Judges 19

Levite has wife who is unfaithfulverses 1-3

And it came to pass in those days – when there was no king in Israel

that there was a certain Levite sojourning

on the side of mount Ephraim

who took to him a concubine

out of Bethlehem- Judah

And his concubine played the whore against him

and went away from him unto her father’s house

to Bethlehem-judah

and was there four whole months

And her husband arose – and went after her to speak friendly to her

and to bring her again

having his servant with him and a couple of asses

and she brought him into her father’s house

and when the father of the damsel saw him

he rejoiced to meet him

Levite want his wife backverses 4-5

And his father-in-law – the damsel’s father – retained him

and he abode with him three days

so they did eat and drink and lodged there

And it came to pass on the fourth day

when they arose early in the morning

that he rose up to depart

and the damsel’s father said to his son-in-law

Comfort your heart with a morsel of bread

and afterward go your way

Levite stays four nights with father-in-lawverses 6-7

And they sat down – and did eat and drink both of them together

for the damsel’s father said to his son-in-law

Be content – I pray you – and tarry all night

and let your heart be merry

And when the man rose up to depart – his father-in-law urged him

therefore he lodged there again

Father-in-law wants him to stay a fifth nightverses 8-9

And he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart

and the damsel’s father said

Comfort your heart – I pray you

And they tarried until the afternoon – and they did eat both of them

and when the man rose up to depart

he – his concubine – his servant

his father-in-law – the damsel’s father said to him

BEHOLD – now the day draws toward evening

I pray you – tarry all night

BEHOLD – the day grows to an end – lodge here

that your heart may be merry

and tomorrow get you early on your way

that you may go home

Servant wants to stop at Jerusalemverses 10-11

BUT the man would not tarry that night

but he rose up and departed – and came over against Jebus

which is Jerusalem

and there were with him two asses saddled

his concubine also was with him

And when they were by Jebus – the day was far spent

and the servant

said to his master

Come – I pray you

and let us turn in into this city of the Jebusites

and lodge in it

Levite wants to stop at Gibeahverses 12-15

And his master said to him

We will not turn aside hither into the city of a stranger

that is not of the children of Israel

We will pass over to Gibeah

And he said to his servant

Come – let us draw near to one of these places

to lodge all night

in Gibeah or in Ramah

And they passed on and went their way

and the sun went down upon them when

they were by Gibeah

which belonged to Benjamin

And they turned aside thither – to go in and to lodge in Gibeah

and when he went in – he sat him down in a street of the city

for there was no man that took them

into his house to lodging

Levite asks man of Gileah to spend nightverses 16-21

And behold there came an old man

from his work out in the field at even

which was also of mount Ephraim

and he sojourned in Gibeah

BUT the men of the place were Benjamites

And when he had lifted up his eyes

he saw a wayfaring man in the street of the city

and the old man said

Whither go you? Whence come you?

And he said to him

We are passing from Bethlehem-judah toward the

side of mount Ephraim – from thence am I

And I went to Bethlehem-judah

BUT I am know going to the house of the LORD

and there is no man that received me to house

Yet there is both straw and provender for our asses

and there is bread and wine also for me

and for your handmaid

and for the young man which is

with your servants

there is no want of any thing

And the old man said

Peace be with you – however let all you wants lie on me

only lodge not in the street

So he brought him into his house – and gave provender to the asses

and they washed their feet – and did eat and drink

Sons of Belial want Levite to come outverse 22

NOW as they were making their hearts merry – BEHOLD

the men of the city – certain sons of Belial

beset the house round about

and beat at the door

and spoke to the master of the house the old man

saying

Bring forth the man that came into your house

that we may know him

Man of Gileah offer two women instead of the Leviteverses 23-24

And the man – the master of the house – went out to them

and said to them

Nay – my brethren – nay – I pray you – do not so wickedly

seeing that this man is come into mine house

do not this folly

BEHOLD – here is my daughter a maiden – and his concubine

them I will bring out now – and humble you them

and do with them what seems good to you

BUT to this man do not so vile a thing

Levite gives his wife to men of cityverses 25-26

BUT the men would not hearken to him

so the man took his concubine and brought her forth to them

And they knew her – and abused her all the night until the morning

and when the day began to spring – they let her go

THEN came the woman in the dawning of the day

and fell down at the door of the man’s house

where her lord was till it was light

Levite finds his wife dead on the doorstepverses 27-28

And her lord rose up in the morning

and opened the doors of the house

and went out to go his way – and – behold

the woman his concubine was fallen down

at the door of the house

and her hands were on the threshold

And he said to her

Up – and let us be going

BUT NONE ANSWERED

THEN the man took her up upon an ass

and the man rose up – and gat him to his place

Levite divides wife into twelve piecesverses 29-30

And when he was come into his house – he took a knife

and laid hold on his concubine – and divided her

together with her bones – into twelve pieces

and sent her into all the coasts of Israel

And it was so – that all that saw it said

There was no such deed done nor seen from the day

that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt

to this day consider of it – take advice

speak your minds

COMMENTARY:

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers

: 12 And his master said to him, we will not turn aside hither into the city of stranger, that is not of the children of Israel; we will pass over to Gibeah. (5237 “stranger” [nokriy] means alien, foreigner, wild, unknown, unfamiliar, or odd)

DEVOTION: Here was a Levite that didn’t trust foreigners for his safety. He would rather travel further during the night than to spend the night in a town that was controlled by a nation other than Israel.

He was traveling from Bethlehem- Judah which was the town where Jesus was born toward Jerusalem which is where Jesus was killed. Jerusalem was still not conquered completely. It was still governed by the Jebusites. He thought it would be better to go to a town controlled by one of the tribes of Israel. He decided to go to Gibeah.

Sometimes it is better to stay with those who are not believers than to stay in a place where they claim to be believers. He thought staying with those who claim to be followers of God was safe. He put his trust that those who were part of the children of Israel would not mistreat him. He thought he would have a better chance of finding a place to stay at night.

True believers would have treated him right. This should be true today just like it was supposed to be true in the days of the Judges. They had drifted far from the LORD.

We should be given to hospitality because the New Testament states that we might entertain angels unaware. Is your house open to those who might need a place to stay? Are you given to hospitality? When was the last time you invited a stranger into your house?

CHALLENGE: You would think that getting together with believers would be better than getting together with unbelievers. However, in this case the unbelievers might have been better to visit than believers. God wants HIS people to be able to trust fellow believers.

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers

: 20 And the old man said, Peace be with you: howsoever let all your wants lie on me, only lodge not in the street. (4270 “wants” [machcowr] means lack, anything that is necessary but lacking, poverty, need, or a scarcity of something vital)

DEVOTION: Here was a stranger to the town but he knew what was expected of those who lived in a town when a stranger came to town. The children of Israel were to be hospitable to those who were visitors.

If someone was a guest they were to provide them a place to sleep. They were to provide a good meal. They were also to provide for the feeding of the animals that came with the guest. This is what this stranger offered as his responsibility. He was going to provide for all of the Levites needs even if the Levite had all that he needed except for a bed to sleep in.

When we know what the LORD expects us to do for others we should put it into practice on a regular basis. We had a couple in my last church that would invite those who visited our church from out of town or even those who lived in the area out for a meal after church.

We had many of those individuals stay and continue to worship with us. This is a gift that all believers should have as it is commanded by the LORD. Some are better at it than others but the LORD wants us to be those who are given to hospitality either in our home or out of it.

CHALLENGE: The LORD promises to provide all we need not all we want. We need to be satisfied with our needs being met by the LORD.

: 22 Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spoke to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him. (3045 “know” [yada] means to know, familiar friend, acquaintance, to know a person carnally, or to consider)

DEVOTION: We are in the time period of the judges when every man did what was right in his own eyes. That means that every man didn’t think about those around him but only his own special needs. Whatever a man wanted to do he did. He didn’t care what effect it had on his neighbor or the nation of Israel. The moral character of the nation was on a downward slide.

We just left the two chapters that dealt with religious apostasy. There was a mixing of false religion with the worship of the LORD. The mix meant that the LORD was not honored or worshiped truly.

These next chapters deal with what happens when there is a mix of false believes in society. The Ten Commandments are no longer followed. If there is no real worship of the LORD, then the one who is worshiped is the enemy of the LORD – the devil.

The devil wants society to have no rules. The only rule is to do whatever you want and it is OK. Here we find a group of men in the city who want to have a relationship with another man.

The old man who is the master of the house tells them it is wrong. Remember if there are no rules then there is no wrong. There are no absolutes. What they wanted to do is described as something that is wicked, folly, and vile.

This is not what God wants to be happening in HIS world. These were the people HE had chosen to be followers of HIM. The children of Israel were a special people. The Levite didn’t want to stay in a city that was not full of Israelites. He decided to stay in a city owned by the tribe of Benjamin. This city was full of men of Belial. They were wicked men.

These men abused the concubine of this Levite. They abused her to the point of death. Part of the abuse was sexual. They didn’t care that she was another man’s concubine or wife. They didn’t care what the LORD had to say about the sin they were committing. They only cared about their own personal pleasure. Their pleasure ended with the death of this woman.

The Levite took his concubine back to his house and cut her into twelve pieces and sent each piece to a tribe of Israel. The children of Israel were asked by the Levite to respond to the twelve pieces of the concubine.

What would our response be? What should our response be if we are honoring the LORD? This was describing the society of the children of Israel during the time of the judges. Are we living in such a time?

Understand that the moral laws of God never change. A immoral nation will be judged by the LORD. God wants all those who are true followers of HIM to speak out against sin. HE wants HIS followers to live a life that is not practicing sin or living in sin on a daily basis without a concern for HIM.

How do we understand “living in sin?” We are all sinners on a daily basis but there is a difference between “living in sin” and sinning on a daily basis.

CHALLENGE: If this in not understood by the followers of God, it will never be understood by those who are outside of Christ. The Levite was trying to get the difference into the thinking of the children of Israel.

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

: 28 And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her together with her bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coasts of Israel. (5408 “divided” [nathach] means cut, hew them in pieces, divide by joints, or dismember)

DEVOTION: It seems like desperate times for the nation of Israel. Here we have a Levite traveling with a concubine. So here is a religious leader not setting a good example. The nation had no king. There was no obedience to the Laws of Moses. There were only judges who only lasted for a short time and then the nation went back into disobedience.

Now we find that the tribe of Benjamin has a town that had a group of men who wanted the Levite for sexual favors but they gave them two women and the concubine of the Levite died because of the abuse of these men.

The Levite was so mad that he cut in pieces the concubine and sent the pieces to all the tribes of Israel. Her pieces went from one end of the nation to the other.

He wanted this town to be dealt with by all of the other tribes. It was a disgrace to the nation and something had to be done. It was a call to battle. It was one of the most unusual call to battle. The sin was too great to ignore.

Today to some of us it seems that like the sin couldn’t be any worse. Our society is going further and further away from the LORD. The government is taking away religious rights in favor of personal preferences. The churches are giving in to the political climate and not preaching the truths of the Word of God. They are preaching what the people want to hear instead of what they need to hear.

So, when does the LORD come to take HIS people out of this mess? We don’t know but we are to be salt and light until HE does. So, each day we have to set an example of what it means to be a believer to those around us.

We can still pray for revival. This is what the Levites was hoping would happen when he sent the divided body of the concubine. He wanted the nation to come together to act in a righteous manner. We should want the same even today in our nation.

CHALLENGE: A nation given to disobedience is headed for a serious judgment from the LORD. Many say America is not found in prophecy. Truth or fiction??

: 30 And it was so, that all that saw it said, There, was no such deed done not seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt to this day: consider if it, take advice, and speak your minds. (5779 “take advice” [‘uwts] means to make a plan, to give careful thought or consideration to something, counsel, plan, consult, or think with the purpose or result of deciding on a course of action)

DEVOTION: There is only one unpardonable sin in the Word of God. That is to not accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. That is blaspheming the Holy Spirit. This would result in spending eternity in hell with the devil and his angels.

Here we have the Levite sending the cutup parts of his wife to the twelve tribes of Israel. He wants action to take place. He wants there to be justice for the men of the city of Gibah of the tribe of Benjamin.

Their actions deserved action from the rest of the tribe. Sin had to be judged. Of course, all of Israel was not truly worshiping the LORD at that time. It seems that some sins were OK but others were not and this was one of those sins.

Today, we find that even in some Christian’s life they will allow some sins to be done without thinking they are wrong, while other sins are really wrong. We seem to be able to act like the Israelites by grading sin.

The LORD doesn’t work on a grade. There is one unpardonable sin which is the rejection of Jesus Christ and the rest are sins that need to be confessed by believers to stay in fellowship with the LORD.

Our relationship to the LORD should be our number one priority. If we have a good relationship with the LORD after salvation then we will daily confess our sins and ask forgiveness. Our daily relationship is important to us. We want to please the LORD.

CHALLENGE: Are we keeping short accounts with God? Do we daily confess our sins to HIM?

DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:

BODY

Chastity (Purity in living)

Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)

Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)

Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)

Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)

SOUL

Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)

Frugality (wise use of resources)

Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)

Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)

Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)

SPIRIT

Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)

Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)

Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)

Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)

Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)

Leviteverses 1-30

Husband of whore

Wanted Israel to speak their mind

House of the LORDverse 18

DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)

God the Father (First person of the Godhead)

LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)verse 18

House of the LORDverse 18

God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)

God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)

Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)

Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)

Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)

Jebusites lived in Jerusalemverse 11

City of a stranger

Land of Egyptverse 30

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)

Whoreverse 2

No man took them inverses 15, 18

Sons of Belialverse 22

Homosexual verse 22

Wickedlyverse 23

Follyverse 23

Humbling of two womenverse 24

Vileverse 24

Sex with concubineverse 25

Abuse concubineverse 25

Killed concubineverse 28

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)

Peaceverse 20

Israel (Old Testament people of God)

No king in Israelverse 1

Mount Ephraimverse 1

Bethlehem- Judahverses 1, 18

Concubine of Leviteverse 1

Played the whore

Stayed at father’s house

Left fifth day

Offered to men of the city

Found dead at the door of old man

Cut up by the Levite in twelve pieces

Sent part all over Israel

Jebus = Jerusalemverse 10

Children of Israelverses 12, 30

Gibeah (Benjamin)verses 12-16

Going to lodge in streets

Old manverse 16

Lodges Levite

Offers daughter to men of city

Men of the cityverse 22

Cut concubine into twelve piecesverse 29

Coasts of Israelverse 29

Church (New Testament people of God)

Last Things (Future Events)

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QUOTES regarding passage

The “wicked men” (v.22) are literally “sons of Belial”—worthless scoundrels bent on evil. They were active homosexuals engaging in practices plainly condemned in Scripture (Lev 18:22; 20:13). The old man felt a deep sense of responsibility to protect his principal guest, and in desperation he offered the townspeople his own daughter and the Levite’s concubine instead of letting them assault his guest (v.23). Lot had been willing to commit his daughters to a similar fate (Gen 19:8), but the angels had rescued them. In those days the place of a woman was often very lowly, and the “disgraceful thing” (v.24) was to molest the man. Nevertheless, the Israelites normally considered the rape of a woman disgraceful (Gen 34:7), and women who were promiscuous were also condemned to death for their behavior (Deut 22:21). In each of these passages the same word (n^eḇālāh) is used. (Wolf, H. (1992). Judges. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel (Vol. 3, p. 493). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)

19:22–26. Reminiscent of the wicked Sodomites in the time of Lot (cf. Gen. 19:1–11), the wicked men (or “worthless men”; lit., “sons of Belial”; cf. 1 Sam. 1:16; 2:12) of Gibeah surrounded the house and demanded that the old man send out the Levite to satisfy their homosexual desires. Considering the laws of hospitality more important than chivalry toward the opposite sex, the old man offered them instead his virgin daughter and the Levite’s concubine. The men either did not hear or refused his offer, but when the Levite thrust his concubine … outside to them, they took her and sexually abused her throughout the night. At daybreak she was released to return; she fell at the door of the house where she died. (Lindsey, F. D. (1985). Judges. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 411). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books)

The host courageously and correctly described their desires as wickedness and folly (v. 23) and a vile thing (v. 24), and he tried to prevent them from raping his guest. Like Lot in Sodom, the host offered them his daughter, which shows the low estimate some men in that day had of women and of sexual purity. How a father could offer his own daughter as a sacrifice to the lusts of a mob is difficult to understand. Yet many parents today allow their sons’ and daughters’ minds and hearts to be violated by what they see and hear in movies, on television, and at rock concerts. Chastity of mind and heart is essential for chastity of the body. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1994). Be available (p. 141). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

19:22 worthless fellows. Lit. “sons of Belial,” i.e., base and perverse men, who desired to commit sodomy against the Levite. The phrase elsewhere is used for idolaters (Dt 13:13), neglecters of the poor (Dt 15:9), drunks (1Sa 1:16), immoral people (1Sa 2:12), and rebels against the civil authority (2Sa 20:1; Pr 19:28). “Belial” can be traced to the false god Baal, and is also a term for yoke (they cast off the yoke of decency), and a term for entangling or injuring. It is used in the NT of Satan (2Co 6:15).

19:24 let me bring them out. The host showed a disgraceful compromise in his exaggerated desire to extend hospitality to his male guest. He should have protected all in his house, and so should the Levite, even at the risk of their own lives in guarding the women. His sad estimate of women was demonstrated by his willingness to hand his daughter or the guest concubine over to indecent men. Lot’s plunge from decency was similar (Ge 19). Here, repeated rape and finally murder were the pitiful sequel.

19:25 the man seized his concubine and brought her out to them. This is unthinkable weakness and cowardice for any man, especially a priest of God. Apparently, he even slept through the night, or stayed in bed out of fear, since he didn’t see her again until he awakened and prepared to leave (cf. v. 28). (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Jdg 19:22–25). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)

The full extent of the danger becomes clear when the men of the city demand the opportunity to assault the strangers homosexually. It is difficult for contemporary Westerners to understand the willingness of both the old Ephraimite and the Levite to turn their women over to the mob. The old Ephraimite, like Lot (Gen. 19:6–8), may have felt obligated to protect a guest at any cost whatsoever. However, it is difficult to identify with the Levite’s callous disregard for his concubine. He sends her out to the crowd; she is brutally raped and murdered (19:22–26). (Bowling, A. C. (1995). Judges. In Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (Vol. 3, p. 176). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House)

Ver. 23. And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, &c.] Opened the door, and went out to converse with them, and bespoke them after this manner: and said unto them, nay, my brethren, nay, I pray you, do not so wickedly; it is plain he understood them in such sense, that they meant not bare knowledge of the man, as who he was, &c. but to commit wickedness the most abominable; so great, that it cannot be well said how great it is; and to dissuade from it, he uses the most tender language, and the most earnest entreaties: seeing this man is come into my house, do not this folly; he argues from the law of hospitality, which ought not to be infringed; a man being obliged to protect a stranger under his roof; and from the nature of the crime, which was folly, stupidity, and what was abominable to the last degree. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 2, p. 379). London: Mathews and Leigh.)

19:22 worthless fellows. Literally, “sons of Belial.” In the OT, the term “Belial” is used descriptively, speaking of perverted or worthless people (cf. 20:13; 1 Sam. 10:27; 1 Kings 21:13). In intertestamental literature, the term was used of Satan, and this is Paul’s sense in 2 Cor. 6:15: “What accord has Christ with Belial?” that we may know him. The word “know” was the normal Hebrew euphemism for sexual relations (cf. Gen. 4:1). The same expression is found in Gen. 19:5, where the men of Sodom wanted to have homosexual relations with Lot’s guests. (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 471). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles)

FROM MY READING:

(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)

ANGELIC REVELATIONS

Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
Hebrews 1:14
Another function of the angels is to reveal God’s purposes. It was through angels that God revealed to Abraham His purpose with regard to Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18), and He revealed His will to Jacob more than once in the same way. Gideon also was told God’s purpose for him through an angel, and in the New Testament Zacharias was told about the birth of his son, who became known as John the Baptist, through an angel that appeared to him when he was in the Temple. It was an angel who told Joseph that he need not worry about the condition of his espoused wife Mary. It was an angel also who told him to flee to Egypt, and an angel who told him to come out of Egypt.
But I would say that the most comforting and the most wonderful aspect of this teaching is what we are told in the Scriptures of the way in which God uses angels to bless and to care for His own people: “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14). What is the greatest function of the angels? It is to minister to you and to me–to minister to the “heirs of salvation.”
It seems to me from this biblical teaching that I am entitled to say that the angels are used by God with respect to us and to our salvation. For example, in the account of the conversion of Cornelius in Acts 10, we are told that as Cornelius was praying one day an angel suddenly appeared to him and began to give him a preview, as it were, of his own salvation and to tell him what he should do in order that his salvation might be realized.
A Thought to Ponder: God uses angels to bless and to care for His own people. (From God the Father, God the Son, p. 111. By Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

Exodus 4
Aaron is appointed to help Moses.
INSIGHT
God does not need any one of us. He wants us and He would like to use us, but God does not need us. Take away one person, and the work of God is not diminished — it goes on.

When God calls us to a ministry, it is for our benefit. If we are unwilling or impure, He can get the work done through someone else. We must realize that everything God asks of us is ultimately for our benefit — even serving Him. Moses is a good example of that fact. (Quiet Walk)

Out of Breath

Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God.

Deuteronomy 5:13-14

There’s a home-improvement store near me that has a big green button in one of its departments. If no assistant is present, you push the button, which starts a timer. If you’re not served within a minute, you get a discount on your purchase.

We like being the customer in this scenario who enjoys the speedy service. But the demand for fast service often takes a toll when we’re the one expected to deliver it. So many of us today feel rushed doing our jobs, working long hours, checking email multiple times a day, and feeling pressured to meet tighter and tighter deadlines. The customer service tactics of the home-improvement store have seeped into all our lives, creating a culture of rush.

When God told the Israelites to keep a Sabbath, He added an important reason: “Remember that you were slaves in Egypt” (Deuteronomy 5:15). There they’d been forced to work ceaselessly under Pharaoh’s excessive time constraints (Exodus 5:6-9). Now freed, they were to give themselves a whole day each week to ensure they and those who served them could rest (Deuteronomy 5:14). Under God’s rule, there were to be no flush-faced, out-of-breath people.

How often do you work to the point of exhaustion or get impatient with people who keep you waiting? Let’s give ourselves and each other a break. A culture of rush is Pharaoh’s doing, not God’s.

(By Sheridan Voysey, Our Daily Bread)

FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT

…in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.
1 Corinthians 2:4

What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit? Clearly there are two things at any rate that go with this term. It is something that happens that gives authority and power and the ability for service and witness. The apostles were given it at the very beginning, and the result was that they began to speak with other tongues, and Peter, filled with the Spirit, preached his sermon. Then again, after they had prayed, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God with boldness. And when Paul was confronted by the opposition of that clever man, the magician Elymas, he was filled especially with the Spirit in order to pronounce a judgment, and the judgment fell upon the man. So, it is clear that the filling with the Spirit happens for the sake of service; it gives us power and authority for service.
Let me emphasize this. This filling is an absolute necessity for true service. Even our Lord Himself did not enter upon His ministry until the Holy Spirit had descended upon Him. He even told the disciples, whom He had been training for three years, who had been with Him in the inner circle, who had seen His miracles and heard all His words, who had seen Him dead and buried and risen again, even these exceptional men with their exceptional opportunities He told to stay where they were, not to start upon any ministry, not to attempt to witness to Him, until they had received the power that the Holy Spirit would give them.
This is something, therefore, that is vital to our witness. It was the whole secret of the ministry of the apostle Paul. He did not preach with enticing words of human wisdom, but preached, he said, “in demonstration of the Spirit and of power” (1 Corinthians 2:4). He was filled with the Spirit for his task.
A Thought to Ponder: The filling with the Spirit happens for the sake of service.
(From God the Holy Spirit, pp. 241-242, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

Children in Heaven
“And [David] said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.” (2 Samuel 12:22-23)
The death of a loved one is always a time of great sorrow, but the death of a beloved child is perhaps the keenest sorrow of all. Nevertheless, for the Christian believer, we “sorrow not, even as others which have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13).
Our text verse makes it clear that when a child dies (even one born of a sinful relationship such as this child of David and Bathsheba), that child goes to be with the Lord in heaven. Jesus said: “Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:14).
Heaven is thus a place where there are many “little children.” Their inherited sin-nature never yet had generated acts of willful sin, and their Maker is Himself “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), so they are safe in Him. Although there are few specific Scriptures on this subject, what we do know, both from the love of God and the Word of God, suggests that the souls of all deceased little children are with the Lord in heaven, but also those who died in early childhood (and even before birth) from every time and place since the world began. There they, along with all those who were saved by personal faith in Christ and are now awaiting the resurrection, will receive new bodies when Christ returns to Earth. The old and lame will be young and strong again, and the children will grow to perfect maturity, for all will become “like him” (1 John 3:2). “God shall wipe away all tears” (Revelation 21:4), and all will say: “As for God, his way is perfect” (Psalm 18:30). (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)

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