[Ohio-Communities-of-Faith] DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR WEDNESDAY MARCH 23

[Donnie Parrett]

DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR WEDNESDAY MARCH 23

WORD OF WISDOM

I ordered a chicken and an egg from Amazon. I'll let you know which one
comes first!

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DAILY DEVOTION

"The God of Peace"

That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth
of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and
without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far
off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made
both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Ephesians 2:12-14

 Horrified by the massive toll of World War I, and looking for a way to
prevent it being repeated, the nations of the world began negotiating a
treaty that would govern future behavior. What came to be known as the
Kellogg-Briand Pact was signed in Paris in 1928. It committed the nations
who joined to use peaceful means of resolving their differences. It said in
part, "The High Contracting Parties solemnly declare in the names of their
respective peoples that they condemn recourse to war for the solution of
international controversies and renounce it as an instrument of national
policy in their relations with one another." Just over ten years later,
Germany invaded Poland launching a war far more deadly and destructive than
the one that had sparked the "war to end all wars."
Peace is not a natural part of the human condition. Our fallen nature and
the presence of sin in the world lead to conflict, trouble, and discontent.
Often we are tempted to try to get what we want apart from the way of God.
Many people think that getting a better job, a better spouse, a better place
to live, or a better bank balance will bring peace, but it never does.
Peace, real and lasting peace, is only available from the presence and power
of God. Jesus gives us peace for today and the certainty of victory for
tomorrow. "And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen" (Romans 16:20).
Real peace can never come from the things of the world, but only from God.

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DAILY BIBLE READING

1 Samuel 13-15 New King James Version
Saul's Unlawful Sacrifice
13 Saul [a]reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel,
2 Saul chose for himself three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were
with Saul in Michmash and in the mountains of Bethel, and a thousand were
with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent away,
every man to his tent.

3 And Jonathan attacked the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba,
and the Philistines heard of it. Then Saul blew the trumpet throughout all
the land, saying, "Let the Hebrews hear!" 4 Now all Israel heard it said
that Saul had attacked a garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel had
also become [b]an abomination to the Philistines. And the people were called
together to Saul at Gilgal.

5 Then the Philistines gathered together to fight with Israel, [c]thirty
thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is
on the seashore in multitude. And they came up and encamped in Michmash, to
the east of Beth Aven. 6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in danger
(for the people were distressed), then the people hid in caves, in thickets,
in rocks, in holes, and in pits. 7 And some of the Hebrews crossed over the
Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead.

As for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him
trembling. 8 Then he waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel.
But Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. 9
So Saul said, "Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me." And
he offered the burnt offering. 10 Now it happened, as soon as he had
finished presenting the burnt offering, that Samuel came; and Saul went out
to meet him, that he might [d]greet him.

11 And Samuel said, "What have you done?"

Saul said, "When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you
did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered
together at Michmash, 12 then I said, 'The Philistines will now come down on
me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord.' Therefore I
felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering."

13 And Samuel said to Saul, "You have done foolishly. You have not kept the
commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord
would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 But now your
kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His
own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people,
because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you."

15 Then Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of [e]Benjamin. And
Saul numbered the people present with him, about six hundred men.

No Weapons for the Army
16 Saul, Jonathan his son, and the people present with them remained in
[f]Gibeah of Benjamin. But the Philistines encamped in Michmash. 17 Then
raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies. One
company turned onto the road to Ophrah, to the land of Shual, 18 another
company turned to the road to Beth Horon, and another company turned to the
road of the border that overlooks the Valley of Zeboim toward the
wilderness.

19 Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of
Israel, for the Philistines said, "Lest the Hebrews make swords or spears."
20 But all the Israelites would go down to the Philistines to sharpen each
man's plowshare, his mattock, his ax, and his sickle; 21 and the charge for
a sharpening was a [g]pim for the plowshares, the mattocks, the forks, and
the axes, and to set the points of the goads. 22 So it came about, on the
day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of
any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan. But they were found with
Saul and Jonathan his son.

23 And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.

Jonathan Defeats the Philistines
14 Now it happened one day that Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young
man who [h]bore his armor, "Come, let us go over to the Philistines'
garrison that is on the other side." But he did not tell his father. 2 And
Saul was sitting in the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree which
is in Migron. The people who were with him were about six hundred men. 3
Ahijah the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of
Eli, the Lord's priest in Shiloh, was wearing an ephod. But the people did
not know that Jonathan had gone.

4 Between the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the
Philistines' garrison, there was a sharp rock on one side and a sharp rock
on the other side. And the name of one was Bozez, and the name of the other
Seneh. 5 The front of one faced northward opposite Michmash, and the other
southward opposite Gibeah.

6 Then Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, "Come, let us go
over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the Lord will
work for us. For nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few."

7 So his armorbearer said to him, "Do all that is in your heart. Go then;
here I am with you, according to your heart."

8 Then Jonathan said, "Very well, let us cross over to these men, and we
will show ourselves to them. 9 If they say thus to us, 'Wait until we come
to you,' then we will stand still in our place and not go up to them. 10 But
if they say thus, 'Come up to us,' then we will go up. For the Lord has
delivered them into our hand, and this will be a sign to us."

11 So both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And
the Philistines said, "Look, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where
they have hidden." 12 Then the men of the garrison called to Jonathan and
his armorbearer, and said, "Come up to us, and we will [i]show you
something."

Jonathan said to his armorbearer, "Come up after me, for the Lord has
delivered them into the hand of Israel." 13 And Jonathan climbed up on his
hands and knees with his armorbearer after him; and they fell before
Jonathan. And as he came after him, his armorbearer killed them. 14 That
first slaughter which Jonathan and his armorbearer made was about twenty men
within about [j]half an acre of land.

15 And there was [k]trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the
people. The garrison and the raiders also trembled; and the earth quaked, so
that it was a very great trembling. 16 Now the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of
Benjamin looked, and there was the multitude, melting away; and they went
here and there. 17 Then Saul said to the people who were with him, "Now call
the roll and see who has gone from us." And when they had called the roll,
surprisingly, Jonathan and his armorbearer were not there. 18 And Saul said
to Ahijah, "Bring the [l]ark of God here" (for at that time the ark of God
was with the children of Israel). 19 Now it happened, while Saul talked to
the priest, that the noise which was in the camp of the Philistines
continued to increase; so Saul said to the priest, "Withdraw your hand." 20
Then Saul and all the people who were with him assembled, and they went to
the battle; and indeed every man's sword was against his neighbor, and there
was very great confusion. 21 Moreover the Hebrews who were with the
Philistines before that time, who went up with them into the camp from the
surrounding country, they also joined the Israelites who were with Saul and
Jonathan. 22 Likewise all the men of Israel who had hidden in the mountains
of Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, they also followed
hard after them in the battle. 23 So the Lord saved Israel that day, and the
battle shifted to Beth Aven.

Saul's Rash Oath
24 And the men of Israel were distressed that day, for Saul had placed the
people under oath, saying, "Cursed is the man who eats any food until
evening, before I have taken vengeance on my enemies." So none of the people
tasted food. 25 Now all the people of the land came to a forest; and there
was honey on the ground. 26 And when the people had come into the woods,
there was the honey, dripping; but no one put his hand to his mouth, for the
people feared the oath. 27 But Jonathan had not heard his father charge the
people with the oath; therefore he stretched out the end of the rod that was
in his hand and dipped it in a honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and
his [m]countenance brightened. 28 Then one of the people said, "Your father
strictly charged the people with an oath, saying, 'Cursed is the man who
eats food this day.' " And the people were faint.

29 But Jonathan said, "My father has troubled the land. Look now, how my
countenance has brightened because I tasted a little of this honey. 30 How
much better if the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their
enemies which they found! For now would there not have been a much greater
slaughter among the Philistines?"

31 Now they had [n]driven back the Philistines that day from Michmash to
Aijalon. So the people were very faint. 32 And the people rushed on the
[o]spoil, and took sheep, oxen, and calves, and slaughtered them on the
ground; and the people ate them with the blood. 33 Then they told Saul,
saying, "Look, the people are sinning against the Lord by eating with the
blood!"

So he said, "You have dealt treacherously; roll a large stone to me this
day." 34 Then Saul said, "Disperse yourselves among the people, and say to
them, 'Bring me here every man's ox and every man's sheep, slaughter them
here, and eat; and do not sin against the Lord by eating with the blood.' "
So every one of the people brought his ox with him that night, and
slaughtered it there. 35 Then Saul built an altar to the Lord. This was the
first altar that he built to the Lord.

36 Now Saul said, "Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and
plunder them until the morning light; and let us not leave a man of them."

And they said, "Do whatever seems good to you."

Then the priest said, "Let us draw near to God here."

37 So Saul asked counsel of God, "Shall I go down after the Philistines?
Will You deliver them into the hand of Israel?" But He did not answer him
that day. 38 And Saul said, "Come over here, all you chiefs of the people,
and know and see what this sin was today. 39 For as the Lord lives, who
saves Israel, though it be in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die." But not
a man among all the people answered him. 40 Then he said to all Israel, "You
be on one side, and my son Jonathan and I will be on the other side."

And the people said to Saul, "Do what seems good to you."

41 Therefore Saul said to the Lord God of Israel, "Give[p] a perfect lot."
So Saul and Jonathan were taken, but the people escaped. 42 And Saul said,
"Cast lots between my son Jonathan and me." So Jonathan was taken. 43 Then
Saul said to Jonathan, "Tell me what you have done."

And Jonathan told him, and said, "I only tasted a little honey with the end
of the rod that was in my hand. So now I must die!"

44 Saul answered, "God do so and more also; for you shall surely die,
Jonathan."

45 But the people said to Saul, "Shall Jonathan die, who has accomplished
this great deliverance in Israel? Certainly not! As the Lord lives, not one
hair of his head shall fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this
day." So the people rescued Jonathan, and he did not die.

46 Then Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines
went to their own place.

Saul's Continuing Wars
47 So Saul established his sovereignty over Israel, and fought against all
his enemies on every side, against Moab, against the people of Ammon,
against Edom, against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines.
Wherever he turned, he [q]harassed them. 48 And he gathered an army and
attacked[r] the Amalekites, and delivered Israel from the hands of those who
plundered them.

49 The sons of Saul were Jonathan, [s]Jishui, and Malchishua. And the names
of his two daughters were these: the name of the firstborn Merab, and the
name of the younger Michal. 50 The name of Saul's wife was Ahinoam the
daughter of Ahimaaz. And the name of the commander of his army was Abner the
son of Ner, Saul's uncle. 51 Kish was the father of Saul, and Ner the father
of Abner was the son of Abiel.

52 Now there was fierce war with the Philistines all the days of Saul. And
when Saul saw any strong man or any valiant man, he took him for himself.

Saul Spares King Agag
15 Samuel also said to Saul, "The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His
people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the Lord.
2 Thus says the Lord of hosts: 'I will punish Amalek for what he did to
Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. 3 Now go
and attack[t] Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not
spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and
sheep, camel and donkey.' "

4 So Saul gathered the people together and numbered them in Telaim, two
hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men of Judah. 5 And Saul
came to a city of Amalek, and lay in wait in the valley.

6 Then Saul said to the Kenites, "Go, depart, get down from among the
Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. For you showed kindness to all the
children of Israel when they came up out of Egypt." So the Kenites departed
from among the Amalekites. 7 And Saul attacked the Amalekites, from Havilah
all the way to Shur, which is east of Egypt. 8 He also took Agag king of the
Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the
sword. 9 But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the
oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to
utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they
utterly destroyed.

Saul Rejected as King
10 Now the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying, 11 "I greatly regret
that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me,
and has not performed My commandments." And it grieved Samuel, and he cried
out to the Lord all night. 12 So when Samuel rose early in the morning to
meet Saul, it was told Samuel, saying, "Saul went to Carmel, and indeed, he
set up a monument for himself; and he has gone on around, passed by, and
gone down to Gilgal." 13 Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him,
"Blessed are you of the Lord! I have performed the commandment of the Lord."

14 But Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and
the lowing of the oxen which I hear?"

15 And Saul said, "They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the
people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrifice to the Lord
your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed."

16 Then Samuel said to Saul, "Be quiet! And I will tell you what the Lord
said to me last night."

And he said to him, "Speak on."

17 So Samuel said, "When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head
of the tribes of Israel? And did not the Lord anoint you king over Israel?
18 Now the Lord sent you on a mission, and said, 'Go, and utterly destroy
the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are
[u]consumed.' 19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did
you swoop down on the [v]spoil, and do evil in the sight of the Lord?"

20 And Saul said to Samuel, "But I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and
gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and brought back Agag king of
Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21 But the people took of
the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been
utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal."

22 So Samuel said:

"Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
As in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
And to heed than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of [w]witchcraft,
And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
He also has rejected you from being king."

24 Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned, for I have transgressed the
commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and
obeyed their voice. 25 Now therefore, please pardon my sin, and return with
me, that I may worship the Lord."

26 But Samuel said to Saul, "I will not return with you, for you have
rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king
over Israel."

27 And as Samuel turned around to go away, Saul seized the edge of his robe,
and it tore. 28 So Samuel said to him, "The Lord has torn the kingdom of
Israel from you today, and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is
better than you. 29 And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor relent.
For He is not a man, that He should relent."

30 Then he said, "I have sinned; yet honor me now, please, before the elders
of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may worship the
Lord your God." 31 So Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul worshiped the
Lord.

32 Then Samuel said, "Bring Agag king of the Amalekites here to me." So Agag
came to him cautiously.

And Agag said, "Surely the bitterness of death is past."

33 But Samuel said, "As your sword has made women childless, so shall your
mother be childless among women." And Samuel hacked Agag in pieces before
the Lord in Gilgal.

34 Then Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house at Gibeah of
Saul. 35 And Samuel went no more to see Saul until the day of his death.
Nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul, and the Lord regretted that He had
made Saul king over Israel.

Footnotes
1 Samuel 13:1 Heb. is difficult; cf. 2 Sam. 5:4; 2 Kin. 14:2; see also 2
Sam. 2:10; Acts 13:21
1 Samuel 13:4 odious
1 Samuel 13:5 So with MT, LXX, Tg., Vg.; Syr. and some mss. of LXX three
thousand
1 Samuel 13:10 Lit. bless him
1 Samuel 13:15 So with MT, Tg.; LXX, Vg. add And the rest of the people went
up after Saul to meet the people who fought against them, going from Gilgal
to Gibeah in the hill of Benjamin.
1 Samuel 13:16 Heb. Geba
1 Samuel 13:21 About two-thirds shekel weight
1 Samuel 14:1 carried
1 Samuel 14:12 teach
1 Samuel 14:14 Lit. half the area plowed by a yoke of oxen in a day
1 Samuel 14:15 terror
1 Samuel 14:18 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; LXX ephod
1 Samuel 14:27 Lit. eyes
1 Samuel 14:31 Lit. struck
1 Samuel 14:32 plunder
1 Samuel 14:41 So with MT, Tg.; LXX, Vg. Why do You not answer Your servant
today? If the injustice is with me or Jonathan my son, O Lord God of Israel,
give proof; and if You say it is with Your people Israel, give holiness.
1 Samuel 14:47 LXX, Vg. prospered
1 Samuel 14:48 Lit. struck
1 Samuel 14:49 Abinadab, 1 Chr. 8:33; 9:39
1 Samuel 15:3 Lit. strike
1 Samuel 15:18 exterminated
1 Samuel 15:19 plunder
1 Samuel 15:23 divination