Ask? and you will recieve!

7 ¹ So the men of Kiriath Jearim came and took up the ark of the Lord. They brought it to Abinadab’s house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the Lord. ² The ark remained at Kiriath Jearim a long time—twenty years in all.

Samuel Subdues the Philistines at Mizpah

Then all the people of Israel turned back to the Lord. ³ So Samuel said to all the Israelites, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” ⁴ So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only.
⁵ Then Samuel said, “Assemble all Israel at Mizpah, and I will intercede with the Lord for you.” ⁶ When they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the Lord. On that day they fasted and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.” Now Samuel was serving as leader^[a] of Israel at Mizpah.
⁷ When the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them. When the Israelites heard of it, they were afraid because of the Philistines. ⁸ They said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, that he may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines.” ⁹ Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and sacrificed it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out to the Lord on Israel’s behalf, and the Lord answered him.
¹⁰ While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the Lord thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites. ¹¹ The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth Kar.
¹² Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer,^[b] saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”
¹³ So the Philistines were subdued and they stopped invading Israel’s territory. Throughout Samuel’s lifetime, the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines. ¹⁴ The towns from Ekron to Gath that the Philistines had captured from Israel were restored to Israel, and Israel delivered the neighboring territory from the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.
¹⁵ Samuel continued as Israel’s leader all the days of his life. ¹⁶ From year to year he went on a circuit from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah, judging Israel in all those places. ¹⁷ But he always went back to Ramah, where his home was, and there he also held court for Israel. And he built an altar there to the Lord.

This passage really shows something: praise Him and be in His presence, and He will help you through ALL situations. Sin and He would leave you. This passage and the passages in Judges drew a perfect parallel between death and life. God punishes people who are not faithful and who sin: worship other Gods. Seen in Judges, God judges Israel of her sin and when a Judge appointed by God appears, he delivers Israel from certain death. 
----------
What we see here is pretty awesome. Serve God, worship Him and repent and He will answer our prayers and help us. Jesus said " Ask anything in my name and i will ask the father." So, ask anything that is righteous and sensible and He will answer. But to ask, you must build this relationship with Jesus, without it, you would not be able to ask Him, because you do not even have a relationship!

This is one of the rare times in which Israel came together corporately to worship Him, repent and to cleanse with Samuel's leadership. Most of the times, we hear of Israel sinning and forgetting about God's goodness and... 

We ask ourselves, people are the same today yesterday and forever. We are sinful. regardless of the generation, the time and the circumstance. Are we like the Israelites where most of our life is spent sinning and a small fraction worshipping and praising Him? Do we, like the Israelites praise Him only when God provides miracles(returning of the ark automatically)? 

God knows that this is a constant struggle for us Humans, so today, we have Jesus Christ. We have Jesus Christ to help us through the sin. Sin? never mind, you are just a human, i pay the price for you sin by my blood. Then, through the Holy spirit, he gives us conviction, so we don't commit the sin again. And we do not have to carry the burden of sin any more. we are blameless. All we need is faith, faith in Jesus Christ. 

Just accept Jesus Christ into our hearts and all is well! He will speak to us and correct us. Simple as that. It begins with faith!

Ark returned to Israel

The Philistines worshipped gods like dagon and others, yet when they talked about Israel's God, they talked as if they do not really believe in their god. In the passage below: "Perhaps he will lift his hand from you and your gods and your land." When they said this, they are already acknowledging that God is above everything, even their gods. Indeed, it is proven time and time again the God is God. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Even the philistines believed in gods believe that God is higher than everything, so how can we not believe that God is the creator of all? He is the one with the power and has the final say? Not only did they think that way, they even went a step further to offer sacrifices and gold to the Lord. Even after saying so much, they still have that bit of disbelief. So they sent all the things on two cows that were never ridden/ trained. Then they witnessed it, the cows went straight back to Israel. Is that enough prove for you?

God's goodness is show today by Jesus and the things that are happening around us. Praise God!

It is also shown that man is sinful, and God is not and God hates sin. So, when man comes close to a Godly presence, he dies. Today we have Jesus living in us to keep us blameless. We all must thank God for Jesus.

6 When the ark of the Lord had been in Philistine territory seven months, ² the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us how we should send it back to its place.”

³ They answered, “If you return the ark of the god of Israel, do not send it back to him without a gift; by all means send a guilt offering to him. Then you will be healed, and you will know why his hand has not been lifted from you.”
⁴ The Philistines asked, “What guilt offering should we send to him?”
They replied, “Five gold tumors and five gold rats, according to the number of the Philistine rulers, because the same plague has struck both you and your rulers. ⁵ Make models of the tumors and of the rats that are destroying the country, and give glory to Israel’s god. Perhaps he will lift his hand from you and your gods and your land. ⁶ Why do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh did? When Israel’s god dealt harshly with them, did they not send the Israelites out so they could go on their way?
⁷ “Now then, get a new cart ready, with two cows that have calved and have never been yoked. Hitch the cows to the cart, but take their calves away and pen them up. ⁸ Take the ark of the Lord and put it on the cart, and in a chest beside it put the gold objects you are sending back to him as a guilt offering. Send it on its way, ⁹ but keep watching it. If it goes up to its own territory, toward Beth Shemesh, then the Lord has brought this great disaster on us. But if it does not, then we will know that it was not his hand that struck us but that it happened to us by chance.”
¹⁰ So they did this. They took two such cows and hitched them to the cart and penned up their calves. ¹¹ They placed the ark of the Lord on the cart and along with it the chest containing the gold rats and the models of the tumors. ¹² Then the cows went straight up toward Beth Shemesh, keeping on the road and lowing all the way; they did not turn to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed them as far as the border of Beth Shemesh.
¹³ Now the people of Beth Shemesh were harvesting their wheat in the valley, and when they looked up and saw the ark, they rejoiced at the sight. ¹⁴ The cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and there it stopped beside a large rock. The people chopped up the wood of the cart and sacrificed the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. ¹⁵ The Levites took down the ark of the Lord, together with the chest containing the gold objects, and placed them on the large rock. On that day the people of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the Lord. ¹⁶ The five rulers of the Philistines saw all this and then returned that same day to Ekron.
¹⁷ These are the gold tumors the Philistines sent as a guilt offering to the Lord—one each for Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron. ¹⁸ And the number of the gold rats was according to the number of Philistine towns belonging to the five rulers—the fortified towns with their country villages. The large rock on which the Levites set the ark of the Lord is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.
¹⁹ But God struck down some of the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh, putting seventy^[a] of them to death because they looked into the ark of the Lord. The people mourned because of the heavy blow the Lord had dealt them. ²⁰ And the people of Beth Shemesh asked, “Who can stand in the presence of the Lord, this holy God? To whom will the ark go up from here?”
²¹ Then they sent messengers to the people of Kiriath Jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to your town.”

Ark of God

After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. ² Then they carried the ark into Dagon’s temple and set it beside Dagon. ³ When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! They took Dagon and put him back in his place. ⁴ But the following morning when they rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained. ⁵ That is why to this day neither the priests of Dagon nor any others who enter Dagon’s temple at Ashdod step on the threshold.
⁶ The Lord’s hand was heavy on the people of Ashdod and its vicinity; he brought devastation on them and afflicted them with tumors.^{[a] 7} When the people of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, “The ark of the god of Israel must not stay here with us, because his hand is heavy on us and on Dagon our god.” ⁸ So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and asked them, “What shall we do with the ark of the god of Israel?”
They answered, “Have the ark of the god of Israel moved to Gath.” So they moved the ark of the God of Israel.
⁹ But after they had moved it, the Lord’s hand was against that city, throwing it into a great panic. He afflicted the people of the city, both young and old, with an outbreak of tumors.^{[b] 10} So they sent the ark of God to Ekron.
As the ark of God was entering Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, “They have brought the ark of the god of Israel around to us to kill us and our people.” ¹¹ So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and said, “Send the ark of the god of Israel away; let it go back to its own place, or it^[c] will kill us and our people.” For death had filled the city with panic; God’s hand was very heavy on it. ¹² Those who did not die were afflicted with tumors, and the outcry of the city went up to heaven.

This passage really reminds me of:
"The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.", from Exodus 14:14!

Even though Israel lost the battle and the ark was captured, the ark of God still reigned supreme and judged the Philistines. The mere possession of the ark caused the Philistines great pains: tumors, fallen gods and idols and many more.

Though they lost, God's judgement is apparent and effective upon the philistines. This really shows that our God is the only God in heaven and He is all powerful. Just like Dagon and the rest, all other gods do not wield the same power as God, seen from this story. Where was Dagon when God inflicted damage upon Philistines? No where.

I like it how the passage describes the amount of effort the Philistines put in to keep the ark within their possession. They moved it from city to city and the effect is the same.

In the end, after they gave up, they returned the ark to its rightful owner. Even presented offerings of gold to God.

Sometimes we forgot who God is, just like the philistines, disbelief have corrupted our hearts.

Dark times for Israel

This passage records the dark times that Israel is facing. It talks about the Ark of God being captured. The Ark of God is something very precious to Israel. It records Israel's relationship with God. It contains the tablets of commandments and it is the place where God's presence resides. Because of that, only people who are chosen are allowed to carry and minister to the Ark. It is a holy object and it is not to be messed with. Israel was fighting a war with the Philistines and they brought the ark of God out to "aid in the fighting" so that God's presence would be with them and the would win the battle.However, note that in the following passage, it was not mentioned that they consulted God about this.

You may ask, why God let this happen? All things work for the good of Christ.

Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

I would not know the exact reason. Perhaps teach Israel a lesson? Perhaps show the Philistines something? We would not know the actual reason. But we do know that all things work for the good of Christ.

I am sure that when Philistines captured the ark, they would not expect devastation.

4 And Samuel’s word came to all Israel.

The Philistines Capture the Ark

Now the Israelites went out to fight against the Philistines. The Israelites camped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines at Aphek. ² The Philistines deployed their forces to meet Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand of them on the battlefield. ³ When the soldiers returned to camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why did the Lord bring defeat on us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the Lord’s covenant from Shiloh, so that he may go with us and save us from the hand of our enemies.”
⁴ So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim. And Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
⁵ When the ark of the Lord’s covenant came into the camp, all Israel raised such a great shout that the ground shook. ⁶ Hearing the uproar, the Philistines asked, “What’s all this shouting in the Hebrew camp?”
When they learned that the ark of the Lord had come into the camp, ⁷ the Philistines were afraid. “A god has^[a] come into the camp,” they said. “Oh no! Nothing like this has happened before. ⁸ We’re doomed! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? They are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness. ⁹ Be strong, Philistines! Be men, or you will be subject to the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Be men, and fight!”
¹⁰ So the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated and every man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great; Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers. ¹¹ The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

SFB~ Hebrews

I am extremely impacted by Hebrews 11:1-6. This verse is deeply rooted in our faith. Our relationship with God is built from faith. Faith is the key. It is stated "By faith we understand". We are actually mentioned in this. By faith we understand that universe was formed by God. It really means that we really do not know for absolutely sure and can prove that but by faith we understand that. It must be very odd to say "by faith we understand". Its like saying by faith I understand Math. It is not logical to us! Precisely the point for faith. Faith is faith, complete trust or confidence. Faith not logic. Every single example here is talking about faith and faith's power to God. By faith Abel bought God a better offering. Both Abel and Cain did not have a rulebook to follow to give a sacrifice, but by faith Abel got a better offering. By faith. It is so powerful. By faith He brought a blood offering. By faith, not knowledge. He did not know, but by faith. Faith is so powerful. The rest of the passage continue to talk about more people with faith. and all of them did everything they did by faith, not by knowledge. All by faith. We need to do things by faith. Faith that God will save your family. Faith that God will help you go through your situation.

So Since Faith is so important, we need to treasure it! What pastor said was really true. I like the part about little foxes. Little foxes are little problems that cause us to stumble not immediately but slowly. And that will creep on us slowly. Which are things that we really need to solve. I thank Pastor Long for the word!

^{Jesus warns against religious leaders} 

^{Matthew 23:2,3}

² “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. ³ So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.

Being seated in Moses seat,What I think is that the Pharisees now see themselves as sort of 'human rulers' However Jesus said that they MUST obey what the Pharisees tell them to do however why did he then say not to be like them?

It is because the Pharisees themselves do not bother to take the responsibility but yet place them on others to do the job.It is also like because God told the Pharisees to do something, they use this power to make themselves look good.

In summary, whatever God has given, use it for it's intended purpose and righteousness!

God calls Samuel

3 The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.

² One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. ³ The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was. ⁴ Then the Lord called Samuel.
Samuel answered, “Here I am.” ⁵ And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.
⁶ Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
“My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”
⁷ Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.
⁸ A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. ⁹ So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
¹⁰ The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”
Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
¹¹ And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle. ¹² At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family—from beginning to end. ¹³ For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God,^[a] and he failed to restrain them. ¹⁴ Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’”

The best part of these verses is that God spoke to Samuel, and he had mistaken God's voice for Eli's voice. The chapter starts with saying the word of God was rare and there were not many visions. It really shows that at that time, sin was prevalent(even priest's son sinned in the house of God, against God.) God hates sin, and if we have sin in our life we are further away from God. If one keeps sinning, how can God trust His plan to one? Only those who are Christ like will be given more. For those who honor God and come humble before Him, God exalts them. God uses the humble. 
I am sure that if Eli's son came before God and said, God i am sorry and i am wrong, God would not be like... Okay, you sinned and I am still going to take you away. There would be punishment, but it would not be as severe as  if they did nothing and continue on sinning( even though Eli confronted them). Today we really thank Jesus for dying on the cross for all our sins. because of that, we are no longer in bondage, but we are set free in Him. We no longer have to face judgement now as it is delayed. Without Him we would be facing God's righteous judgement. But now, all we need to do is to ask for Jesus to come into our life to save all of us. However, we must not take advantage of that, but build that relationship with Him! 

We live in a world of disbelief, sometimes God is indeed speaking, but do we answer? Our world is very similar to Samuel's sinful, corrupted. Lean closer to Christ and dont leave!

Judgement against Eli's family

²⁷ Now a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Did I not clearly reveal myself to your ancestor’s family when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh? ²⁸ I chose your ancestor out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in my presence. I also gave your ancestor’s family all the food offerings presented by the Israelites. ²⁹ Why do you^[e] scorn my sacrifice and offering that I prescribed for my dwelling? Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel?’
³⁰ “Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that members of your family would minister before me forever.’ But now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained. ³¹ The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your priestly house, so that no one in it will reach old age, ³² and you will see distress in my dwelling. Although good will be done to Israel, no one in your family line will ever reach old age. ³³ Every one of you that I do not cut off from serving at my altar I will spare only to destroy your sight and sap your strength, and all your descendants will die in the prime of life.
³⁴ “‘And what happens to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will be a sign to you—they will both die on the same day. ³⁵ I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his priestly house, and they will minister before my anointed one always. ³⁶ Then everyone left in your family line will come and bow down before him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread and plead, “Appoint me to some priestly office so I can have food to eat.”’”

God's judgement is so real at that time. When one person does something wrong, Hid judgement will come upon them. Just like Hophni and Phinehas, they sinned in the house of God against God, and God spoke; He will judge them and let them repay by death for sin.

We all know this: the payment of sin is death. So both son's payment is righteous.

However, I found one thing very peculiar. Their father was involved in the repayment too. We all also know, the payment will go on to the be paid to the next generation. So if the family has any descendants, all of them will repay. 

However, their father needed to pay part of the price too. He needed to repay because he knew about their sin against God but he did not act appropriately. Godly men hate sin just like God. He is a priest, but he did not take measures to discipline hid children even though they had sinned repeatedly against God. 

We need to not only hate sin, but to take action against sin. Whether the sin is from us or from someone else. because if we do not act, we are condoning the sin.

Matthew 19:13-15

¹³ Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them.

¹⁴ Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” ¹⁵ When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.

so, 19:13, Jesus wants us to be like little children because children, tend to have great faith in things and faith is what is needed to approach God.Children were also more willing then in contrast to the stubbornness of religious leaders who allowed their education & sophistication stand in the way of the simple faith needed to believe in Jesus.

So.."stand in the way of the simple faith needed to believe in Jesus."

This really spoke to me tonight because I've been going through projects the past weeks and I didn't do my quiet time.Truth be told, disappointingly this also shows me how little faith I had in my heavenly Father and how I overlooked quiet time. Realising it only now.

That is why tonight even though I could have used this time to revise, I've decided to give it up to God.

Which leads me to :

Matthew 19:17-21

17 Jesus answered, "Why do you ask me about what is good? Only God is good. But if you want to have life forever, obey the commands." 18 The man asked, "Which commands?" Jesus answered, "'You must not murder anyone; you must not be guilty of adultery; you must not steal; you must not tell lies about your neighbor; 19 honor your father and mother; and love your neighbor as you love yourself.'" 20 The young man said, "I have obeyed all these things. What else do I need to do?" 21 Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, then go and sell your possessions and give the money to the poor. If you do this, you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me."

->What good is it if I spend so much time worrying about my worst subject than putting faith in Jesus himself? who has made me a conqueror in all righteous things I do?So this verse was also asking me

"Are you willing to do QT tonight or just carry on with revision without second thought"

All earthly possessions will one day fade -Grades,money, etc

Well I'm glad I made a choice and it's one that I will stick to from this day forth.

-Jake.

huge contrast with Samuel

Eli’s Wicked Sons

¹² Eli’s sons were scoundrels; they had no regard for the Lord. ¹³ Now it was the practice of the priests that, whenever any of the people offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand while the meat was being boiled ¹⁴ and would plunge the fork into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot. Whatever the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh. ¹⁵ But even before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the person who was sacrificing, “Give the priest some meat to roast; he won’t accept boiled meat from you, but only raw.”
¹⁶ If the person said to him, “Let the fat be burned first, and then take whatever you want,” the servant would answer, “No, hand it over now; if you don’t, I’ll take it by force.”
¹⁷ This sin of the young men was very great in the Lord’s sight, for they^[b] were treating the Lord’s offering with contempt.
¹⁸ But Samuel was ministering before the Lord—a boy wearing a linen ephod. ¹⁹ Each year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him when she went up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice. ²⁰ Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, “May the Lord give you children by this woman to take the place of the one she prayed for and gave to^[c] the Lord.” Then they would go home. ²¹ And the Lord was gracious to Hannah; she gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.
²² Now Eli, who was very old, heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they slept with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ²³ So he said to them, “Why do you do such things? I hear from all the people about these wicked deeds of yours. ²⁴ No, my sons; the report I hear spreading among the Lord’s people is not good. ²⁵ If one person sins against another, God^[d] may mediate for the offender; but if anyone sins against the Lord, who will intercede for them?” His sons, however, did not listen to their father’s rebuke, for it was the Lord’s will to put them to death.
²⁶ And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the Lord and with people.

Samuel was under this priest named Eli. Though Samuel was not the son of Eli, he served the Lord well. Even though they are the priest's sons, they sin blatantly in the house of God. They sinned by obeying the rules set out by God for offerings. They took meat that was not meant for them and they slept with women. How is that Godly? They may look Godly, serving in the house of God, being the priest's children... But they are not. That's why God said that everyone are the same, sinners. To God we are the same, we are all sinners. SO, we all need Jesus Christ's  salvation. See that the priest's children paid for their sin by death. Today, out sins are paid for by Jesus Christ. He is the Son of God and he paid for all our sins through death. We really need to thank Him for that. Without Him we would really see God's judgement acting in real time right before us. Samuel who did not sin and followed the rules set out by God, his family was rewarded. 

God exalts the weak and humble and strikes the wicked and proud. Today we don't have to rely on our own strength to go through life, but rely on the Holy Spirit for guidance and strength. 

Today, sin is still prevalent,Godly men can still fall to sin. But what the rest should do is not to condemn them but to help them get through it. Because everyone is a sinner, we have the nature to sin. God have given the grace to us when we sinned. So He will give it to them too.

Short post before heading back to study !

My QT this past 2 days have been something different,I was building a relationship with God through one of the very things I love! Music.

While doing praise and worship,God and I worked together to compose a song for him ! Cool huh.
Right there,I could really feel his presence.Didnt even know 2hours had gone by.(This is for yesterday)
Managed to compose the song till the chorus,many many changes were made to the words in it.For the chorus I couldnt' really get the strumming pattern I wanted to suit the verse so I was like
 "okay God ! I'm sure we'll find out somehow the next day!"

True enough today I got it.
Persistence as what I learnt in DNA, is one of the ways to PRAY with AUTHORITY.
Somehow.I did not even develop the slightest " aiya sian I give up".


A few things I learnt during QT this 2 days are:

1.  I wanted to keep changing the lyrics to make it perfect for God but then a voice told me I didn't have to because God dosen't need us to be perfect and he loves us for what we are and praising him already brings joy !

2.  QT Isn't just about learning through the Bible.It is through the relationship you foster with God through studying his word, Sharing your day with him and being thankful or even a simple Praise and worship session !


Alright back to work!

I am a conqueror and will be VICTORIOUS in everything I do in righteousness.

Praise God (:

-Jake.

Hannah's prayer

Hannah's prayer was so genuine! She prayed to God with her heart. Through the Lord's providence, she had a son. And according to the promise she had made to God, she dedicated him to the Lord. It must had been difficult for her! Imagine wanting a son so much and when God gives you a son, and he is right there standing in front of you, you give him to the Lord. She still gave because she promised the Lord and the Lord answered the prayer. As she prays this prayer of thanksgiving. It really shows her over flowing joy that lives in her after she had surrendered everything, including her son to the Lord.

 Then Hannah prayed and said:

“My heart rejoices in the Lord;
    in the Lord my horn^[a] is lifted high.
My mouth boasts over my enemies,
    for I delight in your deliverance.

² “There is no one holy like the Lord;
    there is no one besides you;
    there is no Rock like our God.

³ “Do not keep talking so proudly
    or let your mouth speak such arrogance,
for the Lord is a God who knows,
    and by him deeds are weighed.

⁴ “The bows of the warriors are broken,
    but those who stumbled are armed with strength.
⁵ Those who were full hire themselves out for food,
    but those who were hungry are hungry no more.
She who was barren has borne seven children,
    but she who has had many sons pines away.

⁶ “The Lord brings death and makes alive;
    he brings down to the grave and raises up.
⁷ The Lord sends poverty and wealth;
    he humbles and he exalts.
⁸ He raises the poor from the dust
    and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
he seats them with princes
    and has them inherit a throne of honor.

“For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s;
    on them he has set the world.
⁹ He will guard the feet of his faithful servants,
    but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness.

“It is not by strength that one prevails;
¹⁰     those who oppose the Lord will be broken.
The Most High will thunder from heaven;
    the Lord will judge the ends of the earth.

“He will give strength to his king
    and exalt the horn of his anointed.”

¹¹ Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy ministered before the Lord under Eli the priest.

While reading this prayer, i feel her excitement and happiness as she surrendered the boy to the Lord. Do we feel so elated when our prayers are answered? And she had the conviction about the Lord that He would exalt those who come humble before Him. She came humble before the Lord, crying and weeping. Do we do the same or do we have too much pride? 

Dedicating Samuel

Hannah Dedicates Samuel

²¹ When her husband Elkanah went up with all his family to offer the annual sacrifice to the Lord and to fulfill his vow, ²² Hannah did not go. She said to her husband, “After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present him before the Lord, and he will live there always.”^[c]
23 “Do what seems best to you,” her husband Elkanah told her. “Stay here until you have weaned him; only may the Lord make good his^[d] word.” So the woman stayed at home and nursed her son until she had weaned him.
²⁴ After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull,^[e] an ephah^[f] of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. ²⁵ When the bull had been sacrificed, they brought the boy to Eli, ²⁶ and she said to him, “Pardon me, my lord. As surely as you live, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord. ²⁷ I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. ²⁸ So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there.

 She held up her end of the promise to the Lord. How many times do we pray: "Lord if you ... I will ..." But when the Lord brings you there... you forget Him and the promise you made to Him. It is so true. I remember Pastor mentioned before, saying there's this man who is stranded by a shipwreck and he was stranded in the middle of some ocean. Though he believed in God, he prayed to God to help him and if God help him, he will donate all his possessions to a church. As he reaches the island, his promise of "all his possessions" became "half" then "one quarter" then ... none when he reaches the island. So, we must remember, where we are today is because of God, Thank Him. Just like how Hannah honoured her promise to God, we should also do so! Because doing so shows our spirtual maturity and it is good.

1 Samuel!

This Book is about Samuel and the King David. How they go about their lives. This chapter shows how Samuel was conceived.

1 There was a certain man from Ramathaim, a Zuphite^[a] from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. ² He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.

³ Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the Lord Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the Lord. ⁴ Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. ⁵ But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb. ⁶ Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. ⁷ This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat. ⁸ Her husband Elkanah would say to her, “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?”
⁹ Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the Lord’s house. ¹⁰ In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. ¹¹ And she made a vow, saying, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”
¹² As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. ¹³ Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk ¹⁴ and said to her, “How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine.”
¹⁵ “Not so, my lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. ¹⁶ Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.”
¹⁷ Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.”
¹⁸ She said, “May your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.
¹⁹ Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the Lord and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah made love to his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her. ²⁰ So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel,^[b] saying, “Because I asked the Lord for him.”

One very peculiar  phrase mentioned here is: "But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb". The author talked about it as iif the two had a connection? Does it really have a connection?

On closer examination with another version of the bible:

 Every year this man went from his hometown up to Shiloh to worship and offer a sacrifice to God-of-the-Angel-Armies. Eli and his two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, served as the priests of God there. When Elkanah sacrificed, he passed helpings from the sacrificial meal around to his wife Peninnah and all her children, but he always gave an especially generous helping to Hannah because he loved her so much, and because God had not given her children. But her rival wife taunted her cruelly, rubbing it in and never letting her forget that God had not given her children. This went on year after year. Every time she went to the sanctuary of God she could expect to be taunted. Hannah was reduced to tears and had no appetite.

 We deduce that the connection is actually because that God did not give her children then her husband gave her double portion of meat. Not the other way round. The husband gave to her even though she could not bear sons for him. That is how we should treat people! Impartial! There is a reason why God closed her womb and not let her conceive! It is because when she do conceive, she gave birth to Samuel who is a Godly man and has done worthy things to be recorded in the bible! So God has a plan for everyone, trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding, but in all ways trust in Him and He will make your paths straight. So, regardless the circumstance pray and keep praying, till u get an answer from God.

Obed was born!

¹³ So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. ¹⁴ The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! ¹⁵ He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.”

¹⁶ Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. ¹⁷ The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

The Genealogy of David

¹⁸ This, then, is the family line of Perez:

Perez was the father of Hezron,

¹⁹ Hezron the father of Ram,

Ram the father of Amminadab,

²⁰ Amminadab the father of Nahshon,

Nahshon the father of Salmon,^[d]

²¹ Salmon the father of Boaz,

Boaz the father of Obed,

²² Obed the father of Jesse,

and Jesse the father of David.

Ruth and Baoz eventually became couples and Ruth bore Baoz a son. The bible states : "The Lord enabled her to conceive", why so? Did she have issues conceiving? We would leave the question later.


Ruth was a foreigner and foreigners are not very well treated those days. However, because she was a faithful follower of God, God chose her to bear a son with Baoz. Then we see the Genealogy of David written there. Then we realized that...

23 Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph,
the son of Heli, 24 the son of Matthat,
the son of Levi, the son of Melki,
the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,
25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos,
the son of Nahum, the son of Esli,
the son of Naggai, 26 the son of Maath,
the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein,
the son of Josek, the son of Joda,
27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa,
the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel,
the son of Neri, 28 the son of Melki,
the son of Addi, the son of Cosam,
the son of Elmadam, the son of Er,
29 the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer,
the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat,
the son of Levi, 30 the son of Simeon,
the son of Judah, the son of Joseph,
the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim,
31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna,
the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan,
the son of David, 32 the son of Jesse,
the son of Obed, the son of Boaz,
the son of Salmon,[a] the son of Nahshon,
33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram,[b]
the son of Hezron, the son of Perez,
the son of Judah, 34 the son of Jacob,
the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham,
the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,
35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu,
the son of Peleg, the son of Eber,
the son of Shelah, 36 the son of Cainan,
the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem,
the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,
37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch,
the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel,
the son of Kenan, 38 the son of Enosh,
the son of Seth, the son of Adam,
the son of God.


Then we know that actually Baoz is in Jesus's lineage. Through his son Obed, he is in Jesus' lineage. Whats can be better than being in the lineage of Jesus Christ?

Can you imagine that if the other guardian redeemer had redeemed them instead of Baoz. The other guardian redeemer had thrown his chance to shine for God when he threw his slippers just like that. History would be written very differently if it was the other not Baoz who have redeemed them.

God surely works in the most miraculous ways!

Naomi and Ruth redeemed

Meanwhile Boaz went up to the town gate and sat down there just as the guardian-redeemer^[a] he had mentioned came along. Boaz said, “Come over here, my friend, and sit down.” So he went over and sat down.
² Boaz took ten of the elders of the town and said, “Sit here,” and they did so. ³ Then he said to the guardian-redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our relative Elimelek. ⁴ I thought I should bring the matter to your attention and suggest that you buy it in the presence of these seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, do so. But if you^[b] will not, tell me, so I will know. For no one has the right to do it except you, and I am next in line.”
“I will redeem it,” he said.
⁵ Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the land from Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the^[c] dead man’s widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property.”
⁶ At this, the guardian-redeemer said, “Then I cannot redeem it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself. I cannot do it.”
⁷ (Now in earlier times in Israel, for the redemption and transfer of property to become final, one party took off his sandal and gave it to the other. This was the method of legalizing transactions in Israel.)
⁸ So the guardian-redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it yourself.” And he removed his sandal.
⁹ Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, “Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelek, Kilion and Mahlon. ¹⁰ I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from his hometown. Today you are witnesses!”

In the end, Baoz did redeem Naomi, Ruth and their property. He kept his end of his promise. Even though he did not even make a promise. No where in the previous chapter did he say "i promise". Promises are of high importance and it is a covenant to God. 

Matthew 5:33-37

³³ “Again, you have heard what was said to your people long ago. They were told, ‘Do not break the promises you make to the Lord. Keep the oaths you have made to him.’ ³⁴ But here is what I tell you. Do not make any promises like that at all. Do not make them in the name of heaven. That is God’s throne. ³⁵ Do not make them in the name of the earth. That is the stool for God’s feet. Do not make them in the name of Jerusalem. That is the city of the Great King. ³⁶ And do not take an oath in the name of your head. You can’t make even one hair white or black.
³⁷ “Just let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes.’ Let your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more than this comes from the evil one.

When you say Yes, means Yes. No Means No. We do not have to make promises to others. When we say I will do it, means You would. Because that is sufficient. Promises are something serious, like a vow. Promises made in the name of God must be kept. God's name is not to be used loosely. Like stated in the 10 commandments, we should not use God's name in vain. Same for our promises, do not make promises to God in vain, just a simple Yes will do. 

Baoz redeemed the property and the 2 widows just like he had  said to Ruth. How many time have we broke our promises to someone? He did'nt.

SFB!

What is praise? That’s a very fundamental question that pastor had successfully tackled. We really need to ask ourselves, what kind of praise are we giving to God? A praise deep within from our hearts? And praise is the fundamental action to God. Because when everything else stops, praise is the only thing that remain. When we die, when Christ comes down, there will no longer be evangelizing, no discipleship, no nothing: except worship. Worship is the only action that will remain forever. I have been asking myself what kind of praise am I going to God? A praise that really praise Him? A praise from my heart? It is so true that praise is a decision that we all make. We can choose to praise God or we can choose otherwise. It is blessed for a person who is depressed, tired to praise Him. And by doing so, we lift up our problems to Him. Because when we praise Him we are saying: “Regardless of my problem, I will praise you because you are greater, more powerful than our problem.” That is exemplary. The 7 words of praise really increased my knowledge and that 7 words are on different websites like: http://buddysheets.tripod.com/hebrewwordsforpraise.htm, http://www.oxfordbiblechurch.co.uk/pages/teachings/prayer-and-praise/praise-words.php . Which really increased my knowledge about the words and knowing God. I praise the Lord for this!