The Joy of the Lord (1 Samuel 2:1)

4/12/2010 7:37 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                        Focus:  The joy of the Lord

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                        Reference:  1 Sam. 2:1

 

            Message of the verses:  “    1 ¶  Then Hannah prayed and said, "My heart exults in the LORD; My horn is exalted in the LORD, My mouth speaks boldly against my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your salvation.”

            How does Hannah handle leaving her son at the house of the Lord?  Some may have wanted to renege on their vow at this time or cry when they left their child, but not Hannah.  Hannah sang a song to the Lord and the first eleven verses of chapter two this son is recorded, and it is one of the most wonderful songs in all of Scripture.  It can be compared with the song that David sings at the end of 2 Samuel, but it is now unlike the song that Mary sings to the Lord in the first chapter of Luke when she sings the song to the Lord about how He is so good to her and to the nation of Israel for sending His Son to earth.

            There are a number of times in the Scriptures that songs are recorded when it may seem strange to sing a son:  “After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.”  This is recorded in Matthew 26:30 and this song is song by the Lord and His disciples when He is about to be crucified.  “20  They brought them before the magistrates and said, "These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar 21  by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice." 22  The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. 23  After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24  Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

   “ 25 ¶  About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26  Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose.”  “41  So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name.”  (Now there was no singing here but the effect is very similar).  Another place to look for this is in the book of Psalms especially when David was in a lot of trouble and his cure in how to handle all of this is to write a song of praise to the Lord.

            Verse one of this song of Hannah is song by a woman who has a lot one her mind, as she is full of praise for the Lord in allowing her to be the mother of a man who would change the course of the nation of Israel.  Samuel would be the last judge in Israel, and he would also be a priest, but it is Samuel who will rule Israel and anoint the first two kings of Israel, the last being king David who would be the man to whom the Messiah is called the son of David as one of His titles.

            The word “horn” in verse one and also in verse eleven is a word that means “strength.”  To have your horn exalted means to have renewed strength from the Lord and especially at a time of crisis.  One more point from this verse and that is that the word “salvation” is used here and that word is the Hebrew word yeshua—Joshua and in the NT the word is Jesus.  Salvation would be done by David as he delivers Israel from their enemies, and Salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ would deliver those who accept His sacrifice from their sins.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I think that the greatest things that I have learned form this Spiritual Diary is the importance of singing when things are not going right in my life, singing to the Lord who is sovereign and is the Lord of Hosts who has everything under His control even though from my perspective that things are going badly.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today

 

1. I must remember that the Lord is always in control of all things at all times and when it comes to my life that means that all things will be worked out for my good and for His glory.

 

4/12/2010 8:10 AM 

A Distinguished Son (1 Samuel 1:19-28)

4/11/2010 8:13 AM

               

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                        Focus:  A distinguished son

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                        Reference:  1 Sam. 1:19-28

 

            Message of the verse:  “19 ¶  Then they arose early in the morning and worshiped before the LORD, and returned again to their house in Ramah. And Elkanah had relations with Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her. 20  It came about in due time, after Hannah had conceived, that she gave birth to a son; and she named him Samuel, saying, "Because I have asked him of the LORD." 21  Then the man Elkanah went up with all his household to offer to the LORD the yearly sacrifice and pay his vow. 22  But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, "I will not go up until the child is weaned; then I will bring him, that he may appear before the LORD and stay there forever." 23  Elkanah her husband said to her, "Do what seems best to you. Remain until you have weaned him; only may the LORD confirm His word." So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him. 24  Now when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with a three-year-old bull and one ephah of flour and a jug of wine, and brought him to the house of the LORD in Shiloh, although the child was young. 25  Then they slaughtered the bull, and brought the boy to Eli. 26 She said, "Oh, my lord! As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you, praying to the LORD. 27  "For this boy I prayed, and the LORD has given me my petition which I asked of Him. 28  "So I have also dedicated him to the LORD; as long as he lives he is dedicated to the LORD." And he worshiped the LORD there.”

            There are times when I read the Scriptures that I am kind of surprised at how fast the details of a life are given.  The case here is of Samuel and how this one short paragraph tells of probably his life from conception until he was probably three years old, however some would probably say he was older for Isaac was older when he was weaned from Sarah.

            Probably Elkanah is the one person in this story who does not get all of the credit that he deserves by the people who read it or some of the commentaries that are written about this story.  There is a law in the OT that says if a husband hears a vow that his wife makes and does not agree with it then he can cancel the vow, and for sure Elkanah did not cancel this vow.  Of course all of this vow and these circumstances in the control of The Lord of Hosts, who is mentioned for the first time in this book of the Bible.  One more thing about Elkanah was that he too had to give up this little boy to the Lord and I am sure that it was hard for him to do this.  Samuel was given as a living sacrifice to the Lord which is spoken of in Romans 12:1. 

            After Samuel was weaned he was taken to Shiloh and given to the Lord and was put in the presence of Eli who would be judged for the evil that his sons have been doing and he not stopping it.  Hannah reminded Eli of who she was and the vow that she made and the boy that she was offering to the Lord and so this young man will be used of God to accomplish His will in the nation of Israel. 

            The name Samuel means “ask of God.”  It breaks down like this:  “The Hebrew word sa-al means ‘asked,’ and sama means ‘heard,’ and el is one of the words for God.”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I would suppose that the lesson that I learned for this section is the role that Elkanah played in this story so far and that was how he yielded to the vow that his wife Hannah had made.  There are times when I need to follow this and this is one of the things that I am working on, but still need the grace from the Lord to do better.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1. Trust the Lord to show me the times when I need to submit to the will of my wife without making a fuss.

 

4/11/2010 9:15 AM

Hannah's Devout Prayer (1 Samuel 1:9-18)

4/10/2010 7:17 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                        Focus:  A devout prayer

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                        Reference:  1 Samuel 1:9-18

 

            Message of the verses:  “9 ¶  Then Hannah rose after eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the temple of the LORD. 10  She, greatly distressed, prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly. 11  She made a vow and said, "O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and a razor shall never come on his head." 12  Now it came about, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli was watching her mouth. 13  As for Hannah, she was speaking in her heart, only her lips were moving, but her voice was not heard. So Eli thought she was drunk. 14  Then Eli said to her, "How long will you make yourself drunk? Put away your wine from you." 15  But Hannah replied, "No, my lord, I am a woman oppressed in spirit; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before the LORD. 16  "Do not consider your maidservant as a worthless woman, for I have spoken until now out of my great concern and provocation." 17  Then Eli answered and said, "Go in peace; and may the God of Israel grant your petition that you have asked of Him." 18  She said, "Let your maidservant find favor in your sight." So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.”

            This prayer that Hannah lifts up to the Lord is one of the great prayers that is recorded in all of the Scripture, as in this prayer in which Hannah pours out her heart to the Lord she is submissive to the will of the Lord and what He wants her to do, and also she offers a sacrifice in her prayer in that she makes a vow to give back the child that is given to her by the Lord.  This prayer shows the importance that women had who are mentioned in the Scriptures.  There are women who are very godly and there are women who are evil recorded in the Scriptures, and Hannah was very godly, and this prayer that she lifts up to the Lord will change the nation if Israel.

            In yesterday’s SD I wrote about the importance that women in the Scriptures who did not yet have children played in the history of the nation of Israel.  I believe that because of the fact that Hannah could not have children that she took this time and prayed to the Lord and sought what His will would be for her and the child that she would eventually have.  I am sure that it was harder for her to give up this child after he was born that to keep on being barren, and yet this was what the Lord planed for her and this child.  Hannah was playing a very important role in the nation of Israel.  This role was played earlier by Sarah, and Rebecca, and also Rachel, for all of their offspring after being barren for a long time played important roles in the children of Israel. 

            Hannah lived up to her name in her dealing with her barrenness, as she was a woman of great grace, and it showed in this wonderful prayer.

            On the other hand Eli shows one of the many reasons that God would take the priesthood from his family as he believes that Hannah is drunk, but when he finds out he makes no effort to apologize to her.

            Dr. Wiersbe gives a quote from John Bunyan in his commentary which says, “In prayer it is better to have a heart without words, than words without a heart.”  Hannah’s prayer was like these words of John Bunyan.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  The way that Hannah handled the problems in her life is a wonderful example of how I am to handle the problems in my life, and that is to grow closer to the Lord when troubles come and not grow farther from Him.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1. I want to trust the Lord in the troubles that He allows me to go through knowing that He is in charge of all things both big and small.

 

4/10/2010 7:51 AM 

           

God Answers Prayer (1 Samuel 1:1-8)

4/9/2010 9:46 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                        Focus:  God answers prayer

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                        Reference:  1 Samuel 1:1-8

 

          Message of the verses:  “1 ¶  Now there was a certain man from Ramathaim-zophim from the hill country of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. 2  He had two wives: the name of one was Hannah and the name of the other Peninnah; and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. 3  Now this man would go up from his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice to the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests to the LORD there. 4  When the day came that Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and her daughters; 5  but to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, but the LORD had closed her womb. 6  Her rival, however, would provoke her bitterly to irritate her, because the LORD had closed her womb. 7  It happened year after year, as often as she went up to the house of the LORD, she would provoke her; so she wept and would not eat. 8  Then Elkanah her husband said to her, ‘Hannah, why do you weep and why do you not eat and why is your heart sad? Am I not better to you than ten sons?’”

            I begin today to study the book of 1 Samuel and I am looking forward to dig deeper into this book as I have read it on many different occasions, but never studied it like I plan to study it this time.  I will be using Warren Wiersbe’s commentary, which is something that I have been using for a long time in my Bible study.  His book for 1 Samuel is called “Be Successful.”

            The book of Judges is the book of no kings, and in the book of Ruth the ancestry of David is seen.  The book of 1 Samuel is the book of man’s king and the book of 2 Samuel is the book of God’s King as it describes the activity of King David to whom God promised that the Messiah would be born into his line. 

            In the beginning of his commentary on the book of 1 Samuel Warren Wiersbe points out that the name for the Lord, “The Lord of Hosts” is first seen and is used some 300 times in the Scriptures.  In using this name for the Lord it shows that the Lord is in control of all things and then Wiersbe goes on to say that the word “history” actually means “His story.”  As one begins in the beginning of the Bible and reads he will be able to see that God is in control and one of the major purposes of God’s plan was to bring a Savior into the world in order to pay the penalty of mans sins and this story is weaved throughout the Old Testament and in many cases it begins with the story of a baby, and in many of those cases it begins with a barren woman having a baby, and this is the case with the story of Samuel who was born to a barren woman whose name was Hannah.  Hannah was married to a Levite who had another wife who had many children, yet Hannah did not have any children and this made her very sad.  Hannah’s name means “a woman of grace,” and she surely needed grace from the Lord in order to put up with the heckling of Elkanah’s other wife Peninnah for she would cause much grief for Hannah teasing her because she did not have any children of her own.  This is how the book of 1 Samuel begins, and that is with a divided family and that is the reason that the Lord’s plan was that one man and one woman live together for one lifetime.  God graciously allowed the man to have more than one wife, yet as you look at the stories in the OT they never seem to be a good story.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I am thankful that I only have one wife because that is the way God designed it and as I look at all of the trouble that these OT saints had having more than one wife it is good that in today’s society that there can only be one man and one woman married at a time. 

            As I look at the stories in the OT and in the NT I can clearly see that God is in control of all things even though at times it is hard to see.  As I look at our nation and the terrible leadership that we now have and as I look at the end times and that our country is not really a main part of it, I realized long ago that we as a nation had to fall from the prominence of being a world leader and as I look at the sinfulness of the nation that I live in and the weakness of most churches I can see that God has given us the leadership that we deserve.  This makes me very sad.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1. I want to trust the Lord to work out His plan in the world and His plan in my life and I want to stay true to Him all of the time even though things are troublesome at this point in my life.

 

4/9/2010 10:51 AM 

 

 

Ruth, Boaz, and the Baby (Ruth 4:13-22)

4/8/2010 7:51 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                        Focus:  The Baby

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                        Reference:  Ruth 4:13-22

 

            Message of the verses:  “13 ¶  So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he went in to her. And the LORD enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. 14  Then the women said to Naomi, "Blessed is the LORD who has not left you without a redeemer today, and may his name become famous in Israel. 15  "May he also be to you a restorer of life and a sustainer of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him." 16  Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her lap, and became his nurse. 17  The neighbor women gave him a name, saying, "A son has been born to Naomi!" So they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David. 18  Now these are the generations of Perez: to Perez was born Hezron, 19  and to Hezron was born Ram, and to Ram, Amminadab, 20  and to Amminadab was born Nahshon, and to Nahshon, Salmon, 21  and to Salmon was born Boaz, and to Boaz, Obed, 22  and to Obed was born Jesse, and to Jesse, David.”

            In this last chapter of Ruth I have gone over the bridegroom, the bride, and now the baby of this wonderful couple.  In Warren Wiersbe’s book “Be Committed” he writes of how this baby of Boaz and Ruth blessed many different peoples including the parents of the baby.  The baby’s name was Obed, and this name means servant and he was not only a blessing to the parents, but also his grandparent Naomi, and he would bring blessings to the little town of Bethlehem, and even to the whole world.

            The scene has changed a lot in this little book especially for Naomi who left Bethlehem with a husband and two sons in a famine and returns ten years latter with a daughter-in-law after the death of her husband and two sons.  She came back as a bitter woman but now she has been changed into a woman who is blessed of the Lord and this was because of a daughter-in-law who loved her with a great love and who also loved the Lord and the Lord loved her along with a new husband who loved her too.  Now Naomi has a grandchild, one who can take up the name of his grandfather because of a kinsmen redeemer.  Ruth and Boaz were greatly blessed with the birth of their son  and this son would grow up to bless the town of Bethlehem, the nation of Israel and eventually the entire world because he became the father of Jessie who became the father of David, and the Messiah would be called the son of David.

            Warren Wiersbe concludes this chapter of his book with these words, “The Moabites were not to enter the congregation of the Lord ‘even to the tenth generation’ (Deu. 23:3).  But the little book of Ruth closes with a ten-generation genealogy that climaxes with the name of David.

            “Never underestimate the power of the grace of God.”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  This little book of Ruth shows me that I must continue to have faith in the Lord even under difficult situations, sometimes situations that I have brought upon myself.  Dr. Wiersbe has quoted a Pastor from Scotland in a number of his books who said “The Christian life is a series of new beginnings.”  This was true in the life of Naomi and this is also true in my life.  The book of Ruth also teaches me about the providence of God, as even though there was disbelief on the part of Naomi and her husband and they ran from a difficult situation where they should have stayed God used this in His providence to bring about the birth of a child who would have a very famous grand-child that God would use to bring about the salvation of His people. 

            Ruth is also the story of the kinsmen redeemer which pictures the Lord Jesus Christ who became my kinsmen Redeemer.  It is also a story about the love of God and the love of Ruth and the love of Boaz, for love covers a multitude of sins.

            In conclusion I have learned many things from the book of Ruth things that will last for eternity.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1. Keep a short list with the Lord.
2. Trust the Lord through difficult situations even situations that I have caused.

 

4/8/2010 8:21 AM   

Here Comes the Bride (Ruth 4:11-12)

4/7/2010 8:06 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                        Focus:  The Bride

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                        Reference:  Ruth 4:11-12

 

          Message of the verses:  “11  All the people who were in the court, and the elders, said, "We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built the house of Israel; and may you achieve wealth in Ephrathah and become famous in Bethlehem. 12  ‘Moreover, may your house be like the house of Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah, through the offspring which the LORD will give you by this young woman.’”

            The men who were at the gate and were wittiness of all that happened began to speak some words that surely were from the Lord.  Marriage was something that the people of Israel loved and they wanted the marriage of Boaz and Ruth to be something special and so they named some names from people in their history whom they wanted Boaz and Ruth to be like.  They spoke of Perez, who was the son of Tamar and Judah and was related to Boaz, and they spoke of Rachel, who was buried in Bethlehem, and Leah as both of these women bore a total of eight sons to Jacob, sons who were leaders of the main tribes in Israel.  They used the word “Ephrathah” which means faithful, and they wished faithfulness to Boaz and Ruth.

Boaz and Ruth are surely in the bloodline of Jesus Christ and so the things that were said of these men came true in that respect.  Ruth was related to Jessie as she was the great-grandmother to David, and thus is in the line of the Messiah.

            Dr. Wiersbe writes of Ruth:  “She went from loneliness to love, from toil to rest, from poverty to wealth, from worry to assurance, and from despair to hope.”  She even lost the name “Ruth the Moabites” and became Ruth the wife of Boaz.

            Wiersbe also writes concerning Jesus Christ:  “He died for the church (past), He cleanses and nourishes the church through the Word (present), and He will one day present the church in glory (future).  Christ is preparing a beautiful home for His bride and one day will celebrate His wedding (Rev. 19:1-10; 21-22).

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I believe that praise is due to the Lord Jesus Christ today and everyday for all that He has done, is doing, and will do for the church of which I am a part of.  May I never forget these wonderful truths that are written above.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1. Praise the Lord for what He has done, for what He is doing, and for what He will do for me as a part of His church, His bride.

 

4/7/2010 8:35 AM

 

  

The Bridegroom (Ruth 4:1-10)

4/6/2010 8:15 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                        Focus:  The Bridegroom

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                        Reference:  Ruth 4:1-10

 

          Message of the verses:  “1 ¶  Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there, and behold, the close relative of whom Boaz spoke was passing by, so he said, "Turn aside, friend, sit down here." And he turned aside and sat down. 2  He took ten men of the elders of the city and said, "Sit down here." So they sat down. 3  Then he said to the closest relative, "Naomi, who has come back from the land of Moab, has to sell the piece of land which belonged to our brother Elimelech. 4  "So I thought to inform you, saying, ’Buy it before those who are sitting here, and before the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if not, tell me that I may know; for there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am after you.’" And he said, "I will redeem it." 5  Then Boaz said, "On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also acquire Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of the deceased, in order to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance." 6  The closest relative said, "I cannot redeem it for myself, because I would jeopardize my own inheritance. Redeem it for yourself; you may have my right of redemption, for I cannot redeem it." 7  Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning the redemption and the exchange of land to confirm any matter: a man removed his sandal and gave it to another; and this was the manner of attestation in Israel. 8  So the closest relative said to Boaz, "Buy it for yourself." And he removed his sandal.

    9 ¶  Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, "You are witnesses today that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and Mahlon. 10  "Moreover, I have acquired Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, to be my wife in order to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance, so that the name of the deceased will not be cut off from his brothers or from the court of his birth place; you are witnesses today.’”

            You don’t have to read to far into this section of Scripture to find out that redemption and redeeming is what the main theme is here.  As I begin this last chapter in the book of Ruth and also in Warren Wiersbe’s commentary on Ruth, “Be Committed,” I am grateful to the Lord for teaching me many truths that are in this small, but very important book that is found in the OT.  I am also very grateful to Warren Wiersbe and his wonderful way of putting the cookies on the shelf where I can reach them.

            Wiersbe entitles this chapter “Love Finds A Way,” and the chapter focuses on three persons:  a bridegroom, a bride, and a baby.  When first looking at the bridegroom the theme of redemption is seen and in many ways pictures what the Lord Jesus Christ did to redeem His bride.

            The meaning of redemption is “to set free by paying a price,” and in the case of Ruth and Naomi it was the land that was owned by Elimelech, for because of his death and the death of his two sons the land had to be redeemed in order for it to go back into the family, for at this time the family was too poor to still own the land, and so Boaz was the one who would do this, but not before asking a closer kinsman redeemer to do it first.

            The marks of the redeemer is the next subject discussed by Warren Wiersbe and the laws that went along with this are found in Lev. 25:25, “If a fellow countryman of yours becomes so poor he has to sell part of his property, then his nearest kinsman is to come and buy back what his relative has sold.”  The land belonged to the Lord and this law was to prevent rich land owners from buying all of the land from poorer people.  Unfortunately this did happen and was one of the reasons that the Lord took Israel to be in captivity. 

            The method of redemption is the last sub-title in this section and it had to do with paying the price for the redemption of something, and in this case it was the land.  This also pictures what Jesus Christ did for His children, for in the first place He had to become a man so that He would qualify to redeem His children, and next He had to pay the price, which was His life, in order to buy back His children from the power of sin.

           

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I would say to begin with that there are far too many times when I forget how it was that I was redeemed from sin, and do not thank the Lord Jesus Christ for what He has done to provide redemption for me.  The meaning of the Lord’s Supper is about looking back on what the Lord did for me in the past and looking ahead of what He will do when He comes to take His bride back to heaven to be with Him for eternity.  I am thankful for what He did for me in order to provide salvation and I praise Him today for seeing such a wonderful picture of it in this wonderful little book tucked away in the history section of the Old Testament.  I am thankful for the great love that He had for me that caused Him to be born and to go to the cross to pay for my sin, and so I need to keep from sinning by the power of His Word and His Spirit.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1. Trust the Lord to keep my thoughts pure.

 

4/6/2010 9:09 AM