I Will Remember Thursday, May 28 2026 

“I Will Remember”

Text: Psalm 77:10–11 (KJV)

“And I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High.
I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old.”

Introduction

Psalm 77 is not written from a mountain top.
It is written from a valley.

The writer is troubled.
His spirit is overwhelmed.
Sleep has left him.
Questions are filling his mind.

He begins by talking about his pain…
but then something changes.

He says:

“This is my infirmity: BUT I will remember…”

There comes a moment when a child of God must stop staring at the darkness and start remembering the faithfulness of God.

The devil loves spiritual amnesia.
He wants you to forget:

  • the prayers God answered,
  • the doors God opened,
  • the miracles God performed,
  • the times God carried you.

But Asaph said:
“I may be hurting… but I still remember.”

Suddenly the psalmist saw the years, all of them, even the years of tragedy and loss, as being at the right hand of the Most High Himself. The name Elyon itself is significant for it was the very name of God to which Melchiz-edek introduced Abraham—”the Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth!”

The years of the right hand of the MOST HIGH.” Our thoughts go back to the Bethlehem road, to that dark spot in Jacob’s pilgrimage, near Bethlehem, about two miles south of Jerusalem and a mile north of Bethlehem. Jacob had been steadily moving south from Bethel—acting again in self-will, for God had told him to go to Bethel and dwell there. On the way, near Bethlehem, Rachel insisted on a halt. There was a birth and a death right there. Benjamin was born; Rachel died. The journey had been too great for her. Oh, that they had stayed at Bethel! There, by the wayside, Rachel brought that little boy to the birth, weeping in her birth pains and in her death throes. “Call him Benoni,” she gasped as her spirit fled. Brokenhearted, bereft of his very heart, Jacob took the little fellow in his arms. “Not Benoni,” he said, “but Benjamin.” “Not ’son of my sorrow,’ but ’son of my right hand.’” It was a glorious moment of faith triumphing over feeling.

The psalmist looks up into the face of the Most High. He thinks of the years—the years with their long tale of wickedness and woe, the years with their mysteries and miseries. “I will not write ’Benoni’ over those years,” he says. “I will write ’Benjamin’ over them.” They are the years of the right hand of God.

Dustin Bresina testimony

Tiffany Hettinga testimony

1. Remembering Is a Weapon Against Despair

The Psalmist said:

“This is my infirmity…”

“Infirmity” means weakness, affliction, limitation.

He admits:
“I’m struggling.”
“I’m weary.”
“My emotions are wounded.”

Even great people of faith have weak moments.

  • Elijah sat under a juniper tree.
  • Job cursed the day of his birth.
  • Jeremiah said he was weary with forbearing.
  • Peter wept bitterly.

But the turning point came when the Psalmist shifted his focus.

He stopped looking inward…
and started looking backward.

Sometimes the greatest thing you can do is revisit the victories God already gave you.

The devil says:
“God has abandoned you.”

But memory says:
“No He hasn’t.
He made a way before.”

Illustration

It is amazing how quickly fear can erase memory.

Israel walked through the Red Sea…
then a few days later said:
“Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?”

How could people who saw water stand up like walls suddenly doubt Him?

Because fear attacks memory.

That is why testimony matters.
That is why worship matters.
That is why we tell our children what God has done.

2. Remember “The Years of the Right Hand of the Most High”

The “right hand” in scripture speaks of:

  • power,
  • authority,
  • victory,
  • favor.

Asaph was saying:
“I remember the years when God’s hand was upon me.”

There are seasons in your life where you can clearly see:
“That was the hand of God.”

  • You should have lost your mind…
    but God kept you.
  • You should not have survived…
    but God brought you through.
  • You did not know how you would pay the bill/rent/car payment…
    but somehow provision came.
  • The doctor gave one report…but God gave another.

You are sitting here today because of the right hand of God.

Scripture

“Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power…” — Exodus 15:6

God’s hand is still mighty.

The same hand that:

  • parted seas,
  • shut lions’ mouths,
  • raised the dead,
  • filled the upper room—

is still working today.

3. Remember the Works of the Lord

David said:

“I will remember the works of the LORD…”

Not coincidence.
Not luck.
Not accident.

The WORKS of the Lord.

When you look back over your life, you can see fingerprints of God everywhere.

There were moments:

  • you didn’t even know He was protecting you,
  • you didn’t know why a door closed,
  • you didn’t know why a delay happened—

but later you realized:
“God was working all along.”

Sometimes We Forget Too Quickly… can I get an amen

We pray for miracles…
then once the storm passes, we move on as if it was ordinary.

But the Psalmist said:
“I will remember.”

Remember:

  • where He found you,
  • what He delivered you from,
  • how He filled you with the Holy Ghost,
  • the prayers He answered,
  • the revivals He sent,
  • the times His presence swept through the church.

4. Remember the Wonders of Old

“Surely I will remember thy wonders of old.”

“Wonders” speaks of miraculous acts that leave people amazed.

The church must never lose its memory of the supernatural.

We are serving:

  • the God of Pentecost,
  • the God of miracles,
  • the God who still heals,
  • the God who still delivers,
  • the God who still fills people with the Holy Ghost.

If He did it before…
He can do it again.

Illustration

David faced Goliath with old memories.

He said:
“The God who delivered me from the lion and the bear…”

Yesterday’s victories became fuel for today’s battle.

Some of you need to walk into your next battle carrying remembrance.

Tell the devil:

  • “God healed me before.”
  • “God made a way before.”
  • “God touched my family before.”
  • “God brought revival before.”

And if He did it then—
He can do it now.

5. Memory Produces Faith

Remembering is not living in the past.
Remembering builds faith for the future.

When you remember what God HAS done…
you gain confidence in what God WILL do.

The God of yesterday is still the God of today.

Scripture

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” — Hebrews 13:8

God has never failed.
Not once.

Kings have failed.
Governments have failed.
Economies have failed.
People have failed.

But God has never failed His people.

Conclusion

The Psalm began in sorrow…
but remembrance shifted the atmosphere.

Sometimes the answer is not a new revelation.
Sometimes the answer is remembering old ones.

Asaph essentially said:
“I refuse to let pain erase my testimony.”

Closing Exhortation

Remember:

  • the altar where God changed you,
  • the night He filled you with His Spirit,
  • the sermon that broke your heart,
  • the miracle that saved your family,
  • the times He protected you,
  • the prayers He answered.

You didn’t get here by yourself.

It was the goodness of God.
It was the mercy of God.
It was the mighty hand of God.

Altar Call

Before you ask God for the next miracle…
take a moment and remember the last one.

Before you pray about what you lack…
thank Him for what He has already done.

Somebody ought to lift their hands and say:
“Lord, I remember.”

“I remember Your mercy.”
“I remember Your power.”
“I remember Your faithfulness.”
“I remember the wonders of old.”

A mature believer learns to talk back to present trouble with past testimony:

  • “God brought me through before.”
  • “He healed before.”
  • “He provided before.”
  • “He made a way before.”
  • “The same God who opened the sea is still with me now.”

Current trouble is real, but it is not the whole story. The memory of God’s faithfulness becomes an anchor for the next storm.

And the same God who worked then…
is about to work again.

Which study Bible in 2026? Thursday, Dec 18 2025 

 Which study Bible for 2026?

One of the most common questions I have been asked over the last 50 years in my travels is simply which is the best study Bible?

I think all of us know there is no singular answer that encompasses everything.

Some Bibles excel in readability like large print. Some Bibles appeal because of their size and ease of carry. I am of the opinion some Bibles are carried in our modern world because they are currently a fad. You know it’s the groovy Bible to carry. It is the latest… Have you got one yet? There are even some Bibles that would carry a certain status with some people. Maybe it’s a collectible. Maybe it’s a new bind in an exotic leather of some type. I really do understand all that, and that is not even my subject today. My subject today is totally trying to focus on the content and what it would add to your knowledge in the next 365 days of 2026.

Every year at this time I spend a little time deciding which study Bible I’m going to use for the next 12 months. This is a simple process that I have used for the last 30 years or so. I have used many study Bibles. Here are a few that I have used. I began with the Thompson Chain Bible. I have also used the Schofield Bible, the Dake Bible, the Companion Bible, the Spirit Application Bible, the Ryrie Study Bible, the Chronological Bible, the Student Bible, the Hebrew Bible, the Apostolic Study Bible, and of course, the Premier Study Bible. There have been others that I have used, but I think you get the picture.

I have read the Bible every year cover to cover since I was 14 years old. The majority of those years has been a different study Bible. I do my best to read not only the Bible text, but the footnotes, the introductions, and all the added information.

When Young ministers ask me what I would recommend them to read I always recommend use a different study Bible every year and read everything. That includes the dates, the notes, the references, all of it. It is my personal opinion this is one way a young preacher can “round out” a lot of his thinking on doctrinal issues and also biblical history.

I would like to tell the young impatient ministers there are no shortcuts to really understanding the Bible. It is a long, lifetime process. There is no one study Bible that’s going to make you brilliant and smart by itself alone. I believe most older advanced ministers would tell you that the more they’ve studied the more they realize what they don’t know.

I would like to add a personal recommendation. If you only read or study so that you can preach a message you’re going to miss the greatest moments in your spiritual life. I believe your study should be because you love Jesus Christ. 

I believe your study should be daily. If you truly study daily, you will never be without a message to preach. You will always have more subjects than you can deliver in public services. Learn to be consistent, learn to put the word of God first, and God will give you sermons and revelations.

Having said that let’s begin. I am not going to include the Premier Study Bible (PSB) in this blog. My reason is, I have spent a number of years participating writing commentary and in the development of this Bible. I am still on the publishing board and the financial board of the PBS. It is impossible for me to be impartial and to not prefer it above the others —so please know that what I’m about to write does not include the PSB. Every young beginning minister should start his ministry by reading the PSB cover to cover.

I realize this next comment will cross swords with a number of preachers, and I am fine if you disagree. I have never read any translation, except the King James version of the Bible. It is my preferred reading and study. I have used other translations to see if there is a meaning in a particular passage that I am overlooking, however, to be honest I’m 99% always using the KJV. I believe in the majority text and I believe it is the correct text to study. This whole subject is maybe for another blog. Suffice it to say that I am not a believer in the minority text and the Bibles that are printed from that textus. This also applies to even the interlinear. It is impossible to remove 60,000 words from the text without affecting what you’re studying.

So today the question I am discussing is: if you could only have one study Bible, which one would it be?

My answer (that excludes the PSB) is if I could only have one Bible, I would want to use the Thompson Chain. It is possible that some of my bias is because it was the first Bible I began to use when I started preaching full-time at 23 years old. I still have it, and it literally has been written on every single page of the Bible. I believe in writing and making notes in my Bible -that is just a personal preference.

The original Thompson Chain-Reference Bible company was purchased in the last few years by Zondervan. They have produced it in a new binding and a new block text. This is a very good Bible. It is a Bible that if you did not own any other reference material, you would still be able to get a very well-rounded picture of doctrine and Bible history. It is literally the Bible on itself -meaning what does the Bible say about the Bible, and it leads you through chains of scriptures to do that.There is no one “Bible wonder” that does everything, but I do think this particular Bible comes closer than the others.

Just for fun I’m going to list some Bibles and what I prefer about these particular Bibles:

For reading: Schuyler (I like the chapter divisions)

For carry to church: Allan ( I like red letter and Allan does not make any)

For size/convience: Cambridge (my first Bible bought with my own money at 16)

For article/cool notes/introductions: The Student Bible (Zondervan-out of print)

For new preppie cool factor: Humble Lamb

For being a collectible: Thomas Nelson Signature Series (out of print)

Whatever Bible you choose to use in 2026 may I highly recommend reading your Bible cover to cover in 2026.

Blessings

An Apostolic Man In An Apostate World Friday, Mar 3 2023 

An Apostolic Man In An Apostate World

What is an Apostolic man? Very simply he is a follower of the Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ. The current fads and social ideas swirling around him do not faze him. He is Apostolic in his thinking.

He is Apostolic in his doctrine. He is not confused by false teaching or fake Pentecost or plastic Christians. He has read his Bible, studied the doctrine, listened to his Pastor, and there is no doubt in his heart that he is an Apostolic man

He is proud to be an Apostolic. Not a sinful pride that would contaminate his Holy Ghost. But a pride born of thankfulness and gratitude, that in a world full of false religion, God has singled him out to be a bearer of the torch of truth. 

Apostolic men are not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

  • They will stand in the defiant face of an atheist and proclaim that God is. 
  • They will openly laugh at  an agnostic when he says he is confused whether or not there is a God. In fact a true Apostolic man will lift his voice and tell anyone, I know there is a God for I felt him. I know him and He is personal to me.

The Apostolic man of 2023 does not hide behind the walls of his local church fearful and afraid. He rises each morning to put on the armor of God, and walks into a dark world as the bearer of light of the one true God Jesus Christ.

He looks like an Apostolic man. No punk hairdos or crazy life styles because he represents Jesus Christ. He refuses to disfigure Jesus Christ to the world. He does not get tattoos or earrings or foolish trivial things that contaminate his tabernacle. His appearance is clean, clean shaven, no beards or mustaches or goatees, simple, and godly. When the legions who live in darkness see him, they see a clean wholesome man that represents true manhood. There is no trans gender confusion in the way an Apostolic man dresses and walks through his world.

He acts like an Apostolic man. A true apostolic man puts a bridle on his tongue so that he speaks a language that edifies Jesus Christ. He has put away lying, gossiping, critical words, curse words, and he uses his voice to lift up the name of Jesus Christ~ at home and at the workplace. His speech and his words do not betray his testimony.

He leads like an Apostolic man. He surrenders his self will so he can lead his family in the things of God. He loves his wife, and prefers his wife, for he has read the instructions in the Holy Book, husbands love your wives. He does not provoke his children to wrath for the same Holy Book teaches him he must be gentle unto all men. He does not drive his family, he leads them. He leads them in prayer,  he leads them in being consistent,  he leads them in submitting to authority, and he is an example to his wife and family.

The Apostolic man is not confused. The shifting winds of social change do not deter his course. He has set his sails and he is headed for the Celestial City. His mind is made up, his gait is steady, his direction unswerving. He knows who he is in an apostate world. 

The Apostolic man of 2023 accepts his role of following in the footsteps of the truly great Apostolic men of the past. It began with the Apostles, Peter, John, and Paul. It has continued now for 2000 years and the Apostolic man of 2023 is not about to drop the torch of truth on his leg of the race. 

He is not intimidated by the challenge for he is of a rare breed of men that has survived for over 2000 years, and is as strong today as it has ever been. He is a warrior in the model of Shamgar, Gideon, and David. The Apostolic man does not cower in the shadows, he steps out into the bright sunlight of his world and continues the destiny of Apostolic men for the last 2000 years.

You are an Apostolic man in 2023. Stand strong. Be brave. Walk with confidence in a changing world. 

Stand beside your Pastor and hold his hands up as we continue the march of great Apostolic men of the last two millennials. 

Our forbears all handed us a trail that they blazed as surely as Lewis and Clark made the Northwest Trek. 

Today we proclaim here to reaffirm our commitment to being an Apostolic man in 2023.

The Abraham factor… Thursday, Aug 21 2014 

Abraham is the father of three world religions. How much more can one life contribute to planet earth?

Abraham is considered the father of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. This encompasses much of the population of earth. Geographically it is quite a large area covered by these three religions. I would imagine most countries of the world are affected by at least one or more of these religions.

I had a discussion with a young pastor on the east coast and he contributed an interesting observation.

Pastor Bart Adkins of High Point, North Carolina is one of the brilliant young Apostolics of this generation. He is also a talented musician, singer and speaker. He made this observation:

“I had a conversation with dad one day musing on the thought that God has
attempted to make himself known to all the peoples of the Earth. It is
interesting to me in thinking about Judaism, Islam, and Christianity,
specifically, as though each one almost displays a particular aspect of God’s
character. The Jews had His law and Word, to a science. The Muslims have His War
and Judgement. The Christians have seen the revelation of His Grace and Mercy.”

Thank you Pastor Adkins for that keen insight.

Thanks for reading today….

Sarah, we will miss you! Friday, Dec 6 2013 

Today I read of Abraham burying his wife Sarah.

Abraham was 137 years old. He would live another 38 years without Sarah.

Many were the memories with Sarah. Packing to leave Mesopotamia. The years in Haran. Finally the last move to the land of Canaan.

The 25 years of waiting for the promise. The faux pas of Ishmael, and that debacle.

Sarah had been there for it all. Now she was gone. Abraham looked into her cold still face for the last time.

Standing beside Abraham was his 37 year old son of promise, Issac.

Ishmael, who was 51, was probably there also. Maybe there were others as well.

Many years of memories were being laid to rest in that lonely, barren cave of Machpelah.

Eliezer, Abraham’s servant of over 60 years was there. That faithful servant who had lived the victories, hardships, and tragedies along with the family. He would be the one who would make the journey to bring back Rebekah in three years, when Issac was 40 years old.

Rebekah would never know her husband’s mother. Her children would never know their grandmother. Death was denying them ever knowing that.

We will never know the thoughts and feelings that ambled through all their minds as they walked away from a huge chunk of their lifetime. Sarah was gone. Dead. She had been there for so many years, now she was gone.

Death is such a horrible foe. It is so final and powerful. It takes so much from us. It leaves us lonely, sad, and empty, and sometimes angry.

In my opinion natural, physical, death does not compare with the pain of spiritual death.

The agony of watching someone walk away from God after years of worship and shouting and church functions is pain beyond description!

I Will Not Ignore Uriah’s Religion Saturday, Feb 26 2011 

Abiathar was angry.  He was going to confront Uriah.  As the priest that David
trusted in he would not allow this Hittite to worship Baal in the camp.

He stormed up to the camp fire where the noted warriors were lounging.  The fire
flickered on the swarthy faces of these hodge podge freedom fighters.

When he walked up, silence invaded.  It always does when the preacher walks in.

With steel in his voice he challenged Uriah.  'Have you been worshipping your
God here in the camp of Israel?'

Funny how silence can suddenly freeze every sound. Uriah was slow to answer.  He
was not about to take anything from any man, but this was the priest.

How he answered could easily start major trouble with men who wore their swords
ready to hand.  He had seen bloodshed in a flash not long ago when Abner met
Joab.

His eyes were steady as he looked up at Abiathar.  Slowly he stood.  He looked
up to only one man.  The man he gave his allegiance to.  David.

He respected Abiathar, but he feared no man. While the elite fighters of David
waited to see how this would go down, he said, "actually no I have not".

He waited.  Abiathar was seething with a righteous vengeance. 

"What are the remains of the altar I found today?  The word is that you
worshipped your god of the Hittites there.  I demand an answer!" Abiathar half
shouted.

Other men gathered around.  The small fire was now surrounded by a legion of
David's fighting men.

Uriah said tersely, " You asked If I worshipped in the camp.  I did not.  I went
to a high place and there practiced my own beliefs."

Abiathar snarled "How dare you?"

Uriah stood his ground.  "I did not join David's religion.  I joined his cause
to fight for his Kingdom.  He has never spoken to me of my faith.  I have done
nothing wrong."

Abiathar's eyes were those of a zealot.  Smoldering, angry, barely contained,
eyes.

It was a standoff of proud men both who felt they were right.

It was Joab of all people who deescalated the moment.  

Slowly Joab rose to his feet.  All eyes shifted to the General.

Joab slowly and calmly said to the priest, "Uriah is not asking you to approve
of his worship Abiathar.  He is asking you to ignore his religion."

Everyone there could feel the release of tension.  It was a word fitly spoken. 

Abiathar stalked off into the night.  Uriah stretched his hands to the fire and
said nothing.

It is not the things that we are forced to approve that are our danger in 2011.  

It is the things we ignore.

Did Uriah's religion factor in to David's taking Bathsheba?

Why did Bathsheba have enormous influence on David until his death?

Did Joab resist placing Uriah in the forefront of battle? He was after all a
Baal worshipper?

I do not know these things, but I do know this......

The world is not asking me to approve of Gays.  The world is asking me to ignore
them. 

 Pulpit silence.  

The world is not asking me to approve of abortion.  The world is asking me to
ignore it.

Pulpit silence.

The world is not asking me to approve social drinking.  The world asks me to
ignore it.

Pulpit silence.

Maybe just maybe had Abitahar forced the issue, the entire course of Israel's
history might have been redirected.

I have decided I will not approve, nor will I ignore certain things.

I will speak, and maybe some Uriah's may yet live!

Thanks for reading today.

Why David? Why? Thursday, Oct 7 2010 

‘Why, David, why?”

The place was another nameless cave.

The men stirred about restlessly.

Gradually, and very uneasily, they began to settle in.

All were as confused as Joab, who had finally voiced their questions.

Joab wanted some answers.

Now!

David should have seemed embarrassed or at least defensive.

He was neither.

He was looking past Joab like a man viewing another realm which only he could see.

Joab walked directly in front of David, looking down on him, and began roaring his frustrations.

“Many times he almost speared you to death in his castle.

I’ve seen that with my own eyes.

Finally, you ran away.

Now for years you have been nothing but a rabbit for him to chase.

Furthermore, the whole world believes the lies he tells about you.

He has come, the King himself, hunting every cave, pit and hole on earth to find you and kill you like a dog.

But tonight you had him at the end of his own spear and you did nothing!

“Look at us.  We’re animals again.  Less than an hour ago you could have freed us all.  Yes, we could all be free, right now!  Free!  And Israel, too.  She would be free.  Why, David, why did you not end these years of misery?”

There was a long silence.

Men shifted again, uneasily.

They were not accustomed to seeing David rebuked.

“Because,” said David very slowly (and with a gentleness that seemed to say, ‘I heard what you asked, but not the way you asked it’), “because once, long ago, he was not mad.  He was young.  He was great.  Great in the eyes of God and men.  And it was God who made him king – God – not men.”

Joab blazed back, “But now he is mad!  And God is no longer with him.  And, David, he will yet kill you!”

This time it was David’s answer that blazed with fire.

Better he kill me than I learn his ways.

Better he kill me than I become what he is.

I will not practice his ways.

I will not throw spears, nor will I allow hatred to grow in my heart.

I will not avenge.

Not now.

Not ever!”

Joab stormed out into the dark.

That night men went to bed on cold, wet stone and muttered about their leader’s views.

That night angels sang and dreamed, in the afterglow of that rare, rare day, that God might yet be able to give His authority to a man who did not throw spears.

Thanks for reading today!

3 Things Wednesday, Oct 6 2010 

Unlike anyone else in spear-throwing history, David did not know what to do when a spear was thrown at him.

He did not throw Saul’s spears back at him.

Nor did he make any spears of his own and throw them.

Something was different about David.

All he did was dodge.

What can a man, especially a young man, do when the king decides to use him for target practice?

What if the young man decides not to return the compliment?

First of all, he must pretend he cannot see spears.

Even when they are coming straight at him.

Secondly, he must also learn to duck very quickly.

Lastly, he must pretend nothing at all happened.

You can easily tell when someone has been hit by a spear.

He turns a deep shade of bitter.

David never got hit.

Gradually, he learned a very well kept secret.

He discovered three things that prevented him from ever being hit.

One, never learn anything about the fashionable, easily mastered art of spear throwing.

Two, stay out of the company of all spear throwers.

Three, keep your mouth tightly closed.

In this way, spears will never touch you, even when they pierce your heart.

Thanks for reading today!

Spear Throwers Tuesday, Oct 5 2010 


David had a question:

What do you do when someone throws a spear at you?

Does it not seem odd to you that David did not know the answer to this question?

After all, everyone else in the world knows what to do when a spear is thrown at them.

Why, you pick up the spear and throw it right back!

“When someone throws a spear at you, David, just wrench it right out of the wall and throw it back.

Absolutely everyone else does, you can be sure.”

And in doing this small feat of returning thrown spears, you will prove many things:

You are courageous.

You stand for the right.

You boldly stand against the wrong.

You are tough and can’t be pushed around.

You will not stand for injustice or unfair treatment.

You are the defender of the faith, keeper of the flame, detector of all heresy…..after the order of King Saul.

There is also a possibility that some 20 years from now you will be the most incredibly skilled spear thrower in all the realm.

Thanks for reading today!

You can live for God anywhere! Thursday, May 20 2010 

You can live for  God anywhere!

He lived in the bulls-eye center of one of the worst times of history. Every man was doing that which was right in his own eyes!  There was no King in Israel.

Less than 10 miles from his ancestral home where he still lived, idolatry had just been introduced to Israel.

Idolatry would dominate every facet of Israeli life for the next one thousand years.  It would take a seventy year exile in Babylon to purge the southern nation, and a permanent exile of the northern kingdom to finally get rid of idolatry.

He was there to see the birth of Idolatry!

About five miles from his home one of the tribes had just forced a priest to become the priest of their tribe. They were dissatisfied with their land along the coast, and their tribe was looking to expand their boundaries beyond what God had allocated their tribe.

He had a ring side seat to watch a tribe lose its place forever in Israel. Dan’s heritage disappeared before his eyes.

He was right in the midst of a controversy that eventually cost the nation 65,000 fighting men.  He saw the results of infighting among tribes and saw the results.

He saw the grisly piece of evidence sent to his tribe and was close enough to hear the battle cries over three days that finally left only four hundred men to the tribe of Benjamin. To see a piece of a mutilated woman and the war that erupted among the people of God was no small issue!

Yet through it all he stayed true to the word of God!  When others had no regard for the law, he lived by every letter down to the smallest detail.

The world around him was going to hell in a hand basket, but he never flinched!

Let others fight among themselves.  Let others worship idols.  Let others lose their inheritance.  It never touched him!

If the law said take off your sandal and meet the near kinsman in the gate, that is exactly what he would do!

If the law said another man had first claim to the woman he was interested in, he would honor and defer to the law!

He stands as a silent sentinel to those who make up their mind no matter what others do, I will live by the word of God!

He is a testimony against every excuse maker, and compromiser that says everybody is doing it.

While his nation fell to idolatry, killed itself off, and gave away their inheritance, he stayed true to the law of God!

Is it any wonder his great grandson became the greatest King Israel ever had?

Thank you Boaz, and thanks for reading today!

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