So they stripped him and took his head and his armor and sent messengers around the land of the Philistines to carry the good news to their idols and to the people. This was love in action and it made quite the impression during those times. How to Be Love in Action The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; and Jeziel and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth, and Beracah and Jehu the Anathothite, By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. ( AQ) 25 He chose to be mistreated ( AR) along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He regarded disgrace ( AS) for the sake of Christ ( AT) as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. ( AU) 27 By faith he left Egypt, ( AV) not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer ( AW) of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel. ( AX) In the Old Testament, there are no stories of sight being restored to the blind. But there are numerous verses that show that only the Lord can cause the blind to see and that the Messiah, who is the Lord, would do this. Psalm 146:8 proclaims, “The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.” Isaiah 29:18 states, “On that day the deaf will hear words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see.” In Isaiah 35:5, after saying that God will come to save His people, the prophet says, “Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped.”

David went out to meet them, and said to them, ``If you come peacefully to me to help me, my heart shall be united with you; but if to betray me to my adversaries, since there is no wrong in my hands, may the God of our fathers look on it and decide." From the Gadites there came over to David in the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for war, who could handle shield and spear, and whose faces were like the faces of lions, and they were as swift as the gazelles on the mountains. Why did Jesus heal the man in this unusual way, by spitting and making mud, applying it to the man’s eyes, and telling him to go wash in the Pool of Siloam? Why didn’t Jesus just speak the word, as He did with the man at the Pool of Bethesda or at Lazarus’ tomb? John doesn’t tell us, so we don’t know for sure. Some early church fathers speculated that the mention of clay made from the ground recalls Genesis 2:7, where God formed man out of the dust of the ground. Thus this miracle would illustrate John 1:3, that Jesus is the Creator (Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John [Eerdmans], pp. 480-481). Other suggestions have been made. When John the Baptist was languishing in prison, he began to wonder, “If Jesus is the Messiah, then why am I, His messenger, in this dungeon?” So he sent messengers to Jesus to ask (Matt. 11:3), “Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?” Jesus answered (11:4-5), “Go and report to John what you hear and see: the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.” Jesus was referring to Isaiah 35, which He fulfilled. Whether it’s volunteering at church, at the local shelter, or meeting the needs in your neighborhood. It could be as simple as washing someone’s hair or dropping off a meal.

In the winter 2023 – 24 issue …

and did not inquire of the LORD. Therefore He killed him and turned the kingdom to David the son of Jesse. Meet the need.There are so many needs happening around you, it only takes you and me to become more aware. In response to the disciples’ theological question, Jesus answers (9:3), “ It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” Some have a problem with the view that God would allow this man to be born blind and suffer all these years just so that his healing would display the works of God. But I think that those people have too big a view of man and too little a view of God. If our suffering can bring glory to God and display His infinite worth to others, then it takes on ultimate meaning and significance. Paul put it like this (2 Cor. 4:17), “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison.” Little children, we must stop expressing love merely by our words and manner of speech; we must love also in action and in truth. By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient. [ d] ( BA)

It came about the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. Now these are the numbers of the divisions equipped for war, who came to David at Hebron, to turn the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of the LORD. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, ( D) so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. We see four things here: the great need; the great Savior; the great purpose; and, the great urgency. 1. The great need: The world is spiritually blind from birth. Then it hit him and Cosby thought, “Dumb! Dumb! Dumb!” Ray good-naturedly replied, “I do everything in the dark, brother!”By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” [ a] ( H) For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him ( I) must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. The battle became heavy against Saul, and the archers overtook him; and he was wounded by the archers. By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised.