Wichita, Kansas, United States - Great Plains Conference of the United Methodist Church Daily Devotional for Tuesday, 18 November 2014
| Tyler Clark Lyona Woodbine Salina District | 
Concordia Trinity
Huscher
Salina District
|
23rd Sunday after Pentecost/in Kingdomtide – Green
This Week's Lectionary Scriptures:
Lectionary Scriptures:
Judges 4:1-7
Psalm 123
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Matthew 25:14-30
Judges 4: Deborah
1-3 The People of Israel kept right on doing evil in God’s sight. With Ehud dead, God sold them off to Jabin king of Canaan who ruled from Hazor. Sisera, who lived in Harosheth Haggoyim, was the commander of his army. The People of Israel cried out to God because he had cruelly oppressed them with his nine hundred iron chariots for twenty years.
4-5 Deborah was a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth. She was judge over Israel at that time. She held court under Deborah’s Palm between Ramah and Bethel in the hills of Ephraim. The People of Israel went to her in matters of justice.
6-7 She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “It has become clear that God, the God of Israel, commands you: Go to Mount Tabor and prepare for battle. Take ten companies of soldiers from Naphtali and Zebulun. I’ll take care of getting Sisera, the leader of Jabin’s army, to the Kishon River with all his chariots and troops. And I’ll make sure you win the battle.”
Psalm 123: A Pilgrim Song
1-4 I look to you, heaven-dwelling God,
look up to you for help.
Like servants, alert to their master’s commands,
like a maiden attending her lady,
We’re watching and waiting, holding our breath,
awaiting your word of mercy.
Mercy, God, mercy!
We’ve been kicked around long enough,
Kicked in the teeth by complacent rich men,
kicked when we’re down by arrogant brutes.
Psalm 76: An Asaph Psalm
1-3 God is well-known in Judah;
in Israel, he’s a household name.
He keeps a house in Salem,
his own suite of rooms in Zion.
That’s where, using arrows for kindling,
he made a bonfire of weapons of war.
4-6 Oh, how bright you shine!
Outshining their huge piles of loot!
The warriors were plundered
and left there impotent.
And now there’s nothing to them,
nothing to show for their swagger and threats.
Your sudden roar, God of Jacob,
knocked the wind out of horse and rider.
7-10 Fierce you are, and fearsome!
Who can stand up to your rising anger?
From heaven you thunder judgment;
earth falls to her knees and holds her breath.
God stands tall and makes things right,
he saves all the wretched on earth.
Instead of smoldering rage—God-praise!
All that sputtering rage—now a garland for God!
11-12 Do for God what you said you’d do—
he is, after all, your God.
Let everyone in town bring offerings
to the One Who Watches our every move.
Nobody gets by with anything,
no one plays fast and loose with him.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 I don’t think, friends, that I need to deal with the question of when all this is going to happen. You know as well as I that the day of the Master’s coming can’t be posted on our calendars. He won’t call ahead and make an appointment any more than a burglar would. About the time everybody’s walking around complacently, congratulating each other—“We’ve sure got it made! Now we can take it easy!”—suddenly everything will fall apart. It’s going to come as suddenly and inescapably as birth pangs to a pregnant woman.
4-8 But friends, you’re not in the dark, so how could you be taken off guard by any of this? You’re sons of Light, daughters of Day. We live under wide open skies and know where we stand. So let’s not sleepwalk through life like those others. Let’s keep our eyes open and be smart. People sleep at night and get drunk at night. But not us! Since we’re creatures of Day, let’s act like it. Walk out into the daylight sober, dressed up in faith, love, and the hope of salvation.
9-11 God didn’t set us up for an angry rejection but for salvation by our Master, Jesus Christ. He died for us, a death that triggered life. Whether we’re awake with the living or asleep with the dead, we’re alive with him! So speak encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you’ll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind. I know you’re already doing this; just keep on doing it.
Matthew 25: The Story About Investment
14-18 “It’s also like a man going off on an extended trip. He called his servants together and delegated responsibilities. To one he gave five thousand dollars, to another two thousand, to a third one thousand, depending on their abilities. Then he left. Right off, the first servant went to work and doubled his master’s investment. The second did the same. But the man with the single thousand dug a hole and carefully buried his master’s money.
19-21 “After a long absence, the master of those three servants came back and settled up with them. The one given five thousand dollars showed him how he had doubled his investment. His master commended him: ‘Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.’
22-23 “The servant with the two thousand showed how he also had doubled his master’s investment. His master commended him: ‘Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.’
24-25 “The servant given one thousand said, ‘Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.’
26-27 “The master was furious. ‘That’s a terrible way to live! It’s criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest.
28-30 “‘Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this “play-it-safe” who won’t go out on a limb. Throw him out into utter darkness.’
John Wesley's Notes-Commentary:
Judges 4:1-7
Verse 2
[2] And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles.
Of Canaan — That is, of the land where most of the Canaanites, strictly so called, now dwelt, which seems to be in the northern part of Canaan. This seems to be of the posterity of that Jabin, whom Joshua slew, Joshua 11:11, who watched all opportunities to recover his ancient possessions, and to revenge his own and his father's quarrel.
In Hazor — In the territory or the kingdom of Hazor, which might now be restored to its former largeness and power.
Of the Gentiles — So called, because it was much frequented and inhabited by the Gentiles; either by the Canaanites, who being beaten out of their former possessions, seated themselves in those northern parts; or by other nations coming there for traffick, whence Galilee, where this was, is called Galilee of the Gentiles.
Verse 3
[3] And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel.
Mightily oppressed — More than former tyrants; from his malice and hatred against the Israelites; and from God's just judgment, the growing punishment being suitable to their aggravated wickedness.
Verse 4
[4] And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time.
A prophetess — As there were men-prophets, so there were also women-prophetesses, as Miriam, Exodus 15:20. Huldah, 2 Kings 22:14, and divers others; but the word prophets or prophetesses is ambiguous, sometimes being used of persons extraordinarily inspired by God, and endowed with the power of working miracles, and foretelling things to come; and sometimes of persons endowed with special gifts or graces, for the better understanding and discoursing about the word and mind of God. Of this sort were the sons of the prophets, or such as were bred in the schools of the prophets. who are often called prophets, as 1 Samuel 10:5,10. And because we read nothing of Deborah's miraculous actions, perhaps she was only a woman of eminent holiness, and knowledge of the holy scriptures, by which she was singularly qualified for judging the people according to the laws of God.
Judged Israel — That is, determined causes and controversies arising among the Israelites, as is implied, verse 5. And this Jabin might suffer to be done, especially by a woman. Yet the frequent discharge of this part of the judge's office, whereby she gained great power and authority with the people, did notably (though not observed by the tyrant) prepare the way for her sliding into the other part of her office, which was to defend and rescue the people from their enemies.
Verse 5
[5] And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.
And she dwelt — Or, she sat: she had her judgment-seat in the open air, under the shadow of that tree; which was an emblem of the justice she administered there: thriving and growing against opposition, as the palm-tree does under pressures.
Came to her — To have their suits and causes determined by her sentence.
Verse 6
[6] And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the LORD God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?
Called Barak — By virtue of that power which God had given her, and the people owned in her.
Kedesh Naphtali — So called, to distinguish it from other places of that name, one in Judah, and another in Issachar.
Hath not the Lord, … — That is, assuredly God hath commanded thee; this is not the fancy of a weak woman, which peradventure thou mayst despise; but the command of the great God by my mouth.
Mount Tabor — A place most fit for his purpose, as being in the borders of divers tribes, and having a large plain at the top of it, where he might conveniently marshal and discipline his army.
Naphtali and Zebulun — These she names because they were nearest and best known to Barak, and therefore soonest brought together, because they were nearest to the enemy, and therefore might speedily be assembled, whilst the other tribes, being at a distance, had better opportunity of gathering forces for their succour; and because these had most smarted under this oppressor, who was in the heart of their country; but these are not named exclusively, as appears by the concurrence of some other tribes.
Verse 7
[7] And I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into thine hand.
Draw to Thee — By my secret and powerful providence, ordering and over-ruling his inclinations that way. In fixing the very place, she gave him a sign, which might confirm his faith, when he came to engage.
Psalm 123
Verse 2
[2] Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us.
Look — For supply of their wants, and for help and defence against their oppressors.
Until — Until he help and save us.
Psalm 76
Verse 2
[2] In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his dwelling place in Zion.
Salem — In Jerusalem, which was anciently called Salem.
Zion — Largely so called, as it includes Moriah, an adjoining hill.
Verse 3
[3] There brake he the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle. /*Selah*/.
There — At Jerusalem.
Sword — Both offensive and defensive weapons.
Battle — All the power of the army, which was put in battle-array.
Verse 4
[4] Thou art more glorious and excellent than the mountains of prey.
Thou — O God.
Than — The greatest kings and empires of the earth, which in prophetic writings are often compared to mountains. And they are called mountains of prey, because they generally were established by tyranny, and maintained by preying upon their own subjects, or other kingdoms.
Verse 5
[5] The stouthearted are spoiled, they have slept their sleep: and none of the men of might have found their hands.
Sleep — Even a perpetual sleep.
Verse 6
[6] At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and horse are cast into a dead sleep.
Chariot — The men who rode upon, and fought from chariots and horses.
Verse 8
[8] Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared, and was still,
Thou — Didst execute judgment upon thine enemies, by an angel from heaven: which is said to be heard, either because it was accompanied with thunders and earthquakes, or because the fame of it was quickly spread abroad.
Feared — The rest of the world were afraid to disturb Israel.
Verse 10
[10] Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.
Surely — The furious attempts of thine enemies, shall cause thy people and others to praise thee for thy admirable wisdom, power, and faithfulness.
Verse 11
[11] Vow, and pay unto the LORD your God: let all that be round about him bring presents unto him that ought to be feared.
Vow — A sacrifice of thanksgiving for this wonderful deliverance.
Let all — All the neighboring nations submit to the God of Israel.
Verse 12
[12] He shall cut off the spirit of princes: he is terrible to the kings of the earth.
Cut off — As men do their grapes in time of vintage; so the Hebrew verb implies.
The spirit — Their breath and life, as he did in the Assyrian army.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Verse 1
[1] But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
But of the precise times when this shall be.
Verse 2
[2] For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
For this in general ye do know; and ye can and need know no more.
Verse 3
[3] For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
When they — The men of the world say.
Verse 4
[4] But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
Ye are not in darkness — Sleeping secure in sin.
Verse 6
[6] Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
Awake, and keep awake — Being awakened, let us have all our spiritual senses about us.
Verse 7
[7] For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
They usually sleep and are drunken in the night - These things do not love the light.
Verse 9
[9] For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
God hath not appointed us to wrath — As he hath the obstinately impenitent.
Verse 10
[10] Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
Whether we wake or sleep — Be alive or dead at his coming.
Matthew 25:14-30
Verse 14
[14] For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
Our Lord proceeds by a parable still plainer (if that can be) to declare the final reward of a harmless man. May God give all such in this their day, ears to hear and hearts to understand it! The kingdom of heaven - That is, the King of heaven, Christ. Mark 13:34; Luke 19:12.
Verse 15
[15] And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.
To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one — And who knows whether (all circumstances considered) there be a greater disproportion than this, in the talents of those who have received the most, and those who have received the fewest? According to his own ability - The words may be translated more literally, according to his own mighty power.
And immediately took his journey — To heaven.
Verse 18
[18] But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.
He that had received one — Made his having fewer talents than others a pretence for not improving any.
Went and hid his master's money — Reader, art thou doing the same? Art thou hiding the talent God hath lent thee?
Verse 24
[24] Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
I knew thou art a hard man — No. Thou knowest him not. He never knew God, who thinks him a hard master.
Reaping where thou hast not sown — That is, requiring more of us than thou hast given us power to perform. So does every obstinate sinner, in one kind or other, lay the blame of his own sins on God.
Verse 25
[25] And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
And I was afraid — Lest if I had improved my talent, I should have had the more to answer for. So from this fear, one will not learn to read, another will not hear sermons!
Verse 26
[26] His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
Thou knewest — That I require impossibilities! This is not an allowing, but a strong denial of the charge.
Verse 27
[27] Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
Thou oughtest therefore — On that very account, on thy own supposition, to have improved my talent, as far as was possible.
Verse 29
[29] For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
To every one that hath shall he given — So close does God keep to this stated rule, from the beginning to the end of the world. Matthew 13:12.
Verse 30
[30] And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Cast ye the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness — For what? what had he done? It is true he had not done good. But neither is he charged with doing any harm. Why, for this reason, for barely doing no harm, he is consigned to outer darkness. He is pronounced a wicked, because he was a slothful, an unprofitable servant. So mere harmlessness, on which many build their hope of salvation, was the cause of his damnation! There shall be the weeping - Of the careless thoughtless sinner; and the gnashing of teeth - Of the proud and stubborn. The same great truth, that there is no such thing as negative goodness, is in this chapter shown three times: 1. In the parable of the virgins; 2. In the still plainer parable of the servants, who had received the talents; and 3. In a direct unparabolical declaration of the manner wherein our Lord will proceed at the last day. The several parts of each of these exactly answers each other, only each rises above the preceding.
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Today’s Devotion:
Nashville, Tennessee, United States - The Upper Room Daily Devotional “Compassion” for Tuesday, 18 November 2014 - Scripture: Mark 1:40 A leper came to him, begging on his knees, “If you want to, you can cleanse me.”41-45 Deeply moved, Jesus put out his hand, touched him, and said, “I want to. Be clean.” Then and there the leprosy was gone, his skin smooth and healthy. Jesus dismissed him with strict orders: “Say nothing to anyone. Take the offering for cleansing that Moses prescribed and present yourself to the priest. This will validate your healing to the people.” But as soon as the man was out of earshot, he told everyone he met what had happened, spreading the news all over town. So Jesus kept to out-of-the-way places, no longer able to move freely in and out of the city. But people found him, and came from all over.
Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!”(Mark 1:41 (NIV))
Many years ago a neighbor lost one of her children through a tragic accident. I didn’t know her well, but due to the unusual circumstances of this child’s death, I cried for days. Finally, after several weeks had passed, I wrote my neighbor and was surprised to receive a return note. She said that messages like the one I had sent brought an occasional ray of sunshine to her day. Each year since that exchange, I have sent a note near the anniversary of her child’s death and one near his birthday.
Once on a chance meeting she hugged me and said, “Never let those cards stop coming. Everyone else forgets.” She expressed gratitude that even years later, someone could still share the grief that she never forgets.
Jesus was a man who understood compassion, and he taught us to share that compassion with others. Sometimes that compassion is as simple as sharing a hug, a note, a listening ear, and the love of Jesus.
The Author: Margie Harding (Maryland, USA)
Thought for the Day: Jesus calls us to show compassion.
Prayer: Compassionate Father, you know our pain. By your grace we can move forward when life hurts. Thank you for your healing touch. Amen.
Prayer focus: Parents grieving for a child
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Great Plains Conference of the United Methodist Church
9440 E Boston, Suite 160
Wichita KS 67207
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