Scripture
The Lord brings poverty and gives wealth; He humbles and He exalts.
~ 1 Samuel 2:7 (CSB)
Quote
No truer words have ever been uttered than Jesus prayer on the cross, “Father, forgive them, they do not know what they are doing.”
~Ya’akov
Hannah did not believe in fate, she believed in the Sovereign LORD. She believed our God sits in heaven and does what He pleases. He has the power to make or break–thus He is to be highly feared and deeply respected. In other words, she had a very high and lofty view of God. Hannah knew what it was like to hurt. When Eli accused her of hitting the booze, Hannah responded… “No my lord, I have not been drinking. I am a woman with a broken heart.” (I Samuel 1:15) Hannah had to deal with things that most women today do not have to contend with. Hannah had a rival and her name was Peninnah. It is pronounce Penny-naw but I’ve always shortened it to Penny. The name means “Jewel” which I would think indicates beauty or value. Have you ever seen an ugly jewel? Hannah means “Grace.” Hannah’s husband, Elkanah (God has possessed), had two wives and even though he loved Hannah more than Penny, Hannah was heartbroken because she had no children. In this ancient culture, women who could not have children were stigmatized. Penny constantly provoked Hannah. She taunted and teased Hannah about her barrenness and this kept Hannah in a state of grief, so much so that often times Hannah would not eat or take part in the festivities. Then Hannah prayed through Eli the priest and God answered her prayer. We all need a priest and we have a perfect one in Jesus. God lifted Hannah up from the pits of despair by giving her five wonderful children. Hannah was so grateful that she dedicated her firstborn {Samuel} to the LORD.
I like what Hannah said in 1 Samuel 2:10, “Those who oppose the LORD will be shattered.” For the last few months, this thought has weighed heavy on my mind: what kind of judgment awaits those who crucified Christ, those who mocked and taunted Him during His agony? I understand that we are all guilty and that it was my sin as well as the sins of the Jewish religious establishment that put Him to death and I and millions of other have repented. I have asked for forgiveness for my sin and I’ve put my faith and trust in Christ. As a result, God has given me a love for Jesus and I most gladly bow my knee to HIM who is my LORD and Sovereign. What about those who never repented? What about Caiaphas who orchestrated the conspiracy to have Jesus crucified. The Romans would not have laid a hand on Jesus had it not been for Christ hating Jews. One of the more alarming truths is that the descendants of Caiaphas are alive and well. Their contempt for Jesus and His followers may be greater in number today than ever before. What is going to happen to Christ haters whether they be Jew or Gentile? They will be crushed, shattered and banished to hell. Those who oppose the LORD Jesus will not go unpunished. Of course, this is not good news. God loves them and offers them a chance to repent, that’s the good news. You and I are to pray that they do so.
- It is a strange year: June and I drove through the bottoms yesterday and the leaves were still on the trees, some even green and some gold. We didn’t have a normal fall with a few light frost to get the foliage started. We began with a hard freeze. The trees don’t know what to do. You don’t generally see leaves on the trees when it is 20 degrees.
- It’s been too cold to put up my Christmas decorations {outside}. My goal is to put up one thing each day till I get done. Its beginning to look more like Christmas.
- This news flash from the L.A. Times…In Canada…..the government, in its eternal wisdom, recently passed two laws.They are:
- Legalized gay marriage
- Legalized marijuana
Legalizing gay marriage and marijuana at the same time now makes perfect Biblical sense. Leviticus 20:13 says: “If a man lies with another man they should be stoned.”
Did you get it? Stoned!