Read: 1 Chronicles 16:37-18:17; Romans 2:1-24; Psalm 10:16-18; Proverbs 19:8-9
The ark, and all the priests and Levites that attended it were left in the city of David which was Jerusalem. After the celebration of bringing the ark back was over, all the people returned home including David. David had had his palace built but he realized that there was no home or house for the Lord. David was living in cedar and the Lord was living in a tent. David wanted to build a temple for the ark to dwell in, so he told his prophet Nathan his dream. Nathan told David to do whatever was in his heart but as Nathan was leaving his visit with David, God spoke to him and told him to go back and tell him what He said, not what Nathan thought was right. God said that he had never been contained to a house, but had moved with his people. He had never asked for a house. He reminded David of how he had chosen him from being a shepherd and exalted him to be the king of all Israel and Judah. As for David, God would build him a house and his offspring would build a house for the Lord. The one coming after David will be nothing like his predecessor, Saul. In Solomon, God would establish David’s throne forever.
David was overwhelmed at this revelation that Nathan brought him. He couldn’t believe that God would honor him and his offspring in such a way.
David went on to defeat all of his enemies and take spoils. He took all the gold, silver, bronze and precious gems and had his craftsmen use them in making all the furniture to go into God’s house.
In Romans, Paul gives us some great revelation. When we judge others, we are only doing ourselves harm. Our judgment will come back to judge us. I try to remember that every time I say something bad about someone, someone will say something bad about me. I think that this is one of the hardest things not to do. Paul reminds us that it is not our job to judge. Everyone will be judged in the end. Those who sought to do righteousness and lived in repentance will be raised to eternal life and those who were not repentant are just storing up wrath against their own selves.
Paul goes on to explain that we aren’t all brought up under the law of Moses as Jews, but we all have a conscience which becomes our law. When we defile either one of those, we have to repent. We can only be judged for things that haven’t been put under the blood of Jesus. So, our only hope is to stay repentant. When we find ourselves judging others, repent, and it won’t be held against us.
Lord, help us not to defile our conscience but to live in humility and forgiveness of ourselves and others.
Sunday, July 14, 2019
Saturday, July 13, 2019
Sat.’s Devo - Brining Back the Ark
Read: 1 Chronicles 15:1-16:36; Romans 1:18-32; Psalm 10:1-15; Proverbs 19:6-7
In the three months that the ark stayed at Obed-Edom’s house, David did his homework about how to move the ark. He came back prepared with Levites to carry it and all the priests in their places. He had gathered the people to celebrate, had all the divisions of the Levites, the music for worship and the animals for sacrifice. David came dressed and ready to praise and worship the presence of the Lord represented by the ark. He did it with much pomp and sincerity of heart. David had written a song for this occasion to teach the people so they could together praise the Lord.
In David’s song he reminded them to seek the Lord always and remember all he had done for them. God doesn’t forget and he is faithful to do everything he told Abraham he would do. He reminded them of how the Lord kept them safely when they entered the land of Canaan and how he wouldn’t allow any nation to touch them as long as they looked to him. God is the only God and He is worthy of praise. Then he invited all of God’s creation to praise the Lord with them.
The people sang the song and agreed with it.
In Romans, Paul talked about God’s creation also. He taught them that all man is inexcusable in their unbelief because creation itself proves and shows the Godhead.
Those who refused to see God or believe him were given over to delusion in every direction of their heart. God is the god of order and peace but to reject him is to rebel against nature and what man was created to be. Men turned to homosexuality, envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice they became gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful, and they invented ways of doing evil, they disobeyed their parents, were senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless and they deserve death so that they would not be able to continue doing the sins they were doing.
It doesn’t take much of an imagination to realize we are seeing this everywhere. We now have hate crimes because people have become haters instead of lovers. This is the exact opposite of God’s kingdom.
Lord, help us not to be tempted to join in the sins of those who turned from you. Help us to remember your promises and live in expectation of what you are going to do.
In the three months that the ark stayed at Obed-Edom’s house, David did his homework about how to move the ark. He came back prepared with Levites to carry it and all the priests in their places. He had gathered the people to celebrate, had all the divisions of the Levites, the music for worship and the animals for sacrifice. David came dressed and ready to praise and worship the presence of the Lord represented by the ark. He did it with much pomp and sincerity of heart. David had written a song for this occasion to teach the people so they could together praise the Lord.
In David’s song he reminded them to seek the Lord always and remember all he had done for them. God doesn’t forget and he is faithful to do everything he told Abraham he would do. He reminded them of how the Lord kept them safely when they entered the land of Canaan and how he wouldn’t allow any nation to touch them as long as they looked to him. God is the only God and He is worthy of praise. Then he invited all of God’s creation to praise the Lord with them.
The people sang the song and agreed with it.
In Romans, Paul talked about God’s creation also. He taught them that all man is inexcusable in their unbelief because creation itself proves and shows the Godhead.
Those who refused to see God or believe him were given over to delusion in every direction of their heart. God is the god of order and peace but to reject him is to rebel against nature and what man was created to be. Men turned to homosexuality, envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice they became gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful, and they invented ways of doing evil, they disobeyed their parents, were senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless and they deserve death so that they would not be able to continue doing the sins they were doing.
It doesn’t take much of an imagination to realize we are seeing this everywhere. We now have hate crimes because people have become haters instead of lovers. This is the exact opposite of God’s kingdom.
Lord, help us not to be tempted to join in the sins of those who turned from you. Help us to remember your promises and live in expectation of what you are going to do.
Friday, July 12, 2019
Fri.’s Devo - Establishing the Kingdom
Read: 1 Chronicles 12:19-14:17; Romans 1:1-17; Psalm 9:13-20; Proverbs 19:4-5
Once Saul was out of the way, soldiers from the different tribes started defecting and joining David’s army until his army was like the army of God. I don’t know what that means but I would guess that it means that it was powerful and had all its positions filled. Over 318,000 men arrived at Hebron armed and ready to fight to make David the king over all of Israel. (He was already the king of Judah.)
David’s first move as king was to bring back the ark of the Lord since Saul had not consulted it once during his reign. The people thought that would be a great idea too, but no one knew the law well enough to know that the ark had to be carried by poles on the shoulders of the priests. David ignorantly purchased a new cart and put the ark on it. When the cart almost stumbled, Uza put forth his hand and steadied the ark and lost his life for it. That put the fear of God on everyone so David stopped the whole process and let the ark stay right there until he could find out what went wrong. It was near Obed-Edom’s house, so David asked if he would house the ark for a while. God blessed Obed-Edom’s house because of the ark.
Everything else in David’s life was blessed. Hiram sent him cedar from Lebanon to build a house for himself. God established David’s kingdom and blessed him with 13 sons.
The Philistines found out that David had became the king of Israel and planned an attack. David sought the guidance of the Lord and He told him to attack because He would hand them over to him. The Philistines fled leaving their gods for David to burn.
The next time the Philistines attacked, David asked the Lord what to do and He told him to circle around to the back of their army and attack from behind. God caused the locusts in the mulberry trees, before the Philistines, to sound like an army. It was the sound of God’s army. They turned to run and ran right into David’s army. All the nations feared David because the Lord was on his side.
Today we start writing Paul’s book to the church at Rome. Many of Rome’s new converts had been Gentiles who had attended the synagogue and knew about the law somewhat. There was a huge conflict over who the Jews were and what their role in the new covenant looked like. The Gentiles questioned whether the Jews were the chosen race anymore and the Jews questioned whether the Gentile should be grafted in. Paul wanted to set them all straight so he wrote Romans.
Paul started out by saying how glad he is to finally make it there since he had tried for a while to get there. He was grateful for all his fellow Jews and Gentiles that helped him along the way. His goal was to bring unity among the church and unite the Gentile and the Jew as one body. The first point he made was that the only thing that makes a person righteous is his faith in Jesus.
Lord, help us to desire to live as one body even when we disagree over doctrine. Help us to carry your presence correctly and be scriptural and wise.
Once Saul was out of the way, soldiers from the different tribes started defecting and joining David’s army until his army was like the army of God. I don’t know what that means but I would guess that it means that it was powerful and had all its positions filled. Over 318,000 men arrived at Hebron armed and ready to fight to make David the king over all of Israel. (He was already the king of Judah.)
David’s first move as king was to bring back the ark of the Lord since Saul had not consulted it once during his reign. The people thought that would be a great idea too, but no one knew the law well enough to know that the ark had to be carried by poles on the shoulders of the priests. David ignorantly purchased a new cart and put the ark on it. When the cart almost stumbled, Uza put forth his hand and steadied the ark and lost his life for it. That put the fear of God on everyone so David stopped the whole process and let the ark stay right there until he could find out what went wrong. It was near Obed-Edom’s house, so David asked if he would house the ark for a while. God blessed Obed-Edom’s house because of the ark.
Everything else in David’s life was blessed. Hiram sent him cedar from Lebanon to build a house for himself. God established David’s kingdom and blessed him with 13 sons.
The Philistines found out that David had became the king of Israel and planned an attack. David sought the guidance of the Lord and He told him to attack because He would hand them over to him. The Philistines fled leaving their gods for David to burn.
The next time the Philistines attacked, David asked the Lord what to do and He told him to circle around to the back of their army and attack from behind. God caused the locusts in the mulberry trees, before the Philistines, to sound like an army. It was the sound of God’s army. They turned to run and ran right into David’s army. All the nations feared David because the Lord was on his side.
Today we start writing Paul’s book to the church at Rome. Many of Rome’s new converts had been Gentiles who had attended the synagogue and knew about the law somewhat. There was a huge conflict over who the Jews were and what their role in the new covenant looked like. The Gentiles questioned whether the Jews were the chosen race anymore and the Jews questioned whether the Gentile should be grafted in. Paul wanted to set them all straight so he wrote Romans.
Paul started out by saying how glad he is to finally make it there since he had tried for a while to get there. He was grateful for all his fellow Jews and Gentiles that helped him along the way. His goal was to bring unity among the church and unite the Gentile and the Jew as one body. The first point he made was that the only thing that makes a person righteous is his faith in Jesus.
Lord, help us to desire to live as one body even when we disagree over doctrine. Help us to carry your presence correctly and be scriptural and wise.
Thursday, July 11, 2019
Thurs.’s Devo - Taking Jerusalem
Read: 1 Chonicles 11:1-12:18; Acts 28:1-31; Psalm 9:1-12; Proverbs 19:1-3
With Saul dead, Israel needed a new king and no one was as worthy as David. The people knew that Samuel had anointed him king and it was just a matter of time before it happened since none of Samuels’ words fell to the ground. All Israel met at Hebron where they had proclaimed David king.
Hebron was the place they met because Hebron was the first land that Abraham bought in the promised land. He bought it to bury his wife, Sarah. It became a city of refuge and the place where David would live before he finally moved to Jerusalem.
Then they marched to Jebus and to take it from the Jebusites. David promised the man who led the attack to be his commander-in-chief. Joab went first, so he became David’s commander-in-chief. Along with a list of mighty men, they took the city of Jebus and renamed it Jerusalem.
Three of David’s men were known as his Three mighty men. Their exploits were given and then a list of his other mighty men. Interestingly, they had followed David when he ran from Saul and fought with the Philistines. They were also with him when his family was taken and all their possessions at Ziklag. The Lord helped them recover everything they had lost, but the most interesting thing about them is that they were kinsmen of Saul and from the tribe of Benjamin. Some soldiers from Gad also defected to follow David during this time.
In Acts, Paul’s ship had been completely destroyed during the storm and they had swum ashore of the island they were to learn was named Malta. Malta means “escaping”. It was definitely an escape for them.
The people of the island welcomed them and made a fire for them because it was cold and raining. As Paul gathered wood for the fire, a viper struck Paul on the arm and held on. Paul shook him off in the fire, and the island people watched in fear of his impending death. But Paul showed no signs of effect of the snake which made them now wonder if Paul wasn’t a god.
The chief of the island, Publius had them stay at his house for three days, but he was sick of a fever. Paul laid his hands on him and prayed for him and he was healed. Many others with sicknesses came to Paul and received healing. They left with honors and everything they would need to finish their journey, thanks to Paul, thanks to God.
When they finally did reach Rome, all the prisoners were put in jail, but Paul. He was given a house and a soldier to keep him safe. The only thing that kept him from being set free was his appeal to Caesar. While he was awaiting his audience with Caesar, the Romans and Jews asked him to tell them about his religious views. He preached from morning till evening, telling them the truth of Jesus and his own testimony. Some believed and some didn’t which was just what Isaiah had prophesied. Some hearts would be closed and some open. It made Paul more and more determined to get his message to the Gentiles.
Lord, I thank you for giving us hearts to receive you and not be hardened. Send us to the people you want to hear the good news and let us not worry about the outcome because that is your business. It is your truth that needs to be told.
With Saul dead, Israel needed a new king and no one was as worthy as David. The people knew that Samuel had anointed him king and it was just a matter of time before it happened since none of Samuels’ words fell to the ground. All Israel met at Hebron where they had proclaimed David king.
Hebron was the place they met because Hebron was the first land that Abraham bought in the promised land. He bought it to bury his wife, Sarah. It became a city of refuge and the place where David would live before he finally moved to Jerusalem.
Then they marched to Jebus and to take it from the Jebusites. David promised the man who led the attack to be his commander-in-chief. Joab went first, so he became David’s commander-in-chief. Along with a list of mighty men, they took the city of Jebus and renamed it Jerusalem.
Three of David’s men were known as his Three mighty men. Their exploits were given and then a list of his other mighty men. Interestingly, they had followed David when he ran from Saul and fought with the Philistines. They were also with him when his family was taken and all their possessions at Ziklag. The Lord helped them recover everything they had lost, but the most interesting thing about them is that they were kinsmen of Saul and from the tribe of Benjamin. Some soldiers from Gad also defected to follow David during this time.
In Acts, Paul’s ship had been completely destroyed during the storm and they had swum ashore of the island they were to learn was named Malta. Malta means “escaping”. It was definitely an escape for them.
The people of the island welcomed them and made a fire for them because it was cold and raining. As Paul gathered wood for the fire, a viper struck Paul on the arm and held on. Paul shook him off in the fire, and the island people watched in fear of his impending death. But Paul showed no signs of effect of the snake which made them now wonder if Paul wasn’t a god.
The chief of the island, Publius had them stay at his house for three days, but he was sick of a fever. Paul laid his hands on him and prayed for him and he was healed. Many others with sicknesses came to Paul and received healing. They left with honors and everything they would need to finish their journey, thanks to Paul, thanks to God.
When they finally did reach Rome, all the prisoners were put in jail, but Paul. He was given a house and a soldier to keep him safe. The only thing that kept him from being set free was his appeal to Caesar. While he was awaiting his audience with Caesar, the Romans and Jews asked him to tell them about his religious views. He preached from morning till evening, telling them the truth of Jesus and his own testimony. Some believed and some didn’t which was just what Isaiah had prophesied. Some hearts would be closed and some open. It made Paul more and more determined to get his message to the Gentiles.
Lord, I thank you for giving us hearts to receive you and not be hardened. Send us to the people you want to hear the good news and let us not worry about the outcome because that is your business. It is your truth that needs to be told.
Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Wed.’s Devo - A Time to Return
Read: 1 Chronicles 9:1-10; 14; Acts 27:21-44; Psalm 8:1-9; Proverbs 18:23-24
We just finished the geneologies before they went into exile and now we are getting the first count of the ones who returned after the exile. Nothing is given of the time in exile which is because Israel’s time clock stops when they are out of the land and begins again when they are back in the land.
The first to resettle were mainly priests, Levites and temple servants along with a few people from Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim and Manasseh who were listed in today’s reading. It totaled around 3,618 people. The temple leaders were men who walked with God and had ministered under the days of David and Samuel. They set back up the tabernacle and started the ministry of worship and teaching once again.
This is the way it is in our lives. When we get away from the Lord and go our own way, sometimes it takes a while before we get back on the right track. I’m sure in Babylon and Assyria they were inundated with idol worship until they were sick of it. They returned to their roots and established their relationship with the Lord first. It is the foundation of all rebuilding.
In Chapter 10, Ezra takes us back to the time when Saul and his sons died in the battle. Saul died in disobedience and his kingdom was given to David.
In Acts, Paul and his fellow prisoners and sailors were in a terrific storm. The sailers had battled the storm without food or sleep for days. One night Paul had a dream where an angel came to him and told him not to be afraid of the storm because he was to testify in Rome and God would save every man on the ship. The next day Paul told the men in the ship and they were encouraged. Paul told them that the ship would be destroyed but if they remained on it till the end they would all live.
The sailors were tempted to escape on life boats, but Paul told them they would die if they did and they believed him. Paul was able to have communion with the people on the boat and encourage them to eat because the next day, they would be on solid ground. It all happened as Paul had been shown by God. Paul’s favor saved the lives of the other prisoners.
Thank you Lord, for all the times you preserve us and protect us and we don’t even realize it. You are our defender and our strong tower!
We just finished the geneologies before they went into exile and now we are getting the first count of the ones who returned after the exile. Nothing is given of the time in exile which is because Israel’s time clock stops when they are out of the land and begins again when they are back in the land.
The first to resettle were mainly priests, Levites and temple servants along with a few people from Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim and Manasseh who were listed in today’s reading. It totaled around 3,618 people. The temple leaders were men who walked with God and had ministered under the days of David and Samuel. They set back up the tabernacle and started the ministry of worship and teaching once again.
This is the way it is in our lives. When we get away from the Lord and go our own way, sometimes it takes a while before we get back on the right track. I’m sure in Babylon and Assyria they were inundated with idol worship until they were sick of it. They returned to their roots and established their relationship with the Lord first. It is the foundation of all rebuilding.
In Chapter 10, Ezra takes us back to the time when Saul and his sons died in the battle. Saul died in disobedience and his kingdom was given to David.
In Acts, Paul and his fellow prisoners and sailors were in a terrific storm. The sailers had battled the storm without food or sleep for days. One night Paul had a dream where an angel came to him and told him not to be afraid of the storm because he was to testify in Rome and God would save every man on the ship. The next day Paul told the men in the ship and they were encouraged. Paul told them that the ship would be destroyed but if they remained on it till the end they would all live.
The sailors were tempted to escape on life boats, but Paul told them they would die if they did and they believed him. Paul was able to have communion with the people on the boat and encourage them to eat because the next day, they would be on solid ground. It all happened as Paul had been shown by God. Paul’s favor saved the lives of the other prisoners.
Thank you Lord, for all the times you preserve us and protect us and we don’t even realize it. You are our defender and our strong tower!
Tuesday, July 9, 2019
Tues.’s Devo - Healing Waters
Read: 1 Chronicles 7:1-8:40; Acts 27:1-20; Psalm 7:1-17; Proverbs 18:22
Today we finish the geneologies of Issachar, Naphtali, Ephraim, Asher and Benjamin. In almost every tribe there was a significant person who made Biblical history. In Issachar it was Samuel. Issachar means “he will bring a reward” and is noted mainly for their soldiers who would bring a reward from the battle.
Naphtali which means “my wrestling” is the only tribe that only has four descendents and it made sure we knew that these were the descendants of Bilhah which was Rachel’s maid. Bilhah’s other son was Dan and he isn’t even mentioned in this list. Bilhah was the concubine that Reuben slept with that lost him his inheritance. It makes me wonder about Bilhah. Bilhah means weak and decrepit. Delilah means the same thing. I think they had the power to put their weakness on people they were associated and make them weak. Rachel died because she was not strong enough to live through child birth and Bilhah was her servant.
Joshua, the leader who followed Moses was from the tribe of Ephraim. Remember that Ephraim and Manasseh were not born of Jacob but of Joseph. Through his sons, Joseph became two tribes. Joseph means double fruit and his double fruit came through his sons. Joseph was Israel’s favorite son and his next favorite was Benjamin because they were Rachel’s offspring.
Asher was listed next. He was a son of Leah’s concubine, Zilpah. Asher’s line produced brave warriors and outstanding leaders.
Benjamin had a huge line of descendants and is a picture of the Ecclessia, the Church. In verse 8 it says that sons were born to Shaharaim in Moab after he had divorced his wives Hushim and Baara. Shaharaim means “double dawn” which looks like being born again to me. If you think of Benjamin’s line as a type of the the Church then to be reborn you would have to divorce your old wife (Romans 7). His wives had been Hushim and Baara which mean “violence” and “stupid, sensual, and having no conscious”. That sounds like us before we were born again. We have to divorce that to marry Jesus. His new wife was Hodesh which means “new moon” which is a picture of being reborn. In the meaning of Hodesh’s six sons we see the plan of God. Their names translate to say that tears will be shed but God will lead his people like a gazelle to his waters that will cause them to forget their devastation. They will take counsel in their King and he will take captive their rebellion. That sounds like deliverance!
Just a note to meditate on… I’ve heard it said that there are no tears in heaven but that is not what scripture says. It says that God will wipe away all tears so tears will be shed but then like the names of the sons, God will lead us to his healing waters and wash away the memory of every pain.
In Acts, Paul is on his way to Rome and has been put under the care of Julius. He must have been told that Paul was innocent because he gave him privileges he wouldn’t have been able to give a criminal. It is noted that sailing became dangerous after the Fast. The Fast is pertaining to Yom Kippor or the Day of Atonement where the high priest would go into the Holy of Holies to receive forgiveness for the nation and pray for atonement for the next year. Obviously, there was no atonement found since the nation had not received the only one who could atone for their sins, so the land and the seas were responding to this rejection. They faced storm after storm…sounds like our nation right now.
Lord, thank you for every trial we have to go through that makes us more refined and free.
Today we finish the geneologies of Issachar, Naphtali, Ephraim, Asher and Benjamin. In almost every tribe there was a significant person who made Biblical history. In Issachar it was Samuel. Issachar means “he will bring a reward” and is noted mainly for their soldiers who would bring a reward from the battle.
Naphtali which means “my wrestling” is the only tribe that only has four descendents and it made sure we knew that these were the descendants of Bilhah which was Rachel’s maid. Bilhah’s other son was Dan and he isn’t even mentioned in this list. Bilhah was the concubine that Reuben slept with that lost him his inheritance. It makes me wonder about Bilhah. Bilhah means weak and decrepit. Delilah means the same thing. I think they had the power to put their weakness on people they were associated and make them weak. Rachel died because she was not strong enough to live through child birth and Bilhah was her servant.
Joshua, the leader who followed Moses was from the tribe of Ephraim. Remember that Ephraim and Manasseh were not born of Jacob but of Joseph. Through his sons, Joseph became two tribes. Joseph means double fruit and his double fruit came through his sons. Joseph was Israel’s favorite son and his next favorite was Benjamin because they were Rachel’s offspring.
Asher was listed next. He was a son of Leah’s concubine, Zilpah. Asher’s line produced brave warriors and outstanding leaders.
Benjamin had a huge line of descendants and is a picture of the Ecclessia, the Church. In verse 8 it says that sons were born to Shaharaim in Moab after he had divorced his wives Hushim and Baara. Shaharaim means “double dawn” which looks like being born again to me. If you think of Benjamin’s line as a type of the the Church then to be reborn you would have to divorce your old wife (Romans 7). His wives had been Hushim and Baara which mean “violence” and “stupid, sensual, and having no conscious”. That sounds like us before we were born again. We have to divorce that to marry Jesus. His new wife was Hodesh which means “new moon” which is a picture of being reborn. In the meaning of Hodesh’s six sons we see the plan of God. Their names translate to say that tears will be shed but God will lead his people like a gazelle to his waters that will cause them to forget their devastation. They will take counsel in their King and he will take captive their rebellion. That sounds like deliverance!
Just a note to meditate on… I’ve heard it said that there are no tears in heaven but that is not what scripture says. It says that God will wipe away all tears so tears will be shed but then like the names of the sons, God will lead us to his healing waters and wash away the memory of every pain.
In Acts, Paul is on his way to Rome and has been put under the care of Julius. He must have been told that Paul was innocent because he gave him privileges he wouldn’t have been able to give a criminal. It is noted that sailing became dangerous after the Fast. The Fast is pertaining to Yom Kippor or the Day of Atonement where the high priest would go into the Holy of Holies to receive forgiveness for the nation and pray for atonement for the next year. Obviously, there was no atonement found since the nation had not received the only one who could atone for their sins, so the land and the seas were responding to this rejection. They faced storm after storm…sounds like our nation right now.
Lord, thank you for every trial we have to go through that makes us more refined and free.
Monday, July 8, 2019
Mon.’s Devo - The Levites
Read: 1 Chronicles 5:18-6:81; Acts 26:1-32; Psalm 6:1-10; Proverbs 18:20-21
The tribes of Rueben, Gad and half of Manasseh were the ones who wanted the land on the east of the Jordan and didn’t go into the promised land for their inheritance. They started out trusting in God to help them defeat the inhabitants of their land. God helped them become very prosperous but then their fame and achievements went to their heads and they started following the gods of the people they had conquered. So God sent the king of Assyria against them to take them into exile to Assyria.
The tribe of Levi were chosen to attend to the temple, minister to the Lord for the people and teach the people the law. They were scattered all throughout the land and given land in every tribe. Every tribe was to have several cities of refuge which were run by the Levites. They were not given a specific territory because they were gifts to the people. They were like the five-fold ministry of today (prophets, pastors, evangelists, prophets and teachers). Aaron and Moses were Levites.
The Levites were divided into three main divisions: the family of Merari, Gershon and Kohath which were Aaron’s three sons. They presented burnt offerings on the brazen altar and burned incense at the incense altar. They were in charge of atoning the sin of the people and the duty of carrying incense into the Holy of Holies every Day of Atonement. The other Levites were given other duties in the tabernacle.
In Acts, Paul was testifying for himself in front of Festus and Agrippa. He gave them his testimony and when he was through Festus thought he was insane. In his story he told of his commission to go to first his own people but when they wouldn’t believe he was to go to the Gentiles. I think that this was the part that made Festus think he was insane. To think that the Jews and the Gentiles could agree on religious terms was like us thinking there can be peace in Jerusalem between the Jews and the Arabs. It could only happen with an intervention of the Spirit of God.
What Festus and Agrippa did agree on was the fact that Paul was not guilty of anything worthy of imprisonment or death. They would have set him free had he not appealed to Caesar. If they had set Paul free at this point, the Jews would have killed him. His appeal to Caesar was God’s way of keeping Paul safely guarded so he could get to the center of the Gentile world and testify in His name.
Lord, your way does not always appear to us to be the safest or wisest way but you know better and your way is the safest and wisest way. Help us to blindly trust you.
The tribes of Rueben, Gad and half of Manasseh were the ones who wanted the land on the east of the Jordan and didn’t go into the promised land for their inheritance. They started out trusting in God to help them defeat the inhabitants of their land. God helped them become very prosperous but then their fame and achievements went to their heads and they started following the gods of the people they had conquered. So God sent the king of Assyria against them to take them into exile to Assyria.
The tribe of Levi were chosen to attend to the temple, minister to the Lord for the people and teach the people the law. They were scattered all throughout the land and given land in every tribe. Every tribe was to have several cities of refuge which were run by the Levites. They were not given a specific territory because they were gifts to the people. They were like the five-fold ministry of today (prophets, pastors, evangelists, prophets and teachers). Aaron and Moses were Levites.
The Levites were divided into three main divisions: the family of Merari, Gershon and Kohath which were Aaron’s three sons. They presented burnt offerings on the brazen altar and burned incense at the incense altar. They were in charge of atoning the sin of the people and the duty of carrying incense into the Holy of Holies every Day of Atonement. The other Levites were given other duties in the tabernacle.
In Acts, Paul was testifying for himself in front of Festus and Agrippa. He gave them his testimony and when he was through Festus thought he was insane. In his story he told of his commission to go to first his own people but when they wouldn’t believe he was to go to the Gentiles. I think that this was the part that made Festus think he was insane. To think that the Jews and the Gentiles could agree on religious terms was like us thinking there can be peace in Jerusalem between the Jews and the Arabs. It could only happen with an intervention of the Spirit of God.
What Festus and Agrippa did agree on was the fact that Paul was not guilty of anything worthy of imprisonment or death. They would have set him free had he not appealed to Caesar. If they had set Paul free at this point, the Jews would have killed him. His appeal to Caesar was God’s way of keeping Paul safely guarded so he could get to the center of the Gentile world and testify in His name.
Lord, your way does not always appear to us to be the safest or wisest way but you know better and your way is the safest and wisest way. Help us to blindly trust you.
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