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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness Gal 5:22 |
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Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Tuesday, June 27, 2023
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :The Philistines Capture the Ark Bible Verse:1 Samuel 4:2-11 (ESV) "Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines. They encamped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines encamped at Aphek. The Philistines drew up in line against Israel, and when the battle spread, Israel was defeated before the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on the field of battle. And when the people came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord here from Shiloh, that it may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.” So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, who is enthroned on the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. A s soon as the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel gave a mighty shout, so that the earth resounded. And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting, they said, “What does this great shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” And when they learned that the ark of the Lord had come to the camp, the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “A god has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before. Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness. Take courage, and be men, O Philistines, lest you become slaves to the Hebrews as they have been to you; be men and fight.” So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and they fled, every man to his home. And there was a very great slaughter, for thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell. And the ark of God was captured, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died. " Message:
Disaster! The Ark of the Covenant, which contained the original stone tablets of the Ten Commandments, was the holiest item of the Hebrew nation. Even Aaron had not been allowed to enter the room where it was kept except once a year. Although it had been carried before the wandering tribe, and Joshua carried it before his army into battle, that had been over 300 years before. The day recounted in today’s Scripture represents events so terrible that the very survival of Israel is brought into question.
Hebrew high priest burning incense at the altar
The relocation, destruction and/or disappearance of such small tribal nations was commonplace in the bronze and iron ages. In fact, the Philistines were eventually so completely destroyed that we know almost nothing about them except from the Bible. They are barely mentioned in Egyptian documents as one of the seafaring peoples against which a war was fought. All that is known of their language are a few loan words retained in Hebrew. So the death of thirty thousand men in battle and the loss of their central religious object threatens Israel with cultural extinction and historical obscurity.
But God is still with them; he has punished them terribly, but the covenant is still in effect; and the Philistines have made a mistake in taking the Ark; they are about to discover God’s power. They will pay for this affront to the one true God, just as Eli’s sons have paid for their blasphemy at the Philistines’ hands.
Meditation : Prayer : Oh God Almighty, send me Your light and truth, to keep this day and all the days of my life. And may Your mighty hand protect me, and all my brothers and sisters who have joined me in prayer this day, blessing our homes and our lives...Amen. |
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