Fake News
Today’s Passage – 2 Samuel 8 – 11 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 19 – 20; Proverbs 10; Psalms 46 – 50
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 34:6
Read the “0410 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“Then said David, I will shew kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father shewed kindness unto me. And David sent to comfort him by the hand of his servants for his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the children of Ammon. And the princes of the children of Ammon said unto Hanun their lord, Thinkest thou that David doth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters unto thee? hath not David rather sent his servants unto thee, to search the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it?” (2 Samuel 10:2-3)
In our passage today from 2 Samuel 10, we read about some “fake news” that initiated a war between Israel, and the people of Ammon. Nahash, the king of Ammon who was a friend to David, had died. David wanted to send his condolences to Hanun, the deceased king’s son. David sent some ambassadors into the land of Ammon to pay David’s respects to Hanun. Unfortunately, Hanun’s counselors misinterpreted David’s intentions. They thought David sent the men into Ammon to spy out the land for a future conquest. This simply was not true – it was fake news. The Ammonites humiliated the servants of David and sent them back into Israel, naked and with their beards cut off. This “fake news” originating from some wicked men in Ammon ending up causing a war between Israel and Ammon, which resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of men.
We are living in a day where we are literally bombarded with information, coming at us from every direction and perspective. Unfortunately, much of the news we are receiving is at best slanted, or, at worst, totally false. The catch phrase of the day is “fake news.” The official definition of the term would probably be any news that is not true. In today’s culture, though, “fake news” is probably any information that I don’t agree with or like. We see it on the news channels every day. Turn to Fox News, and you will hear mostly positive news regarding the Republican Party, but if you turn to CNN or pretty much all of the other stations, you will not hear anything good about them. Even when they are commenting on the exact same news event, there is a wide disparity as to what is reported as truth.
Social media is also replete with “fake news.” People are duped every day into believing (and reposting) some of the most outrageous claims, without making any attempt to verify whether or not they are true. Some of these lies, or exaggerations, are silly and fairly harmless, but others can be very serious and cause a great deal of harm.
Christians, we need to be very careful that we are not “sucked in” to believing all of these unsubstantiated stories that are flying around in the airwaves and on the world-wide web. And we need to be especially mindful that we do not participate in the furthering of “fake news.” God’s people are supposed to be people of the Truth. If you absolutely feel compelled to share something with others, share the Bible with them. The Word of God is always true. Just a thought!
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from 2 Samuel by Phil Erickson with 6 comments.
Patience
Today’s Passage – 2 Samuel 4 – 7 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 17 – 18; Proverbs 9; Psalms 41 – 45)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 34:1 – 4
Read the “0409 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Read a previous post from today’s reading – “Check With God First.”
Ishbosheth is Killed
“5 And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went, and came about the heat of the day to the house of Ishbosheth, who lay on a bed at noon. 6 And they came thither into the midst of the house, as though they would have fetched wheat; and they smote him under the fifth rib: and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped. 7 For when they came into the house, he lay on his bed in his bedchamber, and they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him, and took his head, and gat them away through the plain all night. 8 And they brought the head of Ishbosheth unto David to Hebron, and said to the king, Behold the head of Ishbosheth the son of Saul thine enemy, which sought thy life; and the LORD hath avenged my lord the king this day of Saul, and of his seed. 9 And David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said unto them, As the LORD liveth, who hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity, 10 When one told me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead, thinking to have brought good tidings, I took hold of him, and slew him in Ziklag, who thought that I would have given him a reward for his tidings: 11 How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house upon his bed? shall I not therefore now require his blood of your hand, and take you away from the earth? 12 And David commanded his young men, and they slew them, and cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up over the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth, and buried it in the sepulchre of Abner in Hebron.” (2 Samuel 4:5-12)
David is Anointed King
“1 Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh. 2 Also in time past, when Saul was king over us, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the LORD said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be a captain over Israel. 3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a league with them in Hebron before the LORD: and they anointed David king over Israel. 4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. 5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah.” (2 Samuel 5:1-5)
David’s Pity on Saul
David was anointed by God through the prophet Samuel to be king over all of Israel about twenty years or so prior to his actually becoming the king. He had many opportunities to hasten the timing of his actually becoming the king, but David was patient. He knew that God would eventually do for him what he promised that He would do. He had two opportunities and the human justification to take out his predecessor Saul. After all, Saul was trying desperately to kill David so David would just have been defending himself. However, twice David stated that he would not put forth his hand against the Lord’s anointed (See 1 Samuel 24 and 26).
David’s Punishment of Ishbosheth’s Assassins
In our reading today, in chapter four, Saul’s son, Ishbosheth, was assassinated by some of his own men because they thought that was what David would have wanted. Remember, Ishbosheth was made the king by Abner after Saul’s death. David has the assassinators assassinated for what they did. David understood that God was working and moving, and that the people of Israel were moving in the direction of recognizing him as God’s choice to be king over Israel. Some people within the kingdom, however, were not willing to wait; they wanted to take matters into their own hands to make it happen.
David’s Patience in Waiting for Kingdom
It can be very frustrating for a leader to wait for God to work out His will. We often want to take the reins out of His hands and make things happen for ourselves. There is a fine line between moving forward in His will and getting ahead of God’s will, or worse, getting out of God’s will, in order to move forward. David’s men were willing to murder the King of Israel so that David could take his place on the throne that he would eventually occupy anyway. David was willing to wait; to do it God’s way.
“35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. 36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” (Hebrews 10:35-36)
David’s Perseverance While Waiting
Another thought regarding this subject is that it is also very possible for people to get so frustrated and discouraged while waiting for something to happen that they quit doing what God has called them to do; they leave the perfect will of God in search of something else. If you are in the place that God wants you to be and you are doing what God wants you to do, don’t quit. Be faithful to where the Lord has you and to what He has you doing. Remember, He is the One who determines success anyway. You may not ever achieve greatness in the eyes of men but if you are faithfully serving in the will of God, you will be rewarded by the Lord for meeting His expectations for your life.
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from 2 Samuel and tagged 2 Samuel 4, 2 Samuel 5, David, David Becomes King, Don't Quit, Faithfulness, Ishbosheth, Patience, The Will of God, Waiting by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
Stay in the City of Refuge
Listen to today’s passage – 2 Samuel 1 – 3
Read along on Blue Letter Bible – 2 Samuel 1
Second Milers also read – Matthew 15 – 16; Proverbs 8; Psalms 36 – 40
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 25
Read the “0408 Evening and Morning” devotion by Charles Spurgeon.
“And when Abner was returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gate to speak with him quietly, and smote him there under the fifth rib, that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother.” – (2 Samuel 3:27)
These first few chapters of 2 Samuel make for some exciting reading, as well as for some valuable truth. In the verse above, we see the murder of Abner by Joab. To fully understand what is happening here, there is an underlying principle that we must learn, as well as some additional background information.
First let me give you the principle. The city where this killing took place was Hebron, which was known as a City of Refuge. You can read all about the cities of refuge in Numbers 35:9 – 34, and Joshua 20. Basically, a city of refuge was a place where somebody who was guilty of what we would call manslaughter could flee to for safety. You see, the law in Israel stated that if you killed somebody in wartime, or if you unintentionally killed somebody (not pre-meditated murder) that the family of the dead person could avenge the blood of their relative without any legal action being taken against them. But if the person who committed the “manslaughter” could get inside one of the six cities of refuge, then he would be granted safety and refuge as long as he remained inside of the city, but if he was to leave at any time, he was fair game for the “avengers of blood.”
Now let’s look at the background to this story. Chapter two tells us that Joab and Abishai had a brother named Asahel that was killed by Abner during a previous battle. Naturally, Joab and Abishai had never forgotten what Abner did to their brother, and even though the act was committed during a time of war, they wanted Abner to pay for their brother’s death. The problem was, however, that they had to get him outside the gate of the city. Notice our text tells us that Joab pulls him aside in the gate to speak with him quietly (privately). But why would Abner willingly leave the protection of the city in order to speak with a man that wanted him dead? Because Joab had deceived him into thinking that he meant no harm. As soon as he gets him outside, however, he kills him.
Now let’s make an application. The city of refuge is a picture of the will of God and Joab is a picture of the devil. The devil cannot touch us directly as long as we are inside the walls of the will of God, so what he does is try to lure us out of the city so that he can kill our ministry for the Lord. The moral to the story is: stay inside the city. Don’t stray from God’s perfect will for your life. Don’t let Satan convince you that life will be better outside of the walls of the city. Stay in the Word of God; stay in the prayer closet; stay in church; stay out soul winning; stay separated. Stay in the City!
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” (1 Pet 5:8)
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from 2 Samuel and tagged 2 Samuel 2, Asahel, Avengers of Blood, Cities of Refuge, Joab, Joshua 20, Numbers 35, The Devil, The Will of God by Phil Erickson with 3 comments.
Encouragement from the Lord
Today’s Reading – 1 Samuel 28 – 31 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers read – Matthew 13 – 14; Proverbs 7; Psalms 31 – 35)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Ephesians 4:32 (Fast)
Read the “0407 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.” – (1 Samuel 30:6)
In our passage this morning, we see David and his men returning home to Ziklag where they discover that the city was burned to the ground and their wives and children were gone. At this point they have no idea what these Amelekites had done to their families but I am sure that David and his men suspected that they were either being slaughtered or, at the very least, abused. The men were naturally distraught. At times like these people want to blame somebody, and since David was their leader, he bore the brunt of their wrath. Remember, these were men that loved David and risked much by following him. This was certainly a great test of David’s leadership. But how was David supposed to help his men when he was also distraught due to the loss of his family. It is very hard to encourage and lead people when you yourself are discouraged, and David is perhaps at the lowest point of his life here.
The last sentence in verse 6 tells us what David did to get back up so he could do something to help these people who were relying on him for leadership. “David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.” It is not easy to turn to the Lord for encouragement when you are down. Honestly, I can speak from experience when I say that sometimes I want to just wallow in the mire of discouragement; have a little pity party, so to speak. But that will not help anybody. David didn’t stay down; he got back up. He received encouragement from the only Source available at the time. Remember, his loyal men wanted to stone him at this time. David went to the Lord and the Lord gave him the answers that he needed, and in a very short time, they had recovered their families, not to mention their possessions. However, none of that would have happened if David would have just stayed down.
This passage is a great encouragement for us today. Personally, I have battled with discouragement. I guess, like David, I needed to get up, go to God, and get back in the battle. And, when I got encouragement from the Lord, then I was be able to give some encouragement to the people around me.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Avenge Not Yourselves
Today’s Passage – 1 Samuel 22 – 24 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 9 – 10; Proverbs 5; Psalms 21 – 25
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Matthew 6:33
Read the “0405 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Read a previous post from this passage – “I’ve Got Your Back.“
“4 And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the LORD said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul’s robe privily. 5 And it came to pass afterward, that David’s heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul’s skirt. 6 And he said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD’S anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD. 7 So David stayed his servants with these words, and suffered them not to rise against Saul. But Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way.” (1 Samuel 24:4-7)
In today’s reading, we saw that King Saul is becoming increasingly unstable in his insecurity and obsession with David. In chapter 22, Saul had all the priests of Nob and their families killed because he thought that they had intentionally helped David. In chapter 23, Saul pursues after David in Keilah, a city that David had just delivered from the armies of the Philistines. It was revealed to David by God that even though David had saved the people of Keilah from the Philistines, they were still going to turn him over to King Saul. It is sad to think that people will do whatever is necessary to protect themselves, even betray a good friend.
In chapter 24, Saul and three thousand of his men pursued after David in the wilderness of Engedi. In Engidi David had a perfect opportunity to kill Saul but refused to do so. He spared his life and stated that he would not “stretch forth [his] hand against [Saul].” David is still thinking clearly and he is following the will of God even though he is under tremendous pressure to react in the flesh because of Saul’s insane and unwarranted obsession and jealousy of David. David chooses not to act in vengeance against King Saul and instead turns him over to the Lord. David trusts that God will take care of Saul in his own time. Note – David will have another opportunity to eliminate Saul in chapter 26, but will again refuse to do so.
This willingness to restrain himself from vengeance that David exemplified in the Old Testament was also taught by the Lord in the Sermon on the Mount.
“43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43-48)
It was also taught by Paul in his Letter to the Romans:
“19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. 20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. 21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:19-21)
If you and I are living for God, there will be people who the Devil will raise up to attack us. Not everyone will applaud us for doing the right thing. There may even be carnal believers who will oppose what we are trying to do. Worse yet, there you may have friends that will turn against you like the people of Keilah did to David.
When we are persecuted for righteousness sake, we need to follow the example of David and not attack back. Hopefully, our enemies will turn to the Lord in repentance and faith, but even if they don’t, we can be sure that God will always do what is right regarding our enemies. He will take care of the situation. We just need to leave it in the Lord’s hands.
The Lord said when He was being crucified: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).
Martin D. Niemöller once told of his incarceration at Dachau. His cell was in plain view of the gallows. Day after day he watched men and women go to their deaths. He could hear their cries, curses, and prayers. He declared that the gallows became his best teacher. Through that horrible experience he was haunted by two questions: “What will happen on the day they lead you there and put you to the test? When they put that rope around your neck, what will be your last words? Will they be, ‘Father, forgive them’ or will they be ‘Criminals! Scum?’ ”
Niemöller said that if Jesus had cried out in vengeance, there would have been no New Testament, no church, and no Christian history.[1]
[1] G. Curtis Jones, 1000 Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1986), 95–96.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
The Saturday Morning Post – Madness
Today’s Passage – 1 Samuel 19 – 21 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 7 – 8; Proverbs 4; Psalms 16 – 20)
“And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands? And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath. And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard. Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad: wherefore then have ye brought him to me? Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?” (1Samuel 21:10-15)
“And when he [JESUS] was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time? And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding. So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine. And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters.” (Matthew 8:28-32)
Good morning. Here we have two examples of madness. David made himself mad to save his life. The herd of swine went mad when possessed by devils, and they lost their lives.
When I wad working security in a casino, on the graveyard shift, I noticed many things. Mainly around the slot machines. People stare, glassy-eyed into the machine watching the numbers and symbols spin around. Their only movement is to hit the spin button. The cocktail waitresses come around serving drinks and alcohol, which being a depressant just adds to the miserable look that is on their faces. From what I understand many are regular customers: they come there all the time. Can I ask you something? Is this the kind of life you planned on having? Something happened to draw these people into the madness of gambling.
I walked by a roulette table, and saw three separate gray chips placed as bets. The wheel was turned and the ball raced around. When all was said and done, those three gray chips went to the house: that’s $15,000 ($5,000 each): that’s madness. Is there a madness in your life?
“My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.” (Proverbs 4:20-27)
At the Reformers Unanimous Addictions Program we have a slogan: “Only the Truth makes free!” We can show you from the Scriptures how to end the madness. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Jesus is the only Way: every other path is a dead end. Jesus is the Truth: He doesn’t sugar-coat your problem, but will stand right by your side, and face it with you. Jesus is the Life: He will help you with your life, and keep you from throwing it away. Jesus said…
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” (John 15: 4-5)
“Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.” (John 15:8-9)
If Jesus didn’t think your life was precious, why would He allow Himself to be beaten, spit upon, whipped by a whip that had sharp bones and metal pieces that ripped right through His skin, and then be nailed to a cross shedding His precious blood for your precious soul? He is able, and will stop whatever madness you have.
Peace!
Posted in Devotions by Pastor Ted Stahl with no comments yet.
Sweeter Than Honey
Today’s Passage – 1 Samuel 12 – 14 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Mathew 1 – 2; Psalms 1 – 5; Proverbs 1
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Proverbs 27:15
Read the “0401 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“Then said Jonathan, My father hath troubled the land: see, I pray you, how mine eyes have been enlightened, because I tasted a little of this honey.” – (1 Samuel 14:29)
In 1 Samuel 14 we see a great victory for Israel against their enemies, the Philistines. It all started when Saul’s son, Jonathan, and his armour bearer decide that they are going to trust God to bring a great victory. This is a somewhat similar situation to the account of David fighting Goliath in that they were both miraculous victories and they both involved the same enemy. Here, the massive army of the Philistines is encamped near the much smaller army of Israel. Saul, Israel’s king, is not really taking any action, so Jonathon decides to do something. Him and his armourbearer go up to where the Philistines are and God goes with them and gives them a great victory. This starts a chain reaction where the Philistines run for their lives and even fight each other. Saul is watching this from a great distance and is not sure what is happening, but soon realizes that the enemy is leaving. Finally, he decides to get involved. The rest of the people of Israel, along with Saul, join the chase and attempt to kill all of the Philistines before they completely escape out of Israel. Saul then does something really dumb. He tells all of his people that they are not to permitted to eat anything until the battle is completely over, and anybody who violates this command will be put to death. The people don’t eat, but Jonathan does. He come upon a little honey in the woods as he is chasing the Philistine army and he eats it. Jonathan did not know about Saul’s order. However the Bible says that his “eyes were enlightened.” By the way, if the rest of Israel were allowed to have a little of that honey, they would have had a lot more energy to continue in the battle. In fact, they are so famished that when it does come time to eat, they don’t even cook their meat; they eat it raw, which was against the Law of God.
There is a wonderful picture here regarding the honey. Honey is a picture of the Word of God. Notice other verses that compare honey to the Word:
“The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.” – (Psalm 19:9-10)
“How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” – (Psalm 119:103)
Notice also this reference from Psalm 19 about the Bible “enlightening the eyes.”
“The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.” (Psalm 19:8)
As Christians, we are supposed to be in a battle, and we need to have our eyes enlightened and our spiritually batteries recharges often as we fight. We need to take time to open the Bible and allow God’s Word to “enlighten our eyes,” giving us the wisdom and the strength that we need to face the difficult situations that will come our way. Have you eaten your honey today? Don’t let the Sauls of this world keep you from tasting the sweet Word of God.
By the way, have you noticed that Saul has a rather insecure and obsessive personality? Why would he come up with such a rule anyway. He wants total control over the people. He didn’t want their eyes to be enlightened. Religion can be like that today. It frowns upon people tasting of the heavenly honey for themselves, because they want to completely control the spiritual nutrition the people receive.
On Second Thought …
I wrote the above post a few years back but edited it for today. I had another thought from 1 Samuel 12 that I had not noticed before:
“13 Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired! and, behold, the LORD hath set a king over you. 14 If ye will fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the LORD your God: 15 But if ye will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall the hand of the LORD be against you, as it was against your fathers.” (1 Samuel 12:13-15)
Notice that Samuel stated that if the people continued to obey the Lord and serve Him, then the king would also continue following the Lord. We often blame the rulers for the spiritual condition of the land, but perhaps the leadership is really just a reflection of the spiritual condition of the people.
Isn’t that what Solomon stated win 2 Chronicles:
“14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from 1 Samuel and tagged 1 Samuel, 1 Samuel 14, Daily Bible Reading, Enlightened Eyes, God's Word As Honey, Honey, Jonathan and the Honey, Scripture Meditation, Spiritual Battle, Spiritual Recharge, Spiritual Strength, Sweeter Than Honey, Word of God by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
The Saturday Morning Post – The Hand Of The Lord – by Pastor Ted Stahl
Listen to today’s passage – Ruth 1 – 4
Follow along on Blue Letter Bible – Ruth 1
Second Milers also read – Revelation 7 – 9; Proverbs 28; Psalms 136 – 140
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 92:1 – 4
Read the “0328 Evening and Morning” devotion by Charles Spurgeon.
“Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons. And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehemjudah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there. And Elimelech Naomi’s husband died; and she was left, and her two sons. And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years. And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband. Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the LORD had visited his people in giving them bread. Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah. And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother’s house: the LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me. The LORD grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept. And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people. And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons; Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD is gone out against me.” (Ruth 1:1-13)
Good morning. Naomi was at quite a low point in her life. Her husband died, then her two sons died. All she had left were her two daughter-in-laws. And she told her daughters. “…it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD is gone out against me.”
When things go wrong, do you blame God? I must have sinned for this to happen to me. Woe is me for the hand of the Lord is gone out against me. But we forget…
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
And that…
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (James 1:17)
So what happened with Ruth? God had to turn her around and get her out of Moab. He needed her back home. She didn’t leave Moab when her husband died. When her two sons died, she left Moab. There was a divine appointment waiting in Bethlehemjudah. And Ruth stayed with her.
Did you know your face changes when your countenance drops, when you’re depressed?
“So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi? And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?” (Ruth 1:19-21)
The people had to ask if this was Naomi. And Naomi said to call her Mara. Mara means bitter. Naomi was bitter, but she was home, and Ruth was with her. But it was all part of God’s plan. And to make a long story short…
“So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son. And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him. And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David. Now these are the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron, And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab, And Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon, And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.” (Ruth 4:13-22)
It took some sorrow to get Naomi and Ruth to Bethlehemjudah, but Ruth had to get there to meet and marry Boaz, so they could have a child, and Ruth would be the great grandmother of king David.
Are you going through something bad? Don’t blame God. Here are three verses to remember…
“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
I’m sorry, but in this world ye SHALL have tribulation. I don’t care what the prosperity preachers tell you, believe the Bible. Tribulation is going to come. Bad things happen to good people and bad people. Maybe God is just trying to turn you in the right direction like Naomi. Just remember our second verse also…
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
That’s ALL things: the good and the bad. Bad things happen in life. But what we perceive as bad, God may be using that for His good, and our good. Before you become bitter, and blame God, go to Him with your problem. “Lord, things look pretty bleak. I don’t know why I’m going through this, but You do. Help me to understand. Show me what to do.” And that leads us to the third verses…
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Trials and tribulations should not separate you from God, they should draw you closer. When bad things happen, don’t get bitter, run to God where all things work for good.
Peace!
Posted in Devotions by Pastor Ted Stahl with 1 comment.
The Craziest Story in the Bible
Today’s Passage – Judges 20 – 21 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Revelation 4 – 6; Proverbs 27; Psalms 131 – 135)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 89:1
Read the “0327 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Read a previous post from today’s passage – “Right in Their Own Eyes.“
Judges 19 – 21 is really one very long and very strange story, a saga really, involving a civil war within Israel. All of Israel set out to destroy the tribe of Benjamin, all because of a bizarre event that was described in chapter 19. The root cause of the problems within these chapters is the same as what caused the problems in the previous chapters. The first verse of the story and the last verse say it all.
“…there was no king in Israel…” (Judges 19:1)
“In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 21:25)
Not having an earthly king in Israel was not the problem. The problem was that God had been dethroned, and his Word was not being used as the ruling principles to govern life. People were doing what they wanted, instead of what God in His word said was right to do. There was no king, but there was no godly leadership in the land pointing people in the right direction. The result was that the nation divided and drifted further and further away from the will of God.
Practical Point – Whenever a nation drifts away from the principles found in the Word of God, it will devolve into a selfish, immoral, and idolatrous disaster.
“Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Proverbs 14:34)
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.” (Psalm 33:12)
Whenever a family, or even an individual Christian, drifts away from the Bible, he will wander on a sea of uncertainty, and will find himself far away from the blessings of God.
In chapter nineteen, we saw the bizarre provocation that instigated the civil war that breaks out. A woman from Israel had been brutally gang raped left to die by the men of Gibeah, a city that belonged to the Tribe of Benjamin. This took place only after the woman’s husband had refused to allow the men to have sex with him, which was what they really wanted.
The man sent word to all of Israel about what had happened in Gibeah by sending to each of the tribes a part of the body of his concubine.
In chapter twenty, we will read about the problem that was caused in Israel because of what took place in Gibeah – a civil war, and a bloody and brutal civil war at that.
All of this happened because Israel is operating outside of the teachings of God. They are doing their own thing. They are making it up as they go.
“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (Proverbs 14:12)
Here in chapter twenty, we will see Israel wake up and realize how sinful their nation had become, and they come out against Gibeah and Benjamin to purge out this heinous sin from within her borders.
I Israel Combines Forces to Confront Benjamin (vs. 1 – 17)
Verse 1 – Notice that Israel was finally unified again. (“all”, “as one man”) Instead of everyone doing their own thing, now Israel is doing one thing together. (See also vs. 8 and 11)
“Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;” (Philippians 1:27)
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1)
Notice the phrase, “from Dan even to Beerheeba.” Dan was the northernmost part of Israel and Beersheba was geographically the furthest south. You may remember that Dan was formerly called Laish but was conquered by the tribe of Dan in Judges 18.
Notice also that all of Israel is gathered in Mizpah, which was only about five miles to the north of Gibeah.
Verse 2 – Notice there were nearly a half-million soldiers from all the tribes, which is a large army. It took this heinous act from chapter nineteen to wake the nation out of their slumber and move them into unified action.
Verse 3 – Notice that the Benjamites were aware of the impending attack. I am certain that the Levite whose concubine was killed sent out a piece of her body to Benjamin as well. Besides that, an army of 400,000 could not possibly be gathered 5 miles away from Gibeah without the Benjamites being aware of what was going on. Mizpah itself was a city within the borders of the territory of Benjamin.
The leaders of the tribes that were assembled all investigate further the crime that had taken place in Gibeah.
In vs. 4 – 7, the Levite rehashes the story, but does not embellish. It states concisely what had been done.
Notice in v. 7 that he asks the same question that was asked in the last verse of chapter nineteen: “consider of it, take advice, and speak your minds.” Apparently, Israel had considered what had happened and was still considering it here and were now counseling among themselves as to what they should do.
There were many violations of the Law within Gibeah in this case, and each was punishable by death:
- The Men of Gibeah were guilty of Sodomy.
“If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.” (Leviticus 20:13)
- They were also guilty of adultery. Even if adultery was consensual, it was punishable by death.
“If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel.” (Deuteronomy 22:22)
- They were also guilty of rape.
“But if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her: then the man only that lay with her shall die: But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death: for as when a man riseth against his neighbour, and slayeth him, even so is this matter: For he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her.” (Deuteronomy 22:25-27)
- They were guilty of being “sons of Belial.” (Judges 19:22 – see Deuteronomy 13:12 – 18) Belial means “worthless, good for nothing, or wicked.” Basically, it means that they have completely abandoned God.
In vs. 8 – 17, the people of Israel are determined to go up against Benjamin. They first attempt to get Benjamin to turn over the guilty men, but Benjamin refuses to do so. Though Benjamin is grossly outnumbered (16 to 1), they are dug in and determined to fight. Note – it is hard to believe that there were not at least some people who would want to do the right thing and turn over the guilty parties. Yet, it seems that they are just as unified in their defense of the wicked, and the Israelites were to condemn them.
Notice that among the soldiers of Benjamin there were seven hundred left-handed stone slingers that could hit “at an hair breath, and not miss.” This would be an extremely powerful force. David took down a nine-foot giant with a sling and a stone.
II Israel is Crushed Twice Even After Consulting with the Lord (vs. 18 – 25)
This part of the story is very difficult for me to wrap my head around. Twice, the Lord is consulted by the Israelites, and twice the Lord answers in the affirmative, but still the Israelites lose two big battles, and thousands of men are killed.
Perhaps they did not consult with God soon enough. Maybe they should have sought God before they made their plans. Perhaps they didn’t ask God the right questions.
Verse 18 – the house of God is likely a reference to the Tabernacle, which was in Shiloh. (Judges 18:31; 1 Samuel 1:9 – See Map) Some say, the reference here is to Bethel, and claim that the Tabernacle was located there at this time. The phrase, “house of God” is translated from the Hebrew words, “bayith ‘elohiym.”
First, they ask God which tribe should go up first. The answer is Judah. The Levite was originally from Bethlehem, which is within Judah.
Verses 19 – 21 – The Israelite’s lose the battle and 22,000 men.
In verses 22 – 25, the Israelites ask, “shall I go up again to battle against the children of Benjamin, my brother?” The Lord tells them to go, but they lose again – this time eighteen thousand men.
The Israelites lose 40,000 men in the first two battles, where the Benjamites only lose 1,000.
Why would God allow them to lose, especially after consulting with Him?
- He wanted them to remember just how bitter the consequences of sin are. Remember, the Israelites were just as much to blame as the Benjamites were. They had gotten away from God also.
- He wanted them to feel the pain and experience the terribleness of a civil war.
- It took several hard steps for sin to get into Israel, and it will take several hard, costly, and painful steps to get the sin purged out.
III Israel Finally Conquers Benjamin After Conferring with the Lord a Third Time (vs. 26 – 48)
This time, Phinehas consults God at Shiloh, and asks: “Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease?” (v. 28) This not likely the same Phinehas as is mentioned in Exodus, Numbers, and Joshua, unless this story is chronologically out of order, and occurs very early in the time period of the Judges. There were probably many men named Phinehas that descended from the line of Eliazar. Remember, the period of the Judges was a period of approximately 330 years from 1380 BC. To 1050 BC.
This time, the Lord tells them to go, and promises victory, which He did not do previously.
The Israelites use the same battle plan that they used in their final battle against Ai. They draw the men of Gibeah out of the city, and when they are out of the city, another army enters the city and sets it on fire. When the men of Gibeah see the fire, they turn around to help the city, but now they have attacker in front of them and behind them.
Illustration – Colonel Joshua Chamberlain of the 20th Maine at Gettysburg, at the Battle of Little Round Top. He had to hold the flank, because if the enemy broke the flank, they would have gotten behind the Union Lines.
The Men of Gibeah lose 25,000 in this battle, and with the 1,000 that they lost in the first two battles, they were down to 600 men, who hid up in the rock Rimmon for four months.
All the men (and apparently, the women) of Benjamin, besides these 600 will be killed.
In chapter 21, we will see how the people will rebuild the tribe of Benjamin. The story in chapter 21 is almost as bizarre as the story so far in chapters 19 and 20.
However, the people are still doing their own thing – they are following that which is right in their own eyes. You see, there was no king in Israel – not even God.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Speak Your Mind
Listen to today’s passage – Judges 18 – 19
Read along on Blue Letter Bible – Judges 18
Second Milers also read – Revelation 1 – 3; Proverbs 26; Psalms 126 – 130
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 61:1 – 3
Read the “0326 Evening and Morning” devotion by Charles Spurgeon.
“And it was so, that all that saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day: consider of it, take advice, and speak your minds.” – (Judges 19:30)
Judges 19 contains one of the strangest and saddest stories in all of the Bible. In this account we learn of a man from the tribe of Levi that was travelling through Israel with his concubine. In a polygamous society a concubine was a woman that was married to a man, but did not have the same status as the man’s wife or wives. At any rate this man and his wife were looking for a place to stay for the night while they were travelling through the city of Gibeah, which was occupied by the Israelite tribe of Benjamin. For a long time no one would offer them lodging for the night, until suddenly an old man who was also a sojourner in the city offered them food and lodging at his house. During the night, the men of the city attempted force entry into this older man’s home so that they could “know” the man that was visiting. In this case the word “know” meant that the men of the city wanted to have sexual relations with the man. What happened to this man in this story is very similar to what was attempted on the two angels who visited Lot in Sodom (see Genesis 19), which indicated the level of depravity that the men of this place had reached. They are finally content to take the man’s concubine and sexually abuse her all night long until she ultimately dies from their cruelty. The traveling man then takes the body of his wife and cuts it up into pieces and then sends a piece of her body to each of the tribes of Israel. I realize that this is a strange story, but that’s what happened, in a nutshell.
How could a society decay to the point where it would tolerate such wicked behavior?
My attention is drawn to the statement made to the reader in verse 30. We are instructed to “consider of it, take advice, and speak [our] minds”. Why did God tell us to do this after reading this portion of Scripture? I believe the reason is because the wickedness committed by these people from the tribe of Benjamin in the city of Gibeah was so heinous, that God did not want it to be just swept under the rug or passed by. He wants us to think about it, to get mad about it, and to do something about it. By the way, we will read tomorrow in chapter 20 what the rest of Israel does to punish this sin. I won’t spoil the story, but let me assure you that the people of Israel pay a great price for allowing this kind of wickedness to take place in their Land of Promise.
I believe that the advice given by God to the Israelites of that day is good for us today. He wants us to get mad about sin, and then do something about it. We are to speak our minds as well when it comes to condemning sin. This world ought to have no doubt in their minds about where we stand regarding the sin that is taking place in our land, and we ought to go beyond just condemning it with our mouths; we ought also to take action against it.
“Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.” – (1 Timothy 5:20)
“This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith;” – (Titus 1:13)
“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” – (2 Timothy 4:2)
Let’s not turn our heads to sin but rather, let’s speak the truth in love and stand against it.
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from Judges and tagged 1 Timothy 5:20, 2 Timothy 4:2, Biblical Rebuke, Confronting Sin, Cultural Decay, Holiness, Judges, Judges 19, Moral Outrage, Speak Your Mind, Speaking Truth in Love, Titus 1:13 by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.