Devotional Thoughts

Matthew 14:14-16     "And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.  And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.  But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat." Upon learning of the death of John the Baptist, Jesus got on a boat and left town. He went to a desert (lonely) place to have some quiet time. People soon discovered that He had left on a boat. While He was crossing the Sea of Galilee, the multitudes from the cities followed on foot. When Jesus stepped out of the ship, He saw a great multitude. The scripture makes it clear that, while there were always those that opposed Him, there were also always great crowds of people that followed Him. Jesus saw this great multitude and was moved with sympathy for th...

Ruth 1:14-17     "And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her.  (15)  And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law.  (16)  And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:  (17)  Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me." The book of Ruth is a wonderful love story in the Bible. It begins with a struggle in the homeland of Elimelech and Naomi. "There was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons." The beginning of this story reminds me of the movie, "Grapes of Wrath,"...

Matthew 14:9-13     " And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath's sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her.   And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison.  And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother.  And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus.  When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities."   Herod (the king under consideration) learned a difficult lesson. It is one that we would do well to heed. Herod was having a good time being celebrated, and it had gone to his head. Without any consideration for the consequences, he made a very public promise to his stepdaughter that she could have anything she wanted as a reward for entertaining him and his guests. It did not matter that he was sorr...

Judges 13:24-25     "And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.  (25)  And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol." It behoves us to include Samson in our list of the judges of Israel. As I begin this writing, I'm reminded of the words of Balaam when he was asked to place a curse on the nation of Israel.  "Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!" (Numbers 23:10) Samson went through many trials and temptations, but he wanted his death to be "the death of the righteous." When I think of Samson, I think of the words of someone concerning the effects of sin. I'm sorry, but I don't know who to give credit for these words. "Sin will take you farther than you wanted to go. It will keep you longer than you wanted to stay. And it will cost you more than you wanted to pay." These words surely apply to ...

Matthew 14:1-2      " At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus,  And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him." Matthew 14:5-8     " And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.  But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod.  Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask.  And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist's head in a charger."   The term “Herod” was more of a title than it was a name. Herod the Great (the Herod that ordered the death of the children in Bethlehem two years old and under) was ruler in Judah when Jesus was born and is the father of the Herod under consideration here. The original Herod divided the kingdom of Judah into f...