Enduring Love

Friday and Saturday, September 24 and 25, 2010

Devotions: Ps 87, 88, 90-92, 136; Esther 8:1-8, 15-17; Hos 1:1-2:1; Acts 19:21-20:16; Lk 4:31-44

Jerusalem sits on God's holy hill, and it's an honor to be born, to live and even to die there. The city is the wellspring of song and dance! I cry out of my distress, and God hears and answers. Lord, I don't want to distress or anger You. You are my only Hope, the only Source of light for me! You have been my Dwelling Place for all generations. You are eternal, and I am so very mortal! No one can withstand Your wrath; so please restore my joy by blessing and guiding me. Let Your Spirit abide within me; manifest Your glory and establish the work of my hands in Your service, I pray. Those who abide in Your shadow have nothing to fear; God is my Refuge and my Strength. I will fear no terror, by night or by day. YHWH is my Habitation. God will be with me in times of trouble, and He will rescue and honor me. All thanks and praise to You, my Lord! It is fitting to thank You and praise the Most High. You have made me glad by Your work, and I sing for joy as I contemplate what You have done. Your enemies perish; Your friends endure in joy forever. Make me fruitful in my old age, I pray, dear Lord. Keep me juicy and pliant, and show Yourself righteous, my great Lord. God's steadfast love endures forever: He is good, the God of gods and Lord of lords. He does great wonders; He created the heavens by His understanding; He spread out the waters and made the great heavenly bodies. God is light! He delivered His people from bondage in Egypt, with a strong hand and outstretched arm. He divided the sea before them; Israel passed through, but the Egyptian forces were drowned; He vacated the Holy Land and made a place for His people, destroying kings and nations before them. Give thanks to the God of heaven, for His steadfast love endures forever.

King Ahasuerus gave the house formerly owned by Haman to his Queen Esther; the king bestowed his signet ring on Mordechai, who then ruled over the former possessions of Haman. He allowed Mordechai to use the royal authority to write to the Jews in the kingdom to defend and avenge themselves against the annihilation planned by the wicked Haman. Mordechai came forth from his audience with the king; he was dressed in robes of royal blue and white, with a golden crown and purple linen mantle. All the city of Susa rejoiced and praised him with shouts of joy. The jews had light and gladness and joy and honor in every province and city of the realm, and they made feasts and had a holiday, still today celebrated as the Feast of Purim. And fear of the Jews fell upon all their former enemies.

God's word came to Hosea in the days of Jeroboam of Israel, and of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. God told him first: 'Go and take for yourself a wife who is a harlot, and have children with her—for the land forsakes Me, committing a great harlotry against My name and My covenant.' Hosea married a woman named Gomer, and she bore him a son. God directed Hosea to name the boy Jezreel; 'for soon I will punishs the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will end the kingdom of Israel. I will break the bow of that kingdom in the valley of Jezreel.' Gomer bore Hosea a daughter. God told Hosea to name her Lo-ruhama, 'Not Pitied, for I will no more have pity on the house of Israel, or forgive them. I will show pity to Judah and deliver them by Myself—not by bow or sword or war or horses or horsemen.' When Gomer had weaned Lo-Ruhama, she conceived and bore another son; God directed Hosea to name the boy 'Lo-Ammi, for you are not My people and I am not your God.' Though the descendants fo Israel would be as numerous as the grains of sand in the sea; and those who were called 'not My people' will be called sons of the living God. And God would gather together the peoples of Israel and Judah, and appoint a single head for themselves—on a great day. And Hosea was directed to tell his brothers, 'My people,' and his sisters, 'She who has obtained pity from God.'

Paul was determined to pass through Macedonia and Achaia, then to revisit Jerusalem, and eventually to travel to Rome. But a great riot was generated in Ephesus by a silversmith named Demetrius. He agitated among his fellow craftsmen, all of whom depended on the business generated by pagan religions in their city. He charged that Paul was destroying their livelihood, by preaching that hand-made gods were no gods at all. Demetrius claimed this would also call to question the temple of Artemis that dominated the Ephesian community, 'and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship.' A mob began to riot in the main theater in Ephesus, and they took hostage Gaius and Aristarchus, companions of Paul's from his missionary travels. The crowd appointed one Alexander to speak for them—but when the crowd recognized that their apologist was a Jew, they redoubled their chaotic protests, shouting 'Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!' Finally, the town clerk got the mob's attention, and he quieted the riot, pointing out that they were in danger of Roman wrath if their disorder continued. The clerk successfully dismissed the assembly. After the uproar subsided, Paul met with and exhorted the local disciples and departed for Macedonia. He traversed Macedonia and came to Achaia, where he spent three months; when a plot against Paul surfaced, he retraced his journey through Macedonia, and eventually came to Troas, where they spent a week. On Sunday, Paul spoke with the local believers, as he intended to depart the next day. He went on for hours, and around midnight, a young man named Eutychus, sitting in the window of third-story chamber, fell fast asleep and fell from the window to the ground; he was taken up dead. But Paul went down, bent over and embraced the man and said, 'Don't be alarmed, for his life is in him.' And the young man did live. Paul took nourishment, and the Christians continued to confer until dawn, when Paul and his party departed. And they began to hasten their journey back to the holy land, aiming to arrive at Jerusalem for Pentecost.

Jesus went down to Capernaum and was teaching in their synagogue on a Sabbath; His authority was astonishing to the congregation. In the synagogue was a man who had an unclean demon, that cried out loudly, 'What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!' Jesus rebuked the demon: 'Be silent, and come out of him!' The demon threw the man down and came out, doing the man no further harm. All were amazed; they said, 'What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!' Reports about Jesus circulated throughout the region. Jesus went from the synagogue to Peter's house. His mother-in-law lay sick with a high fever. They asked Jesus to help her; He stood over the woman and rebuked the fever, and it left her! Immediately she rose and served them. As the sun set, all that were sick were brought to the house to see Jesus; He laid hands on every one of them and healed them. Demons came out of many, crying, 'You are the Son of God!' But He rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that He was the Messiah. When dawn approached, Jesus departed and went to a lonely place. The people sought Him out and tried to get Him to stay with them, but Jesus told them 'I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also;f or I was sent for this very purpose.' And He continued preaching in the synagogues of Judea.