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DAILY BIBLE READING: JUDGES 1-3 LUKE 4:1-30 THE CONTINUING CONQUEST OF CANAAN After the death of Joshua, the people asked "Who shall go up first for us against the canaanites to fight?" The Lord gave the enemy in the hands of Judah. Caleb gave Achsah blessings and springs. Judah went with Simeon, the Lord was with them but Judah could not drive out the enemy because they had chariots of iron. Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites so they lived with them, the house of Joseph went against Bethel, the spies asked for entry and struck it. They built Luz City. FAILURE TO COMPLETE THE CONQUEST Manasseh did not drive out the enemy, they put them to forced labor, Ephraim did not drive out the enemy, Zebulun did not drive out the enemy, Asher did not drive out the enemy, Napthtali did not drive out the enemy. ISRAEL'S DISOBEDIENCE The angel of the Lord went to Bochim. "I brought you up from Egypt, I will never break my covenant with you, you shall break the altars of the enemy but you have not obeyed. They shall become thorns in your sides and their gods shall be a snare to you." the people wept, they sacrificed there at Bochim. THE DEATH OF JOSHUA The people went to take possession of the inheritance, they served the Lord all the days of Joshua for 110 years. There arose another generation who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel. ISRAEL'S UNFAITHFULNESS THE LORD RAISES UP JUDGES OTHNIEL Israel served Cushan-rishatham 8 years. Othniel was raised by God and the Spirit of the Lord was upon him, He prevailed. there was 40 years of peace. EHUD Israel served Eglon the king of Moab 18 years. Ehud, left-handed man, made a sword and bound it in his right thigh, He went and killed Eglon after driving out his attendants to send a secret message. He thrusted his sword in Eglons fat belly until dung came out, he left and locked the door behind him. Ehud escaped during the delay and he said to Israel: "Follow after me, the Lord has given your enemies the Moabites into your hand." Moab was subdued that day under Israel and the land had rest for 80 years. SHAMGAR he killed 600 of Philistines with an oxgoad and saved Israel. THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for 40 days, being tempted by the devil. He ate nothing and was hungry. "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread." IT IS WRITTEN, MAN SHALL NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE" "To you I will give all this authority nad their glory, for it has been delivered to me and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours." IT IS WRITTEN, YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND HIM ONLY YOU SHALL SERVE" "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down form here, for it is written 'He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you, and on their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone'" IT IS SAID, YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST." the devil has ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time. JESUS BEGINS HIS MINISTRY Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, he taught in synagogues being glorified by all. JESUS REJECTED AT NAZARETH

1 SAMUEL 8:1-9 ISRAEL DEMANDS A KING When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. Joel, Abijah turned aside after gain, took bribes and perverted justice. The elders gathered: "Appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations." Samuel prayed to the Lord "Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. According to all the deeds they have done, only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.

INSIGHT God set the Israelites apart to be His chosen people. They were to obey His laws and not follow the practices and customs of the surrounding nations (Leviticus 18:1-5; 20:26). Four hundred years later, His people demanded a king to rule over them “such as all the other nations have” (1 Samuel 8:5; see v. 20). Samuel—who faithfully served as Israel’s judge, military leader, priest, and prophet for thirty-five years—was now old, and his sons were unfit to succeed him (v. 5). Faced with external threats, the Israelites wanted a human king to lead them to war. In so doing, they rejected God as their king (v. 7; 12:12). They asked Samuel to intercede for them, and he assured them of his prayers. He exhorted them to remain faithful to God—to obey His laws and to serve Him wholeheartedly because they were God’s covenant people (12:14-15, 20-24). By: K.T. Sim

WHEN THEY DON'T SEE Nuñez tumbled down the mountain and into a valley where everyone was blind. A disease had robbed the original settlers of sight, and subsequent generations—all born blind—had adapted to life without being able to see. Nuñez tried to explain what it was like to possess eyesight, but they weren’t interested. Eventually, he found a passage through the mountain peaks that had prevented him from leaving the valley. He was free! But from his vantage point he now saw that a rockslide was about to crush the blind dwellers below. He tried to warn them, but they ignored him.

This tale by H. G. Wells, “The Country of the Blind,” would likely resonate with the prophet Samuel. Toward the end of his life, his “sons did not follow his ways” in loving and serving God (1 Samuel 8:3). Their spiritual blindness was mirrored by “the elders of Israel” (v. 4), who told Samuel to “give us a king” (v. 6). They’d all turned their eyes from God and faith in Him. God told Samuel, “It is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me” (v. 7).

It can hurt when those we care for reject God in spiritual blindness. But there’s hope even for those whom “the god of this age has blinded” (2 Corinthians 4:4). Love them. Pray for them. The one who “made his light shine in our hearts” (v. 6) can do the same for them. By: Tom Felten

REFLECT AND PRAY How does it encourage you to know that God sees those who can't see Him? Why is there always hope for even the spiritually blind?

Loving God, please help me to pray for those who are blind to Your love and to trust You with them. In Jesus name, Amen.

THE MESSIAH MYSTERY CLUES IN THE HOUSE What's the farthest you've ever walked? Around the block> A mile or two or more?

After they were freed from slavery in Egypt, the children of Israel began a long walk to the Promised Land. But this walk lasted 40 years. On the way, God spoke with Moses, not only giving him the Ten Commandments but also passing on some detailed instructions on how to build a tabernacle. A tabernacle was kind of like a church- only it was a huge tent. Because their journey was on foot, the tabernacle had to be portable so they could carry it with them. The tabernacle's huge tent was to be a place where they could gather in God's presence and celebrate everything God did for them. It was also the place where they made sacrifices for their sins. The tabernacle was where God's holy presence could live near them. And in this house, this huge tent, God put more clues about His promised Messiah. Everywhere in this tent were clues to finding Him. For example, there were two rooms in God's house: a big room called the "Holy" and a smaller room called the "Most Holy". In the large room were three pieces of furniture: an oil lamp stand , a table with 12 loaves of special bread, and an altar for burning incense. These are three clues pointing to Jesus, the coming Messiah: -Jesus is the light of the world. -Jesus is the bread of life. -Jesus is our intercessor, continually praying to God on our behalf. The stone tablets of the 10 commandments are another clue about the coming Messiah because they point to why He came. The commandments teach us God's standards, but they leave us with a problem, Because no one can obey them precisely over a lifetime or even for one day, every person needs a Savior. Each of us needs our sin covered by the blood of Jesus. Only Jesus' blood makes it so that we can be with God all the time, forever. His sacrifice was once and for all.

Father thank you for giving us eyes to see, ears to hear; and hearts to believe. And because you love us, you have left countless clues for us to discover, all leading to your matchless gift of Jesus, the Messiah. How wonderful it is to know that all your promises come true, in Jesus' name, Amen.

JOHN 8:2 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying: "I am the light of the world, Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

JOHN 6:35 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, whoever believes in me shall never thirst."