Romans 1:8- 17 Paul addresses the saints.. the called.. the believers in Rome and begins with a word of blessing.. "Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."   He expressed his thankfulness to God for these brothers and sisters in Christ.  Their faith had been "proclaimed throughout the whole world."  Paul, himself, has been one of those proclaiming it!  He had been praying for them and deeply desired to go to them. 

Paul would get to Rome, eventually, but it would be under the guard of the Roman soldiers.  That did not bother him at all.. for he was longing to meet the believers and share with them both encouragement and faith.. and perhaps impart some "spiritual gifts" too. 

Paul uses this letter to share his heart about the gospel of Jesus Christ.  He felt "under obligation " to preach the gospel,  He was "eager" .. he was hopeful.. and he was confident.  The gospel, Paul stated, "is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.. "  Everyone.. Jew or Gentile, wise or foolish, rich or poor... who believes this good news will find salvation through faith in the "righteousness of God" that is the heart of the gospel. 

Verses 18-32 go on to explain very clearly why the gospel is so vital. It is the way of salvation.. salvation from the "wrath of God "that "is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness." God, in His grace, shows us our sinfulness.. our depravity.. our lostness.. our utter hopelessness, so that we will see how much we need His salvation. Then He sent His Son to bring that salvation as a perfect gift of Love and Truth and Life. The unrighteous try to suppress this truth.. we need to proclaim it!

Father in heaven, thank You for the gospel of Jesus Christ!  Thank You for the Word of God and the power of the Truth that You have presented to all who will listen and believe.  Thank You that while we were lost, You came to find us. Thank You that while we were walking in darkness, You sent the Light. We pray for those all around us who are still without hope, without love, without Jesus.. give us the boldness to speak up.. to preach the gospel which is the power of God for salvation. Forgive us for not speaking up nearly enough.  Come, Holy Spirit and fill us with a greater Love and a greater  eagerness to share our faith with others. We ask this in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen. 

 Romans 1 :1-7 Paul's introduction to this letter is one long sentence.. filled to the brim with his personal statement of faith and an extension of grace to all who read or heard it... 

"Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus.."  This is who Paul belongs to .. who he has bowed before.. who he has pledged himself to.. this is the foundation of his identity.. a bond-servant.. a slave. 

"..called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God.."   Paul was called.. invited and appointed for the purposes of God.. specifically for the proclamation of the gospel. 

".. which He promised beforehand through the prophets in the holy Scriptures.. " Let there be no confusion about the gospel of God.  Paul wants every reader to understand that this is not something that God just now thought up!  It has been His plan since the beginning and He spoke about it over and over through men of God that He chose to appoint as prophets. There is only one true Gospel and this is what Paul declared. 

".. concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh.. "  The same one that God spoke about.. is the same one who came into the family of David's descendants.  He is the legitimate heir of the throne.  Jesus Christ is the Son of the Most High God and the son of David. 

"..who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,"  Only the power of God could bring the dead to Life.. this Truth has been proclaimed by the Spirit of God. 

".. through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring abut the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles, for His name's sake, "  Paul's testimony is that God has, by grace, given him the role of an apostle to the Gentiles so that all people can be saved.. all people can call on the Name of Jesus.. all can have the "obedience of faith".  All can submit and surrender to the One who saves.. Jesus Christ.

".. among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints;"  This greeting is to those who have been called with the same calling that Paul had.. those who accepted the invitation of God to live as His chosen people... and that includes the Romans.. and us too!

"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." 

Thank You Father!  Fill us with Your Spirit that Christ will receive glory and honor and praise through our own testimonies of the salvation that we have been given through Your grace and power and peace.. Amen. 

 Ruth 1-4  Before leaving the Old Testament, there is one more story that took place during the "days when the judges governed.. "  This is the story told in the book of Ruth. 

It begins with a family that lived in Bethlehem.. Elimelech and Naomi, along with their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion.  We don't know too much about this little family, but we know that they left their home in Bethlehem and moved to the foreign country of Moab due to a famine.  Out of curiosity I looked up the meaning of their names... Mahon means "sick" or weak.  Chilion means "pining" or failing.. consumption. Perhaps this sheds some light on why the family moved away from their homeland and inheritance.. sickly children would not survive long in a famine. 

We are not told how long the family lived in Moab before Elimelech died. Naomi was left alone with two sons to raise.Then the boys grew up they married Moabite women. For 10 years more they lived, but then both of Naomi's sons died. Without anything more to keep her in Moab, Naomi decided to return to her home in Judah. Both of her daughters- in -law began the journey with her, but Orpah turned back to her father's house. Ruth would not return, staying loyal to Naomi and moving to Bethlehem with her. 

This is such a wonderful story.. Ruth's provision for Naomi, gleaning in a field of barley.  Naomi's provision for Ruth, teaching her the ways of the Law and the role of a redeemer..  In a time where there "was no king in Israel.." and "everyone did what was right in his own eyes.. " we are introduced to two people who chose to devote themselves to God and to family.  Ruth was from Moab.. where all she knew was idolatry.. yet she chose to go with Naomi  and pledged herself to the God of Israel.  Boaz was the son of Rahab, the harlot rescued from the city of Jericho.  His father was Salmon from the tribe of Judah. Boaz was a man of faith, a man with integrity.. a man who became a redeemer for his "close relative" .. a man who obeyed the Law of God and married Ruth.   When they married and had a son, they named him Obed ... serving.This "servant "  would become the father of Jesse.. and the grandfather of David. 

Father in heaven, thank You for the word that teaches us that even in a rebellious and troubled time.. those who honor You are blessed.  Naomi thought that she had only received bitterness at Your hand.. she did not know what blessings You had in store for her! Thank You for the example of Ruth who left all behind so that she could belong to You. And thank You for the example of Boaz.. a man of God in the midst of a troubled world.  May we rest in Your promises and trust You with all our hearts.  May we not lean on what we understand but on what You Know!  Thank You for loving us always.. even when we walk through times of discouragement. We seek You first, Lord.. Your Kingdom and Your righteousness.  Fill us Spirit of God we pray... in Jesus' name and for His glory. Amen. 

Judges 19-21 The last three chapters  of the book of Judges tell a tragic story of the people of Israel.  It begins and ends with this reminder.. "Now it came about in those days, when there was no king in Israel.. (19:1) and "In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes." (21:25)

The story begins with a "certain Levite".  This man lived in Ephraim and his concubine/wife was from Bethlehem.  The wife committed adultery and left to return to her father's house in Judah. After 4 months the man went to speak with her and take her home.  Her father kept delaying their departure until after 5 days they took off towards Jerusalem .  Not wanting to stop overnight in a non-Jewish town the couple and their servant and donkeys went into the territory of Benjamin to the town of Gibeah. They sat in the town square until an old man came from his fields and invited them to stay with him. 

Everything was great until some "worthless fellows" came, pounding on the door and demanding that the man give them the Levite so they could abuse him. Instead, the man offered his daughter and the wife of the Levite.  Sounds just like what happened to Lot in the town of Sodom... 

The story gets worse.. as the Levite took his wife/ concubine and gave her to the men.. who raped and abused her all night long.  At the dawn of the next day she came back to the house and laid down on the doorstep and died. The man loaded her body on his donkey and traveled back to his home where he proceeded to cut up her body into 12 pieces and" sent her throughout the territory of Israel."

It took this horrible tragedy to finally bring the people of Israel together...all the tribes, except Benjamin.. for they defended the wickedness done in Gibeah. A war was waged against the tribe of Benjamin and at first they stood pretty strong. The army of Benjamin stood 26,000 strong plus 700 "choice men".  The army of the rest of Israel numbered 400,000. 

Israel went to Bethel "and inquired of God".  Judah's army was sent in first and 22,000 of their men were slaughtered. They again went to inquire of the Lord. They wept before the Lord and were again told to go up and fight against Benjamin. This time 16,000 men were killed.  For the third time "all the sons of Israel and all the people went up and came to Bethel and wept; thus they remained there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening. And they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord." The Lord again told them to go up against Benjamin and this time they were victorious.  They planned an ambush, drew out the army, and defeated them.  25,100 Benjamite soldiers were killed.  The city of Gibeah was destroyed. The remaining men of Benjamin ran and many more were defeated along the way. Only 600 men remained of the whole tribe of Benjamin. 

After a little while the rest of Israel began to mourn the loss of the tribe of Benjamin.. "And the sons of Israel were sorry for their brother Benjamin and said, 'One tribe is cut off from Israel today.' " They swore that they would not give any of their daughters to marry with those remaining men from Benjamin, but they saw a need for the tribe to continue so they made a plan.  The first thing they did was find a tribe that did not send anyone to fight against Benjamin.  The inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead had not participated, so Israel sent soldiers to kill and destroy all of that city.. except for the virgin women. 400 young maidens were abducted and given to the sons of Benjamin.   This was not enough.. so then the elders came up with another plan.  They wouldn't give their daughters to the men of Benjamin.. but they would allow them to hide in the vineyards until the festival that was held in Shiloh. Then when the women came to dance they could come out of the vineyards and catch a wife from the daughters of Shiloh.  And so they did. 

Father in heaven,  what sadness is found in the stories of the judges of Israel. Sin was everywhere.  They were so far from the nation that You made them to be.  In fact, they still are in so many ways.  One day.. there will be a King in Israel and He will rule with all authority and righteousness.  The world awaits such a day, for we are weary and burdened by the constant war and destruction. Even as it was in those days, women suffer so much Lord.. have mercy and show kindness please Lord.. to the lost, to the abused, to the enslaved, to the suffering. Let the love and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ fill this world as Your Kingdom expands to every land we pray.. in the Name of Jesus Christ the King. Amen 

 Judges 17-18  There is a change in the narrative for these last 5 chapters of the book of Judges. For 350 years, the tribes of Israel had lived their own way. Each tribe had become independent of the others.  They had all forgotten the Law of the Lord.. they no longer went up to the tabernacle in Shiloh to worship together... " In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes." (17:6)

One of these men..was a man in Ephraim named Micah. Micah stole money from his mother but then gave it back to her when she cursed the one who stole it.  Interestingly enough, Micah's mother then blessed him and took some of the silver and had it made into an idol.  Micah set up a shrine to this idol and made an ephod.  He set up his son to be a priest at first.  Later, a Levite who lived in the territory of Judah traveled into this territory of Ephraim and came to Micah's house.  When Micah found out this man was a Levite, he asked him to be the priest for him there.  He gave him wages, clothes, and a home.  Micah felt blessed, "Now I know that the Lord will prosper me, seeing I have a Levite as priest." 

This is so sad! Shiloh was located in Ephraim. The tabernacle was there. The priests of the Lord were there. True worship was supposed to be done in Shiloh.  The Israelites were never supposed to make graven images or worship false gods.  A Levite was never meant to become a priest for an idol worshipping Israelite. This was so wrong.  And.. more evil was coming to Micah's house. 

Chapter 18 Again we are reminded "In those days there was no king in Israel.. "  The tribe of Dan found themselves in difficulty because the land they were supposed to inherit had been taken over by the Philistines.  Joshua 19:40-48 tells us that the territory given them included "Zorah and Eshtaol.. Timnah.. over to Joppa".   Samson grew up in the area between Zorah and Eshtaol. Timnah is where he found his first wife.  From this area "the sons of Dan sent from their family five men out of their whole number, valiant men from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and to search it; "  These men set out on this journey.. away from the land God had given them.. and headed north. 

When the men came to Micah's house they stayed there. Hearing the Levite they recognized his voice.  The young man explained how he had become a priest in Micah's house. The Danites asked him to inquire of God... "please, that we may know whether our way on which we are going will be prosperous."  The priest replied, "Go in peace; your way in which you are going has the Lord's approval." So off they went. 

The men continued their journey until they came to Laish.  This area was the northern most part of Israel.  It was home to a small group of peaceful people who lived "in security".  They were similar to the Sidonians but far enough away from them that they had no dealings with them.   The 5 Danites were quite pleased with this area, so they went on the long journey back to their home and convinced the whole tribe to move to this wonderful new land.. " a place where there is no lack of anything that is on earth." 

Dan had 600 armed men with them as they all traveled back to Laish. They came to Micah's house in the hill country of Ephraim on the way. When they were told about the priest, the graven image and the ephod.. they went in to take it. They also convinced the priest to come with them. When Micah found out what they had done he went after them.  Micah cried out to them. They answered him, "What is the matter with you, that you have assembled together.?"   Micah answered "You have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and have gone away, and what do I have besides? So how can you say to me, 'What is the matter with you?' "  Micah could not fight that battle, so the Danites took his idol and went to Laish. 

The men of Dan struck down the people who lived in this new area and settled there. They called it Dan. They set up their idol and stayed there until they were taken into captivity. 

Father, there is so much that we don't know about why things happen like they do... Why did Micah set us his own idol when he  could have and should have gone up to Shiloh and worshiped You?  Why did the Danites take Micah's  false religion, go to a land that was not given to them, and slaughter a quiet, peaceful people? Why did You not stop them?  Why do people.. why do we ..continue to "do what is right in our own sights" and forget that we have a Mighty, True God  who has given us the way of Life? Forgive us Father  for choosing what is pleasing to ourselves but evil in Your sight.  Transform us.. HolySpirit.. invade our lives and our minds that we might choose Your ways and do what is right in Your eyes..  We ask for Your will to be done, Father God.  We yield to You humbly and completely.. help us we pray.. in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

 Judges 16  One last story about Samson is given to us in this chapter of Judges.  The first few verses describe a conquest in Gaza. Samson went there and found a harlot.  The Philistines planned to attack him in the morning, but Samson slipped away at midnight, taking the gates of this city to the top of the mountain. 

Then, Samson met Delilah.. and he fell in love. Delilah was approached by the Philistine lords and offered a large sum of money to betray Samson by finding out the source of his strength.  Three times Delilah asked Samson how he could be bound.. three times he told her a false story.. three times she fell for it and tried it!  Samson did not learn his lesson.. so when Delilah asked again.. nagging him to tell the truth.. he foolishly told her the whole story.  He was a Nazarite. to God..  His hair had never been cut. If his head was shaved he would lose his strength. 

Delilah betrayed Samson.  His hair was cut. The Philistines came.. and he was weak. ".. he did not know that the Lord had departed from him.."  They seized him. They blinded him. Then they took him to Gaza and imprisoned  him.  "However, the hair of his head began to grow again...."

  Taken to entertain the Philistines at a feast for their god, Dagon, Samson was allowed to rest his hands on the two main pillars in their temple. With one last prayer Samson pulled down the pillars causing the whole building to collapse.  Samson died..  killing thousands of the drunken Philistine nobles.  

" O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me just this time, O God, that I may at once be avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes." Samson prayed... and God answered. 

This man had every opportunity to do great things for the Lord God.. but he wasted the gifts that God had given him.   He was a Nazarite.. set apart for the Lord.  His purpose had been proclaimed by the angel of the Lord.. ".. and he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines."  Despite Samson's foolish choices with women.. he did "begin" to conquer the Philistines.  We will never know, this side of heaven, whether Samson could have accomplished much more had he been faithful to God in all his decisions.  I guess in the same way, we could all think the same thing about our own lives.. If we had been more faithful.. more devoted.. more trusting.. and more obedient to the Lord.. what more could our God do in us and through us? 

Father in heaven, pour out Your Spirit upon us so that we might not waste one more minute of our lives, but serve You and love You with all of our hearts, souls, minds, and strength.  All we have comes from You. You have a plan for our lives and have set us aside to be Your servants.. Your children.. and to accomplish Your purposes in each of us.  Have Your way O Lord!  Remember us! Strengthen us to do Your good and perfect will. We ask this in the Name of our Risen Lord. Amen. 

 Judges 14-15  Samson grew up in Zorah, near the border of Judah's territory. The Philistines were ruling over Israel at that time because of their sinfulness. Samson went to the city of Timnah and found a woman that "looked good" to him and asked his parents to arrange a marriage.  They did not want him to marry a Philistine woman, but he was determined, so they made the arrangements.  We are told that "it was of the Lord" for this to happen for "He was seeking an occasion against the Philistines." 

Samson and his parents went down to Timnah where Samson confronted a lion and killed it with his bare hands.  He didn't tell anyone, even his parents about the lion.  Later, he went back down again and found honey in the carcass of the lion, which he ate on the way to his wedding feast.  The Philistines brought 30 companions to be with Samson for his wedding.  He made a wager with them for 30 linen wraps and changes of clothes, if they could figure out his riddle. "Out of the eater came something to eat, and out of the strong came something sweet." 

Of course, the men could not answer the riddle, so they threatened Samson's new bride. She wept for the rest of the wedding feast.. 7 days!  Finally, he told her the answer and she told the men. Samson was angry!  He went down to another city, killed 30 men and brought back the spoil to give the 30 men their changes of clothes. Then, he left and went home.. without his wife. 

Later, Samson went back to Timnah to claim his bride, only to find out that her father had given her to his best man.  Samson was so angry that this time he took 300 foxes, tied them tail to tail in two's, set a flaming torch between them and let them all go into the vineyards and groves of the Philistines. Everything was destroyed. The Philistines found out that Samson had done this because of his wife's father.. so they went up and burned both Samson's wife and her father.  In retaliation, Samson slaughtered a great number of Philistines and left to go live in "the cleft of the rock of Etam." 

Trouble followed Samson.. the Philistines came to Etam and confronted the men of Judah who lived there. Judah responded, not by defending Samson, but by binding him with rope and giving him over to the Philisitnes.  But.. the Lord intervened once more.. "And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily so that the ropes that were on his arms were as flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds dropped from his hands, "  Samson took a jawbone of a donkey and killed a thousand men with it. 

Samson called upon the Lord who came to his rescue once again, giving him water from a "hollow place" so that he was revived. "So he judged Israel twenty years in the days of the Philistines." 

Samson is anything but a typical man, let alone a man who is wise or "godly" or anyone that we would choose to be a leader... but, God chose him.. in a really remarkable way.. and used him to inflict destruction upon the Philistines. The Lord was with Samson through it all. And.. through it all, Samson continued to call out to the Lord to remember him and help him. 

Father, You are the source of our strength and our hope. You will not forget us or forsake us when we call on You.  Help us to learn from the lives of the judges.. help us to never lose hope in You,  our God who does great wonders, who chooses us to do Your will throughout our lives.  We are not perfect, we make bad choices, we are weak, and we recognize our great need for the Savior. We bring our burdens and lay them at Your feet.. and we take up the yoke of Jesus Christ, relying fully on Your grace and mercy.  Have Your way, Lord, in us today we pray.  In Jesus' name. Amen. 

 Judges 13 "Now the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, so that the Lord gave them into the hands of the Philistines forty years."  

We know the story of Samson.. but this chapter is about his parents. Manoah and his wife were from the tribe of Dan. They lived in Zorah, an area near the border of Judah, and also near the territory where the Philistines lived.  This couple were barren until the day that the angel of the Lord approached Manoah's wife while she was alone. "Behold now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and give birth to a son." he told her. 

Manoah's wife was never named in the Bible and yet, she was the one that the angel came to.. and she is the one who took heart to do all that the angel of the Lord said.  This child would be a "Nazarite".. a consecrated one.. devoted to the Lord. His mother was commanded to "be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing."  The child would be set apart for the Lord.. "..no razor shall come upon his head for the boy shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines." 

The woman immediately went to her husband and told him what happened. This led Manoah to pray, asking the Lord for wisdom to raise this child. " O Lord, please let the man of God whom Thou has sent come to us again that he may teach us what to do for the boy who is to be born."   And God listened. The angel of God came again to the woman.. while she was alone in the field.  This time she ran and got her husband, and they went together to speak to the angel of God. 

Manoah had some questions.. 

"Are you the man who spoke to the woman?" he asked.  "I am" answered the angel of God. 

"Now when your words come to pass, what shall be the boy's mode of life and his vocation?"  He wanted to know the future...  or perhaps he was testing whether this was actually the truth..  but the angel was focused on the present.. "Let the woman pay attention to all that I said... " 

Manaoah wanted to bring a meal for the angel, but he answered, " I will not eat your food, but if you prepare a burnt offering, then offer it to the Lord."  Then Manoah wanted to know the angel's name, but the angel answered, "Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?"

If Manoah had any doubts about the identity of this "man" he soon understood! For when they offered the burnt offering... the angel of the Lord went up to heaven in the fire!  "Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of the Lord."  This caused him to fear.. "We shall surely die, for we have seen God." he told his wife.

But.. his wife was not afraid.. "If the Lord desired to kill us, He would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering from our hands, nor would He have let us hear things like this at this time." 

The next thing that happened is that Samson was born.. "and the child grew up and the Lord blessed him." 

Samson judged Israel for 20 years.. but his life was nothing like any of the other judges.  He won victories, but experienced defeat. He failed to be faithful to the Lord in his marriage.. but ended up acting in faith at the end of his life.  There are only 4 judges mentioned in the Hebrew's list of men of faith.. Gideon, Barak, Jephthah, and Samson.  There are things we don't know about Samson's parents.. but we know that when they were visited by the angel of the Lord... their lives were changed forever.  Some believe that this "wonderful" one was Christ.. before His incarnation.  Manoah's wife must have been a very special woman.. what a blessing to have been in the Presence of God.. whether an angel or the Lord Jesus, Himself! 

Father in heaven, teach us to have the faith of this unnamed woman of old.  She believed and she obeyed Your commands.  She raised a son in a difficult time and watched him do great things.  She also watched him make a great error in choosing a wife.  We also have watched our loved ones do great things and sometimes make grave errors.  We pray for those who are not walking in faith and obedience to Your Word. We ask that You would bring them to seek Jesus today.. that they might come into Your Holy Presence. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 

 Judges 12 Jephthah was not finished with his struggles after defeating the Ammonites. The tribe of Ephraim decided to take issue with the fact that Jephthah and the Gileadites had defeated the enemy without their help.. "Why did you cross over to fight against the sons of Ammon without calling us to go with you?" 

The fact was that Ephraim should have come to the aid of all of Manasseh, including Gilead, but they didn't.  Jephthah called them on it, "And when I saw that you would not deliver me, I took my life in my hands and crossed over... and the Lord gave them into my hand. Why then have you come to me this day to fight against me?" 

The two tribes fought against each other with the Gileadites defeating Ephraim.  Gilead took control of the "fords of the Jordan".. which divided Ephraim from Gilead.  They would not allow any Ephramite  to cross over into their territory. They devised a little test to determine if a man was from Ephraim.. For some reason the Ephramitse could not pronounce the word "Shibboleth" correctly.. saying "Sibboleth" instead.  When they would try to cross they were taken and killed. "Thus fell at that time 42,000 of Ephraim." 

Jephthah judged Israel for  6 years. The next judge came from Bethlehem.  Ibzan lasted 7 years and all we are told is that he had 30 sons and 30 daughters.. and they intermarried with outsiders.  After him a man named Elon, from the tribe of Zebulun judged Israel for 10 years.  After him was Abdon, a Pirathonite. Pirathon was in Ephraim's hill country.  He judged Israel for 8 years, but all we know about him is that he had 40 sons and 30 grandsons, who all rode donkeys! 

It is noted in some sources that some of these judges could have served at the same time. They were from various tribes and acted as leaders in various ways.  Some led armies.. but some just judged and had lots of children. But.. things were about to change again for God was about to bring to Israel another judge by the name of Samson. 

What is clear about the judges in Israel was that they were limited in what they could do.. changes did not last.. evil was not conquered.. and Israel remained divided and sinful. We don't hear anything about the priesthood or the tabernacle at that time. Worship of the Lord was almost unheard of.   What Israel needed more than anything was a Redeemer! 

Father in heaven, in all the years that have passed since the times of the judges, there has not been much that has changed in  this sinful world.. in many ways.. but we are so thankful that You have given to us a Redeemer, Jesus Christ who has come to seek and save the lost.  We  are not without hope! We will one day know the One True Judge who will set all things right.  Hallelujah for the Living Word who changes lives and futures for all who will come to worship You in spirit and in truth. Lead us Holy Spirit in the ways of our God we pray, in the name of Jesus our Saviour and King. Amen. 

 Judges 11 The  next judge is a man named Jephthah, a Gileadite. Jephthah was the son of a harlot. Gilead's wife also had sons, who drove Jephthah away from their father's house when they got older.  Jephthah went to live in Tob, just over the northern border of Gilead. There, he gathered a gang of "worthless fellows" who would go "out with him".   But, when the army of Ammon came to fight in Gilead the leaders there went to find Jephthah to fight for them. They promised to make him chief of Gilead.. over the brother's that had sent him away!

Amazingly, Jephthah was the one who looked to the Lord in all of this!  The son of a harlot, the outcast from his father's house, despised by his brothers.. Jephthah came to the rescue. 

Jephthah first tried to reason with the king of Ammon.  He actually gave him a history lesson, telling how Israel had come from Egypt, went around Edom and Moab, and defeated Sihon the king of the Amorites. The land they now possessed was won fairly in war.. the Lord God gave them victory. "Since now the Lord, the God of Israel drove out the Amorites from before His people Israel, are you then to possess it? Do you not possess what Chemosh your god gives you to possess? So whatever the Lord our God had driven out before us, we will possess it."   For 300 years Israel had possessed the land, Jephthah told the Ammonite king.. it was never theirs and they had never claimed it before. "I therefore have not sinned against you, but you are doing me wrong by making war against me; may the Lord, the Judge, judge today between the sons of Israel and the sons of Ammon." 

The king of Ammon would not listen to Jephthah's message and war was on the horizon. "Now the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah.. "  Before he led the army against Ammon Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, "If Thou wilt indeed give the sons of Ammon into my hand then it shall be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace.. it shall be the Lord's and I will offer it up as a burnt offering."  Jephthah went to battle, defeated Ammon, and returned home.  Unfortunately the one to come out of his house was his only child.. his daughter. We are told that Jephthah kept his vow to the Lord.  There is some debate as to whether Jephthah actually gave his daughter up as a human sacrifice, or whether she was redeemed as allowed by the Law and spent the rest of her life as a virgin who served the Lord.  Either way, she agreed to the terms of her father's vow. 

Father in heaven, You chose this man for Your purposes.  You anointed him with Your Spirit. You gave him victory over the enemy. You enabled him to keep his vow to You, even if it was not something that You desired.. the sacrifice of this daughter.  You work in the lives of anyone, regardless if they have been rejected or treated unfairly.. or they make foolish vows..  Your plans are perfect and we can learn, like Jephthah to honor You in all we do. Fill us Spirit of God that we might walk in faithfulness and peace with You today. Teach us Your ways today we pray, in the Name of Jesus, Amen 

 Judges 10  After the death of Abimelech came a judge named Tola from the area of Issachar.  We are told 2 things about Tola.. he "arose to save Israel"  and he judged for 23 years.  After him rose "Jair" from Gilead who judged 22 years. We are  told that he had 30 sons who rode on 30 donkeys and had 30 cities. Then Jair died and was buried. ( Jair, was a descendant  of Manasseh, the son of Joseph.)

"Then the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord."  This time seems even worse than before.. they "served the Balls and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the sons of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; thus they forsook the Lord and did not serve Him." 

The Lord gave the Israelites into the hands of the Philistines and the Ammonites. For 18 years things got worse and worse, especially in Gilead.  (Gilead was an area first divided among the three tribe that settled to the east of the Jordan River - Manasseh, Gad, and Reuben.)   The Ammonites crossed the Jordan and also attacked the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim... "so that Israel was greatly distressed." 

"Then the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord, saying 'We have sinned against Thee, for indeed, we have forsaken our God and served the Baals. ' "   But.. this time the Lord did not immediately rescue His people, He reminded them of how He had delivered them over and over again.. "and I delivered you from their hands. Yet you have forsaken Me and served other gods; therefore I will deliver you no more." God told them to go and cry out to the "gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your distress." 

This time the Israelites confessed their sin, put away the foreign gods, and submitted to the Lord's will, and "served the Lord; and He could bear the misery of Israel no longer."

How many people in our day have chosen other idols and "forsaken the Lord"?  How many have found themselves miserable because of those choices?  How many have had chance after chance, known God's mercy, and then turned back to the gods of this world?  This Old Testament story is more than just a story about a country far away in time and place.. it is a picture of real life.  We see it every day.. people who love money, love sin, love power, or love themselves so much that they completely deny that there is a God who sees them and loves them.. A God who is greater than their addictions.. greater than their obsessions.. greater than their fears..  A God worthy of their worship!

Father in heaven, let those who live in the darkness see a great Light.. Come, Jesus, come and heal blind eyes and enslaved souls.. Come and convict and convince the lost to seek the salvation that comes only by repentance and surrender to God, the One and Only True God. Holy Spirit move mightily in our land today, convicting of sin, righteousness and judgement. We see the misery of oppression and violence all over the world, Lord God, and we cry out, once again, on their behalf.. that they would put away the idols and turn to You, for You alone can rescue the perishing. Be exalted in all the earth we pray, in Jesus' name Amen. 

 Judges 9 Gideon failed to stay faithful to the Lord, making a golden ephod that became an idol to the people of Israel.  Gideon married many women and had 70 sons! Even that was not enough for he took a concubine also from Shechem and had another son named Abimelech. As soon as Gideon died trouble began. Israel went back to idol worship.. and Abimelech went to Shechem, his mother's hometown.  He convinced his relatives there in Shechem to support him instead of any of Gideon's legitimate sons.. and they did. 

Abimelech killed all but one of his brothers. Jotham hid himself during the massacre but lifted his voice from the top of Mount Gerizim pronouncing a curse upon both Abimelech and the men of Shechem. Jothem used a parable to illustrate the folly of Shechem:

 "Once the trees went forth to anoint a king over them, and they said to the olive tree, 'Reign over us!' But the olive tree said to them, 'Shall I leave my fatness with which God and men are honored and go to wave over the trees?"  Jotham's story also mentions the fig tree, that would not leave its sweetness.. and the vine that would not leave its place in God's plan.  All that was left then was "bramble".  Jotham suggested that their choice of Abimelech was the choice of the "bramble"... worthless for anything but burning. " .. if you have dealt in truth and integrity with Jerubbaal and his house this day, rejoice in Abimelech and let him rejoice in you. But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech and consume the men of Shechem and Beth-millo; and let fire come from the men of Shechem and Beth-millo, and consume Abimelech." 

It took three years for Jotham's curse to be fulfilled. Abimelech ended up starting a fire around the base of a tower where a thousand men and women form Shechem were sheltering, killing them all. Then he went to another town, Thebez and tried to do the same thing there. "But a certain woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech's head crushing his skull." Abimelech had too much pride to allow himself to die by the hand of a woman, so he begged his armor bearer to draw his sword and kill him. And he did. 

"Thus God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech, which he had done to his father, in killing his seventy brothers." 

Father in heaven, what a patient God You are. We are thankful that You give us chance after chance to come back to You. We are so sorry that we.. all of us..  as a people.. fail over and over again to remember You and to serve You only. Deliver us, Lord God, from those who seek only power and position, who live in pride and selfish ambition. Deliver us from those things in our lives that come from those same self-centered desires. May we fully surrender our whole selves to You, walking in Your Light, and obeying Your commands.  Be glorified in our lives and in the lives of our children and grandchildren.  May we stay faithful Lord.. Keep us from becoming stumbling blocks to others.. keep us walking in truth and integrity we pray, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen 

 Judges 7-8 What starts out as a wonderful story of deliverance... Gideon, the judge, leading the army of Israel against the Midianites.. takes a sad turn. 

At first, Gideon humbly obeys the Lord. His army of over 30,000 was ready to go to war.. but the Lord wanted to show Israel that this victory would be won by His power and not their own.  22,000 men were dismissed because they were "afraid and trembling".  Another 700 were dismissed because they were not needed. "And the Lord said to Gideon, 'I will deliver you with the 300 men who lapped and will give the Midianites into your hands..."  And.. He did!  God gave them victory using trumpets and lanterns. 

Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh entered into the final pursuit of Midian's army.  The tribe of Ephraim joined in and killed the two main leaders, Oreb and Zeeb.  Gideon and his army continued to pursue the kings Zebah and Zalmunna.  When they arrived in Succoth, in Gad's territory,  he asked that they provide some food for the army, but they refused.  The same in Penuel, another city in Gad.  Gideon told them that they would suffer at his hand when he returned from his pursuit.  Gideon successfully completed his mission, captured the kings, and routed the entire army of Midian.  Like he said, he returned to Succoth and "disciplined" the 77 elders with thorns and briars.  He also tore down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of that city.  Then he killed the two kings of Midian.

Here's where the story of Gideon takes a sad turn.  When the men of Israel wanted Gideon to rule over them, he refused.. but asked for some of the spoils the men had gathered.. just 1 earring from each of them.. ending up with 1700 shekels of gold.  He also kept some of the kings pendants, purple robes,  and  neck bands. "And Gideon made it into an ephod and placed it in his city, Ophrah, and all Israel played the harlot with it there, so that it became a snare to Gideon and his household." 

God gave Israel 40 years of peace, until the death of Gideon.  However, Gideon did not live like a man who put God first. He had 77 sons and many wives. He also had a concubine who had a son named Abimelech.  The story is not good.  Israel fell back into their old ways of idol worship and "did not remember the Lord their God who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side; not did the show kindness to the household of Gideon in accord with all the good that he had done to Israel." 

There are consequences for sin.. consequences for actions we take that do not exalt the Lord our God. Many people start out in their Christian walk with thankful, humble hearts.. but they become like the church of Ephesus.. they have lost their "first love". ( Revelation 2:4).  It's not a matter of perseverance, Jesus told the church. "you have perseverance"... they had endured a lot.. they had not grown weary.. but they had "fallen".  They needed to repent.. they needed to love the Lord as they had at the beginning.  Gideon needed that same message.  Perhaps.. we all do. 

Father in heaven,  let the fire of Your Spirit fall on us anew.. let the love that You have given us overflow in our hearts once again. We want to persevere.. but even more we want to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord.. we want to "know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge" that we may be "filled up to all the fulness of God."  We want to walk in love like Jesus did. Be exalted O God!  Let Your Name be glorified in us, Your servants and Your children in Christ Jesus. Let Your will be done!  We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

 Judges 6  Once again Israel "did what was evil in the sight of the Lord." This time the Lord used the tribe of Midian to oppress Israel. "And the power of Midian prevailed against Israel."  Remember that Midian was a descendant of Abraham and Jethro, a Midianite priest, was the father-in-law of Moses.  There had once been close ties between these two nations, but now Midian joined with the Amalekites to overcome Israel.  Their tactics were brutal. They would watch Israel plant their fields and then come up and destroy their crops... "they would come in like locusts for number, both they and their camels were innumerable; and they came into the land to devastate it." 

"So Israel was brought very low."  They lived in dens and caves in the mountains.  They suffered for 7 years and finally "cried to the Lord."   The Lord answered this time by sending a prophet to the sons of Israel.  The message was clear.. "It was I who brought you up from Egypt, and brought you from the house of slavery. And I delivered you from the hands of the Egyptians and from the hands of all your oppressors, and dispossessed them before you and gave you their land, and I said to you, 'I am the Lord your God; you shall not fear the god of the Amorites in whose land you live. But you have not obeyed Me.' " 

Then an angel of the Lord visited Gideon.  Gideon was from the tribe of Manasseh and he was chosen to deliver Israel from the Midianites. "The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior."  the angel addressed him.  He was beating out wheat in a wine press.. hiding the harvest from the enemy.  Gideon was skeptical. " O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has this happened to us?"  Gideon was assured that the Lord was with him and would use him to deliver Israel. 

Gideon asked for a sign and was given more than one.  The first sign was when the offering of bread and meat was laid on a rock the angel of the Lord touched it with a staff and a fire consumed it.  The angel disappeared and Gideon reacted with  a statement of faith, "O Lord God! For now I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face. And the Lord said to him, 'Peace to you, do not fear; you shall not die.' "  Gideon built an altar to the Lord right then. 

Then the Lord called on Gideon to act in faith by doing something dangerous.  He was commanded to tear down his father's idols.. Baal and the Asherah.  He was to use the wood of the Asherah to burn an offering of his father's bulls.  Gideon completed his task during the night because he was afraid of the men around him. In the morning these men were ready to kill him, but his father would not allow it saying that Baal would have to avenge himself. 

When the Midianites and Amalekites came against Israel again, Gideon was almost ready.. "So the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon; and he blew a trumpet.. "  Gideon called upon all of his father's household, the Abierzrites; plus he called on all of Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali to come up and fight.  Even with all that, Gideon had one more request of God.. he wanted another sign.. just to be sure he was hearing the Lord right.  So the fleece was wet and the land dry; then the fleece was dry and the land wet.. and Gideon had no more doubts that the Lord would deliver Israel through him. 

Father in heaven, thank You for the promise that You will be with us when we belong to You and walk with You in faith. Help us to keep on believing and trusting You every day of our lives. May we fear only You and obey Your Word always.  Sanctify us through and through as only You can. Preserve us, transform us, fill us with Your Spirit that we might be conformed to the image  of Jesus Christ our Lord, ready to do Your will.. with faith and with courage.. We ask this in His wonderful Name. Amen 

 Judges 4  "Then the sons of Israel again did evil..."  This time the Lord "sold" Israel into the hands of Jabin, the king of Canaan.  Jabin ruled from the city of Hazor which was located in the territory of Naphtali.  Jabin's army was led by Sisera. This army was quite powerful. There were 900 iron chariots.. this was a powerful enemy that oppressed Israel "severely" for 20 years. 

Deborah was a prophetess and the judge in Israel at this time.  She lived in the territory of Ephraim near Bethel where she would sit under a tree and receive those who needed her to make a judgement for them.  The Lord spoke to Deborah and told her to summon Barak from Kadesh to lead an army against Sisera.  Barak's home was in Naphtali.. just north of Hazor where Jabin ruled.  Barak was commanded to gather 10,000 soldiers from Naphtali and Zebulun ( just south of Naphtali). They would find Sisera at the River Kishon at the southern tip of Zebulun. 

Barak agreed to the assignment that Deborah gave him, but only if she would go with him.  Deborah went, but Barak lost the honor of taking Sisera, for he would die at the hand of a woman... not Deborah, but a woman named Jael. 

Sisera and his army and his 900 iron chariots went to the River Kishon. Barak and his 10,000 men met them there. "And the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army, with the edge of the sword before Barak... "  Sisera ran away while his army was pursued and struck down by Barak and his men.  This is when Sisera hid in the tent of Jael.  Jael covered Sisera, gave him some milk to drink and allowed him to rest in her tent. But.. when he fell asleep she took a tent peg and a hammer and drove the tent peg into his head so that he died.  When Barak came to Jael's tent she showed him the dead body.  

"So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the sons of Israel. And the hand of the sons of Israel pressed heavier and heavier upon Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin, the king of Canaan." 

Chapter 5 is a song that Deborah and Barak sang together after the victory that God had given them over the enemy.  This song tells the story of how the Lord went before them and delivered Israel from the army of Sisera.  It also tells of those tribes of Israel that didn't come to help their brothers.  Zebulun and Naphtali needed help.. but Reuben, Dan, and Asher were too busy to help them. It was the Lord's help that brought the deliverance they needed.. "The stars fought from heaven," Deborah declares.  Her song is to the Lord who blessed a woman with the courage and strength to strike a cruel commander of a powerful army.  

"Thus let all Thine enemies perish, O Lord; But let those who love Him be like the rising of the sun in its might."  The Lord gave Israel peace for 40 more years. 

Father in heaven,  we learn from Your Word that no enemy can stand against You. There is none too powerful, none to great, none that can fight against You.  You will always be victorious when we call upon You and obey Your Word.  May we have courage like Deborah and like Jael. May we rest in You, knowing that the enemy of our souls has been defeated and will be struck down forever on that day. Lord, subdue those who are doing evil to Your people.. in Israel and in all the nations of this world. May those who call upon the name of the Lord be  rescued from the enemy that oppresses and persecutes them.  We pray that they will be steadfast and strong in faith and hope.. in Your Mighty Name. It is in the name of Jesus that we pray. Amen

 Judges 3:9-31 Because Israel began serving idols and had forgotten the Lord their God, the "anger of the Lord was kindled".  The Lord "sold" Israel into the hands of Cushan-rishathaim of Mesopotamia for eight years. Finally, Israel woke up and "cried to the Lord."

The first judge called to deliver Israel was Othniel. This was Caleb's nephew and son-in-law. "And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him."  Othniel led Israel in battle against Cushan-rishathaim and prevailed by the Spirit of the Lord. Israel was at peace for 40 years while Othniel lived. 

After Othniel died Israel "again did evil in the sight of the Lord".  This time the Lord sent Eglon the king of Moab against Israel.  For 18 years Eglon ruled.  When Israel finally had enough and cried out to the Lord, he raised up "a deliverer for them, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamin.. "  Ehud was very clever but we are not told that the Spirit of the Lord came upon him.  Ehud was left-handed. He made himself a dagger and hid it on his right thigh. He was sent to offer a tribute to the king of Moab. Eglon was "a very fat man."  Ehud managed to be alone with Eglon and came close enough to him to draw the dagger and plunge it fully into Eglon's belly. Then, leaving it there he went out, locked the door behind him and got away.  It took the king's servants a little while to figure out there was a problem.. but finally they unlocked the door and found him dead. 

Ehud then led the Israelites into battle agains the Moabites and struck down 10,000 "robust and valiant" men. This time the nation was "undisturbed for eighty years." 

The third judge was Shamgar," who struck down 600 Philistines with an oxgoad and he also saved Israel." 

A hundred forty- six years into the occupation of the Promised Land.. and Israel continued to fail the test.. they continued to do evil. These first 3 judges were able to give temporary peace to the nation, but they did not succeed in turning the hearts of the people back to the Lord in the way that Moses and Joshua had done.  

One day.. the Scriptures remind us.. there will be a greater victory for Israel.. when the King will come.. not with a sword or a dagger.. or an ox goad.. but with the Word of His mouth..  and He will rule over all the earth and every nation will exalt Him! Then there will be Peace for 1000 years.  What a glorious Day that will be!

Father in heaven,  let us learn the lessons we need to hear from Your Word.. let us learn to cry out to You.. to look to You alone for deliverance from evil and from the evil one.  Let us look to You and be ready for the coming of our True Judge, Jesus Christ the Lord.. our King forever!  We wait on You and know that You see us in our trials and in our failures.. and You wait for us to cry out to You.  We know that You do hear us and You will grant us peace even in the times of trouble.  Thank You Father! Amen. 

 Judges 3:1-8

 Chapters 1and 2 give us an overall view of the times of the judges.  Beginning in chapter 3 we get more details from this unknown writer.  Verses 1-8 sum up the main problem which Israel had.. they failed the test.  "Now, these are then nations which the Lord left, to test Israel by them.. " 

A generation after those who had fought for the promised land, there was a new generation who did not know how to fight. They were surrounded by Philistines, Canaanites, Sidonians, and Hivites. The Lord tested Israel "to find out if they would obey the commandments of the Lord, which He had commanded their fathers through Moses." 

But.. instead of fighting and fearing the Lord and keeping His commandments.. the people compromised and took the easier road.. they intermarried with them; they gave their daughters to the sons of the enemy.. "And the sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth." 

"Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.. "  

What kind of people are we?We are surrounded by people who have no knowledge of the One True God.. people who think that God does not exist.. or that He doesn't care.. people who do what is right in their own eyes and feel no remorse or regret... Do we stand apart as servants of the Lord.. do we pass the test?  Or are we more like the Israelites than we care to admit?  How many churches today have compromised the clear Truth of the Word of God and intermingled with those who do not believe in a Holy God who declares that evil is evil?  Too many.. even 1 is too many.. they have not passed God's test. 

Paul warned Timothy to watch out for those who "accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths. "  Preach the Word.. "reprove, rebuke, exhort.. " Paul tells Timothy and we are reminded that every pastor and every believer must be constantly in the Word of Truth! "Be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.. " 

Father, may we be strong and courageous in the midst of unbelievers who would have us accept what is unacceptable in Your eyes.  Help us to have discernment and wisdom.. help us to teach our children and grandchildren how to walk with You.. how to fight the good fight.. how to stand firm in Your strength. We arm ourselves with Your Holy armor.. truth, righteousness, peace, salvation, faith, and the Holy Spirit who fills us and works in us all that You have purposed for each of us according to Your will. Our surrender is to You, the Lord God Almighty and we trust You to fight for us.. and we.. with Your help.. will not forget our God. Amen!

 Judges 1-2  After Joshua and those of his generation died things changed quickly for the people of Israel. They had scattered to their various places.. each tribe responsible for defeating the enemies and possessing the land God had given to them.  But, most of the tribes failed to accomplish what they needed to do.  The result was disastrous.. they lived along side Canaanites and Amorites and eventually forgot all about the Lord and began worshipping idols. 

"And the anger of the Lord burned against Israel and He gave them into the hands of plunderers who plundered them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies around them, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies." 

Over and over again the people would cry out to the Lord and He would send them a judge to deliver them. And then over and over again they would not listen to the judge, turning back to their idols. The result was a nation under constant attack.. and a people dominated by the enemy. 

It only took 2 generations for the promise of a godly nation .. A nation who had a God that would fight for them.. to become a idol worshipping, evil nation who did not even know "the Lord nor yet the work which He had done for Israel." 

We have seen that in our own land haven't we? A generation that stood for what was right.. that fought for freedom and justice for all.. is dying out.  We see a new generation that does not know the Lord and has lost sight of what is right or wrong.. that welcomes foreign ideas and ungodly ideals.  Lord help us!

Father in heaven, raise up men and women from this current generation that will stand up for Truth. Bring forth  Christian boys and girls who will tell of the gospel of Jesus Christ and who will lead the nation back to righteousness and justice. Send Your Spirit upon Your church today we pray. In Jesus' name. Amen. 

 Acts 27 -28 These two chapters take us through Paul's journey to Rome. "And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they proceeded to deliver Paul.. "  Once again, Paul is being moved.. not by his own volition, but by others.. according to the plans that the Lord chose for him.  Paul had no way of knowing how this trip would pan out... but he knew he would stand before Caesar eventually. 

From port to port Paul was taken north and west. The winds were "contrary".. the weather unstable.. and the voyage dangerous.  But, Paul was treated with kindness, finding favor with the soldiers who guarded him. In return, Paul ended up saving their lives as the ship was breaking up and the sailors intended to abandon them. A fourteen day nor'easter drove the ship to the small island of Malta. 

Paul encouraged his captors, testified of God's presence and promises, and helped everyone.. all 276 people on board the ship that broke up into pieces.. arrived safely onto the island. 

At Malta Paul ministered to those in need, healing the father of Publius, the leading man in Malta.  He also prayed for healing for the rest of the people who came to him.  Three months later, they finally set sail for Rome.  "And when we entered Rome Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him."  It was two more years that Paul stayed in Rome, renting his own quarters, and "welcoming all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all oneness, unhindered." 

Father in heaven, we give You thanks for taking Paul on this journey and keeping him safe so that he could write the letters that we cherish as Your Word.  Words that teach us, rebuke us, correct us, and encourage us.. Words that welcome us and open our eyes and hearts to the Truth of the kingdom of God and to the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank You for this salvation "sent to the Gentiles" so that we could listen and believe. Father, we pray that this Word of Truth will continue to change lives and hearts to the glory of the Lord Jesus and to the praise of Your Great Name. Amen. 

 Acts 25  Two years.. Paul was kept in prison in Caesarea under Felix.. and then Felix left and Festus was appointed in his place. Two years.. and the Jews in Jerusalem still tried to kill Paul, asking that Festus bring Paul to Jerusalem so that he could be attacked and killed on the way.  But.. Festus was two smart for that.. and set up another trial in Caesarea. 

The Jews brought their accusations. Paul gave his defense. The Jews couldn't prove their charges. Paul refused to be returned to Jerusalem.  Given no other solution, Paul appealed to Caesar, to the ultimate judge in Rome. Festus agreed, "You have appealed to Caesar, to Caesar you shall go."

A few days later, King Agrippa and Bernice came to Caesarea and wanted to hear Paul for themselves.  It became a show of pomp and circumstances!  The Who's who of Caesarea all came to hear Paul defend himself before the king. 

( A little history which I find interesting - This would be Agrippa II, the son of Agrippa I who was the one that ordered James killed and Peter imprisoned and ended up eaten by worms..  Agrippa II was the brother of Drusilla, who married Felix. Bernice was the sister to both Drusilla and Agrippa II.. but also his close companion...and rumored consort. Herod Agrippa II had no children, so was the last of the Herodian kings. After him all of Israel was absorbed into the Roman territory. ) 

Neither Festus, Agrippa, or Bernice found Paul guilty of any crimes. They agreed that Paul could have been set free except for the fact that he had appealed to Caesar. 

Chapter 25 gives us a detailed transcript of Paul's speech before Festus, Agrippa, and Bernice. Paul begins by acknowledging that Agrippa was well aware of the "customs and questions among the Jews.."  He told of his upbringing and his life as a Pharisee.  He told of how he had persecuted the Christians up until the day he met Jesus on the road to Damascus.  He told how God had given him a mission..  that he was appointed by Jesus  to go to the Jewish people and the Gentiles.. "to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, in order that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me." 

Paul spoke openly and clearly.. testifying "both to small and great, stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place..."  Again, when Paul got to the part where he spoke of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, he was stopped .. this time by Festus who thought he was "out of his mind".  But, Agrippa was not of the same mind.. his reply shows some small bit of interest.. "In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian."  

Paul's answer, "I would to God, that whether in a short time or long time, not only you, but also all who hear me this day, might become such as I am, except for these chains."  Although there is no evidence that Agrippa ever believed in Jesus, I feel certain that Paul never stopped praying for him!

Father in heaven, it is our prayer that the Word of God, the gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news of Your grace... be heard by both small and great.. that their eyes will be opened so that they will turn from darkness to the Light, from the dominion of Satan to the Kingdom of our God forever.  Send forth workers into the harvest field today so that the lost will be found, the sinner forgiven, and that Jesus Christ will be exalted in every nation according to Your great will and love. We ask this in the Name above all names, Jesus our Lord, amen