2 Kings 5:1-14 ~ And Elisha sent a messenger to him

2 Kings 5:1-14

Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. 2 Now the Syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, and she worked in the service of Naaman's wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” 4 So Naaman went in and told his lord, “Thus and so spoke the girl from the land of Israel.” 5 And the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.”

So he went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. 6 And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you Naaman my servant, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” 7 And when the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Only consider, and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me.”

8 But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come now to me, that he may know that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha's house. 10 And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” 1

1 But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage.

13 But his servants came near and said to him, “My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 14 So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.


So here we have Naaman. Bold. Brash. Victorious. He doesn't travel Economy and he doesn't travel lightly.  He has a wife and, heart tug, the little girl, captured in war, wants Naaman to be well. 

The analogy of Naaman anticipating, picturing, expecting & traveling to receive his miracle and being received by a messenger of the prophet has a Biblical comparison. One of my favorite parts in the Gospel. The Centurion. (One of my favorite posts was researching and chasing down the Centurion.)

Matthew 8:8 
 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.

Naaman is just.... not quite there. What do we see in common with Naaman and the Centurion.  Both are wise enough to seek God in a situation they have spent time with. 

Naaman flies into a rage and his servants, twice in this passage, seek to give him advice - they want Naaman to listen. And he does. We learn something about Naaman and his household. 

What about the Centurion?

Luke 7:3-7
 When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. ⁴ And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him, ⁵ for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.”  

⁶ And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. ⁷ Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed"


Matthew 8:10- 13
” ¹⁰ When Jesus heard this, He marveled.

 And said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. ¹¹ I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, ¹² while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”  

¹³ And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment.

What does Naaman  have in his favor?

Naaman thinks he can go to Israel and God will hear him through a prophet in Israel. 
Naaman has pictured the miracle as his own.
Naaman reacts honestly. 
Naaman is willing to rethink his actions. 

Both the Centurion and Naaman have this:

Psalm 107:20
He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.

1 Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Matthew 15:28
Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.

Romans 1:17
For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed — a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

1 Corinthians 13:13
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 John 4:7
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.


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Luke 16:1-16 ~ a hundred measures of oil

Luke 16:1-16

He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. 2 And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’

3 And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4 I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ 5 So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 He said, ‘A hundred measures [About 875 gallons or 3,200 liters] of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ 7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures [about 1,200 bushels or 45,000 liters of wheat]’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’

8 The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world [age] are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, [mammon, Semitic word for possesions or mone, rendered money] so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.

10 “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? 13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

14 The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. 15 And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

16 “The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it. 17 But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.

Of Course You've Heard This Before.

And mostly we live this:

Psalm 104:23
 Man goes out to his work
and to his labor until the evening.

How would you, or your boss, respond to 50% ROI or 80%. No bonus at least. Or...
you can no longer be manager. Not commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness.

However we all took a thing called His-tory. Sort of a tale of power, politics and economics. And some of have read Mark Twain, (Samuel Langhorne Clemens, his mamma, Jane Lampton Clemens is a cousin of mine) Eudora Welty, William Faulkner (my daddy dated his stepdaughter and was a friend of the stepson, Malcolm).

And you've heard stories of men in a country store who knew who would be the next Sheriff, Mayor, Leader of the State Senate, etc. And sometimes the conversation went a little like this.... 

"Oh. You think so. Huh." 

And the conversant walks away to feel..... Crunch. Yes, the old boy had an axe handle.

"Well, son, don't think our conversation was finished."

In some places, in some towns, in some countries - shrewd and return on investment don't run in parallel circles with standard operations manuals.

However, 
make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth  
has served some very well. Columnist Jack Andersen's study on Pres. Kennedy's assassination is the result of this.

Most of us serve two masters. The important part is the first commandment. Serve no other god.

Exodus 20

And God spoke all these words:
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

1“You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.


 
So. How would God have us balance His Plan and the need for sustenance?   Psalm 104 has the answer there.  Psalm 68:19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.



Psalm 104  

Bless the Lord, O my soul!
    O Lord my God, you are very great!
You are clothed with splendor and majesty,
²     covering yourself with light as with a garment,
    stretching out the heavens like a tent.
³ He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters;
he makes the clouds his chariot;
    he rides on the wings of the wind;
⁴ he makes his messengers winds,
    his ministers a flaming fire.

⁵ He set the earth on its foundations,
    so that it should never be moved.
⁶ You covered it with the deep as with a garment;
    the waters stood above the mountains.
⁷ At your rebuke they fled;
    at the sound of your thunder they took to flight.
⁸ The mountains rose, the valleys sank down
    to the place that you appointed for them.
⁹ You set a boundary that they may not pass,
    so that they might not again cover the earth.

¹⁰ You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
    they flow between the hills;
¹¹ they give drink to every beast of the field;
    the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
¹² Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell;
    they sing among the branches.
¹³ From your lofty abode you water the mountains;
    the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.

¹⁴ You cause the grass to grow for the livestock
    and plants for man to cultivate,
that he may bring forth food from the earth
¹⁵     and wine to gladden the heart of man,
oil to make his face shine
    and bread to strengthen man's heart.

¹⁶ The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly,
    the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
¹⁷ In them the birds build their nests;
    the stork has her home in the fir trees.
¹⁸ The high mountains are for the wild goats;
    the rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers.

¹⁹ He made the moon to mark the seasons;
    the sun knows its time for setting.
²⁰ You make darkness, and it is night,
    when all the beasts of the forest creep about.
²¹ The young lions roar for their prey,
    seeking their food from God.
²² When the sun rises, they steal away
    and lie down in their dens.

 
²³ Man goes out to his work
    and to his labor until the evening.

²⁴ O Lord, how manifold are your works!
    In wisdom have you made them all;
    the earth is full of your creatures.
²⁵ Here is the sea, great and wide,
    which teems with creatures innumerable,
    living things both small and great.
²⁶ There go the ships,
    and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it.

²⁷ These all look to you,
    to give them their food in due season.
²⁸ When you give it to them, they gather it up;
    when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
²⁹ When you hide your face, they are dismayed;
    when you take away their breath, they die
    and return to their dust.
³⁰ When you send forth your Spirit, they are created,
    and you renew the face of the ground.

³¹ May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
    may the Lord rejoice in his works,
³² who looks on the earth and it trembles,
    who touches the mountains and they smoke!
³³ I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
    I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
 

³⁴ May my meditation be pleasing to him,
    for I rejoice in the Lord.

 
³⁵ Let sinners be consumed from the earth,
    and let the wicked be no more!
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
Praise the Lord!

God knows your heart  (verse 15)

Psalm 19:14
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.


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Psalm 116 ~ I said in my alarm, “All mankind are liars.”

Psalm 116

I love the Lord, because he has heard
my voice and my pleas for mercy.
2 Because he inclined his ear to me,
therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
3 The snares of death encompassed me;
the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
I suffered distress and anguish.
4 Then I called on the name of the Lord:
“O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!”

5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;
our God is merciful.
6 The Lord preserves the simple;
when I was brought low, he saved me.
7 Return, O my soul, to your rest;
for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

8 For you have delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling;
9 I will walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.

10 I believed, even when I ^[believed] spoke :
“I am greatly afflicted”;
11 I said in my alarm,
“All mankind are liars.”

12 What shall I render to the Lord
for all his benefits to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the Lord,
14 I will pay my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people.

15 Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of his saints.
16 O Lord, I am your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your maidservant.
You have loosed my bonds.
17 I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving
and call on the name of the Lord.
18 I will pay my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people,
19 in the courts of the house of the Lord,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!

Can't you just hear our Father God think this, all of mankind are liars? Sometimes we go past polite and march right into selfish. Precious are the children He calls to be His. We are to be merciful and know He loosens our bonds to be kind. Fulfill the promises we give Him and be part of His Community.  You are always in our midst, Father God, and we praise You.

Father God, send me. And sent more of Your Love. We praise You for the Love You give us just in hearing us.

In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

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2 Corinthians 13 ~ all the saints greet you

2 Corinthians 13

This is the third time I am coming to you. Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 2 I warned those who sinned before and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again I will not spare them— 3 since you seek proof that Christ is speaking in me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. 4 For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by the power of God.

5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! 6 I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. 7 But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. 8 For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. 9 For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for. 10 For this reason I write these things while I am away from you, that when I come I may not have to be severe in my use of the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down.

11 Finally, brothers,^{[brothers and sisters]} rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another,^{[listen to my appeal]} agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. 13 All the saints greet you.

14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.


The Christian community comes under fire for being judgmental and not like Jesus Christ. We appear, to some, not to pass the test. Enmity has existed, for the Church as part of God's plan, yes, existed for centuries. Ignoring the people who are fed hope and peace as they worship Father God.

Our saints today may not wear robes, yet Abraham was righteous for believing.

However, the Church exists today for one reason. For 2,000 years God is pleased to help sustain the Church. In Jesus Christ we seek His forgiveness and try again, individually, and in community. We aim for restoration, comfort, agree-ability, peacefulness and to show we love a God of LOVE.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. And us as well. In the power of the Lord for building up. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.




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Ecclesiastes 7 ~ Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

Ecclesiastes 7


A good name is better than precious ointment,
and the day of death than the day of birth.
2 It is better to go to the house of mourning
than to go to the house of feasting,
for this is the end of all mankind,
and the living will lay it to heart.
3 Sorrow is better than laughter,
for by sadness of face the heart is made glad.
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

5 It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise
than to hear the song of fools.
6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot,
so is the laughter of the fools;
this also is vanity.
7 Surely oppression drives the wise into madness,
and a bribe corrupts the heart.

8 Better is the end of a thing than its beginning,
and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

9 Be not quick in your spirit to become angry,
for anger lodges in the heart of fools.
10 Say not, “Why were the former days better than these?”
For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.

11 Wisdom is good with an inheritance,
an advantage to those who see the sun.

 12 For the protection of wisdom is like the protection of money,
and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it.

13 Consider the work of God:
who can make straight what he has made crooked?

14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.

15 In my vain^{[vapor or mere breath]} life I have seen everything. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing. 16 Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? 17 Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time? 18 It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand, for the one who fears God shall come out from both of them.

19 Wisdom gives strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.

20 Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.

21 Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. 22 Your heart knows that many times you yourself have cursed others.

23 All this I have tested by wisdom. I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. 24 That which has been is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out?

25 I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness. 26 And I find something more bitter than death: the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is taken by her. 27 Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things— 28 which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found. One man among a thousand I found, but a woman among all these I have not found. 29 See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.

Recently I heard two famous evangelists talking about sin. One said complaining is breaking a commandment. The other listed being judgmental, angry, and generally negative as a sin.

Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you.

Well, twice warrants some thought...

Exodus 20

 And God spoke all these words:

 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

¹“You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. ⁵ You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ⁶ but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

²“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

³ “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 

⁴ Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. ¹¹ For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

⁵ “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

⁶ “You shall not murder.

⁷ “You shall not commit adultery.

⁸ “You shall not steal.

⁹ “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

¹⁰ “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.


Proverbs 6 
 There are six things that the Lord hates,
    seven that are an abomination to him:
¹⁷ haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
    and hands that shed innocent blood,
¹⁸ a heart that devises wicked plans,
    feet that make haste to run to evil,
¹⁹ a false witness who breathes out lies,
    and one who sows discord among brothers.
 
7 Deadly Sins have been used since early Christian times are usually given as wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony.

The Catholic Church divides sin into two categories: venial sins,  guilt is relatively minor. Mortal sins are considered deadly and might cause damnation.

Complaining can only be a sin if we put our needs as a god. Jesus came to be our sacrifice and we may come to God to give Him the desires of our heart.  Not as a way to complain endlessly. God lifts us, we are to look for His blessings each day.


Micah 6:8
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Recently a study was done on Google showing the world sees Christians as very unlike Christ.  Judgmental, irritable, rude, self-centered. 


James 4:4
You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Life is a balance. If we are convicted of sin, we should please God with the meditations of our heart and the words of our mouth. If we are told we sin because we are judgmental, we need to be clear within ourselves to love God and look to His Holiness. If we complain a lot, to offer to God the desire to please Him.

1 John 4:7
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.


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Psalm 147 ~ The Lord builds up Jerusalem

Psalm 147


1 Praise the Lord.

How good it is to sing praises to our God,
how pleasant and fitting to praise him!

2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the exiles of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
4 He determines the number of the stars
and calls them each by name.
5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
his understanding has no limit.
6 The Lord sustains the humble
but casts the wicked to the ground.

7 Sing to the Lord with grateful praise;
make music to our God on the harp.

8 He covers the sky with clouds;
he supplies the earth with rain
and makes grass grow on the hills.
9 He provides food for the cattle
and for the young ravens when they call.

10 His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;
11 the Lord delights in those who fear him,
who put their hope in his unfailing love.

12 Extol the Lord, Jerusalem;
praise your God, Zion.

13 He strengthens the bars of your gates
and blesses your people within you.
14 He grants peace to your borders
and satisfies you with the finest of wheat.

15 He sends his command to the earth;
his word runs swiftly.
16 He spreads the snow like wool
and scatters the frost like ashes.
17 He hurls down his hail like pebbles.
Who can withstand his icy blast?
18 He sends his word and melts them;
he stirs up his breezes, and the waters flow.

19 He has revealed his word to Jacob,
his laws and decrees to Israel.
20 He has done this for no other nation;
they do not know his laws.

Praise the Lord.

This week we read 1 Kings 13.  Why would God allow Jeroboam, Solomon's appointed slave foreman to split David's Kingdom by the time his grandson became King.  The Lord would use Israel and Judah to protect His people, to preserve a remnant. To enable the Temple to survive. Even Hezekiah's  father tried to teach Hezekiah to strip the gold from every surface of the Temple to allow God's country and God's people to become a client state of an Empire.

But to whom are God's promises given today?  The first chapter of Roman's says we all know God. This is different from the time of the Psalm 147. The Holy Spirit had not been given to all nations.  Who is Jerusalem? During its long history, Jerusalem has been destroyed twice, besieged 23 times, attacked 52 times, and captured and recaptured 44 times. We first learn of Jerusalem as Salem, city of Melchizedek. Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High.

Hebrews 7:2
and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, the name Melchizedek means “king of righteousness”; then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace."

Jerusalem was inhabited by Jebusites the Tribe of Judah could not remove until David, removed the Jebusites. That is why Jerusalem is called the City of David.

1 Corinthians 8:1
Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.


So, the history lesson has a point. David, as King, not only embraced the men who came to David after Saul was killed and his concubine's son proclaimed King, David embraced the men who would only flock to him as a victor.  As God runs to the prodigal son, David took Judah's land, being from the tribe of Judah and perfected the dream of Joshua, 40 years in the wilderness, to give the Children of Israel a home. The City of David is his homecoming victory. 

David was not sustained by war horses and palaces built behind the city walls. David was sustained in his humility of relying upon God's mercy. Left to him from the wonders he thought of as he counted the stars above the flock.  

When we read about Jerusalem or Israel or Judah, we read of God's love for us.

Psalm 5:7
But I, by your great love, can come into your house; in reverence I bow down toward your holy temple.

Psalm 13:5
But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.

Psalm 36:5
Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.

Psalm 37:28
For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones.

Psalm 40:11
Do not withhold your mercy from me, LORD; may your love and faithfulness always protect me.


David's Palace was built using Phoenician architecture, drawing by Professor Eilat Mazar, the archeologist who found David's Palace by reading the Scriptures.


View from David's Palace - artistic rendition
Phoenician Column found in David's Palace

View looking outside from David's Palace archaeological dig



Matthew 23:37
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.


Acts 1:6-8

Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”




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Psalm 33 ~ For our heart is glad in Him, because we trust in His Holy Name.

Psalm 33

Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous!
Praise befits the upright.
2 Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre;
make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!
3 Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.

4 For the word of the Lord is upright,
and all his work is done in faithfulness.
5 He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.

6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
and by the breath of his mouth all their host.
7 He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap;
he puts the deeps in storehouses.

8 Let all the earth fear the Lord;
let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!
9 For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.

10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
the plans of his heart to all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!

13 The Lord looks down from heaven;
he sees all the children of man;
14 from where he sits enthroned he looks out
on all the inhabitants of the earth,
15 he who fashions the hearts of them all
and observes all their deeds.
16 The king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
17 The war horse is a false hope for salvation,
and by its great might it cannot rescue.

18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,
19 that he may deliver their soul from death
and keep them alive in famine.

20 Our soul waits for the Lord;
he is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name.
22 Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.


Two days ago we looked at a miracle sent to Jeroboam, the usurper of Rehoboam, Solomon's son.  The man of God summoned by the word of God knows not to stay, dine and visit with Jeroboam.  The next part of 1 Kings 13 is a prophet beguiled by another prophet to disregard GOD's instructions to him. 

 1 Kings 13:16-25

 And he said, “I may not return with you, or go in with you, neither will I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place, ¹⁷ for it was said to me by the word of the Lord, ‘You shall neither eat bread nor drink water there, nor return by the way that you came.’” ¹⁸ And he said to him, “I also am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘Bring him back with you into your house that he may eat bread and drink water.’” But he lied to him. ¹⁹ So he went back with him and ate bread in his house and drank water.
 
²⁰ And as they sat at the table, the word of the Lord came to the prophet who had brought him back. ²¹ And he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have disobeyed the word of the Lord and have not kept the command that the Lord your God commanded you, ²² but have come back and have eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which he said to you, “Eat no bread and drink no water,” your body shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.’” ²³ And after he had eaten bread and drunk, he saddled the donkey for the prophet whom he had brought back. ²⁴ And as he went away a lion met him on the road and killed him. And his body was thrown in the road, and the donkey stood beside it; the lion also stood beside the body. ²⁵ And behold, men passed by and saw the body thrown in the road and the lion standing by the body. And they came and told it in the city where the old prophet lived.
 


he Lord looks down from heaven;
he sees all the children of man;
from where he sits enthroned he looks out
on all the inhabitants of the earth,
he who fashions the hearts of them all
and observes all their deeds.

This would be a reminder to listen to the voice of God 

 For the word of the Lord is upright,
and all his work is done in faithfulness.

even when godly friends would say relax, enjoy.

The king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
 The war horse is a false hope for salvation,
and by its great might it cannot rescue.



This would be one more reason to be grateful to our Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God our mediator and advocate.

Hebrews 4:15, 16

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin.Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.





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Luke 7:11-17 ~ “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!”

Nain is known as the Arab village of Nein, the north side of the Hill of Moreh. Nein means pleasant. The town of Jesus’ day was probably placed on the hill than the present village. Named for the pleasant view across the plains of Esdraelon. To the west is Mt. Carmel, and to the north, Nazareth stands out, about 6 mikes away. To the northeast is snow-capped Mt. Hermon.

Luke 7:11-17

 Soon afterward ^{[The next day]} he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. ¹² As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. ¹³ And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” 

 ¹⁴ Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” ¹⁵ And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.  

¹⁶ Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” ¹⁷ And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.


The fourth chapter of Luke is the beginning of Jesus' ministry. In the 5th Chapter, Jesus calls His disciples and begins to minister to large crowds. We remember Lazarus so very clearly (in the 16th Chapter of Luke as a parable) and in the raising of Lazarus in the Eleventh Chapter of The Gospel, According to John. The seventh chapter of Luke is still the Early days of Jesus' ministry.

Remember Peter's profession of faith for Jesus as Lord, in Matthew 16. Yet Jesus did something the Old Testament did as well. Jesus told the woman at the well in John Chapter 4,   The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” ²⁶ Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”

Jesus talked about, in Nazareth,  the obscure miracles which have gained in the telling.


Luke 4:23-30

What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.” 24 And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. 25 But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, 26 and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” 28 When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. 29 And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. 30 But passing through their midst, he went away.

Jesus being GOD, did not just converse with His disciples, He went out to the people -the original Hebrew word expresses heart-felt "sympathy" as a personal identification with suffering from grief as a physical condition.


when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”

We can expect today, GOD has compassion on us. Even when we feel far away from HIM.


Isaiah 41:10
 Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

Matthew 28:20
Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

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