Who is lord?

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

Thursday, June 25, 2009
Devotions: Ps 105; 1 Sam 8; Acts 6:15-7:16; Lk 22:24-30

Give thanks to YHWH and call on Him; make His deeds known among all people. Sing His praise and glory in His holy name. Let the hearts rejoice of those who seek our Lord. Seek Him continually; rehearse His wonderful works and miracles, and His judgments, all you sons and daughters of Abraham. He keeps His covenant; He gives His people land and peace. He guides and chastens His own; His will is perfect and powerful. He has given human leaders and teachers to guide and direct His people in our pathway home to God. Let us praise the Lord!

When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel—but like the sons of Eli, Samuel’s sons Joel and Abijah were corrupt. So Israel gathered and petitioned Samuel to appoint a king over the nation. The old prophet objected, but YHWH told Samuel, ‘They have not rejected you, they have rejected Me. So I want you to do what they ask. But first, solemnly warn them; tell them what it will be like to have a human king.’ Samuel obeyed his God: ‘If you have a king, he will take your children. Your sons will become his warriors and footmen and serfs and tradesmen; your daughters will be his perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will appropriate your best fields and vineyards and orchards for his officers and servants; he’ll demand a tithe of your produce; he’ll take your best servants and slaves and your domestic animals and beasts of burden. You will be the slaves of your chosen king. And you’ll cry out to God for relief, but the Lord will not answer you on that day!’ The people ignored Samuel’s warning: ‘We will have a king over us, so that we may be like all the other nations.’ Samuel dutifully reported back to YHWH, and God told him: ‘Hearken to their voice and will; make them a king.’ So Samuel sent the assembled people of Israel home to their own cities.

Stephen’s testimony before the Jewish council: ‘Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our forefather Abraham in Mesopotamia, and told him, “Depart from your land and kindred and go to a land which I will show you.” And Abram departed from Chaldea, first to Haran and then, after his father died, God moved him along to this land where we live now. At that time, God gave Abram no inheritance, but promised the land to him and his posterity—though the man had no child at the time. God revealed to Abraham that his offspring would be exiled in bondage to another people, ill-treated for four hundred years. Then, God said, “I will judge the nation which they serve, and they shall come out and worship Me in this place.” And God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision; and Abraham sired and circumcised Isaac; and Isaac fathered Jacob; and Jacob was father to the twelve patriarchs of our nation. Jealous of their brother Joseph, the patriarchs sold him into Egypt. But God was with him, rescued Joseph from all his afflictions, and gave him wisdom and favor before Pharaoh, Egypt’s king, who made Joseph governor over Egypt and the king’s own household. Now there came a great famine throughout Egypt and Canaan, with great affliction, and our ancestors could find no food. When Jacob heard there was food in Egypt, he sent ten of his sons there twice. At their second visit, Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to Pharaoh. At Joseph’s call, Jacob and his household, a total of 75 souls, went down into Egypt. There, Jacob died, and our forefathers in their turn, and they were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb Abraham had purchased with silver from the sons of Hamor.

At the Last Supper, after Jesus instituted the sacrament, the apostles continued to squabble over which of them would be considered the greatest. Jesus interrupted: ‘Gentile kings lord it over their people and are called benefactors. But not so with you: let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as a servant. I Am among you as One Who serves. You have shared in My trials, and I assign a kingdom to you, as my Father assigned a kingdom to Me, so that you may sit at My table in My kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.’