This verse from today’s reading is particularly poignant to me. When I read it, I imagine the person feeling like they are drowning in sorrows and troubles and calling out to God for their deepest rescue in their deepest time of need.
Earlier this week I alluded to the passage in Matthew when Peter stepped out in faith to walk on water. “But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ (Matthew 14:30, NIV). In this moment, Peter was literally scared he was going to drown and those three little words—”Lord, save me”—were so simple yet so powerful.
When we fail to find the right words, maybe we can remember those three little words —”Lord, save me”. Or, if we find ourselves struggling so much to keep our heads above water that we are at a complete loss for words, Romans 8:26 reminds us that the Holy Spirit will intercede for us when we feel like we are drowning and can’t even form the words: “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” (NIV) I am grateful for a God who loves us so much that He meets us where we are with a lifeboat. When we can’t find the words, He finds the words for us. How great is our God!
Reflection Questions
What is one of your favorite verses in Psalm 42? Does an image come to mind when you read it? Explain.
Kristy gives a powerful image when she writes: “I am grateful for a God who loves us so much that He meets us where we are with a lifeboat.” How else might you complete the sentence – God meets us with a __________. Thank Him.
When have you felt stuck in the crashing whitewater at a loss for words? When have you said, “Lord, Save Me!”? How have you experienced God’s rescue? What do you need saving from now?
Prayer
Dear Lord God – You are a God who saves! Over and over You meet we where I am with what I need, including salvation through Your Son, wisdom, understanding, courage, patience, Christian brothers and sisters, and hope for the future in Your perfect Kingdom of God on earth. Thank You! Please keep providing and saving! Thank you for Your Word where I find You and so many of Your gifts. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit which comforts and empowers and gives me words. You are so good, God! Help me see You at work and give me all I need today to do the work You have prepared in advance for me to do.
Acts 16:25: “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them” (NIV). I am always deeply moved by this passage and always wonder what those hymns consisted of. According to the Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary, “As the word here employed is that used to denote the Paschal hymn sung by our Lord and His disciples after their last Passover (Mt 26:30), and which we know to have consisted of Ps 113:1-118:29, which was chanted at that festival, it is probable that it was portions of the Psalms, so rich in such matter, which our joyous sufferers chanted forth; nor could any be more seasonable and inspiring to them than those very six Psalms, which every devout Jew would no doubt know by heart.”
Of course I had to rush to read Ps. 113-118 to try and imagine what that might have sounded like. I noticed several lines from these passages that are found in modern-day worship songs like
“From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,
the name of the Lord is to be praised.” (Ps. 113:3, NIV)
and
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever”. (Ps. 118:1, NIV)
Further down on Ps. 118, I spotted some great words of comfort that no doubt really resonated with the other prisoners:
5
When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord;
he brought me into a spacious place.
6
The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?
7
The Lord is with me; he is my helper.
I look in triumph on my enemies.
What an incredible witness they were to the faithfulness of God and their faithfulness to God! They were so kingdom-focused that they didn’t dream of taking the opportunity to escape when their shackles fell off. Not only were they a tremendous witness to the prisoners, but to the guard when they refused to escape. Their faithfulness to their God-given mission resulted in the guard and his household becoming believers. Praise in the midst of hardship is a recurring theme in this week’s readings. Many are watching us and listening to us and we have the opportunity to be a great testimony by how we react to our trials and struggles. Do we reflect the faith of Paul and Silas?
Reflection Questions
When faced with a difficult (or worse) day, what are some of your first responses? Are there times you let worry, fear, complaining, blaming, self-pity, negativity, shutting down, lashing out, or other harmful responses take over?
How might praying, and singing hymns and worship songs (especially those created from Scripture, so I will even add recalling and reading the Bible) be helpful to you? And beneficial to those around you?
Do you reflect the faith of Paul and Silas? What could you commit to working on this week to boost your faith and your testimony of God’s faithfulness, even when your life has some challenges along the way?
Prayer
Dear God, Thank you for being a faithful God. You do not desert Your children. I am sorry for the times I have neglected to turn to You first with prayer and worship and filling my mouth and mind and heart with Your perfect words of hope, comfort, righteousness, correction, mercy, love and faithfulness. Help me see that You and all of the good gifts You have already supplied are sufficient for my needs, even on days I experience trials. May I forever be a faithful witness of Your faithfulness to me.
“And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord: ‘If you give the Ammonites into my hands, whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the Lord’s, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.’ “(Judges 11:30-31, NIV)
Today’s reading in Judges contains a very disturbing account in chapter 11 of Jephthah making a reckless vow before God that if He gives him victory against the Ammonites, he will sacrifice the first thing that comes out of the door of his home. Sadly the first thing out of his door ends up being his beloved daughter. His daughter supports him in honoring this vow to the Lord, but asks for him to first grant her time to roam the hills for two months and spend time with friends. After the two month period, Jephthah carries out this vow.
In Pastor Andy’s Wednesday night class at Guthrie Grove Church, he recently covered some of these troubling stories in the Bible. He noted that some people can read these passages and feel very disturbed that God would allow such an atrocity to occur and ask why He would not intervene. Our class had some thought-provoking discussion about it and came to the consensus that it came down to Jephthah and his daughter ultimately not knowing the Lord and not hiding His word in their hearts.
If they had known God intimately, they would have realized that such a vow by a human was contrary to the heart of God. Jephthah would have never made this vow had he known God, and his daughter would have been able to speak against it if she had known God. We all agreed it underscored the importance of really understanding God’s character and recognizing His goodness. We can read His word to have a better understanding of His heart and each time we read it, that understanding can grow deeper. Consider what this week’s readings are showing you about the character of God.
Reflection Questions
What is the danger of making vows to God? Are you known to be true to your word – both to men and to God? Should you more often adjust your words – what you have said you would (or wouldn’t) do, or your actions – what you did (or didn’t) do?
What are some of the wrong assumptions about God prevalent today? Can you give Scriptural evidence to show that these views of God are not true? What is the danger of basing your own ideas about God on your own thoughts, and preconceived and borrowed ideas, instead of on Scripture?
What are your Bible readings revealing about the character of God? Keep searching daily to answer this question!
Prayer
Dear Almighty God – I praise You for Your greatness. In so many ways Your greatness and goodness goes far beyond my comprehension. And yet, You want to be known. And, I want to know You more and more. Thank You for Your Word, where throughout Scripture You reveal Your heart and character. Thank You for Your Son Jesus who also shows us his Father and God and the way to You. Help me see more clearly who You are and what pleases You and reject the world’s “wisdom”. Help me be a person of my word who speaks well and does well, all for Your purposes and to Your glory.
In today’s reading, I can’t help but see some parallels between the faith of David expressed in the 40th Psalm and the faith of Paul and Barnabas in Acts 14. In Acts 14:2 we read about the Jews putting up roadblocks to the Gentiles receiving the gospel message, “But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the other Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers” (NIV). Not only did they stand in the way of the gospel message being shared, they also plotted to harm Paul and Barnabas. Verse 5 reads, “There was a plot afoot among both Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them” (NIV). Sure enough they acted on this plot and stoned Paul and left him for dead. Thankfully, the ever resilient Paul got right back up and continued on his mission the very next day. In the next city they went to they found great success and won many people over to Christ. Paul and Barnabas were clearly going through it, but even Paul being stoned nearly to death was not enough to deter them from their God-given mission. They used their pain and suffering to encourage others who were encountering their own trials. In Acts 14:22we read, “strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. ‘We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,’ they said” (NIV). Even through their hardships, verse 27 demonstrates how their lips were filled with praise for their mighty God, “On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles” (NIV).
David also endured many struggles. He speaks in Ps. 40 about waiting patiently for the Lord to hear his cry and how the Lord lifted him out of “the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire” and put him on solid ground. After enduring all of these hardships, David’s mouth was full of praise just like Paul and Barnabas:
9
I proclaim your saving acts in the great assembly;
I do not seal my lips, Lord,
as you know.
10
I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
I speak of your faithfulness and your saving help.
I do not conceal your love and your faithfulness
from the great assembly. (NIV)
We will all go through it at one point or another. Do we remain faithful and patient? Do we proclaim God’s goodness no matter the circumstances and also look for ways to encourage our brothers and sisters like Paul and Barnabas did? These men of faith are great examples of what it looks like to celebrate God’s goodness in spite of anything we encounter. Remembering God’s amazing character and His immeasurable love for us will help anchor our faith during any turbulent storm we face.
Reflection Questions
Imagine for a moment, what do you think Paul and Barnabas were thinking and feeling throughout the events of Acts 14? What do you think might have been the hardest part for you if you had been in Paul’s shoes, or in Barnabas’s?
What are some tribulations you have already faced on your way to entering the Kingdom of God? How has God shown His faithfulness to you? What hardships might still be coming on your path? Who do you admire for how they faithfully persevered and praised?
What do you know about God’s amazing character and immeasurable love? Consider writing down your thoughts so you can return to this and be encouraged and strengthened on difficult days. Who else do you know who could use some encouragement? How will you share?
Prayer
Dear God, I praise You for Your faithfulness. Thank you for the many ways You have seen me through hardships, including _____. Thank you for the examples of Paul, Barnabas, David, Jesus, others throughout history, and in my life who encourage and strengthen me with their praise of who You are and what You have done. Help me to not hide your righteousness in my heart, but boldly proclaim your love and faithfulness again and again and again.
Judges 6:14 The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” 15 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” (NIV)
Has God ever called you to do something for which you felt very ill-equipped?
Make no mistake, on your own you probably were ill-equipped indeed. I was watching The Chosen recently and Matthew and Jesus were in conversation about Jesus having chosen Peter as his rock and foundation upon which his church would be built. The show takes a little creative license with imagining conversations that might have ensued and in one such conversation Matthew says, “I guess I am finding it hard to accept that the person you would formally assign leadership to of a group, with the keys to the kingdom of heaven, would be someone so…temperamental. I know the term’s a metaphor, but he does not act like a rock.”
Jesus chuckles and then replies, “I make people what they aren’t.”
I loved that line and we can certainly see examples of people throughout the Bible who by their own merit were not up to a God-assigned task (e.g., Moses, Jeremiah, the Apostle Paul, etc.). Some even tried to persuade God to find someone else, but we know God would not lead us to something simply to watch us fail. He always has a plan and He is always up to the task. Do we have enough faith that God will see it through? 1 Thessalonians 5:24 reminds us, “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it” (ESV).
God assures Gideon that he need not rely on his own strength in Judges 6:16: The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.” Our weaknesses are not a deterrent when it comes to carrying out a mission God has called us to do. Accordingly, 2 Corinthians 12:9 reminds us that our limitations should not prevent us from stepping out in boldness, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (ESV).
REflection Questions
Has God ever called you to do something for which you felt very ill-equipped?
Do we have enough faith that God will see it through?
Why did Gideon feel weak? What made him a mighty hero? Why do you feel weak? What can make you into a mighty hero? What happens when you refuse to let God strengthen and use you?
How do you put yourself in a position where “The Lord is with you”?
Prayer
Dear God, I thank You for giving strength and making heroes where there was only weakness and fear. You are a great God with a great plan! Your desire is to see people saved from the enemy and sometimes You do that in some pretty creative ways. Help me see Your battle plans and realize the role You want me to play – which I can only do when YOU are with me. Help me always draw closer to You so Your strength & Your Spirit runs through me. Thank You for Your Son who is our perfect example and Savior.
Two years ago, I wrote a devotion for Seek Grow Love on one of my favorite Psalms, Psalms 37. I’m going to re-post the devotion today, but this time share some context about what was going on in my life the night I wrote it.
I was supposed to have dinner with my brother and his wife, who happens to be one of my best friends. She was in the early stages of her first pregnancy after a long fertility struggle. That morning I received a text from my brother saying dinner was going to be pushed until later in the evening. In the afternoon, he sent a text cancelling dinner. When I asked if everything was alright, I didn’t get a response….and I knew. I knew they had lost the baby. I buried myself under 20 pounds of weighted blanket and slept for two hours. It was one of the top five worst nights of my life. I knew they were hurting. I kept flashing back to this memory of when my brother and I were really little, playing dress up, and he got his foot cut from one of the cheap plastic high heels. I remember seeing him bleeding, running over to him and calling out for a parent to come help. I wanted to run to him now, but I couldn’t. I knew they needed space.
After my nap, I called my dad to see if he’d heard anything from them. He thought I was being overdramatic and convinced me to get something to eat. About an hour later he called, saying he got a text from my brother about them having a miscarriage.
By this time, I still had a devotion to write. On that sad, desperate night, this is what came out of my heart:
Almost the entirety of Act 7 is Stephen’s response to the charges brought against him from our previous reading. Stephen gives a beautiful sermon, outlining the history of the Israelite people. His sermon shows how time after time, the Israelites were unfaithful and persecuted the prophets. He asks the leaders of the high council when they will stop resisting the truth. Stephen forms a sound argument with the tools of a great orator utilizing ethos, logos and pathos. However, I want to just focus on one small line today.
Stephen retells the story of when Moses went to Mount Sinai and the Israelites rebelled. He says the Israelites, “made an idol shaped like a calf, and they sacrificed and celebrated over this thing they had made.” (Acts 7:41 NLT). Celebrated this thing they had made. That caught my attention.
How often do we get carried away with our own success? How often do we put value in material things? How often do we forget Christ’s words to seek first the Kingdom of God? (Matt 6:33). We live in an age where knowledge, entertainment, and relationships are literally at our fingertips. Not to sound like a broken record, but it is so easy to get wrapped up in our own lives, the things we can make, things we can buy. God needs to be made a priority in our lives. He is someone we need to communicate with daily, thank and praise. Otherwise, we run the risk of celebrating over the things we have made and turning those things into idols.
These things may not be physical. They also may not always be bad or wrong. Sometimes the thing we are trying to make is a dream or notion of something. Maybe a job promotion, an engagement, a family. It’s when these desires become our only focus a problem occurs. The Greek term used in Stephen’s statement is the word euphrainó which literally means to “cheer, make merry.” Our happiness should not be placed solely in these things.
The Israelites made the golden calf when Moses went to talk to God at Mount Sinai. Moses was their leader and connection to God. Suddenly, to the Israelites, God felt distant. It is then they began to see what joy they could offer themselves and celebrate with their own idols. Sometimes, God may feel distant. At times we may face periods of loneliness, sadness, even anger. When this happens, we MUST heed the words in Psalms 37:4 “Take delight in the LORD.”
The rest of that verse in Psalms offers us a promise: “Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires.” I am not saying God always answers prayers for those who put their true delight in following Him. He does not. I know many godly people who have given their lives in faithfulness to Him and still face difficulty and unanswered prayers. However, I do sincerely believe when we start to delight in the LORD, when we celebrate Him, something in our hearts begins to change. We still have dreams and goals, but our heart’s desire becomes wanting a true connection with God, a deep relationship with our creator, the one who gave us those very dreams we have.
Several times in my life I have felt defeated, lost, and alone. I have had to grieve lost dreams, goals, relationships. I’ve had to mourn a life I imagined for myself. The lyrics to Phil Stacey’s song “You’re Not Shaken” describes this feeling of helplessness perfectly: “When every little thing that I have dreamed would be/ Just slips away like water through my hand.” That’s what brokenness can feel like at times. Like reaching out your hand and trying to cling to something that isn’t there. In these moments it’s imperative we take our delight in the LORD. Slowly, He will fix our gaze on something better than what we had lost. Even when that thing we lost was good.
One year, three months, and twenty-four days later I sent the following text message to my dad after meeting my brother’s newborn daughter for the first time.
“She is so cute and soooo snuggly. I heard you might be going over later tonight. Ben and Becca are amazing parents. Ben gave me his phone and I took pictures of all three of them together. Watching them read to her, I had to hold back tears. It was truly a moment that shows joy comes in the morning.”
Reflection Questions:
What is something in your life that could easily become a distraction from taking delight in the LORD?
How can you ensure your heart is in the right place even when dealing with grief and sadness?
Is there a time in your life you experienced loss, took refuge and delight in the LORD and experienced joy in the morning? If so, I encourage you to share with someone this week. God’s good deeds deserve to be praised and told over and over again!
Prayer:
Dear God,
You are so so good. Thank You for stories like Ben and Becca’s. Thank You for the life of this promised little baby. Thank You for this reminder of Your faithfulness. May I take refuge and delight in You, and may You guide and guard my path.
There is a lot going on in this chapter, but I am going to focus on the last section of Philip and the Eunuch. There are 3 main things that stick out to me reading through this story that I want to share some thoughts on.
First is how open Philip is to hearing the voice of God and the movings of the Holy Spirit. That last section starts (Acts 8:26) with an angel of the Lord directing him where to go, followed by the Holy Spirit giving him specific directions on talking to a specific person, and finally at the end, “the Lord snatched Philip away” to move him to the next place he wanted him to minister. All of those instances seem amazing to me. There have been times in my life that I have felt clear direction and would even say that I heard God speaking to me, but these instances with Philip are still awesome to me. Whether this was unusual for him or not, every instance of hearing God’s direction – through an angel or the Spirit – is pretty amazing. And the final instance of being snatched away to a new place is beyond my full comprehension because I just have never seen or experienced that. Maybe this had happened to Philip before, but I like his reaction. After what sounds like to me to be teleportation, he just keeps going on sharing the Good News of Jesus in the town he ended up in and every town on his way to the next place. It definitely seems like he was tuned in to God and following His leading well.
The next thing that stands out to me in this passage is the Eunuch’s response to Philip asking if he understands what he is reading – “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” On one side of things, I see his humility here. Sometimes I think we have been raised in this world to try to be too independent. To feel that we should be able to figure things out for ourselves and to not seek help. But the Eunuch here is just open and honest and completely willing to have someone help explain things to him. I think of my daughter, who once she learns something, believes herself to be an expert on the subject. My husband and I frequently have to remind her that while she is learning a lot, in most instances, the adults in her life still know more than her and she needs to continue to listen to advice and direction. Even when we think we know what passages of Scripture are about, we can still benefit from hearing someone else instruct on them. Maybe giving a different perspective than you are used to, or maybe truly learning something completely new. But we have to be open to being instructed. And then on the flip side, there have to be those willing to instruct! Again here, I appreciate Philip following God’s leading and being a person who is out there instructing people about the Good News of Jesus.
The final piece that stands out to me in this story is how the Eunuch responds to the Good News. He sees water and says “Why can’t I be baptized?” No hesitation, no waiting to have more information, just someone who is ready to go all in after hearing about Christ. I think this resonates with me because as someone raised in the church, I was probably baptized later in life than most in similar situations. I kept waiting, finding reasons to say, “not now.” At the time, the reasons I gave were that I wanted to make sure my decision was my own, that I wasn’t being influenced because someone else I knew was getting baptized, or because someone else had suggested it, but in looking back, I can see that there was pride there and I isolated myself through that. I wanted there to be no doubt that decision I made was because I believed it and not because of anyone else’s actions. In the end, I very clearly made my choice because of what someone else had shared. And I am thankful for that because it broke the pride that I had built up and led me to say it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks of this – I want to be baptized. I didn’t and don’t have a perfect understanding of things – I am still learning, I am still struggling with a variety of things, but I am not alone. If you are waiting for the perfect time or to have things all figured out first –there isn’t one, and you don’t need to. If you believe, why shouldn’t you be baptized?
Reflection Questions
How open are you to the Spirit’s leading? Would you be willing to change your plans for today if you felt the Spirit urging you to “Go” – talk to that neighbor, write that text, initiate that conversation, go out into “the desert” to be shown what to do next?
How have you grown by listening to someone else’s explanation of Scripture? Where do you go when you have a question about what you find in the Bible? To whom and how can you share what you are learning from Scripture?
What do Scriptures teach about baptism? Have you been baptized? If not, why not?
Prayer
Dear God, thank You for the gift of Your Scriptures which have been used for thousands of years to draw people to You and Your plan of salvation. Help me to read, meditate, be instructed in, discuss, share and live them well. Thank You for Jesus, your great Son, servant, and Christ who was prophesied throughout the Old Testament, shared in the gospels and explained by Philip and Peter and John and those who teach me, too. May I be rooted in the truth of Your word and led by Your Spirit to do the work You want me to do. Help me be faithful to You always.
Without belaboring the point too much beyond yesterday’s devotion on Acts 2, we see again in Acts 3 the clear doctrinal understanding of the earliest church in Peter’s 2nd sermon after Pentecost. “11 And as he held Peter and John, all the people, being greatly amazed, ran together to them in Solomon’s portico. 12 And when Peter saw this, he answered the people, “Men of Israel, why are you amazed by this? Why do you stare at us, as if we had made him walk by our own power or godliness? 13 The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of our fathers,has glorified his Servant Jesus …15…whom God raised from among the dead, of which we are witnesses. 16 And by trusting in his name, his name has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the trust that is through his name has given him this perfect health, as you all can see.” (REV).
Miracles are being performed through Peter and John, the servants of Jesus the Christ, who is himself the servant of God, whom God has glorified. There is one God (Mark 12:29-31, Deut 6: 4-5) and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus (1 Tim 2:5) and “3… the head of every man is Christ, … and the head of Christ is God. ” (1 Cor 11:3, REV). So according to scriptures, our “corporate flowchart” looks exactly like this:
God >Jesus >The Church.
There is never once an implied equality in this flowchart throughout scripture: we are the servants of Jesus the Christ, who is himself the servant of God. To state anything else is to change the scriptures, which cannot be broken (John 10:35).
The Jews understood very well that all blessings come from God. Keep in mind that once they leave the fiercely monotheistic folks in Israel and the message begins to get spread to the gentiles the immediate reaction from the gentiles when they see miracles is to say “the gods have become like men and come down to us!” (Acts 14:11), because that is a theme that is repeated constantly in their mythology (see the greek mythological stories of: Philemon and Baucis, Zeus and Semele, Hermes and Phanes, to name just a very few). As more and more of these gentile converts are brought into the church, they brought their mythologies with them and began to change the narrative from “The God who gives blessings to men” to “the God who becomes man and performs blessings” starting especially in the 4th century when the gentiles became dominant numerically in the church. Please note the reaction and horror of the servants of the Christ when this occurs in Acts 14.
Moving on to our reading in Joshua 9-10, there are a couple key things to take away today. Firstly, whether or not you agree with how the Gibeonites acted (craftily), because they did so enabled them to survive. Granted, they became indentured servants, but they lived. Had they not acted craftily their only other survivable option was relocation (see Josh 9:24 for their rationale on their actions). Secondly, because the Jews had sworn by Yahweh to them, they acted in good faith and protected them when their neighboring kingdoms decided to attack them. It should be noted that during this defense of the Gibeonites, God himself took part in the battle; causing the sun to stand still for a time (Josh 9:13), and destroying the majority of the opposing armies with large hailstones (Josh 9:11). It should also be noted that the book of Jashar is mentioned in Josh 9:13 (and also in 2 Sam 1:18), a lost non-canonical book of the old testament.
Psalms 34 has an interesting header beneath the chapter number in my bible. It says “Of David. When he feigned madness before Abimelech, so that he drove him away and he departed“. This is in itself one of those just really weird stories you come across occasionally in old testament, and takes place in 1 Sam 21:10-15. When you look, it is actually talking about Ahimelech (with an h) in 1-9, tells the story of how David grabs Goliath’s sword, and then feigned madness before Achish. It’s just one of those really weird one-off stories that seems as if it may be incomplete.
Psalms 34:1-3 (REV) states: “1 I will bless Yahweh at all times. His song of praise will always be in my mouth. 2 My soul will boast in Yahweh. May the afflicted hear it and may they rejoice! 3 Oh magnify Yahweh with me! Let’s exalt his name together!” The words of David, the man of God. We are often afflicted by the trials of life, and tend to forget that we are to give thanks at all times, and that the trials that we are going through are probably God’s way of developing us and purifying us so that we can be better servants (James 1:2-4).
Psalms 34: 4-9 (REV) states: “4 I sought Yahweh, and he answered me, yes, he delivered me from all my fears. 5 Look to him and be radiant. Then their faces will never be ashamed. 6 This afflicted person cried out and Yahweh heard him, and delivered him out of all his distress. 7 The angel of Yahweh encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. 8 Oh taste and see that Yahweh is good. Blessed is the person who seeks refuge in him. 9 Fear Yahweh, O you his holy ones, for those who fear him have no lack.”. Like David, God delivered me as well. I would venture to say that at some point He delivered you, too. I love the poetry of v5, it reminds me of the times when Moses was in the presence of God and when he returned his face was glowing. The hedge of protection we pray over people at times is clearly illustrated in v7. I can say truly that I have tasted and seen that Yahweh is good, I am alive because of it.
Psalms 34: 10-15 (REV): “11 Come, you children, listen to me. I will teach you the fear of Yahweh. 12 Who is the person who desires life, loving many days to see good?13 Guard your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. 14 Turn away from evil and do good. Seek peace, and pursue it. 15 Yahweh’s eyes are toward the righteous. Yes, his ears listen to their cry for help. “. This is a blueprint set of verses on how to live a long life. Do you want to live? Well: Fear Yahweh, turn away from evil, do good. Seek peace and pursue it. When you do these things, God’s eyes are towards you and He will hear you when you cry out.
Psalms 34:16-22 “16 Yahweh’s face is against those who do evil, to destroy the memory of them from the earth. 17 The righteous cry out and Yahweh hears, and delivers them out of all their distresses. 18 Yahweh is near to those who have a broken heart and he delivers those who have a crushed spirit. 19 Many evils happen to a righteous person, but Yahweh delivers him out of them all. 20 He keeps watch over all of his bones. Not one of them is broken. 21 Evil will kill a wicked person. Yes, those who hate a righteous person will suffer punishment. 22 Yahweh redeems the soul of his servants. Indeed, none of those who seek refuge in him will suffer punishment.” This set of passages warns clearly that God is against those who do evil, and will destroy them so thoroughly that even their memory will be gone from the earth. The one who does evil and hates the righteous will suffer punishment, but Yahweh redeems the soul of his servants. As proof, consider Jesus the Christ, the servant of Yahweh, whom God has glorified and redeemed from the dead.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
The book of Acts is filled with miracles that God performed through His servants. Can you recall any miracles that have happened in your lifetime?
When miracles occurred in your lifetime, did you notice if you were trying to seek God with your whole heart at the time? Consider this.
Can you think of a time when God saved you from an impossible situation, and did you consider why at the time?
PRAYER
Father God, my creator and my sustainer, thank you for my life. Please guide me and protect me, keep me from looking upon evil and keep my lips from speaking deceit. Help me to be a servant that pleases you. Please work miracles through me, may all of your creation offer you praise and glory. Thank you, in Jesus name, Amen.
Both the US and Israel have fought some amazingly strategic and successful battles in recent times, but none have been so strategic and successful as Israel’s victory over the city of Jericho! Who would have thought marching around the city every day, and then seven times on day seven would have brought the walls tumbling down? Some believe the city was built upon a fault, and that the marching disrupted the stability of the earth. Could be! Of course, it was God’s strategy, God’s instructions, God’s victory! It’s one of the most amazing and most loved battle stories in the Bible. We also see here the fulfillment of the promise two spies had made to Rahab, to save her and all her people that were safely within her home. They had offered her salvation, upon adherence to the terms. She followed it exactly, and they were saved.
Read again Psalm 33. Notice again we’re commanded to worship the LORD in numerous ways. Consider again the reasons he’s worthy! His word is right! He is always faithful! He loves righteousness! The earth is full of his love! He created merely by speaking his word! His plans stand firm! He watches over those who fear him! I suppose we’re all impatient at times, but we can always trust God will absolutely do as he says. It doesn’t matter how long it may take; He will always do as he says. Here are the last three verses, “We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you!” (Psalm 33:20-22)
Acts 1 is a beautiful introduction to a new era. It was written by Dr. Luke, who had also written the gospel of Luke. In the gospel he had reported all that Jesus began to do and to teach. He now reports much of the history of the very early church, especially featuring two great apostles – Peter and Paul. We’ll here note just a few highlights from chapter 1.
Verse 3 tells us what Jesus did with his followers for the 40 days he remained on earth after his resurrection. He spoke about the Kingdom of God. That should come as no surprise. The good news of the Kingdom of God (sometimes referred to as the Kingdom of Heaven – same thing) was his absolute favorite topic. He began his ministry preaching the KOG, continued his ministry preaching the KOG, and wrapped up his ministry focusing on the KOG! We ought to follow his lead in our ministry today. In fact, I would suggest that any gospel message that does not focus on the KOG is inadequate, incomplete, and insufficient.
Verses 4-8 include a lot. He told his men to stay in Jerusalem until they were baptized (filled, immersed) with the holy spirit. In a sense that is the power of God, and it would enable them to be witnesses for Jesus. Numerous other purposes for the holy spirit are given, especially in the book of John. Verse 6 is interesting. It’s no surprise his disciples asked if he would immediately restore the kingdom to Israel, because it must have seemed that’s all he talked about. Again, this would suggest the meat of our ministry and message must focus on the KOG! Verse 8 is for all intents and purposes, an outline of the book of Acts.
Verses 9-11 report the ascension of Jesus into heaven, and the promise that this same Jesus would return in the same manner. That is as sure a promise as any. Every New Testament writer at least mentions the return of Jesus. Verses 12-14 then make note that his men returned to Jerusalem (as instructed) and that they joined together constantly in prayer. This would suggest their dedication to the Lord and the task at hand. They must have been at a loss, with Jesus disappearing on them, and needed direction. The rest of the chapter talks about the foolish reaction of Judas when he realized what he’d done, as well as Pater’s recommendation they they replace Judas with another.
Reflection Questions
Have you ever fought a battle, enjoyed a victory, and felt the Lord was behind it all?
Following the lead of Psalm 33, name some of your own observations as to why God is worthy of our worship. What are some specific ways you worship?
If the book of Acts is about the acts of the Apostles, or perhaps the acts of Jesus through his apostles, what acts for the Lord are you doing? If someone wrote about your ministry, what would be included?
Prayer
“Heavenly Father, thank you for the victories we can have when we trust and obey you. Help me to worship you in numerous ways, in new ways. Thank you for the hope of the Kingdom of God! Thank you for those who shared that good news with me and those who’ve taught me about it. Use me to do that for others. Help me to be an agent for your coming kingdom. Help me to be a witness for Jesus, for the message of the kingdom. Help me to bring it into conversations. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen!”
Moses, representing the law, was very much a great man and leader. He led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, through the wilderness, and eventually right up to the promised land. He saw it, but was himself denied entrance because of his own failure to perfectly obey God. This illustrates the weakness of the law, which in reality is the weakness of all people who are absolutely incapable of perfect obedience to that law. No one can enter God’s rest, the promised land, the kingdom of God on their own merit.
Joshua, who’s name means “The LORD saves” succeeded Moses and did in fact lead the Israelites into the promised land. Fast forward to Gabriel’s announcement to Mary that she was to give birth to a son. He told her his name would be Jesus, which is the Greek version of Joshua. When an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, he explained the significance behind Jesus’ name. It was “because he will save his people from their sins!” Joshua was a type, or picture of Jesus, leading the Israelites into the promised land.
Psalm 32, written by a repentant King David, is a beautiful reminder of the weight of guilt, the necessity of confession, the blessing of forgiveness, and the joy of being right with the LORD! Read here the first two verses, and the last, but be sure to read the entire short Psalm. “Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit!”“Rejoice in the LORD and be glad you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!” (Psalm 32:1,2 & 11)
Now we come to Mark 16. We’ve been reading about the last supper, prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, Judas’ betrayal, Jesus’ arrest, his trial, Peter’s denial, Jesus’ crucifixion, death, and burial. Mark’s climax to all this is his short, sweet, and factual report of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead! It was early Sunday morning when three women went to Jesus’ tomb, taking spices to anoint his body. The Jewish community neither then nor now practice embalming. The women evidently had no idea Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had already treated Jesus’ body with 75 pounds of myrrh and aloes. Nor did they even hope or suspect that he might be resurrected from the dead! Who would have thought?
“He has risen! He is not here!” Those were the words of the angel who was seated in the tomb. What a shock! What an announcement! It seemed too good to be true! In fact, Mark’s version tells us they ran away, fearful, and told no one! “He has risen! He is not here!” According to the Apostle Paul, our hope rises and falls on the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Paul states clearly that this truth is one of the several things one must believe in order to be saved. “He has risen! He is not here!”
Reflection Questions
Are you solid in your conviction that Jesus was raised from the dead, that he is alive, at the right hand of God? Is your lifestyle a testimony to that conviction?
Is there any sense in which you’ve dozed off when you should have been watching? Betrayed Jesus, as did Judas? That you’ve denied him, as did Peter? That you’ve doubted, as did Thomas?
Are you clear in understanding that you will not enter the kingdom of God on your own merit? That it is only through the resurrected Jesus that you have hope?
Have you experienced the weight of guilt, the necessity of confession, the blessing of forgiveness, and the joy of being right with the LORD?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you so much for your love, your plan from the very beginning to cover our sin, and for Jesus whom you sacrificed on the cross. You allowed him to become sin, so that we might become righteous. Thank you for raising him to live again, to live forever, the firstfruits of eternal life. Thank you for wanting me in your kingdom, and for making a way for it to happen. Help me to make you proud. Help me to live like Jesus. In his name I pray. Amen.
Seek Grow Love 