Get to Work
Today’s Passage – Joshua 16 – 18 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Titus 1 – 3; Proverbs 17; Psalms 81 – 85
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 18:3 & 46
Read the “0317 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“And Joshua answered them, If thou be a great people, then get thee up to the wood country, and cut down for thyself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the giants, if mount Ephraim be too narrow for thee.” – (Joshua 17:15)
In Joshua chapter seventeen, we see the land of Israel being divided up among the twelve tribes. The two half tribes that belonged to the sons of Joseph were a little concerned because they felt that they needed more land than what was given to them. They reasoned that because they were a “great people”, one portion of land would not be sufficient for them. The leader of Israel, Joshua, basically tells them that there is plenty more land available, but they would have to work a little to get it. The land he offered them was very mountainous and wooded, and needed to be cleared; and it also contained some pretty heavily armed Canaanites that also needed to be removed. I think the tribe of Joseph really wanted to just move right into a place where they would not have to put forth too much effort.
There is a great lesson to be learned here for us today. We often have desires for great things in life, but we usually are reluctant to work for those things. I know a man who today is very wealthy. He and his family enjoy many material possessions, and are very well off. However, those things did not come easy to him. He worked very hard over the course of many years to accumulate the wealth that he enjoys today. In fact, I knew this man when he was a boy in school. He studied hard, and applied himself. He continued to work hard through college; and when he received his first employment opportunity, he applied himself diligently there as well. Nobody handed his wealth to him. He had to work for it. He is envied by many people today who want what he has, but most of those people would not want to pay the price that he paid in time and sweat in order to achieve what he has.
As Christians, we need to get away from this entitlement mentality that everything is owed to us. There are plenty of opportunities out there for us to take advantage of, but few of them will come without a sacrifice on our part. We can see this lazy attitude in the ministry today. Some preachers, right out of Bible college, want a large ministry handed to them. They look for the perfect opportunity. Yet, there are millions of people out there who need a preacher. I remember when I came to Jersey Shore, there was no parsonage,there was no salary. We did have a beautiful little building, and a good group of people gathered together, but there were few perks that would attract many prospective preachers today. I was just thrilled that somebody wanted me to be their pastor. The church has grown some since then. By God’s grace we have been able to add on to our building, purchase more land, and add new ministries. But it took work. We had to cut down the woods, and drive out some of the Canaanites. It wasn’t easy, but God has blessed us all through the process.
Don’t expect all of the good things in life to be handed to you. Our God is a wonderful, gracious, and very giving God; but aside from our salvation, He often doesn’t hand us things on a silver platter. What He does do, however, is offer us opportunities to fight and work for things. Do you want something more in life? Go get it. Work for it.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Don’t Mess With God’s People – The Saturday Morning Post
Today’s Passage – Joshua 10 – 12
(Second Milers also read – 1 Timothy 1 – 6; Proverbs 15; Psalms 71 – 75)
“The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.” (Proverbs 15:29)
“And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, Slack not thy hand from thy servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us: for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered together against us.” (Joshua 10:6)
The Kings of the Amorites had a plan…
“Wherefore Adonizedek king of Jerusalem sent unto Hoham king of Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, and unto Japhia king of Lachish, and unto Debir king of Eglon, saying, Come up unto me, and help me, that we may smite Gibeon: for it hath made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel. Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together, and went up, they and all their hosts, and encamped before Gibeon, and made war against it.” (Joshua 10:3-5)
But God hears the prayer of the righteous…
“And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee. Joshua therefore came unto them suddenly, and went up from Gilgal all night. And the LORD discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goeth up to Bethhoron, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah.” (Joshua 10:8-10)
But why would God save a heathen nation? The verse says that He hears the prayers of the righteous: were the people of Gibeon righteous? No, but…
“And Joshua called for them, and he spake unto them, saying, Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you; when ye dwell among us? Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God. And they answered Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that the LORD thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, therefore we were sore afraid of our lives because of you, and have done this thing.” (Joshua 9:22-24)
The Gibeonites knew where they could find God: with Joshua and Israel. Let me ask you something, if the Gibeonites looked at you, would they know that’s where they could find God? Jesus said…
“Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 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; 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. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43-48)Peace! (Jude 1:22-25)
Posted in Devotions by Pastor Ted Stahl with no comments yet.
Under Daddy’s Wing
Today’s Passage – Deuteronomy 32 – 34 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Colossians 1 – 4; Proverbs 11; Psalms 51 – 55)
Scripture Memorization for March – Verses About the Bible
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 Timothy 1:17
Read the “0311 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Read a previous post from this passage – “Well Done”
“As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings: So the LORD alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him.” (Deuteronomy 32:11-12)
Believe it or not there are many lessons a Christian can learn from birds. Let’s take a look at a few.
If you ever observed birds, they are very protective of their young. A Sand Piper bird will fake a broken wing as they lead you away from the nest. If a predator falls for it, they will find themselves chasing after what they think is a helpless bird. Suddenly the bird takes off into the air and the predator is far from the nest. Some birds will dive bomb anyone or anything that gets near where the nest is. If you get near some domesticated birds, they will bite your fingers if you go near their eggs.
“And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” (Matthew 18:3-6)
God protects us too. God protected the children of Israel from the Egyptians. He led them into the Sea and the Jews fled away. The walls of Jericho fell (dive bombed) so the Jews could take the city (the nest). And He loves and protects us today.
Birds provide protective homes for their young. Finding a place to safely place and hatch their eggs, raise their young to the point of independence, is a challenge birds have solved in many clever ways. Some birds build nests hidden away inside vegetation. The Hornbill seals herself into the nest and stays inside the tree cavity throughout incubation. An Australian bird will pick the fur from the back of a koala to make the nest comfy for her young. Some find secure homes in caves and rock ledges.
“In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:2-3)
God promises us a safe home.
There are some birds that are called ‘Brood Parasites,’ birds that never build their own nests but lay their eggs in the nest of other species. The cuckoo is the best know brood parasite. She will remove one egg of the other birds nest and replace it with hers. Somehow she is able to match the size and color of the nest she is invading. But many of the birds learn to recognize the cuckoo egg and discards their egg. There are several other species that follow this way of life.
God also protects us in this same way.
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” (John 10:27)
“And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.” (Matthew 25:32-33)
“And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” (Matthew 25:46)
And there are many more comparisons. Although God does not have wings, He has loving arms to wrap around us. So I will close with this song:
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms
What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
What a blessedness, what a peace is mine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms;
Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.
O how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
O how bright the path grows from day to day,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
Thank You
1 John 5:13
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Posted in Just for Ladies by admin with 1 comment.
Choose Wisely
Today’s Passage – Deuteronomy 27 – 28 (Click on the references to listen to the audio –Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Ephesians 4 – 6; Proverbs 9; Psalms 41 – 45)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Ephesians 4:32
Read the “0309 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
This?
“And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.” – (Deuteronomy 28:1-6)
Or This?
“But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field. Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store. Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out.” – (Deuteronomy 28:15-19)
The Choice Is Yours To Make
Choose Wisely
“See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;” – (Deuteronomy 30:15)
Posted in Thoughts from Deuteronomy by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Amazing Grace – The Saturday Morning Post
Today’s Passage – Deuteronomy 23 – 26
(Second Milers also read – 2 Corinthians 9 – 13; Proverbs 8; Psalms 36 – 40)
“If a man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and maketh merchandise of him, or selleth him; then that thief shall die; and thou shalt put evil away from among you.” (Deuteronomy 24:7)
“Amazing Grace! how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.” – John Newton
Good morning. We can see by Deuteronomy 24:7 how God feels about slavery. There was a time that John Newton realized he was in trouble with God. John Newton worked in the slave trade. And God started working on him…
“‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!”
Joseph’s brothers were in a mess too: they sold their brother into slavery; and they knew it was wrong, but they also saw an example of God’s amazing grace…
“And when Joseph’s brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him. And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying, So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him. And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants. And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.” (Genesis 50:15-21)
God had sent Joseph ahead into Egypt to preserve the lives of his family. God sent Jesus ahead to preserve our lives by shedding His precious blood as payment for our sins.
“Thro’ many dangers, toils, and snares,
I have already come;
‘Tis grace hath bro’t me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.”
What has you in bondage today? What are you enslaved to? One day, all the works of man held in this world will be burnt in fervent heat. The only thing you can take with you is that precious soul you led to the Lord. We should get our priorities in order: God, family, and everything else. Jesus said…
“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:1-3)
“When we’ve been there ten-thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we first begun.”
Peace. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Posted in Devotions by Pastor Ted Stahl with no comments yet.
Feminine And Modest by Pastor Erickson for The Saturday Morning Post
Today’s Passage – Deuteronomy 19 – 22 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Galatians 4 – 6; Psalms 31 – 35; Proverbs 7
“The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.” – (Deuteronomy 22:5)
“In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.” – (1 Timothy 2:9-10)
In our text today, we see the famous verse that has no doubt been preached millions of times in reference to the attire of a lady. I know that I have quoted this reference countless times myself, but perhaps, I haven’t preached this principle as much as I should. I am very concerned that there has been an accelerated trend toward immodest as well as masculine dress among our Christian ladies, even in our fundamental churches over the past few years. There has always been immodest dress in our churches, but it seems that lately so many of our ladies are completely throwing in the towel in any attempt to obey biblical principle in the area of dress.
As far as I can see, there are two overriding principles when it comes to women’s dress: femininity, and modesty. A women should dress in such a way that there is clearly a distinction between herself and a man. This principle would also apply to hairstyles as well. Many women today are choosing to wear their hair very short, and even with a masculine style. The Bible is clear that a woman’s hair should be longer than a man’s. It seems like our culture is reversing the Biblical model. Men’s hairstyles seem to be becoming more feminine, and vice versa.
Women should also dress modestly, meaning their clothing should not draw attention to their bodies. Tight pants, and low-cut tops are magnets for mens’ eyes. Many ladies in our churches today are wearing dresses, which are definitely feminine, but, unfortunately, many are not modest: either too short, or too tight, or very revealing in the top. There have been many times, even at church, where I have caught my eyes wandering where they shouldn’t simply because there was someone dressed inappropriately. I know, shame on me; but shame on the lady also that reveals herself through her clothing to men that are not her husband. Clothing should not draw attention to the body. You may have heard this illustration before, but I once heard someone speaking on this subject who said that if a man’s attention is drawn to your body, and not your face, you are dressing immodestly. The word translated apparel in 1 Timothy 2:9 is “katastole”, which is defined as a loose garment, “let down”; or a long, flowing robe.
There is a lot more that I can say regarding this subject, but I think that you get the point. I am not saying that women should wear burlap sacks down to their ankles, but I do believe that Christian ladies should be much more careful when choosing their attire.
Posted in Devotions by Pastor Ted Stahl with 1 comment.
Are You Provoking God?
Today’s Passage – Deuteronomy 9 – 11 (Click on the references to listen to the audio –Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – 2 Corinthians 5 – 8; Proverbs 4; Psalm 16 – 20
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 121
Scripture Memory for March – Verses About the Bible
Read previous posts from today’s reading – “Paving the Way“ and “The Choice is Yours”
Read the “0304 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“Remember, and forget not, how thou provokedst the LORD thy God to wrath in the wilderness: from the day that thou didst depart out of the land of Egypt, until ye came unto this place, ye have been rebellious against the LORD.” (Deuteronomy 9:7)
Because of a famine, the children of Israel went to live in Egypt. By the hand of God through, Joseph, they lived, worked, multiplied and served the Lord. Then the Bible says that ‘there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph’. This king was not so kind to them. He put them in bondage. The harder their life got, the more they prayed to be free to worship their God.
“And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant. Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:” (Exodus 6:5-6)
God kept His promise.
“And it came to pass the selfsame day, that the LORD did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies.” (Exodus 51)
How long was it before the children of Israel complained and rebelled against God?
“And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD. And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.” (Exodus 14:10-12)
And that’s all they did was complain. It was so bad that in Deuteronomy 9:7, it say they provoked God to wrath.
Fast forward to Jesus. The Jews wandered so far from God, that they didn’t even know who Jesus was. Even today, most of the Jewish people reject Jesus’ gift of life, their freedom from bondage.
Now you say how dumb can these people be? After all that God did for them, they went against Him? They didn’t teach their children to love and honor God? God gave them what they wanted and they threw the blessings of God out the door?
Let fast forward again. People living in England were being persecuted by the Church of England. When they tried to move to surrounding countries, they were not allowed in or they had a hard time finding work. They just wanted to escape persecution in England for Religious beliefs. God heard the cries of the Gentiles. In 1620 on the Mayflower, God guided them into the promise land, America.
In 1962 prayer was no longer allowed in schools. In the 1970’s, Rock and Roll Stars were idolized and many people were openly having sex and doing drugs. Reminds me of the account of the children of Israel waiting for Moses to come down from Mt. Sinai.
“And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp. And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear. And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.” (Exodus 32:17-19)
In the 1980’s, The 10 Commandment were taken out of public buildings. We use the Lord’s name as a curse word. It’s ok to have an intimate relationship with whom ever. Same sex marriage. Killing. ‘In God We Trust’ is slowly disappearing from our money. We blame God for everything that is wrong. The more we push God out, the worse we become. Are we also at the point where we’re ‘provoking God?
And we think the children of Israel were dumb? We’re doing the same thing. Does God have to put us back in bondage in order for us to turn back to Him?
Friends, let’s get back to what God has called us to do, love and serve Him. The only thing that Satan has for us is trouble. Let’s get back to studying God’s word and praying. Being faithful to church, our families and each other. Mostly telling other about Jesus and the wonderful freedom we have in Him.
Thank You
1 John 5:13
Posted in Just for Ladies by admin with 1 comment.
Thou Hast Lacked Nothing – The Saturday Morning Post
Today’s Passage – Deuteronomy 1 – 2 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – 1 Corinthians 9 – 12; Proverbs 1; Psalms 1 – 5
Scripture Memorization for March – 1 Corinthians 6:9 – 20
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Joshua 1:8
Read the “0301 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“For the LORD thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the LORD thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.” (Deuteronomy 2:7)
“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5)
Someone posted a picture on Facebook of an Exxon sign with gas priced at $1.84/gallon. Underneath the sign, in the billboard portion was something to the effect:”ONLY JOKING THIS WAS THE PRICE WHEN OBAMA BECAME PRESIDENT.”
Last time I looked, gas at my local station was around $3.34/gallon. That’s the way it is with a Socialistic government as apposed to a Free government. Just as the devil wants to play god, the government wants to supply your every need.
Who are you relying on, God, or a government that works hard at taking God out of everything it can? As Christians, we can claim the promises that God has made, like Hebrews 13:5, “…I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
Now re-read what God told Israel in Deuteronomy 2:7…
“For the LORD thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the LORD thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.” (Deuteronomy 2:7)
There is a great wilderness that we are now walking through which may not end for us until the Rapture, or the Lord calls us home. But the Lord is with us, and if we take a step back, and look at our lives so far, we can see that in reality we lack nothing. As long as our nation turns their back on God, God will turn His back on our nation. There is one thing that God says we can do to save our nation…
“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.” (2Chronicles 7:14)
Our nation needs healing which the government has proven that it cannot supply. The only thing that can heal this nation is the power of the one who created it…
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)
…the Lord Jesus Christ.
Let’s seek God to heal our nation, and turn it back into the Christian nation it once was.
Peace. (Revelation 22:20-21)
Posted in Devotions by Pastor Ted Stahl with no comments yet.
Esther, A Woman Who Risked Her Life For Others.
Today’s Passage – Numbers 27 – 29 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Romans 9 – 12; Proverbs 25; Psalms 126 – 130)
Scripture Memorization for February – Missions
Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Isaiah 40:31
Read the “0225 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“And let the maiden which pleaseth the king be queen instead of Vashti. And the thing pleased the king; and he did so. Now in Shushan the palace there was a certain Jew, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite; Who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captivity which had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away. And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and beautiful; whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter. So it came to pass, when the king’s commandment and his decree was heard, and when many maidens were gathered together unto Shushan the palace, to the custody of Hegai, that Esther was brought also unto the king’s house, to the custody of Hegai, keeper of the women. And the maiden pleased him, and she obtained kindness of him; and he speedily gave her her things for purification, with such things as belonged to her, and seven maidens, which were meet to be given her, out of the king’s house: and he preferred her and her maids unto the best place of the house of the women. Esther had not shewed her people nor her kindred: for Mordecai had charged her that she should not shew it.” (Esther 2:4-10)
Esther was a beautiful young Jewish woman, who was raised by her cousin. Being taught under the law of God, it’s hard to image the task her cousin Mordecai asked her to do. You see King Ahasuerus was displeased with his Queen and put her aside to seek out another. Mordecai told Esther to stand with many other women in the land in hopes that the King would chose her in place of Queen Vashti. Because Mordecai treated Esther as a daughter, she obeyed him.
In our mind we think, how could a young beautiful young woman of God, stand before a heathen married man, hoping to be picked to be his next wife? But God had a plan unknown to her. and He was guiding her life.
“Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, was come to go in unto the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king’s chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed. And Esther obtained favour in the sight of all of them that looked upon her. So Esther was taken unto king Ahasuerus into his house royal in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.” (Esther 2:15-17)
King Ahasuerus knew nothing about Esther being a Jewish woman, because Mordecai told Esther to be silent in this matter. Later Mordecai refused to bow down to the King’s highest nobleman, Haman. Haman then plotted to rid himself of Mordecai and the Jewish people. Mordecai told Esther of this plan and instructed her to go to the King.
“And the letters were sent by posts into all the king’s provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey.” (Esther 3:13)
She was now publicly identifying herself with her people. She realized she was powerless without God. Esther called her people to prayer and fasting. The law was that no one could approach the King unless they were asked and she had not been called for some time. But in spite of the law she said, “If I die, I die”. The young Esther was willing to risk her position, her life, and her future for her people.
The heroine, who had saved the Jews by risking her own life, is remembered and highly respected by the Jewish nation even today. She paved the way, unknown to her, for the coming of Christ.
God’s name is not mentioned in the book of Esther, but His hand on her life is apparent. And so it will be with us: When we face trials, we can also trust He is working out something positive on our behalf.
Though becoming a King’s concubine may not have seemed good, God watched over Esther. Even our most traumatic moments are also in God’s hands. When we trust Him, nothing can go terribly wrong.
Obedient Esther acted on God’s will, gave in to her cousin’s wise counsel, and was safe. Likewise, God protects us, especially when our faithfulness puts us in danger. Will you trust Him no matter what? Esther did.
Thank You
1 John 5:13
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SATURDAY MORNING POST BY CAMILLE STAHL
Today’s Passage – Numbers 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 – Acts 25 – 28; Proverbs 22; Psalms 111 – 115)
DELIVER US FROM EVIL
“Aaron shall be gathered unto his people: for he shall not enter into the land which I have given unto the children of Israel, because ye rebelled against my word at the water of Meribah. Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up unto mount Hor: And strip Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son: and Aaron shall be gathered unto his people, and shall die there.” (Numbers 20:24-26)
God had clearly instructed Moses to only speak to the rock so the children of Israel could drink. Moses didn’t obey God and struck the rock with his staff. God still kept His word and the rock brought forth water. But as a result of Moses disobedience, Moses and Aron were not able to go into the promise land.
We must be very careful in the decisions we make. We always say things like ‘I can do whatever I want because I’m not hurting anyone.’ Or ‘It will only effect me.’ But we see throughout the Bible that the consequences of sin effects many. Eve is a perfect example.
Here are a few suggestion on how to avoid the temptation of disobedience.
Study and Memorize the Bible. Every time Satan tried to tempt Jesus, Jesus quoted scripture. We can defeat Satan the same way, but we need to know verses. The more you understand the promises of God, the easier it will be to throw Satan down. Just remember,
“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)
With studying the Bible, learn what God would have you to do. When a situation arrives, you’ll already know how to respond no matter what is going on around you. Daniel was a great example of this:
“But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.” (Daniel 1:8)
Be Honest With Yourself. Satan tells us that what we are about to do is not so bad, go ahead it will be ok. Call sin what it really is, sin. If you’re in doubt, just don’t do it. If you know in your heart that God is telling you no, walk away and don’t look back.
“If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” (1 John 1:6-7)
Fellowship with Positive People. Moses was surrounded with negative people. They complained about everything all the time. Be careful who you let into your life.
“Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.” (1 Corinthians 15:33)
Pray. Ask God to show you His direction.
“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:” (Matthew 6:13a)
Thank You
1 John 5:13
Posted in The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl with no comments yet.