May 31 ~ Genesis 18:20-33
20-21 God continued, "The cries of the victims in Sodom and Gomorrah are deafening; the sin of those cities is immense. I'm going down to see for myself, see if what they're doing is as bad as it sounds. Then I'll know."
22 The men set out for Sodom, but Abraham stood in God's path, blocking his way.
23-25 Abraham confronted him, "Are you serious? Are you planning on getting rid of the good people right along with the bad? What if there are fifty decent people left in the city; will you lump the good with the bad and get rid of the lot? Wouldn't you spare the city for the sake of those fifty innocents? I can't believe you'd do that, kill off the good and the bad alike as if there were no difference between them. Doesn't the Judge of all the Earth judge with justice?"
26 God said, "If I find fifty decent people in the city of Sodom, I'll spare the place just for them."
27-28 Abraham came back, "Do I, a mere mortal made from a handful of dirt, dare open my mouth again to my Master? What if the fifty fall short by five—would you destroy the city because of those missing five?"
He said, "I won't destroy it if there are forty-five."
29 Abraham spoke up again, "What if you only find forty?"
"Neither will I destroy it if for forty."
30 He said, "Master, don't be irritated with me, but what if only thirty are found?"
"No, I won't do it if I find thirty."
31 He pushed on, "I know I'm trying your patience, Master, but how about for twenty?"
"I won't destroy it for twenty."
32 He wouldn't quit, "Don't get angry, Master—this is the last time. What if you only come up with ten?"
“For the sake of only ten, I won't destroy the city."
33 When God finished talking with Abraham, he left. And Abraham went home.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
If ever there were Biblical precedence for intercessory prayer, this is it! We wonder why God allows things to happen – bad things – “acts of nature” like tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, drought, tsunamis, blizzards and cyclones. Why are thousands of innocent people killed in these events - and what were their dying thoughts? Did they wonder why God deserted them? Were they in pain and suffering and crying out for relief?I do not have an answer for these questions. But I do know this – it is okay to cry out to God ourselves and ask “Why?” If Abraham could question God’s judgment in destroying the entire population of Sodom, can’t we ask Him to be merciful on the victims of an earthquake in China or a hurricane in New Orleans?
I am not saying we can change God’s mind, or that we can second-guess Him. But I do believe God listens to the prayers of His children… and I believe our prayers often open the doors and windows for God to answer.
My own fault lies in the fact that I don’t pray often enough for these situations. I don’t pray on a broad enough platform… for people in other parts of the world… for natural disasters globally… for world leaders. I pray for family and friends and situations in my own immediate universe, but I don’t stop to respect and acknowledge the vastness of GOD’s universe… and how small and insignificant I am in it.
So I want to encourage you to pray fervently on a more global scale. Yes, pray for your family and friends, yourself and your immediate issues and situations. But remember to call on God on behalf of others… those who may not even know about Him. Call on God to meet the needs and change the hearts and bless those around the world, no matter their situation. Call on God to protect us from disasters of nature… and to give us peace and understanding when troubles do come. Intercede – pray on behalf of others you don’t even know. Then stand back and watch God work!
©2008 Debbie Robus
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May 30 ~ Genesis 4:1-15
1 Adam slept with Eve his wife. She conceived and had Cain. She said, "I've gotten a man, with God's help!"
2 Then she had another baby, Abel. Abel was a herdsman and Cain a farmer. 3-5 Time passed. Cain brought an offering to God from the produce of his farm. Abel also brought an offering, but from the firstborn animals of his herd, choice cuts of meat. God liked Abel and his offering, but Cain and his offering didn't get his approval. Cain lost his temper and went into a sulk.
6-7 God spoke to Cain: "Why this tantrum? Why the sulking? If you do well, won't you be accepted? And if you don't do well, sin is lying in wait for you, ready to pounce; it's out to get you, you've got to master it."
8 Cain had words with his brother. They were out in the field; Cain came at Abel his brother and killed him.
9 God said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?"
He said, "How should I know? Am I his babysitter?"
10-12 God said, "What have you done! The voice of your brother's blood is calling to me from the ground. From now on you'll get nothing but curses from this ground; you'll be driven from this ground that has opened its arms to receive the blood of your murdered brother. You'll farm this ground, but it will no longer give you its best. You'll be a homeless wanderer on Earth."
13-14 Cain said to God, "My punishment is too much. I can't take it! You've thrown me off the land and I can never again face you. I'm a homeless wanderer on Earth and whoever finds me will kill me."
15 God told him, "No. Anyone who kills Cain will pay for it seven times over." God put a mark on Cain to protect him so that no one who met him would kill him.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
I know we have heard this story thousands of times. But today, I want you to think about two people: Eve and Cain. Do you see the pattern here? Eve disobeyed God and started an avalanche of troubles. God blessed Eve and Adam with two sons, but as is often the case, Abel grew in one direction and Cain in another. And right or wrong, Cain perceived Abel as God’s favorite and grew jealous. And the jealousy grew so strong that he developed a hate for his brother – so strong that he killed him.
So what does this have to do with us? How many times have you felt like someone else was getting better than you? Maybe it wasn’t a sibling… maybe it was a co-worker or an acquaintance. Have you ever said, “that guy has all the luck!” or “she is so thin… I hate her” (even in jest), or “my sister/brother was Mom’s favorite” or “he is the ‘Golden Boy’ – he can do no wrong.”? These may seem harmless, but if you say it, you think it on some level, and it’s called jealousy… and look where that got Cain and Abel.
Look, I’m not saying you are going to be driven to commit murder. I’m not saying that we are bad people because of our envy. But our thoughts, as much as our actions, do have consequences. AND… jealousy does not honor God and His handiwork in us. God loves us for who we are. He does not compare us to others, so why should we? He may wish that we would improve in our faithfulness and obedience to Him, but He did not create us to be cookie-cutter matches to anyone else. We need to drop the comparisons, ditch the jealousies, and become the people God created for His purpose. To choose otherwise will lead to a life of heartache and struggle. And who among us wants that?!
©2008 Debbie Robus
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May 29 ~ Genesis 3:1-7
1 The serpent was clever, more clever than any wild animal God had made. He spoke to the Woman: "Do I understand that God told you not to eat from any tree in the garden?"
2-3 The Woman said to the serpent, "Not at all. We can eat from the trees in the garden. It's only about the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, 'Don't eat from it; don't even touch it or you'll die.'"
4-5 The serpent told the Woman, "You won't die. God knows that the moment you eat from that tree, you'll see what's really going on. You'll be just like God, knowing everything, ranging all the way from good to evil."
6 When the Woman saw that the tree looked like good eating and realized what she would get out of it—she'd know everything!—she took and ate the fruit and then gave some to her husband, and he ate.
7 Immediately the two of them did "see what's really going on"—saw themselves naked! They sewed fig leaves together as makeshift clothes for themselves.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
This is where it all started… our disobedience to God. He clearly told Adam and Eve not to eat from the fruit of this one tree. But Satan, in the form of a serpent, persuaded Eve that there was nothing wrong with eating from this tree… that in fact, God was in essence just being stingy and holding out on them… the fruit on this tree was especially tasty. And he convinced Eve of this, and of course she ate, and the rest is the history we all know so well.
God was very angry with Adam and Eve for doing this. He cursed childbirth for all womankind and declared it would be painful and difficult. He made the snake a disgusting animal and cursed it among women – how many females do you know who actually LIKE snakes? He tossed Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden and took their easy life from them. He caused them to have to work and struggle.
You know, we are all just like Eve, if not worse. We KNOW what God says about every situation in life, and if we don’t know for sure, we know where to find the answer in His Holy Word. But over and over again we listen to outside influences. Remember when you were a little kid and an adult would ask, “Why did you do that?” and you would answer, “Because So-and-So told me to!”? We still do that today… but now the So-and-So is usually Satan. He may use a friend, or a spouse or a relative or your boss – or even a “religious leader” to convince us, but we ARE convinced! And the next thing you know, we have fallen into the trap and are headed in a downward spiral.
We would do well to remember Eve. We don’t have to judge her or condemn HER – but her actions were not ones we want to emulate. We must learn from Eve and be reminded to listen for GOD’s voice. Learn to tell the difference between His voice and those of others. Practice listening to God so often that you know when Satan is trying to get to you through someone – or something else. Do not eat from the Tree of Life. GOD is your fruit… feast on Him!
©2008 Debbie Robus
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May 28 ~ Mark 16:1-8
1-3 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so they could embalm him. Very early on Sunday morning, as the sun rose, they went to the tomb. They worried out loud to each other, "Who will roll back the stone from the tomb for us?"
4-5 Then they looked up, saw that it had been rolled back—it was a huge stone—and walked right in. They saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed all in white. They were completely taken aback, astonished.
6-7 He said, "Don't be afraid. I know you're looking for Jesus the Nazarene, the One they nailed on the cross. He's been raised up; he's here no longer. You can see for yourselves that the place is empty. Now—on your way. Tell his disciples and Peter that he is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You'll see him there, exactly as he said."
8 They got out as fast as they could, beside themselves, their heads swimming. Stunned, they said nothing to anyone.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
We truly cannot imagine what these women must have been feeling. They must have been so numb from watching Jesus die so horrifically. And yet, they did what women of their day were supposed to do when someone died. They bought spices and cloth and headed for the tomb to clean and embalm the body with the oils – to wrap it in the cloth like a mummy. And when they got there, the body was gone! I don’t know about you, but I think I might have dropped my supplies and run like the wind with fear and confusion!
But we know that is not what happened. We know these women banded together and encouraged and supported one another. How awesome is this… that Salome was a friend to the mother of Jesus? How comforting it is to think that somebody – a trusted friend – shared Mary’s grief and all of the emotions surrounding Jesus’ death.
What a faithful friend and mother Salome was. She may have been a little overzealous in her desire for her sons to be Jesus’ disciples… and aren’t we all like her at some point in our lives – more confident and “pushy” than we should be about a situation or something we desire? But when “the chips were down” in the worst way imaginable, Salome was there. She stood by Mary and watched Jesus’ death, and then she followed her to the tomb to do what had to be done. And THEN, she stood by Mary as they fled the empty tomb. Would you have done the same? Could you have done it? Are you a faithful friend, even in the worst of times? Remember Salome. Remember her faithfulness – to God AND to her friends. The example of her service, faith, and the lessons she learned from Jesus are all ones worthy of our attention and aspiration!
©2008 Debbie Robus
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May 27 ~ Matthew 27:51-56
51-53 At that moment, the Temple curtain was ripped in two, top to bottom. There was an earthquake, and rocks were split in pieces. What's more, tombs were opened up, and many bodies of believers asleep in their graves were raised. (After Jesus' resurrection, they left the tombs, entered the holy city, and appeared to many.)
54 The captain of the guard and those with him, when they saw the earthquake and everything else that was happening, were scared to death. They said, "This has to be the Son of God!"
55-56 There were also quite a few women watching from a distance, women who had followed Jesus from Galilee in order to serve him. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the Zebedee brothers.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
I am not a parent, yet there are countless children and young people who are so dear to me that I could not imagine the agony of knowing that one of them was suffering, much less watching it. I certainly cannot fathom watching my son, or the friend of my son, be tortured. And yet, that is what Salome did. The mother of the Zebedee brothers stood with Mary, the mother of Jesus, and watched as Christ was crucified on the cross.
Salome stood that day with Mary and Mary Magdalene and supported them, even though her mind must have been racing… the agony of watching Jesus suffer, the thought that THIS could be her own sons’ fate, the terror and nausea that must have welled inside her as she viewed this horrific event. And yet she stood. She supported, she encouraged the others, and she also signified that “no matter what, I’m here.”
What about you? When the going gets tough, are you still “here?” When it’s hard to be faithful, when bad things are happening in your life – suffering, lack of something (money, work, friends, health, personal direction), loss of loved ones or your home – are you still standing at the cross with Jesus? Is He still THE ONE in your life? Take a good hard look at Salome and the women who stood with her that day. Given all that Jesus did for us, what on earth are we thinking to do any less than to stand before Him and ask, “What next Lord? What would you have me do? Where would you have me go?” Remember Salome. Remember her faithfulness, even in the worst of times. If we truly claim to be followers of Jesus, we can do nothing less.
©2008 Debbie Robus
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May 26 ~ Matthew 20:17-23
17-19 Jesus, now well on the way up to Jerusalem, took the Twelve off to the side of the road and said, "Listen to me carefully. We are on our way up to Jerusalem. When we get there, the Son of Man will be betrayed to the religious leaders and scholars. They will sentence him to death. They will then hand him over to the Romans for mockery and torture and crucifixion. On the third day he will be raised up alive."
20 It was about that time that the mother of the Zebedee brothers came with her two sons and knelt before Jesus with a request.
21"What do you want?" Jesus asked.
She said, "Give your word that these two sons of mine will be awarded the highest places of honor in your kingdom, one at your right hand, one at your left hand."
22Jesus responded, "You have no idea what you're asking." And he said to James and John, "Are you capable of drinking the cup that I'm about to drink?"
They said, "Sure, why not?"
23Jesus said, "Come to think of it, you are going to drink my cup. But as to awarding places of honor, that's not my business. My Father is taking care of that."
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
We know so much about Mary, mother of Jesus, compared to Salome, mother of James and John. In two places in the Bible, she is referred to merely as the mother of these disciples. In Mark, she is named. But why is her story important? Some would say she was ambitious… and a little presumptuous, asking Jesus to make her sons His disciples. But isn’t that just like a mother to aspire to greatness for their child? Jesus “took her down a notch” by telling her she really didn’t understand what she was asking… that she didn’t realize what it would mean to be His disciple… the price (cup) her boys would have to pay.
But I would also contend that it took some gumption – and faithfulness – on Salome’s part to approach Jesus and ask such a thing. Can you imagine your mom going to the principal and saying, “I want my son/daughter to teach classes.”? Can you see her saying to your pastor, “Let my child preach a few Sundays a year!”? Can you envision someone speaking to a governmental leader on your behalf and suggesting that you get a position of leadership or a supporting role? This DOES happen in some arenas – entertainment, some workplaces. Parents say, “you know, my son/daughter has a lot of potential… how about giving them a job or an audition.” But to say this to the Son of God… well, that’s another level altogether.
Where are WE in this? Do we faithfully and unashamedly ask Jesus for things that may appear to be above and beyond us? Or do we hold back, timidly and assume that we are not worthy or capable of His consideration. And ARE we up to the task? If the road gets hard, will be have the faith at that point to continue? Search your heart. Consider Salome and what she asked of Jesus. What are YOU willing to ask?
©2008 Debbie Robus
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May 25 ~ II Kings 8:1-6
1 Years before, Elisha had told the woman whose son he had brought to life, "Leave here and go, you and your family, and live someplace else. God has ordered a famine in the land; it will last for seven years." The woman did what the Holy Man told her and left. She and her family lived as aliens in the country of Philistia for seven years. Then, when the seven years were up, the woman and her family came back. She went directly to the king and asked for her home and farm.
4-5 The king was talking with Gehazi, servant to the Holy Man, saying, "Tell me some stories of the great things Elisha did." It so happened that as he was telling the king the story of the dead person brought back to life, the woman whose son was brought to life showed up asking for her home and farm.
Gehazi said, "My master the king, this is the woman! And this is her son whom Elisha brought back to life!"
6 The king wanted to know all about it, and so she told him the story. The king assigned an officer to take care of her, saying, "Make sure she gets everything back that's hers, plus all profits from the farm from the time she left until now."
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
I love how Eugene Peterson, the translator of God’s word in The Message says that “it just so happened” that the Shunammite woman showed up when she was being mentioned! Nothing could be farther from the truth! I am not challenging Dr. Peterson’s writing, nor questioning his translation. I believe he used this phrase because it is one that is widely understood today. The King James version says “it came to pass.” Truly, God sent this woman. I believe that firmly.
God orchestrated all of this, and the Shunammite woman faithfully followed His lead. Had she not listened to God, it wouldn’t have “just so happened.” Seven years was a long time to be separated from home, family, friends and everything familiar. But look at the end result. Everything the woman had lost was restored to her. She had already regained the life of her son. Now she regained her home and property – with interest!
So many times we can’t see the big picture. I know that. So many times we just don’t understand how God can ever truly rescue us. Sometimes we feel like we have “fallen on a sword” to be faithful to God, and we don’t have any comprehension of how He will bless our faithfulness. And that’s okay. That’s why they call it faith! But understand this… God WILL bless your loyalty. He will never desert you, and He WILL meet your every need. The Shunammite woman is someone you may have never heard of before this week, but she is one of the strongest examples of faith in the Bible. Make her a role model for YOUR life and enjoy the blessings of living faithfully for God.
©2008 Debbie Robus
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May 24 ~ II Kings 4:18-37
18-19 The child grew up. One day he went to his father, who was working with the harvest hands, complaining, "My head, my head!"
His father ordered a servant, "Carry him to his mother."
20 The servant took him in his arms and carried him to his mother. He lay on her lap until noon and died.
21 She took him up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, shut him in alone, and left.
22 She then called her husband, "Get me a servant and a donkey so I can go to the Holy Man; I'll be back as soon as I can."
23 "But why today? This isn't a holy day—it's neither New Moon nor Sabbath."
She said, "Don't ask questions; I need to go right now. Trust me."
24-25 She went ahead and saddled the donkey, ordering her servant, "Take the lead—and go as fast as you can; I'll tell you if you're going too fast." And so off she went. She came to the Holy Man at Mount Carmel.
25-26 The Holy Man, spotting her while she was still a long way off, said to his servant Gehazi, "Look out there; why, it's the Shunammite woman! Quickly now. Ask her, 'Is something wrong? Are you all right? Your husband? Your child?'"
She said, "Everything's fine."
27 But when she reached the Holy Man at the mountain, she threw herself at his feet and held tightly to him.
Gehazi came up to pull her away, but the Holy Man said, "Leave her alone—can't you see that she's in distress? But God hasn't let me in on why; I'm completely in the dark."
28 Then she spoke up: "Did I ask for a son, master? Didn't I tell you, 'Don't tease me with false hopes'?"
29 He ordered Gehazi, "Don't lose a minute—grab my staff and run as fast as you can. If you meet anyone, don't even take time to greet him, and if anyone greets you, don't even answer. Lay my staff across the boy's face."
30 The boy's mother said, "As sure as God lives and you live, you're not leaving me behind." And so Gehazi let her take the lead, and followed behind.
31 But Gehazi arrived first and laid the staff across the boy's face. But there was no sound—no sign of life. Gehazi went back to meet Elisha and said, "The boy hasn't stirred."
32-35 Elisha entered the house and found the boy stretched out on the bed dead. He went into the room and locked the door—just the two of them in the room—and prayed to God. He then got into bed with the boy and covered him with his body, mouth on mouth, eyes on eyes, hands on hands. As he was stretched out over him like that, the boy's body became warm. Elisha got up and paced back and forth in the room. Then he went back and stretched himself upon the boy again. The boy started sneezing—seven times he sneezed!—and opened his eyes.
36 He called Gehazi and said, "Get the Shunammite woman in here!" He called her and she came in.
Elisha said, "Embrace your son!"
37 She fell at Elisha's feet, face to the ground in reverent awe. Then she embraced her son and went out with him.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Did you notice that several people tried to help the Shunammite woman when her little boy died, but she wouldn’t let them? She kept saying she needed to get to the Holy Man. She knew that her help lay in Divine intervention.
How many times do we have a problem, and instead of taking it to the ultimate Holy Man – God – we spin our wheels with other avenues and people. We talk to our friends. We wring our hands and worry. We talk to family members or anyone who will listen, for that matter. We try everything we know to try… maybe even seeking answers and solutions on the Internet. And when all else fails, we pray. We don’t even go to speak with a pastor, church leader or lay person and seek their God-inspired insight. We just wallow in frustration and worry or sadness.
The next time you have a challenge, remember the faithfulness of the Shunammite woman. Take your troubles to God or a “holy man or woman” and get Divine help. Don’t toy with false hopes. In the words of an old hymn, “Love Lifted Me” – “when nothing else will do…” seek the love of God. HE has the answers! Cast all your cares upon Him.
©2008 Debbie Robus
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May 23 ~ II Kings 4:8-17
8 One day Elisha passed through Shunem. A leading lady of the town talked him into stopping for a meal. And then it became his custom: Whenever he passed through, he stopped by for a meal.
9-10 "I'm certain," said the woman to her husband, "that this man who stops by with us all the time is a holy man of God. Why don't we add on a small room upstairs and furnish it with a bed and desk, chair and lamp, so that when he comes by he can stay with us?"
11 And so it happened that the next time Elisha came by he went to the room and lay down for a nap.
12 Then he said to his servant Gehazi, "Tell the Shunammite woman I want to see her." He called her and she came to him.
13 Through Gehazi Elisha said, "You've gone far beyond the call of duty in taking care of us; what can we do for you? Do you have a request we can bring to the king or to the commander of the army?"
She replied, "Nothing. I'm secure and satisfied in my family."
14 Elisha conferred with Gehazi: "There's got to be something we can do for her. But what?"
Gehazi said, "Well, she has no son, and her husband is an old man."
15 "Call her in," said Elisha. He called her and she stood at the open door.
16 Elisha said to her, "This time next year you're going to be nursing an infant son."
"O my master, O Holy Man," she said, "don't play games with me, teasing me with such fantasies!"
17 The woman conceived. A year later, just as Elisha had said, she had a son.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Today we begin a look at the Shunammite woman – a woman of tremendous faith. There are two things I want to point out about today’s passage:
This woman was wealthy. She had plenty of money, a home, a husband, and the means to share her wealth with others. And share she did! She was generous, kind, and honorable. She was also honest – and modest. When asked if there was anything that could be done for her, she politely and modestly said there was not. And yet, she was unable to have children, which must have been a source of great sadness for her. But she did not complain.
I also want you to notice that even a woman of means had problems! Each one of us has difficulties in our life… trouble is not just for the poor and needy or the uneducated or minorities or unchurched. Troubles come to everyone. The difference is in how you handle them. The Shunammite woman WAS rich, yet she had troubles. But she didn’t complain. She didn’t let them drag her down. She wasn’t bitter or unkind – she didn’t take out her sadness on others. She was faithful. She believed in God, and she knew He would meet her needs. And notice that God blessed her through Elisha by giving her a son. She didn’t ask for this child, but her faithfulness was rewarded.
What about you? Are you faithfully content and generous like the Shunammite woman? Or are you quick to point out how unfortunate things are in your life? It’s time to stop the pity party and start living for God! It’s time to remember He holds the key to our future… He is always with us, and He knows our future. That information alone should give us comfort, confidence and courage. And the reward of a son to the Shunammite woman should give us incentive to keep the faith. God blessed her, and He will bless us, also. Will your faith be worth blessing?
©2008 Debbie Robus
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May 22 ~ 2 Samuel 21: selected verses 1-14
1 During the reign of David, there was a famine for three successive years; so David sought the face of the LORD. The LORD said, "It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death."
2 The king summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them. 3 David asked the Gibeonites, "What shall I do for you? How shall I make amends so that you will bless the LORD's inheritance?"
4 The Gibeonites answered him, "We have no right to demand silver or gold from Saul or his family, nor do we have the right to put anyone in Israel to death."
"What do you want me to do for you?" David asked.
5 They answered the king, "As for the man who destroyed us and plotted against us so that we have been decimated and have no place anywhere in Israel, 6 let seven of his male descendants be given to us to be killed and exposed before the LORD at Gibeah of Saul—the Lord 's chosen one."
So the king said, "I will give them to you."
7 The king spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the oath before the LORD between David and Jonathan son of Saul. 8 But the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of Aiah's daughter Rizpah, whom she had borne to Saul, together with the five sons of Saul's daughter Merab... 9 He handed them over to the Gibeonites, who killed and exposed them on a hill before the LORD. All seven of them fell together; they were put to death during the first days of the harvest, just as the barley harvest was beginning.
10 Rizpah daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest till the rain poured down from the heavens on the bodies, she did not let the birds of the air touch them by day or the wild animals by night. 11 When David was told what Aiah's daughter Rizpah, Saul's concubine, had done, 12 he went and took the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from the citizens of Jabesh Gilead. (They had taken them secretly from the public square at Beth Shan, where the Philistines had hung them after they struck Saul down on Gilboa.) 13 David brought the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from there, and the bones of those who had been killed and exposed were gathered up.
14 They buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the tomb of Saul's father Kish, at Zela in Benjamin, and did everything the king commanded. After that, God answered prayer in behalf of the land.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
I know some of the passages lately have been really long, but the stories of those who lived in Old Testament times are complicated – and very important. You see, we think we have such problems today. We think war and strife and conflict between religious factions and nations are something new, when truly, it’s old news. AND… it goes to show we really haven’t learned a whole lot from history, have we?
So I want you to see Rizpah. She was a concubine… a “kept woman” of Saul’s. David has blamed Saul for the three-year famine, claiming it is God’s retaliation for how Saul treated the Gibeonites. Saul is dead now, and David is trying to make amends, and he asks the Gibeonites what it will take. They ask for the heads of seven of Saul’s sons – AND… they want the men hanged and left for display, to dangle in the wind and have their carcasses pecked by the birds and chewed by dogs.
Rizpah’s sons were among those killed, and she went out and spread cloth on the ground and guarded her sons’ bodies for what my research says was a FIVE MONTH harvest. She drove away birds, wild dogs, and more. She guarded her boys as closely in death as she did in life, through wind, rain, heat, cold, until she herself was almost at death’s door. She clung to faith that God would provide a decent burial for her boys at some point. She grieved for her sons. She suffered terribly and was very, very sad… but at the same time, she had faith and hope in God.
I think the lesson for us from Rizpah is that troubling times WILL come. Death and grief will come to all of us. We certainly won’t have to guard our loved ones’ bodies for five months in the elements, but we will have our own heartaches and challenges. And God will be there with us, just as He was for Rizpah. No matter what we endure, God is there! In the end, He sent a rescue for the bodies of Rizpah’s sons, and they received a proper burial. And God will rescue YOU, too.We tend to think of Jesus’ mother Mary when we think of a mother’s suffering, but I want you to think, too, of Rizpah. Remember her faith. Let it challenge you to keep going and trust in God to come to your aid also. God WILL be there with us!
©2008 Debbie Robus
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