Celebrate the coming King

New Guest: Like this one, most posts are devotional; those related to CAR BIZ can be found by searching for that title. You might read 'Welcome,' the first post, dated November 12, 2008, in the archives.

Wednesday & Thursday, June 10 & 11, 2009
Devotions: Ps 21, 72, 74, 119:73-96; Deut 31:30-32:14; Sir 44:19-45:5; 2 Cor 12:1-10;
Lk 19:11-40

Lord, we rejoice in Your strength. You have glorified Jesus, my King, forever. God will swallow up all enemies, and exalt His name forever. May our Lord rule in righteousness; may He defend the cause of the needy. Extend His dominion, Who delivers the needy and saves our lives. Let us uphold Jesus in prayer; blessed be YHWH, God of Israel; may His glory fill the whole earth! God, shut the mouths of Your enemies, those who scoff about You. Sustain Your covenant, and cast out Your enemies. You made me; now give me understanding to live and learn in Your creation. Let Your steadfast love comfort me, that I may live. And put the godless to shame. I languish for You and for Your salvation. I will not abandon Your precepts; spare me, Lord, to keep Your testimonies. I belong to You, and will live by Your words.

Moses learned this song, and taught it to Israel: ‘Listen, O heavens, and let earth hearken to my words. May my teaching drop like rain, distill like dew—for I will proclaim YHWH’s name. Ascribe greatness to our God, the Rock! His work is perfect; His ways are altogether just; God is faithful and sinless, just and righteous. His children are perverse, foolish and senseless. So return to your eternal Father; seek His forgiveness and His wisdom. We are His people, and YHWH is our God! He has cherished us; He has cared for us as the apple of His eye; He bears us up on His wings. He has given us a good heritage, a Land to live in; He feeds and sustains us with meat, grain and wine.’

God entered into covenant with our ancestor Abraham, promising to bless many nations through Abraham’s posterity, and God sustained His covenant with Isaac and Jacob. From these people, YHWH brought forth Moses, to deliver His word to His people, and to lead His people to the borders of the Land God had promised them.

Paul wrote of his revelations: ‘Caught up to the third heaven, hearing divine things a mortal may not utter.’ But to keep Paul humble, ‘a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to harass me and keep me from excessive elation. Three times I prayed to God to remove this affliction; but He said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.”’ So Paul gladly boasted of his own weaknesses, ‘that Christ’s power may rest upon me.’ Let us be content with our weaknesses, with insults, hardships, persecutions and calamities; for when we are weak in ourselves, we are all the stronger in God!

Jesus taught His disciples with another parable: A nobleman prepared for a long journey; he called ten of his servants and entrusted a minah [about three months’ wages] to each, directing them to trade with the money until the master should return. The master’s citizens hated him, and sent an embassy to beg that the man not be appointed to rule over them. But he did receive that commission and returned. He called the servants to account. One had raised an additional ten minahs; the master praised him and set him over ten cities. A second had a five-minah profit, and received rule over five cities. A third simply returned the master his minah, saying that he had hidden it away, because he feared his master’s severity. The master took the minah from this servant and had it given to the first, who had profited tenfold. Jesus’ story concluded, “I tell you, to everyone who has, more will be given; and from him who has not, even the little he has will be taken from him. And as for those who did not want me as their king, bring them before me and put them to death!’ Concluding His parable, Jesus continued His journey to Jerusalem. He sent two disciples into a village on Mount Olivet, to bring an unridden colt to Jesus. He sat on the colt and rode it into Jerusalem as the onlookers rejoiced and shouted, ‘Blessed is the King, Who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven; Lord, save now! Glory in the highest heaven!’ The Pharisees admonished Jesus to rebuke His disciples; but He answered, ‘If these were silent, the very stones would cry out!’