[Ohio-Communities-of-Faith] DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR TUESDAY MARCH 22

Tue Mar 22 00:22:13 UTC 2022

DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR TUESDAY MARCH 22

WORD OF WISDOM

Remember, guitars have been picked on all their lives and they still play
beautiful music.

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DAILY DEVOTION

Don't Bow Down

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O
Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be
so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery
furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it
known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the
golden image which thou hast set up.
Daniel 3:16-18

Nebuchadnezzar was the most powerful man on earth in his day. As the
unquestioned leader of the massive Babylonian Empire, he could command
individuals as well as vast groups of people, and he could enforce
consequences on anyone who disobeyed. He was used to getting his way. Yet
despite his command to bow down and worship the huge golden idol he had
erected, Nebuchadnezzar found himself confronted with three young men who
refused his edict. They did not care that the king had the power to command
them to be killed. They did not care that the furnace was glowing with a
furious heat. They cared about God, and they were committed to being true to
Him no matter what. They would not bow to any idol, regardless of the
consequences.
There are many wonderful promises in the Bible, but there are no promises
that if we obey God and serve Him we will never have trouble. Sometimes it
is our obedience that creates the difficulties in which we find ourselves.
The temptation in those moments is to try to compromise to avoid the
problem, but that is the wrong approach. Instead we should stand more firmly
than ever for the truth when it is unpopular or even dangerous to do so.
>From a prison cell in Rome where he was awaiting execution, Paul wrote, "Be
not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his
prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to
the power of God" (2 Timothy 1:8).
No matter what our circumstances may be, we can and must remain faithful to
God.

___

DAILY BIBLE READING

1 Samuel 10-12 New King James Version
Samuel Anoints Saul
10 Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head, and kissed him
and said: "Is it not because the Lord has anointed you commander over His
[a]inheritance? 2 When you have departed from me today, you will find two
men by Rachel's tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will
say to you, 'The donkeys which you went to look for have been found. And now
your father has ceased caring about the donkeys and is worrying about you,
saying, "What shall I do about my son?" ' 3 Then you shall go on forward
from there and come to the terebinth tree of Tabor. There three men going up
to God at Bethel will meet you, one carrying three young goats, another
carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine. 4 And
they will [b]greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall
receive from their hands. 5 After that you shall come to the hill of God
where the Philistine garrison is. And it will happen, when you have come
there to the city, that you will meet a group of prophets coming down from
the high place with a stringed instrument, a tambourine, a flute, and a harp
before them; and they will be prophesying. 6 Then the Spirit of the Lord
will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into
another man. 7 And let it be, when these signs come to you, that you do as
the occasion demands; for God is with you. 8 You shall go down before me to
Gilgal; and surely I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and make
sacrifices of peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait, till I come to you
and show you what you should do."

9 So it was, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, that God [c]gave
him another heart; and all those signs came to pass that day. 10 When they
came there to the hill, there was a group of prophets to meet him; then the
Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them. 11 And it
happened, when all who knew him formerly saw that he indeed prophesied among
the prophets, that the people said to one another, "What is this that has
come upon the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?" 12 Then a man
from there answered and said, "But who is their father?" Therefore it became
a proverb: "Is Saul also among the prophets?" 13 And when he had finished
prophesying, he went to the high place.

14 Then Saul's uncle said to him and his servant, "Where did you go?"

So he said, "To look for the donkeys. When we saw that they were nowhere to
be found, we went to Samuel."

15 And Saul's uncle said, "Tell me, please, what Samuel said to you."

16 So Saul said to his uncle, "He told us plainly that the donkeys had been
found." But about the matter of the kingdom, he did not tell him what Samuel
had said.

Saul Proclaimed King
17 Then Samuel called the people together to the Lord at Mizpah, 18 and said
to the children of Israel, "Thus says the Lord God of Israel: 'I brought up
Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and
from the hand of all kingdoms and from those who oppressed you.' 19 But you
have today rejected your God, who Himself saved you from all your
adversities and your tribulations; and you have said to Him, 'No, set a king
over us!' Now therefore, present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes
and by your [d]clans."

20 And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the
tribe of Benjamin was chosen. 21 When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to
come near by their families, the family of Matri was chosen. And Saul the
son of Kish was chosen. But when they sought him, he could not be found. 22
Therefore they inquired of the Lord further, "Has the man come here yet?"

And the Lord answered, "There he is, hidden among the equipment."

23 So they ran and brought him from there; and when he stood among the
people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. 24
And Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen,
that there is no one like him among all the people?"

So all the people shouted and said, "Long[e] live the king!"

25 Then Samuel explained to the people the behavior of royalty, and wrote it
in a book and laid it up before the Lord. And Samuel sent all the people
away, every man to his house. 26 And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and
valiant men went with him, whose hearts God had touched. 27 But some rebels
said, "How can this man save us?" So they despised him, and brought him no
presents. But he [f]held his peace.

Saul Saves Jabesh Gilead
11 Then Nahash the Ammonite came up and [g]encamped against Jabesh Gilead;
and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Make a covenant with us, and we
will serve you."

2 And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, "On this condition I will make a
covenant with you, that I may put out all your right eyes, and bring
reproach on all Israel."

3 Then the elders of Jabesh said to him, "Hold off for seven days, that we
may send messengers to all the territory of Israel. And then, if there is no
one to [h]save us, we will come out to you."

4 So the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and told the news in the hearing
of the people. And all the people lifted up their voices and wept. 5 Now
there was Saul, coming behind the herd from the field; and Saul said, "What
troubles the people, that they weep?" And they told him the words of the men
of Jabesh. 6 Then the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard this news,
and his anger was greatly aroused. 7 So he took a yoke of oxen and cut them
in pieces, and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hands
of messengers, saying, "Whoever does not go out with Saul and Samuel to
battle, so it shall be done to his oxen."

And the fear of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out [i]with one
consent. 8 When he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three
hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. 9 And they said to
the messengers who came, "Thus you shall say to the men of Jabesh Gilead:
'Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you shall have help.' " Then the
messengers came and reported it to the men of Jabesh, and they were glad. 10
Therefore the men of Jabesh said, "Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you
may do with us whatever seems good to you."

11 So it was, on the next day, that Saul put the people in three companies;
and they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch, and killed
Ammonites until the heat of the day. And it happened that those who survived
were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.

12 Then the people said to Samuel, "Who is he who said, 'Shall Saul reign
over us?' Bring the men, that we may put them to death."

13 But Saul said, "Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today the
Lord has accomplished salvation in Israel."

14 Then Samuel said to the people, "Come, let us go to Gilgal and renew the
kingdom there." 15 So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made
Saul king before the Lord in Gilgal. There they made sacrifices of peace
offerings before the Lord, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced
greatly.

Samuel's Address at Saul's Coronation
12 Now Samuel said to all Israel: "Indeed I have [j]heeded your voice in all
that you said to me, and have made a king over you. 2 And now here is the
king, walking before you; and I am old and grayheaded, and look, my sons are
with you. I have walked before you from my childhood to this day. 3 Here I
am. Witness against me before the Lord and before His anointed: Whose ox
have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I cheated? Whom
have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I received any bribe with which to
blind my eyes? I will restore it to you."

4 And they said, "You have not cheated us or oppressed us, nor have you
taken anything from any man's hand."

5 Then he said to them, "The Lord is witness against you, and His anointed
is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand."

And they answered, "He is witness."

6 Then Samuel said to the people, "It is the Lord who raised up Moses and
Aaron, and who brought your fathers up from the land of Egypt. 7 Now
therefore, stand still, that I may reason with you before the Lord
concerning all the righteous acts of the Lord which He did to you and your
fathers: 8 When Jacob had gone into [k]Egypt, and your fathers cried out to
the Lord, then the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out
of Egypt and made them dwell in this place. 9 And when they forgot the Lord
their God, He sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the army of
Hazor, into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of
Moab; and they fought against them. 10 Then they cried out to the Lord, and
said, 'We have sinned, because we have forsaken the Lord and served the
Baals and [l]Ashtoreths; but now deliver us from the hand of our enemies,
and we will serve You.' 11 And the Lord sent [m]Jerubbaal, [n]Bedan,
Jephthah, and Samuel,[o] and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies
on every side; and you dwelt in safety. 12 And when you saw that Nahash king
of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, 'No, but a king shall
reign over us,' when the Lord your God was your king.

13 "Now therefore, here is the king whom you have chosen and whom you have
desired. And take note, the Lord has set a king over you. 14 If you fear the
Lord and serve Him and obey His voice, and do not rebel against the
commandment of the Lord, then both you and the king who reigns over you will
continue following the Lord your God. 15 However, if you do not obey the
voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then the
hand of the Lord will be against you, as it was against your fathers.

16 "Now therefore, stand and see this great thing which the Lord will do
before your eyes: 17 Is today not the wheat harvest? I will call to the
Lord, and He will send thunder and rain, that you may perceive and see that
your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the Lord, in
asking a king for yourselves."

18 So Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that
day; and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.

19 And all the people said to Samuel, "Pray for your servants to the Lord
your God, that we may not die; for we have added to all our sins the evil of
asking a king for ourselves."

20 Then Samuel said to the people, "Do not fear. You have done all this
wickedness; yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the
Lord with all your heart. 21 And do not turn aside; for then you would go
after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing. 22
For the Lord will not forsake His people, for His great name's sake, because
it has pleased the Lord to make you His people. 23 Moreover, as for me, far
be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you;
but I will teach you the good and the right way. 24 Only fear the Lord, and
serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He
has done for you. 25 But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away,
both you and your king."

Footnotes
1 Samuel 10:1 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; LXX people Israel; and you shall rule
the people of the Lord; LXX, Vg. add And you shall deliver His people from
the hands of their enemies all around them. And this shall be a sign to you,
that God has anointed you to be a prince.
1 Samuel 10:4 ask you about your welfare
1 Samuel 10:9 changed his heart
1 Samuel 10:19 Lit. thousands
1 Samuel 10:24 Lit. May the king live
1 Samuel 10:27 kept silent
1 Samuel 11:1 besieged
1 Samuel 11:3 deliver
1 Samuel 11:7 Lit. as one man
1 Samuel 12:1 listened to
1 Samuel 12:8 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; LXX adds and the Egyptians afflicted
them
1 Samuel 12:10 Images of Canaanite goddesses
1 Samuel 12:11 Gideon, cf. Judg. 6:25-32; Syr. Deborah; Tg. Gideon
1 Samuel 12:11 LXX, Syr. Barak; Tg. Simson
1 Samuel 12:11 Syr. Simson