“And Saul built an altar to the Lord; it was the first altar that he built to the Lord.” 1 Samuel 14:35 (ESV) Saul had been preoccupied with his mission of mobilizing his army against the Philistines. His warriors were weary and faint since they had not been allowed to eat. In desperation, they killed […]
Author: Stephen Trammell
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Saul and God’s Sovereignty
“Now Samuel called the people together to the Lord at Mizpah. 18 And he said to the people of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing […]
“So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and they fled, every man to his home. And there was a very great slaughter, for thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell. 11 And the ark of God was captured, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.” 1 Samuel 4:10-11 (ESV) Israel experienced […]
“As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. 13 Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman. 14 And Eli said to her, ‘How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you.’” […]
“Then the women said to Naomi, ‘Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! 15 He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you […]
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Lordship and Leadership
“In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Judges 21:25 (ESV) Chaos saturated the people of Israel as each chose to do what was right in his own eyes. The sense of covenant community was fragmented and the evidence of unity was shattered. Without a […]
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Energy Allocation
“Then Samson called to the Lord and said, ‘O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes.’ 29 And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his […]
“And the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, ‘Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. 4 Therefore be careful and drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, 5 for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No […]
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Continual Realities
“And the Lord said to the people of Israel, ‘Did I not save you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites, from the Ammonites and from the Philistines? 12 The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you, and you cried out to me, and I saved you out of their hand. 13 Yet you […]
“As soon as Gideon died, the people of Israel turned again and whored after the Baals and made Baal-berith their god. 34 And the people of Israel did not remember the Lord their God, who had delivered them from the hand of all their enemies on every side, 35 and they did not show steadfast love […]
“The Lord said to Gideon, ‘The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, My own hand has saved me.’” Judges 7:2 (ESV) Gideon considered his clan to be the weakest in Manasseh and himself the least of his father’s house. He […]
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Drifting from God
“And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth.” Judges 3:7 (ESV) How quick they were to forget the Lord their God after all He had done to deliver them from Egyptian bondage! Sound familiar? The […]
“And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110 years. 9 And they buried him within the boundaries of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash.” Judges 2:8-9 (ESV) Some of the most meaning funerals I have ever preached […]
“‘Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your […]
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Promises of God
“Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.” Joshua 21:45 (ESV) A promise is only as good as the character of the one making the promise. A person who keeps his or her promise is a person who is […]
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Made to Worship
“Then the whole congregation of the people of Israel assembled at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there. The land lay subdued before them.” Joshua 18:1 (ESV) You were created to worship. God has given you the freedom to choose your object of worship. You can choose to worship creation or you can […]
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Wholly Followed the Lord
“Therefore Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the Lord, the God of Israel.” Joshua 14:14 (ESV) If someone were to shadow you for forty days, what would that person experience firsthand? Would that person be drawn to Christ or repelled? What that […]
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And the Lord Threw
“And the Lord threw them into a panic before Israel, who struck them with a great blow at Gibeon and chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. 11 And as they fled before Israel, while they were going down the ascent of Beth-horon, the […]
“The Lord said to Joshua, ‘Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings. 12 Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before […]
“And when the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord came up from the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were lifted up on dry ground, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all its banks, as before.” Joshua 4:18 (ESV) Crossing the […]
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Twelve Decades
“And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, 11 none like him for all the signs and the wonders that the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, 12 and for […]
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No Need to Fear
“Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, ‘Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. 8 It is the Lord who goes before […]
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God’s Favor
“And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall only go up and not down, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, being careful to do them, 14 and if you do not turn aside from any of the words that […]
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Don’t Forget
“When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not strip it afterward. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow. 22 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I command you to do this.” Deuteronomy 24:21-22 (ESV) Take pride for a ride by […]
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Reverse the Curse
“‘And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, 23 his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the Lord […]
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God Fights For You
“And when you draw near to the battle, the priest shall come forward and speak to the people 3 and shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, today you are drawing near for battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint. Do not fear or panic or be in dread of them, 4 for the Lord your God is he who goes […]
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Blessed to Bless
“‘If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, 8 but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, […]
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Obedience and Blessing
“‘See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: 27 the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, 28 and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way that I am commanding […]
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Walk in His Ways
“Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you. 6 So you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him.” Deuteronomy 8:5-6 (ESV) God has already established your value by sacrificing His only Son on the cross […]
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Love Your God
“‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.’” Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (ESV) What’s love got to do with it? Everything! Your love will be directed to the object of your affection and […]