God's sure Way undeterred by human incoherence and unfaith

Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Devotions: Ps 78; 1 Sam 1:21-2:11; Acts 1 :15-26; Lk 20:19-26

Let God's people pay attention; we're discussing the glorious deeds of our God.  He established His testimony among the tribe of Jacob, His law among the children of Israel.  He provided all they needed to know and believe and trust and follow YHWH as their God.  But their history shows a repeating pattern of unfaithfulness and rebellion.  The Ephraimites deserted God and their companion tribes under stress of battle.  They scorned God's covenant, despite all God had done in delivering them from bondage in Egypt, leading them forth by a pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night.  He gave them water from the Rock, even in the arid wilderness.  Yet they sinned more and more and continued to doubt and test the Holy One.  Despite His righteous anger, God provided the bread of heaven and copious quail to feed the multitude.  He slew the strongest among them, yet the survivors sinned on!  When punished, they would repent; when relatively comfortable, they would fall away once again.  Their hearts were not steadfast toward our God; but He continued to show compassion and love, despite their treachery.  He brought them up to His holy land, as He had promised.  Again they betrayed God's faith and trust; He utterly rejected His tabernacle at Shiloh; but when adversaries threatened their survival, God put His adversaries to rout and everlasting shame.  He chose the tribe of Judah over those of Joseph and Ephraim, and over those of Reuben and Levi.  He chose David, the man after God's own heart, to be the king and shepherd of His people Israel, and with an upright heart and skillful hand, David cared for God's people. 

Elkanah and Hannah had begged God for a child, and Hannah had been blessed by Eli the priest after her tearful prayers at God's altar in Shiloh.  Presently, Hannah conceived for the first time and bore a son and named him Samuel, 'asked of and named after the Lord.'  When the boy was weaned, as she had promised, Hannah took him up to the Shiloh shrine and left him there in Eli's care. She prayed in exultation and praise of YHWH, and the boy Samuel remained and ministered to the Lord in the presence of Eli the priest.

Peter stood up in the midst of the company of believers, numbering about 120, and reviewed the tragic history of the traitor Judas, and exhorted them to choose a worthy man to take his place among the Twelve.  They prayed, and cast lots, and selected Matthias, who was enrolled with the eleven other apostles.

The scribes and chief priests despised and feared Jesus, but held back their rage because they feared the people, many of whom revered Jesus.  So they sought to discredit him with spies and false witnesses.  They tried to put Jesus at odds with the Romans by asking Him whether it was right to pay taxes to Caesar, or not.  He perceived their plot and said, 'Show me a denarius, the coin with which Roman taxes were paid.'  When they produced one, He asked, 'Whose image is this, and whose inscription?'  They answered, correctly: 'Caesar's.'  And Jesus said, 'Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.'  His enemies could not trap Jesus in what He said; and marveling at His words, they fell silent.