Daily Devotion for February 24, 2012
Prayers
Scripture
Lord's Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.
Prayer for the Morning
I bless you for the day you have made, Mighty Lord God, and pray that I may spend this day rejoicing in your creation. I pray for your Holy Spirit to fill me with the joy of my salvation, so that your light may shine through me into the world, that your honor and glory may be known to all people.
Remind me of your blessings, I pray, with every tribulation I may face, so that I may act with energy, forgiveness and love, ever mindful of the grace You have shown to me. Through Christ I pray,
Prayer for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit
Christ Jesus, before ascending into heaven, You promised to send the Holy Spirit to Your apostles and disciples. Grant that the same Spirit may perfect in my life the work of Your grace and love. and that I may bear my cross with You and, with courage, overcome the obstacles that interfere with my salvation; Teach me to be Your faithful disciple and animate me in every way with Your Spirit.
Prayer of Surrender
All to Jesus, I surrender
All to Him I freely give
I will ever love and trust Him
In His presence daily live.
Benediction
Now the God of patience and consolation grant us to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: That we may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Think of the day ahead in terms of God with you, and visualize health, strength, guidance, purity, calm confidence, and victory as the gifts of His presence.
Proverbs 14:25
But a deceitful witness speaks lies.
Genesis 20:14-18 (ESV)
The Story of Abraham [30] - Abimelech
Then Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and male servants and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, and returned Sarah his wife to him.
And Abimelech said, "Behold, my land is before you; dwell where it pleases you." To Sarah he said, "Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is a sign of your innocence in the eyes of all who are with you, and before everyone you are vindicated."
Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, and also healed his wife and female slaves so that they bore children. For the Lord had closed all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.
Notes on the Scripture
Abimelech was a common name among the kings of the Philistines, and the tribe living in Gebar might well have been one of their predecessors. At any rate, the name is some sort of Semetic dialect, part Hebrew and part something else. Nobody is positive what it means, although "my father was a king" and "my father is Molech" are two good guesses. Molech (or Moloch) was a particularly horrible heathen god. Worship of him required children to be burned alive in sacrifice. To the Jews and especially early Christians, the name Moloch became synonymous with "devil", one of Satan's evil minions.
We have no information that Abimelech was unusually evil, but his interaction with God (Yahweh) is unusual. As so often happens in the Old Testament, God must bring physical suffering upon a heathen king in order to compel him to action. Here, God has not only spoken to Abimelech in a dream, telling him he would die if he did not give Sarah back; he has also caused the women of his household to become infertile.
Unlike Pharaoh in the story of Moses, Abimelech comes into line quickly; he is impressed with the power of God. He not only gives Sarah back untouched, but also sets Abraham up with land, livestock and servants.
Moloch
This depiction of an ancient statue of Moloch shows that he was hollow, with an oven inside for burning sacrifices. The fire would also cause it to glow red.
