Agape Devotions

READ - Judges 2.6-3.6 Psalm 137 Verses Meditated on - Judges 2:10-2:11 10 And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel. 11 And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals. REFLECT We read from the first 2 chapters of Judges and noticed that the Israelites did not completely drive out all the enemies from the land and they continued to dwell among the Canaanites. Upon the death of Joshua and the generation, the next generation had totally forsaken God. The 2 verses (2.10 -2.11) told us another generation did not know God and they served Baal. How would they not know God after all He had done for the nation? We can be sure that they would have heard from their previous generation about God’s greatness. Deuteronomy 6:20-25 for instance emphasised for the laws to be taught to the next generations and for God’s greatness to...

Read Judges 1-2:5; Psalm 136 Verse chosen for meditation: Judges 1:19 ESV "And the LORD was with Judah, and he took possession of the hill country, but he could not drive out the inhabitants of the plain because they had chariots of iron." Reflect Do we detect an inconsistency in the verse? Compare it with Joshua 17:18. What could be the explanation for it? Read Judges 2:2,3. What do we know of the final outcome of the Canaanites and their chariots of iron? See Judges 4. What life lessons can we learn here? Relate I'm personally drawn to the first half of the verse, which reads: "And the Lord was with Judah...". It's possibly the best assurance or compliment that anyone can receive. I don't know about you, but it'd be such a great assurance and honour for me.  The second half of the verse, however, mars whatever good vibes the first half has generated. It even begs the question, "Is God not omnipotent?" Then why couldn't he trounce the ...

  READ PSALM 135 TEXTS TO MEDITATE ON: Whatever the Lord pleases, he does,     in heaven and on earth,     in the seas and all deeps.                                                  Psalm 135:6 Your name, O Lord, endures forever,     your renown,[b] O Lord, throughout all ages. For the Lord will vindicate his people     and have compassion on his servants. The idols of the nations are silver and gold,     the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak;     they have eyes, but do not see; they have ears, but do not hear,     nor is there any breath in their mouths. Those who make them become like them,     so do all who trust in them.                             ...

Read: Psalm 134 / catch up on readings No devotional today (Sunday)

Read: Joshua 24 / Psalm 133 Verses chosen for meditation Joshua 24: 13 I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.’ 14 “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Reflect Joshua had come to the tail end of his calling. In Chapter 1, he was called by God to be strong and courageous, abiding in the word of God and be used by God to possess the land of Canaan. After 23 chapters, we can see the glowing report of how Joshua stood sure and steadfast in obedience. As a result...

READ : Joshua 22-23/Psalm 132 REFLECT :  We have different assemblies in these chapters, with different consequences and results. First Joshua summons the  Reubenites , the  Gadites , and the half-tribe of Manasseh (22:1). He tells them that they have done their duty in helping their brothers subdue (though not yet totally conquer) the land (22:2-3), and therefore as Moses promised they can go back and take possession of the territory which had already been allotted to them “on the other side of the Jordan” (22:4).    However, there is an apparent glitch. Soon the rest of Israel learn s  that these tribes have set up an altar (22:10). It appears that they are building an alternative altar to God—an action that both at  Peor  (22:17; Numbers 25:1-9) and with  Achan  (22:20; Joshua 7:10-26) had been shown to bring disaster, not only on the people who built the altar, but the rest of Israel too.  So  Israel gathers to go to war wi...

READ : Joshua 20-21 / Psalm 131 Verse chosen for meditation: Joshua 20:9 9 These were the cities designated for all the people of Israel and for the stranger sojourning among them, that anyone who killed a person without intent could flee there, so that he might not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, till he stood before the congregation. REFLECT After reaffirming the inheritances of the tribes in Chapter 19, one would think that God’s next order of business was to focus on government or infrastructure. Instead, God’s immediate command was to establish cities of refuge, showing his priority in providing safety and shelter for the lost. However, this refuge was not just for any lost. Murderers were denied access and subjected to punishment by death according to the Mosaic law, but manslayers were welcomed. God makes a distinction between murder and manslaughter here (unintentional/accidental killing) and these can be found in Exodus 21:12-14 and Numbers 35:16-28. ...