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God’s message to me: We Christians really don’t know the power we can wield. God has promised us the ability to do all we read about in the bible and more. Despite that fact we continue to assume the days of miracles are over. With faith the size of a mustard seed we can move a mountain. We can heal and cast out demons. We can survive attack and withstand poison as long as God wills us to. We have no reason to fear embarrassment. If we can agree together before God and ask things in the name of His Son they will be granted that our joy may be full and that His power will be known.
Promises: God is not mocked. When the king demanded Elijah to come God revealed His power by burning the soldiers where they stood when Elijah asked Him too. He did it to prove He was God and Elijah was His man. He parted the waters for Elijah and again for Elisha to show Elisha he was indeed empowered as his predecessor. He also fulfilled the curse of Elisha on the boys who mocked him.
Commands: Do what God commands, no matter how useless it may seem, and He will provide far more than you could imagine to fulfill your needs and desires.
Timeless principles: God will often use the same thing that brings success to His people to bring disaster on their enemies. The king of Judah, who served God, went with the kings of Samaria(Israel) and Edom(the children of Esau) to battle the Moabites. Lacking water they sought the council of Elisha.
Because of Jehoshaphat, who served the Lord, Elisha inquired of the Lord and instructed them to dig ditches in the valley where they were camped. God filled the ditches with water so that the army and it’s animals could drink, he caused the water to look like blood to the Moabites so that they thought the three kings fought amongst each other and dashed in for an easy victory, only to find 3 armies, rested, fed and watered, ready to overcome them.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Trust God and don’t worry about the means. When God told the kings to dig ditches He also told them those ditches would be filled with water miraculously. The water wouldn’t come from rain or runoff or a stream or any other visible source. God would fill them. God did fill them and He can fulfill your needs just as miraculously.
more to learn for in-depth study: Baal Zebub, which is where we get the name Beelzebub, means Lord of the flies and was one of several false gods known as Baal.
tomorrow: Second Kings 4-6
Showing posts with label Moab. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Moab. Show all posts
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
The book of Ruth
God’s message to me: If family can’t take care of each other, who will? Many will scoff at the connection I make with politics but history backs me up. The key reason for the welfare state is to undermine this concept of family. By making the state the source of help the bond of family is loosened. Reading the books and writings of Marx, Lenin, Mao and other communist leaders you see that this was their purpose in creating such states. The old and honored system known as the widows and orphans assistance became the modern welfare system. One was designed to provide for people who had little or no help from family during harsh financial times and with the loss of young men in WWI and WWI. The latter was the attempt of the state to take over a roll traditionally held by family, church and private charity.
Don’t begrudge the family member who needs help. Even though it may be a hardship at times, it is an opportunity for you to gain the Blessings God has for those who will stand for their family. If God can’t trust you to take care of relatives how can He trust you with interests beyond your family?
Promises: God blesses those who care for their family. Marriage was established and ordained by God to form this bond between people. Fulfilling the obligations of this bond will bring favor upon you.
Each person here gained favor from God for taking care of family. Naomi and Ruth cared for each other like mother and daughter. Ruth worked to provide for her mother and Naomi saw to the strategy that would provide for Ruth. Boaz, took care of Naomi and Ruth as family. He not only ordered that she be allowed to glean in the field but that his men intentionally drop extra grain for her. When she came to him on the threshing floor he sent her home with 6 ephahs of threshed grain. This probably doesn’t mean much to many people without knowing what an ephah is. The ephah is a dry measure slightly larger than a bushel. She went home to Naomi with over 6 bushels of cleaned grain. When she had gleaned in the field he saw to it she drank from the water his men had drawn and ate with the workers from the food already prepared. she even took home some of the prepared food along with what she gleaned to her mother(in-law).
For their actions, Naomi got a grandson raised in the name of Ruth’s late husband, Ruth got a husband of means. Boaz got a family and children and a son named Obed, who became the father of Jesse who was the father of David the king of Israel whose line leads to Jesus the Messiah. That’s some serious blessings.
Commands: Honor thy father and mother that thy days may be long upon the earth. This commandment is only the beginning of the responsibility to family and the law is filled with rules for taking care of family though all the ups and downs. This is the story of family.
Timeless principles: God can bring blessing through the harshest of circumstances. Naomi moved, with her husband and sons, to a foreign land to survive a famine. While living in this land her husband died, her sons married and then her sons died. She had no more children, no grandchildren and felt herself to old to start a family. She sent her daughters in law back to their homes so that they could find a life for themselves. She wanted these young women to have a chance for love and happiness and another husband and children. She knew no way to provide these things herself.
Orpah, one of the daughters-in-law protested but eventually gave in and returned home.(yes that’s how it’s spelled, yes it’s where Oprah got her name and yes she has said her family didn’t know how to spell it.) The other daughter-in-law Ruth refused to leave her mother-in-law.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Help family when they are in need according to all that I can help. Providing for family is the first duty, if I can’t be trusted to help my relative how can I be trusted to help others.
more to learn for in-depth study: Consider the tradition of the time. The male children had their inheritance in the house of their father. What their father left as inheritance would go through the male line unless there were no males. The daughters had their inheritance in the house of their husband. Fathers and mothers made a point of finding good husbands for their daughters so that they would be taken care of. The husband would inherit from the father and the wife shared in that inheritance.
Elimelech sold his land and then died in a foreign land, His sons died having had no children and with nothing to their name. The right of redemption in Jewish law applied to the men so even the opportunity to redeem their lands in Israel was not available to Naomi or here daughters-in-law. Sending Orpah home was the kindest and most loving act Naomi could think to provide the young woman. Ruth, refused to abandon her new family. She had married into this family and felt her loyalty belonged to Naomi. Naomi, in turn, did everything she could to ensure a future for Ruth in Israel while Ruth, worked hard to provide for herself and her mother-in-law.
The duty of close kin was to become husband to the childless widow and raise a son in the name of her late husband. The closest relative refused this job for fear he would not have a son to raise in his own name. Boaz took the job with honor, marrying Ruth, bringing a son in the name of her late husband and several more as well.
GENEALOGY: The son of Jacob (also called Israel) was Judah. Judah was the father of Perez who was father to Hezron who became father to Ram the father of Amminadab. Amminadab was father of Nashon who was father to Salmon the father of Boaz.
Boaz married Ruth and had a son named Obed who became the father of Jesse whose son David killed the giant named Goliath of Gath, and later became the king of Israel. From the family line of king David was born Jesus the Christ who died for our sins and rose from the dead to save us.
tomorrow: First Samuel 1-3
Don’t begrudge the family member who needs help. Even though it may be a hardship at times, it is an opportunity for you to gain the Blessings God has for those who will stand for their family. If God can’t trust you to take care of relatives how can He trust you with interests beyond your family?
Promises: God blesses those who care for their family. Marriage was established and ordained by God to form this bond between people. Fulfilling the obligations of this bond will bring favor upon you.
Each person here gained favor from God for taking care of family. Naomi and Ruth cared for each other like mother and daughter. Ruth worked to provide for her mother and Naomi saw to the strategy that would provide for Ruth. Boaz, took care of Naomi and Ruth as family. He not only ordered that she be allowed to glean in the field but that his men intentionally drop extra grain for her. When she came to him on the threshing floor he sent her home with 6 ephahs of threshed grain. This probably doesn’t mean much to many people without knowing what an ephah is. The ephah is a dry measure slightly larger than a bushel. She went home to Naomi with over 6 bushels of cleaned grain. When she had gleaned in the field he saw to it she drank from the water his men had drawn and ate with the workers from the food already prepared. she even took home some of the prepared food along with what she gleaned to her mother(in-law).
For their actions, Naomi got a grandson raised in the name of Ruth’s late husband, Ruth got a husband of means. Boaz got a family and children and a son named Obed, who became the father of Jesse who was the father of David the king of Israel whose line leads to Jesus the Messiah. That’s some serious blessings.
Commands: Honor thy father and mother that thy days may be long upon the earth. This commandment is only the beginning of the responsibility to family and the law is filled with rules for taking care of family though all the ups and downs. This is the story of family.
Timeless principles: God can bring blessing through the harshest of circumstances. Naomi moved, with her husband and sons, to a foreign land to survive a famine. While living in this land her husband died, her sons married and then her sons died. She had no more children, no grandchildren and felt herself to old to start a family. She sent her daughters in law back to their homes so that they could find a life for themselves. She wanted these young women to have a chance for love and happiness and another husband and children. She knew no way to provide these things herself.
Orpah, one of the daughters-in-law protested but eventually gave in and returned home.(yes that’s how it’s spelled, yes it’s where Oprah got her name and yes she has said her family didn’t know how to spell it.) The other daughter-in-law Ruth refused to leave her mother-in-law.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Help family when they are in need according to all that I can help. Providing for family is the first duty, if I can’t be trusted to help my relative how can I be trusted to help others.
more to learn for in-depth study: Consider the tradition of the time. The male children had their inheritance in the house of their father. What their father left as inheritance would go through the male line unless there were no males. The daughters had their inheritance in the house of their husband. Fathers and mothers made a point of finding good husbands for their daughters so that they would be taken care of. The husband would inherit from the father and the wife shared in that inheritance.
Elimelech sold his land and then died in a foreign land, His sons died having had no children and with nothing to their name. The right of redemption in Jewish law applied to the men so even the opportunity to redeem their lands in Israel was not available to Naomi or here daughters-in-law. Sending Orpah home was the kindest and most loving act Naomi could think to provide the young woman. Ruth, refused to abandon her new family. She had married into this family and felt her loyalty belonged to Naomi. Naomi, in turn, did everything she could to ensure a future for Ruth in Israel while Ruth, worked hard to provide for herself and her mother-in-law.
The duty of close kin was to become husband to the childless widow and raise a son in the name of her late husband. The closest relative refused this job for fear he would not have a son to raise in his own name. Boaz took the job with honor, marrying Ruth, bringing a son in the name of her late husband and several more as well.
GENEALOGY: The son of Jacob (also called Israel) was Judah. Judah was the father of Perez who was father to Hezron who became father to Ram the father of Amminadab. Amminadab was father of Nashon who was father to Salmon the father of Boaz.
Boaz married Ruth and had a son named Obed who became the father of Jesse whose son David killed the giant named Goliath of Gath, and later became the king of Israel. From the family line of king David was born Jesus the Christ who died for our sins and rose from the dead to save us.
tomorrow: First Samuel 1-3
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Deuteronomy 33-34
God’s message to me: Bless others, bless your children, bless Israel and remember that anything God has promised is yours for the taking. You only need to ask God for it and claim the prize.
Promises: God blesses His people. God blesses those you speak blessings for. God’s blessings are spelled out in His word and you need only claim them for yourself and others to obtain them. God wants to HEAR from you. Speak the blessings into the lives of those around you. Pray for the blessings God has promised you. Claim the promises of God and don’t be afraid to repeat yourself.
Commands: Bless others. When God tells us we should be a blessing, it doesn’t just mean our actions. God gives plenty of examples of how to bless someone. Praying over someone, speaking aloud the blessings that should fall, leaning on God to know what He has planned for their life and knowing the promises of God so that you cn claim them on behalf of others and speak them into existence in their lives.
We, as Christians, give up to much power to our lack of faith. God gave us the power to bless and the power to call things into existence in His name. The power to heal and be healed is in our hands. What we bind in earth is bound in heaven and what we loose on earth is loose in heaven. God gave us the power we merely need to claim it. I want to repeat myself on Jews blessing their children. The success of so many enterprises owned and run by Jews is the direct result of Jewish parents understanding the example they have been given of blessing their children. The huge number of Hollywood and Washington DC elites that have Jewish surnames is no accident. It is the hand of God in their lives as a result of the prayer and faith in blessing from their parents.
Timeless principles: God blesses those whom He loves. The Israelites as a whole and by tribes have had a number of blessings spoken over them on the record so far. Each has been prophetic in both the good and ill that would come of the tribes actions. Every one has carried the promise of good things for them which we will see come to them in the coming books.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Learn, understand, claim and enjoy God’s promises for your life. You cannot claim what He doesn’t give and it’s hard to claim what you don’t know has been given. If God has promised it, you should have it, because He wants to give us everything that our joy may be full.
more to learn for in-depth study: Moses lived 120 years and walked to his own funeral. (yes I borrowed that from Hagee). Moses lived in the will of God and did what he was supposed to. When he died at 120 years old he still had the youth and vigor of a young man. His physical abilities were not diminished in any way throughout his life. When I see news stories of some person still active at more than 100 years old and I hear them give credit to God for keeping them so, I know that it is the truth. In fact I don’t know of to many people in that age range who have not led a faithful life and given credit to God and to faith for keeping them healthy so long.
tomorrow: Joshua 1-5
Promises: God blesses His people. God blesses those you speak blessings for. God’s blessings are spelled out in His word and you need only claim them for yourself and others to obtain them. God wants to HEAR from you. Speak the blessings into the lives of those around you. Pray for the blessings God has promised you. Claim the promises of God and don’t be afraid to repeat yourself.
Commands: Bless others. When God tells us we should be a blessing, it doesn’t just mean our actions. God gives plenty of examples of how to bless someone. Praying over someone, speaking aloud the blessings that should fall, leaning on God to know what He has planned for their life and knowing the promises of God so that you cn claim them on behalf of others and speak them into existence in their lives.
We, as Christians, give up to much power to our lack of faith. God gave us the power to bless and the power to call things into existence in His name. The power to heal and be healed is in our hands. What we bind in earth is bound in heaven and what we loose on earth is loose in heaven. God gave us the power we merely need to claim it. I want to repeat myself on Jews blessing their children. The success of so many enterprises owned and run by Jews is the direct result of Jewish parents understanding the example they have been given of blessing their children. The huge number of Hollywood and Washington DC elites that have Jewish surnames is no accident. It is the hand of God in their lives as a result of the prayer and faith in blessing from their parents.
Timeless principles: God blesses those whom He loves. The Israelites as a whole and by tribes have had a number of blessings spoken over them on the record so far. Each has been prophetic in both the good and ill that would come of the tribes actions. Every one has carried the promise of good things for them which we will see come to them in the coming books.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Learn, understand, claim and enjoy God’s promises for your life. You cannot claim what He doesn’t give and it’s hard to claim what you don’t know has been given. If God has promised it, you should have it, because He wants to give us everything that our joy may be full.
more to learn for in-depth study: Moses lived 120 years and walked to his own funeral. (yes I borrowed that from Hagee). Moses lived in the will of God and did what he was supposed to. When he died at 120 years old he still had the youth and vigor of a young man. His physical abilities were not diminished in any way throughout his life. When I see news stories of some person still active at more than 100 years old and I hear them give credit to God for keeping them so, I know that it is the truth. In fact I don’t know of to many people in that age range who have not led a faithful life and given credit to God and to faith for keeping them healthy so long.
tomorrow: Joshua 1-5
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