Daily Dose of Hope

July 29, 2024

Day 2 of Week 18

Scripture:  I Samuel 20; I Chronicles 4; Psalms 56, 57, 142; Acts 14

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Bible reading plan.  We have a lot of Scripture to cover today so let’s get started.

In I Samuel 20, Jonathan finally understands the extent of Saul’s hatred toward David.  At first, David thinks maybe he had done something to bring on this treatment but Jonathan assures him that is not the case.  Jonathan still doesn’t believe his father, King Saul, could truly want David dead.  Jonathan appears to be deluded and a bit naïve, but his love for David is strong and genuine.  They devise a plan to discern to what degree Saul is serious about his plan to kills David.

In this chapter, we witness the interaction between Saul and Jonathan.  Jonathan is a bit shocked that his father hated David with such intensity but he now understands the severity of the situation and that no logical argument will change Saul’s mind.  But Saul persists in trying to bring Jonathan back over to his side using three strong motivators: shame, guilt, and greed.  Saul insists Jonathan is bringing shame on the family (remember this was and still is an honor/shame culture; family shame is a really serious thing.)  He then tried to guilt him into turning against David.  Finally, Saul tells Jonathan that his own kingdom will never be established as long as David is alive, trying to appeal to his sense of greed. 

We don’t really know what was going on in Jonathan’s head; he may have been tempted to side with his dad, even for just a second, but he doesn’t.  Jonathan stands firm. He is loyal to his friend and to his faith.  He boldly questions his father, asking why David should be put to death.  According to Torah, an innocent man should never be executed.  We see again how selfish ambition and hatred have driven a deep wedge between Saul and God.

Guess what I Chronicles 4 includes?  You were right, more genealogy.  This chapter lists the descendants of some more clans of Judah.  Just a reminder, the author wanted to create a monument of sorts of those from Israel who died before the exile.  As I’ve mentioned previously, family histories in that time and culture were really only provided for the wealthy and elite.  I think the author knew that all of these individuals and families were important to Israel and important to God.  He wanted them to be remembered.  I know genealogies are kind of boring to read through.  But I want us to try to go back through the chapter and look at each name – every single name is a life, a family, a story.  Every name represents part of Israel’s faith journey and really our own faith journey as well. 

We were given three psalms to read for today.  These are all psalms written by David when he was under attack.  The first (Psalm 56) he wrote when he was seized by the Philistines, the next two (Psalms 57 and 142) he wrote when Saul is trying to kill him, and he was hiding in a cave.  When David was scared, he trusted God for help.  When David was unsure what to do, he trusted God for help.  When David’s life was on the line, he trusted God for help.  The bottom line, David poured his sorrows and fears out to God, knowing that God was his only hope.  In some ways, these psalms are kind of like journal entries for David.  We are getting a peak into his deepest thoughts and feelings.  How do you communicate your feelings to the Lord? 

We conclude today with Acts 14 and read more about Paul and Barnabas’ missionary journeys.  Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe are all in what is now south-central Turkey, just to provide some geographical context.  In Lystra, they were preaching and noticed a man who was disabled since birth, in that he could not walk.  The Scripture says that they could tell he had faith to be healed so they healed him.  And then basically all heck breaks loose!  The locals believe they are gods and want to make sacrifices to them.  Talk about getting the wrong idea. 

Think about it.  In these towns, they worshiped the Greek and/or Roman gods.  Their everyday lives were very much intertwined with this kind of god worship.  Want a better crop?  Pray to this god and give him a few sacrifices.  Want to be more fertile?  Pray to this god and offer some sacrifices here and there.  That was their world.  And so it makes sense that when Paul and Barnabas healed, that must mean they are gods.  Of course, Paul and Barnabas were appalled at all of this but it won’t be the last time something like this occurs.  The Gospel was freeing, refreshing, but also a totally new concept for many of these people groups.  It takes them time to understand what it means to follow the one true God.

We’ll chat more tomorrow.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

July 28, 2024

Day 1 of Week 18

Scripture:  I Samuel 18-19; I Chronicles 3; Psalm 59; Acts 13

Welcome back, everyone, to the Daily Dose of Hope.  This is the daily devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Bible reading plan.  We are in week 18!  We have almost been reading Scripture consistently for four months.  Way to go!!!  Keep up the great work.

Today, we start in I Samuel, chapter 18.  Scripture says that because God was with him, everything that David did was successful.  After David killed Goliath, the women (mothers, wives, and daughters) were understandably ecstatic that their loved ones stayed protected.  It was Israelite custom to compose songs to describe a victorious battle.  The one in this chapter struck a chord with Saul.  In verse 7, we can hear it, Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.  Saul burned with jealousy.  It’s almost as if he knows that David is the one selected to be king and he is bound and determined to prevent this from happening.

Over the course of the chapter, he attempts to kill David and then devises a plan to ensnare David by bringing him into the royal family.  In the end, David flourishes.  He evades the king’s attempts on his life.  Saul’s daughter does not ensnare him, she loves him fiercely.  Jonathan, Saul’s son, becomes like a brother to David.  Because God was with him, everything that David did was successful.

As followers of Jesus, we know that God is always with us.  Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the presence of God is all around us and in us!  While this does not ensure that we will be successful in the way that David was, if we seek God’s wisdom and direction, we can be effective for the Kingdom.  This may not look like worldly success but it’s so much better.

In chapter 19, we see that Saul’s jealousy of David is beginning to become an obsession.  Saul is determined to see David dead.  It’s hard to imagine that this king, who saw the hand of God work powerfully in his life, has now become incredibly self-absorbed, bitter, and insecure.  But while Saul hated David, others loved him.  They saw his pure heart and his commitment to the Lord and they were drawn to him.  Jonathan, Saul’s own son, was one who was fiercely dedicated to David.  We even see Jonathan try to talk some sense into his father.  

Saul commits to Jonathan by taking an oath that he will not kill David.  Of course, we know this doesn’t go as planned.  It doesn’t take long before Saul is back on the warpath.  He’s willing to do anything, even betray his own son, to ensure that David will not get the throne, as if Saul had some kind of power to thwart the will of God. 

In reflecting on today’s text, I began to think about how people were drawn to David.  Jonathan loved his friend, David, and was willing to go to great lengths to save his life (we’ll read more about this tomorrow).  The troops loved David.  Saul’s daughter loved David.  There was simply something about his spirit that drew people toward him.  There are certainly some people in our lives that are like this.  They exude the spirit of God in their words and behavior.  Thus, we are drawn to them.  We want to be around them.  They are encouraging, loving, and kind.  They never have a negative word to say about anyone.  Think about some of the people in your life that fall into this category.  What can we learn from them?  Give thanks to God for these individuals today.

Today, we aren’t going to talk about I Chronicles, as I think we have already talked the genealogy at length.  If you missed our previous discussions about these chapters, be sure to go back to last week and review.  They are very important but let’s be real, there is only so much to say.

Psalm 59 is another psalm of David.  It’s obvious that Saul and his men are after him and they want blood.  David appeals to God for protection.  As you read through this psalm, picture David pleading with God.  When we feel like our world is falling down around us, how do we handle the fear?

In Acts 13, we read about the first missionary journeys.  The believers feel the Holy Spirit calling them to go, so they go.  Notice that wherever they go, they stop in the synagogue first and preach to the Jews.  Some follow and believe which simply angers the Jewish leaders and they cause trouble.  It’s then that Paul basically says, “Look, we tried to offer you salvation in Jesus.  You reject us so we are moving on to the Gentiles!”  The Gentiles are very pleased.  And the word spread and many people believed.

I think sometimes we keep trying to do something, over and over and over again, without a lot of success because we feel like God has called us to do so.  Sometimes, as in this passage, that is simply a door we need to close so that we can open up a more productive one.  It’s okay to say no to good to do what’s great for God’s Kingdom.

More tomorrow.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

July 25, 2024

Day 5 of Week 17

Scripture:  I Samuel 17; I Chronicles 2; Acts 12

Dear friends, welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope!  This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!  Let’s also rejoice in God’s Word and all we are learning.  With that, we head into our Scripture for today.

We start with I Samuel 17.  Today, we read the classic story of David and Goliath.  For those of us who grew up going to Sunday School, we know this one by heart.  Young, naïve David triumphs over the giant Philistine.  But as I read it again today, I was reminded of something.  This is not a story of human courage and power but rather incredible faith and trust in a powerful God.  Goliath was truly a giant.  He measured over 9 feet tall and was broad and strong.  His size alone would have been quite overwhelming for the Hebrew army but he also had state of the art armor and weaponry.  Goliath was a soldier who fought to the death in one on one combat.  He would fight against a single man from an enemy army and the solider who was left standing won the battle for his people.  The dead soldier’s people would become subjects of the victorious nation.  There isn’t much evidence that the Israelite army did much one to one combat; it was typically the whole army fighting together. This was new to them and they were scared to death. No one dared to face Goliath.

David arrives at the battle lines to bring food provisions to the soldiers.  His three oldest brothers were fighting with King Saul.  We don’t know why David wasn’t on the battle lines, possibly because he needed to stay at home and help his father.  He arrives in time to hear Goliath taunting the Israeli soldiers, who were quite fearful.  David was obviously disturbed that Goliath could so boldly insult the Hebrew army, the army of the living God.  He starts to ask questions, greatly annoying his older brother who, possibly out of fear himself, says some pretty awful and untrue things about David. 

David is unrelenting.  His offer to fight Goliath is initially refused by King Saul.  But David is determined.  Finally, Saul agrees and even offers David his own armor and sword.  Interestingly, David clothing himself in the royal armor is a foreshadowing of what is to come: David will soon be king.  But David quickly abandons the royal armor; he wasn’t used to fighting in such things.  He dressed like a shepherd would have, using what seemed normal and natural to him–a stone and a sling.  Just so you know, the stones were not little pebbles but would have been about the size of a tennis ball.  Nothing to laugh at for sure. 

But what’s most impressive to me is that David understood this was a theological battle.  It wasn’t just him fighting against this Philistine.  This was God’s battle.  When the Israelites went to war, it was supposed to be a spiritual battle.  They represented Yahweh, the one true God.  For that reason, they were only to go to war with God’s blessings and they were to be ritually pure.  David was making a point.  This wasn’t about him.  God would fight the battle for him.  Of course, we know the rest of the story.  Goliath is defeated. 

I’m hoping none of us have to be engaged in any kind of one of one combat.  But we certainly have battles to fight.  What might it be like to allow God to fight our battles for us?  How would that change our perspective?  How would it change how we handle the situation, the words we speak, and our demeanor with the people involved?  Spend some time today thinking about your current battles.  Consider giving them to God, for real, and not taking them back.

Let’s move on to I Chronicles 2.  From this chapter through chapter nine, we will be encountering more genealogy and lists of people.  Why so many lists?  I did a bit of a deep dive into the purpose of the genealogy, specifically in I Chronicles.  The author did this very intentionally.  He wanted to create a monument of sorts of those from Israel who died before the exile.  Apparently, family histories in that time and culture were really only provided for the elite.  I think the author knew that all of these individuals and families were important to Israel and important to God.  He wanted them to be remembered. 

I can’t help but think about all the monuments and memorials I’ve visited over the years.  One that always brings me to tears is the Vietnam Wall in Washington D.C.  The pure number of names is overwhelming.  And then there are those who find a loved one or relative and take pictures or make an imprint onto paper of the name they came to see.  It gives their lives meaning.  It helps us remember.  It’s critical to our history.  In many ways, I think these first few chapters in I Chronicles are similar.  These men deserve to have their names written, read, and remembered. 

We will close today with our New Testament reading from Acts 12.  Things are getting rough for Peter and the Christians.  Persecution is increasing.  Herod is getting especially agitated and throws Peter in prison.  I want to talk about the miracle of Peter being released but first let’s discuss the Herod dynasty because I think that’s important.  The Herodians were given power of the region of Judea by the Romans.  While they were brutal and power-hungry, they did consider themselves to be Jews.  This Herod from Acts 12 is Herod Agrippa I.  His grandfather was Herod the Great; he was the Herod who called for the killing of the Jewish baby boys after Jesus’ birth.  He was the nephew of Herod Antipas, who ordered the beheading of John the Baptist and to whom Jesus was brought. 

All of these Herodian kings were insecure and felt easily threatened by those who criticized them or their way of life.  Thus, this Herod was persecuting Christians and had already executed James, the brother of John. 

Peter is arrested and thrown in prison with many, many layers of security.  But no soldiers or shackles can stop God!  He sends an angel who frees Peter and leads him out of the prison to a home where many believers were meeting.  This is just the beginning of the miracles God is going to do.

Finally, let’s talk about Herod’s death.  After securing some kind of peace deal, King Herod stands before the people and gives his royal address.  The people go wild!  They begin to say this is the voice of a god, not a man.  And insecure Herod just soaks it up.  But God is having none of it, and he strikes him down dead.  Y’all, arrogance does not pay. 

God calls his people to be humble.  All glory and honor belong to God.  Yes, there are times in which we can be appropriately proud but we have to be very, very careful.  The way of Christ is always humility.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

July 24, 2024

Day 4 of Week 17

Scripture:  I Samuel 15-16; I Chronicles 1; Psalm 39; Acts 11

Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church Bible reading plan.  We have a lot of Scripture to cover today so let’s get started!

Our first Old Testament passage is I Samuel 15.  What a sad chapter.  Saul has come completely unhinged.  He gives lip service to serving God but really does what he wants.  God had tasked Saul and his army to destroy the Amalekites for their violent treatment of the Israelites as they made their way into the promised land.  God’s instructions were very clear: kill all of them.  But Saul decides to save the best of the livestock and keep the Amalekite king as a prisoner.  When confronted by Samuel the prophet, Saul actually lies about the situation.  When caught, he begins to back-pedal, saying he took the best of the animals to sacrifice to the Lord.  He is almost flippant, totally not acknowledging the severity of disobedience. 

It’s obvious, the power of kingship has gone to his head.  Saul wants to do what he wants to do when he wants to do it.  He has forgotten where he came from and who got him there.  He has forgotten his place in the world.  Saul is not above God.  As a result of Saul’s arrogance, his disobedience, and his lack of repentance, Samuel knows he must separate from Saul.  He can no longer be connected with this man.  This grieves Samuel, as he had served with Saul for years.  And Saul’s behavior grieved God. 

I’ve been reflecting about this–are there times when we think we are above God? Are there times when we think we know better?  I’m not saying I have a good answer or even an example, but it’s worth spending some time in prayer about this.

Let’s move to chapter 16.  Here we see Samuel anoint David to be king.  Young David was God’s choice for the next king of Israel.  What’s interesting here is that all the obvious choices are rejected by God.  God sought the youngest son of Jesse, the shepherd boy, the lyre player.  I love this passage, “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”  

As humans, we judge others by their appearance, their speech, their abilities, their job, even where they’re from.  Without really knowing a person, we judge and criticize them (I see this happen all the time inside the church.). But God could care less about any of these attributes!  God cares about the heart.  Are we loving?  Are we kind?  Are we obedient?  How could we be different as a body of believers if we ONLY looked at the heart?  If you didn’t read through the whole chapter, I encourage you to do so. It’s fascinating to see how God orchestrates events to bring Saul and the newly anointed David together. Be sure to check it out. 

Our reading today also brings us to I Chronicles 1.  This book is mainly a record of the reign of King David.  Much of it will be similar to what we read in 2 Samuel and I Kings so it makes sense that the Bible reading plan has us picking it up at this point.  There are many, many genealogies in I Chronicles, which is what we find in chapter 1, a genealogy from Adam to Esau.  But the genealogy covers all kinds of people – kings, Levites, priests, armies, and other officials. 

What we will find in this book is that it is written from a priestly perspective.  Whereas I and II Kings will focus on royalty, this book is going to emphasize proper worship of Yahweh.  Obviously, we will dig deeper as we get more into the book.  Until then, try to make sense of the genealogy, thinking about how each person is mentioned because they were important for God’s purposes in one way or another.  Each person mentioned represents a life, a family, a story, and a purpose.

Psalm 39 is a painful psalm to read.  King David is the author and it’s obvious that he has been chastised by God.  He is facing the consequences of sin and he pleads with God about how much longer the pain will last.  How much longer will he have to face God’s scorn?  What we can surmise is that the baby he fathered with Bathsheba has died.  David is grieving and lamenting.  We get to see his pain on paper.  While I read it, I also wonder what Bathsheba must be feeling.  Women’s voices were rarely recorded at the time but I can’t help but thinking about her in the midst of this tragedy.

Finally, we get to visit our New Testament passage, Acts 11.  What a great chapter!  It starts with Peter explaining why he entered the house of a Gentile and how the new believers received the Holy Spirit.  Isn’t it interesting that the church leaders in Jerusalem don’t start by asking Peter about the Gentiles’ conversion?  No, they are more worried about Peter being a good Jew.  They are more worried about the superficial.  I think about our earlier Scripture about King David.  Man looks on the outside but God looks on the heart.  God is less worried about the food that’s eaten and more concerned about the souls of people. 

At the same time, I get it.  These Jewish church leaders had been taught the law from the time they were wee ones.  Yes, Jesus had opened up new doors and broken down barriers, but the law is the law.  This struggle with whether/how to follow the Mosaic Law as a follower of Jesus will be a major theme throughout the rest of the New Testament.  We are quite removed from it as Gentile believers 2000 years later, but this was a big, big deal. 

I don’t want to leave this chapter without at least mentioning the church at Antioch.  This is the first place they are called Christians and we have the scattered Jews and the local Greeks worshiping together.  This was quite revolutionary!  More on this tomorrow.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

July 23, 2024

Day 3 of Week 17

Scripture:  I Samuel 14, Psalm 124, Acts 10

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that goes along with the Bible readings for New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.  Let me start by reminding you how much God loves you.  Wherever you are, whatever your history may be, whatever mistakes you have made, God loves you, God created you, God wants a deeper relationship with you.  I think that’s a pretty important reminder.  Okay, with that, let’s get right into God’s Word today.

We are starting with I Samuel 14.  Without giving it much thought or asking the Lord for wisdom, Saul decides to make a rash oath requiring that all the men in his army fast from food until the Philistines were avenged.  So now his men are scared, tired, and hungry!  Saul’s son, Jonathan, eats some honey, not knowing about the oath.  When he is told about his father’s oath, he is not frightened but rather exasperated with his father’s poor decision-making.  The Israelites go on to defeat some of the Philistines but there is still more fighting ahead of them.  

Saul is convinced that their inability to secure total victory must be due to a sin that has occurred and he asks for some confirmation of this.  Whoever is at fault, Saul will put to death.  When the lot falls upon Jonathan, Saul is willing to kill his own son in order to gain God’s favor and that of the people.  But the army revolts.  They see Jonathan as the reason they were able to have any victory at all.  Jonathan is seen as a trusted leader who cares for his troops.  Saul gets a vote of no-confidence.  We begin to see Saul’s poor leadership, rash decision-making, and selfish desperation get the best of him. 

Psalm 124 – we are back in the Psalms of Ascents.  If you remember, this is a group of psalms that are sung by pilgrims as they make their way into Jerusalem for the annual festivals.  Keep in mind, Jerusalem has a pretty high elevation.  I want you to picture a group of Jews hiking into Jerusalem, up hill all the way, singing this psalm. 

Now let’s make our way to Acts 10.  Things are changing.  I love this text, as it shows that God is always up to something new to lead more people to the Gospel.  Cornelius, an Italian centurion, is a God-fearer.  This means he is a Gentile who believes in God but does not follow the law to the tee.  He is respected among Jews and gives to the causes of God.  God sends an angel to tell Cornelius that he needs to send for Peter. 

At about the same time, Peter falls into a trance in which God presents him with all kinds of food, much of it unclean according to the law.  It’s clear God is doing something new here.  He tells Peter to get up and eat.  When Peter protests, God tells him that nothing that God makes is unclean.  It’s at that same time that Cornelius sends for him.

Peter goes to Cornelius’ home.  Keep in mind, this would have really been a no-no according to Jewish law.  Jews did not associate with Gentiles; they especially did not walk into their homes.  It would have rendered them unclean.  But Peter knows that God has called him to do so.  He speaks to Cornelius, his family, and friends about Jesus and they believe and receive the Holy Spirit.  This is new territory, everyone!  These are the first Gentiles that become believers.  We stand on their shoulders.  More tomorrow…

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

July 22, 2024

Day 2 of Week 17

Scripture:  I Samuel 11-13; Psalm 38; Acts 9

Welcome back, everyone, to the Daily Dose of Hope.  Happy Monday!  I’m looking forward to getting right into our Scripture for today.

We begin with I Samuel, chapter 11.  Here, we find the people of Jabesh Gilead being threatened by the Ammonites.  They know they are outnumbered so they ask for a treaty.   The Ammonites, filled with arrogance and a good bit of spite, agree to that only if they can gauge out the eye of every man in Jabesh, which would render these men basically incapable of battle ever again.  This would make them effectively slaves to the Ammonites. 

Messengers are sent and Saul gets word about what happened.  No way will he allow this to happen.  God’s Spirit falls on Saul and he gains wisdom and confidence.  The men follow him and defeat the Ammonites.  This was a great victory for Israel but also for Saul.  They now see him as king. 

In chapter 12, we see Samuel pass the leadership baton to Saul for the final time.  But first, Samuel finds the need to set some things straight.  Samuel stresses that he led both effectively and with integrity.  Israel, on the other hand, sinned again and again. It was especially a sin to ask for a human king, as God always intended that he would be their king.  Samuel, to emphasize the point of this particular sin, asks God to send thunder and rain to demonstrate both the severity of their sin and the power of God.  The people immediately respond with fear.

We see Samuel reassuring the people.  He doesn’t sugarcoat it.  Yes, they have sinned.  Yes, they probably should not have asked for a human king.  But it’s done.  Now, they need to repent and move forward.  Fear God, trust God, and serve God.

Move on.  How many people need to hear that today?  Yes, maybe you have messed up royally in your past.  Maybe you even messed up this week!  It’s time to repent.  You can think of repentance as turning away from sin and back toward God.  It’s not simply being sorry for wrongdoing but intentionally moving back toward a relationship with God.  What do you need to do to move back toward God?

As we see moving into chapter 13, one of Saul’s first acts as king was to establish a standing army.  Both he and his son, Jonathan, commanded different divisions of the Hebrew army.  We see Jonathan and his soldiers attacking the Philistine army at the town of Geba, greatly aggravating the Philistine leaders.  They decide to retaliate by attacking Saul’s troops and the Israelites are greatly outnumbered.  In fact, Saul and Jonathan’s men respond by running away and hiding in caves, rocks, thickets, cisterns, or wherever else they can find safety. 

Saul waits for Samuel to come to offer the necessary burnt offerings that are supposed to happen before a battle occurs to receive the Lord’s favor. But Saul gets impatient.  In fact, Saul is so impatient that he goes ahead and just offers the burnt offerings himself, a big no-no.  Samuel, as the prophet, is still the spiritual authority, not King Saul.  We don’t really know why Saul took matters into his own hands; maybe he was anxious about the battle and not thinking straight or possibly he thought himself invincible as king.  Regardless, when Samuel arrives and realizes what has happened, he admonishes Saul and prophesies that because Saul did not obey God’s commands, his kingdom will not endure.  God has another king in mind, someone who will be man after God’s own heart.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I get a bit impatient.  If I’m honest, I get impatient with God.  Why hasn’t this happened yet, God?  When are you going to act in this area?  But impatience never ends well, not for Saul and not for us.  I was thinking about how the opposite of impatience is not patience but trust.  God calls us to trust him to do his will in his timing.

Psalm 38 is a psalm of David.  In it, David is pleading with God for forgiveness for sin.  His guilt has become all-consuming and he knows that he must face the consequences of God.  While we don’t know for sure, this psalm could have been written after David’s experience with Bathsheba and Uriah.  If you recall, David rapes Bathsheba (there was no way that she had any choice in the matter), impregnates her, and then effectively murders her husband by putting him in the front lines in battle.  While he lived in denial for some time, God has convicted him of his sin.  He knows what he has done and he knows that there will be severe consequences. 

Acts 9 is filled with some great passages.  First, we have Saul’s conversion on the road to Damascus.  It’s amazing how God took the biggest persecutor of believers and very intentionally chooses him to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles.  His conversion story is dramatic and it really needs to be.  He doesn’t strike me as the kind of person who would take hints from God.  He needs something that cannot be disputed, like the living Christ meeting him on his Damascus journey and speaking directly to him.  Then, he loses his sight, only to regain it when Ananias prays for him.  It’s quite extraordinary.

But we also have the story with Peter and Dorcas.  This is such a beautiful passage.  Dorcas, who takes care of the widows in that area, has passed away.  Remember, widows are some of the most vulnerable people in that society.  Without a husband or son to care for them, they have no way to care for themselves.  If it weren’t for God’s people, they would be doomed to a life of poverty and/or prostitution.  Dorcas cared for these women and they loved her dearly.  When Peter sees the situation, he is moved with compassion.  He prays and Dorcas is restored to life.  

We serve a God of resurrection.  How do you need to see resurrection in your life today?

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

July 21, 2024

Day 1 of Week 17

Scripture:  I Samuel 9-10; Acts 8

Welcome back, everyone, to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church Bible reading plan.  Let’s get right to our Scripture for today.

Our Old Testament Scripture comes from I Samuel, beginning with chapter 9.  God has chosen a king for the people and his name is Saul.  At this point, we don't know much about Saul, except that his father was wealthy, he was from the tribe of Benjamin, he was quite tall, and he had lost his donkeys.  Thus, he goes on a journey to find them and almost gives up.  His servant suggested they go see a man of God he had heard about, for this "seer" might be able to lead them in the right direction.  As we know from the reading, the man of God was Samuel.  God had just revealed to Samuel who the king would be and we get this beautiful interaction between God and Samuel.  We can surmise that the lost donkeys were simply a way to get Saul to Samuel.  God had orchestrated the whole thing.

There are times in our lives when we can certainly see God leading us in a certain direction.  It may even be that specific events are woven together in such a way that we know God had his hand in it.  Now, I don't believe that every little thing we do is orchestrated by God.  After all, we have free will and God allows us to make our own choices. But there are times, as we see in today's Scripture, that God has a specific purpose to achieve and he makes sure it gets done.  That was true for Samuel and Saul and it is certainly true for us as well.

In chapter 10, we see Samuel anoint Saul as king of Israel.  Possibly in order to reassure Saul that this was indeed his calling, Samuel goes through a long list of things that would occur before Saul reaches home.  Everything Samuel said would happen does come to pass almost immediately.  What’s interesting to me is that God changes Saul’s heart; God’s Spirit comes over him and Saul begins to prophecy, something that must have been very uncharacteristic of the young man.  Clearly, God was making a point to Saul–God had chosen him.

Samuel gathers all of Israel at Mizpah, where Saul will be instituted as king.  He explains the rights and duties of kingship.  This seems to indicate that this monarchy would be different.  Saul was not to be an oppressive autocrat, as the kings around him.  Israel’s monarchy would fall under its covenant with God.  There would obviously be privileges as king but the people also had rights.  The ultimate law of the land was still God’s law. 

It doesn’t take long for some people to dislike Saul.  They don’t know him, they haven’t seen him govern, and they already hate him.  It doesn’t matter to them that Saul is God’s choice.  They want what they want and it wasn’t Saul.  But I love how Saul handles it–he remains silent!  Friends, there will always be detractors.  There will always be people that dislike you before they know you, especially if you are in a leadership position.  I think something to remember is that it isn’t about you, your abilities, your calling, or your character.  It’s about them.  For those who hated Saul at this point in our story, it wasn’t about Saul at all.  It was about something within them–insecurity, anger, bitterness, separation from God, sin.

Maybe someone simply needs to hear that today.  Trust what God has called you to do.  Stay faithful.  There will always be objectors.  I’ve certainly had and have my fair share.  And sometimes, the best way to respond is simply to stay silent.

Okay, let’s move on to Acts 8.  After Stephen’s killing, the new Christians are forced to scatter around the area.  Saul (not the Saul we are talking about in the I Samuel – this is a different Saul who will become Paul) is going door to door to question people and throw Christians into prison.  This is serious stuff.  I want you to just imagine what that would be like.  We live in a place where we can worship freely but what those new Christians experience isn’t too different from many parts of the world today.  Just keep that in mind. 

What’s interesting to me is that wherever they go, the believers spread the Gospel.  They aren’t deterred by their experience in Jerusalem.  Rather, the opposite seems to be true.  They are bold and tell the story of Jesus wherever they go.  Think of your own life.  How do you share the story of Jesus?  Do you?

I also want to highlight Philip’s experience at the end of the chapter.  The Holy Spirit tells him to head down the road to Gaza and when he does, he encounters an Ethiopian eunuch reading the book of Isaiah.  Philip knows this is his purpose and this is a beautiful opening that God has provided.  He does not hesitate.  Philip asks the Ethiopian if he understands what he is reading; the man responds, “How can I unless someone explains it to me?”  Okay, perfect opening.  Philip takes the opportunity to explain how the prophecy points to Jesus.  He shares the Gospel and the man believes and is baptized. 

I want to reiterate a point here.  Philip does not hesitate.  He sees an opening and he takes it.  Again, we need to think of our own circumstances.  How often do we have an opening or we feel the nudge to share about Jesus and we chicken out?  How often do we hesitate?  What are we afraid of?

Okay, more tomorrow, friends.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

July 18, 2024

Day 5 of Week 16

Scripture:  I Samuel 6-8; Acts 7

Welcome back everyone!  We are finishing up week 16 of the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements New Hope’s Bible reading plan.  Let’s get to our Scripture for today.

We will begin with our Old Testament reading in I Samuel.  Let’s start with chapter 6.  The Ark of the Covenant had become a liability to the Philistines and they knew it had to be returned.  They return it to Israel, sending a guilt offering of golden tumors and golden rats along with it, to "appease" the God of Israel.  The Ark is met with much joy by the people of Beth Shemesh, the town to which the Philistines sent the Ark.  They make offerings to the Lord and the Levites set the Ark on a large rock for all to see. 

But there were problems here too.  Some of the inhabitants were bold enough to look into the Ark and God struck them down.  To us, this seems kind of harsh but God had given his people strict rules about handling the Ark of the Covenant.  This is where the presence of God dwelt among his people.  It wasn't to be taken lightly.  It wasn't simply a curiosity; it was the presence of the living God and thus, there should be reverence and even fear.  The people seem a bit shocked.  They ask, "Who can stand in the presence of the Lord, this holy God?" 

I am quite relieved that we live on the other side of the cross.  Because of Jesus' death on the cross, the veil in the temple was torn.  We no longer have to be fearful about being in the presence of a holy God as the Israelites once did.  As Hebrews 4:16 states, we can go boldly to the throne of grace and receive his mercy.  Jesus has made a way for us to be reconciled to God; no more barriers and no more fear.  At the same time, I think there is still a place for reverence.  We don't need to be hesitant or fearful of God but we should still have a deep respect that God is God and we are not.

In chapter 7, we see the Ark of the Covenant being taken to its proper place and the whole of Israel repenting before the Lord.  Under Samuel's leadership, the Hebrew people put away their false gods and turned back to the one true God.  As a sign of repentance, Samuel called the people to gather at a place called Mizpah, where he sacrificed a lamb as an offering to the Lord.  The Philistines heard about this, all of Israel gathering together, and they decide this would be a good time to attack.  In response, Samuel pleads to God on behalf of the Israelites.  God takes care of things and the Philistines are easily defeated.

Samuel places a stone, called an Ebenezer, to mark the significant event when God interceded on behalf of the Israelites.  In Hebrew, the word Ebenezer actually means stone of help.  The purpose of an Ebenezer, as we see in I Samuel, is to remember what God has done for his people.

When I read this passage, I was reminded of one of my favorite hymns, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, which was written by Robert Robinson in 1758.  In one of the verses, we sing, "Here I raise my Ebenezer, Here by Thy great help I've come,  And I hope by Thy good pleasure, Safely to arrive at home."  Robinson grew up in a difficult home.  After his father's death, his mother sent him to London to learn a trade but he fell in with a bad crowd.  But God's hand was at work.  Robinson is led one night to a gathering in which George Whitefield preached and Robert Robinson gave his life to Jesus Christ.  At age 23, Robinson begins to pastor a Methodist Chapel and writes the hymn.  To him, raising an Ebenezer meant very intentionally remembering the good work God had done in him, pulling him out of a terrible situation and demonstrating his power and grace. 

Think of the good works that God has done in your life.  How has God demonstrated his power and grace?  I'm wondering if we all might go get a large stone and raise an Ebenezer as a way to remember what God has done.

In chapter 8, Samuel is coming to the end of his life.  We read that he wants to appoint his sons to lead Israel but the people are opposed.  His sons, like Eli's sons before him, are more interested in getting rich than caring for the people.  It is a strange thing that we see throughout Scripture, some of the most faithful, strong leaders raise children who have no integrity.  Are they too busy leading the people to lead their own families?  That may need to be a discussion for another day.

In this situation, the people recognize the weaknesses of Samuel's sons and don't want to be led by them.  They request a king.  Samuel is distressed by this and goes to God.  God tells Samuel to warn the people what having a king will mean.  The king will force their sons to fight in wars and their daughters to work as domestic servants.  The king will tax them and take a portion of their crops and livestock.  But the people insisted.  From the earliest of days, God had been the one to direct Israel and choose its leaders. But now the people are demanding something else.  They think a human king will bring stability and safety, as well as a certain status among the nations around them.  And while God knew this was not what was best for Israel (the ideal way was for God to remain the one providing direct guidance and instruction to the people), he granted their request anyway.  God would now achieve his purposes in a new way, through a human king and all his frailties.  God will achieve his purposes.

Acts 7 covers the stoning of Stephen.  When he is dragged in front of the Sanhedrin, Stephen gives a long, eloquent history of how God worked through his people, leading up to Jesus.  The Jewish leaders are offended by his directness and they get really worked up when he looks up at heaven and declares that he sees Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father.  Keep in mind, this would have been blasphemy to the strict Jews who sat on the council.  There was no real trial, no real discussion.  They simply drag Stephen out and start throwing stones.

Stephen was the first Christian martyr.  This was, of course, a sign of what was to come.  But Stephen also offers all Christians a beautiful model of how to live and die, trusting fully and completely in Jesus Christ. 

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

July 17, 2024

Day 4 of Week 16

Scripture:  1 Samuel 3-5; Psalm 23; Acts 6

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading.  It’s Wednesday and I hope you will join us for Recharge in the Garage tonight.  It is such an incredible time of worship followed by small groups.  I will be with our prayer group tonight, lifting up our world, nation, community, and church.  We would love to have you join us.  Now, let’s get to our Scripture.

We will start with I Samuel, chapter 3.  We see the transition between Samuel as boy to Samuel as prophet.  God calls Samuel multiple times but Samuel doesn’t know where the voice is coming from.  It doesn’t immediately dawn on Eli, the priest, either that the voice belongs to God.  We can kind of see how far Eli has drifted from God by his lack of insight.  By the third time God calls Samuel, Eli realizes that it is the voice of the Lord.  He tells Samuel to go back to bed and answer God, telling God that his servant is listening.  Samuel heads back to bed and this time when God calls him, Samuel responds that he is listening.  God reveals to young Samuel how he plans to basically eliminate the house of Eli.  Eli and his descendants will face severe consequences for the sins of Eli’s sons and for Eli’s lack of discipline, as he failed to hold his sons accountable for their deplorable actions against God.  Essentially Eli put his boys before God, breaking the first commandment.

In the morning, Eli asks Samuel about the vision.  You can only imagine Samuel’s hesitation at sharing this information with the priest who raised him.  I’m sure that Samuel loved Eli.  How very difficult it is to be brutally honest with those we love, especially if we know it will hurt them and cause pain.  And yet, Eli insisted and Samuel told him everything that would occur.  There seems to be a kind of resignation about Eli; Eli knows that he has sinned, that his children sinned, and he accepts the consequence.  What’s interesting is that he doesn’t fight it or defend himself.  He says “He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes.”  In the end, Eli’s faith is strong.  If God has made this decision, then it must be just.

Have you ever been in a position in which you were forced to share a hard truth with someone you love?  What was that experience like?  I’ve had a lot of hard conversations with people I care about.  I think it’s something that requires practice but more than anything, it requires prayer.  At times, I’ve begged God for just the right words, His words and not mine, and that the other person would have eyes to see and ears to hear.  On the flip side, I’ve also had people speak hard truth to me.  Maybe you’ve been there too.  That also requires a lot of prayer and a lot of humility.  Being willing to share truth also means being open to hearing it. Hard stuff, friends.

Moving on to chapter 4…After a certain period of time passes, the Israelites find themselves in a vicious battle with the Philistines.  It is through this warfare that the House of Eli is obliterated.  So what happened?  The Israelites were losing badly, which they understood to mean that the Lord was not with them.  In response, they decide to bring the Ark of the Covenant, where the very presence of God dwelt, right onto the battlefield.  Either they thought this would scare the Philistines (which it did to a certain extent) or they thought it would strongarm God into allowing Israel the victory.  But the plan failed.  Many Israelites lost their lives, Eli’s sons were killed, the Philistines won and they stole the Ark of the Covenant.  God had his own agenda and far be it from the Israelites to think they could manipulate that.

How often have we thought we might be able to manipulate God into doing what we want?  We bargain, we beg, and we even connive.  And yet God calls us to submit, to trust him with our whole life.  Is there something in your life right now that you need to simply lay down before God?

By chapter 5, it looks like the Philistines are sorry they took the Ark of the Covenant.  After defeating the Israelites in battle, the Philistines are more than happy to take the Ark and simply add another god to the mix of deities they worshipped.  At first, they put the Ark next to one of their pagan gods, Dagon, in the town of Ashdod.  The next day, Dagon was found on the ground, prostrate.  After putting this idol back upright, they then find it back on the ground, decapitated and with its hands cut off.  But God wasn't done, as he inflicted the people of the town with a plague of horrible tumors.  In response, the Ark is moved, first to Gath and then to Ekron.  In each place, people begin dying or being inflicted with tumors.  

Eventually, they decide that the Ark of the Covenant needs to go back to where it belongs.  What's interesting to me is that the Philistine people knew that the incident with Dagan, the tumors, and the deaths were all related to the presence of the God of Israel.  They recognized the power of God but they didn't turn to God.  They saw what God could do but they still didn't turn away from their idols and worship him. 

How often do people see the power of God in their lives and yet not respond in any meaningful way?  Yes, I think this happens today as well.  I'm thinking of people I know who get terribly ill or are in a horrific accident, ask for prayers, and then are miraculously healed.  They see the power of God at work in their life!  While there may be some initial thankfulness and turning toward God, it eventually fades and they go on with life as normal.  May we recognize the power of the one and only God in our midst and turn toward him. God help us.

Today, I definitely want to spend some time on the psalm.  It’s one of my favorites – Psalm 23.  This is a psalm of David and it is absolutely beautiful.  While we often read this psalm during funerals, it might be better used to talk about how we live rather than how we die.  God is the one who protects and guides us.  God is the one who brings peace, even when we are face to face with our enemies.  He is our shepherd.  He is the one who takes care of me and provides me with what I need.  And what do I lack – nothing.  This is a psalm I have memorized and I would encourage you to memorize it as well.  When things seem worrisome or anxiety grips you, this psalm, repeated over and over again, can bring such amazing peace. 

In Acts 6, we see the choosing of the first deacons to serve the widows from both the Greek and Jewish communities.  The apostles felt strongly they needed to keep preaching and teaching but they knew someone needed to be in charge of serving those in need.  Stephen is chosen to lead the group who would ensure all of the early believers are fed.  This is such a great model for solving a problem in the church.  They had an issue, they came together and discussed it civilly, and a solution is chosen.  No drama.

But later in the chapter, things take a turn for the worse.  Stephen is being targeted by the Sanhedrin.  They don’t like how the Gospel is spreading.  I wonder if the Jewish leaders are beginning to feel like things are getting out of control.  They see the church growing and they don’t have a way to stop it.  Stephen is exhibiting extraordinary wisdom.  How do you fight against that?  Well, you cheat and lie.  And that’s exactly what they did.  More tomorrow.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

July 16, 2024

Day 3 of Week 16

Scripture:  I Samuel 1-2; Psalm 120; Acts 5

Welcome back, friends, to the Daily Dose of Hope.  Today, we start I Samuel, read a psalm, and continue in the book of Acts.  Let’s get started!

The book of I Samuel covers a period of about 110 years, from the end of the period of the judges to just after King Saul dies.  On our journey through this book, we will see the birth of Samuel, his call from God and prophetic ministry, the rise and fall of King Saul, and the anointing of David.  We will get a first hand look at the establishment of a central monarchy in Israel, and how kingship both benefits and causes issues for the Hebrew people.  This book is set in the land of Israel, where the Hebrews have now fully settled.  Numerous other people groups continue to live alongside the Israelites, often disrupting peace and tempting Israel to stray from the faith.

In chapter 1, we meet Hannah, one of two wives married to a Jewish man named Elkanah.  Hannah could not have children.  Elkanah’s other wife did have a number of children and this created a toxic situation, involving much hurt and jealousy.  But despite her sad circumstances, Hannah is faithful to God.  She prays for God to reverse her fortune and allow her to have children.  She even promises to dedicate her first-born to God’s work in the world.  God answers Hannah and she gives birth to a son, named Samuel, and makes good on her promise.  Once he is weaned, she takes him to the temple and turns him over to Eli, the priest.  I can only imagine what that must have been like for her. 

As I read today’s chapter, I found it very powerful that the one with the strongest faith and the closest connection to God is Hannah, a sorrowful and barren woman, with no political or social clout in her community.  Eli, the priest, the one with all the power and clout, immediately assumed that Hannah had been drinking rather than recognizing her humble posture before God.  It is telling that it is often the powerless, the disenfranchised, the poor, and even the outcast, that God holds up an example of faithfulness.

In I Samuel, chapter 2, we see the stark contrast between Eli the priest’s sons and young Samuel.  Eli’s sons show contempt and disregard to the sacred offerings.  They are sleeping with women outside the tabernacle, in a manner similar to the pagan temple prostitutes.  They are in flagrant disobedience to God’s Law.  This is extremely serious.  The first recorded reprimand from Eli toward his sons comes when Eli is very old.  This might be part of the issue.  Eli is a man of God but did he raise his children knowing the one true God?  While Eli doesn’t bear responsibility for the specific actions of his sons, he does bear responsibility for putting his sons before God, a breach of the first commandment.  For that reason, God’s judgment is an end to the priestly house of Eli.  Eli did not fulfill his end of the bargain, so God no longer needed to hold onto his.  And Eli’s descendants would experience the consequences of this sin for generations. 

What’s interesting is that while Eli and his sons were being condemned, Samuel was being commended.  The bigger and more severe the sins of Eli’s sons, the more Samuel grew in faith and favor.  It’s through Samuel that God is preserving a remnant of faithfulness.  More on this tomorrow.

Psalm 120 is the first of the psalm of ascents, songs that were traditionally sung by Jewish pilgrims headed to Jerusalem for the different annual feasts.  There are fifteen of them, from Psalm 120-134.  If you think about it, for most of those walking into the city, they were going from lower ground up in elevation to Jerusalem.  They were literally ascending.  This first psalm of ascent highlights God’s presence during our distress.  This first psalm has an anonymous author.

Let’s move on to Acts 5.  The story of Ananias and Sapphira is kind of disturbing.  But keep in mind that this is happening within the context of the new church community.  This is a community in which people are selling all their possessions and living in unity, of the same mind and spirit.  Then, Ananias and Sapphira, in contrast, tell everyone they are selling a piece of land and giving all the profit to the church.  But they secretly keep a big chunk for themselves.  This is the thing – if they had been honest and said they were splitting the proceeds, it would not have been a big deal.  Afterall, it was their property and their money.  They could decide how to use it.  The issue was in the deception.  Rather than being filled with the Holy Spirit (as we see in the rest of the community), they were filled with a spirit of evil. 

I do want to talk about the end of the chapter as well.  The apostles are witnessing and people are coming to faith in Jesus.  This really makes the Jewish leaders jealous and worried.  Afterall, they want to control their perceived grip on religious power.  When they question the apostles, the believers were clear that they were going to follow God over man.  Their boldness is amazing.  It’s clear the Spirit is in them in a powerful way.  But what I am always alarmed by is their joy at suffering disgrace for the Gospel.  I mean they are flogged!  That’s extremely painful.  And they praise God for this. 

This leads to some pretty difficult questions for us.  First, when have you suffered disgrace for the Gospel?  Second, when have we experienced discomfort for the Gospel?  And finally, if you have, were you filled with joy?

More tomorrow.  Have a great day.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki