Try It, You’ll Like It! – The Saturday Morning Post
Today’s Reading – Psalms 32 – 35 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – 2 Peter 1 – 3; Psalms 106 – 110; Proverbs 22)
Read the “0622 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
(Psalm 34:8) “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”
Good morning. There was an old TV commercial, that had a man sitting on his bed. He was recounting what had happened to him. Another guy said, “Try it, you’ll like it. Try it, you’ll like it.”
The man on the bed said, “So I tried it… thought I was gonna die!”
Then they went into the product information. But in our verse, the Bible tells us to taste and see that the Lord is good: and you will be blessed. Blessed is the man that trusteth in Him!
Try Jesus, you’ll like Him, and all your sins will be forgiven.
Try Jesus, and you will live forever.
Try Jesus, and you will have a mansion in Heaven that He built especially for you.
Try Jesus, and He will never leave you, nor forsake you.
Try Jesus, and one day you’ll walk on streets of gold.
Try Jesus, and you will be blessed.
(Joh 3:16-18) “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (17) For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (18) He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Try Jesus, you’ll like Him!
Peace!
Posted in Devotions by Pastor Ted Stahl with 3 comments.
I Have and I Will
Today’s Reading – Psalm 26 – 31 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – 1 Peter 1 – 5; Psalms 101 – 105; Proverbs 21)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Isaiah 51:11
Read the “0621 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Read a previous post from this passage – “Joy Cometh in the Morning.”
“1 Judge me, O LORD; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the LORD; [therefore] I shall not slide. 2 Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart. 3 For thy lovingkindness [is] before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth. 4 I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers. 5 I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked. 6 I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O LORD: 7 That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works. 8 LORD, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth. 9 Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloody men: 10 In whose hands [is] mischief, and their right hand is full of bribes. 11 But as for me, I will walk in mine integrity: redeem me, and be merciful unto me. 12 My foot standeth in an even place: in the congregations will I bless the LORD. (Psalm 26:1-12)
This Psalm is another one of the Psalms of David. Possibly, it was written during the times that King Saul was pursuing David, or possibly it was at the time that his son Absalom was in rebellion.
This Psalm has an interesting structure. You will notice often the phrases, “I have” and “I will” repeated over and over again throughout the Psalm.
I have walked in integrity (v. 1); I have walked in truth; I will walk in integrity (v. 11)
I have trusted (v. 1); I shall not slide (v. 2)
I have not sat (v. 4); I will not go (v. 4)
I have hated (v. 5); I will not sit (v. 5)
I will wash (v. 6); I will compass (v. 6)
I have loved (v. 8); I will bless (v. 12)
I David Asks the Lord to Examine, Prove, and Try Him. (v 2)
“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalms 139:23-24)
The word “examine” means to scrutinize, or to look closely at something.
“The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD’S throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.” (Psalms 11:4 )
The word, “prove,” means to examine, tempt, or to put to the test:
“And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust.” (Psalms 78:18)
“Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink.”(Daniel 1:12)
The word “try” is the word that is used to refine metal.
“And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin:”(Isaiah 1:25)
“That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:” (1 Peter 1:7)
Notice that he asks God to do this to both his reins and his heart.
The word translated “reins” is sometimes used for the word “kidney”, the physical organ. It is used here and in many other places to refer to the seat of emotion and affection.
“Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.” (Psalms 7:9)
The word heart can be used to refer to almost the same thing, but it can also refer to the soul and mind.
So what is David asking here?
He is asking God to take a close look at his mind (his thinking), and his emotions (his attitude, his will). He wants God to test them, and to try them. When a person has heart problems today, the doctor will look him over carefully, and then he will send him for a battery of tests, and then he may “try” him by putting him through a stress test. Here in our text, David was asking for a thorough examination. The Word of God and the Spirit of God examine us as well:
“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” (Hebrews 4:12-13)
II David Acknowledges His Love for the House of God (vs. 8, 12)
The House of the Lord in the Old Testament was the temple. Notice v. 12 speaks of congregations (plural). David loved the Lord’s house – the temple; but he also loved to be with God’s people and he testified (blessed the Lord) wherever God’s people were gathered.
“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:23-25)
Notice in v. 12, the reference to the “even place,” meaning level terrain. This means that David was standing on ground and following a path that would keep him from falling into sin. He kept away from places that were spiritually dangerous for him. The House of God, which was the Tabernacle in David’s day, was a safe place for Him. The church house with God’s people gathered together and the Word of God being proclaimed is a safe, “even” place for us today. The Bible also refers to “sliding” (v. 1), and “slippery” places (Psalm 73:18; Jeremiah 23:12), which are places that people sometimes go that will be spiritually dangerous and conducive to falling.
III David Asserts His Disdain for the Works of the Wicked (vs. 4 – 5; 9 – 10)
“1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.” (Psalm 1:1-2)
“I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.” (Psalms 101:3)
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
Are Ye Not Much Better? – The Saturday Morning Post
Today’s Reading – Job 36 – 38 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers Read – 2 Timothy 1 – 4; Psalms 71 – 75; Proverbs 15)
Read the “0615 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
(Job 38:39-41) “Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion? or fill the appetite of the young lions, (40) When they couch in their dens, and abide in the covert to lie in wait? (41) Who provideth for the raven his food? when his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat.”
(Psalm 104:27-28) “These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season. (28) That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good.”
(Psalm 147:9) “He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry.”
(Matthew 6:26) “Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?”
Good morning. I’m in the process of resealing the roof of my RV. You see a lot when you’re up twelve feet in the air. I look past the awning, and I see my two dogs: Louie, and Rosie. They are both looking at Preacher and Justin’s backyard. Talking in a normal voice I call Louie’s name. They are still focused on the backyard. I call again, a little louder, and he looks up at me. He goes toward the gate to pick up his tennis ball. He looks up at me again and lets the ball drop to the ground as if to say, “Hey, get down here and throw the ball for me.”
But being on top of the RV, you can see a good portion of the backyard. God sees us the same way, but not just a portion. God sees everything. He controls the universe, but still makes time to answer our prayer. He answers yes, or no, or what I told Louie: not right now. When was the last time you counted your blessings? Can you remember God answering your prayer? When you think about how God has blessed you, you know He cares for you and is watching you, ready to show Himself strong in your sight. And you also know that God keeps His Word.
(Philippians 4:19-20) “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (20) Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Peace.
Posted in Devotions by Pastor Ted Stahl with 1 comment.
Multiplying Words
Today’s Reading – Job 33 – 35 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers Read – 1 Timothy 4 – 6; Psalms 66 – 70; Proverbs 14)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 92:1 – 4
Read the “0614 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Read a previous post from this passage – “That Which I See Not“
“Therefore doth Job open his mouth in vain; he multiplieth words without knowledge.” – (Job 35:16)
“Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.” – (Proverbs 26:4)
“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:” – (James 1:19)
“Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.” – (Proverbs 17:28 )
There is entirely too much talking going on in this entire Book of Job. Job’s so-called friends should be listening to Job rather than rebuking him. He certainly has suffered enough. Even Job is talking too much by arguing with these idiots. They are all “experts” on God; yet there is much that they do not, and cannot understand.
We do the same thing, don’t we? We talk about things, and try to sound like we have complete knowledge on a subject; but half the time we really do not know what we are talking about, especially when it comes to talking about God. The best thing that we can do is quote Scripture if we have to talk at all. The older I get, the more I realize that I really do not know much. I should keep my mouth open proportionately to the amount of knowledge that I have, which means it should not be open much.
Posted in Thoughts from Job by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
Though He Slay Me – The Saturday Morning Post
Today’s Reading – Job 12 – 14 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers Read – Ephesians 4 – 6; Psalms 36 – 40; Proverbs 8)
Read the “0608 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
(Job 13:13-16) “Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak, and let come on me what will. (14) Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in mine hand? (15) Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him. (16) He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before him.
Good morning. Job is being “comforted” by his friends. And Job told them so…
(Job 16:2) “I have heard many such things: miserable comforters are ye all.”
Job was a man who walked with God.
1) Job trusted God (v. 15).
2) Job knew bad things happen in life (v. 15). Jesus said…
(John 16:33) “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.”
3) Job made the decision to maintain his own ways before God (v. 15)
4) Job knew God was his Saviour (v. 16)
(Acts 4:10-12) “Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. (11) This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. (12) Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
And if you don’t have Jesus, how will you ever get through what is happening in the United States?
(Romans 10:13) “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Peace!
Posted in Devotions by Pastor Ted Stahl with no comments yet.
The Daysman
Today’s Reading – Job 8 – 11 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers Read – Ephesians 1 – 3; Psalms 31 – 35; Proverbs 7)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 47:1
Read the “0607 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment. Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both.” – (Job 9:32-33)
“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;” – (1 Timothy 2:5)
The word “daysman” in verse 33 of chapter 9 literally means a mediator. Job is lamenting because there is no one to bridge the gap between the righteous and holy God, and a sinner like himself. He already stated in verse 20 that he could not justify himself. God became man in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, and as the God-man he came to justify sinners like Job, and you and me also. He was the go-between, the mediator, the one who came between God and men, so that men could come into the presence of an holy God.
Consider some of these verses regarding what Christ accomplished for us when He came to earth as a man and died for our sins:
“Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;” – (Matthew 27:50-51)
The veil in the temple separated men from God, but through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus, the veil was removed. Notice that the veil was torn from the top to the bottom signifying that it was God that removed the veil that once kept man from Him.
“Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” – (Hebrews 4:14-16)
Jesus was, and is, fully God, yet also fully man. He understands what it is like to be tempted, because he experienced it; yet without sin. He, as our great high priest, went before us and opened a door for us to now boldly enter the presence of God. We can now enter God’s presence through “the Door”; through “the Way”; through Christ.
There has always been a “daysman”, even in Job’s time; but Job may not have understood it at the time. Praise God, however, we definitely have one that we can know today!
Posted in Thoughts from Job by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Are You Hearing God’s Word – The Saturday Morning Post
Today’s Reading – Nehemiah 8 – 10 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers Read – 1 Corinthians 13 – 16; Psalms 1 – 5; Proverbs 1)
Read the “0601 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
(Nehemiah 8:1-8) “And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel. (2) And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. (3) And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law. (4) And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam. (5) And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up: (6) And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground. (7) Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place. (8) So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.”
(Hebrews 10:23-25) “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) (24) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: (25) Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Good morning. Many times, while out soul winning, I would encounter people who would tell me that they don’t need to go to church. The Bible clearly states that we should not forsake the assembling of ourselves together. It is important to be in God’s house. The Jews of the Old Testament knew this. In Nehemiah 8:1-2, the people gathered themselves together, and compelled Ezra, the priest to bring out the word of God and read it. In vs3 we find that he read it from morning to midday. Verse 3 also tells us that their ears were all attentive to God’s Word. Verses 5-6 tell us that the people stood as Ezra read, and worshiped the LORD. And verse 8 tells us that they read (those in verse 7) in the Book of the Law distinctively, and gave sense, and caused the people to understand the reading.
Do you want to understand what the Bible says, then you need to be in church: church that believes what the Bible says.
Peace.
Posted in Devotions by Pastor Ted Stahl with no comments yet.
I Cannot Come Down
Today’s Reading – Nehemiah 6 – 7 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers Read – 1 Corinthians 9 – 12; Psalms 146 – 150; Proverbs 31)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Deuteronomy 32:4
Read the “0531 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“That Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief. And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?” – (Nehemiah 6:2 – 3)
In our passage today we see Nehemiah busy doing what the Lord had called him to do: rebuilding the wall of the city of Jerusalem. He had a job to do, and he was intent on completing it. Now there were also people in the area that were intent on stopping Nehemiah from fulfilling the will of God, but Nehemiah did not let them distract him from completing his work. I love what Nehemiah said: “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?” The work Nehemiah was doing was certainly great, because it was God that had asked him to do it.
I have a great work to do for the Lord as well, and so do you. God has something to do for all of us who are His children. We must not get distracted from completing the work that God has given us. I have observed through the years that distractions can come from a variety of sources. The wicked one is famous for distracting people away from the will of God. This was the case with Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshom from our text. They were wicked men who did not have Nehemiah’s best interests in mind. They were working against the will of God, but notice how they tried to disguise themselves as God’s servants and as Nehemiah’s friends. As God’s children we need to learn to be discerning about the true motivations of the people around us as they attempt to pull us away from the primary tasks that God has given us.
Another type of distraction comes from good people who often invite us to do “good things”; but even these good things become evil if they take us away from the best things. I am slowly learning how to graciously turn down many “good” invitations from caring people. I simply do not have enough time and energy to do all of the things that I might like to do, especially as they pull me away from the primary areas of my responsibility. As a pastor, I get invited to many birthday’s, picnics, graduations, dinners, weddings, conferences, barbecues, etc. I love to be with God’s people, but I simply cannot go to them all.
A third distraction is the distraction God brings your way. There are times that God will interrupt the daily routine in life in order for you to learn something, or maybe in order for you to accomplish something special for Him. Again, we must be very careful to discern whether these distractions are indeed from God. A few years ago, because of the tight budget at the church I had to go back to a secular job for a few months, which required me to work overnight 6 nights per week. This job was certainly a hindrance that kept me from doing all that I might have wanted to do in the ministry; but I am convinced that God had lead me down that path, at least temporarily. My primary ministry is my family, and God had provided this job as a means for my family to be taken care of while still allowing me to serve as the pastor. However, because of this constraint on my time, I was very limited to what I could do. My life consisted basically of working, sleeping, prayer, Bible reading, studying and preparing for messages, and a little soul winning. That is all that I could do during those months. I had to learn to say no to many other things so that I could do those main things. My focus was still on serving God, but I had to take some time away from that service in order to help the church financially, and in order to put food on my family’s table. God taught me much in the short time that I had been working the outside job, and He even used me to be a light to a very dark workplace. I thank the Lord that my time at the supermarket was short, and that He has turned our church’s financial situation around, but I am convinced that God allowed that period in my life for a reason.
The bottom line of today’s devotion is this: don’t allow distractions to pull you away from the primary things that God wants you to do, unless, of course, it is God who is doing the distracting.
Posted in Thoughts from Nehemiah by Phil Erickson with 6 comments.
The Protection Of God – The Saturday Morning Post
Today’s Reading – 2 Chronicles 32 – 33 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers Read – Romans 1 – 4; Psalm 119; Proverbs 25)
Read the “0525 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
2Chronicles 32:7-8 “Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him: (8) With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.”
Good morning. God’s Word is powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword. It gives us comfort in knowing that God is with us.
1) We can be strong and courageous.
2) We do not have to be afraid or dismayed.
3) We have God to help us.
4) We have God to fight for us.
5) We do not have an arm of flesh like our enemies; we have the LORD our God.
(Proverbs 3:5-6) “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. (6) In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
There are many examples of men in the Bible who refused to believe God.
In this chapter it was Sennacherib king of Assyria.
(2Chronicles 32:9-22) “After this did Sennacherib king of Assyria send his servants to Jerusalem, (but he himself laid siege against Lachish, and all his power with him,) unto Hezekiah king of Judah, and unto all Judah that were at Jerusalem, saying, (10) Thus saith Sennacherib king of Assyria, Whereon do ye trust, that ye abide in the siege in Jerusalem? (11) Doth not Hezekiah persuade you to give over yourselves to die by famine and by thirst, saying, The LORD our God shall deliver us out of the hand of the king of Assyria? (12) Hath not the same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall worship before one altar, and burn incense upon it? (13) Know ye not what I and my fathers have done unto all the people of other lands? were the gods of the nations of those lands any ways able to deliver their lands out of mine hand? (14) Who was there among all the gods of those nations that my fathers utterly destroyed, that could deliver his people out of mine hand, that your God should be able to deliver you out of mine hand? (15) Now therefore let not Hezekiah deceive you, nor persuade you on this manner, neither yet believe him: for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people out of mine hand, and out of the hand of my fathers: how much less shall your God deliver you out of mine hand? (16) And his servants spake yet more against the LORD God, and against his servant Hezekiah. (17) He wrote also letters to rail on the LORD God of Israel, and to speak against him, saying, As the gods of the nations of other lands have not delivered their people out of mine hand, so shall not the God of Hezekiah deliver his people out of mine hand. (18) Then they cried with a loud voice in the Jews’ speech unto the people of Jerusalem that were on the wall, to affright them, and to trouble them; that they might take the city. (19) And they spake against the God of Jerusalem, as against the gods of the people of the earth, which were the work of the hands of man. (20) And for this cause Hezekiah the king, and the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz, prayed and cried to heaven. (21) And the LORD sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword. (22) Thus the LORD saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all other, and guided them on every side.”
God protects His people. And with God’s protection comes…
Peace!
Posted in Devotions by Pastor Ted Stahl with 2 comments.
Seek Ye First
Today’s Reading – 2 Chronicles 29 – 31 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers Read – Acts 25 – 28; Psalms 116 – 120; Proverbs 24)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Micah 6:8
Read the “0524 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Read previous posts from this passage – “Living for the Lord – A Formula for Success;” and “Soulwinning in 2 Chronicles“
“3 He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the LORD, and repaired them.” (2 Chronicles 29:3)
“33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33)
Hezekiah is not my favorite king, but he is high on the list. He definitely started out extremely well. As a very young, 25-year-old king, he made it his first order of business to open the doors of the Temple and repair it. By the way, have you noticed from our reading through these chapters in 1st and 2nd Chronicles that the House of God would always fall into disrepair when God’s people got away from Him. And when a good king came along, he placed the repair of the Temple and the reinstitution of sacrifices and observances high on his priority list. Here in chapter twenty-nine, Hezekiah commands the Levites to remove “the filthiness” out of the Temple. That word, “filthiness,” is an extremely strong word which describes the worst kinds of impurity and here is probably referring to idolatry.
Once all of the garbage was out of the Temple, they began to worship the Lord through sacrifices and singing:
“27 And Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt offering upon the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song of the LORD began also with the trumpets, and with the instruments ordained by David king of Israel. 28 And all the congregation worshipped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded: and all this continued until the burnt offering was finished. 29 And when they had made an end of offering, the king and all that were present with him bowed themselves, and worshipped. 30 Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praise unto the LORD with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshipped.” (2 Chronicles 29:27-30)
I believe that a pattern can be seen here in the reign of King Hezekiah that we can follow in our lives today. We need to get rid of the all the garbage that this world pumps into our lives, homes, and churches also. And we also need to confess our sins and sinfulness to the Lord recognizing the sacrifice that He made for the sins when He died for us on the Cross of Calvary. Then will also be able to sing, praise, and worship the Lord. But let’s not wait to start this process; let’s get right on it. Just as Hezekiah put God at the highest level of priority when he became the king, we need to start right now to put God and His will first in our lives.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 3 comments.