DAN TO BEERSHEBA
Today’s Reading: Judges 20
Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).
Dan is a city mentioned in the Bible and described as the northernmost city of the Kingdom of Israel, belonging to the Tribe of Dan. Seen here is the main entrance to the ancient city of Dan. Beersheba, or Beersheva, as it is now known in Hebrew, is the most southwestern city. Our ministry of Crossroads was, at my last visit, recognized on a plaque in the entrance to the children’s wing of the hospital at Beersheva. We raised a large amount of money to help build the wing in honour of Dr. Nelles Silverthorne, a famous Canadian researcher paediatrician, who often appeared on 100 Huntley Street. The hospital serves both Bedouin Arab children and Jewish children.
GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.
Key Verse: Judges 20:20a
And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin…
Israel had extremely hard lessons to learn. Again they were fighting members of their own family; all of them were children of Abraham. When people are estranged from God, trouble and divisions usually follow. This happens in individual families as well as in nations. Inevitably, the cause of the conflict is the curse of sin…sin against God and against people. In America this happened in the Civil War. People whose roots were mainly in the United Kingdom were killing each other, perhaps as many as 500,000 died just 150 years ago. The book, Killing Lincoln, speaks of the President’s well-worn Bible, which has many notes written in the margins. The current President of the USA laid his hand upon that very Bible when he was sworn into office for his second term. We can be sure that President Lincoln believed he was directed by God to remove the curse of slavery from the land. It’s easy for us to second-guess decisions made by leaders. Jesus was so revolutionary (not in a military way) that He taught us to love our enemies. We should ask ourselves the question, “How well are we obeying His commandment to love unconditionally?”
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Lord God, I find it difficult to understand Your unconditional love. It amazes me that You, Lord Jesus, chose to die rather than call on a mighty army of angels to destroy the world and all who did such evil against You. I pray for a greater measure of Your love to fill me up to overflowing. Help me to show my love for You by loving all people, even those who would consider themselves my enemies. Amen!
100 PERSONAL WORDS:
In preparation for our next book in this blog, 1st Corinthians, I’ve been reading ahead. Last night I read 1st Corinthians, chapter 13. It occurred to me that this chapter is a description of the way Jesus lived His life. He was and is the very embodiment of love. He is “the Glory of God.” It’s not hard for me to believe that “All have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Love is the only way to make an enemy a friend. Through the years I’ve discovered this wisdom in my relationships with Government, with the media, and with people in general, and in particular those with whom I disagree. On this basis, our TV network, YES TV, has opened its door in various TV productions to spokespersons of varying opinions.
Norma-Jean mentioned to me the Frank Sinatra love song, Young At Heart, has a line in it, “If you should survive to 105…” George Beverly Shea, who lived almost to 105, recorded the powerful song, The Love of God. If I can find it online, I’ll put it in my blog (click here). Could this be George’s secret to long life? For years he watched the 100 Huntley Street telecast on his computer every day! What a great man!!!
Yours for living and loving,
David
P.S. Here is a satellite map of the territory (Dan to Beersheba) from which the tribes gathered to fight against Benjamin because of the outrage they felt at the perversion of the men of Gibeah (Judges 19:22-30).
I try to love my enemy and people I don’t care for and it really does color my attitude. I just keep thinking that if God loves these people so much then who am I not to. I’m not talking about obviously evil, warped people but I pray for their turning around and find it gives me peace and joy to get on with my own life, in Jesus name.
Blessings dear saints.
PS
Heritage Singers ~ On the Wings of a Snow White Dove: http://youtu.be/jmBvlvoP_ZM
Trouble and divisions…Please Lord God, help us to be peacemakers. My family knows me as critical and belligerent. Lord, help me to turn it round. In Jesus’s name.amen
Lord I pray the Holy Spirit be with Robert and help him with his attitude, speech and actions around his family and friends! Lord I truly believe he is a wonderful person and that others are looking at him through dusty glasses! May a spirit of peace come to Robert and may he graciously share that peace with others.
To confess our sins is the start of something new that God can give us a new heart.
I always ask God to let me see people through His eyes……it helps.
While Judges is so very hard to read, I know as I stick with it, for this second time around, God has something for me to learn, and as I find that lesson, I am better off for it.
Praise God for His Word and thank you Pastor David and fellow saints for your encouraging comments. BLESSINGS TO ALL.
Looking forward to upcoming 1st Corinthians. Thanks for the great photos and links, today, David Mainse; especially George Beverly Shea singing The Love of God! Here are the lyrics:
The Love of God
Frederick M. Lehman, 1917
The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.
Refrain:
Oh, love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure—
The saints’ and angels’ song.
When hoary time shall pass away,
And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
When men who here refuse to pray,
On rocks and hills and mountains call,
God’s love so sure, shall still endure,
All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—
The saints’ and angels’ song.
Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.
Frederick Lehman tells us that verse 3 “had been found penciled on the wall of a patient’s room in an insane asylum after he had been carried to his grave.” While it is only supposition that he was the one who adapted the Jewish author’s poem to leave us these well-known lines, if the account is true it shows in any case that he highly esteemed the message.
Here is a link to The Love of God being sung over and over again by several different groups….awesome!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6B_jYtjvME
God bless all you beautiful saints! The saints’ and angels’ song! Amen!
Dan refused to give any lawfullness but the other tribes of Israel knew God. It is like ISIS or Boko Haram coming to Ontario raping and kidnapping people from Quebec. Then, Ontario refusing to stop them.
Why did you post this but not my correction to my post that it was Benjamin?
Benjamin
Thank you for Rev. David for the link of Beverly Shae; for your prayer of the day. My desire is to see people through the eyes of Jesus…not always too successful…but that is my prayer.