The Lord gives the orders to Joshua for the conquest of Jericho. Two spies are sent into the city to check it out. While there, the spies are hidden in place in the city wall occupied by Rahab, a prostitute.

God uses ordinary people to do spectacular things and Rahab was no exception. She hid the spies because she had heard of the miracles their God had performed on behalf of His people: He brought them out of 430 years in slavery to Egypt, took them (approximately two million) across the Red Sea on dry land, and had been on their side as they won several battles. These are the ones she had heard about.

Hiding them on the roof where she was drying flax seed, she told them that at nighttime to go the mountains and stay for three days before returning to their people. In exchange, she asked that when they conquered Jericho they save her and her family because she believed in God and His people. They told her that when she saw the Israelites coming to drop a scarlet rope from her window and to place her family inside her room.

Now, this must have been quite a sight as these numbers are extraordinary. It is estimated that there were around 40,000 armed warriors, and 600,00 men, and that number does not include the women and children as well as armed men before the seven priests carrying seven ram horn trumpets and the ark of the covenant. Instructions to Joshua were that on the seventh day, they were to march around the city seven times and then give a blast on the ram horns and at Joshua’s signal the people were to shout and the wall was to fall down flat.

God’s grace and mercy were extended to Rahab and her family. The scarlet rope was representative of God’s salvation and provisions of the promised coming Messiah whose blood sacrificed would be for the sins of all who believe. If Rahab had not obeyed the spies based on her belief that they were from God and thrown out the scarlet rope, her family would have perished. But she obeyed. You can read the story in the book of Joshua chapter two.

I thought you would find it interesting to know the genealogy recorded in the book of Matthew shows Rahab as the great-great-grandmother of King David and therefore in the lineage of Jesus. Do you remember the Bible story about Ruth who married Boaz? Well, Rahab was the mother of Boaz. The writer of Hebrews mentions the faith of Rahab. (Hebrews 11:31) In fact, she is mentioned over ten times in the Bible.

When God is a part of our lives, great things are accomplished for His kingdom. We never know how God will use us for spectacular things through our obedience to Him.

In the book of Matthew, you will find a story recorded about two blind men that came to Jesus for healing. This was not so uncommon at that time because Jesus was performing a lot of miracles and healing. As they followed the crowds and heard the message with their ears, they knew enough to know in their heart that this man Jesus had the ability to heal them.

This belief was confirmed in the story because they called him first, Lord then they followed that up with the Son of David. This indicated that they recognized Him as the promised Messiah.

We are not given very much information about these two men other than they too were on the road going from Jericho to Jerusalem. This is just before His triumphant entry into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey and many crowds of people were following Him everywhere He went because He was healing and proclaiming the message about the Kingdom of God.

They were persistent. They asked twice for Jesus to have mercy on them and then again in order to answer the question that Jesus asked them. Three times they spoke to Jesus each time they put Lord first. They knew exactly what they wanted from Jesus and when He asked them, they said they wanted their eyes opened. The Bible says Jesus had compassion on them, touched their eyes, healed them and they followed him. Matt 20-:29-34

The Bible doesn’t record that they went home to get belongings or tell the family the good news or that they had an agenda of things to do before they could follow the Lord. They recognized who could provide for their needs, they accepted that He was who He claimed to be, the son of David, the promised Messiah. They went to the only source, and they trusted that source for their needs. Not only immediate needs but future needs.

What hinders you from having “blind faith” as these two men? We see, but many times our faith is so weak that we do not trust our problem in the hands of a loving and caring heavenly Father.

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore, do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear? For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:25-33

Did you know Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would be born of a virgin and of the lineage of King David 700 years prior to the birth of Jesus? This is the message from the book of Isaiah.

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of His government and peace, there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over His kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” Isaiah 9:4-7

This child would be of the lineage of King David, of which Joseph was of the lineage of David. In fact, in the book of Matthew, you will find the complete ancestry from Abraham forward. The book of Luke traces his lineage through King David all the way back to Adam. The child would also be born of a virgin, and they would call the baby Immanuel which is also a name for Jesus, and it means “God with us.”

Fast forward to the New Testament and you find the first appearance of a virgin whose name was Mary. She is first introduced to us with the appearance of Gabriel, the archangel. At this time, Mary was betrothed to a man named Joseph, which would have been arranged by the families. According to Jewish tradition, the betrothal or engagement would have been legally binding. Whenever the wedding took place then the young virgin would go to the home of the husband’s family

“In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!’ But she was greatly troubled at the saying and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end. And Mary said to the angel,’ How can this be since I am a virgin?’ And the angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason, the holy offspring shall be called the Son of God. And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. For nothing will be impossible with God.’ And Mary said, ‘Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; be it done to me according to your word.’ And the angel departed from her.” Luke 1:26-38

We don’t know where Mary was when he appeared or how she knew he was an angel. It seemed apparent that Mary knew Jewish traditions and scriptures, she must have been spiritual because she was trying to understand and discern what sort of message the angel was giving to her. She responded to all of this with an answer that seemed mature in that whatever was God’s will that was the direction she wanted to go. She obeyed God. Was she surprised about the information of a coming Messiah? No, she was brought up in a Jewish home, that was their hope. What she was surprised at was that God had chosen her.

Once the angel left and she began to put it all together, can you just imagine how excited she would be to run to her cousin Elizabeth’s house to hear the experience that the angel Gabriel had told her about. That the one who was called barren would now bear a child also. This must have confirmed to Mary that she wasn’t in a dream, that this was real. Who else could she tell? This wasn’t any ordinary situation where you would be running to friends. Can you imagine the apprehension she might have had at the prospect of telling Joseph? What would he think of her? Was she mad? Had she been with another man? How would they tell the families?

In the book of Matthew, we find information about Joseph, his thoughts, and the angel’s appearance to him.

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and they shall call his name Immanuel.’ When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.” Matthew 1: 1-25

Joseph contemplated divorcing Mary even though the marriage had not taken place, legally they were bound together at the betrothal. Jewish law gave him the right to put her away.

“When a man takes a wife and marries her, if then she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, and she departs out of his house.” Deuteronomy 24:1

But Joseph chose to take her as his wife. He believed and obeyed the angel as he followed the instructions the angel gave him.

Then we know that they were to go to Bethlehem because a census was being taken and taxes were to be collected by the Roman government and because Joseph was of the house of David he had to travel to that city. While they were there, Mary gave birth in a lowly stable where animals were and only the straw for the baby to rest. What is interesting is that the angels and messengers of God appeared to shepherds in the field and not to the king, high priest, rabbis, Pharisees, or Sanhedrin. It was a spectacular appearance of heavenly hosts to tell them of the Savior’s birth. When the shepherds found Mary, Joseph, and the baby, they began to tell them of the sky filled with the appearance of angels and the good news they brought of a Savior. Luke records that Mary treasured up all these things and pondered this in her heart. Another affirmation is that this baby was the Messiah that had been prophesied in Isaiah.

The next incident is Mary and Joseph bringing baby Jesus to Jerusalem as he was circumcised the eighth day according to Jewish laws and was presented to the Lord in the temple where a sacrifice was offered on his behalf. There in the temple was a man named Simeon that through the Holy Spirit recognized that this was indeed The Son of God: “a light to the Gentiles and a glory to Israel.” Once again this was an affirmation to Mary and Joseph of the Messiah’s birth and his purpose.

Not long after that, Joseph was approached by an angel and told to flee with his family to Egypt because King Herod had heard from the wise men that a king had been born. Herod surmised that the boy must be about two years or under based on what the wise men had said and so he made a decree to kill all the baby boys under the age of two. Joseph obeyed the angel and took his family to Egypt. There they stayed until after Herod died and then returned to the city of Nazareth.

Nothing else is told about Mary and Joseph until Jesus was twelve and they had gone to Jerusalem to observe the annual feast of the Passover. As they traveled back toward Nazareth (about a six-day journey) with family and acquaintances, Jesus was missing. They traveled a day’s journey back to Jerusalem and finally on the third day they found him in the temple among the teachers listening and asking questions. It is recorded that the teachers were amazed at his understanding and His answers. Luke 2:41-52

We are not told any more about Joseph after this story and have to assume that he died sometime between this incident (Jesus is twelve) and the wedding feast at Cana of Galilee (Jesus was about thirty).

Mary, was in attendance at the wedding feast as well as Jesus and a few men that were following him after his baptism by John the Baptist. It is supposed that the wedding party might have been relatives because she cared that the wedding party had run out of the wine normally served. She related this to Jesus. He scolded her as he was just starting the ministry and was not there to show off. I think that the request should not have come through her on behalf of the family. Symbolic maybe for the fact that we as children of the Most High God can go directly to Him through Jesus Christ and we don’t need a priest or Mary. What was the reason He came to earth? You can read more about that in John 2:1-12. Nevertheless, He did provide. It may have been an opportunity for the disciples following Him to confirm who He was to them and also as it was at the beginning of the ministry where He would heal the sick and afflicted.

Since our thoughts are about Mary and Joseph, I will continue with several other instances in which Mary was mentioned. John 2:12 states that Jesus, his mother and brothers and His disciples traveled to Capernaum and stayed there a few days. This is the beginning of his ministry and Mary was there. She was at one of his first gatherings where the twelve disciples were chosen. She was at the cross (John 19:25), She was with the group of believers praying in the upper room after the Ascension of Christ. (Acts 1:12) After this, we are not told anything else about Mary.

I leave you with these two thoughts:

God takes ordinary people who are willing to obey and does spectacular things,

“For nothing will be impossible with God.” Luke 1:37

Recently, I was privileged to sit on a balcony which enabled me to see the sunrise in the morning and also the sunset each night. I drank in the beauty as I marveled at God’s beautiful hand stretched across the sky.
I felt blessed to be a His child. Many memories and many scriptures came to my mind as I gazed into the sky. It was a true time of once again aligning myself with the Creator, Savior, Provider, Sustainer, Director, and My Loving Father.
Like others around me, I see pavement, man-made buildings, businesses, traffic, and the hustle and bustle of everyday life and it takes real courage to shut it all out and concentrate on the Lord and His plan and purpose. Sorting through what is important and Godly and what is instigated by satan.
Memorized scriptures, framed scriptures on my wall, or reading the Bible are a big part in helping me refocus, but the spectacular views of His new day just make me feel like I am the only important person that He is presenting for my eyes, and my heart, and my soul.

For those who are lonely, sad, or in trouble this verse in Malachi 1:11 will give you peace:
“For His anger is but for a moment, and His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but JOY comes with the morning.”
For those who need some wow factor in their life, look at this scripture in Psalm 65:8:
“So that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.”
For those who are facing illness or death, look at what Luke has written:
“Because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” Luke 1:78-79
“Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; His going out is sure as the dawn; He will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.” Hosea 6:3
For those who need to worship the Lord, look at these verses for guidance: “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24
“From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised!” Psalm 113:3
For those of you who might not really know who God is, ponder this:
“Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place?” Job 38:12
“God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.” Genesis 1:5
“He who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns deep darkness into the morning and darkens the day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the surface of the earth, the Lord is His name.” Amos 5:8
For those who have chosen to follow Jesus, you will be blessed by this scripture: “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.” Matthew 13:43
“Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun.” Ecclesiastes 11:7
“But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.” Proverbs 4:18
“And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.” Revelation 22:5
My hope and my prayer is that as you read these words and look at the sunrise picture, God will use them to encourage you today! May God bless you.

Saul’s birthplace was in the city of Tarsus which is in the southeastern part of Turkey. But at the time this was a Roman province and a Hellenistic culture. However, Saul was born a Jew and his lineage was of the Hebrew tribe of Benjamin. His Jewish training from boyhood was in Jerusalem where he was schooled in both Greek and Jewish traditions. At the time of his training, the ranking rabbi was Gamaliel, his teacher.
After the crucifixion of Jesus, Saul, supposedly a part of the Sanhedrin council, cast his vote against the Christ follower Stephen after he was questioned by the council. He was also present at the stoning. It was at this stoning (Acts 8:1-3) that launched the zeal of Saul to hunt men and women who were following “the Way.”

God scattered these Christ followers throughout Judea and Samaria. Those who had been scattered preached the good news that the Messiah they were looking for had come and now there was a new way. Salvation by the Grace of God through the blood sacrifice of Jesus, The High Priest, and Son of the Most High God. Saul was not content to just look for these people in Jerusalem, he went to the council in Jerusalem to ask for letters to the synagogues at Damascus so that if he found any men or women there, he might bring them back to Jerusalem for jail and prosecution.

As he and the soldiers were traveling the road to Damascus, a sudden and blinding light from heaven shone around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” When Saul asked him who he was, the Lord spoke to him and told him that He was the Jesus Saul was persecuting. Jesus also told him to rise and go to the city where he would get instructions. The men traveling with him were speechless, they heard the voice but saw no one. Even though Saul’s eyes were open, the Bible records that he could not see. The men led him into the city where for three days he neither ate nor drank and was without sight.

A disciple in Damascus named Ananias heard his name called in a vision. It was the Lord. Ananias answered, “here I am Lord.” He was told to go to a street in Damascus named Straight Street and at the house of Judas, he would find a man named Saul of Tarsus. This man is praying and has seen a vision whereby a man named Ananias will come to him, lay hands on him, and restore his sight. However, Ananias questioned the Lord because he had heard rumors about this man who had permission from the chief priests to bind all those who followed the teachings of Christ. But the Lord told him that He had chosen Saul to be an instrument to carry His name to Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. “I will show him how much he will suffer for the sake of my name.” Acts 9:16

Ananias went to the house where Saul was and laid hands on him so that he might regain his sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. The Bible records that scales fell from his eyes, then he rose up and was baptized and then ate food to regain his strength. He had been praying and fasting for three days.
He spent several days with the disciples in Damascus and then he, himself began to proclaim the name of Jesus and to discuss with others the proof that Jesus was the Christ, the promised Messiah, the Son of God. Meanwhile, the non-believing Jews having received word of this began to plot how they could kill Saul. They were looking everywhere, but disciples were able to sneak him out of the city by night and lower him in a basket over the city wall.

When he returned to Jerusalem, those disciples were afraid of him. They thought it was a trick to trap them, except a man named Barnabas took him to the disciples and told them about Saul’s conversion on the road to Damascus. He told them of the boldness of Saul to preach about Jesus. After some time with the disciples, they sent him to Tarsus where he began to spread the gospel.

Now as time passed, many began to believe in Jesus. Peter was now preaching to Gentiles as well as the Jews. Many were converted because the persecution had stopped, and the power of the Lord was being seen in every place the gospel was being preached. In the city of Antioch, there were so many being converted that Barnabas went to Tarsus looking for Saul to come and help teach and instruct the new believers. It is at Antioch that the Bible records believers were first identified as Christians.

Saul stayed at Antioch and preached for about a year before he went out of the Jerusalem church on his first missionary journey. During this time, he began using the name Paul which is his Roman name. This proved to be helpful as he traveled through the Roman provinces. From then on, he was identified in all of the letters of guidelines and encouragement he wrote back to the established work.

During his ministry, Paul wrote letters to churches and individuals which are a part of the Bible today: Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. I personally add Hebrews to the list, which is debated. I lean towards the author being Paul because of the way the sentences are constructed. They are packed with so much information that you almost have to diagram the sentences to understand the fullness and meaning as in all the other listed letters.

It is hard to comprehend all the suffering Paul includes in his letter to the Corinthian church:

“Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger in the sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am no indignant? If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.” 2 Corinthians 11:23-33

In spite of all the beatings, shipwrecks, jail time, and just plain suffering, these scriptures came from his writings. May you be encouraged by them today.

“But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9, 10

“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.” Ephesians 6:10

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” 2 Timothy 1:7

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

“For we walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7

“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6

“May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy.” Colossians 1:11

I want to give you a little background to the story of David and Goliath. Just helping you to connect some facts and timeline. Hannah was very dedicated to the Lord and went with her husband to Shiloh for sacrifice and offerings each year. This one particular time was very hard on her, she had no children and began to pray earnestly to the Lord for a baby. God granted that late-in-life baby and Samuel was dedicated to the service of the Lord as soon as he was old enough to be weaned from his mother’s milk. His service was first to Eli the high priest at Shiloh and then he went on to be a prophet and judge throughout Israel’s territory.

As Samuel began his older years, his sons would have taken his position as judge and prophet but because they had done evil and also had taken bribes, the people protested and demanded Samuel appoint a king to rule over them as other nations had.

Per God’s instructions, Samuel appointed Saul to be the first King. Many battles were fought during this time mostly with the Philistines. However, King Saul went into battle against the Amalekites and the Lord gave specific instructions not to leave anyone or anything alive. They won the battle, but they took the king of the Amalekites alive as well as pilfering the land for treasures, and also brought back livestock. Because of King Saul’s disobedience to the Lord and because he turned away from serving the Lord, Samuel had to tell him that he would no longer be king because he had turned from God and had rejected His word.

Under God’s leadership, Samuel was told to go to the house of Jesse of Bethlehem and there he would find the next king for Israel. For fear of King Saul’s anger, he asked the Lord what he should do so that he didn’t arouse the suspicions of King Saul and be killed. The Lord told him to take a heifer for a sacrifice and invite Jesse and his sons to consecrate themselves and then come to the sacrifice.

Seven of Jesse’s sons passed by Samuel, but Samuel said that none of these were who he was looking for. Did Jesse have any other sons? He had the youngest son in the field tending to the sheep whose name was David. Samuel asked that he be brought to him and when he was before him, the Lord told Samuel to anoint him. When he anointed him with oil, the Bible tells us that the Spirit of the Lord came upon David.

The Lord withdrew his Spirit from King Saul and because of that, he was very disturbed and troubled. He learned there was a young man who was good with the lyre and songs, had a good appearance, and the Lord was with him. King Saul sent for him to come to be in his service to play and sing whenever the evil spirits disturbed him.

David was going back and forth between the king and tending his father’s sheep when he received word that his father wanted him to take provisions to his older brothers on the battlefield fighting against the Philistines. When David met up with his brothers, he heard a loud, boisterous Philistine with a challenge to the king and his soldiers. “Choose a man for yourselves and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.”

David said to the men around him, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” The answer was that the king would reward him with treasures, give his daughter in marriage and his father’s family would be free.

King Saul received word that David was going to fight the giant. The king questioned his youthfulness against Goliath, a man of war for years. David’s response to the king was that he had tended his father’s sheep many times when they had been attacked by bears and lions and God had protected him.

King Saul clothed him with his own armor and helmet and coat of mail and sword. But David decided this way was untested and he wasn’t comfortable in all of the battle garments. He removed everything, picked up his shepherd’s staff, put five smooth stones in his shepherd’s pouch, and carried his sling in his hand. He approached the Philistine who made fun of him for coming to face so great a man with sticks. He cursed David’s god.

Look at this description of Goliath “And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits (a cubit is measured from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger) and a span. He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail (metal scales), and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels (125 lbs.) of bronze. And he had bronze armor on his legs, and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels (15 lbs.) of iron. And his shield-bearer went before him.” I Samuel 17:4-7

David answered him back. “You come to me with a sword and 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 and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s and he will give you into our hand.” I Samuel 17:4-7

I wonder when I go in to do battle with this evil world, am I suiting up with the tools of the world or am I arming myself with the armor of God?

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.” Ephesians 6:10-18

Arm yourselves with God’s provisions.

Sometimes, we read scriptures and are convicted that something in our lives doesn’t fit the picture of a Christian. God does have the right to expect us to conform to the image of His Son since He bought us with His blood and saving power. We should be a testimony and a witness to others that Jesus is truth and life everlasting. Sometimes it is easier to get the point if we look at the actions of someone else.

How about a man called Jonah? He was a Jew by nationality and would have known the Jewish customs, the ten commandments, and the rituals of clean and unclean, and as it turns out he was arrogant and prideful. When God asked him to go to Nineveh to preach to an evil city of Assyrians so that they might repent from all their evil ways, he looked down on them as being unclean and not worthy of his time. They were not Jews, why should he associate with them? From his perspective, they didn’t deserve to know God. They were a sinful and unclean city.

What would have happened if Jonah had obeyed God and gone directly to the Ninevites? God would have given him the words to speak so that the Ninevites might turn from their wicked ways to know the true and living God. The bonus to Jonah would have been peace with God and blessings beyond measure. We forget sometimes that serving God always brings blessings and rewards.

The scriptures tell us that Jonah ran away from God as if that were possible. He chose the opposite direction God asked him to go and ended up on a ship on the way to Tarshish. He went to the bottom of the boat and fell fast asleep. Meantime, a storm was brewing and tossing the boat so much that the mariners threw many of the ship’s contents overboard to try and make the ship more manageable.

That didn’t seem to help, and the storm continued to get worse, so they called to their gods to save them. When nothing happened, they went to the bottom of the ship where Jonah was sleeping and asked him to wake up and pray to his God. They had concluded that Jonah’s God had caused this storm.

They inquired of him as to what they could do to appease his god so that the storm would stop. Even they realized that Jonah’s God had more power than their god. Jonah told them to throw him overboard. He didn’t seem to be willing to ask God or even repent even though he knew his God was in charge of the storm.

The men didn’t want to throw him overboard, so they rowed even harder to try and make it to shore. Finally, exhausted, they threw Jonah out into the ocean. The Bible records that immediately the storm ceased. The men were so amazed that they feared God, made a sacrifice and made a vow to Jonah’s God.

I think it is amazing that even in Jonah’s rebellious attitude, God used the situation to make people aware that He is God, and no other God has the power to calm a storm. God wasn’t finished with Jonah because He still had work for Jonah to do.

I find this story to be a great illustration of how God calls us to the task of reaching all people with the knowledge of God and His desire that all should be saved. He has the plan, the provisions, and the results but we put our foot down and walk in the other direction. His results will come about whether we walk in the direction or not. What happens to us if we don’t respond to God’s leading??? We miss the peace in our hearts, the oneness with God, and the blessings and rewards He has in store for us.

After Jonah was thrown into the sea and the storm calmed, God provided a large fish to swallow Jonah, thus saving him. Was God done with Jonah? No, He gave him another chance to follow His instructions. Did Jonah recognize this was God’s hand? Yes, Jonah prayed to God recognizing all of this was God’s doing. Jonah 2:7 “When my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord and my prayer came to You into Your holy temple.”

For me, I pray God helps me recognize quicker His instructions and direction for my life and I respond before the big fish has to come!

The Bible says: “The Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.” Once again, the Lord tells Jonah to go to speak at Nineveh and even tells him that He, God, will tell him what to say. These are the words that Jonah spoke as he walked through the city: “Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown.” That wasn’t much of a message to a large city of wicked and evil people. However, the people heard what he proclaimed as well as the king. The king even went so far as to make a proclamation to the people to cover with sackcloth, put ashes on their heads, and turn from their evil and violent ways. This is an old Hebrew custom to show humility, mourning, and penitence before God. The king must have known this Jewish custom because the king declared that if the people would do this that maybe God would turn and relent from His anger and that none would perish.

Now we are talking about a godless city. Don’t you wish that it was that simple? All we had to do was walk through a town and tell the people the eight words God gave Jonah. It is that simple. If God makes a way and asks us to walk that way, then He will bring about the result. It is up to you and me to be obedient to all we know about God and He will do all the rest.

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

Was Jonah happy and blessed with the results? No, he said that he knew God would accept the repentance of the people because God was a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and relenting from disaster. Wow, look at the character of God as recognized by Jonah. He knew all of this about God and yet he was unhappy that God didn’t do away with the Ninevites. Do we ever express jealousy that God blesses someone else in our presence?

Jonah was so jealous and disgusted that he went out of the city and sat down in the shade of a booth he made. God caused a large plant to grow to cover him in more shade for Jonah’s comfort. This made Jonah happy, but the next day a worm ate the plant and there was no more shade. Not only did the plant die, but God sent a scorching wind from the east which would have meant more heat from the desert. Jonah was so angry and mad that the plant had died that he wanted to die.

God said to Jonah: “So you have pity for the plant that you did not labor for or grow, which came to you one night and perished the next night, but you have no pity for the great city with more than 120,000 people who do not know their right hand from their left?

It is easy to see the mistakes and actions of Jonah because we have all been there at one time or another. I am grateful for this story because it gives me insight into the character of God. He is truly a merciful and loving God who bestows His love on us daily.

Paul said: “And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” Romans 10:15

Are your feet beautiful and are they going towards the lost people who do not know their right and hand from their left?

The story of the five thousand men that were fed with five loaves and two fish is recorded in all four books of the Bible that were written by the apostles. John and Matthew were two of the twelve disciples of Jesus while Mark and Luke were of the extended group which may have been chosen later. Ref: Matt 14:13-21; Mark 6:31-44; Luke 9:12-17; John 6:1-14

Each of these four men recorded the miracle that took place when Jesus fed a crowd of followers. The disciples had been sent out two by two to spread the message: repent of your sins and turn to God. As it happened John, the Baptist, had just been beheaded by King Herod Antipas, Roman ruler over Galilee, because his wife Herodias commanded it. (It seems John the Baptist had voiced his disapproval of Herod marrying Herodias because he divorced his own wife to do so as well as the fact that she was his brother’s wife. His brother was also still alive.)

As they gathered and began walking, the crowd followed from all the villages where the healing of the sick had taken place. When they stopped, the crowd was there. It was late in the day and Jesus asked Phillip where they could buy bread. Phillip suggested to the Lord that even 200 denarii (eight months’ wages) worth of bread would not be enough to feed the crowd approaching. Andrew mentioned he had seen a lad who had five loaves and two fish. What was he thinking? Really? Did he think if 200 denarii worth of bread wouldn’t feed the crowd how would the lad’s basket? I would have been embarrassed to even mention it myself.

However, the Lord told him to bring the boy’s basket to him. Then he told the disciples to seat the people on the ground in groups of 100 and of 50. The basket was given to the Lord and before He passed it out, He thank God for the provisions, and the disciples passed out pieces of bread and fish. The Bible records that all the 5,000 men, as well as wives and children, were fed. Jesus told the disciples to pick up all of the leftovers which ended up being twelve baskets full.

I had a couple of questions: How big were the barley loaves and were the fish dried? Put into perspective that the boy was traveling by himself because none of the scriptures include his parents. His basket was probably packed for only one day. I am assuming that the bread was small flat type bread that was easy to carry, common in that time and that the fish were dried in order to carry it for the journey. None of this adds to the miracle, it is just my curiosity.

Because of the miracle, Jesus perceived the crowd was about to seize him and make him king, so he retreated back into the mountains and sent His disciples across the lake (Sea of Galilee) where He was going to meet them on the other side.

While the disciples were in the boat, a strong wind began blowing. They saw Jesus coming toward their boat walking on the water. They were afraid but He assured them that it was Him. The Bible says immediately they were at the land where they were going. Many of the crowd that had been following Jesus realized the disciples had crossed over the lake in a boat and so they also followed.

The crowd began to question when He got there. Jesus answered them back that they were seeking Him because they ate and were filled. But He wanted them to know that life was more than food that you work for. He wanted them to know that He was the bread of life.

“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.” John 6:35

“For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” John 6:40

Today, I’m putting an adult spin on the often-told children’s story of Daniel and the Lion’s Den recorded by Daniel himself in chapter six.

Daniel was one of the captives taken to Babylon after King Nebuchadnezzar invaded Jerusalem in 597 BC. You may remember Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego of the fiery furnace story were also taken captive.

During the time Daniel was captive in Babylon, he was given the interpretation by God of a dream the king had that none of his magicians or counselors could interpret. Because of this as well as his honesty and responsible character, he was appointed to serve in the royal court.

Years later when the Babylonian region was taken over by the Persians, he was still given positions of great responsibility. So much so that during the reign of King Darius, he was appointed one of three commissioners over all of the satraps (governors that were over all the Persian territory). They had to report revenues imposed by King Darius as well as other administrative projects to one of these commissioners. However, the king was so impressed with his trustworthiness that he was appointed the top commissioner over all governors and commissioners.

Apparently, this honesty was a problem for the other administrators, and they wanted him out. They could find no fault with which to accuse him or figure a way to legally remove him from office. So, they devised a plan to trap him. Since it was well known to all that Daniel prayed to his God every day, three times a day, they devised a plan to approach the king with a decree that no one could pray to a god or human for 30 days. If they were found guilty, they would be thrown into the pit of lions as punishment. Because they all agreed, the king made it into a decree. His ego, their persuasion? Nevertheless, it happened.

Daniel’s reaction was to go to his rooftop chamber and pray. Of course, the men knew that he would and so they brought it to the attention of the king with the added warning that the king had put it into a law of the Medes and the Persians.

“Then the king gave orders, and Daniel was brought in and cast into the lions’ den. The king spoke and said to Daniel, ‘Your God whom you constantly serve will Himself deliver you.” Daniel 6:16

A stone was placed over the top of the pit and sealed with the king’s signet ring. With a troubling night of no sleep and fasting, the king went at dawn to the pit to see if indeed Daniel’s God had saved him. His inquiry brought a response from the pit.

“My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as I was found innocent before Him; and also toward you, O king, I have committed no crime.” V.22

Now, I find it interesting to note that the seal had not been broken and no injury at all was found on him. Proving that whatever happened was not of man. King Darius was so overwhelmed with the protection Daniel’s God gave him that he gave orders that all the men who had accused Daniel were to be thrown into the lion’s pit as well as their wives and children.

I love the next few verses that give the impact of Daniel’s steadfast faithfulness to God and that witness to others. Look at what King Darius did as a result of Daniel’s witness of the saving power of his God:

“I make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel; For He is the living God and enduring forever, and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed, and His dominion will be forever He delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, who has also delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.” Daniel 6:26-27

Gain strength and encouragement and assurance of God’s love and protection for those who serve Him!