I Sam 16 Samuel anoints David
First, the Lord tells Samuel to stop grieving over Saul.
Then He tells him to go anoint David.
Samuels response was "How can I go?"
- Somehow this really touched me. Samuel was human, and he was afraid. I don't remember seeing Samuel question anything the Lord has told him until now. He just did it. Israel feared him. The elders of Bethlehem trembled before him. But now you see him grieving over Saul and questioning God. And what delights me is that God gives him a solution in his dilemma...."take a heifer and tell them you've come to sacrifice to Me..."
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Monday, October 21, 2013
Judges 2
Started Judges yesterday and there are so many things to think of in this chapter:
1. The angel of the Lord, Himself, came to Israel to rebuke them for not obeying Him by clearing out the remainder of the inhabitants of the land He had given them. Bochim was the name of the place.
2. v. 10 All that generation also were gathered to their fathers and there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord, nor yet the work He had done for Israel.
tho't - This was the next generation. Surely some of them would have been alive for the battles. Even if it were the 3rd generation, what happened to oral tradition of families???? Do you not know stories of your grandparents? Did you not know your grandparents as a child?
take away - It is so important to teach our children about the Lord, to live out our relationship with Him before them, and allow the Lord to put them and us in situations where we and them learn to trust Him for things that would be impossible for us alone. Muse....I wonder how many more opportunities our children have had to see this as a result of us being missionaries????? On second thought...anyone called out by the Lord, of which all Christians are, will have opportunities to trust - that's the nature of faith..
Started Judges yesterday and there are so many things to think of in this chapter:
1. The angel of the Lord, Himself, came to Israel to rebuke them for not obeying Him by clearing out the remainder of the inhabitants of the land He had given them. Bochim was the name of the place.
2. v. 10 All that generation also were gathered to their fathers and there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord, nor yet the work He had done for Israel.
tho't - This was the next generation. Surely some of them would have been alive for the battles. Even if it were the 3rd generation, what happened to oral tradition of families???? Do you not know stories of your grandparents? Did you not know your grandparents as a child?
take away - It is so important to teach our children about the Lord, to live out our relationship with Him before them, and allow the Lord to put them and us in situations where we and them learn to trust Him for things that would be impossible for us alone. Muse....I wonder how many more opportunities our children have had to see this as a result of us being missionaries????? On second thought...anyone called out by the Lord, of which all Christians are, will have opportunities to trust - that's the nature of faith..
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
All that blood! (Leviticus 4)
All that blood! I'm reading this as one who as a child watched as animals were slaughtered and butchered. And the sounds and smells and "mess" come back to me. And I wonder how all this took place in that tabernacle. There was only one altar! And all those people!! Did they, the priests, butcher animals all day long, day after day? Did they clean the altar after the blood was spilled? Can you imagine how much blood a single ox would have? And all its blood poured out at the base of the altar! And animals are messy anyway - urine and feces anywhere and everywhere. And the priests in those beautiful clothes! I can't picture it!
Then we get to to the sin offering for the people .. it is slain before the Lord and taken outside the camp and burned. And we see Jesus, the ultimate sin offering. And I realize He was slain before the Lord. God watched as His son's blood poured out before Him and He was taken outside the camp to die (as so much refuse).
Then I read 4:20.. "So the priest shall make atonement for them and they will be forgiven."
Not only was Jesus the sacrifice but He was the priest as well! Isn't it like God to take care of everything Himself?
refer to Hebrews 7 (Jesus' priesthood) and Genesis 15 (God's covenant with Abraham)
All that blood! I'm reading this as one who as a child watched as animals were slaughtered and butchered. And the sounds and smells and "mess" come back to me. And I wonder how all this took place in that tabernacle. There was only one altar! And all those people!! Did they, the priests, butcher animals all day long, day after day? Did they clean the altar after the blood was spilled? Can you imagine how much blood a single ox would have? And all its blood poured out at the base of the altar! And animals are messy anyway - urine and feces anywhere and everywhere. And the priests in those beautiful clothes! I can't picture it!
Then we get to to the sin offering for the people .. it is slain before the Lord and taken outside the camp and burned. And we see Jesus, the ultimate sin offering. And I realize He was slain before the Lord. God watched as His son's blood poured out before Him and He was taken outside the camp to die (as so much refuse).
Then I read 4:20.. "So the priest shall make atonement for them and they will be forgiven."
Not only was Jesus the sacrifice but He was the priest as well! Isn't it like God to take care of everything Himself?
refer to Hebrews 7 (Jesus' priesthood) and Genesis 15 (God's covenant with Abraham)
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
5/29/13 Gen 16.7
"Now the angel of the Lord found her....."
I love this. The angel of the Lord, Jesus Himself, has gone in search - for one woman, a servant (or was she a slave?), a runaway.
I love it because the one is so great and the other insignificant. I love it because I like to think the Lord Himself came in search of me, the runaway. I know He did. I'm just not sure why. Why me? Why Hagar? What could possibly be His motivation?.....I'm just glad He did.
"Now the angel of the Lord found her....."
I love this. The angel of the Lord, Jesus Himself, has gone in search - for one woman, a servant (or was she a slave?), a runaway.
I love it because the one is so great and the other insignificant. I love it because I like to think the Lord Himself came in search of me, the runaway. I know He did. I'm just not sure why. Why me? Why Hagar? What could possibly be His motivation?.....I'm just glad He did.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
w/o cost
Rev. 21:6 " I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost."
Is. 55:1 "Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters. And you who have no $, come buy and eat."
This is what delights me about God. We read His word and something, some word or passage jumps out at us & He reminds us that at some point in time we had a question, and HERE is the answer. So not only does He give us the answer, but He reminds us that we had a question. That makes me smile.
"w/o cost"
When I was young and searching for meaning to life - so very determined that Christianity was not the answer - I looked into TM (transcendental meditation). I wonder if it is still around??? It must have been in vogue in the 70s. Never mind, the thing about it was, you had to pay for it. I don't remember the details, I just remember that it cost. And I decided that TM could not be the answer to life because only those who could pay would have it. It wasn't for everyone.
So I'm reading Rev. 21 this morning and I run across v.6, "I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life w/o cost". And the Lord reminded me of my search so many years ago. I had indeed found my answer to life in the course of time and yes, it had been w/o cost.
Is. 55:1 "Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters. And you who have no $, come buy and eat."
This is what delights me about God. We read His word and something, some word or passage jumps out at us & He reminds us that at some point in time we had a question, and HERE is the answer. So not only does He give us the answer, but He reminds us that we had a question. That makes me smile.
"w/o cost"
When I was young and searching for meaning to life - so very determined that Christianity was not the answer - I looked into TM (transcendental meditation). I wonder if it is still around??? It must have been in vogue in the 70s. Never mind, the thing about it was, you had to pay for it. I don't remember the details, I just remember that it cost. And I decided that TM could not be the answer to life because only those who could pay would have it. It wasn't for everyone.
So I'm reading Rev. 21 this morning and I run across v.6, "I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life w/o cost". And the Lord reminded me of my search so many years ago. I had indeed found my answer to life in the course of time and yes, it had been w/o cost.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)