Tuesday, Ordinary 31, Proper 26, Nov 4
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Meditation
Tuesday, Ordinary 31, Proper 26 told the story of God's intervention. The Old Testament showed Joshua leading the Hebrews to take Jericho. There was the high walled city of Jericho with its armed soldiers walking the walls, which must have appeared fearsome to the Children of Israel.
But God told Joshua what to do—he would give the victory to his people. Walk silently around the walls of the city once every day for six days with the soldiers preceding the Priests who would be trumpeting their presence. On the seventh day, they walked seven times, the trumpeting priests, the only noise, until Joshua gave the word and they all shouted.
Geologists suggested that walking the circumference of the city undermined the wall construction, much the same way an earthquake would. The results were that the walls fell down and the city was taken by the Israelites.
The New Testament lesson recounted a story of Barnabas and Saul who were called to a special intervention in Cyprus. They went to Salamis, where a man, who was able to conjure magical events, had appealed to crowds. The Christians laid hands on Saul and Barnabas to go to Cyprus and they declared that Elymus/Bar-Jesus, the false prophet, would be blinded. He became blind. The result was that the magician’s friend, the governor, believed in Jesus.
For all the times when people think that things would be impossible, God demonstrated that he would intervene for the times when people needed a miracle to bring the people to believe.
It reminded me of a story of a missionary to Burma (now known as Myanmar). He was smuggled in the trunk of a car for two and a half hours. He came to a town of cannibals, where the chief determined whether someone could enter or not. The missionary lived in a cave above the town for two years without gaining entrance. People visited him and some befriended him, but one day, a friend came and said the chief wanted the missionary to come quickly. The chief’s prize bull had died and none of his wizards could bring him back to life. The missionary reluctantly went, wondering what he could do, but then he remembered that God had presented him the opportunity. It was not the missionary’s job to raise the bull; it would have been God’s. He said a simple prayer and laid his hands on the bull and though it had been dead for several days, it rose up and lived.
In everything, it was God’s intervention that made the difference. God is sovereign and when the issue will influence how people will turn to God, God can and will intervene in miraculous ways.
Thanks be to God.
Prayer: Almighty God, Open my eyes that I might see. Open my mind that I might understand. Open my heart that I might make your words a part of me. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight. Amen
Bible Readings
http://legacy.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm 128;Joshua 4:1-24;1 Thessalonians 2:13-20&version=KJV;ERV;GNT;NCV;NIV (multiple versions)
Psalm 128
Joshua 6:1-16 Joshua 6:20
Acts 13:1-12
Psalm 107:1
King James Version (KJV)
107 O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth forever.
Joshua 6:1-16 20
King James Version (KJV)
6 Now Jericho was straightly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.
2 And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.
3 And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.
4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.
5 And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.
6 And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD.
7 And he said unto the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the LORD.
8 And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns passed on before the LORD, and blew with the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them.
9 And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rereward came after the ark, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.
10 And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout.
11 So the ark of the LORD compassed the city, going about it once: and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp.
12 And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD.
13 And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD went on continually, and blew with the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; but the rereward came after the ark of the LORD, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.
14 And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp: so they did six days.
15 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times.
16 And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city.
20 So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.
OBSERVE:
Take a moment and write three observations of the verses. What strikes you? An observation is an observable fact from the Word.
1.
2.
3.
INTERPRETATION:
What do you interpret these verses to mean for you?
APPLY:
Today, I learned _____________________________________and apply it to my life.
Prayer
Almighty God, we trust you Lord to work all things together for your glory. You gave Jericho to your chosen people and you silenced the mouth of the false prophet by blinding him. We thank you for your loving care and praise your wisdom. In Jesus name, Amen
Conclusion
Tuesday, Ordinary 31, Proper 26 demonstrated the power of God at work in miraculous ways to bring people to believe in God. The Old Testament lesson in Joshua told of the heavily fortified walled city of Jericho fell into the hands of the Children of Israel because they obeyed the Lord and he intervened on their behalf. The people of Canaan already had seen the successes or heard of them before the Hebrew people crossed the Jordan River.
Saul and Barnabas were called by God for a special task to halt the work of a false prophet who had the ear of the Governor in Cyprus. They called upon the Lord to blind him. When he lost his sight, the Governor believed in Jesus.
God can and will intervene when the chance to transform the lives of believers is possible.
Go out and be ready for God to do mighty things in your life—for the glory of God.*
*If you do not know the Lord as your personal Savior and you are seeking, please contact me. A genuine and simple prayer, asking God into your heart for the forgiveness of your sins will also do.
Tuesday, Ordinary 31, Proper 26 told the story of God's intervention. The Old Testament showed Joshua leading the Hebrews to take Jericho. There was the high walled city of Jericho with its armed soldiers walking the walls, which must have appeared fearsome to the Children of Israel.
But God told Joshua what to do—he would give the victory to his people. Walk silently around the walls of the city once every day for six days with the soldiers preceding the Priests who would be trumpeting their presence. On the seventh day, they walked seven times, the trumpeting priests, the only noise, until Joshua gave the word and they all shouted.
Geologists suggested that walking the circumference of the city undermined the wall construction, much the same way an earthquake would. The results were that the walls fell down and the city was taken by the Israelites.
The New Testament lesson recounted a story of Barnabas and Saul who were called to a special intervention in Cyprus. They went to Salamis, where a man, who was able to conjure magical events, had appealed to crowds. The Christians laid hands on Saul and Barnabas to go to Cyprus and they declared that Elymus/Bar-Jesus, the false prophet, would be blinded. He became blind. The result was that the magician’s friend, the governor, believed in Jesus.
For all the times when people think that things would be impossible, God demonstrated that he would intervene for the times when people needed a miracle to bring the people to believe.
It reminded me of a story of a missionary to Burma (now known as Myanmar). He was smuggled in the trunk of a car for two and a half hours. He came to a town of cannibals, where the chief determined whether someone could enter or not. The missionary lived in a cave above the town for two years without gaining entrance. People visited him and some befriended him, but one day, a friend came and said the chief wanted the missionary to come quickly. The chief’s prize bull had died and none of his wizards could bring him back to life. The missionary reluctantly went, wondering what he could do, but then he remembered that God had presented him the opportunity. It was not the missionary’s job to raise the bull; it would have been God’s. He said a simple prayer and laid his hands on the bull and though it had been dead for several days, it rose up and lived.
In everything, it was God’s intervention that made the difference. God is sovereign and when the issue will influence how people will turn to God, God can and will intervene in miraculous ways.
Thanks be to God.
Prayer: Almighty God, Open my eyes that I might see. Open my mind that I might understand. Open my heart that I might make your words a part of me. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight. Amen
Bible Readings
http://legacy.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm 128;Joshua 4:1-24;1 Thessalonians 2:13-20&version=KJV;ERV;GNT;NCV;NIV (multiple versions)
Psalm 128
Joshua 6:1-16 Joshua 6:20
Acts 13:1-12
Psalm 107:1
King James Version (KJV)
107 O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth forever.
Joshua 6:1-16 20
King James Version (KJV)
6 Now Jericho was straightly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.
2 And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.
3 And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.
4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.
5 And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.
6 And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD.
7 And he said unto the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the LORD.
8 And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns passed on before the LORD, and blew with the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them.
9 And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rereward came after the ark, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.
10 And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout.
11 So the ark of the LORD compassed the city, going about it once: and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp.
12 And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD.
13 And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD went on continually, and blew with the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; but the rereward came after the ark of the LORD, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.
14 And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp: so they did six days.
15 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times.
16 And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city.
20 So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.
OBSERVE:
Take a moment and write three observations of the verses. What strikes you? An observation is an observable fact from the Word.
1.
2.
3.
INTERPRETATION:
What do you interpret these verses to mean for you?
APPLY:
Today, I learned _____________________________________and apply it to my life.
Prayer
Almighty God, we trust you Lord to work all things together for your glory. You gave Jericho to your chosen people and you silenced the mouth of the false prophet by blinding him. We thank you for your loving care and praise your wisdom. In Jesus name, Amen
Conclusion
Tuesday, Ordinary 31, Proper 26 demonstrated the power of God at work in miraculous ways to bring people to believe in God. The Old Testament lesson in Joshua told of the heavily fortified walled city of Jericho fell into the hands of the Children of Israel because they obeyed the Lord and he intervened on their behalf. The people of Canaan already had seen the successes or heard of them before the Hebrew people crossed the Jordan River.
Saul and Barnabas were called by God for a special task to halt the work of a false prophet who had the ear of the Governor in Cyprus. They called upon the Lord to blind him. When he lost his sight, the Governor believed in Jesus.
God can and will intervene when the chance to transform the lives of believers is possible.
Go out and be ready for God to do mighty things in your life—for the glory of God.*
*If you do not know the Lord as your personal Savior and you are seeking, please contact me. A genuine and simple prayer, asking God into your heart for the forgiveness of your sins will also do.
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