The Lord Was With …
1. The Lord Was With Him
2. The Lord Was With Jehoshaphat
3. God Wants To Be With US
4. Enoch Walked With God
5. God Was With Noah
6. The Friend Of God
7. God Was With Isaac
8. Can The World See Jesus In Me?
9. The Lord Was With Jacob
10. The Lord Was With Joseph
11. The Lord Was With Moses
12. The Lord Was With Joshua
13. The Lord Was With The Judges Who Followed Him
14. Samson Wist Not That The Lord Was Departed From Him
15. The Lord Was With Samuel
16. Ichabod, The Glory Is Departed
17. The Lord Was With David
18. The Lord Was With King Jehoshaphat
19. The Lord Was With King Hezekiah
20. God Used The King Of Persia To Fulfill His Purpose
21. “God With Us”
22. “Lo I Am With You Always”
1. The Lord Was With Him
I was reading in I Chronicles, which is filled with names. Many are names that we don’t recognize. Many are names which are only recorded in this book. And many are recorded as lists of who was the son of whom. Chapter 9 is such a chapter with a genealogy, of fathers and sons. Sometimes something is said about a person which gives us a little of his character, and more identification than just a name. Look at verse 20. “And Phinehas the son of Eleazar was the ruler over them in time past, and the LORD was with him.” Among all these men, we have an identifying mark. Phinehas was the son of Eleazar, and he was the ruler, but the part that I noticed was, “and the LORD was with him.” I started thinking about people in the Bible which are set apart because, “the Lord was with him.” Let’s look at some of these people that the Lord was with.
2. The Lord Was With Jehoshaphat
I moved from I Chronicles to II Chronicles and we see another person that the Lord was with. After the death of Asa the King of Judah, his son Jehoshaphat became King. We have several things in these verses that tell us why the Lord was with him. I especially like verse 6, “And his heart was lifted up in the ways of the LORD…” We can’t be kings. But, we can seek the Lord and let our heart be lifted up in the ways of the Lord! What a beautiful thing to be said of Jehoshaphat. Let’s lift our heart up in the ways of the Lord!
“3 And the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto Baalim;
4 But sought to the LORD God of his father, and walked in his commandments, and not after the doings of Israel.
5 Therefore the LORD stablished the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah brought to Jehoshaphat presents; and he had riches and honour in abundance.
6 And his heart was lifted up in the ways of the LORD: moreover he took away the high places and groves out of Judah.” (II Chronicles 17:3-6)
3. God Wants To Be With Us
I don’t know any famous people, and if I did I don’t think any great people would want to spend time with me. But, the God of the universe, the God of all creation, who made us in His own image, wants to be with us. We can go back to the very beginning and see that God walked and talked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. But, they sinned and fellowship was broken, and they tried to hide from God. “And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.” (Genesis 3:8) God gave Moses the law, and instructions to make a tabernacle, so that He could walk among His people. “And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.” (Leviticus 26:11-12) Man still could not obey the law, so God sent Jesus, His only begotten Son to redeem us from sin. “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” (Matthew 1:23) God wants to be with us, and has made a way for us to be saved and have fellowship with Him. Jesus is the way of salvation. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with
him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20) Please don’t turn Him away. Believe in Jesus and enjoy the fellowship with God.
4. Enoch Walked With God
I was blessed to know my Grandfathers and Grandmothers on my Dad’s and my Mom’s side. I grew up spending time with them. I actually remember my great grandmother on my mother’s side. When my children made their genealogy books for school, we researched and found names of our ancestors dating back to 1785. It seems like such a long time to go back 250 years in naming our ancestors. It is amazing that the Bible gives the genealogies of people who lived from the creation of Adam and Eve. When Jesus was born, His genealogy was given all the way back to Adam, 4,000 years. The fifth chapter of Genesis gives us the first genealogies of history.
“1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;
2 Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.
3 And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:
4 And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters:
5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.” (Genesis 5:1-5)
Now, let’s go down a few verses to a man named Enoch.
“21 And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:
22 And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
23 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:
24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.” (Genesis 5:21-24)
We saw yesterday that God walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Notice that in these verses we see “And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.” God wants to walk with us. Isn’t it wonderful when we want to walk with God! Isn’t it great when we want to talk with God and read His Word! As we continue with these examples of men and women who the Lord was with, let’s focus our lives on being with the Lord.
5. God Was With Noah
By the sixth chapter of Genesis, the world had grown exceedingly wicked. God was going to destroy the living people and animals on the earth. “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” I was lost in sin, but by God’s amazing grace and His sweet mercy, I am safe in His arms, just as Noah was safe in the ark.
“5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.” (Genesis 6:5-9)
God told Noah to build an ark. Four times in these two chapters we read that Noah did all that God commanded him. “And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.” (Genesis 7:1) Have you ever noticed that God didn’t tell Noah to go into the ark, but He said, “Come thou and all thy house into the ark.” God was with Noah in the ark! I am so glad that God is with me!
6. The Friend Of God
I didn’t put the name in the title this time, because I thought you might like to guess. Do you know who was called the “Friend of God”?
This man walked with God. God told him, “Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3)
He worshiped God. The Lord appeared to him and said, “Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him. And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.” (Genesis 12:7-8)
Do you know this man, who was called the “Friend of God”? “And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.” (James 2:23) We see this in two scriptures of the Old Testament. “Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever?” (II Chronicles 20:7) “But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.” (Isaiah 41:8) (Exodus 33:11 tells us, “And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend…”) We also have a verse that tells us God was with Abraham. “And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phichol the chief captain of his host spake unto Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest:” (Genesis 21:22)
We read in the New Testament that there were those who were friends of Jesus. It is interesting that Jesus called Judas His friend even though he betrayed Him. “And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.” (Matthew 26:50) Judas had followed Jesus with the other disciples, and Jesus still had love for Judas. The greatest example of our friendship with God is found in John 15.
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” (John 15:13-15)
7. God Was With Isaac
We saw how God was with Abraham and promised to give him the land and make of him a great nation. Abraham had a son, Isaac, in his old age and God carried His promise to Abraham, on to his son, Isaac. In Genesis 26:3 God told Isaac, “Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;” Our thought for today, is that God always keeps His Word! God made the promise to Abraham and He kept it not only for Isaac, but for all generations. Jesus, the seed of Abraham, came and fulfilled the law so that all who believe on Him receive the promises of Abraham through faith.
“6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.
22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Verses from Galatians 3)
8. Can The World See Jesus In Me?
Today we begin with a question. Can the world see Jesus in me? Sometimes as we read about the Lord being with a person, we are also told that the people could see that God was with him.
“27 And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you?
28 And they said, We saw certainly that the LORD was with thee: and we said, Let there be now an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee;
29 That thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace: thou art now the blessed of the LORD.” (Genesis 26:27-29)
“ And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.” (II Chronicles 15:9)
“And Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David...” (I Samuel 18:28)
“And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.” (Genesis 39:2-3)
“So the LORD was with Joshua; and his fame was noised throughout all the country.” (Joshua 6:27)
Let’s move to the New Testament and see those who had been with Jesus. We should live our life in such a way that the world can see Jesus through us. Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)
“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13)
“28 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,
29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?
30 Then they went out of the city, and came unto him…
39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.
40 So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.
41 And many more believed because of his own word;
42 And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.” (Verses from John 4)
9. The Lord Was With Jacob
We saw that the Lord was with Abraham, with Isaac, and we follow on down the line to see that the Lord was with Jacob. This is a familiar story that I remember from childhood. After Jacob tricked Esau out of his birthright and his blessing, he fled to escape from his brother. He dreamed of a ladder that reached to heaven and the angels went up and down the ladder. God reminded him of His promise to Abraham and Isaac and now to him. Even though Jacob cheated his brother, God still kept His promise to be with him. And even though we fail the Lord from time to time, God will never leave us nor forsake us.
“10 And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.
11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.
12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.
13 And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;
14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.” (Genesis 28:10-15)
10. The Lord Was With Joseph
As we move from Jacob to Joseph, we find a young boy who was loved by his father more than all the rest and he gave him a coat of many colors. He had his father’s love, but only hatred from his brothers.
“2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.
4 And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.” (Genesis 37:2-4)
His brothers sold him to be a slave. But, the Lord was with Joseph and he was brought out of prison. He was lied about, and put back into prison, but the Lord was with Joseph. When life seems hard and things aren’t going our way, it may seem like we can’t see God’s hand in our lives. But, God doesn’t leave us during the hard times. God is still with us and guiding our lives according to His will.
“1 And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither.
2 And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
3 And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.
4 And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.” (Genesis 39:1-4)
“19 And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled.
20 And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.
21 But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
22 And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it.
23 The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the LORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper.” (Genesis 39:19-23)
11. The Lord Was With Moses
We took a break from our topic to look at some Easter devotions, and now I want to continue with, “The Lord Was With Moses”. God spoke to Moses from the burning bush as he took care of sheep in the mountain.
“2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.
5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.” (Exodos 3:2-6)
God sent Moses to deliver His people out of Egypt. God used Moses to show great miracles before Pharaoh. “Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land.” (Exodus 6:1) God gave Moses the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, written by the hand of God. When Moses came down from the mount, the people had made a golden calf and were worshiping it. Moses threw the tablets with the commandments down and broke them. He was surely broken and discouraged. These are my favorite verses about Moses. “And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.” (Exodus 33:14-15) That is my prayer, that God will go with me, and if not, then He will keep me from going. And at his lowest point in life, Moses cries out, “I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.” That’s what we need. We need to see, and live in the glory of God.
“11 And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.
12 And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight.
13 Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.
14 And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.
15 And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.
16 For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.
17 And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.
18 And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.
19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.
20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.
21 And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:
22 And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:
23 And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.” (Exodus 33:11-23)
“And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, In all the signs and the wonders, which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land,” (Deuteronomy 34:10-11)
12. The Lord Was With Joshua
Moses led the Israelites over dry ground when God parted the waters of the Red Sea. After the death of Moses, God chose Joshua to lead the people and they went over the Jordan River on dry ground. God promised to be with Joshua.
“7 And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee.
8 And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan.
9 And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the LORD your God.
10 And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites.
11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan.
12 Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man.
13 And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap.” (Joshua 3:7-13)
They came to Jericho and God caused the walls to fall down. “So the LORD was with Joshua; and his fame was noised throughout all the country.” (Joshua 6:27) The Israelites fought many battles as they claimed the Promised Land and God was with them! The Lord will be with us when we have battles to fight.
13. The Lord Was With The Judges Who Followed Him
When I began this series I was familiar with verses that said, “The Lord was with Joseph.” But, until I started going through the scriptures, I did not realize how many times the Bible says, “The Lord was with…” We have come to the book of Judges. In Judges 17:6 and also in Judges 21:25 we read, “In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” The people sinned against God, and God delivered them into the hands of their enemies. They repented and turned to God and He gave them a judge and delivered them. This cycle continues throughout the book of Judges. “And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them.” (Judges 2:18) Moses told the people that God would bless them when they followed Him, but when they sinned against God and turned to other false gods, they would be cursed. We want God to be with us, and we need to be with Him.
“26 Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse;
27 A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day:
28 And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.” (Deuteronomy 11:26-28)
14. Samson Wist Not That The Lord Was Departed From Him
Today we have the sad story of Samson, one of the judges of Israel. Samson was a Nazarite and he was to follow three specific vows. “But he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death.” (Judges 13:7) “And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him. And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times...” (Judges 13:24-25) In 14:5 Samson went to the vineyards of Timnath, but maybe Samson did not drink of the wine. In 14:9 he ate honey out of the carcass of the lion. And in chapter 16 Samson told Delilah that his strength came from his Nazarite vow to God and he had never cut his hair.
“16 And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;
17 That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother's womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.
18 And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath shewed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand.
19 And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.
20 And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him.
21 But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.” (Judges 16:16-21)
What a sad ending for such a mighty man, who was used by God. He didn’t even know that the LORD was departed from him. We can be going along with the blessings of God, but if we turn away from God, then we may not realize that we are not longer walking in the Spirit, until it is too late.
15. The Lord Was With Samuel
Hannah wept and prayed for a son and she vowed to give him back to the Lord.
“9 So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD.
10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.
11 And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.” (I Samuel 1:9-11)
“But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, girded with a linen ephod… And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the LORD, and also with men.” (I Samuel 2:18 & 26) We read in I Samuel 3:19, “And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.” Samuel and Samson had very similar beginnings. They lived during the time of the Judges. They may have known one another. They both started out doing what they could to serve the Lord. But, Samson turned away from God and his vows, while Samuel followed God and was a great prophet and judge over Israel. He anointed Saul to be the first king over Israel and also anointed King David. We have seen the lives of two Sams. Let us be like Samuel and keep serving the Lord.
16. Ichabod, The Glory Is Departed
The sons of Eli the priest were very wicked and God said that they would both die the same day. The Philistines went against Israel in battle and killed about four thousand men. They brought the ark of the covenant that “it may save us out of the hand of our enemies. So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.” (I Samuel 4:3-4) The Philistines were afraid of the God of Israel, but they fought and killed thirty thousand of Israel.
“11 And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.
12 And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head.
13 And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching: for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out.
14 And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And the man came in hastily, and told Eli.
15 Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, that he could not see.
16 And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to day out of the army. And he said, What is there done, my son?
17 And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken.
18 And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.
19 And his daughter in law, Phinehas' wife, was with child, near to be delivered: and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father in law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed; for her pains came upon her.
20 And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast born a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it.
21 And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband.
22 And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken.” (I Samuel 4:11-22)
When Joshua marched his army around Jericho the priests carried the Ark of the Covenant around the city and the walls fell down. In verse 3 of this story, the people said, “it may save us…” It was not the wooden box that gave Israel victory over Jericho, it was God. Our God is a mighty God and He instructed Moses to build the Ark of the Covenant, but we don’t serve a god in a wooden box. King Solomon said, “The heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee.” (I Kings 8:27) Just because we do certain rituals or follow customs, it doesn’t mean that God is with us. We must worship God, and not put the church or any other thing before God in our lives.
17. The Lord Was With David
God didn’t throw David into a battle with a giant to prove that He was with him. David learned that God was with him as he rescued a sheep out of the paw of a lion. His faith was strengthened as God delivered him out of the paw of a bear. God was with David and He prepared David and knew when his faith was ready to stand the test of facing the giant. “David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.” (I Samuel 17:37) “Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.” (I Samuel 17:45) This was not David’s final battle. God delivered David out of the hand of King Saul on several occasions. David’s faith grew with each trial. As we go through trials of life, and we turn to God our faith grows, and we learn that God is with us. The small troubles we face help us overcome the big problems later on. Put your trust in God in the things you face day by day and He will be with you and give you strength to face the giants in your life.
“And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick.
7 And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.
8 And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?
9 And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.
10 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul's hand.
11 And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice.
12 And Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and was departed from Saul.
13 Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people.
14 And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was with him.
15 Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him.
16 But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them.” (I Samuel 18:6-16)
18. The Lord Was With King Jehoshaphat
I want to mention just a few of the kings of Israel and Judah. When Jehoshaphat was king, the Moabites, the Ammonites, and Mount Seir, came against him to battle. I have included this wonderful chapter, but I want to emphasize verse 15 and 17. “And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's… Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.” What a wonderful story of how the Lord is with us!
“5 And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court,
6 And said, O LORD God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?
7 Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever?
8 And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying,
9 If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help.
10 And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not;
11 Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit.
12 O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.
13 And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.
14 Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the LORD in the midst of the congregation;
15 And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.
16 To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel.
17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.
18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD.
19 And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high.
20 And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.
21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.
22 And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.
23 For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another.
24 And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.
25 And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much.” (II Chronicles 20:5-25)
19. The Lord Was With King Hezekiah
We read in II Kings 18:5-7 of the faithfulness of King Hezekiah, “He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. For he clave to the LORD, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses. And the LORD was with him; and he prospered whithersoever he went forth: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not.” When Sennacherib, king of Assyria, told King Hezekiah that he was going to war against Jerusalem, Hezekiah took it to the Lord in prayer. “And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.” (II Kings 19:14) God answered the king’s prayer and the angel of the Lord smote 185,000 of the Assyrian army.
“33 Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shields, nor cast a bank against it.
34 By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the LORD.
35 For I will defend this city to save it for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.
36 Then the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.
38 And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Armenia: and Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead.” (Isaiah 37:33-38)
20. God Used The King Of Persia To Fulfill His Purpose
We have seen several examples of men in the Bible that God was with. When the Israelites did not follow God, He allowed them to be carried away captive by Nebuchadnezzar. Years later, God told King Cyrus to let them return and rebuild the temple of Jerusalem. God uses people in all walks of life to fulfill His purpose. God can show that He is with us, by using those we may see as our enemies.
“1 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,
2 Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
3 Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem.
4 And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.
5 Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all them whose spirit God had raised, to go up to build the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem.
6 And all they that were about them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with precious things, beside all that was willingly offered.
7 Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put them in the house of his gods;” (Ezra 1:1-7)
21. “God With Us”
When we began this series we talked about Adam and Eve and how God wanted to be with them in the Garden of Eden. They sinned and broke the fellowship with God. God provided His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to take our punishment so that we can have forgiveness of our sin. When we accept the gift of salvation it restores the fellowship with God that was broken by our sin. As we move to the New Testament, we see again that God wants to be with us. I am thankful that the Lord is with me.
“18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.
20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” (Matthew 1:18-23)
22. “Lo, I Am With You Alway”
Jesus tried to prepare the disciples for his death and resurrection. He told them that He would send them another Comforter. We understand that He was speaking of the Holy Spirit that lives within us after we are saved. God is with us always! We have these promises.
“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” (John 14:16-17)
“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5)
“Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)
And these closing words from the book of Matthew…
“16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.
17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.
18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:1-20)
