *** In Acts, Paul had finally reached Jerusalem and met with the believers to give them a detailed account of how God’s Spirit was touching the Gentiles everywhere. The believers were afraid for Paul because the Jewish believers spoke evil of Paul. They said he had turned from the law and taught the Gentiles not to follow it. Paul’s followers wanted Paul to do an open act to prove that he still followed the law. When Paul went to the Temple to stand behind this act, the ones who opposed him came and grabbed him. They accused him of letting Gentiles into the Temple. A riot incurred and they dragged Paul out of the Temple so they could kill him. *** Word reached the Roman regiment that all Rome was in am uproar so they came and stopped the beating, arrested Paul and put him in prison, saving his life. The crowd grew so violent, the soldiers had to lift Paul up on their shoulders. *** Lord, May we never be ashamed of the gospel of Christ or it is the power of God to salvation for the Jew and also the Gentile.

Mon.’s Devo - The Power of Our God -

Read: 2 Kings 18:13-37; Acts 21:1-17; Psalm 149:1-9; Proverbs 18:8 King Hezekiah had rebelled against the taxes King Sennacherib placed on his country and stopped paying them. The king of Assyria sent his army and conquered many fortified towns in Judah in return. King Hezekiah then sent a message to King Sennacherib saying he was sorry for not paying him and asked what he wanted. He wanted eleven tons of silver and one tone of gold. Hezekiah had to give him all the silver he had stored up and take the gold off of the doors of the Lord’s Temple to pay him. Still, the king of Assyria was not happy. He sent his army telling Hezekiah that he needed to surrender to him and he would give his people horses to ride out of there as his exiles. He told them that their God would not be able to save them. None of the other nations’s gods could save them. The leaders of Judah asked the army officer of Sennacherib to only speak to them in Arabic so the people wouldn’t be able to hear his threats. The army officer refused because it was the people he wanted to intimidate. He offered them great lands and food and a wonderful life if they would surrender to him and come to Assyria. The people wouldn’t answer because Hezekiah had told them not to. *** Hezekiah was distressed when he heard what the army officer had said. He tore his clothes and put on burlap and went into the Temple of the Lord to pray. He sent word to Isaiah to tell him everything that was going on. *** Isaiah told them to tell the king not to be disturbed by their blasphemous speech against the Lord. The king of Assyria would receive a message from home and return where he would be killed. *** Before he left, he sent a message saying that he would return. He reminded them that all the other nation’s gods had not been able to defend them against the army of Assyria and then wouldn’t be able to either. *** Hezekiah read what the message said and took it to the Temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. He told God that he was the creator of the heavens and the earth. He reminded God what the king of Assyria had said. He asked God to rescue them so all the kingdoms of the earth would know that he was the only God. *** Isaiah sent Hezekiah a message saying God had heard his prayer. King Sennacherib had defied the Lord by bragging of their great power and might. They had conquered all these nations because He had ordained that he do so. But their arrogance has caused him to now put a hook in their nose. They would return the way they came and Judah would eat what grows up by itself. The next year they would eat what springs up from that. But in the third year, they will plant crops and harvest them. They will tend their vineyards and eat their fruit. They will put down roots and prosper in their land. *** God said the army of Assyria would not enter Jerusalem or attack it. The king would return to his own land. *** That night, the angel of the Lord attacked the Assyrian army and killed 185,000 of them. When their officers woke in the morning their were corpses all around them. King Sennecherib went back home the way he came and was killed in his temple of his god by his own two sons. They fled to Ararat while another son, Esarhaddon became the next king of Assyria. *** In Acts, Paul, Luke and their companions left the Ephesians and sailed on to Jerusalem. They stopped at Tyre where the ship unloaded its cargo. They stayed a week with the believers there. The believers there warned Paul not to go to Jerusalem. They prayed for them before they left. *** The next stop was Ptolemais where they stayed at the hoe of Philip the Evangelist. Prophets there told Paul he would be bound by the Jewish leaders and turned over to the Gentiles if he went to Jerusalem. They begged Paul not to continue his journey. *** Paul told them to stop crying over him. He knew what was ahead and he was ready to face it. When they realized they could not keep him from his destiny, they prayed for him and bid him farewell. When Paul finally arrived in Jerusalem, he was met with a warm welcome from the believers there. *** Today You taught us not to be afraid of a taunting enemy. No one can stand against You and Your power. We trust in The All-Powerful, Magnificent God. Lord, You are on our side, who do we need to fear.