Bible League: Living His Word As they began to sing and to praise God, the LORD set an ambush for the army from Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir who had come to attack Judah. The enemy was defeated! The Ammonites and the Moabites started to fight the men from Mount Seir. After they killed them, the Ammonites and Moabites turned on themselves and killed each other.King Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah were invaded by a large army of Moabites, Ammonites, and Meunites. Deeply worried, the King led the people in fasting and prayer before the Lord. At the meeting, Jahaziel prophesied that the Lord himself would fight the battle for them. When the Judeans went out to meet the invading army, Jehoshaphat put the Temple singers in front of his forces. They sang, "Give thanks to the Lord! His faithful love will last forever." At the very moment they began to sing and praise the Lord the events of our verses for today came to pass. One of the many interesting details of this story is that Jehoshaphat put the Temple singers at the head of the Judeans and the invading armies started to destroy themselves when they began their songs of praise. The apparent point of this detail is that it was the priority the Judeans placed on praise which moved God to fight on their behalf. This detail reminds us of another story on the priority of praise. Acts 16 tells the story of Paul and Silas in prison. Although they had been beaten severely, they prayed and sang songs to God. At that very moment an earthquake shook the prison. The doors of the prison opened up and the chains on all the prisoners fell off. Praise moved God to act once again. So, have we finally discovered the religious ritual that will move the heavens on our behalf? Get some singers, crank up the band, and watch the trouble melt away! God, of course, cannot be controlled or manipulated – even with praise. He is the sovereign Lord over all. You can't force Him to do anything. Nevertheless, the point of these stories is that praise and worship should have a place of priority in the midst of our troubles. Before we do anything else, we should give praise and worship to the Lord. God is pleased with those who turn to Him first. There is great power in praise and worship. They are not mere formalities. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingPsalm 68, 69 Psalm 68 -- Let God arise! Let his enemies be scattered! NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Psalm 69 -- Save me, God, for the waters have come up to my neck! NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Romans 3 Romans 3 -- All Have Sinned and are Justified by faith NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.”Insight Jesus asked the disciples to eat the broken bread “to remember me.” He wanted them to remember his sacrifice, the basis for forgiveness of sins, and also his friendship that they could continue to enjoy through the work of the Holy Spirit. Although the exact meaning of Communion has been strongly debated throughout church history, Christians still take bread and wine in remembrance of their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Challenge Do not neglect participating in the Lord's Supper. Let it remind you of what Christ did for you. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Ruth 2:17 So she gleaned in the field until even.Let me learn from Ruth, the gleaner. As she went out to gather the ears of corn, so must I go forth into the fields of prayer, meditation, the ordinances, and hearing the word to gather spiritual food. The gleaner gathers her portion ear by ear; her gains are little by little: so must I be content to search for single truths, if there be no greater plenty of them. Every ear helps to make a bundle, and every gospel lesson assists in making us wise unto salvation. The gleaner keeps her eyes open: if she stumbled among the stubble in a dream, she would have no load to carry home rejoicingly at eventide. I must be watchful in religious exercises lest they become unprofitable to me; I fear I have lost much already--O that I may rightly estimate my opportunities, and glean with greater diligence. The gleaner stoops for all she finds, and so must I. High spirits criticize and object, but lowly minds glean and receive benefit. A humble heart is a great help towards profitably hearing the gospel. The engrafted soul-saving word is not received except with meekness. A stiff back makes a bad gleaner; down, master pride, thou art a vile robber, not to be endured for a moment. What the gleaner gathers she holds: if she dropped one ear to find another, the result of her day's work would be but scant; she is as careful to retain as to obtain, and so at last her gains are great. How often do I forget all that I hear; the second truth pushes the first out of my head, and so my reading and hearing end in much ado about nothing! Do I feel duly the importance of storing up the truth? A hungry belly makes the gleaner wise; if there be no corn in her hand, there will be no bread on her table; she labors under the sense of necessity, and hence her tread is nimble and her grasp is firm; I have even a greater necessity, Lord, help me to feel it, that it may urge me onward to glean in fields which yield so plenteous a reward to diligence. Daily Light on the Daily Path Isaiah 63:3 "I have trodden the wine trough alone, And from the peoples there was no man with Me. I also trod them in My anger And trampled them in My wrath; And their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments, And I stained all My raiment.Exodus 15:11 "Who is like You among the gods, O LORD? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders? Isaiah 59:16 And He saw that there was no man, And was astonished that there was no one to intercede; Then His own arm brought salvation to Him, And His righteousness upheld Him. 1 Peter 2:24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. Galatians 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us-- for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE "-- Psalm 98:1 A Psalm. O sing to the LORD a new song, For He has done wonderful things, His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him. Colossians 2:15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. Isaiah 53:11 As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities. Judges 5:21 "The torrent of Kishon swept them away, The ancient torrent, the torrent Kishon. O my soul, march on with strength. Romans 8:37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. Revelation 12:11 "And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
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