Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

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!

Apr 4th There’s No Sword Like That Sword by Dawson Parker

Today’s Passage –  1 Samuel 19 – 21 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Matthew 7 – 8; Proverbs 4; Psalms 16 – 20)

Read the “0404 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“9 And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me.” (1 Samuel 21:9)

I Samuel 21-23

I want to point out a few things that we should keep in the back of our minds as we go into reading this passage. Just a few chapters prior, David miraculously defeated Goliath and this caused all of Judah and Israel to love David and want him to be their new king. However, this made King Saul very jealous to the point that he wanted to kill David. It is important that we understand that David is on the flee from Saul and he is running for his life.

In I Samuel 21:1, we see that David comes to Ahimelech the priest and is going to get a few things that will aid in his journey as he flees this enemy that wants his life ruined even unto death. Although David has God on his side, David realizes that he needs a weapon. In verse 8, David asks Ahimelech if he has a spear or sword and in verse 9, we see that there was a sword wrapped up in a cloth. This is a great picture of preservation, in that God was keeping that sword perfect for the right time. David takes this sword and remembers the time he used it to cut off the head of Goliath… a time-tested sword that had already won some battles. David says, “There is none like that; give it me”, and takes this sword with him as he flees his enemy Saul. Out of all the things David could have taken with him, he wanted a weapon and he chose the sword.

We can learn a lot from this story and apply it in our lives in that we also have a real enemy, Satan, who is seeking to steal, kill and destroy our lives. We are on the flee every day from this enemy and we need to realize the importance of taking a sword with us. Ephesians 6:17 calls the word of God the sword of the Spirit; you see, God has provided us with the exact weapon we need, a preserved sword that is time tested and has won many battles, the King James Bible. 

I am so thankful for this application from this story and for God giving us his perfect Word. God’s Word is truly the difference maker in this life, but we need to make sure that we are using it as a weapon against our flesh, temptation and Satan. In order to use Gods Word as an efficient weapon, we must know how our weapon works inside and out. I think we can all improve in the area of reading our Bibles and being a diligent student of Gods Word. 

Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged 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.”

Dawson and Lexi Parker

Apr 1st Vain Things – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage – 1 Samuel 12 – 14 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Mathew 1 – 2; Psalms 1 – 5; Proverbs 1

Read the “0401 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart; And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain. For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people.” (1Samuel 12:20-22)

“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:37)

Good morning. In 1974/75 a group of people followed a man down to South America. Four years later, in 1978, almost 1000 died from either poison or gunshot (over 300 were children) in Jonestown, Guyana. If you look up Jonestown on Wikipedia, they have the final recording of Jim Jones’ speech he gave before the mass suicide.

Twenty-six years ago, on March 26, 1997, thirty-nine members of the Heaven’s Gate cult had committed mass suicide, believing their souls would be transported to a spaceship trailing the Hale-Bopp comet.

On September 11th, 2001, another group who were following another man, flew 2 airliners into the World Trade Center in New York. Thinking they were going to go to heaven and receive 70 virgins each. They have been living in a fireball, like the one that destroyed the plane, for almost 22 years now.

“Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?” (Psalm 2:1)

Because they don’t have Jesus. Turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart; and turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain. It’s sad to say that many people do not read the Bible. The Bible will tell them…

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17)

Jesus said…

“Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” (John 5:39)

Jesus also said when Peter asked Him what shall this man do…

“Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.” (John 21:22)

If more people would follow Jesus, and what He says in His Word, there would be more peace in the world. If you know Jesus, that’s good.

“Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” (James 2:19)

But, does Jesus know you?

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matthew 7:21-23)

“If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” (1John 5:9-13)

Peace.