1 Chronicles 21 ~ And David said to God, “I have sinned greatly in that I have done this thing. But now, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”

1 Chronicles 21

Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel. 2 So David said to Joab and the commanders of the army, “Go, number Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, and bring me a report, that I may know their number.” 3 But Joab said, “May the Lord add to his people a hundred times as many as they are! Are they not, my lord the king, all of them my lord's servants? Why then should my lord require this? Why should it be a cause of guilt for Israel?” 4 But the king's word prevailed against Joab. So Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and came back to Jerusalem. 5 And Joab gave the sum of the numbering of the people to David. In all Israel there were 1,100,000 men who drew the sword, and in Judah 470,000 who drew the sword. 6 But he did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering, for the king's command was abhorrent to Joab.

7 But God was displeased with this thing, and he struck Israel. 8 And David said to God, “I have sinned greatly in that I have done this thing. But now, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.” 9 And the Lord spoke to Gad, David's seer, saying, 10 “Go and say to David, ‘Thus says the Lord, Three things I offer you; choose one of them, that I may do it to you.’” 11 So Gad came to David and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Choose what you will: 12 either three years of famine, or three months of devastation by your foes while the sword of your enemies overtakes you, or else three days of the sword of the Lord, pestilence on the land, with the angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the territory of Israel.’ Now decide what answer I shall return to him who sent me.” 13 Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let me fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercy is very great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man.”

 
This is the sixth post of our series on Prophets.
We seen highlights from our conviction that prophets are Thunders for God, Bold, Hard as Iron, Fierce as Lions for the Truth, Undeniably Rude, while Hammering Away for a Thundering GOD.

What about the doom and gloom Prophets?

People, today, get very fussed over mentions of Satan and pushy prophets. Almost like the two are joined at the hip.

Moses did Thunder away. However, he was dealing with  -

Exodus 12:37-38
And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children

- a lot of continuously whiny people. You can really empathize with Moses.

Gad is a tribe of Israel. The first son of Jacob and Zilpah, the seventh of Jacob overall, and the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Gad. This Gad is prophet, a man, 600 or so years later from the first Gad. 

You can picture Gad thundering up to David - "Sinner!" It's possible, Gad enjoyed this a little too much. Like Jonah, Gad has a very limited role in His Plan. Yet, God does give Gad a very nice remembrance here:

2 Chronicles 29
25 And he [King Hezekiah, many years later] stationed the Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals, harps, and lyres, according to the commandment of David and of Gad the king's seer and of Nathan the prophet, for the commandment was from the Lord through his prophets. 26 The Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets. 27 Then Hezekiah commanded that the burnt offering be offered on the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song to the Lord began also, and the trumpets, accompanied by the instruments of David king of Israel. 28 The whole assembly worshiped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded. All this continued until the burnt offering was finished.

After all, Gad did offer choices.

If we compare Gad, say - to Jeremiah. Jeremiah, was known to be such an annoyance the Davidic line kept throwing him into a pit. Instead we know, David is God's :

Psalms 17:8:
"Keep me as the apple of the eye; hide me under the shadow of Thy wings"

Psalm 78:72
With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand.

 

 Monastery St Jeremiah, Egypt  6th Century A.D.

Jeremiah was dealing with God's children - so was Gad. The difference was David was reasonable. Perhaps Gad should have been more like Abraham and said, "Wait, Father God, time is a cage of Your invention. You can help us start out before the census - counting wealth instead of relying upon You." We can understand, in spite of David's flaws - like murder, marauder, and adultery - why God doesn't give Gad top billing, that billing goes instead to the more creative Nathan - his lamb story gets Nathan working for HIM for years.


Jeremiah’s ministry was active from the thirteenth year of Josiah, king of Judah. This was a major celebration in Judah. And How did Jeremiah respond to the Call From the LORD:

Jeremiah 1:6
"Alas, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am too young."

Was Jeremiah's yoke too heavy? Young King Josiah began a religious reform in Judah at about 622 BC. "Never had there been a reform so sweeping in its aims and so consistent in execution!" - John Bright, A History of Israel, (Westminster).

Which is a good thing for this discussion - we readily learn  - Jeremiah didn't want to thunder away at God's people. And King Josiah was a very good gig for Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 1:17
But you, dress yourself for work; arise, and say to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them."

God had other plans.

Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem, by Rembrandt van Rijn

No one who reads the Bible is surprised to find out - Jeremiah is going to be hard pressed. Hated by kings, people telling him to shut up about being saved from invasion from Egypt - which occurred miraculously - and - taken down three times by Nebuchadnezzar, who is the seed/fruit/redeemed/conqueror from Jonah's trip to the Assyrians. Jeremiah gets throw in a well to rot / drown, but keeps coming out okay and is saved.

How is Jeremiah saved and how do we know? God's promise in His Word.

Jeremiah 30:11
For I am with you to save you, declares the LORD; I will make a full end of all the nations among whom I scattered you, but of you I will not make a full end. I will discipline you in just measure, and I will by no means leave you unpunished.

And Jeremiah gets a nice house along the fasten-your-seatbelts-blessings-flow-out-journey.


Jeremiah 32
“I knew that this was the word of the Lord; 9 so I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and weighed out for him seventeen shekels[b] of silver. 10 I signed and sealed the deed, had it witnessed, and weighed out the silver on the scales. 11 I took the deed of purchase—the sealed copy containing the terms and conditions, as well as the unsealed copy— 12 and I gave this deed to Baruch son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel and of the witnesses who had signed the deed and of all the Jews sitting in the courtyard of the guard.

13 “In their presence I gave Baruch these instructions: 14 ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Take these documents, both the sealed and unsealed copies of the deed of purchase, and put them in a clay jar so they will last a long time. 15 For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.’

16 “After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord:

17 “Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. 18 You show love to thousands but bring the punishment for the parents’ sins into the laps of their children after them. Great and mighty God, whose name is the Lord Almighty, 19 great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds. Your eyes are open to the ways of all mankind; you reward each person according to their conduct and as their deeds deserve. 20 You performed signs and wonders in Egypt and have continued them to this day, in Israel and among all mankind, and have gained the renown that is still yours. 21 You brought your people Israel out of Egypt with signs and wonders, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with great terror. 22 You gave them this land you had sworn to give their ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey. 23 They came in and took possession of it, but they did not obey you or follow your law; they did not do what you commanded them to do. So you brought all this disaster on them.

Now, interestingly enough Baruch makes history again in Dr. Eliat Mizar's discover of King David's Palace. She found Baruch's parchment seal complete. Saying "Baruch son of Neriah."

You have to love the Word of God telling us History. Baruch gets another bite at history being recently re-discovered.

2 Timothy 3:11
persecutions, sufferings--what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.


Father God we open our hands to you and ask for times of peace. We pray to build with our words and works the grace and mercy that is Yours. Take each day and build this life to be meaningful to You. In the name of Jesus our Lord. Amen.

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1 Samuel 1:9-14 ~ Put your wine away from you

Depiction of Eli and Samuel by John Singleton Copley 1780.

Below, Eli is in the interior doors, closest to the above painting,  hearing Hannah when Hannah prays for a child.

Actually Shiloh held the Temple of the Lord before the Temple in Jerusalem, built by Solomon. And looks more like this:

 





1 Samuel 1:9-14

9 After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord. 10 She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. 11 And she vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.”

12 As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. 13 Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman. 14 And Eli said to her, “How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you.”





We are in the fifth post of our sermon series for Prophets. :)
We seen highlights from our conviction that prophets are Thunders for God, Bold, Hard as Iron, Fierce as Lions for the Truth, Undeniably Rude, while Hammering Away for a Thundering GOD.


Nathan creatively made David see his sin. David named a son for Nathan. Nathan wanted David to live to be old and on God's path. Nathan was there in the room, with a very old David, as he joined the baby David called a child.

Samuel mourned Saul. He could Not make Saul do what God wanted. Samuel must have failed, but actually Samuel said in weakness to Father GOD - "Please don't make me anoint another king now. It makes people uncomfortable." And Samuel did as God asked. Learning, (a prophet learning?) God looks at the heart of David. Samuel as a small child - had an open heart for God.

(Those Scriptures - they are so awful presenting these Prophets of God as Perfect - Sheesh, so unreal to see these perfect people - um where?)

Jonah didn't love. He was never used as a Prophet of God again, after he whined about the redemption of God's beloved creation - mankind.

Abraham doesn't seem like a Prophet. Yet we see he asked God for mercy for life. And he believed the promises of God and lived his life for them. Just like Jesus' foster father Joseph, Abraham looked to be merciful. Not entirely understanding God's promises completely.

Moses we see also follows God's plan. Moses had relationships, when we see how God utilized Moses and the people around Moses. Moses wanted his gift to encourage more people. In the same way the early Church was built upon encouragement in relationships. God calls us to speak up.

How could Jacob be a Prophet? Jacob felt completely certain, in his difficult life, he had godly blessings to bestow upon his sons to be felt for generations. Jacob believed God and this is counted to him as righteousness. These blessings, today, influence the world we live in. Jacob, all his life, contended with God.

Which brings us to Eli !!- These prophets are perfect. Unlike the television evangelists in the 1980s in the United States. Well. Not exactly. Moses did not tie up the Exodus. Neither did Joshua. David was still fighting for the Tribe of Judah to reclaim Jerusalem 500 or more years later.

John Wesley, - Westminster Abbey

"GOD BURIES HIS WORKMEN, BUT CARRIES ON HIS WORK" .

Surely, a very important concept.

Eli made mistakes. He starts out our narrative by accusing godly Hannah of being drunk in the Temple from his lofty perch. We surely discover prophets are fallible. Eli has a problem he shares with Samuel - both prophets have sons remembered as - let's have some Christian charity here - problem sons. Joshua couldn't persuade the men to go into God's Promised Land - Joshua tried and they wouldn't listen to him. However, that mistake gave him a heck of a career. I think God saw Joshua as a favored one from then on. God tends to be a heart observer, more than a score one for the gipper guy. A relevant point for today and our lives.

Moses abandoned his family as well as these other guys,  for "the cause". And he spoke so harshly to the troops that he was sent down like Patton. Failed to complete the mission when given next generation technology.

Abraham decided God likes take charge men. Listened to his wife and took advantage of a slave girl - who wanted to run away and die - from their drama. And she would have, if God had not intervened. Abraham saved his nephew and cared to go eyeball to eyeball with God on the topic of "Are You Merciful Enough, God?" Abraham believed God was God and cared to step up to the plate for others.

Jonah left a legacy of myth. Sure, we see the Assyrian Empire decided to bypass God's Nation - but surely this Jonah was a myth. I think not. All things are possible with God. And Jonah didn't love, which displeased God. End of Jonah's career.

Nathan played king maker a little too happily. I'm just sayin.



So, back to Eli. How does Eli come to have qualities endearing him to the top spot - Prophet. Eli said, "Let His Word be done." And accepted God's just judgments. Eli - Never - looked at Samuel surpassing him in Spirit and said, "Get behind me." Eli loved Father GOD and wanted to see God to go forth in glory. Eli did not whine. Make straight the paths of the Lord. He encouraged Samuel along. Seeking God's Glory.


I sing a song of the saints of God,
patient and brave and true,
who toiled and fought and lived and died
for the Lord they loved and knew.
And one was a doctor, and one was a queen,
and one was a shepherdess on the green;
they were all of them saints of God, and I mean,
God helping, to be one too.

2. They loved their Lord so dear, so dear,
and his love made them strong;
and they followed the right for Jesus' sake
the whole of their good lives long.
And one was a soldier, and one was a priest,
and one was slain by a fierce wild beast;
and there's not any reason, no, not the least,
why I shouldn't be one too.

3. They lived not only in ages past;
there are hundreds of thousands still.
The world is bright with the joyous saints
who love to do Jesus' will.
You can meet them in school, on the street, in the store,
in church, by the sea, in the house next door;
they are saints of God, whether rich or poor,
and I mean to be one too




1 John 2:1

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous

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Genesis 32:27-29 ~ he strives with God

Jacob Contends with the Lord, Gustave Dore

Genesis 32:27-29

And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel,^{[ Israel means He strives with God, or God strives ]} for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him.


I was surprised Jacob is considered to be a Prophet of God.

That's My King, described by Dr. S.M. Lockridge

Jacob could not shake God from his thoughts. Jacob is labeled as a thief today, and stole Abraham's grandson's blessing from his older twin. Jacob believed in the blessings of God. It cost him his home, to be put out during his father's deathbed, and put him on the road back where Abraham came from. He learned what being cheated felt like, from his Uncle Laban.

His son was taken from him, and his other eleven sons covered up. He believed, as he left his promised land, because of famine and better opportunity - God's Promise would have to continue another way.

Romans 4:3
For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”

How can we tell Jacob was prophetic? He believed the promises of God - he left Israel the land behind.  Seems an unlikely conclusion.

After all Prophets are people who wrestle angels and thunder for God. And Jacob is packing to leave the promised land - you would think he would stand and fight to stay - this is the promised land! Prophets are fighters!

Genesis 32
Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. 2 And when Jacob saw them he said, “This is God's camp!” So he called the name of that place Mahanaim.

Mostly, Biblical reactions to angels are stunning fear. Here is Jacob - making camp. And there is a cost to getting this close to God.

24 And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. 25 When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

Yet Jacob leaves the promised land, because of famine and a better offer from a long lost son.

Jacob, painted by Harry Anderson

Jacob was not running away. He believed God was so infinite - if He'd wanted the family in Israel - He would have provided there. So where is the prophetic portion of Jacob's life?

Genesis 47

29 And when the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “If now I have found favor in your sight, put your hand under my thigh and promise to deal kindly and truly with me. Do not bury me in Egypt, 30 but let me lie with my fathers. Carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burying place.” He answered, “I will do as you have said.” 31 And he said, “Swear to me”; and he swore to him. Then Israel bowed himself upon the head of his bed.

All the blessings are listed in Genesis 49. We see Israel forgave his sons and the Scriptures do not record an apology from them to their father. Jacob acknowledges some of the difficulties as he forgives and blesses them. That forgiveness is a mark of someone close to God. He lived with Joseph's death for many years. I'm sure he wondered if he'd been a good enough, protective parent. And he still forgave them their cruelty.

Matthew 5:7
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

And more importantly, Jacob felt completely certain, in his difficult life, he had godly blessings to bestow upon his sons to be felt for generations. Jacob believed God and this is counted to him as righteousness. These blessings, today, influence the world we live in. Jacob believed in the Word of God for His promises. He was willing to contend with God for His blessings. And God - was more than willing to be there for Jacob.

Genesis 49

All these are the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what their father said to them as he blessed them, blessing each with the blessing suitable to him. 29 Then he commanded them and said to them, “I am to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 in the cave that is in the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place. 31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah— 32 the field and the cave that is in it were bought from the Hittites.” 33 When Jacob finished commanding his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed and breathed his last and was gathered to his people.

Luke 15:20
So he got up and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

Matthew 22:32
‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' He is not God of the dead, but of the living.”

John 14:13-14
13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

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Exodus 4 ~ “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.”

Exodus 3:10-12
10 Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”

Exodus 4:10-15
10 But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” 11 Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” 13 But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.” 14 Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses and he said, “Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 15 You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do.

Prophets are billed as mighty thunderers for the LORD, God, The Almighty. Who else said, "Could You send someone else?"

Samuel , Peter, the Disciples ran away from Jesus, minus beloved John, adopted first into the Family of God. Tarshish- Jonah ran there!  We add to this group - Moses. Jeremiah resisted the call by complaining that he was only a child and did not know how to speak.

We have to say, even the greats of GOD, said - "Oh my, no." How did God overcome this initial 'no'? Relationships.

Nathan stayed by David's side for decades and saw David name one of his sons, Nathan. Saul worked so closely with Saul, he mourned Saul's failures and didn't want a better fitted King for Israel. Samuel was still nearby when Saul started killing the priests to find David, 1 Samuel 21 to 25. Isaiah, according to Biblical Scholars, is the first cousin of King Uzziah, then King Azah and lastly King Hezekiah. Isaiah was one of the grandsons of King Joash, the son of Amoz.

Moses is not unknown to Pharaoh. However, Moses is an unknown to his brother Aaron. And God says - get to know one another - for a good reason.

Prophets intercede for people - not out of a desire to thunder, but like Nathan - the desire for God's glory to witness to more people. Nathan was dear to David and in trying to reason with David, worked creatively on the parable of the ewe. Prophets ... Love.

We look in awe in the Book of Acts. And what do we see is the only time 3,000 pages of Scripture say - "ENCOURAGE!" - When the early Church is being built. Paul and Peter with a newly released Holy Spirit - make multitudes of converts. Yet if we look how the new Church was built, we would see really - real and deep and meaningful change come about like the growth of a Body in Christ. With encouragement, love and time. The first chapter of the Book of Acts leads to the second chapter in Acts.  Significantly, this is the time Jesus' brothers, mother, and sisters join with His Disciples and the Church is built from the core - out. They are building one another up before they go out to serve the world.

Paul encouraged Barnabus - Barnabas, meaning "Son of Encouragement." Barnabus encouraged his own cousin John Mark. Who wrote a book called "The Gospel According to Mark." Paul encouraged Timothy and Timothy grew the Church in Greece. Sometimes we forget that the Exodus isn't just forty years, but tribes continued to battle unbelievers for 500 years until David reclaimed Jerusalem for his tribe of Judah. And David had a relationship with God, Samuel, Jonathan and Nathan.There were quite a few times David looked for encouragement.

David, for that matter, didn't always thunder - he "changed his behavior before King Abimelech" and Abimelech - went - away. David was known for the lovingness of his heart and his willingness to trust his Father God.

Father God, each day - let me say - I open my hands to You - Send me. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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Genesis 12:1-3 ~ I will bless you

The Prophet Jeremiah, painted by Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni

Genesis 12:1-3

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.^{[by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves].}

Let's face facts as we look to see if Prophet's are loving people.


Genesis 12

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. 8 From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord.


How did Abram react to hearing prophecy from the LORD?

James 2:23
And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend.

We have read Abraham went as the Lord had told him. And we know Abraham fretted and doubted.

Genesis 15:1
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”

Abraham continued down God's path with some doubt, wondering if Abraham should work to do God's promise himself.

And in Chapter 18 of Genesis we witness Abraham's merciful heart:

22 So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. 23 Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?”

God uses the merciful and holds them dear to HIM.

Matthew 1
1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

2 Abraham was the father of Isaac

jumps to

16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.


Witness who would raise the Son of God.


Matthew 1:18-21
18 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. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 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. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Matthew 5:7
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Luke 6:36
Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.


This mercy enabled God to know he could reason with Joseph.


Matthew 2:13-15
13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”


Mercy would be very important to a merciful God, leaving hearts open.

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?

Powerful words - mercy. The generals of Germany knew they were completely defeated towards the end of World War II, they say the American Armies had desserts and birthday cakes from America in Europe. So God sees mercy as a chief component to be merciful. How could we do less?


Lord, with open hands we pray - help us to be merciful to the ones around us. And loving of heart to be fruitful for Your glory. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. 

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2 Samuel 12:1-23 ~ may live

2 Samuel 12:1-23

12 And the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had very many flocks and herds, 3 but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms,[a] and it was like a daughter to him. 4 Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” 5 Then David's anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, 6 and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”

7 Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. 8 And I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. 9 Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ 11 Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. 12 For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’” 13 David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. 14 Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord,^{[Dead Sea Scroll the Word of the Lord]} the child who is born to you shall die.” 15 Then Nathan went to his house.

And the Lord afflicted the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and he became sick. 16 David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. 17 And the elders of his house stood beside him, to raise him from the ground, but he would not, nor did he eat food with them. 18 On the seventh day the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, “Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spoke to him, and he did not listen to us. How then can we say to him the child is dead? He may do himself some harm.” 19 But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David understood that the child was dead. And David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” They said, “He is dead.” 20 Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. He then went to his own house. And when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate. 21 Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.” 22 He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ 23 But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”



David acknowledges that the child was a unique person. He does not say baby; David is fully acknowledging this as a human being unique in HIS sight.

When we think of our lives, we plan out an idea of what He would have us do with our time. Surely if we are at the beginning of our lives, few of us raise our hands and say, "Oh, I'd like to be a prophet of the Lord!!"

Look at Nathan, he really worked out how he was going to plunk down this information the Lord sent to Nathan. If you look at the movie Richard Gere did on "David", you are going to see Samuel is a plotting, murdering, foaming-at-the-mouth Power Man. Hardly a prophet, Samuel is shown to be, but a king maker, a king breaker.

How did Nathan end up being a prophet of God?

2 Samuel 5:13-16
And David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he came from Hebron, and more sons and daughters were born to David. 14 And these are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, 15 Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia,15 Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, 16 Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.

Nathan did well in the eyes of David. Why? Nathan Loved. Loved David and David knew this.

2 Samuel 12:13
David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die.

2 Samuel 12:24-25
24 Then David comforted his wife, Bathsheba, and went in to her and lay with her, and she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. And the Lord loved him 25 and sent a message by Nathan the prophet. So he called his name Jedidiah,^{[Beloved of the Lord]} because of the Lord.

Nathan was there when David was going to die of old age. Nathan advised David in the ways to obtain old age and stay in Salvation.


Next we are going to consider Samuel.

Samuel knows something about what the Lord desires. Notice with me, the heart of the matter.

1 Samuel 7:3
And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.”


1 Samuel 16:1-2
The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”

2 But Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.”

Now here is job, career as prophet, a woman is not going to usually check-mark. This is a game where people get Vastly Offended. And notice with me again, Samuel has mourned Saul. How do we know? The LORD says so. Samuel is also in understanding of this is the Lord's Plan and Samuel is going to do what God has for him to do. He is not going to pull a Jonah and run.

So is this prophecy a comfy job - far from that.

1 Samuel 16:4-5
4 So Samuel did as the Lord instructed. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town came trembling to meet him. “What’s wrong?” they asked. “Do you come in peace?”

5 “Yes,” Samuel replied. “I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Purify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then Samuel performed the purification rite for Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice, too.

Samuel invokes the same principal Jesus did when he said the child is sleeping, as he went to raise her from the dead. Samuel is not announcing the purposes of God, he is doing the will of his Father.


John 1:23
John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.


Jonah did not love and still was compelled to do the work of the Lord. He spent time mourning the fact Nineveh  repented.

Jonah 4
9 But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.” 10 And the Lord said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. 11 And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”

(Surely a lot of people think Jonah is a fable. However what reason would Jonah hate the Assyrians so much? It sounds like national pride. However, I believe this to be History and would point out to you it is one of the amazing miracles of the Bible that during King Hezekiah, and Isaiah, the Assyrian Empire did not invade or compel the next door neighbor, tiny Israel, to be assumed to be other than a friend of the Assyrian Empire. Jonah has saved Israel for another Empire in time to conquer that. And Nebuchadnezzar is interested as he is compelled by Israel's bad behavior and double dealing to the Persian Empire to be lenient because Jonah's words have caught Holy Spirit Fire in the Assyrian Empire which led to Nebuchadnezzar becoming the new leader out of Assyria to form the Persian Empire.)

Its interesting to note, God did not send a hater back to Israel to become as part the Temple. End of Jonah.

We all, ultimately, hope to create a life with meaning. Samuel understood that as a small boy. Here is a heart open to the LORD.

1 Samuel 3

Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.

2 At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was.

4 Then the Lord called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!” 5 and ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down.

6 And the Lord called again, “Samuel!” and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.

8 And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10 And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” 11 Then the Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle.


Father God, each day we put out our open hands to You. Let this day not merely be one day tells its tale to another. Use this day in my life to Your glory. Let me encounter the people You would call me to minister with about You. I am much more attuned to let Your love be revealed in my life without words. Should You require words, help those words be from You.

Let me be like Noah, clearly, or unclearly, let Your will be accomplished. Noah knew he was to believe You, believe Your Words were for him, and Noah swung his hammer, each day at Your task. Let my prayer, my words, my work be for You. And let one life bring His will in goodness, mercy and steadfast love. Let love, the grace of Yours, cover a multitude of sin and allow my life to be fruitful to you. I ask in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord, each day. Amen. So be it.

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Matthew 6:19-23 ~ generous

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Matthew 6:19-23

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy,^[generous] your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy,^[stingy]  your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!


Matthew 10:7
And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!’

Psalm 23:6
 
Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
 



Believe this - Eternity begins as we invite the Lord, God, the Almighty to move, dwell and have His Being within us.
 

As Jesus people, we are called to leave footprints saying our lives gave goodness and love.

One of life's most irritating quotes to me is Mahatma Gandhi's - "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."

I believe I would say -Passive Resistance and Healing Requires Two Participating Sides.

We miss a good point in the life, being busy people; True change comes first from meditation, becoming prayer. Prayer becomes a changed heart. A changed heart makes life more meaningful with Love. And character produces hope.

Real change. South Africa remains intact and prospering after the genocide was forgiven, led by the Christian Church. Rwanda the same.

The Smithsonian exhibit of The Greensboro, NC Lunch Counter Sit In, made an excellent, excellent point about civil rights leaders' determination to be non-violent. We were blessed as a nation for permanent change.

What does desegregation mean to us today? Many of us have friends with other skin colors. Leading into, we increasingly have family with different skin colors. You wouldn't want your grandchild to be told to sit at the other side of the room. 

 http://www.gutenberg.org/files/11255/11255-h/11255-h.htm#BooneRevFrankT 
Guttenburg wrote A History of Slavery in the United States, from Interviews with Former Slaves assembled in 1936 by a Library of Congress Project.



Our Churches need to do this - our mission field actually is - the people we encounter in our daily lives. And in our Churches. Pew Research, and seeing young people come in to the Pregnancy Assistance Center, shows us more Christians believe "you don't need Church to be a follower of Jesus Christ." What caused the Church to grow? The word Encouragement is used fourteen times in the Scriptures - Only in the Books speaking of Church growth. Too many times Christians believe if we castigate worldly views, we've preached the gospel.

Job 9:10
He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.

Recently a client at the Pregnancy Center I volunteer in, had a homeless lady come in with her husband, heavily pregnant with her second child. She spoke of her oldest son's almost recovery from a brain tumor. The trouble with shelter housing have bedbugs and continual mental 'Drama'. The hopelessness of being so pressed and unemployed. She was a bright eyed individual - telling of real trouble with determination and verve. My heart went well out to her. Her second pregnancy was six months along and her unborn daughter had been flagged with Downs Syndrome; saying she could handle having one handicapped boy, so she had the background to handle another with love. She spoke of having a mom who was willing to help the other siblings, but not her, with some bitterness - who wouldn't be bitter?

Our Pregnancy Center offers points for goods earned by doing homework. I put my hand on her shoulder and asked her if she wouldn't mind having the Forgiveness Homework. Her reply was heartfelt as she replied she could use that. We prayed for these reasons and for her to be able to find a high risk pregnancy doctor, I could tell she was overwhelmed and under prayed for. The Prayer seemed to bounce right back from that ceiling.

God hears us. We are transparent to Him.

The next time that client came in - she brought her mother. That bright eyed woman was still bright eyed. Her mom was giving her family a brand new trailer on her mom's beautiful, treed land. The husband had found work. The high risk doctor had been found. The welcomed unborn daughter - well she does Not have Down's Syndrome.

That bright eyed young woman knows something about her Father. Forgiveness is bringing Heaven to earth.

Matthew 13:32
Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.


1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.

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