Who is Your God?

*2 Samuel 11-12

Psalm 55

*Romans 16

-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

            Have you ever focused so much on yourself that, whether accidentally or on purpose, you excluded God?  I have, and I say that to my shame.  Even now, as I’m trying to seek God with my whole heart, I find that I’m disturbingly easily distracted.  It’s embarrassing and concerning to me.  I have to maintain a constant vigil and firmly correct myself when I’m looking off to the side because I know from my own personal and painful experiences that “bad things” happen when I don’t let God rule my life (See 2/5 devotion).  In our reading in Romans 16 today, there’s a short little blurb in v18 that says “For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own stomach…“(LSB).  Ouch.

            The verse above is strikingly reminiscent of Phil 3:19 which states “whose end is destruction, whose God is their stomach…who set their thoughts on earthly things.” (LSB).  The (many) creature comforts that we have been given are nice, but if they are distracting us from proper service to and worship of our God then they have become a juicy, tasty looking worm on the end of a very sharp, barbed, and deadly hook to us.  We see from the above verse that the end of (exclusive) self gratification is destruction, and Paul clearly tells us it’s a bad idea.  Just think of what you could do with 30 pieces of silver though…but was it worth it? It wasn’t, it never is.  We were bought at a (very high) price, and to act solely in our own self interests is to dishonor the one who paid it for us.  Don’t set your thoughts on earthly things.

            In our 2 Samuel reading today, it’s not his stomach that has become his God but another anatomical bit, and David sets his thoughts on earthly things.  He sees from the roof of his house a woman bathing: she’s beautiful and he makes inquiries about her, finding out that she’s Eliam’s daughter and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.  Despite this, David sends for her, sleeps with her, and she becomes pregnant (2 Sam 11: 1-5).  This is not only a violation of God’s law, but one of the basest social human betrayals that you could possibly imagine once you understand who Uriah was.

            To understand better, King David had a mixed army of about 288,000 men, these were organized into 12 divisions of around 24,000 men each.  This consisted of a paid standing army (regular troops whose job it was to fight), a militia designated by tribe (armed citizens who fought under veteran commanders) who took turns by month serving unless there was a special need and all of the people where called, and then his “Mighty Men” or “The 30“; a small but elite group of about 37 men (later expanded to 80) that were very much the equivalent of the Special Forces of the time, the ancient Jewish equivalent of Navy Seals, or probably more accurately, “Mossad”.  (external sources include: chabad.org, biblicalwarfare.com, and it aligns logically with what we know from scripture).  Uriah was one of the Mighty Men.

            The Mighty Men of David were generally thought to have been the fierce and loyal followers who stayed with him when he was fleeing King Saul (or at times exceptional fighters who joined later and gained their position from extraordinary feats of bravery). At the very least, they fought side by side with him. Uriah’s closeness to David is illustrated by how closely he lived to the palace, you could see his house clearly from the roof of David’s house.  There is a special bond formed when men fight beside each other, when their lives are in danger, and when they are forced to rely on each other for survival.  David considered all of this, and then chose to betray his close friend in order to feed his earthly appetite.           

            Then, as sin often does, it got worse.  David tried to conceal his crime (2 Sam 11: 6-13) by trying to get Uriah to go sleep with his wife (and failing because of Uriah’s fierce loyalty and code of honor), and then resorts to having Uriah killed (2 Sam 11: 14-27).  Understanding how fiercely loyal his friend Uriah was and how David repaid that loyalty is truly cringe-worthy.  I can’t think of a deeper betrayal that one human could do to another, it’s definitely the low point of David’s life.

            This is all starkly shocking considering the favor that God has shown David, but it should highlight the painful fact that we are all subject to the lusts of our own flesh and must constantly discipline ourselves to remain true.  David was a man after God’s own heart, but he was still a man, and all men have fallen short.  In this case he broke a number of commandments, killed one of his closest friends, and betrayed the trust of a nation and his God.

            When Nathan shows up to speak to David in 2 Sam 12: 1-14, he tells David a parable of a rich man who took advantage of a poor man and took his one beloved ewe, and David reacts in outrage and says that the man should be killed, after which Nathan explains that it is David himself who was that rich man, and offers a bit of punitive prophecy in v10-12 and v14 (war, betrayal of David, his wives taken publicly, and the baby will die).  He is also told at this time that God will forgive him (v13), but all of these dark prophecies against him will still take place as a result of his sin.  This shows us yet again that our God is indeed a God of justice, but also of mercy.

            David’s actions at this point should be a template to us when we sin: he weeps, he prostrates himself before God, and fasts intensely.  He begs and pleads with God.  We can presume that he tore his robes and put ashes on his head (although it doesn’t specifically say that) as was customarily done in those days to express regret.  He does his absolute very best to humble himself and to, if possible, avert the catastrophe that Yahweh has promised in return for his sin.  In this instance, God did not revoke his judgment and the baby dies, but later when Solomon was born it says (in 2 Sam 12:24) that “God loved him”.

            As a side note, in 2 Sam 12:26-30 there is a “war event” that requires a mustering of all of the forces (probably around 288,000 men, as noted above).  This is usually noted by the phrase “all the people”, or sometimes “all of Israel”, as in v29.  There’s a bit of disturbing information towards the end of this chapter in v31 that describes the practices of the conquering armies to their enemies that just highlights how brutal war was (and is).  I recommend you don’t read it if you don’t have a strong stomach, but if you do read this please note that these were the practices of men and not the commandments of God, and make that clear distinction in your mind.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. Each of us is very different, but we are also much the same.  Reflect for a moment on David’s greatest sin, what was the worst sin that you have ever committed?
  2. When you repented of that sin, how specifically did you ask God to forgive you?
  3. Is that sin still poignantly fresh in your mind?  Whatever your answer is, why?
  4. What steps did you take in order to never commit that same sin again, and were you successful?
  5. How can we be successful against temptation to sin?  What are your specific weaknesses and what measures can you personally take that will help you to overcome them?

PRAYER

Father God, please forgive me of all of my sin, whether intentional or unthinking.  Please show me the way into Your kingdom, and cleanse me of all my wrongdoing and many shortcomings.  Help me to listen and to obey Your word, and to honor the price that was paid for my salvation.  Thank you Lord God for sending us Your son to teach us, and to be an example of obedience.  Discipline us God, not in Your wrath lest we be destroyed, but according to Your mercies.  Thank you Father, in Jesus name, Amen.

SGL.2026.CalendarDownload

A First Century Jew

2 Samuel 9-10

Psalm 54

*Romans 15

-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

            I really like Paul, he just strikes me as the kind of guy who has what they used to call “grit”; he’s feisty, and blunt to the point of offensive at times.  When he’s writing the book of Romans (@ 56 AD, give or take a couple years) it seems like he’s writing to folks he hadn’t actually met yet (Rom 1:8-15) but considers fellow believers, is praying for them, and hopes to visit them soon (he’s arrested in Jerusalem before that can happen).  This letter was most likely written from Corinth, around the time of his 3rd missionary voyage. 

            Paul was a “Jew’s Jew” (Phil 3:5, it actually reads “Hebrew’s Hebrew”), the guy was fiercely zealous for God and initially saw believers in Christ as a threat to Judaism (see activities just prior to his conversion: Acts 7:57-8:3, Phil 3:4-6, and Gal 1:13-14), but after he is converted he brings that same feisty zeal to the service of the Christ.  He was a Pharisee (1 of the 4 Jewish “philosophies”, more on that later), a student of Gamaliel (a renowned rabbi), a Jew from the tribe of Benjamin, and a Roman citizen (he was born in Tarsus, a city in the province of Cilicia that held the status of a “free city” within the Roman Empire, which granted legal Roman citizenship).

            I was very surprised (and amazed) that some modern day “apologists”  on YouTube have recently begun to claim that Paul espoused doctrines that weren’t even existant until the 4th century.  Here’s the thing: Paul was a Jew, not just that but a “Jew’s Jew”,  and ALL of the Jewish people (since the time of the return from the Babylonian captivity) have been FIERCELY monotheistic.  According to Sir Anthony Buzzard, to even begin to comprehend scripture properly it must be examined through the lens of a 1st century Jew.  I agree.  Saying anything different is just not doing your homework, and stating that a 1st century Jew such as Paul believed in a speculation that didn’t even exist in any form until the 4th century is clearly an anachronism (and a prime example of  ‘confirmation bias’, and shoddy homework).

            We can see Paul’s theology in the first chapter of Romans, it’s very clear, as it is in most of his letters.  In Romans 1:1-4 he refers to the promises of God made in advance through His prophets  about The Messiah (or Christ) as being a Jewish man descended from David genealogically, and designated as the son of God in power (Gen 3:15, Deut 18:18, 2 Sam 7 to name just a few of those prophecies).  Romans 1:7 states “…Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the **Lord Jesus Christ.”, as he does similarly in most of his letters, showing a clear delineation in Paul’s thinking between the two.  Paul did have a radical change in thinking, but it was from the Pharisee’s view of “the messiah is yet to come”  to his post vision understanding that “The Messiah has come, this man Jesus who was a descendant of David.” (not any of the later speculations from the 4th century).  **=Please note that the translation “Lord” here in “Lord Jesus Christ” is accurately “my lord“ (no caps) and not “THE LORD” (all caps), and every time you read “Christ” in scripture it is the title of a man whom God has anointed as King (and not somebody’s last name).  “THE LORD” (all caps) is a later textual corruption done with good intentions (and bad results),  mistranslating the name of God (which occurs about 7000 times in the old testament as “YHVH” or “YHWH”).

            If Paul had somehow, against all logic and reason, ever changed his fiercely monotheistic Jewish understanding of God there would have been a VERY clear and direct dissertation on it to at least one of his many churches, more realistically a whole lot of dissertations to all of them; Paul wasn’t what I’d call a “subtle” guy, he was very direct.  We would have entire books devoted to explain this new “doctrine”, and that just never happened.  Quite the opposite.  The only real doctrinal controversy Paul ever chimes in on is “should the gentiles be circumcised“ (he says not).  Paul was probably, however, the single greatest (human) force in bringing the gospel that was delivered originally exclusively to Jews (by Jesus and then his apostles) over to the gentiles.  In our reading today in Rom 15:16, we can see Paul (despite being a devout Jew himself) has now self-identified as a minister of the Messiah Jesus to the Gentiles (non-Jewish folks), a priest to them.

            Even when he is ministering to the Gentiles, though, he constantly refers to the scriptures that the Jews were familiar with at the time: what we call the Old Testament.  These were just the scriptures that a first century Jew had available, and the vast majority of the intended audience at this point were also first century Jews (keep in mind the New Testament wasn’t compiled in it’s entirety until later); numerically there were just fewer gentiles at this point in the development of Christianity than there were Jews, and they had a much clearer and simpler understanding of these scriptures.  The later believers’ “complex” problems were of their own devising, and didn’t occur until after the (then numerically superior) gentiles brought their mythology and speculation in to the church around the 4th century.  We see clearly in todays reading Paul’s reliance upon and belief in the ancient Jewish scriptures in the Old Testament.

            In Romans 15, Paul quotes Jewish scripture (that’s the Old Testament to you gentiles) 4 times in this one chapter, with the intention of unifying “God’s people” (the Jews) and Gentiles (we who were “grafted on”).  In v9 he (Paul) quotes 2 Samuel 22:50 (or Psalm 18:49), where David rejoices that God has mercy on the Gentiles.  In v10 he quotes  Deuteronomy 32:43, urging the Gentiles to rejoice with God’s people. In v11 he quotes Psalm 117:1, calling all nations to praise the Lord, and in v12 he quotes Isaiah 11:10, describing the root of Jesse who will rise to reign over the Gentiles, in whom they will hope.  His whole point here in chapter 15 is to encourage the Jews and the Gentiles to “accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God” (Romans 15:7, LSB).  I honestly don’t doctrinally agree with most of the mainstream Christian folks out there right now, but I do try to accept them as brothers (and sisters) in Christ, because after all who am I to judge the servant of another (Rom 14:4)?

            I’ve heard a lot of  folks take the stance that the Old Testament doesn’t matter, because that was for the Jews and we are “Christians”, and I disagree (in love).  The New Testament didn’t in any way negate the Old Testament, it just clarifies it; all together it is just one long and unbroken story of the love that God has for His creation, and the overwhelmingly beautiful character of our God.  Jesus, the servant of God (Acts 3:13), quoted extensively from the Old Testament.  Paul, the servant of Jesus, who was the servant of God, quoted extensively from the Old Testament.  We, who strive to be grafted on to the branch of God’s people (the Jew’s), by right of belief in the “root of Jesse who will rise to reign over the Gentiles” (the son of David: Yeshua, Jesus), should humbly acknowledge that the branches die without the root.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. Do you read the Old Testament or the New Testament more often, and why?
  2. Have you ever allowed doctrinal differences to cause you to view any of your brothers or sisters in Christ in a negative light? Why?
  3. Have you ever allowed doctrinal differences to cause you to view any of  your fellow Children of the Book (Jews and Muslims) in a negative light? Why?
  4. Do you think that what you believe or how you behave is more important in terms of your entry into God’s kingdom, and why?

PRAYER

Father God,  Creator and Sustainer of all life, thank you for my life.  Please lead me, and allow me to humbly be a servant who pleases my master.  Teach me wisdom, Father, and whisper in my ear.  Help me to seek the old ways, and to know the truth about You.  Please grant me Your spirit so that I can love my fellow creation and faithfully follow the instructions of my King, the one whom You sent for us.  Father God, have mercy upon me.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

SGL.2026.CalendarDownload

Prophecies of the Messiah

*2 Samuel 7-8

Psalm 54

Romans 14

-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

            Today’s reading in 2 Sam 7 is one of the most critical prophecies in scripture to understand, if you want to understand about the nature of Jesus, and also get a glimpse into the character of God.  This is one of the clearest passages of scripture that is written about the requirements of The Messiah (מָשִׁיחַ or “Ha Meshiach” in Hebrew, which is where we get the term).  When the ancient Jews were told about The Messiah, this is one of the “go to” scriptures that lists and explains what the expectations should be.  Always go to the “original sources” when you are trying to understand something, and this is one of the best original sources about the Messiah that there are in scripture.  Victor Gluckin has an amazing series on Restitutio.org in the form of podcasts on this that’s better than anything that I could ever do, search for “Victor Gluckin, Restitutio, Son of David” and listen.

            As we start to read in 2 Sam 7:1-11, a lot of the character of David and then God is revealed.  David says to Nathan (a prophet), “Hey I live in a nice house here, but God’s in a tent.  I should build Him a nice house too”.  Nathan replies, “Sure, do it.”, but then God talks to Nathan and tells him to go back to David and tell him “Oh, you think you’re going to build ME a house?  Nah man, I’m going to build YOU a house.” (this is all obviously and painfully paraphrased, but read the scripture, the gist is true).  What we see from this is that God is a rewarder of those who seek to please Him, and that David was trying to please Him.  This is important background to know going in to the next section of scripture, where the meat of the prophecy is.  This is a direct response by God to his servant, David

            First though, know that each one of the gospels (and really the rest of the NT as well) was written for the express purpose of explaining that Jesus (יֵשׁוּעַ )  of Nazareth was this prophesied Messiah(Or, Christ.  Messiah=Christ=”Anointed One”, they all mean the same thing: Christ is not a last name, it is a title of authority).  This is detailed in each of their thesis statements (Matt 1:1, Mark 1:1, Luke 1:30-32, John 20:31).  Jesus himself explains to the samaritan woman that he is, in fact, the Messiah that has been foretold (John 4:25), and commends Peter for getting the correct answer in Matt 16:15 when he asks “but who do you say that I am?”.  He is the Christ, the Messiah.  Every time you see “Christ” in the new testament, it is a confirmation that Jesus of Nazareth is The Christ (Greek for “anointed one”),  or, The Messiah (Hebrew for “anointed one”): they mean the same thing: the man anointed to be king.  What does that mean, though?

THE CRITERIA OF THE MESSIAH (or, Christ).  These are requirements, these MUST all be fullfilled in order to claim the title of The Christ

  • REQUIREMENT 1– (2 Sam 7:12-13)- “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, ***I will raise up one of your seed after you, who will come forth from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom.  He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kindgom forever.”(LSB).  The Messiah MUST BE a human descendant of David, there is not an option for a different understanding because this is the promise God made to David (and God always, always, always keeps His promises). 
  • REQUIREMENT 2– (2 Sam 7:14-15)- “I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will reprove him…but My lovingkindness shall not be removed from him…” (LSB)  The Messiah MUST BE the son of God.  Keep in mind that scripturally, the “sons of God” could refer to heavenly beings (Gen 6:2, Job 1:6, Ps 89:6) and that the term is also used metaphorically to refer to humans or groups that have a special relationship with God (as in Ex 4:22 , Ps 82:6, or Mal 2:10).  In the instance of Jesus of Nazareth, both the literal and metaphoric explanations could be fully applied (because of his miraculous conception, but either would have been sufficient to fulfill this prophecy).
  • REQUIREMENT 3– 2 Sam 7:16: “And your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”  To be The Christ you MUST establish a kingdom that will endure forever.  We as Christians believe that when Jesus returns, this requirement will be fulfilled.  In Jesus’ day, his disciples asked “So, uh, is this when you’re going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6, paraphrased).  He explains to them “I don’t get to pick that, only God knows when that’s going to happen” (Acts 1:7, also paraphrased: See also Matt 24:36).  We believe that when Jesus ascended and was sat at the right hand of God, this was our clear indication that our King had been chosen by God for this future kingdom,  which we all strive to enter and be a citizen of as our core desire and primary reward.  We know that even though this hasn’t been completely fulfilled yet that God always, always, always keeps his promises, and we see many clear prophecies and sermons about this kingdom which will be established on the earth.

            ***NOTE: This is actually an example of “progressive revelation” about the Messiah: Gen 3:15 states the “seed of the woman” will crush the serpent (a human), Deut 18:18 says God will “raise up one of your brothers from among you” (speaking to the Israelites, so now we have an Israelite human), and then 2 Sam 7:12-13 clearly shows it will be a descendant of David so the progressive revelation reveals that the Messiah will be (in order): (1)Human, (2)Israelite Human, (3)Israelite Human of David’s genealogical line.  Note that in progressive revelation the base information never actually changes, it is simply clarified.  This is important, so pay close attention here: you can’t just make something up new and call it progressive revelation.  When you make up something new and add it to scripture, that’s called fabrication and it’s something else entirely.

            So why does this matter?  Firstly, we need to know that our gracious, merciful, and loving God is a rewarder of those who seek Him.  While God certainly didn’t need David to build Him a nicer house (See Psalms 24:1), He respected and reciprocated the intent to please Him.  We need to believe that there is a God, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him diligently (Heb 11:6).  Secondly, men are not only confusing but confused.  If someone is teaching you any doctrine that opposes what the scripture clearly says, this scripture, stop listening to them and go back to the original source; even if a majority of people say you’re wrong, because God is greater than man.  It’s important for you to understand the scriptures you read, just as it’s important for you to submit yourself to God and receive the holy spirit, because God seeks those who worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23).  He will find you, if you seek in spirit and truth!

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. Did you ever really give deep, serious thought to what “Jesus (the) Christ” actually meant?  Do you feel as if this scripture helped clarify some?
  2. Do you think a working knowledge of the Old Testament is relevant to you as a Christian? Why, or why not?
  3.  Are you trying your absolute hardest to please God, or are you more focused on pleasing yourself?  Why?  What is your expected outcome for either?
  4. What does is say of God’s character, that when we try to please Him he repays us a thousandfold, as seen in this scripture today?
  5. Why do you think God gives us such an abundance of prophecy in the scriptures? Discuss.

PRAYER

Father God, Creator of all things, thank you so much for telling us of the things which are to come.  Purify us so that we can be holy.  Please teach us your ways, grant us wisdom, and help our eyes to see and our ears to hear.  Help us to circumcise our hearts and walk humbly before you, and to do the things that please you.  Thank you Father, most of all, for sending us the Christ.  Please grant that we may listen to all that he has spoken, and obey in truth and spirit.  In Jesus’ name, Amen

SGL.2026.CalendarDownload

Dance with All Your Might

*2 Samuel 5-6

*Psalm 53

*Romans 13                                               

-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

            In our reading of Psalms today, we are reminded as the “sons of men” that we ALL have fallen short.  In Ps 53:2-3 we see that, “God looks down from heaven…to see if there is anyone who has insight, anyone who seeks after God.” and that “Every one of them has turned back: together they have become worthless; There is no one who does good, not even one.”  This is pretty harsh but if we are being completely honest, which one of us comes even close to accurately reflecting the merciful, loving character of our God?  David notes this communal shortcoming on our part and laments (and prophecises) in Ps 52:6 “oh that the salvation of Israel would come…!”.  At our very, very best we all don’t even hold a tiny sputtering candle to the blazing glory of God’s love and mercy. 

            Well, I say “all” but there was one son of man that did a pretty good job of it later.  Here’s just one more of those really, really cool bits of foreshadowing in scripture that you don’t even see unless you’re digging a little.  “The salvation” here in Ps 52:6 is literally יְשֻׁע֪וֹת (yeshuot), a variant of Yeshua.  There are all kinds of hidden subtleties in scripture just like this one.  David is lamenting that the salvation of God, Yeshua, hasn’t come yet; but when Jesus (Yeshua) came there was one son of man who did NOT fall short, the man whom God sent and would anoint as our King later in scripture, the Christ (Christ means simply “The Anointed One”, ie, anointed by God).   Our role model Jesus (who self-identified as the “son of man” 72+ times in the scriptures)  lived as an example to all of us other sons of men (ie, us human beings).

            When the son of man came, Yeshua (Jesus) of Nazareth, he completely submitted to the will of God.  When his will and God’s will differed (and they did at times, see Mt 26:39), he sacrificed his own desires and submitted to the Most High God.  As our role model and as our anointed King, it’s our job to strive to imitate that humility before God.  In our Romans reading today, it speaks at length of submitting to the governing authorities.  I suggest that additionally our governing authority should be our King, Jesus, who represents perfectly the will of God who sent him.  “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Mt 6:33), and “make no provision for the flesh in regards to it’s lusts” (Rom 13:14, one of my favorite self correction verses).

            In 2 Sam 5-6 today we see David is coming in to power and is made king, and eventually the split kingdoms of Judah and Israel are once again reunited (@1004 BC) under his monarchy.  In chapter 5 it details the elders coming to David and asking him to be king, his initial victories and accumulation of power, gathering more wives and concubines, and battling the Philistines.  Then in the beginning of chapter 6 we see David gathering up a large group of men and going to recover the Ark of the Covenant from Abinadab’s house, where it had been sitting for 40-60 years.  Wait a minute, why has the most precious relic of Israel been sitting at some guy’s house for the last half century-ish!?  Well, to find that answer we’ll have to dig a little, and flip back over to 1 Sam.  To really get the full flavor of the story I recommend starting about 1 Sam 2:12 and reading (slowly and carefully) through about 1 Sam 7:2 (this is a great story).

            In 1 Sam 2:12-17 it details some of the sins of Eli’s children (priests, sons of the High Priest) against God, and the High Priest fails to honor God over his sons.  This provokes a dire promise from Yahweh to Samuel in 1 Sam 3:11 that “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle“.  The only time this specific verbage was used later (2 Ki 21:12, Jer 19:3) was just before the temple was destroyed and the Babylonian exile commenced, so you know that this was going to be a really big deal, and really bad.  As a culmination of this particular warning, Eli and his sons die, and the Ark of the Covenant (the most holy relic) was captured by the Philistines (1 Sam 4).  This was bad.

            Speaking of bad, the Philistines soon learned to their dismay that taking the Ark of the Covenant and keeping it were two very different propositions.  God struck them with confusion, plagues, and tumors (*the afflictions seem to be in the form of confusion, desolation causing/crop eating mice, and tumors based on their proposed solution in 1 Sam 6:1-18).  They brought it initially to Ashdod and set it up in the temple of Dagon (a pagan ‘deity’, ie, idol), and it broke their “god” (repeatedly) and then “made them desolate and struck them with tumors, both Ashdod and it’s territories.” (1 Sam5:1-6).  So, in terror, they sent the Ark to Gath (where Goliath was from), and  they too were struck with confusion, tumors, and plagues (1 Sam 5:8-9).  The Gath lads had enough and sent it to Ekron, where the Ekronites cried out “They have brought the Ark of the God of Israel around to us to put us and our people to death!“,  were similarly afflicted, and then they all decided to get rid of it by sending it back off to Israel (1 Sam 5 10-12). 

            When it arrived in Beth-Shemesh over 50,000 men were “struck down” because they foolishly looked into the Ark (1 Sam 16-21).  They asked the folks at Kiriath-jearim to come take it please, and there it sat in Abinadab’s house (who took special precautions) for the next 40-60 years.  Please recall God’s warning (and the cautionary tale of Nadab and Abihu) in Lev 10:3; God will be treated as holy by those who come near Him.  Brian Froehlich did a great devotional on this on 5/3.

            So now back in 2 Samuel, David has become king, and sets out to retrieve this most holy relic for the nation of Israel.  So, he got a new cart to carry it on and set out with much pomp and celebration (2 Sam 6:1-5).  Then, the new cart almost tips over so Uzzah (Abinadab’s son) reaches out to steady it and is struck dead (2 Sam 6: 6-8) and “David was afraid of Yahweh that day” (2 Sam 6:9), and decides to leave the cart (and the Ark) there nearby along the route in the house of Obed-edom (2 Sam 6:9-11).  When David later hears that Obed-edom is being blessed, on account of the Ark, David decides maybe he should go get it after all (2 Sam 6:11-12).  Thus begins Operation Retrieve The Ark, take 2.

            The second attempt, they had the celebration music again as before, but this time whenever those who were carrying the Ark took six paces he sacrificed an ox and a fatling (2 Sam 6:13).  Think about that a moment: step, step, step, step, step, step: stop, sacrifice.  Repeat, all the way to Jerusalem.  How far was it from Obed-edom’s house to Jerusalem?  I’m not sure, but I’d wager “too far” if you were an ox or a fatling.  Do you think they’d learned their lesson, and began to treat God as holy?  It rather sounds like it to me, and the whole time this was going on, David was dancing with all his might in an ephod (his underwear) before Yahweh (2 Sam 14).  Almost manically as if his very life depended on it, you might say (and you would be correct).  Clearly David thought so, at the very least.  “…“It is what Yahweh spoke, saying, ‘By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, And before all the people I will be glorified.’”  (Lev 10:3).  Dance, with all your might!

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. We know that we have all fallen short.  How can we stand, and get closer to God? (list or think of 3 actions that will personally assist you in getting closer to God)
  2. At times, do you “make provision for the flesh”, and how can you instead make provision for heavenly matters? (list or think of a couple specific personal changes in behavior)
  3. When you come near God, do you treat Him as holy? How can you do better?      

PRAYER

Lord God, Most Holy God, I know that I have fallen short of your will for me so many times and I am so sorry.  Forgive me, Father.  Please help me to draw nearer to you, to humbly seek to do your will at all times, and to listen and obey when you speak to me.  Please guide me, instruct me, and discipline me when needed.  Help me to reflect your character to all of my brothers and sisters, to honor You, and to be a servant that pleases You.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

SGL.2026.CalendarDownload

Total Weirdos

2 Samuel 3-4

Psalm 53

Romans 12

-Devotion by Sarah Johnson (MN)

I don’t know if any of you have noticed recently, but the world sure isn’t getting any better to live in.  There’s still a lot of really terrible things that happen all the time, everywhere.  There is rarely harmony and peace when I happen to check the news.  Across the world we see the ongoing impact of a lack of peace from country to country, state to state, and family to family.

‘Peace’ can be both a verb, and a noun, and has six different meanings according to Merriam-Webster.  In Romans 12:18, the Greek word for “living at peace” or “live peaceably” is εἰρηνεύοντες (Thank you, Google!).  It is a present, active participle.  This means it is an action assigned to a subject (in this case, a person) to do consistently. 

This peace is much more than just a lack of conflict or disagreement.  This peace is one that takes ongoing work.  This same Greek word is also used by Jesus in Mark 9:50 where he reminds those to “have salt, and be at peace with one another”.  In this passage, it seems Jesus is tying this peace to a distinct trait amongst Christians. Paul is doing the same in his letter to the Roman church.  He is listing out many unique traits believers should portray to live out their lives as “living sacrifices” (v.1).  

Consider what Paul writes about in this chapter – humbling yourself, working for the betterment of one group, hating evil, honoring others above yourself, being joyful and patient and faithful, blessing those who persecute, living at peace, not taking revenge, feeding your enemy, overcoming evil with good…  All of these things are downright WEIRD in our society!  And that’s exactly the point – this is how we are not conformed to the pattern of the world, but transformed by the renewing of our minds (v.2).  As believers, we should be standing out as total weirdos in our world. 

Peace that takes work doesn’t always look like staying silent.  Certainly in some moments it can, however, in many situations it looks like asking thoughtful questions, respectfully sharing truth, being willing to disagree and yet still show love to others.  Being peaceful may often look like standing up or standing out from the rest of the crowd. It is not something that will come naturally, or even be easy to do.

While “living at peace” is an active verb, where the subject has to take action, “be transformed” is a passive verb; the subject here has to receive the action.  What does this mean for us?  It means that we are not the ones doing the transforming by ourselves… we are not the ones that can renew our own minds.  This is something that is done to us, so that we can do all of those other wonderful things Paul describes for others.  Which is why it makes sense that the world simply cannot be better than it is, unless it too experiences the transforming renewal that Jesus Christ can offer.  We eagerly await his return, knowing that with it, he will bring a forever peace to this earth.  I am truly so excited for that day!

Reflection Questions:

  1. How would you describe the differences between the types of ‘peace’ that is in the world today, versus the type of peace Paul calls believers to?
  2. In the list of traits and characteristics Paul calls the Church to have and be, which stand out to you most as areas for improvement in your life?  What could you do today to practice?

Prayer:

Thank You Father for Your good, acceptable and perfect will. I want to be smack dab in the middle of Your will. Thank You for your tranforming me when I renew my mind and focus on You not on the world. I do not want to look like or follow the world. Help me always desire and put forth effort to do the hard work of living at peace with humility, service, and Your wisdom, direction and love. We pray for the return of Your Son!

SGL.2026.CalendarDownload

Roots & Grafts

2 Samuel 1-2

Psalm 52

Romans 11

-Devotion by Sarah Johnson (MN)

I have personally never practiced tree grafting.  I did a quick online search to better understand the process, where I learned a few things.  Although the process is not very labor intensive, it requires a lot of precision and time before there is any success.  Those branches tend to be very easily torn away from the root when disruption occurs, or just reject the graft and die out.  Grafting is known in many circles of horticulture as a science and an art.

When considering this metaphor, it highlights to me the real validity to Paul’s warning to us Gentiles in verse 20.  We have been grafted into an amazing promise, but we aren’t naturally connected to the root.   This should cause us to tremble!  Indeed, we know nothing can separate us from the love of God, but we also know our own rejection of the root will certainly cause us to lose our life source.  We need to take a moment to understand that God’s kindness will continue, provided we continue in His kindness (v. 22).  

What would it look like to reject the root we have been grafted into?  It could be rejecting the truth of Jesus Christ, by denying him as the Messiah.  It could look like ignoring the expectations we have for humbling ourselves, or not confessing and turning away from sin.  It could also look like attempting to keep ourselves connected by our own hand, thinking we can create our own life source out of “doing good”, ultimately rejecting grace (v.6).  David writes with similar imagery in Psalm 52:3-7, describing the man who trusted himself rather than making God his stronghold, and as a result, was uprooted!  In all of these things, our own actions are the common denominator.  No, there is nothing we can do to save ourselves.  And yet, we must cling to the life-giving root in order to be saved.  

More than that, we should be rooting for others (pun only slightly intended) to also cling to the same source of life we are!  Our God has the desire to graft ALL in – the root is not going anywhere, and all are welcome, but they must accept the source.  

I learned something else in my searches on tree grafting… a failed graft can be redone until it’s completely dead.  It may take extra time and attention, some readjusting, pruning, and reconnecting, but it can be done and still become a successful branch that bears fruit!  Failures in our faith walk can often be corrected, and we have an incredibly patient and merciful God who loves to give second (and third, or fourth) chances.  To Him be the glory forever!

Reflection Questions

  1. Have you had moments where you have experienced being “re-grafted” back to the root?  How have those experiences shaped and changed how you grow today?
  2. Why do you think some people may reject the “root”?  What way could you share the gospel with them that would be more impactful?

Prayer:

Dear God, I praise You for the life You give and for Your wisdom and knowledge which are so far beyond my own. Help me not be blind to You, Your purpose, Your kindness, as well as Your severity. Help me see Your ways and walk in them always, guiding others also to come to You to be miraculously grafted into Your life-giving way through Your Son.

SGL.2026.CalendarDownload

Sharing Your Relationship Status

1 Samuel 29-31
Psalm 52
Romans 10

-Devotion by Sarah Johnson (MN)

For anyone who is married or in a long-term relationship, do you recall when you first started dating your significant other?  Or, perhaps when you first met your best friend?  You may have rearranged your schedule to spend more time with them, told your friends about their good qualities, and depending on your generation, maybe you started posting pictures or even changed your relationship status on social media to show the public you were connected to them.  The relationship impacted, and even interrupted, your life and caused you to act differently in your day-to-day.

Coming off of Romans 9, it can be challenging for Christians to take seriously the responsibility of spreading the gospel.  We just read that God saves who He decides, right?  So what does it matter if we tell others, if it’s not really up to us at all?  Well, for one thing, it’s a pretty clear expectation that Jesus commands as an act of obedience (see Matthew 28:19).  But beyond that, we should desire to share the good news of our Messiah simply because we love our relationship with him!  Throughout chapter 10 of Romans, Paul describes a proclamation and confession of faith that should impact our life and cause us to spread the good news – ultimately creating an opportunity for others to hear and experience salvation should they choose to confess Jesus as their Lord.  Not only is it a life-changing blessing for them to hear, but often it can be a life-changing blessing for those who speak it as well!

Our confession of Jesus Christ as our Lord is not only through our mouth, or even only through baptism; it is through our daily lives and how we reflect Christ to others, especially non-believers.  Our proclamation of Jesus as the Messiah must go out beyond our church walls, or it’s not really being proclaimed.  You and I must be the beautiful feet spreading the greatest news, because of how head-over-heels in love with it we are. 

It’s not our job to bring salvation to the world (we sure couldn’t even if we tried), but it is our job to share about the one who already has.  Our faith should change every part of our life so that simply by existing, we are confessing Jesus as our Lord and Savior.  

We change our lives when we meet someone we know is going to be important to us.  We get excited to tell other people about them.  How much more then, should we be shouting from the rooftops how wonderful our Messiah is?

Reflection Questions

  1. Sometimes people may hide behind perspectives such as “I’m too introverted to share Jesus with others” or “I don’t really have the gift of evangelism”.  While there is a chance those things are true, we all still have our lives changed by Jesus, and as a result, have the opportunity to share him with others.  What are ways you could confess Jesus outwardly in your life this week, even if it doesn’t look like what you may expect it to?
  2. Think back on your own personal testimony.  Whose beautiful feet may have introduced you to Jesus?  Have you thanked that person, or persons, recently for blessing you with that beautiful message?  If not, I challenge you to do that this week!

Prayer

Dear Father, I thank You for Your goodness and love and plan of salvation through Your Son, the Chosen Messiah. Thank You for putting me in a place where I could hear and accept and now share the good news. Thank You for all the mouths and hearts and actions confessing Jesus as Lord. I want to love Jesus more and more. Help me share You and Jesus with more zeal, knowledge, boldness and compassion.

SGL.2026.CalendarDownload

A Mystery

1 Samuel 27-28
Psalm 51
Romans 9

-Devotion by Sarah Johnson (MN)

Some people are a big fan of mysteries.  I am not one of those people.  When getting a new fiction book, I start by reading the last paragraph of the last chapter just so I know what to expect (trust me, I know it’s weird…).  So you can imagine there are many things within our faith that are a challenge for me to grapple with as “mysteries of God”.  Romans 9 is a great example of one of those things that requires me to acknowledge that I simply do not, cannot, and most definitely should not know everything there is to know about our Creator.

Paul starts this chapter off by attempting to describe how deeply he loves his Jewish community and desperately wants them to understand Jesus, so much so that he wishes he himself could simply be cursed and cut off for the sake of his people (v. 3).  This is similar to how Moses offers himself to be blotted out of God’s book when he watches his people worshipping a golden calf (Exodus 30:32).  In both of these instances, these men have a deep love for their people, and yet their love alone is just not enough to change their salvation.  There was only one who was capable of holding that type of power in substitution, the man Jesus Christ.  Paul references many Old Testament passages that point to a coming Messiah and how salvation may be brought to the Gentiles in this letter – he knows exactly what doubts his fellow Jewish believers may have, and tries to proactively present his case, as he often does in his writing.

And then we start getting into that mystery part of things… God is sovereign, the Ruler over all, the one who decides who he extends mercy to, and who he hardens (v. 18).  Well that’s just not fair, is it??  I want to justify these verses in my own mind to make them “nicer” – somehow I want to twist these words, rationalize them, make them more presentable, and far less mysterious.  But in doing so, I remove God from His rightful place of sovereignty in my mind.   I am absolutely the type of person Paul references in verse 19 – “one of you will say to me: Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist His will?”.  I am nothing more than a mere clump of clay, pretending as if I have any right to tell the potter what to make of me.  

In his study of Romans book, author Jared C. Willson writes this on my very thoughts above: “If we dictate to God what he must be like, then we are not in fact worshiping God – we are worshiping an idol, for it is a god of our own making.”  When I try to over-simplify or “clean up” these mysterious moments of God, I am no longer genuinely focused on Him.  I am focusing on the more presentable parts of the gospel, when in reality, we must wrestle with ALL parts, praying for wisdom and understanding as we navigate the mystery.

I will not pretend to know why God does what He does.  I will not pretend to understand why some people just won’t grasp the gospel.  I will not pretend I can figure out the mysteries of God.  So while it may be confusing, and at times slightly disheartening or even frustrating, I will also choose to find comfort in the fact that it does not depend on human desire, or effort, but on God’s mercy alone (v.16).  What a beautiful mystery!

Reflection Questions

  1. Have there been moments in your faith walk when you attempted to dictate to God what He must be like?  Looking back now, are you able to see what you missed in doing so?
  2. The last few verses of this chapter describe Jesus as a stumbling stone.  How might believers stumble over the truth of Jesus?

Prayer

What an honor it is to speak to You Lord God, the Maker of Heaven and Earth and me. Help me see You for who You are – a God too big and great and right for my comprehension. And help me see me for who You made me to be, and do what You want me to do.

SGL.2026.CalendarDownload

A Kingdom Appetizer

1 Samuel 25-26
Psalm 51
Romans 8

-Devotion by Sarah Johnson (MN)

Romans 8 is truly a big chapter when I consider all of Paul’s letters… there are so many amazing ideas, reminders, and encouragements within these verses.  I encourage you to read this chapter more than just once to see what stands out to you each time through.

Woven throughout this whole chapter is the impact and role the Holy Spirit has in the life of a Christian.  This gift is one that brings life, sonship, righteousness, advocacy, and victory.  It makes sense why David is practically begging God to not remove it (Psalm 51:11) when he is caught in sin with Bathsheba!

In David’s example from Psalm 51, we are reminded of the contrast to Spirit-living: living in the realm of the flesh, which leads to death.  In this instance, though the death was not his own, David’s acting on his sin did lead to the death of Uriah as well as his son who was conceived in sin.  Not only that, but you have the heartbreak Bathsheba must have been experiencing by being taken advantage of, losing her husband, and her baby.  And yet in all of this, David writes “Against you, you only, have I sinned…” (v.4).  He understood the magnitude of his actions that caused him to be drawn away, into the realm of the flesh, which is full of death.  

At times, I think we can forget about the power we have access to that connects us deeply with God and His Son.  Sometimes, as non-trinitarians, I find we even tend to shy away from discussing the Holy Spirit.  But when we do, I fear we truly miss out on one of the greatest gifts we have access to in this lifetime!  Obviously, Jesus’ death and resurrection that bring about eternal life is truly the greatest gift.  But that is a promised gift – something we will experience and reap when Jesus returns.  The Holy Spirit is the gift we can use right NOW, a taste of what is to come…an appetizer to the Kingdom if you will. 🙂

Unfortunately for David, he did not have the bigger picture we have today to keep him going during times of struggle.  He knew of a coming Messiah, but did not know who, or when, or how.  As modern-day Christians, we have so many advantages we must remember and utilize.  One of those advantages is access to the Scriptures.  We are so fortunate to know of the final verses in Romans 8:

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Reflection Questions:

  1. There are many benefits we gain when we access the Holy Spirit, and those benefits are part of what make us so unique as Christians.  Think about your own life, have there been moments where you have experienced a supernatural peace, joy, or patience?  Have you been called to move in a way that brought about a significant change?  Have you been at a time so challenging in your life you couldn’t imagine taking another step, and yet found strength to carry on?  All of these are moments where the Holy Spirit may be interceding in your life.  
  2. What would you add as a reminder to yourself to Paul’s list of things that cannot separate you from God’s love?
  3. What other verses or key concepts stood out to you today from our reading?

Prayer:

Dear God, I praise You for Your incredible love and mercy. Thank you for the incredible gifts of Your Son and coming eternal life and thank You for Your presence and Your Spirit. Help me live daily in Your Spirit!

SGL.2026.CalendarDownload

Stuck at a C Average

1 Samuel 23-24
Psalm 50
Romans 7

-Devotion by Sarah (Blanchard) Johnson (MN)

Anyone else out there a rubric fan?  You know, someone who absolutely LOVES a rubric… an exact description on how to get that A+… As a student, I would get so much joy in having a clear answer as to how to get 100% in class.  If I knew the expectation, I could ensure I did exactly the right amount of work to meet the standard.  The Israelites had the law as their rubric.  The problem was, the law was essentially impossible to follow in its entirety to “get an A” with God.  Enter, Jesus.

In Romans 7 Paul describes how the law interacts with sin and God’s grace.  Though Jesus had already fulfilled the law, Paul is reiterating how the law still carries value when it comes to experiencing life and deliverance through Jesus Christ.  How exactly does this work?  It is through the law that sin is revealed in our lives – the law recognizes sin as sin, which is ultimately death (v.13).  Sin is what keeps us from life, and if we do not know what sin is, how will we know what to avoid or rid ourselves of?  

Paul’s personal confession provides a vulnerable look at the reality we ultimately all experience – “For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.” (v.18).  Even with a rubric, Paul was incapable of rising to the standard due to the sinful nature in his own life.  This is the same for every Christian in all of history!  Even at our closest to perfection, we are simply never going to be above a C average.  

BUT, thanks be to GOD, who delivers us through Jesus Christ our Lord (v. 25)!  

From my perspective, this is the tension that every Christian walk holds: I am a sinner, yet I am redeemed.  There must be humility and confidence in my identity; the recognition of the death that comes from sin allows for the opportunity of salvation through my Savior.  These seemingly conflicting truths are our reality as born-again Christ followers.  Thanks be to God indeed!

Reflection Questions:

  1. As a Christian, what then is our response to the reality of these truths?  Looking to Paul as an example, it seems to start with gratitude!  How can you practice this today?
  2. Reflecting on Paul’s vulnerability in verses 18-23, have you experienced similar feelings?  How have you reminded yourself of God’s grace in these moments? 

Prayer:

Dear God – You are worthy of all my praise. Thank You for Your holy, just and good law that shows us what sin and death is. Thank You for loving us even when we were stuck at a C average, or worse. Thank You for the new union You provided for us, to Your Son Jesus whom You raised from the dead. Help me to live each day in the newness of the Spirit, bearing fruit for You.

SGL.2026.CalendarDownload