Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Apr 29th Subtil Jehu – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage – 2 Kings 10 – 12 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Luke 13 – 14; Proverbs 29; Psalms 141 – 145

Read the “0429 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

2Kings 10:18-19 – “And Jehu gathered all the people together, and said unto them, Ahab served Baal a little; but Jehu shall serve him much. (19) Now therefore call unto me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests; let none be wanting: for I have a great sacrifice to do to Baal; whosoever shall be wanting, he shall not live. But Jehu did it in subtilty, to the intent that he might destroy the worshippers of Baal.”

Good morning. If only the Baal worshippers knew what was coming. But they didn’t. They may have had some kind of bible, but they didn’t have the Word of God. Their god was one of stone. Their god had stone eyes that could not see, stone ears that could not hear, and a stone mouth that could not speak. We have the One and Only Living God.

Now everyone loves to go to a party or BBQ. Jehu called for a great sacrifice to Baal. He was trying to get all the Baal worshippers together in one place.

2Kings 10:21 – “And Jehu sent through all Israel: and all the worshippers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left that came not. And they came into the house of Baal; and the house of Baal was full from one end to another.”

2Kings 10:24-28 – “And when they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings, Jehu appointed fourscore men without, and said, If any of the men whom I have brought into your hands escape, he that letteth him go, his life shall be for the life of him. (25) And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, Go in, and slay them; let none come forth. And they smote them with the edge of the sword; and the guard and the captains cast them out, and went to the city of the house of Baal. (26) And they brought forth the images out of the house of Baal, and burned them. (27) And they brake down the image of Baal, and brake down the house of Baal, and made it a draught house unto this day. (28) Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel.”

It was almost like the Psychic Network: how come they didn’t see the bankruptcy coming? The priests of Baal didn’t see Jehu’s men coming in with their swords and slaughtering them. Jehu got the job done. Today, when you look at the government, you need to know your Bible: THE Bible: the Word of God. Does your party support the killing of babies? Abortion is nothing but modern day Baal worship…

Luke 17:1-2 – “Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come! (2) It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.”

Does your party support Transgenders, homosexuals, lesbians, and letting little boys decide if they are girls, and little girls if they are boys. And the devil just laughs. God is THE Perfect God. He made you a boy or a girl. If you try to change that, you are saying that THE Perfect God made a mistake, and God Almighty does not make mistakes.

Genesis 1:31 – “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.”

The time has come to get our country right with God. We should be voting for politicians who live and act and support the Word of God. They will lead our country in the right way we should go.

Peace.

Apr 27th Great Expectations by Misty Woodrum

Today’s Passage – 2 Kings 4 – 6 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Luke 9 – 10; Proverbs 27; Psalms 131 – 135

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Matthew 6:33

Read the “0427 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Today’s text contains several well-known children’s Sunday School stories. One of which is the story of Naaman, captain of the host of the Syrians, who was said to be “a great man,” “honourable,” and “a mighty man of valour.” We remember learning in Sunday School of the great faith of the little Israelite maid who had the courage and boldness to speak out. 

Naaman might have been a great man, but he had a problem. Naaman was a leper. The little Israelite maid is often the key Sunday School character in this story for her being young, yet having such abounding faith that she spoke up and boldly proclaimed that there was a prophet of God that could heal her master. The other servants and Naaman were quickly ready to listen to this young girl, collecting a good sum of money and gifts as payment, and then Naaman headed out to find this healing prophet at the word of the maiden. What a testimony she must have had to convince him! This alone is a wonderful, inspiring devotional application; but, there also may be something in this simple children’s story you haven’t considered.

I really want to focus on the next portion when Naaman arrives at the prophet’s  door. Elisha sends out a messenger (vs 10) telling Naaman to go wash in the Jordan 7 times and he would be clean, cured from leprosy. In verse 11 we see this is not what Naaman was expecting at all. He says, “Behold, I thought…”. He then turned “and went away in a rage.” This jumps out as a great conviction. How many times do I enquire something of the Lord and then end up upset because HE isn’t working the way in which I expect? “BUT I THOUGHT”… God doesn’t always work like we think or expect and that needs to be okay because HE is God and His ways are perfect.

“As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.” Ps. 18:30

“My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.” – Ps. 62:5

“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.” – Pro. 3:5,6

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.” – Is 55:8

How many times have I asked God for something, prayed over, was broken over, and then saw an answer but it wasn’t what I “had in my head”? We all have all kinds of great expectations in life and then are disappointed when it wasn’t what we imagined. We must be very careful. So much of the time, what we are given is much better; it just looks different than anticipated. We have great expectations: those we date, spouses, children, employers, government officials, friends, church leadership, and the list goes on. 

Naaman had a different expectation and it almost cost him. 

Thankfully the story doesn’t end there for Naaman. His servants come along and basically say, ‘Come on Naaman, it’s worth a shot. He didn’t ask you to do anything complicated.’ So in verse 14 he goes down into the Jordan as is commanded, and is healed. Here also lies a great doctrinal application. Leprosy is a picture of sin. Naaman, though a mighty man, was not able to fix his sin issue on his own. He HAD TO SUBMIT and do what God said. It really was an issue of faith, just like for us today. Often, like Naaman, people are willing and expecting to jump through all kinds of difficult, crazy religious hoops of works in order to be saved; yet God wants each of us to simply yield and be fully submitted to Him by faith and experience the healing (forgiveness) from sin. We cannot go to God on our own terms but must humbly submit to Him. In Romans Paul warns of Israel’s problem with this as well: 

“For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” – Romans 10:3

In summary:

#1 Have a good testimony like the little maid and speak out by faith.

#2 Beware of your own “great expectations” and remember that God doesn’t work on our terms or like we always think.

#3 When we are able to submit to God, He is able to work. Yield to the Lord, first by salvation from sin, then for the rest of your life in daily decisions.

“My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.” – Ps. 62:5

Apr 25th Micaiah, the Prophet of the Lord by Derek Woodrum

Today’s Passage – 1 Kings 22 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Luke 5 – 6; Proverbs 25; Psalms 121 – 125

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Isaiah 51:11

Read the “0425 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

 Read a previous post from this passage – “Shouldn’t We Be Different?”

“7 And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD besides, that we might enquire of him? 8 And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may enquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.” (1 Kings 22:7-8)

There is so much going on in this chapter that I could write a month’s worth of daily devotions. However, one person stands out and is an example for all of us to follow. The man Micaiah! 

The king of Judah, Jehoshaphat, has gone to the king of Israel presumably because he was asked to come (2 Chronicles 18: 1-2). He is a good king, and he leads his people during a time when the nation of Israel is split. There is much sin throughout both nations as the kings before these two have allowed idolatry, Baal worship, and spiritualism (this refers to the groves and burning of incense in high places) to flourish instead of turning the hearts of the people to God.

The king of Israel, Ahab the husband of Jezebel, has asked Jehoshaphat to help him take back the city of Ramoth in Gilead. He says, hey let’s go fight against the king of Syria and take back the city of Ramoth because it is ours. He is driven of his own desires and is set against God in all that he does. 

So, the king of Judah says, ok, we will fight against the king of Syria together, but before we do, let’s find a prophet to tell us if God thinks this is a good idea. This was a common practice of the day, and Ahab says, no problem I have about 400 prophets here and they are all for us going into this battle. But wise Jehoshaphat says, is there not a prophet of the Lord besides these guys, probably because he had heard what happened in chapter 21 of 1 Kings! So, Ahab says reluctantly, yeah there is one guy, but I hate him because he always gives me bad news and is always against me. Jehoshaphat is like, yep let’s talk to him!

So, they go and get Micaiah and bring him back to these two kings and they ask him, shall we go and fight this battle? Micaiah says, sure, go, the Lord be with you. Now Ahab, knowing that Micaiah was telling him what he wanted to hear, says, come on man, tell me the truth what does God say? And this is where we are going to focus because Micaiah is the man.

From the story we know that Micaiah lives in a time when there is rampant sin. There are false prophets everywhere and leaders are listening to them. When he tells people what the Lord says, they hate him for it because they think he is being mean to them. He is physically attacked by these religious leaders for speaking against them, but one thing is certain, everyone knows that Micaiah is a prophet of the Lord!

Does this sound familiar? Does it sound like the days we are in? There is rampant sin and idolatry in our country today. Right is wrong and wrong is right. You are demonized as being a radical and railed upon by other “Christians” when you call them out for their sin. You are told that you are a hater because you will not accept people that want to live differently than you. You are told that that old book that you hold is archaic and outdated. That the translation is bad and that you should get a new one. That the book doesn’t really say what you can clearly read. That these days are different, and that God is love so don’t be a hater.

Here is the question, will you stand up for God or will you conform to the world?

In Ephesians 6:13 -14 we are told:

“Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;”

We are not told to go out into battle with the armour of God, we are told to stand. We are to stand against the depravity of this world. Stand against the complacency of sin. Stand against the false prophets of our day and the acceptance of everything that is against God. This is exactly what Micaiah did. He didn’t argue with the king; he told him exactly what God was going to do. He knew this because he had a personal relationship with God. He knew the words of the Lord and he believed them.

Will you “hold the line”? Will you be like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who standing before Nebuchadnezzar, with all the powerful elite in attendance watching them, say: 

            “… O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” (Dan 3:16-18)

Our actions speak to the world that is watching. People are watching to see what you will stand for and what you bow down to. Micaiah was willing to stand for God when it was not convenient. When the so called “religious” people around him were all bowing down to the whims of the king, he stood for God. When he knew his words were not pleasant to hear; he spoke them anyways and did so with conviction. These two chapters (1 Kings 22 and 2 Chronicles 18) are the only chapters where we see Micaiah, but they are some of the most intense passages on standing up for your faith! Be Micaiah in these days and see what God will do!

Apr 22nd Now By This I Know – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage – 1 Kings 15 – 17 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Mark 15 – 16; Proverbs 22; Psalms 106 – 110

Read the “0422 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

(1Kings 17:17-24) “And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him. (18) And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son? (19) And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed. (20) And he cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son? (21) And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child’s soul come into him again. (22) And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. (23) And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth. (24) And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth.”

Good morning. Here we have the account of the widow woman, the widow’s son, and the man of God: Elijah. We see in verses 17-18, that the widow’s son got sick and died. We see that the child died because verse 17 tells us that there was no breath in him; and verse 21 tells us that the soul of the child had left him: the widow’s son was dead. The widow woman blamed herself and Elijah. Did Elijah bring up the woman’s sins before God? Probably not, God’s Word does not say. But the Word of God does tell us that Elijah took the widow;s dead son, and laid him on the bed where he slept. The man of God prayed, and the widow’s son revived. He then presented the widow woman with her son, alive again!

(1Kings 17:24) And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth.”

The Word of God also says…

(2Corinthians 5:18-21) “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; (19) To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. (20) Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. (21) For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

How are you perceived as a Christian? Do others come to you with their problems? Do you go to the Lord on behalf of that person? Do others recognize you as a man of God? Is the Word of God in your mouth? Are you an ambassador for the Lord Jesus Christ? Just something to think about. Maybe you are looking for a place to start…

(1John 5:12) “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”

Peace!

Apr 18th A Tale of Two Houses by George (the real) Deihl

Today’s Passage – 1 Kings 6 – 7 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Mark 7 – 8; Proverbs 18; Psalms 86 – 90)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 92:1 – 4

Read the “0418 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

“38 And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it. 1 But Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished all his house.” (1 Kings 6:38 – 7:1)

Reading I Kings, chapters 6 and 7, it never ceases to amaze me the intricate detail that the Word of God (King James Version) gives when describing various things throughout the Bible. In these is the construction of the Lord’s House (the Temple) and the house of Solomon (his palaces). When reading these two chapters, two verses really stand out to me, the last verse in chapter 6 and the first verse in chapter 7, and what stood out were the number of years that it took to construct the Lord’s House, which was 7 years and Solomon’s house, which was 13 years.

It’s interesting that the Bible in describing the House of the Lord and the house of Solomon mentions the number of years it took to build each house. It’s also interesting that it took 7 years to build the Lord’s House and 13 years to build Solomon’s house for a total of 20 years. Meaning Solomon started and finished the Lord’s house first and then he built his own house (I Kings 9:10 and II Chronicles 8:1). 

7 and 13 are very important numbers in the Word of God and in the study of numerology. Numerology is the study of numbers and their specific importance in the Bible and how they are used to convey a meaning outside of the numerical value of the actual number being used. However, in order to understand these two numbers and what they mean we must first visit the Law of First Mention. What is the Law of First Mention?  In order to understand a particular word or doctrine you must first find the place in scripture where that word or doctrine is introduced.  So in order to understand the Lord’s placement of these numbers in these two verses we must first go back to where they originated in scripture.

The number 7 is first introduced in the Bible in Genesis 2:2 where it says: “And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.”  Because of this verse the number 7 is correlated to the Lord’s perfect work ending and because it was complete, He rested. Throughout the entire Bible you’ll be amazed how the number seven correlates to perfection, completion, and rest. For instance, it’s interesting that the word, “Saviour,” in the  King James Bible is exactly 7 letters and word, “Baptist,” also happens to be 7 letters as well. I could go on and on with the use of the number 7 in the book of Revelation. Also, in Psalm 12:6, the word of God is said to be purified 7 times; in Proverbs 8:1, the Bible states that wisdom hath built her 7 pillars.

The number 13 is first introduced in Genesis 14:4: “Twelve years they serve Chedorlaomer and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.” The number 13 correlates with rebellion and wickedness because this is where Sodom and Gomorrah started their rebellion with the other Kings against king Chedorlaomer. 13 is also associated with evil and bad luck. For instance, Friday the 13th, the missing of the 13th floor in buildings, and Dan Marino never winning a super bowl because he wore 13 (Lol!). The second time 13 is mentioned in the Bible also has to do with result of rebellion: “And Ismael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin”(Genesis 17:25). Also, in the book of Esther, on the 13th day Haman was to have all the Jews destroyed. (Esther 3:12,13, 8:12, 9:1,17,18)

[A side note Genesis chapter 13, verse 13, has 13 words regarding the rebellion and wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah and their sin before the Lord.]

I.  The 7 years it took to build the Lord’s House represents perfection, completion, and rest while the 13 years it took to build Solomon’s house represents rebellion, pride, and wickedness. The Lord gave Solomon the wisdom to physically construct His Temple and it was precise and calculated, down to the finest detail all cuts were made away from the house so that there was no hammer or any other tool of iron heard in the while it was in building (I King 6:7). While on the other hand it seems that Solomon was more consumed in achieving glory and status among the other kings on earth when building his house (palace), which took much longer to build and was extravagant and full of excess.  

II.  The numbers 7 and 13 are reminders to the nation of Israel the day they rebelled against God by placing a king to rule over them instead of the Lord. Since before the Exodus out of Egypt the Lord ruled over His people Israel. His rule was perfect, complete, and He gave His people rest when they followed Him. However the influence of the world always weighed heavy on Israel causing them to desire to have earthly kings to reign over them and not God. Therefore the Lord granted them their request because of their rebellion. Their kings would take to themselves the wealth of the entire nation and Israel would become servants to them (I Samual 8:7-22).  

[Some would argue that the same could be said when Israel rebelled yet again by rejected Christ in the New Testament. Because of this they were set aside and Paul would be known as the 13th Apostle to the Gentile Church.]

III.  Finally, Solomon was loved by the Lord and the Lord gave him wisdom above all that ever lived outside of Jesus. With this wisdom the Lord gave the blueprint that Solomon needed to build the Lord’s house. Solomon had a heart for the Lord and a great desire to serve and complete the Lord’s House. He started his reign on the right track and was pleasing to the Lord. Even with some of the faults he had Solomon was used mightily at the beginning, completing the house of God to exact perfection.

However, Solomon used that same God-given wisdom to glorify himself in building his own house and setting up his earthly reign. This fed his discontentment which would eventually lead to his demise. Because Solomon wanted to glorify himself in the eyes of the world he was never content with what he had. He literally had everything and yet having everything was still not enough. 

Solomon had a heart like you and I – a heart to serve the Lord and at the same time a heart to please himself. And because he was not focused on the Lord`s Temple after he had completed it, he became prideful and discontented which lead in a downward spiral to destruction and ultimately caused him to rebel against the very Lord he once served.

Apr 15th And Seventy-thousand Men Died – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage – 2 Samuel 23 – 24 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Mark 1 – 2; Proverbs 15; Psalms 71 – 75

Read the “0415 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

2Samuel 24:16-25: “And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine hand. And the angel of the LORD was by the threshingplace of Araunah the Jebusite. (17) And David spake unto the LORD when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly: but these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father’s house. (18) And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite. (19) And David, according to the saying of Gad, went up as the LORD commanded. (20) And Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king on his face upon the ground. (21) And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the LORD, that the plague may be stayed from the people. (22) And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what seemeth good unto him: behold, here be oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood. (23) All these things did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, The LORD thy God accept thee. (24) And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. (25) And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD was intreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.”

Good morning. King David screwed up royally, if you pardon the pun. He numbered the people who were able to go to war without God’s permission. God gave him a choice of three punishments. King David wanted to rely on God and not fall into man’s hands. God heard David’s prayer and sent a plague. Seventy-thousand men died. I thought about Achan who took the Babylonish garment, and some gold and silver. Because of Achan’s sin, 36 men were killed when the fought against Ai. A drop in the bucket compared to David, and the seventy-thousand me who died because of his sin. All Israel stoned Achan to death. But David was greatly affected by the seventy-thousand…

2Samuel 24:17: “And David spake unto the LORD when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly: but these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father’s house.”

Notice, when we sin it affects others around us. It has been that way since Adam sinned…

Romans 5:12: “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”

But also notice that Achan hid his sin among his stuff, burried in his tent, but David confessed that he had sinned. God forgave him.

1John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

When we sin, we need to come to the LORD and confess it. Accept His forgiveness, get up and continue your walk with Him. Remember what Jesus said…

John 6:37-40: “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. (38) For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. (39) And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. (40) And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Peace!

Apr 11th A Friend Like Nathan by Michael Garner

Today’s Passage – 2 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 – Matthew 21 – 22; Proverbs 11; Psalms 51 – 55)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 47:1

Read the “0411 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read a previous post from this passage – “The Consequences of Sin”

“1 And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor. 2 The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds: 3 But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. 4 And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man’s lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him. 5 And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die: 6 And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. 7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; 8 And I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things. 9 Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. 10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. 11 Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. 12 For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun. 13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. 14 Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die. 15 And Nathan departed unto his house. And the LORD struck the child that Uriah’s wife bare unto David, and it was very sick.” (2 Samuel 12:1-15)

In this passage, we read of Nathan confronting David after he commits adultery with Bathsheba and kills Uriah the Hittite.

Nathan begins to tell David a story of a rich man stealing a poor man’s only lamb to help himself from a wayfaring man. David would get angry at this man and would think of ways to punish him. But when he asked who it was, Nathan would reveal to David that he was talking about David! The Lord had sent Nathan to deliver a message. The Lord was very upset with David and his recent actions. The Lord would tell David all he would do as punishment. David would realize what he had done and confess his sin. Nathan would be there to comfort him but also tell him the truth. He would tell him that he wouldn’t die and the Lord would forgive him but he would still face punishment because of his sin.

In this story, we can learn a couple of things about Nathan.

• Nathan Was Close (vs. 1) – the Lord and sent Nathan as a messenger to deliver His message to David. He was chosen by God to speak to David.

• Nathan Was Confrontational (vs. 2 – 12) Nathan didn’t back down from David and said what needed to be said. It was probably though telling David the punishment that he was going to receive, but it was needed.

• Nathan Was a Comforter (vs. 13) – after all God had told to David about his punishment, Nathan would comfort David in telling him that God would forgive him and not kill him.

• Nathan Was Consistent (vs. 14 – 15) – even though we has comforting David, he didn’t let go of the fact he had sinned and that God was still going to have to punish him.

Two takeaways we can learn from this story of Nathan

• HAVE a Friend Like Nathan- we must have friends that are close withGod. Friends that will notice when we messed up and need to be confronted. Friends that do this not because they want to, but because the care for us and don’t want us to sin. A great friend will tell you the truth, even if it hurts.

• BE a Friend Like Nathan- we must be this to someone. We must tell people the truth, when if it hurts. We must be that friend that is close to God to show them what God wants them to do. If you love them, you’ll tell the truth!

Apr 9th Check With God First

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.

“And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the LORD is with thee. And it came to pass that night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan, saying, Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the LORD, Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in?” – (2 Samuel 7:3-5)

In 2 Samuel 7, David comes to the prophet Nathan, and informs him of his desire to build a permanent dwelling place for the ark of the covenant: he wanted to build the temple. You will recall that up until this time the corporate worship of God took place in a portable tabernacle that God had designed for them while they wandered the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land. But now it was time to build a permanent structure in the capital city – Jerusalem. It was a good thing that David wanted to do, and it was also good that he went to inquire of the man of God before he did it. The problem here is not with David, but with the prophet Nathan. He gave David the green light to “do all that [was] in [David’s] heart”, before he checked with God. In other words, he spoke on behalf of God, but did not say what God wanted him to say. He spoke prematurely. As it turns out, God had other plans. He did not want David to build the temple. That job was going to go to David’s son, Solomon.

There is a great lesson to be learned here for us. Before we offer our advice on a matter, we ought to check with God first. How we go about doing that is a little bit different today than it was in David and Nathan’s day. In their time God would speak directly to the man of God. Today, however, we have to discern the will of God in the following way:

1  We first go to the Word of God – check to see what the Bible says about what you want to do. Just about every possible scenario is covered by Biblical principle. Let’s say for example that a young lady wanted to know if it was OK to get involved with a young man who is not a dedicated Christian. She could look into the Word and see that it says that she is not to be “unequally yoked” together with an unbeliever. She would also see that the Scripture says that she can not “walk together” with someone whom she is not in agreement with. And there are many other passages of Scripture, which would advise her against what she wants to do. The bottom line is that if the thing we want to do is in violation of sound Biblical principle, we should not do it.

2  We go to God in prayer. We ask God to reveal to us personally His will regarding the matter. I believe that if a person is really concerned about the will of God, He will direct them. When I was praying about where to serve God after Bible college, God revealed to me precisely that He wanted my family to serve Him here in Galloway, NJ.

3  We get advice. The Bible is clear that there is safety in a multitude of counselors. Find some people with godly wisdom that you can go to for counsel regarding your decision, and give them some time to pray first before they give you an answer.

Nathan should have put David on hold until he had a chance to find out what God wanted him to do.

Apr 8th And They Mourned, And Wept, And Fasted – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage – 2 Samuel 1 – 3 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Matthew 15 – 16; Proverbs 8; Psalms 36 – 40

Read the “0408 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“And David said unto the young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead? And the young man that told him said, As I happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear; and, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him. And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called unto me. And I answered, Here am I. And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered him, I am an Amalekite. He said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me: for anguish is come upon me, because my life is yet whole in me. So I stood upon him, and slew him, because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen: and I took the crown that was upon his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them hither unto my lord. Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent them; and likewise all the men that were with him: And they mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the LORD, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword. And David said unto the young man that told him, Whence art thou? And he answered, I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite. And David said unto him, How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the LORD’S anointed? And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near, and fall upon him. And he smote him that he died. And David said unto him, Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the LORD’S anointed.” (2Samuel 1:5-16)

Good morning. After reading this passage, I had to confess and ask forgiveness for the things I said against President Biden. After all, the Lord did put him in the office as the President of the United States: he was the Lord’s anointed. Look at Saul. Saul had started out good, but then got away from the Lord. When Saul died, he went to the same place Samuel – the man of God – went to…

“And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee. And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die? And Saul sware to her by the LORD, saying, As the LORD liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing. Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel. And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul. And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth. And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself. And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do. Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the LORD is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy? And the LORD hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David: Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the LORD, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the LORD done this thing unto thee this day. Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the LORD also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.” (1Samuel 28:8-19)

We are living in the age of grace, but the wages of sin is still death, even for the Christian. You are bought with a price, and ye are not your own. When you got saved, you received the gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus came to live inside of you, and He saved us forever. All our sins, past, present, and future are forgiven. That does not give us the right to sin, and to do whatever we want to do. We are told in God’s Word not to grieve the Holy Spirit (that’s by doing the things we should not) and not to quench the Holy Spirit (that’s by not doing the things we should). Obedience to God living in us is a much more rewarding life…

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.” (Galatians 5:22-26)

Maybe it’s time to look at that face in the mirror, and mourn, and weep, and fast.

Peace.

Apr 6th Payback or Pardon? by Sarah Camillo

Today’s Passage – 1 Samuel 25 – 27 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers read – Matthew 11 – 12; Proverbs 6; Psalms 26 – 30)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Ephesians 4:32

Read the “0405 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this man of Belial, even Nabal: for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him: but I thine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send. Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing the LORD hath withholden thee from coming to shed blood, and from avenging thyself with thine own hand, now let thine enemies, and they that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal.” – (1 Samuel 25:25-26)

“And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not: for who can stretch forth his hand against the LORD’S anointed, and be guiltless? David said furthermore, As the LORD liveth, the LORD shall smite him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall descend into battle, and perish.” – (1 Samuel 26:9-10)

In this portion of scripture, we read about David’s interactions with Nabal and Abigail. Nabal was a very rich man but he was an ungenerous and unkind man. David and his men had been protecting Nabal’s flocks from the Philistines. At the right time, David kindly asked for compensation but Nabal reacted with a bad attitude! Basically saying, “Who does he think he is?” This made David angry and it wasn’t the way God would have wanted him to respond. In his anger,David intended to kill all the men of Nabal’s household. Nabal’s wife, Abigail, was told about the situation. We are told that she was not only beautiful woman but also a wise one. She gathered food, drink, and gifts and hurried to meet David. Abigail went in humility and took the blame for her husband’s actions and asked David for forgiveness. She, in her wisdom, asked David to think about how much worse the situation would be if he proceeded to kill all the men. Abigail’s request to David lifted David up instead of beating him down. David responded to Abigail in the right way, being wise enough himself to listen and consider her advice and then to praise her for her boldness. We learn later in the chapter that Nabal dies; God’s judgement. David left the revenge to God instead of taking revenge himself. God, at the right time, took care of the wrong that was done. 

Most of us are familiar with the story that is told in Chapter 26. David and his men sneak up on Saul’s camp. While Saul and Abner (Saul’s commander of his army)  are asleep David has the opportunity to kill them. David is encouraged by Abishai who was with him, to take Saul’s life. Saul’s spear was beside him, the same spear was thrown at David to try and kill him previously. (I Sam 18:10-11, 19:9-10) Using Saul’s own spear seemed like the perfect time for revenge giving Saul what he deserved! Instead, David took the spear and a jug of water that was there next to Saul, instead of killing him, to show he had the opportunity to do so. David did not feel that Saul was right in what he was doing but because Saul was God’s anointed. David knew that God was able to kill Saul at any time, for every breath we breathe is given by God.

In our human nature and in the culture we live in today, revenge runs rampant.  We must be careful in our thoughts and actions when we are hurt or treated unfairly by believers or non-believers. Always consider what God tells us in Romans 12:19 “…for it is written, vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” God will do a much better job taking care of the situation then we ever could!