Hulyo 30 (Sabado): Hukom 17-18
Lumaya
July 31 (Sunday): Judges 19-21
A Woman’s Sacrifice
July 25 (Monday): Judges 7-8
HUKOM 17:2 Minsan, sinabi niya sa kanyang
ina, "Nang mawala ang 1,100 ninyong pilak,
narinig kong sinumpa ninyo ang nagnakaw.
Ako po ang kumuha. Heto po, isinasauli ko
na sa inyo."
“You are welcome to stay with me,” the old man
said. “I will give you anything you might need.
But whatever you do, don’t spend the night in
the square.” So he took them home with him and
fed the donkeys. After they washed their feet,
they ate and drank together [20-21].
The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three
hundred men that lapped I will save you and
give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the
other men go, each to his own place [7:7].
Litaw na litaw kung anong uri ng
pagkatao mayroon ang ina ni Micah nang
manakawan ito ng pilak. Agad itong
nakapagbitaw ng di mabuting salita.
Mukhang matindi ang mga sinabi nito at
mabilis na tinablan ang anak na kumuha
at sinoli ang pilak.
Sa mga mapanubok na situwasyon tulad
nito, lalabas ang ang tunay na nilalaman
ng puso. At kadalasan sa pera
nasusubukan ang marami. Di ba nga
marami ang nagpapakahalimaw sa
ngalan ng pera. Maging ang mga may
mataas na pinag-aralan at nasa posisyon
ay nagiging mamamatay at magnanakaw
dahil sa sobrang pag-ibig dito. Maging
ang maraming kristiyano ay ito rin ang
kahinaan. Sumasama ang kanilang loob
sa oras na makanti ang kanilang bulsa.
Wala pa ngang nabibigay kung minsan ay
marami nang sinasabi. Ang mag-ina, sa
itaas na talata, ay may mataas na
pagpapahalaga sa salapi. Parehong
gumawa ng hindi nararapat .
Saan nakatuon ang puso mo ngayon,
ikaw na kristiyano? Mag-ingat sapagkat
kung saan naroroon ang iyong
kayamanan, naroroon din ang iyong
puso." (Mateo 6:21)
Amang Dios, loobin N’yo pong mabuksan
nang husto ang aking puso at isipan.
Makapamuhay ako nang malaya sa
kasakiman. Amen.
This is a very disgusting passage. The society has
been so morally depraved that sexual crimes
became so rampant and unstoppable. Not a soul
has the courage to stand up for what is right. The
depravity was so gross to the point that it has no
respect for strangers. In the sea of this morally
depraved society was an old man who is caring
enough to shelter the couple from the imminent
danger. He offered his house to the stranger but
he was not able to stop the vicious men from
raping his guest’s concubine.
I can’t imagine the terrible ordeal the woman paid
for the salvation of her spouse and the daughters
of her good host. She was raped all night and
when the morning came she was dead. Her
spouse cut her body into pieces and used it as
visual protest to seek and receive justice for the
crime.
Put Your Trust In The Lord
Bulay – Buhay
“Bulay (Tag.) means to meditate.
“Buhay (Tag.)” means life.
Our devotional bulletin implies
the need to meditate for life.
Weekly Devotional Guide
July 25-31, 2011
Devotional Writers
Monday – Pastor Nelly A.
Tuesday – Marilyn S.
The world is filled with similar stories of sex
related crimes. The women of Darfur, Libya,
Egypt, Afganistan, Iran and similar countries
where women’s rights are suppressed suffered
inhuman treatment. In modern and free societies
like America, Japan and Europe women are
paraded as commercial items. Women
exploitation is still a big problem in the world
today – child prostitution, cyber sex, mail-orderbride, broker marriages, sex tourism, private
assistants for hire, illegal drugs transporter and
many more.
Wednesday – Cerela N.
Rise up! Mighty women of God!
Shalom Christian Fellowship
Uphold your dignity and honor.
Tokyo, Japan
Let not the world despise you,
Webpage: http://scflink.com
Fight for God’s image and likeness in you!
Thursday – Paul T.
Friday – Joy A.
Saturday – Hannah S.
Sunday – Dr. JB A.
E-mail: scf_japan@yahoo.com
In this story, the Lord reduced the number of
Gideon’s fighting men so that Israel will not
boast that it was because of their own
strength that they won the battle and claim
the glory of victory for themselves.
I believe Gideon’s confidence to attack their
enemies was shaken when the Lord reduced
his fighting men from 32,000 to 300 men
[v.10] knowing that their enemies were as
thick as the locust and whose camels could no
more be counted than the sand on the sea
shore [v.12]!
Like Gideon, we Christians, are facing battles
in life. We are living in the world of sin where
struggles, problems, difficulties, trials,
temptations and many other kinds of
challenges in life are waging war against our
spirit, soul and body. Sometimes we felt weak
and we lose confidence and become afraid to
face the world around us. But like in Gideon’s
life, the Lord wants us to fully put our trust on
Him. The Lord provided us all the instruments
and weapons against the enemies of our soul
[Eph.6:10-18].
Let us not rely on our strength, talents,
abilities and resources. Let us always believe in
God’s Word to meet our daily challenges.
When victories are received and our prayers
are answered let us not forget to give God all
the glory and honor.
Father God, help us to always follow your
direction and leadings in our daily life. Help
us to see that trials and obstacles in life are
also your instruments to shape and
strengthen our faith in you, amen.
Hulyo 26 (Martes): Hukom 9-10
Dakilang Hukom
Hulyo 27 (Miyerkules): Hukom 11-12
Panunumpa o Pangako
July 28 (Thursday) Judges 13-14
“Train Up a Child”
July 29 (Friday): Judges 15-16
God gives Strength
Si Abimelec ay siningil ng Diyos dahil sa
pagpatay sa pitumpu niyang kapatid.
Pinagdusa rin ng Diyos ang mga tagaSiquem. [56-57a]
Hukom 11:29-33 Ang Espiritu ni Yahweh ay
lumukob kay Jefte. Nagpunta siya sa Galaad
at Manases, pagkatapos ay nagbalik sa
Mizpa, Galaad at saka nagtuloy upang
salakayin ang mga Ammonita. At nangako si
Jefte kay Yahweh ng ganito: “Kapag niloob
ninyo na malupig ko ang mga Ammonitang
ito, susunugin ko bilang handog sa inyo ang
unang sasalubong sa akin pag-uwi ko.”
Sinalakay nga ni Jefte ang mga Ammonita at
pinagtagumpay siya ni Yahweh. Nalupig nila
ang mga kalaban at nasakop ang
dalawampung lunsod mula sa Aroer, sa
palibot ng Minit hanggang sa
Abelqueramim. Marami silang napatay na
Ammonita.
Then Manoah prayed to the Lord. He said, "Lord,
I beg you to let the man of God you sent to us
come again. He told us we would have a son. We
want the man of God to teach us how to bring up
the boy." [Judges 13:8]Samson’s parents had a
Then God opened up the hollow
Mababasa natin sa Biblia na hindi
nagtatagumpay ang kasamaan laban sa
kabutihan. Gaya ni Abimelec, dahil sa
kanyang kasamaan ay pinatay ang pitum-pung
kapatid niya. Maliban lamang sa pinakabatang
si Joatam dahil nakapagtago ito. (5)
Meron kaparusahan ang mga tao na
gumagawa ng kasamaan. Sabi nga eh kung
ano ang itinanim ay siyang aanihin. Gaya ni
Abimelec dahil sa kasamaan at hangad na
matanyag sa bayan ng kanyang magulang, ay
pinatay ang kanyang mga kapatid. Kanya rin
naranasan sa kamay ng kanyang
nasasakupan ang kanyang kalupitan na siya
niyang ikinamatay. Pinarusahan din ng
Panginoon ang mga taga-Siquem dahil sa
pagtalikod at pagsamba sa diyus-diyusan.
Kung ano man ang naranasan natin ngayon
isipin nating lagi na ang Diyos ay mahabagin
sa kanyang mga anak. Siya ang magtatangol
sa atin! Siya ang dakilang Hukom na handang
magligtas. Tumawag sa Kanya at ihingi ng
tawad kung tayo man ay may nagawang
pagkakamali at kasalanan. Ang Diyos ay
handang magpatawad at bukas-palad na tayo
ay tatangapin at kakalingain.
Unahin ang Diyos kahit ano pa man ang
nangyayari sa buhay. Ipagkatiwala at
ipaubaya ang lahat-lahat at seguradong di ka
mapapahiya sa Ama. Makatatangap ka ng
hustisya.
Ama, salamat sa kabutihan at
pagtatangol sa amin. Ikaw Ama ang
aming kapahingahan sa araw-araw.
Maluwalhati ka Ama, mahal kita, Jesu
Kristo! Amen.
Ang batas ng Diyos, ang panunumpa ay
pangako sa Diyos na kinakailangan itong
tuparin (Bilang 30:1,2; Deut.23:21-23).
Katulad ito ng isang kasulatan sa kontrata.
Maraming tao sa bibliya ang gumawa ng
mga panunumpa at isa na nga si Jefte. Ang
ginawang panunumpa o pangako ni Jefte sa
Diyos ay nauwi sa hinagpis. Sapagkat ang
unang sumalubong sa kanya ay ang kaisaisa niyang anak na babae.
Marami rin sa atin ang katulad ni Jefte,
dahil sa dala ng emosyon ay kaagad
gumagawa ng pangako sa Diyos. Mga
pangakong kay sarap pakinggan, ngunit
nagbibigay lamang ng “frustration” kung
pipilitin natin itong tuparin. Hindi nais ng
Diyos na tayo ay mangako sa kanya sa
panghinaharap o future, ngunit ang nais ng
Diyos ay ang pagsunod natin sa kanya sa
“ngayon”.
Ama naming Diyos, bigyan mo kami ng
katalinuhan sa paggawa ng desisyon at
ilayo mo kami sa mga bagay na di kanaisnais sa iyong harapan. Salamat sa iyong
pag-ibig sa amin. Amen.
deep sense of responsibility to raise and
place in Lehi, and water came out
of it. When Samson drank, his
strength returned and he revived.
[15:19]
teach their child in the ways of the God of
Israel. They were living in the time when
many of the children of Israel were doing evil
in the sight of the Lord and as a result the
Lord had delivered Israel into the hands of
the Philistines. Despite this fact, Manoah and
his wife prayed to God, prepared an offering
of sacrifice to God, and raised Samson to be a
Nazirite.
The above scripture reminded me of God's
promise, "Train a child in the way he should
go, and when he is old he will not turn from
it." Proverbs 22:6. Samson's parents did a
fairly good job of teaching Samson. They
asked for wisdom from God with sincerity
and eagerness and God answered their
prayers. They lift everything to God because
they know that the gift of having a baby
comes only from God.
As a father, every time I saw my little boy, I
never stop thanking God for his faithfulness
and words are not enough to explain how
happy we are as parents. There’s really a
miracle in love and love surpasses everything.
I can now somehow explain the meaning of
“nothing can separate us from the love of
Christ our Father”
Oh God, truly you are awesome and a living God.
I pray that we would learn to worship God in new
and intimate ways. May we be encouraged by the
lives of Samson's parents as we meditate upon
the words found in Judges.
God made water come out from a hollow
place. God can make something out of
nothing. Truly, all things are possible with
God. Samson was thirsty and so he asked
God for water. God answered his request
and gave him water so that he would
renew his strength and revive again.
‘Ask and it shall be given to you’ (Matt.
7:7)
Whenever you feel weak, low and tired,
as God for strength. Our God is able! He
doesn’t want us to grow weak especially
in our Spiritual life. He wants us to be
strong and He makes us strong.
Lord, You are a miracle-working
God. You can make extra-ordinary
things happen. You are Almighty
and Powerful. Please give me
strength always. Please give me
confidence to share about You to
others. I do everything for Your
glory. Amen.