Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour in Saint Louis, Missouri, United States "God's Good Gifts" Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour in Saint Louis, Missouri, United States "God's Good Gifts" Wednesday, October 28, 2015

But when He (Jesus) heard it, he said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick."[Matthew 9:12]
An Oregon couple, Dale and Shannon Hickman, gave birth to their baby at home.
This was done not because they couldn't afford a hospital or because they had a doctor or trained midwife in the family who had come to their house. No, they had their baby at home because they are members of the Followers of Christ Church. One of the beliefs of the Followers of Christ Church is it prefers to trust the Lord for healing and help rather than organized medicine.
For them a trip to the doctor is a sign they have a weak faith.
Now normally none of that would be a problem. But the birth of the Hickman's baby was not a normal experience. Their baby, David, came early and entered this world with staphylococcus pneumonia. It was a life-threatening condition the untrained couple didn't realize was there until shortly before their child died. Commenting on the death of the child, one doctor said, "The child would have had a 99-percent chance of survival if the Hickman's had brought him in."
But they didn't, and their baby died. Now the Oregon Supreme Court has convicted both parents of second-degree manslaughter for failing to treat this condition at the hospital.
Dale and Shannon will be in separate Federal penitentiaries until, at least, January 2018.
It is my opinion that the hearts of every Daily Devotioner goes out to this couple. Not only have they lost a child, now they are also being punished for trying to be faithful to the Lord and their understanding of Scripture.
The greatest sadness is that their understanding of Scripture is not sound.
Now there is no doubt the Lord can do miraculous healings. As a parish pastor, I encountered more than one time when an individual's recovery stumped all the experts. Still, as far as I know the Lord nowhere commands His people to expect a miracle. As Jesus said, the sick are the ones who need a physician.
He didn't say, "The sick need a miracle."
The truth is this: the Lord has given us many gifts, which He encourages us to use. One of those gifts is the wonders of modern medicine and another would be the wisdom and skill He has entrusted to the minds of physicians and the hands of surgeons.
Now I don't think any of our Daily Devotioners would follow in the path of the Hickmans. On the other hand, the devil loves to misquote and misinterpret Scripture so as to confuse the Lord's people.
This is why this devotion encourages you to search the Scriptures and do so in a way that allows God's truth to shine through the devil's darkness.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, the devil relishes nothing more than to substitute his lies for Your truth. Send Your Holy Spirit to guide me in hearing You and the Savior's story. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.
NOTE FROM PASTOR KLAUS: Oregon is one of the few states which does not make exception for parents who follow their religious beliefs and eschew modern medicine.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour®
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Through the Bible in a Year
Today Read:
Jeremiah 49:1 Concerning the people of ‘Amon, here is what Adonai says:

“Has Isra’el no sons?

Has he no heir?

Then why has Malkam inherited Gad,

with his people settled in its cities?

2 Therefore,” says Adonai, “the days are coming

when I will sound the battle alarm

against Rabbah and the people of ‘Amon;

it will become a tel of ruins,

her villages burned to the ground.

Then Isra’el will inherit from them

who disinherited him,” says Adonai.

3 “Wail, Heshbon, for ‘Ai is doomed!

Cry out, daughters of Rabbah!

Wear sackcloth and mourn,

running here and there among the sheep pens.

For Malkam will go into exile,

together with his priests and officers.

4 Why do you take such pride in the valleys,

your well-watered valleys, rebellious daughter?

You trusted in your riches

and thought, ‘Who can attack me?’

5 I am bringing terror on you,”

says Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot, “from every side.

Each of you will be driven out headlong,

with no one to gather the fugitives.

6 But afterwards, I will bring back

the exiles of ‘Amon,” says Adonai.

7 Concerning Edom, this is what Adonai-Tzva’ot says:

“Is there no wisdom left in Teman?

Have her wise men forgotten how to counsel?

Has their wisdom vanished?

8 Flee! Turn back! Hide yourselves well,

you who live in D’dan;

for I am bringing calamity on ‘Esav,

when the time for me to punish him comes.

9 If grape-pickers came to you,

they would leave no grapes for gleaning.

If thieves came at night,

they would destroy until they were satisfied.

10 So I, for my part, have stripped ‘Esav bare,

I have exposed his hiding-places;

he will not be able to hide himself.

He is doomed — sons, brothers and neighbors —

so that he is no more.

11 Leave your orphans; I will keep them alive;

let your widows trust in me.”

12 For this is what Adonai says: “Those who do not deserve to drink from this cup will have to drink it anyway, so should you go unpunished? No, you will not go unpunished; you will certainly drink it. 13 For I have sworn by myself,” says Adonai, “that Botzrah will become a ruin and an object of astonishment, reproach and cursing; all its cities will be ruins forever.”

14 I have heard a message from Adonai:

“A messenger is sent among the nations, saying:

‘Gather together, and march against her!

Prepare for battle!’

15 Here! I will make you least among nations,

the most despised of people.

16 Your capacity to terrorize

has deceived you and made you arrogant.

You make your home in the rocky crags

and seize the top of the mountain;

but even if you build your nest high as an eagle’s,

from there I will drag you down,” says Adonai.

17 Edom will become an object of horror;

everyone passing by will whistle

in astonishment at all its disasters.

18 It will be like the overthrow of S’dom,

‘Amora and their neighboring towns,” says Adonai.

“No one will settle there any more,

no human being will live there again.

19 It will be like a lion coming up from the thickets

of the Yarden against a strong settlement:

in an instant I will chase him away

and appoint over it whomever I choose.

For who is like me? Who can call me to account?

What shepherd can stand up to me?”

20 So hear the plan of Adonai

that he has devised against Edom,

and his purpose that he will accomplish

against those who live in Teman:

the least of the flock will drag them away;

their own pasture will be in shock at them.

21 The earth quakes at the sound of their fall;

their cry can be heard at the Sea of Suf.

22 Like a vulture he will soar, swoop down

and spread out his wings against Botzrah.

On that day the hearts of Edom’s warriors

will be like the heart of a woman in labor.

23 Concerning Dammesek:

“Hamat and Arpad are confused;

having heard bad news, they dissolve in fear,

like the churning sea, which cannot calm itself.

24 Dammesek, weakened, turns to flee;

trembling has seized her;

anguish and pain take hold of her

like the pains of a woman in labor.

25 How can a city so praised be deserted,

a city that gave me such joy?

26 Therefore her young men will fall in her squares,

and all her warriors be silenced on that day,”

says Adonai-Tzva’ot.

27 “I will light a fire inside Dammesek’s walls

which will consume the palaces of Ben-Hadad.”

28 Concerning Kedar and the kingdoms of Hatzor, which N’vukhadretzar king of Bavel struck, Adonai says:

“Set out! March against Kedar!

Plunder the people of the east!

29 They will seize their tents and their flocks,

their tent curtains and all their equipment;

their camels too they will take for themselves

and shout at them, ‘Terror in every direction!’

30 Flee! Leave your homes! Hide yourselves well,

you who live in Hatzor,” says Adonai;

“for N’vukhadretzar king of Bavel

has devised a plan against you;

he has formed a scheme against you.

31 Get up! March on a nation at ease,

that lives secure,” says Adonai.

“They have neither gates nor bars;

they live in isolation.

32 Their camels will be booty,

their many cattle a spoil.

I will scatter to the winds

those who shave the sides of their heads;

From every direction I will bring

their disaster on them,” says Adonai.

33 “Hatzor will be a place for jackals to live,

desolate forever;

no one will settle there any more,

no human being will live there again.”

34 This is the word of Adonai that came to Yirmeyahu the prophet concerning ‘Eilam at the beginning of the reign of Tzidkiyahu king of Y’hudah: 35 “Adonai-Tzva’ot says:

‘I will break ‘Eilam’s bow,

the mainstay of their might.

36 I will bring against ‘Eilam the four winds

from the four quarters of the sky

and scatter them to all those winds.

There will not be one nation to which

the dispersed of ‘Eilam will not come.

37 I will break ‘Eilam before their foes,

before those who seek their lives;

I will bring disaster on them,

my burning anger,’ says Adonai.

‘I will send the sword to pursue them

until I have finished them off.

38 I will put my throne in ‘Eilam

and destroy their king and leaders,’ says Adonai.

39 ‘But in the acharit-hayamim,

I will bring back the exiles of ‘Eilam,’ says Adonai.”

Hebrews 3:1 Therefore, brothers whom God has set apart, who share in the call from heaven, think carefully about Yeshua, whom we acknowledge publicly as God’s emissary and as cohen gadol. 2 He was faithful to God, who appointed him; just as

“Moshe was faithful in all God’s house.”[Hebrews 3:2 Numbers 12:7]

3 But Yeshua deserves more honor than Moshe, just as the builder of the house deserves more honor than the house. 4 For every house is built by someone, but the one who built everything is God.

5 Also, Moshe was faithful in all God’s house, as a servant giving witness to things God would divulge later. 6 But the Messiah, as Son, was faithful over God’s house. And we are that house of his, provided we hold firmly to the courage and confidence inspired by what we hope for.

7 Therefore, as the Ruach HaKodesh says,

“Today, if you hear God’s voice,

8 don’t harden your hearts, as you did in the Bitter Quarrel

on that day in the Wilderness when you put God to the test.

9 Yes, your fathers put me to the test;

they challenged me, and they saw my work for forty years!

10 Therefore, I was disgusted with that generation —

I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray,

they have not understood how I do things’;

11 in my anger, I swore

that they would not enter my rest.”[Hebrews 3:11 Psalm 95:7–11]

12 Watch out, brothers, so that there will not be in any one of you an evil heart lacking trust, which could lead you to apostatize from the living God! 13 Instead, keep exhorting each other every day, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you will become hardened by the deceit of sin. 14 For we have become sharers in the Messiah, provided, however, that we hold firmly to the conviction we began with, right through until the goal is reached.

15 Now where it says,

“Today, if you hear God’s voice,

don’t harden your hearts, as you did in the Bitter Quarrel,” [Hebrews 3:15 Psalm 95:7–8]

16 who were the people who, after they heard, quarreled so bitterly? All those whom Moshe brought out of Egypt. 17 And with whom was God disgusted for forty years? Those who sinned — yes, they fell dead in the Wilderness! 18 And to whom was it that he swore that they would not enter his rest? Those who were disobedient. 19 So we see that they were unable to enter because of lack of trust.

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