20/7/13
S: Joshua 10:3-4, So King Adonizedek of Jerusalem sent messengers to several other kings: Hoham of Hebron, Piram of Jarmuth, Japhia of Lachish, and Debir of Eglon. “Come and help me destroy Gibeon,” he urged them, “for they have made peace with Joshua and the people of Israel.”
Joshua 10 describes how Adonizedek rallies Hoham, Piram, Japhia and Debir to unite and attack Gibeon, which had allied themselves with Israel. The Israelites then came to Gibeon's rescue, and the Lord granted them a great victory, the armies of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmut, Lachish and Eglon were destroyed, and Adonizedek, Hoham, Piram, Japhia and Debir were all killed.
O: The name "Adonizedek" means "The Lord is Righteous" or perhaps "The Lord of Righteousness". It's actually a name with a very good meaning.
Centuries before, Jerusalem was ruled by Melchizedek, which means "King of Righteousness" or "My king is Righteous". Melchizedek worshipped the Lord and Abraham actually paid a tithe to him when the Lord gave Abraham a victory. (Genesis 14:17-20)
Somewhere in the intervening centuries, however, Jerusalem appears to have deteriorated spiritually, and although the king still had a good Godly name, he was no longer good and Godly like his predecessor Melchizedek.
Because of this, in spite of his good Godly name, God engineered his defeat.
A: It is more important to worship God in spirit and in truth than to have good Godly symbols. James 2:14-26 reminds us that faith without works is dead. If we worship God in spirit and in truth, our lives will reflect this in the good that we do.
If we find that we have fallen short of God's standard, however, we need not give up hope as God calls us to repentance. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9).
P: Father, keep us on the strait and narrow path of righteousness. Let us not rely on mere names, symbols or rituals of righteousness, but to worship You in Spirit and in Truth. In Jesus' name, amen.
I thought to put a video of the song "I have decided to follow Jesus" for this video because of the theme of following Jesus in spirit and in truth. When I went to YouTube to search for such a video, this very touching video surfaced about how our brothers and sisters in Christ are being martyred around the world. Though the video isn't quite in line with the theme in today's Life Journal, it's such a touching video, I decided to include it anyway.
Note: this is using the SOAP method. For more information, see this page (not written by me.)
No comments:
Post a Comment