Shoot of Jesse
Today's Devotional is on the Shoot of Jesse. The royal line of David is like a tree that has been cut down; but just as new branches sprout from a stump, so a new king will arise from among David's descendants. The spirit of the LORD will give him wisdom and the knowledge and skill to rule his people. He will know the LORD's will and honor him, and find pleasure in obeying him. He will not judge by appearance or hearsay; he will judge the poor fairly and defend the rights of the helpless. At his command the people will be punished, and evil persons will die. He will rule his people with justice and integrity. (Isaiah 11:1-5 GNB) Did you know that Jesse was King David's father? Do you know why the tree that we are putting these ornaments on is called "The Jesse Tree"? Because Jesse was a great-great-great-great ancestor of Jesus. Labels: Christmas, Holidays, Jesse Tree, Podcast
Josiah Finds the Law
Welcome to the Jesse Tree Devotionals. The podcast should be back up no later than Friday. Josiah was eight years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for thirty-one years. His mother was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah from the town of Bozkath. Josiah did what was pleasing to the LORD; he followed the example of his ancestor King David, strictly obeying all the laws of God. In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent the court secretary Shaphan, the son of Azaliah and grandson of Meshullam, to the Temple with the order: "Go to the High Priest Hilkiah and get a report on the amount of money that the priests on duty at the entrance to the Temple have collected from the people. Tell him to give the money to the men who are in charge of the repairs in the Temple. They are to pay the carpenters, the builders, and the masons, and buy the timber and the stones used in the repairs. The men in charge of the work are thoroughly honest, so there is no need to require them to account for the funds." Shaphan delivered the king's order to Hilkiah, and Hilkiah told him that he had found the book of the Law in the Temple. Hilkiah gave him the book, and Shaphan read it. Then he went back to the king and reported: "Your servants have taken the money that was in the Temple and have handed it over to the men in charge of the repairs." And then he said, "I have here a book that Hilkiah gave me." And he read it aloud to the king. When the king heard the book being read, he tore his clothes in dismay, and gave the following order to Hilkiah the priest, to Ahikam son of Shaphan, to Achbor son of Micaiah, to Shaphan, the court secretary, and to Asaiah, the king's attendant: "Go and consult the LORD for me and for all the people of Judah about the teachings of this book. The LORD is angry with us because our ancestors have not done what this book says must be done." Hilkiah, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to consult a woman named Huldah, a prophet who lived in the newer part of Jerusalem. (Her husband Shallum, the son of Tikvah and grandson of Harhas, was in charge of the Temple robes.) They described to her what had happened, and she told them to go back to the king and give him the following message from the LORD: "I am going to punish Jerusalem and all its people, as written in the book that the king has read. They have rejected me and have offered sacrifices to other gods, and so have stirred up my anger by all they have done. My anger is aroused against Jerusalem, and it will not die down. As for the king himself, this is what I, the LORD God of Israel, say: You listened to what is written in the book, and you repented and humbled yourself before me, tearing your clothes and weeping, when you heard how I threatened to punish Jerusalem and its people. I will make it a terrifying sight, a place whose name people will use as a curse. But I have heard your prayer, and the punishment which I am going to bring on Jerusalem will not come until after your death. I will let you die in peace." The men returned to King Josiah with this message. King Josiah summoned all the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, and together they went to the Temple, accompanied by the priests and the prophets and all the rest of the people, rich and poor alike. Before them all the king read aloud the whole book of the covenant which had been found in the Temple. He stood by the royal column and made a covenant with the LORD to obey him, to keep his laws and commands with all his heart and soul, and to put into practice the demands attached to the covenant, as written in the book. And all the people promised to keep the covenant. Then Josiah ordered the High Priest Hilkiah, his assistant priests, and the guards on duty at the entrance to the Temple to bring out of the Temple all the objects used in the worship of Baal, of the goddess Asherah, and of the stars. The king burned all these objects outside the city near Kidron Valley and then had the ashes taken to Bethel. He removed from office the priests that the kings of Judah had ordained to offer sacrifices on the pagan altars in the cities of Judah and in places near Jerusalem---all the priests who offered sacrifices to Baal, to the sun, the moon, the planets, and the stars. (2 Kings 22:1-23:5 GNB) There was once an eight year old boy named Josiah who became king. The nation he ruled had forgotten God and worshiped in places other than God's church. When some of Josiah's men were cleaning the church, they found an old scroll. Josiah was excited, because he knew it was the Bible that had been lost and now the people in his kingdom would know how to serve God. Labels: Christmas, Holidays, Jesse Tree, Podcast
King David
Today's devotional is on King David from 1 Samuel Chapters 16 and 17. The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you go on grieving over Saul? I have rejected him as king of Israel. But now get some olive oil and go to Bethlehem, to a man named Jesse, because I have chosen one of his sons to be king." "How can I do that?" Samuel asked. "If Saul hears about it, he will kill me!" The LORD answered, "Take a calf with you and say that you are there to offer a sacrifice to the LORD. Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will tell you what to do. You will anoint as king the man I tell you to." Samuel did what the LORD told him to do and went to Bethlehem, where the city leaders came trembling to meet him and asked, "Is this a peaceful visit, seer?" "Yes," he answered. "I have come to offer a sacrifice to the LORD. Purify yourselves and come with me." He also told Jesse and his sons to purify themselves, and he invited them to the sacrifice. When they arrived, Samuel saw Jesse's son Eliab and said to himself, "This man standing here in the LORD's presence is surely the one he has chosen." But the LORD said to him, "Pay no attention to how tall and handsome he is. I have rejected him, because I do not judge as people judge. They look at the outward appearance, but I look at the heart." Then Jesse called his son Abinadab and brought him to Samuel. But Samuel said, "No, the LORD hasn't chosen him either." Jesse then brought Shammah. "No, the LORD hasn't chosen him either," Samuel said. In this way Jesse brought seven of his sons to Samuel. And Samuel said to him, "No, the LORD hasn't chosen any of these." Then he asked him, "Do you have any more sons?" Jesse answered, "There is still the youngest, but he is out taking care of the sheep." "Tell him to come here," Samuel said. "We won't offer the sacrifice until he comes." So Jesse sent for him. He was a handsome, healthy young man, and his eyes sparkled. The LORD said to Samuel, "This is the one---anoint him!" Samuel took the olive oil and anointed David in front of his brothers. Immediately the spirit of the LORD took control of David and was with him from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah. The LORD's spirit left Saul, and an evil spirit sent by the LORD tormented him. His servants said to him, "We know that an evil spirit sent by God is tormenting you. So give us the order, sir, and we will look for a man who knows how to play the harp. Then when the evil spirit comes on you, the man can play his harp, and you will be all right again." Saul ordered them, "Find me a man who plays well and bring him to me." One of his attendants said, "Jesse of the town of Bethlehem has a son who is a good musician. He is also a brave and handsome man, a good soldier, and an able speaker. The LORD is with him." So Saul sent messengers to Jesse to say, "Send me your son David, the one who takes care of the sheep." Jesse sent David to Saul with a young goat, a donkey loaded with bread, and a leather bag full of wine. David came to Saul and entered his service. Saul liked him very much and chose him as the man to carry his weapons. Then Saul sent a message to Jesse: "I like David. Let him stay here in my service." From then on, whenever the evil spirit sent by God came on Saul, David would get his harp and play it. The evil spirit would leave, and Saul would feel better and be all right again. The Philistines gathered for battle in Socoh, a town in Judah; they camped at a place called Ephes Dammim, between Socoh and Azekah. Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in Elah Valley, where they got ready to fight the Philistines. The Philistines lined up on one hill and the Israelites on another, with a valley between them. A man named Goliath, from the city of Gath, came out from the Philistine camp to challenge the Israelites. He was over nine feet tall and wore bronze armor that weighed about 125 pounds and a bronze helmet. His legs were also protected by bronze armor, and he carried a bronze javelin slung over his shoulder. His spear was as thick as the bar on a weaver's loom, and its iron head weighed about fifteen pounds. A soldier walked in front of him carrying his shield. Goliath stood and shouted at the Israelites, "What are you doing there, lined up for battle? I am a Philistine, you slaves of Saul! Choose one of your men to fight me. If he wins and kills me, we will be your slaves; but if I win and kill him, you will be our slaves. Here and now I challenge the Israelite army. I dare you to pick someone to fight me!" When Saul and his men heard this, they were terrified. David was the son of Jesse, who was an Ephrathite from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons, and at the time Saul was king, he was already a very old man. His three oldest sons had gone with Saul to war. The oldest was Eliab, the next was Abinadab, and the third was Shammah. David was the youngest son, and while the three oldest brothers stayed with Saul, David would go back to Bethlehem from time to time, to take care of his father's sheep. Goliath challenged the Israelites every morning and evening for forty days. One day Jesse said to David, "Take a half-bushel of this roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread, and hurry with them to your brothers in the camp. And take these ten cheeses to the commanding officer. Find out how your brothers are getting along and bring back something to show that you saw them and that they are well. King Saul, your brothers, and all the other Israelites are in Elah Valley fighting the Philistines." David got up early the next morning, left someone else in charge of the sheep, took the food, and went as Jesse had told him to. He arrived at the camp just as the Israelites were going out to their battle line, shouting the war cry. The Philistine and the Israelite armies took positions for battle, facing each other. David left the food with the officer in charge of the supplies, ran to the battle line, went to his brothers, and asked how they were getting along. As he was talking with them, Goliath came forward and challenged the Israelites as he had done before. And David heard him. When the Israelites saw Goliath, they ran away in terror. "Look at him!" they said to each other. "Listen to his challenge! King Saul has promised to give a big reward to the man who kills him; the king will also give him his daughter to marry and will not require his father's family to pay taxes." David asked the men who were near him, "What will the man get who kills this Philistine and frees Israel from this disgrace? After all, who is this heathen Philistine to defy the army of the living God?" They told him what would be done for the man who killed Goliath. Eliab, David's oldest brother, heard David talking to the men. He became angry with David and said, "What are you doing here? Who is taking care of those sheep of yours out there in the wilderness? You smart aleck, you! You just came to watch the fighting!" "Now what have I done?" David asked. "Can't I even ask a question?" He turned to another man and asked him the same question, and every time he asked, he got the same answer. Some men heard what David had said, and they told Saul, who sent for him. David said to Saul, "Your Majesty, no one should be afraid of this Philistine! I will go and fight him." "No," answered Saul. "How could you fight him? You're just a boy, and he has been a soldier all his life!" "Your Majesty," David said, "I take care of my father's sheep. Any time a lion or a bear carries off a lamb, I go after it, attack it, and rescue the lamb. And if the lion or bear turns on me, I grab it by the throat and beat it to death. I have killed lions and bears, and I will do the same to this heathen Philistine, who has defied the army of the living God. The LORD has saved me from lions and bears; he will save me from this Philistine." "All right," Saul answered. "Go, and the LORD be with you." He gave his own armor to David for him to wear: a bronze helmet, which he put on David's head, and a coat of armor. David strapped Saul's sword over the armor and tried to walk, but he couldn't, because he wasn't used to wearing them. "I can't fight with all this," he said to Saul. "I'm not used to it." So he took it all off. He took his shepherd's stick and then picked up five smooth stones from the stream and put them in his bag. With his sling ready, he went out to meet Goliath. The Philistine started walking toward David, with his shield bearer walking in front of him. He kept coming closer, and when he got a good look at David, he was filled with scorn for him because he was just a nice, good-looking boy. He said to David, "What's that stick for? Do you think I'm a dog?" And he called down curses from his god on David. "Come on," he challenged David, "and I will give your body to the birds and animals to eat." David answered, "You are coming against me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the Israelite armies, which you have defied. This very day the LORD will put you in my power; I will defeat you and cut off your head. And I will give the bodies of the Philistine soldiers to the birds and animals to eat. Then the whole world will know that Israel has a God, and everyone here will see that the LORD does not need swords or spears to save his people. He is victorious in battle, and he will put all of you in our power." Goliath started walking toward David again, and David ran quickly toward the Philistine battle line to fight him. He reached into his bag and took out a stone, which he slung at Goliath. It hit him on the forehead and broke his skull, and Goliath fell face downward on the ground. And so, without a sword, David defeated and killed Goliath with a sling and a stone! He ran to him, stood over him, took Goliath's sword out of its sheath, and cut off his head and killed him. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they ran away. The men of Israel and Judah shouted and ran after them, pursuing them all the way to Gath and to the gates of Ekron. The Philistines fell wounded all along the road that leads to Shaaraim, as far as Gath and Ekron. When the Israelites came back from pursuing the Philistines, they looted their camp. David got Goliath's head and took it to Jerusalem, but he kept Goliath's weapons in his own tent. When Saul saw David going out to fight Goliath, he asked Abner, the commander of his army, "Abner, whose son is he?" "I have no idea, Your Majesty," Abner answered. "Then go and find out," Saul ordered. So when David returned to camp after killing Goliath, Abner took him to Saul. David was still carrying Goliath's head. Saul asked him, "Young man, whose son are you?" "I am the son of your servant Jesse from Bethlehem," David answered. (1 Samuel 16:1-17:58 GNB) Did you know that a young boy named David used a slingshot to kill a giant named Goliath? This same boy also played the harp. Even though David was a hero, he didn't stop after that accomplishment. God chose him to be King over the Israel Nation and he went on to do many great things. God can use any of us to do his work. How has the Lord used you lately? Labels: Christmas, Holidays, Jesse Tree, Podcast
Welcome to day six in the Jesse Tree Devotionals brought to you by ParentsForChrist.com. Jacob left Beersheba and started toward Haran. At sunset he came to a holy place and camped there. He lay down to sleep, resting his head on a stone. He dreamed that he saw a stairway reaching from earth to heaven, with angels going up and coming down on it. And there was the LORD standing beside him. "I am the LORD, the God of Abraham and Isaac," he said. "I will give to you and to your descendants this land on which you are lying. They will be as numerous as the specks of dust on the earth. They will extend their territory in all directions, and through you and your descendants I will bless all the nations. Remember, I will be with you and protect you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done all that I have promised you." Jacob woke up and said, "The LORD is here! He is in this place, and I didn't know it!" He was afraid and said, "What a terrifying place this is! It must be the house of God; it must be the gate that opens into heaven." (Genesis 28:10-17 GNB) Do you remember any of your dreams? Sometimes do your dreams seem real? As we see here in Genesis 28, Jacob had a dream of a ladder that started where he was sleeping and went all the way up into heaven. On this ladder, or stairway, angels were going up and down it and at the top was God. In the dream God made many wonderful promises to Jacob and when Jacob woke up he realized that it was not just a dream but that it was true. Labels: Christmas, Holidays, Jesse Tree, Podcast
Today's Devotion is about Abraham being tested by God with his only son. Some time later God tested Abraham; he called to him, "Abraham!" And Abraham answered, "Yes, here I am!" "Take your son," God said, "your only son, Isaac, whom you love so much, and go to the land of Moriah. There on a mountain that I will show you, offer him as a sacrifice to me." Early the next morning Abraham cut some wood for the sacrifice, loaded his donkey, and took Isaac and two servants with him. They started out for the place that God had told him about. On the third day Abraham saw the place in the distance. Then he said to the servants, "Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there and worship, and then we will come back to you." Abraham made Isaac carry the wood for the sacrifice, and he himself carried a knife and live coals for starting the fire. As they walked along together, Isaac spoke up, "Father!" He answered, "Yes, my son?" Isaac asked, "I see that you have the coals and the wood, but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?" Abraham answered, "God himself will provide one." And the two of them walked on together. When they came to the place which God had told him about, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. He tied up his son and placed him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he picked up the knife to kill him. But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, "Abraham, Abraham!" He answered, "Yes, here I am." "Don't hurt the boy or do anything to him," he said. "Now I know that you honor and obey God, because you have not kept back your only son from him." Abraham looked around and saw a ram caught in a bush by its horns. He went and got it and offered it as a burnt offering instead of his son. (Genesis 22:1-13 GNB) Do you know what a true sacrifice is? Not giving up your chocolate bar so one of the kids will calm down, I mean a real sacrifice. What would you do if you were asked to give up something that was very very special to you? Abraham was tested by God to see if he was willing to make the greatest sacrifice that has ever been made. He was asked to give up his son. Even though it was heart wrenching for Abraham, he obeyed and was willing to do as God requested. Because of his faithfulness, God stopped him before the sacrifice and provided a ram, or a male lamb, for him to use instead of Isaac. Labels: Christmas, Holidays, Jesse Tree, Podcast
The LORD said to Abram, "Leave your country, your relatives, and your father's home, and go to a land that I am going to show you. I will give you many descendants, and they will become a great nation. I will bless you and make your name famous, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, But I will curse those who curse you. And through you I will bless all the nations." When Abram was seventy-five years old, he started out from Haran, as the LORD had told him to do; and Lot went with him. Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all the wealth and all the slaves they had acquired in Haran, and they started out for the land of Canaan. When they arrived in Canaan, Abram traveled through the land until he came to the sacred tree of Moreh, the holy place at Shechem. (At that time the Canaanites were still living in the land.) The LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "This is the country that I am going to give to your descendants." Then Abram built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him. (Genesis 12:1-7 GNB) Have you ever made a big move? You know where you move far away from your family and friends. New job, new school, new home. It's not easy. That is exactly what Abram did. He packed it all up and moved, as God told him to do. The Lord told Abram to pack up his tent (this is what they lived in during the Bible times) and his family and move. And Abram did it. Because Abram was obedient, God made a promise to him of having many children and living in the land the Canaanites then possessed. Labels: Christmas, Holidays, Jesse Tree, Podcast
When people had spread all over the world, and daughters were being born, some of the heavenly beings saw that these young women were beautiful, so they took the ones they liked. Then the LORD said, "I will not allow people to live forever; they are mortal. From now on they will live no longer than 120 years." In those days, and even later, there were giants on the earth who were descendants of human women and the heavenly beings. They were the great heroes and famous men of long ago. When the LORD saw how wicked everyone on earth was and how evil their thoughts were all the time, he was sorry that he had ever made them and put them on the earth. He was so filled with regret that he said, "I will wipe out these people I have created, and also the animals and the birds, because I am sorry that I made any of them." But the LORD was pleased with Noah. This is the story of Noah. He had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Noah had no faults and was the only good man of his time. He lived in fellowship with God, but everyone else was evil in God's sight, and violence had spread everywhere. God looked at the world and saw that it was evil, for the people were all living evil lives. God said to Noah, "I have decided to put an end to all people. I will destroy them completely, because the world is full of their violent deeds. Build a boat for yourself out of good timber; make rooms in it and cover it with tar inside and out. Make it 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. Make a roof for the boat and leave a space of 18 inches between the roof and the sides. Build it with three decks and put a door in the side. I am going to send a flood on the earth to destroy every living being. Everything on the earth will die, but I will make a covenant with you. Go into the boat with your wife, your sons, and their wives. Take into the boat with you a male and a female of every kind of animal and of every kind of bird, in order to keep them alive. Take along all kinds of food for you and for them." Noah did everything that God commanded. (Genesis 6:1-22 GNB) What is the largest boat you have ever seen? Can you imagine a boat that could hold two animals of every type that you have seen in a zoo? God told Noah to build a big boat, called an ark, big enough to do just that. And because Noah did as God said, his family and all the animals were saved when a flood came. God then put a rainbow in the sky as a promise that a flood would never cover the entire earth again. So when ever we see a rainbow in the sky it is a reminder to us that God keeps His promises. Labels: Christmas, Holidays, Jesse Tree, Podcast
Today’s devotion is The First Sin. Genesis 3:1-10 Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.God made the beautiful world and saw that it was good. But some bad things got into God's world. Do you know how? Because of sin! Adam and Eve had been told they could not eat of one particular fruit in the Garden of Eden. But Satan, disguised as a snake, tempted them to eat of that fruit. When they ate it, they realized that they had disobeyed God and then had to leave their beautiful garden home. But because God loved them (and us), He promised them a Savior named Jesus, who would forgive them of their sin and bring them back to God. Labels: Christmas, Holidays, Jesse Tree, Podcast
As we go through these devotions I pray with you that your focus be turned to the Lord and that the reason for our celebrations is that Jesus was born nearly 2000 years ago for us. Please just take a moment and pray. Dear Lord, You are our Creator, and you have been and always will be our Provider. I pray that Your Peace Lord will be poured out on your children to soften the hurt of those hurting and to let those that feel alone know that You Lord are here. I ask that you turn the light on for those that are in the dark Lord so that they can see The Light of The World. In Jesus Name, Amen. Today’s scripture is Genesis 1:1-4 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.Imagine being in a dark room. You can’t see anything, and you don’t know what is around you. Then all of a sudden somebody turns on the light. The room is flooded with light and you can see everything in the room. When God created the world it started out dark with no light. Everything was complete darkness until God created the light. The really neat thing is Jesus was there with God. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. John 1:1-4“I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12Jesus is the light of the World. He is life and light. Those who follow Jesus will be in the light as He lights our way to the Father. Labels: Christmas, Holidays, Jesse Tree, Podcast
Greetings and Welcome to the Jesse Tree Christmas Devotional from Parents For Christ. We hope to explore with you the story of Christ from the beginning to the end all through the month of December. We will go through the Bible starting with the Creation and ending with Christ’s second coming. In our pod cast we will provide the scripture and a short devotion for you as we go through the month. If you would also like to do the actual Jesse tree and make the ornaments, there will be craft pages in the Christmas section of the ParentsForChrist.com website under Jesse Tree. Your tree can be a small Christmas tree or a tree branch you find with your family in the yard or at a park. The ornaments can be very simple or very fancy, whichever is good for your family. The symbols are to remind us of the meaning and to bring our focus to Christ the Lord during this season of Christmas. You may be new to the idea of a Jesse Tree or you may just not understand how the name “Jesse Tree” was chosen. The most predominant place to find the scripture that inspired the name is Isaiah 11:1. And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The scripture is a prophecy of Jesus’ birth as the lineage of the holy infant comes through the line of Jesse. Again, we encourage you to travel with us on this journey and we pray the Lord will bless you. Share with us your blessings at webmaster@parentsforchrist.com. Labels: Christmas, Holidays, Jesse Tree, Podcast
|
Subscribe to Just 5 Minutes
|