DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR TUESDAY MARCH 21:
WORD OF WISDOM
The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing
it.
___
DAILY DEVOTION
The Most Subtle Temptation
"And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.
And David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, Go, number Israel
from Beersheba even to Dan; and bring the number of them to me, that I may
know it. And Joab answered, The LORD make his people an hundred times so
many more as they be: but, my lord the king, are they not all my lord's
servants? why then doth my lord require this thing? why will he be a cause
of trespass to Israel?"
1 Chronicles 21:1-3
David was greatly blessed by God during his reign over Israel. The small
Jewish state grew into a great power as victory followed victory. Yet later
in his life, rather than being grateful for what God had done, David was
filled with pride and conducted a census, apparently with the desire to
bring honor to himself. In spite of the wise counsel of Joab, David insisted
on numbering the people. This counting of the people brought the serious
judgment of God, because at heart it was based on the sin of pride.
The temptation of pride has been with us since sin entered the world: "And
when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant
to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the
fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he
did eat" (Genesis 3:6).
The thing that makes pride so subtle and so destructive is that it is so
easy for us to rationalize pride as something else entirely. David could
excuse his sin of wanting to rejoice in how big his army was by pointing out
the need of a commander to know the number of his troops. But God sees the
heart. When we are tempted to excuse our pride, we should instead humble
ourselves before God.
Overcoming pride requires constant vigilance and ongoing surrender to God.
___
DAILY BIBLE READING
1 Samuel 7-9New King James Version (NKJV)
7 Then the men of Kirjath Jearim came and took the ark of the Lord, and
brought it into the house of Abinadab on the hill, and consecrated Eleazar
his son to keep the ark of the Lord.
Samuel Judges Israel
2 So it was that the ark remained in Kirjath Jearim a long time; it was
there twenty years. And all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord.
3 Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, "If you return to
the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the
Ashtoreths[a] from among you, and prepare your hearts for the Lord, and
serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines."
4 So the children of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtoreths,[b] and
served the Lord only.
5 And Samuel said, "Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord
for you." 6 So they gathered together at Mizpah, drew water, and poured it
out before the Lord. And they fasted that day, and said there, "We have
sinned against the Lord." And Samuel judged the children of Israel at
Mizpah.
7 Now when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel had gathered
together at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And
when the children of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the
Philistines. 8 So the children of Israel said to Samuel, "Do not cease to
cry out to the Lord our God for us, that He may save us from the hand of the
Philistines."
9 And Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering
to the Lord. Then Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord
answered him. 10 Now as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the
Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But the Lord thundered with
a loud thunder upon the Philistines that day, and so confused them that they
were overcome before Israel. 11 And the men of Israel went out of Mizpah
and pursued the Philistines, and drove them back as far as below Beth Car.
12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and
called its name Ebenezer,[c] saying, "Thus far the Lord has helped us."
13 So the Philistines were subdued, and they did not come anymore into the
territory of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines
all the days of Samuel. 14 Then the cities which the Philistines had taken
from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath; and Israel
recovered its territory from the hands of the Philistines. Also there was
peace between Israel and the Amorites.
15 And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. 16 He went from year
to year on a circuit to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, and judged Israel in all
those places. 17 But he always returned to Ramah, for his home was there.
There he judged Israel, and there he built an altar to the Lord.
Israel Demands a King
8 Now it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over
Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second,
Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not walk in his
ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted
justice.
4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at
Ramah, 5 and said to him, "Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in
your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations."
6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge
us." So Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord said to Samuel, "Heed the
voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected
you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. 8
According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought
them up out of Egypt, even to this day-with which they have forsaken Me and
served other gods-so they are doing to you also. 9 Now therefore, heed
their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the
behavior of the king who will reign over them."
10 So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who asked him for
a king. 11 And he said, "This will be the behavior of the king who will
reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots
and to be his horsemen, and some will run before his chariots. 12 He will
appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set
some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons
of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be
perfumers, cooks, and bakers. 14 And he will take the best of your fields,
your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants. 15 He
will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage, and give it to his
officers and servants. 16 And he will take your male servants, your female
servants, your finest young men,[d] and your donkeys, and put them to his
work. 17 He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants.
18 And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have
chosen for yourselves, and the Lord will not hear you in that day."
19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they
said, "No, but we will have a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all
the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight
our battles."
21 And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in the
hearing of the Lord. 22 So the Lord said to Samuel, "Heed their voice, and
make them a king."
And Samuel said to the men of Israel, "Every man go to his city."
Saul Chosen to Be King
9 There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish the son of Abiel, the son
of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man
of power. 2 And he had a choice and handsome son whose name was Saul. There
was not a more handsome person than he among the children of Israel. From
his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.
3 Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul's father, were lost. And Kish said to his
son Saul, "Please take one of the servants with you, and arise, go and look
for the donkeys." 4 So he passed through the mountains of Ephraim and
through the land of Shalisha, but they did not find them. Then they passed
through the land of Shaalim, and they were not there. Then he passed through
the land of the Benjamites, but they did not find them.
5 When they had come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was
with him, "Come, let us return, lest my father cease caring about the
donkeys and become worried about us."
6 And he said to him, "Look now, there is in this city a man of God, and he
is an honorable man; all that he says surely comes to pass. So let us go
there; perhaps he can show us the way that we should go."
7 Then Saul said to his servant, "But look, if we go, what shall we bring
the man? For the bread in our vessels is all gone, and there is no present
to bring to the man of God. What do we have?"
8 And the servant answered Saul again and said, "Look, I have here at hand
one-fourth of a shekel of silver. I will give that to the man of God, to
tell us our way." 9 (Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God,
he spoke thus: "Come, let us go to the seer"; for he who is now called a
prophet was formerly called a seer.)
10 Then Saul said to his servant, "Well said; come, let us go." So they went
to the city where the man of God was.
11 As they went up the hill to the city, they met some young women going out
to draw water, and said to them, "Is the seer here?"
12 And they answered them and said, "Yes, there he is, just ahead of you.
Hurry now; for today he came to this city, because there is a sacrifice of
the people today on the high place. 13 As soon as you come into the city,
you will surely find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. For the
people will not eat until he comes, because he must bless the sacrifice;
afterward those who are invited will eat. Now therefore, go up, for about
this time you will find him." 14 So they went up to the city. As they were
coming into the city, there was Samuel, coming out toward them on his way up
to the high place.
15 Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear the day before Saul came, saying,
16 "Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man from the land of
Benjamin, and you shall anoint him commander over My people Israel, that he
may save My people from the hand of the Philistines; for I have looked upon
My people, because their cry has come to Me."
17 So when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him, "There he is, the man of
whom I spoke to you. This one shall reign over My people." 18 Then Saul
drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, "Please tell me, where is the
seer's house?"
19 Samuel answered Saul and said, "I am the seer. Go up before me to the
high place, for you shall eat with me today; and tomorrow I will let you go
and will tell you all that is in your heart. 20 But as for your donkeys
that were lost three days ago, do not be anxious about them, for they have
been found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on you and on
all your father's house?"
21 And Saul answered and said, "Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the
tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the
tribe[e] of Benjamin? Why then do you speak like this to me?"
22 Now Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the hall, and
had them sit in the place of honor among those who were invited; there were
about thirty persons. 23 And Samuel said to the cook, "Bring the portion
which I gave you, of which I said to you, 'Set it apart.'" 24 So the cook
took up the thigh with its upper part and set it before Saul. And Samuel
said, "Here it is, what was kept back. It was set apart for you. Eat; for
until this time it has been kept for you, since I said I invited the
people." So Saul ate with Samuel that day.
25 When they had come down from the high place into the city, Samuel spoke
with Saul on the top of the house.[f] 26 They arose early; and it was about
the dawning of the day that Samuel called to Saul on the top of the house,
saying, "Get up, that I may send you on your way." And Saul arose, and both
of them went outside, he and Samuel.
Saul Anointed King
27 As they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to
Saul, "Tell the servant to go on ahead of us." And he went on. "But you
stand here awhile, that I may announce to you the word of God."
Footnotes:
a.1 Samuel 7:3 Canaanite goddesses
b.1 Samuel 7:4 Canaanite goddesses
c.1 Samuel 7:12 Literally Stone of Help
d.1 Samuel 8:16 Septuagint reads cattle.
e.1 Samuel 9:21 Literally tribes
f.1 Samuel 9:25 Following Masoretic Text and Targum; Septuagint omits He
spoke with Saul on the top of the house; Septuagint and Vulgate add And he
prepared a bed for Saul on the top of the house, and he slept.
New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James VersionR. Copyright C 1982 by Thomas
Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
