Too true to be good? Too good to be true?

Tuesday, July 9, 2013


Devotions: Ps 5, 6, 10, 11; 1 Sam 15:24-35; Acts 9:32-43; Lk 23:56b-24:11

Lord, hear my groans; hearken to my cries, my King and my God, for I am praying to You alone. I come and give myself to you, and await Your word and Your will. I know You hate wickedness; nothing evil can sojourn with You. By Your mercy and abundant love, I will enter Your house; I bow to You in awe and fear, Mighty One! Lead me, Lord, in Your righteousness; protect me thus from my enemies. Make my way, my conduct, straight and true before You. There is no truth in their mouths; their throats are open sepulchres, full of the bones of the dead. Let them bear the consequences of their guilt; let their will be done, to their downfall. But let all who take refuge in you rejoice and sing for joy. Defend us, that those who love Your name may exult in you. You bless the righteous, YHWH God; Your favor covers us as a shield. Be gracious to me, Lord; for I am languishing; heal me—my very bones are troubled. As is my soul, YHWH; how long shall I languish? I am so tired of being tired; I'm wasting away. Let all workers of evil depart from me; YHWH hears and answers my supplications. All my enemies will be shamed and sorely troubled; they will fall back and be put to shame in a moment. Lord, don't be aloof; intervene! Let the wicked be snared in their own schemes. They are proud of their greed; they curse and deride the Lord of glory! They don't believe there Is a God. They lurk, stalking the hapless; they crouch in ambush to seize and devour the poor. The hapless are crushed; they fall to the wicked. So let God arise and punish the wicked. Take a hand, God! Break the arms and the wills of the wicked; defend the weak and powerless. Defend the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no longer terrorize! If the foundations fail, we must fall. So, God, though You test the righteous and wicked, You note the hatred of the wicked and will rain coals of fire and brimstone on them. For our Lord Is righteous and loves righteous deeds; the upright will behold His face!

Samuel told Saul: To obey is better than offering sacrifices; listening and obeying God are better than burnt offerings. Rebellion is a form of divination; stubbornness is iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected God, God has set you aside as king over Israel. Saul confessed: I have sinned; I broke YHWH's commandment; I didn't heed your words. I feared the people more than I feared God, so I obeyed their voices. Please forgive me; pardon my sin, and go with me to worship YHWH. But Samuel said, 'I will not return with you, for you have rejected YHWH's word, and He has rejected you as king over Israel. He is giving the kingship to a neighbor of yours who is better than you. The Glory of Israel will not lie, and has no reason to change His mind or repent.' Saul answered, 'Yes, I have sinned; even so, honor me before the elders of my people and all Israel, that I may worship YHWH your God.' And Samuel relented, and accompanies Saul to worship. Samuel himself executed Agag, the Amelakite king, whom Saul had failed to kill. Then Saul went up to his house in Gibeah, while Samuel journeyed to Ramah. Samuel, though he grieved for Saul, did not see Saul until the day of Saul's death. And YHWH repented His decision to make Saul the king over Israel.

As Peter traveled among the dispersed followers of Jesus in Judea and Galilee and Samaria, he arrived at Lydda. He found there a man named Aeneas who had been bedridden and paralyzed eight years. Peter said to him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Arise and make your bed.' And immediately, Aeneas did so, fully healed. And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon witnessed this and turned to the Lord. Believers from Joppa came to Peter and petitioned him to return with them. A disciple named Tabitha, also known as Dorcas (which means 'gazelle'), had died. She was full of good works and charity; the believers had washed her body and placed it in an upper room. So Peter came quickly; the local believers led him to the room where Tabitha's body lay. The local widows were arrayed around the body weeping; they showed Peter the tunics and other garments Dorcas had made while with them. Peter sent all those outside; he knelt and prayed; then he turned to the body and said, 'Tabitha, arise!' And she opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up. He gave her his hand and helped her to stand up. Calling the saints, Peter presented her alive to the saints and widows. This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. Peter remained for some time in Joppa, staying with a tanner also known as Simon.

After Jesus was crucified and buried, the disciples observed the Sabbath, resting as the commandment directed. But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, the women went to the tombs, taking the spices they had prepared for service to Jesus' body. Arriving, they found the stone rolled away from the entrance; going in, they discovered that Jesus' body was no longer there. Suddenly, two men appeared next to them, in dazzling apparel. The women were frightened and bowed to the ground. The men said to them, 'Why do you seek the Living among the dead? Remember: He told you while still in Galilee that the Son of man must be delivered to men, be crucified, and on the third day, rise.' They did remember this, and they returned from the tomb and related all this to the eleven apostles and to all the other believers—Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them related all this to the apostles. But they men did not believe the women; they counted the story as an idle tale.