1 Sam. 24; 1 Chr. 8; 1 Cor. 8; Ps. 57,58

“May the Lord judge between us. Perhaps the Lord will punish you for what you are trying to do to me, but I will never harm you. As that old proverb says, ‘From evil people come evil deeds, So you can be sure I will never harm you. May the Lord therefore judge which one of us is right and punish the guilty one. He is my advocate, and he will rescue me from your power!” 1 Samuel 24:12-16 NLT

Saul was hunting down David to kill him, but when David had the opportunity to take revenge on Saul he didn’t. He still respected Saul as God’s anointed King. And David had the courage to stand up to the group that was urging him to kill Saul. He knew who his advocate was. He placed his trust in the Lord for justice. Do I?

“When David had finished speaking, Saul called back, “Is that really you my son David?” Then he began to cry. And he said to David, “You are a better man than I am, for you have repaid me good for evil. Yes, you have been amazingly kind to me today, for when the Lord put me in a place where you could have killed me, you didn’t do it. Who else would let his enemy get away when he had him in his power? May the Lord reward you well for the kindness you have shown me today.” 1 Samuel 24:16-20 NLT

When have I am wronged or betrayed, how do I react? It might not be as severe as David, but it hurts just as much. I’m thankful for a God that understands. And that I can go to him with all of my emotions and feelings.

“The godly will rejoice when they see injustice avenged. They will wash their feet in the blood of the wicked. Then at last everyone will say, “There truly is a reward for this who live for God; surely there is a God who judges justly here on earth.” Psalms 58:10&11 NLT

Dear Father, I pray that my heart would be moved to compassion for others. And that I would seek forgiveness. I pray that like David, I will trust you to make things right. Help me to have a posture of humility. And to truly love others like you love me. I have a very real enemy who is after me. But, you already have the victory, Jesus. Amen.

“Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy! I look to you for protection. I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings until the danger passes by. I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill his purpose for me.” Psalms 57:1&2 NLT

Amy(amyctanner)

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Genesis 48-49; Luke 15; Psalm 10

Things that are lost become found.

It’s a moving moment, Joseph with his ill father.

¹¹ And Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face; and behold, God has let me see your offspring also.”

Genesis 48:11, ESV

In Luke, Jesus tells several stories highlighting scenarios of lost being found. The sheep being carried on the shoulders of a man; the woman who searches until a lost coin is found; and the unforgettable story of the prodigal son. Great images of being known and held, a treasure, celebrated.

But what about when all seems lost?

In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor;
    let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised.
³ For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul,
    and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the Lord.
⁴ In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him;
    all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”

Psalm 10:2-4, ESV

The wicked who prospers, lies, sins–who murders, seizes, and ambushes.

Hope is not lost.

Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand;
    forget not the afflicted.
¹³ Why does the wicked renounce God
    and say in his heart, “You will not call to account”?
¹⁴ But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation,
    that you may take it into your hands;
to you the helpless commits himself;
    you have been the helper of the fatherless.
¹⁵ Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer;
    call his wickedness to account till you find none.

¹⁶ The Lord is king forever and ever;
    the nations perish from his land.
¹⁷ O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;
    you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
¹⁸ to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
    so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.

Psalm 10:12-18, ESV

Lord, you make me resilient. I trust in you.

Courtney (66books365)

2 Samuel 20:1-22:34

I have a goal planner that breaks goals down into “monthly” (big picture), “weekly,” and “daily” (habit building) activities. Sometimes I can get so focused on the daily habits that I lose sight of the big picture purpose. It takes effort for me to keep a big picture focus. And not just with goals, sometimes I can get caught up in a detail or distraction of circumstance, and then find myself off course of a kingdom focus.

Joab is in pursuit of Sheba, a man who turned against David.

¹⁹ “We are the peaceful and faithful in Israel. You are trying to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why do you want to swallow up the Lord’s inheritance?”

²⁰ “Far be it from me!” Joab replied, “Far be it from me to swallow up or destroy! ²¹ That is not the case. A man named Sheba son of Bikri, from the hill country of Ephraim, has lifted up his hand against the king, against David. Hand over this one man, and I’ll withdraw from the city.” (2 Samuel 20:19-21, NIV)

Joab keeps his focus: he was after Sheba, not intent on destroying an entire community. That type of focus is a sign of discipline, self-control, and maturity. Joab kept his word and left once he obtained his goal. (Also very impressed with the “wise woman” who cut through all the distraction of an army to get to the point, avoiding mass casualties and destruction.)

During the reign of David, there was a famine for three successive years; so David sought the face of the Lord. The Lord said, “It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death.” (2 Samuel 21:1, NIV)

In the detail of the immediate (a famine), a bigger picture is revealed (the consequences of Saul’s actions as catalyst). Not only am I impressed by David seeking the Lord’s face, but I also notice that God uses immediate issues (like a famine) to bring about (bigger picture) justice. It would take a man after God’s heart to go deeper, to seek understanding, and then have the ability to take action.

But I linger longest in these verses, slowing to take in the meaning. David’s song of praise, of all that the Lord has done for him, and how David lives his life in response.

“To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
    to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
²⁷ to the pure you show yourself pure,
    but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.
²⁸ You save the humble,
    but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low.
²⁹ You, Lord, are my lamp;
    the Lord turns my darkness into light.
³⁰ With your help I can advance against a troop;
    with my God I can scale a wall.

³¹ “As for God, his way is perfect:
    The Lord’s word is flawless;
    he shields all who take refuge in him.
³² For who is God besides the Lord?
    And who is the Rock except our God?
³³ It is God who arms me with strength
    and keeps my way secure. (2 Samuel 22:26-33, NIV)

Lord, how often do I lose you in the details? How often do I forget to see with a kingdom focus? I pray that it would be my habit to praise you daily, to seek your face, to give you glory, and to live with discipline, self-control and maturity. May I not be moved by emotions and distractions, but instead live like the “wise woman” who keeps an end goal in mind, despite the circumstances.

Courtney (66books365)

2 Chronicles 36; Revelation 22; Malachi 4; John 21

My husband said when he was growing up, his parents used to tell him and his siblings to, “Keep your eyes on your own plate.” I think on those words now as I read the conversation between Peter and Jesus on the shore.

¹⁷ A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.

¹⁸ “I tell you the truth, when you were young, you were able to do as you liked; you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will dress you and take you where you don’t want to go.” ¹⁹ Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify God. Then Jesus told him, “Follow me.”

²⁰ Peter turned around and saw behind them the disciple Jesus loved—the one who had leaned over to Jesus during supper and asked, “Lord, who will betray you?” ²¹ Peter asked Jesus, “What about him, Lord?”

²² Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me.” ²³ So the rumor spread among the community of believers that this disciple wouldn’t die. But that isn’t what Jesus said at all. He only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?” (John 21:17-23, NLT)

Lord, help me to keep my nose in my own business and to trust you to handle your business. The other passages tell that you are able. You handle big jobs–from offering compassion, second chances, and warning, to guiding nations and issuing consequences. Even here on the shore, I love that you care for the disciples in smaller but loving ways, that you prepare a meal for them and knowingly direct them where to drop the nets. Help me to be aware of what you ask me to steward and not be distracted. Help me to carry that focus into a new day and a new year–to live intentionally and joyfully in the challenges and in the everyday. Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.

Courtney (66books365)

Judges 20; Acts 24; Jeremiah 34; Psalm 5, 6

There were losses on the battlefield that day.

¹¹ So all the Israelites were completely united, and they gathered together to attack the town.

¹² The Israelites sent messengers to the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What a terrible thing has been done among you! ¹³ Give up those evil men, those troublemakers from Gibeah, so we can execute them and purge Israel of this evil.”

But the people of Benjamin would not listen. ¹⁴ Instead, they came from their towns and gathered at Gibeah to fight the Israelites. (Judges 20:11-14, NLT)

There were tears and the need for confirmation, assurance.

²² But the Israelites encouraged each other and took their positions again at the same place they had fought the previous day. ²³ For they had gone up to Bethel and wept in the presence of the Lord until evening. They had asked the Lord, “Should we fight against our relatives from Benjamin again?”

And the Lord had said, “Go out and fight against them.” (Judges 20:22-23, NLT)

There was victory, yes. But make no mistake, this was warfare. And at its heart is sin.

A woman is raped and murdered: ⁴ The Levite, the husband of the woman who had been murdered, said, “My concubine and I came to spend the night in Gibeah, a town that belongs to the people of Benjamin. ⁵ That night some of the leading citizens of Gibeah surrounded the house, planning to kill me, and they raped my concubine until she was dead.” (Judges 20:4-5, NLT)

A community turns its back on its word: ⁸ This message came to Jeremiah from the Lord after King Zedekiah made a covenant with the people, proclaiming freedom for the slaves. ⁹ He had ordered all the people to free their Hebrew slaves—both men and women. No one was to keep a fellow Judean in bondage. ¹⁰ The officials and all the people had obeyed the king’s command, ¹¹ but later they changed their minds. They took back the men and women they had freed, forcing them to be slaves again. (Jeremiah 34:8-11, NLT)

Hatred targets another, hunts him down with accusation: ⁵ We have found this man to be a troublemaker who is constantly stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the cult known as the Nazarenes. ⁶ Furthermore, he was trying to desecrate the Temple when we arrested him. ⁸ You can find out the truth of our accusations by examining him yourself.” ⁹ Then the other Jews chimed in, declaring that everything Tertullus said was true. (Acts 24:5-9, NLT)

Personal gain turns a blind eye to justice: ²⁷ After two years went by in this way, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And because Felix wanted to gain favor with the Jewish people, he left Paul in prison. (Acts 24:27, NLT)

Lord, I am increasingly aware of the very real spiritual battle cloaked in human flesh. In loss, in injustice, in accusation and power struggles, help me to keep a kingdom focus. Help me to remember the real enemy.

¹⁴ “But I admit that I follow the Way, which they call a cult. I worship the God of our ancestors, and I firmly believe the Jewish law and everything written in the prophets. ¹⁵ I have the same hope in God that these men have, that he will raise both the righteous and the unrighteous. ¹⁶ Because of this, I always try to maintain a clear conscience before God and all people. (Acts 24:14-16, NLT)

⁹ My enemies cannot speak a truthful word.
    Their deepest desire is to destroy others.
Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave.
    Their tongues are filled with flattery.
¹⁰ O God, declare them guilty.
    Let them be caught in their own traps.
Drive them away because of their many sins,
    for they have rebelled against you.

¹¹ But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
    let them sing joyful praises forever.
Spread your protection over them,
    that all who love your name may be filled with joy.
¹² For you bless the godly, O Lord;
    you surround them with your shield of love. (Psalm 5:9-12, NLT)

⁸ Go away, all you who do evil,
    for the Lord has heard my weeping.
⁹ The Lord has heard my plea;
    the Lord will answer my prayer.
¹⁰ May all my enemies be disgraced and terrified.
    May they suddenly turn back in shame. (Psalm 6:8-10, NLT)

Courtney (66books365)