4 posts tagged “war”
[60]
NEHEMIAH
Read Nehemiah 1–2; 4:1–15
I answered them by saying, "The God of heaven will give us success." Nehemiah 2:20a NIV
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Nehemiah, a cupbearer for the King of Persia, received some alarming news from Judah: "Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire." (1:3) The king agreed to allow Nehemiah to go and help his people rebuild Jerusalem – but the enemies of the Jews were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites. (2:10)
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Not only was the work overwhelming–leaving the people exhausted–but three local officials set out to discourage the people with ridicule and intimidation. When that didn’t work, they threatened to fight against them. Nehemiah encouraged the people to "Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes." (4:14)
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Lord, in our homes and churches, we need encouragement for some of these same issues ─ maintaining motivation, overcoming fatigue and dealing with our spiritual enemy who says we cannot succeed. Help us to remember Nehemiah's words: "The joy of the LORD is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10)
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"Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families…." Nehemiah 4:13 NIV
[50]
Read 2 Kings 3:1–4:7
"Make this valley full of ditches. For this is what the LORD says: 'You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink.' " 2 Kings 3:16-17 NIV
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In these stories, Elisha performs two miracles: One for the armies of Judah and Israel, asking God to deliver them from the Moabites–and the other for a widow and her sons who could not pay her creditors.
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In each case, Elisha asked them to do something that demonstrated their faith: The armies were to dig ditches–in anticipation that God will fill them with water. The widow and her sons were to gather empty jars–believing that God would fill them with oil.
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Both the armies and the widow were faced with a situation they couldn’t handle alone. They had to acknowledge that God was able to meet their needs, by obeying the Word of the Lord spoken through Elisha. The jars were filled with oil and the ditches with water–which miraculously appeared to be blood–causing the Moabites to be defeated.
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We too can be victorious when our hearts are filled with the water of God’s Word and faith in the shed blood of Jesus for our sins. Like the widow’s jars, we will be filled with the oil of God’s Holy Spirit.
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Lord, I bring my empty jar to You. Fill me with a double portion of Your Holy Spirit as I walk out into this day, and may the oil and water continue to flow out to others through me.
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"If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." John 7:37b-38 NIV
[38]
Read 1 Samuel 17
When Eliab, David's oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he asked, "Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited you are … you came down only to watch the battle." "Now what have I done?" said David. "Can't I even speak?" He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter… 1 Samuel 17:28‑30
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One cannot help but smile in reading this interaction between the oldest and youngest of Jesse’s sons. God had already put it into David’s heart to lead Israel, though neither David nor his brother knew it yet. David would have to go through many trials before God gave him the throne as king, but he was anointed by Samuel while he was still a boy. Now, as he faces Goliath, it becomes obvious why God chose him. But God also had plans for David’s brother Eliab, just as he does for all of His people.
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Lord, I have no idea what you have planned in the future for my children. But my deepest desire is that they will follow You and love You with all of their hearts. As we faithfully ask You for wisdom to teach them; speak to their hearts and lead them to walk in Your perfect will.
* * *
Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand …”
1 Samuel 17:45-46a NKJV
THE GIBEONITES
Read Joshua 9:1–10:14
The Gibeonites then sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: "Do not abandon your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us! Help us, because all the Amorite kings from the hill country have joined forces against us." Joshua 10:6 NIV
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When the Gibeonites heard about Israel’s miraculous victories at Jericho and Ai, they resorted to a ruse: They pretended to be traveling from a distant country when in fact they were near neighbors. They said, “This bread of ours was warm when we packed it at home on the day we left to come to you. But now see how dry and moldy it is.” The men of Israel sampled their provisions “but did not inquire of the LORD.” (Joshua 9:14) Then Joshua signed a treaty with them and the leaders ratified it by oath.
In spite of the questionable way this treaty came about, God expected Israel to honor it. The Lord worked a mighty miracle on the day the Israelites defended the Gibeonites’: The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day till the nation avenged itself on its enemies. (Joshua 10:13)
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Lord, help me to be careful when making promises and faithful to keep them–especially to my children–remembering that You are a covenant keeping God. “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.” (2 Corinthians 1:20 NKJV)
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There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the LORD listened to a man. Surely the LORD was fighting for Israel! Joshua 10:14 NIV
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