Devotional Thoughts

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...

Judges 7:20-22     "And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.  (21)  And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled.  (22)  And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the LORD set every man's sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host..." At the time appointed, Gideon divided the 300 men into three groups. They went against the darkness in the darkness, but their confidence was in the Lord's power and leadership. The only weapons they had in their hands were trumpets, lamps, and pitchers of clay. They used the element of surprise in the darkness to shatter the pitchers and let the light pierce the darkness. They blew their trumpets and the enemy went into shock thinking they were completely surrounded by a host of ...

Matthew 13:53-58     " And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence.  And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?  Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?  And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?  And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.   And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief."  Jesus had spent a considerable amount of time teaching and doing many miracles of healing. He taught a lot using parables because it was not given to the multitudes to understand the mysteries of the kingdom like it had been to His discipl...

Judges 7:9-10    "And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand.  (10)  But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host" Judges 7:15    "And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the LORD hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian." After a few tests, the time had arrived for Gideon to go against the MIdianites. He had thrown down the fleece in order to be assured that it was the Lord who was telling him to fight. He then assembled 32,000 men to go against the host of the Midianites. That would normally have not been enough men to fight the assembled army of Midian, but in the sight of God that was too many. God pared down the number until it was 300 men of Israel against the "host" of the enemy. You...

Matthew 13:51-52     " Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.  Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old."   It is a great blessing in our lives to understand the things of Christ. The greatest understanding that we can have is that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God (Matthew 16:16). Jesus says if we have this understanding that we are blessed. He also declares that we did not figure it out for ourselves and no man taught us, but rather, it was revealed to us directly from God. I am thankful for the opportunity to share my thoughts with you from the scripture. If you find comfort, hope, or instruction from any of these efforts, know that I do not deserve the credit for that. That is the Holy Spirit working in your life. God alone deserve...

Judges 6:25-27     "And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Take thy father's young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it:  (26)  And build an altar unto the LORD thy God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down.  (27)  Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said unto him: and so it was, because he feared his father's household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night." The first thing God did was to assure Gideon of His presence and power to accompany in the battles ahead. After that assurance God gave his first instructions to the young man: "throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it." He was ...

Matthew 13:44-46     " Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.   Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:   Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it."   The kingdom of heaven is a treasure hidden in a field, and it remains hidden until the Holy Spirit reveals it to us. Once revealed, it is seen as a thing not only of great value but a thing that generates joy. Those that are blessed to find it sell all that they have (seek to lay aside their carnal way of life). Their chief desire is to possess this field where they have found this treasure. They want to own the field and the treasure to keep it, not abandon or re-sell it. This kingdom is also likened unto a dealer (merchant man) who is looking for beautiful pearls. ...

Judges 6:11-12     "And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.  (12)  And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour." I don't intend to write about every judge that was raised up in the book of Judges, but there are a couple that stand out to me. One of them is this man, Gideon. Gideon lived at a time in Israel when there was great opposition against them from the Midianites. Each year just when the crops were ready to be harvested, the Midianites would come in droves and go through the fields like grasshoppers or locusts. They would devour everything that the people had worked so hard to grow. This happened year after year. "And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian ...

This devotional comes from Acts 1:12-14. Before the Spirit moved in power, the church moved into unity, prayer & expectation. These three things still prepare Christ’s people for fresh seasons of renewal.  (12) Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey. (13) And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James. (14) These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.   1. Returning To Obedience (v.12)   The disciples walk back to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives (about a Sabbath day’s journey). It’s a small detail but it reveals something important: They obeyed Jesus even when the...

Matthew 13:31-33     " Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:   Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.   Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened."   Jesus taught the multitude using many parables. This was prophesied of Him in Psalm 78:2. He used parables from their daily existence to teach them about the (to them) ancient truths of God. In these parables, He taught the people concerning the kingdom of heaven. The word translated here as “heaven” carried the idea of elevation and (according to Strong’s) specifically the Gospel. Although it is in the world, the kingdom of heaven is not...

Judges 2:11-16     "And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim:  (12)  And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger.  (13)  And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.  (14)  And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.  (15)  Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed.  (16)  Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spo...

Matthew 13:24-30    " Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:   But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.   But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.   So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?   He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?   But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.   Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn."   We understand the kingdom of heaven as used in the gospels t...

Joshua 10:16-18     "But these five kings fled, and hid themselves in a cave at Makkedah.  (17)  And it was told Joshua, saying, The five kings are found hid in a cave at Makkedah.  (18)  And Joshua said, Roll great stones upon the mouth of the cave, and set men by it for to keep them" Joshua 10:22-25     "Then said Joshua, Open the mouth of the cave, and bring out those five kings unto me out of the cave.  (23)  And they did so, and brought forth those five kings unto him out of the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon.  (24)  And it came to pass, when they brought out those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the captains of the men of war which went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings. And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them.  (25)  And J...

Matthew 13:10-13     " And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.   For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.   Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand."   Matthew 13:16-17     " But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.   For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them."   We sometimes fail to realize what a blessing it is to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ with understandi...

Joshua 10:12-14     "Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.  (13)  And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.  (14)  And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel." I cannot leave Joshua without including this event that took place in his life. Five kings of the Amorites had gathered themselves together to go against the people of Gibeon. The Gibeonites had tricked the people of Israel to make a covenant with them. When the king of Jerusalem heard of this, he called the other kings together...

Matthew 13:3-9      " And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;   And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:   Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:   And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.   And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:   But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.   Who hath ears to hear, let him hear."   We find references in the scriptures to both sowing and planting. While both are designed to yield an increase, there is a difference in the method. Sowing refers to broadly scattering seeds on a prepared field in a sweeping motion whereas planting is done in a more defined area of...

Joshua 2:18     "Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household, home unto thee." Joshua 2:21     "And she said, According unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window." Yesterday we saw the great statement of faith that was given by Rahab to the two spies who had been sent into the land. "I know that the LORD hath given you the land." She had greater faith than the 10 spies who had been sent into the land 40 years prior to this. They doubted. She knew. And not only did she know that God was going to give them the land, she dared believe that this same God would spare her and her family. Her house was on the wall which would soon be crumbling to the ground; yet, she believed God would have mercy upon her. I...

Matthew 13:1-2    " The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.  And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore." Our past several devotionals have all been about one single day in the life of Jesus. He cast out a devil from a blind and mute man and healed him. He rebuked the scribes and Pharisees over their self-centered and self-righteous behavior. By His actions, He proved to those gathered that He was sent from God and both spoke and did good things because they came from a good source. When His mother and brothers came to see Him, He used that as a moment to teach us that, as His disciples, we are all family to Him. The close of chapter twelve tells us that His mother and brother were waiting outside the house to see Him. I imagine this was because there were so many people already in the house there was no room for anyone else to come in. On this same d...

Joshua 2:9-11    "And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.  (10)  For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.  (11)  And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath." "And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there." (Joshua 2:1) If we remember, one of the things that struck fear into the hearts of the 10 spies was the fact that Canaan had "great wal...

Matthew 12:46-50     " While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him.  Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.  But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?   And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!   For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother."   Jesus, as a man, was tempted in all points like we are (Hebrews 4:15). He never yielded to these temptations and therefore never sinned. We also know that He ate and slept like other men. He got tired and needed to rest (John 4:6, Mark 6:31). Jesus travelled with His disciples to their cities. He healed multitudes of diseases and cast out devils. He taught words of hope and comfort while contending w...

Joshua 14:11-14     "As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in.  (12)  Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said.  (13)  And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance.  (14)  Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite unto this day, because that he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel." "As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in. ... Now therefore give me this mountain..." Caleb was a great ma...

Matthew 12:43-45     " When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.   Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.   Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation."   Jesus has been dealing with the self-righteousness of the Pharisees throughout most of this chapter. He has repeatedly pointed out the falsehoods they profess, all to discredit the very One they claimed to be looking for. The Pharisees were not really seeking a Savior in the sense that they saw themselves as needy sinners. Their desire was for one to come and “save” them by elevating them above other men and to make them rulers in the land. In our verses this...

Numbers 14:6-9     "And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes:  (7)  And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land.  (8)  If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.  (9)  Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not." We cannot talk about Joshua without also looking at Caleb. Their lives are very familiar to all of us. Out of the 12 spies who were sent to search out the land, they were the only 2 whose faith stood firm. The other ten spies became afraid and their hearts melted because of the walled cities and the giants that inhabited the land. But Joshua an...

Matthew 12:38-42     " Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.  But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:   For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.   The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.   The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here." The scribes and Pharisees that were gathered saw Jesus cast the devil out of the man that was blind and m...