Daily Devotional
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- REJOICE IN HIS PRESENCE
Now the people of Beth-shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley, and when they
looked up and saw the ark, they were overjoyedH8055 at the sight.
1 Samuel 6:13
This verse needs a little backstory to be understood. The Israelites had taken the ark of the covenant into battle with them thinking that surely God would enable them to defeat the Philistines. However, God allowed the Philistines to not only triumph but to capture the ark and kill the priest Eli’s two wayward sons. The ark symbolized God’s presence with Israel. Therefore, this was a great loss felt by the entire nation. While the Philistines had the ark in their possession, God caused them great distress. First of all, the idol of their god Dagon fell over in the presence of the ark. They up-righted it, and the next day it not only fell over but its head and arms broke off! Then the Philistines were plagued by great, grotesque tumors and an infestation of rats. Finally, the leaders of their five cities asked their wise men how to send the ark back. According to their advice, the leaders placed a chest next to the ark containing five gold tumors and five gold rats as a guilt offering to Israel’s God. They set the ark and the chest on a cart being pulled by two cows who had new calves and had never been yoked before. Then they penned the calves up so they couldn’t follow. This way if the cows went in a straight line toward Israel instead of making a U-turn to take care of their calves, it must be God drawing them to Israel. You can imagine the shock and the joy the Israelite harvesters felt when they looked up to see the ark of the covenant that had been captured and gone for seven months suddenly arriving, being pulled by two cows! When the cows stopped, the people cut up the cart for firewood and sacrificed the cows to the Lord. The people rejoiced exuberantly to have the ark of God’s presence back in Israel.
How much do we value the presence of the Lord? If you are His child, if you have surrendered your life to Jesus, His presence in the form of the Holy Spirit lives in you! No one can steal Him from you or you from Him (John 10:28-30). We no longer rely on a priest to atone for our sins before the holy of holies once a year. We no longer need to sacrifice animals to God. Jesus Christ became the perfect, sinless Lamb of God and died to atone for our sins. Because of our relationship with Jesus, the presence of God is with us at ALL TIMES! Have you rejoiced to be in His presence today?
Father, how humbling and awesome it is to realize You are with us at this very moment as we write this page! We rejoice that we have the privilege of knowing You as Savior, Lord, and Father. We rejoice that You hear our prayers and know our needs before we voice them. We rejoice to be continually in Your presence, personally and intimately. Help us to remember that truth daily.
- REJOICE IN OUR SUPREME SOURCE OF JOY
At that time Hannah prayed: “My heart rejoicesH5970 in the LORD in whom my horn is
exalted. My mouth speaks boldly against my enemies, for I rejoiceH8055 in Your salvation.
1 Samuel 2:1
The Believer’s Bible Commentary expounds on the first ten verses of 1 Samuel 2:
HANNAH’S SONG (2:1–10) The devotedness of Elkanah’s wife and son stands out against the depravity of Eli’s family. After giving her son to the Lord, Hannah poured out her heart in thanksgiving. Her words reveal an in-depth knowledge of God, His character, and His deeds. The prayer seems to rebuke Peninnah for the many spiteful things she had said to Hannah, but it prophetically goes beyond this domestic squabble to the triumph of Israel over her foes and to the eventual reign of Christ. Mary’s song, often called the Magnificat (Luke 1:46–55), was obviously influenced by her knowledge of Hannah’s song. (5)
We have not used The King James Version Commentary prior to now, but this note on 1 Samuel 2:1 rang true to us:
My heart rejoiceth in the Lord (v. 1). The supreme source of Hannah’s joy is not in the child but in the God who has answered her prayer. (6)
Hannah had prayed so fervently for a son that Eli the priest thought she was drunk! When she explained that she was barren and was praying God would open her womb, Eli told her God would answer her prayer. In her prayer, she vowed to dedicate her firstborn child to the Lord. At the end of 1 Samuel 1, she makes good on her promise and brings her young son Samuel to the house of God at Shiloh to serve with Eli the Priest. Then she bursts out in song, rejoicing in the Lord who answered her prayer. Her joy in the Lord could not be contained, and her rejoicing was jubilant. How could she give up her first and at that time, only child soon after he was weaned? How could she give up the child she had waited so long to bear? She did rejoice to have Samuel whose name means “God has heard” but rejoiced more in knowing the Lord who hears, cares, and answers prayers.
God does hear and answer our prayers, not always in the way we imagine but in the way that is best for us. We can rejoice that the Creator of the Universe knows our names, knows our needs, and knows our inmost thoughts. We can rejoice that this Almighty God sent His Son to die in our place and redeem us from the sin that would separate us from God. We can rejoice in the God of our salvation who has adopted us into His family. We can rejoice that God is our Father, and we are victorious because of His love. REJOICE!
Father, remind us that our joy is found in You and not in the things You give us. Help us to rejoice in our relationship with You as our loving Father rather than our judge.