Mon.’s Devo - God’s Presence Restored

Read: 1 Samuel 5:1-7:17; John 6:1-21; Psalm 106:13-31; Proverbs 14:32-33 The Philistines took the Ark of the Covenant and placed it in their Temple of Dagon in Ashdod. Dagon means “little fish” and is the statue of a fish with man’s hands and head. It was the official god of the Philistines. In the morning they found the statue of Dagon face down before the Ark. They stood him up but the next morning they found him on his face before the Ark and his hands and his head broken off lying at the threshold. The people of Ashdod and its surrounding towns were overran with rats and the men started getting tumors. Ashdod means “I will spoil.” God was spoiling the town without a fight. The elders of the towns got together and decided that their curse came the day the Ark came so they decided to send it to Gath. Gath means “a winepress”. They were about to be pressed through God’s grate also. The people of Gath experienced the same curse and panicked. They sent the Ark to Ekron. Ekron means “uprooting”. They were about to experience that. They begged the Philistine rulers to send the Ark back to Israel or it would kill them all. God had unleashed a deadly plague and land were dying. After the Ark had been in Philistia for 7 months they called their priests and sorcerers to ask them how they should send the Ark back. They told them that they had to send a guilt offering with it. Each of the five rulers should put a golden rat and a golden tumor in a chest and construct a cart to carry them and the Ark. They should take a mother cow who had just had a calf to pull the cart while the baby was locked in a barn. Naturally the mother calf would hav knocked down the barn to get to her calf, but this was a supernatural act. Then they were to just watch and see where the cows took the cart. They did all of this and watched as the cows took the ark to the land of the Israelites. It went to the border of Beth-shemesh where the people were harvesting wheat. They rejoiced when they saw it coming. It came into the field of Joshua and stopped at a large rock. The people took the wood of the cart and made a fire, killed the cows and sacrificed them to the Lord. Several Levites lifted the Ark of the Lord along with the golden objects and placed them on the rock. The five Philistine rulers watched from afar, then returned to Ekron. God killed 70 men from Beth-shemesh who looked into the Ark. This made them afraid to have the Ark. They sent messengers to the people at Kiriath-jerim and told them to come and get it. The men of Kiriath-jerarim came and took the Ark to the home of Abinadab, a Levite. They ordained Eleazar, his son, to be in charge of it. It remained there for 20 years. Samuel addressed the people and told them that if they wanted to return to the Lord, they needed to get rid of their idols and rid their nation of the images of Baal and Ashroreth. They could only worship the Lord. They did this, so Samuel told them to meet him in Mizpah and he would pray for them. They fasted all day and confessed their sins to the Lord. The Philistines found out they were meeting in Mizpah and set out to attack them. They arrived just as Samuel was offering the sacrifice to the Lord. God thundered down his response to the Philistines which threw them into such confusion that the Israelites were able to defeat them. Samuel took a huge stone, the stone that had been named Ebenezer when they lost the Ark and set it upright and renamed it Ebenezer “a stone of help”. Ekron and Gath and the rest of the territory the Philistines had taken was restored to Judah. Samuel judged Israel from Ramah but traveled to other towns to judge them also. The Ark was returned during the season of Pentecost which represents God giving his Spirit to man. The return of God’s presence was a fulfillment of this feast. He fulfilled it again on the Pentecost in Acts when the Holy Spirit came down and rested upon man once again. In John, Jesus had been teacher by the Sea of Galilee. Over 5,000 people had come to listen. Jesus asked Philip where they could buy bread to feed them all. Phillip couldn’t fathom the cost of feeding all of them. Andrew spoke up and said he had found a boy with a lunch of five barley loaves and two fishes. That was all Jesus needed. He told his disciples to have them all sit down. He took the loaves and fish and blessed them and gave thanks to God. Then he distributed them to the people. They all ate and there were twelve baskets full. When the people realized what had happened, they wanted to make Jesus their king right then and there. Jesus slipped away into the hills. The disciple couldn’t find Jesus so they got into their boat and sailed for Capernaum. A storm blew up while they were out in the middle of the lake. They looked up to see Jesus walking across the water. He told them not to be afraid. They helped him into the boat and the storm immediately died. Thank you for your presence that is always with us. We need never be afraid.

Sun.’s Devo - Ichabod - The Ark Was Taken

Read: 1 Samuel 2:22-4:22; John 5:24-47; Psalm 106:1-12; Proverbs 1:12 Eli’s sons were not only taking the Lord’s portion of the sacrifice for themselves but they were also seducing the young women who served at the Tabernacle in Shiloh. Eli knew about this and rebuked them but didn’t discipline them or punish them for it. God sent a prophet to tell Eli that God had chosen him and his family to serve him but He was removing that from them because they refused to honor Him. All the members of his family would die prematurely. Some would be blind, their hearts would break and their children would die a violent death. Hophni and Phineas would die on the same day. God would raise up a faithful priest who would serve God and do what he desires. His family would be established and Eli’s family would bow before him, begging for money and food. They will beg to be priests again so they could eat. Meanwhile Samuel grew up with Eli and served the Lord. One night, God began speaking to Samuel, but he kept thinking it was Eli. When he had woken Eli up three times, Eli realized it was God speaking and told him it was the Lord so he just needed to listen. In the morning Eli threatened Samuel with his life if he didn’t tell him everything God had said to him. So Samuel did. God said that He was going to bring his judgment upon Eli’s family because of their sins. No amount of sacrifices could stop what God was going to do. Israel was at war with the Philistines and were camped near Ebenezer. The Philistines attacked and killed 4,000 Israelites. The elders met and thought if they brought the Ark of the Covenant with them into war they would surely win. They sent for the Ark and Hophi and Phineas came with it. The warriors in the camp shouted so loud when the Ark came that the Philistines could hear it. It frightened the Philistines, but instead of making them weaker with fear, it made them more determined than ever to fight so they wouldn’t be made to serve the Israelites. The next day the Philistines killed 30,000 Israelites, Hopni and Phineas were killed, and the Ark was taken. Eli had been anxiously awaiting to hear what would happen to the Ark and when a man from the battle told him, he fell back off his seat, broke his neck and died. He was 98 years old and had judged Israel for 40 years. Phineas’ wife had been pregnant and about to deliver. When she heard the news, she went into labor and died. She had named the child Ichabod meaning “where is the glory”. The glory had departed from Israel. In John, Jesus said that all who believe in him will never be condemn of their sins but they have already passed from death to life. One day even the dead would hear Jesus voice and be able to believe. Jesus made it clear that his words were not his words alone, but God’s. Heaven and earth testified who Jesus was. John the Baptist was the witness on earth and God was the witness in heaven. The words that Jesus brought were more powerful than John’s because he spoke as a man and Jesus spoke as God. All the scriptures pointed to Jesus but the ones who knew them so well, refused to see. Moses would testify against them. Since they couldn’t believe what Moses wrote, how could they believe by what Jesus said. They loved the honor of man more than the honor of God. Lord, may we rejoice that your glory can never be taken from us. We believe and therefore have life and are justified in You. Thank you for life - here and in heaven.

Sat.’s Devo - The Birth of Samuel

Read: 1 Samuel 1:1-2:21; John 5:1-23; Psalm 105:37-45; Proverbs 14:28-29 It seemed that most of the patriarchs came from women who were barren and then God touched them and they had children. Samuel was no different. His father was Elkanah who had two wives. Peninnah had many children and taunted Hannah who had none. Every year they traveled to Shiloh to offer sacrifices. Elkanah would give Peninnah a larger portion to offer since she would be given some of it back, cooked to feed her children. Hannah would be given a smaller portion since all she had to feed was herself. The priest in charge was Eli who had two evil sons - Hopni and Phnehas. They would take the best meat for themselves and take it before the meat had boiled so the fat was still on it. The fat was the portion that was to be given to the Lord. They wanted the fat still on it because they were going to bar-b-que theirs. In this way they showed disrespect and contempt for the Lord. One year, while they were there. Peninnah had taunted Hannah to tears and she prayed to the Lord at the altar. She prayed for a son and promised to give him to the Lord and never cut his hair. Eli saw her mouth moving and no words and thought she was drunk. He rebuked her until he found out she was praying and very distraught. Then he turned his rebuke into a blessing. She went home happy and fulfilled. She soon had a son and brought him to Eli when he was weaned. Every year she brought him a coat she had made. Every year Eli would bless them with more children. Hannah did have three more sons and two daughters. In John, it is a feast day. (Most believe it is Passover.) Jesus was in Jerusalem for it and people were everywhere. Jesus went down to the pool of Bethesda where he found a crippled man. He had been lying there for 38 years waiting for the water to stir so he could step in and be healed. He had no one to put him there and he was crippled so it was absolutely hopeless situation for him. Jesus came and offered him healing and he walked. He took his mat because Jesus told him to. The Pharisees saw him carrying his mat on the Sabbath and questioned him. He told them that the man who healed him told him to carry it. They wanted to know who did this but he didn’t even know. Jesus found him in the crowd later and told him not to go back into sin or something worse might happen to him. Apparently his crippled state had been the result of being in the wrong place, doing the wrong thing. He went and told the Pharisees who it was who healed him and they came to Jesus with their accusations. Jesus told him that he and his father worked on the Sabbath as they did every day. He was just doing what he saw his Father doing and his Father had given him the power to judge man. If they wanted to honor the Father then they must honor the son. This went over like a lead balloon. Everything Jesus said was truth. He didn’t care how it was received; he was speaking it to them then and to us now. It is the Word of Life. Lord thank you for your boldness and your lack of fear of man. May we follow in your footsteps. Thank you, Lord that your blessing follow those who believe. Thank you that when we cry out to you, you hear us.

Fri.’s Devo - The Kinsman Redeemer

Read: Ruth 2:1-4:22; John 4:43-54; Psalm 105:16-36; Proverbs 14:26-27 Everyone loves the story of Ruth because it is the Cinderella story of the Bible. Today we see the pauper become the queen. Naomi and Ruth had come to Bethlehem at the time of the barley and the wheat harvest. It was customary for the poor to walk behind the reapers and pick up what they dropped. Ruth went to do this so she and Naomi could have food. She just happened to reap in Boaz’s field. Boaz was the son of Salmon whose wife was Rahab. Rahab had been the prostitute who hid the spies when they came into Jericho (Matthew 1:4). So his mother had been a Canaanite who chose to leave her people and become a Jew. Boaz saw his mother in Ruth and greatly admired her for giving up her people and her culture to take care of her mother-in-law and become an Israelite. He noticed her right away. I would think that her nationality made her look different from the Hebrews. He made sure his men didn’t tease her or abuse her in any way and Boaz spoke to her directly. He told her to continue in his fields and he would make sure she was protected. He even told her to reap along with his women and told them she would be doing that so there would be no problems. He also offered her their food and water. Ruth was amazed at his kindness and the favor she was getting. When she told Naomi everything Boaz had said to her, Naomi got on her match-making hat. She told Ruth exactly what to do to let him know she was available and interested in him as her husband. Since he was related to Naomi he would qualify as a kinsman redeemer. When Boaz saw her intention, he was thrilled. He had already found out who was next in line to redeem her and went to the city gate to transact with him. He told the man that he was next in line to redeem Elimelech’s property if he wanted to buy it. He did. Then Boaz told him that he would be obligated to marry Ruth, the Moabite and have children in the name of her husband. He was not willing to do that. Boaz gladly bought the land and redeemed Ruth as his bride. They married and had a son and named him Obed which means “serving”. He became the grandfather of King David. Naomi had a baby boy to love and care for to help the pain of losing her own husband and sons. Ruth got to experience the love of God and the love of a husband and the joy of a son. In John, Jesus was on his way back to Cana where he had turned the water to wine. This was near his hometown where they had a hard time believing he was anyone but Mary’s son. There was a government official who lived near Cana who’s son was very sick. He heard that Jesus was on his way so he went to meet him to beg him to heal his son. Jesus saw this man’s heart and said, “will you never believe in me unless you see miraculous signs and wonders?” I wonder if this man hadn’t told himself that if Jesus would heal his son, he would believe in him or if he was saying that to the people who were just wanting to see something spectacular. Jesus didn’t do anything spectacular. He just told the man to go home and his son would be healed. The man did believe and went home. On his way he received news that his son was healed the very hour Jesus proclaimed it. This was the second miracle that Jesus did in Galilee. He had done many miracles in Jerusalem but these two miracles were specific. Both the turning water to wine and healing this man’s son were miracles where Jesus didn’t do anything but speak. He told the men to fill the pitchers with water and he told the man his son would be healed. Jesus did nothing physical and wasn’t even in the vicinity for the son. Lord, thank you for showing us the power of the spoken word. When it is Your word it is filled with power and it reaps results. Thank you for being our kinsman redeemer.

Thur.’s Devo - Ruth and the Woman at the Well

Read: Judges 21:1-Ruth 1:22; John 4:4-42; Psalm 105:1-15; Provers 14:25 The tribe of Benjamin had been reduced to 600 men who had fled to the rock at Rimmon. The leaders of the other tribes had vowed a curse on anyone who gave their wives to anyone from the tribe of Benjamin which meant that Benjamin would become extinct. The other tribal leaders met at Bethel and cried out to the Lord for Benjamin. They offered sacrifices to God and asked for wisdom. They asked around to see if anyone of the towns had not come to their mandatory meeting and they found that no one from Jabesh-gilead had attended the assembly. They sent warriors to kill everyone except the virgin women. They found 400 virgins to be wives of the Benjamites. They still needed 200 so they remembered a festival in Shiloh every year. The virgins of the town would dance a special dance. They told the remaining Benjamites to hide in the bushes and when they performed the dance, they were to go in and steal a bride. Since they wouldn’t be giving them as wives, they would be free of the curse. This satisfied their problem. “Everyone did what was right in their own eyes.” A famine came upon the land of Israel. Elimelech lived with his wife Naomi in the town of Bethlehem. The famine was so severe that they left to go to Moab to live till the famine was over. They had two sons, Malon and Kilion. Elimelech died in Moab and his two sons married Moabite wives: Orpah and Ruth. Naomi heard that the famine was over and God was blessing Israel once again. She wanted to go back to Bethlehem. Naomi’s two daughter-in-laws started out with her but she stopped them and told them to return to their own homes. She was too old to marry and they would have a better chance at marriage if they stayed in Moab. They both cried but Orpah returned to her family. Ruth insisted on going with Naomi and becoming an Israelite. When they got to Bethlehem everyone was glad to see Naomi but sad to hear she had lost her husband and sons. It was the beginning of the barley harvest so it was right after Passover and almost Pentecost. In John, Jesus came alone to Jacob’s well. He sat there tired and thirsty waiting for the Samaritan woman to come to the well to draw water. She was his assignment for the day. When she arrived, Jesus asked her for a drink. She was amazed that he would speak to her since she was a much hated Samaritan and he was a Jew. She asked him why she would want a drink from her. He told her that if she knew who he was and what God had for her, she would be asking him for a drink. He would give her living water. She asked how he would do this since he had no rope or bucket. How could he offer better water than from Jacob’s well? Jesus explained that when she drank from this well, she would soon be thirsty again. The water he was offering was a fresh, bubbling spring from with in and would give her eternal live. She would never thirst again. She wanted this water so Jesus told her to go and get her husband. She didn’t have one. Jesus knew this. He knew that five men had married her and divorced her or put her away. She came from a line of rejection and the man she was with now didn’t even care to marry her. Jesus perceived this and told her. She realized she was speaking to a prophet so she asked him a religious question about where the proper place to worship was. Jews said Jerusalem and Samaritans said Mt. Gerizim. Jesus explained that the time was coming when it wouldn’t matter where you were when you worshipped God. What was important was if you knew God in spirit and in truth. She said she knew that when the Messiah came, he would explain everything to them. Jesus told her that he was the Messiah. At that moment, the disciples returned. She ran into town telling everyone about the man who told her everything about herself. Could this be the Messiah? The disciples tried to get Jesus to eat but he had just been refreshed by doing God’s will in talking to the woman. He was filled. The harvest of souls was ripe and he was harvesting the crops. Many of the Samaritans came to hear Jesus because of what the woman at the well had told them. They became believers themselves. Lord, may our sustenance be to do your will. Fill us with your Holy Spirit.

Wed.’s Devo - The Evil of Gibeah

Read: Judges 19:1-20:48; John 3:22-4:3; Psalm 104:24-35; Provers 14:22-24 This story is one of my least favorite stories in the Bible. It is all upside down and shows the depravity of man’s sins. It proved what life was like when everyone does what is right in their own eyes. It begins with the statement: “Now in those days Israel had no king.” This was so true. God was suppose to be their king but they used him as a military officer who they called upon when they needed help fighting an enemy. They didn’t seem to involve God in their every day life. Women were property who got no respect. Our story is about a man from Ephraim who brought home a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. She became angry at him and ran back home. He went to get her and ended up staying for a while feasting with her father. Finally, he took his concubine and left. They needed to stop for the night but wanted to make sure they stayed in a town in Israel so they traveled to get to Gibeah which was in the territory of Benjamin. They sat in the town square hoping someone would invite them to stay with them but no one did. That evening, and old man who was also from Ephraim met them and invited them to stay with him. He told them it was not safe to stay in the square at night. While they were enjoying his hospitality, evil men from the town beat on his door and demanded give them the man who had come to stay with him so they could have sex with him. Instead, he threw out his concubine. They raped her to death that night and in the morning her husband found her outside the door. He put her body on his donkey and went home. At home, he cut her body into twelve pieces and sent them to each of the tribes of Israel. He called them to fight the town of Gibeah. Everything was wrong about this. He lied and told the tribes that his life was threatened and that they forced his concubine. All of this is half truths. He should have been tried for murder himself. He killed his concubine by not protecting her. Then he defiled her body by cutting it up into pieces. His dramatic appeal stirred up 400,000 armed warriors from all over Israel. They came against Gibeah and lost 26,000 the first day and 18,000 the next. Everyday they cried out to the Lord for help and guidance. God told them to attack every day and on the third time he told them they would win. On the third day, they attacked then ran, driving them out of the city. Another group came into the city from behind and ambushed them. They killed 25,100 of the Benjamite’s strongest warriors and destroyed and killed all in the town. About 600 men escaped to the rock of Rimmon where they lived for four months. The Israelites burned down many towns around Gibeah all belonging to Benjamin. In John, John was approached by one of his disciples who had noticed that people were leaving John’s ministry and going to Jesus to get baptized and hear his teachings. John told the man he was not jealous because he was like the friend of the bridegroom who was thrilled to listen to the vows. Jesus is the bridegroom and he was the one John was pointing everyone to. Jesus was the only one who came down to heaven from God as his son. John told the man that everyone should listen to Jesus; He speaks the words of God. Lord, may we be as humble as John who was not interested in worldly position or fame. May we lift your name high and boast of your power and love.

Tues.’s Devo - Micah and Nicodemus

Read: Judges 17:1-18:31; John 3:1-21; Psalm 104:1-23; Proverbs 14:20-21 In the times of the judges, men did what was right in their own eyes, not what was right in God’s eyes. Both our Old and New Testament scriptures begin with “there was a man named…” In Judges the man’s name was Micah. He confessed to his mother that she had stolen 1,100 pieces of silver from her and gave it back when he heard the curse she had put upon the one who stole it. It doesn’t tell us what the curse was but I think it came to pass. Micah’s mother was elated he gave her back her money and used 200 pieces of silver and had an idol cast from it. Micah made a sacred ephod and added some household idols and installed one of his own sons as priest. A young Levite came through their town looking for a place to serve and Micah offered him 10 pieces of silver and a change of clothes and food to stay and become his priest. The Levite agreed. This all happened in the land of Ephraim. The clan of Dan had never taken their land and were looking for a place to settle. They sent out five spies who came to Micah’s house. They saw who peaceful and secure they were and how Micah had his own priest. There were several towns like the one Micah lived in. The spies took back the report of the land and decided to attack and take from their brothers what they had instead of fighting the “ites” of the land and taking their land. They sent 600 armed men and began taking their towns. When they arrived a Micah’s house, they offered the priest to come and be the priest over their whole tribe. He agreed and they took all of Micah’s worship paraphernalia. When Micah opposed, they threatened him and his family. He had no power over them so they took all he had. They burnt down the town and renamed it Dan after their ancestor. They set up the carved image and Jonathan son of Gershom, son of Moses presided over them as priest until the Exile. They worshipped this idol instead of God. In John, there was a man named Nicodemus. He was a Pharisee who came to Jesus after dark and called him “Rabbi”. He SAID he knew God had sent him to teach them about God. Jesus told him that to see the Kingdom of God he had to be born again. Nicodemus had no idea how that could happen. Jesus explained that he was talking about a spiritual rebirth, not a natural one. He rebuked Nicodemus for not being able to see these things. He explained that just like the bronze serpent was lifted up in the wilderness, he would be lifted up. (He was speaking of the cross.) He continued that anyone who believed in him would be saved. God sent him into the world to save it not condemn it. This was the opposite of the priest’ message which was one of judgement and condemnation. Jesus pointed out that there were some who loved darkness more than light because they don’t want their sins exposed. This could not have fit the Pharisees better. We don’t know what happened to Nicodemus but the next time we hear of him was at the Feast of Tabernacles when Jesus stood up and said, “Come to me all who are thirsty…he that believers on me,…out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” John 7:37-38. In verse 50 of the same chapter, Nicodemus was mentioned as “being one of them”. I’m not sure who “them” was but after Jesus died, he showed up with 100 pounds of spices to help Joseph prepare his body for burial. (John 19:39). Everything Nicodemus did was in the night. Jesus had told him that Those who do what is right come to the light so others can see what they are doing what God wants. Nicodemus didn’t want his colleges to know what he was doing though it was right. This was probably because he feared man and feared the loss of his position and reputation. Lord, may we find our identity in You and not in ourselves. May we chose what is right in your eyes instead of what is right in ours.