Jailed

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Acts 28:11-16; 30-31

TO CHEW ON: "Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ." Acts 28:31

Three months after the shipwreck Paul, his guards and companions set sail again. Soon they arrived in Rome. When they got there, the soldiers took Paul to a house.

"Arrival at Rome" by Johann C. Weigel, 1695

For two years he had to stay in that house with someone guarding him all the time.

"Paul preaches at Rome under guard" - Artist unknown

Even though he was a prisoner, Paul didn’t whine, sulk or feel sorry for himself. What did he do? (Find the words for the blanks in the word bank below - Acts 28:31)

He __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ the __ __ __ __ __ __ __ of __ __ __ and __ __ __ __ __ __ about __ __ __ __ __

God   Jesus

preached   kingdom

taught

You are probably not in a physical prison. But some things can make you feel as trapped as if you were. Things like being sick, being bullied, and failing at school can have you hoping and praying to be set free.

What is your prison? Pray that God will be with you, that you will feel Him beside you and that you will be set free!

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, please be with me even when I’m in a place where I’d rather not be. Amen.

"And they pulled me up out of the well"
Illustrationsby Annie Vallotton from the Good News Bible
© American Bible Society 1976, 1992, used with permission.

MORE: Bible Jailbirds
Paul was not the first person from the Bible to spend time in jail. Unscramble the names of these Bible characters and match them with their crime.

A. Caught and jailed after his hair was cut. __ __ __ __ __ __

B. Put in prison to silence them from talking about Jesus. __ __ __ __ __ & __ __ __ __

C. Jailed because his master’s wife lied about him. __ __ __ __ __ __

D. Accused of being a deserter and put in a dungeon. __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

E. Jailed because he condemned King Herod for living with his brother’s wife. __ __ __ __


NOJH the Baptist (Matthew 14:3-4)
HEOJSP (Genesis 39:17-20)
HMRIEJEA (Jeremiah 37:11-16)
NSMOAS (Judges 16:20-21)
REEPT & HOJN (Acts 4:1-3)


ANSWERS

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Samson Superman

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Judges 16:4-22

TO CHEW ON: "With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was sick to death of it. So he told her everything.” Judges 16:16,17

“I’m in love with a Philistine girl,” Samson announced to his dad one day. “Get her for me.”

Samson’s parents didn’t approve. “Can’t you find a good homegrown girl to marry?” they asked. But Samson insisted. And so began his up-and-down relationship with the Philistines.

The marriage soon went sour when Samson’s new wife tricked him. He left her. When he went back, he found that she was now married to someone else. That made him furious. He caught 300 foxes, tied their tails together, lit them on fire and released them to burn the Philistines’ fields of wheat, grapes and olives.

And so it went. Again and again Samson had dealings with the Philistines and got double-crossed. That made him angry and, with his strength from God, he got even. Once he killed 1000 men with only the bone of a donkey as a weapon.


Another time he escaped capture by breaking ropes he was tied with, then busting open the gates of the city by pulling them off their hinges. In this way he led Israel’s fight against the Philistines for twenty years.


One day he fell in love again with another Philistine lady named Delilah. Soon Samson was spending a lot of time at her house. When the city rulers found out, they promised Delilah large sums of money if she got him to tell the secret of his strength. And so she began asking him to tell her.

Time after time, Samson put her off by telling lies. “If you tie me up with seven fresh bowstrings, or with new ropes that have never been used, or weave the braids of my hair into the fabric on your loom I’ll become as weak as any man,” he told her. As soon as he fell asleep the city rulers did these things to him. But when he awoke he was as strong as ever. He ripped the bowstrings, tore the ropes and pulled out the loom.

But Delilah kept nagging and nagging and nagging. If Samson had been smart, he would have known that he should get away from Delilah. Her nagging was wearing him down.

He didn’t, though. And so the day came when he couldn’t stand it any more. “My strength is in my long hair,” he said. “I have never cut it because I am a Nazirite. If you cut off my hair, I’ll be like any ordinary person.”


That day after Samson fell asleep, the city rulers came. They cut off his hair. Then Delilah woke him. “Samson, the Philistines are going to get you!”

Samson got up. He tried to shake himself free like he had before. But he couldn’t. His strength from God was gone. He had played with the fire of temptation too long. Now he was burned.

The Philistines captured him, gouged out his eyes, and put him in the Gaza jail. There he was set to work grinding grain.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me recognize temptation and run away from it. Amen.

MORE: Samson’s Super-sad Ending
Read the end of Samson’s story in Judges 16:23-30.
When Samson's hair grew long again his strength came back. Draw the last feat of strength he ever did.

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Adult readers - DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR ADULTS  are available too at Other Food: daily devo's. 

Set-apart Samson

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Judges 13:1-7 & 24,25

TO CHEW ON: “... You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.” Judges 13:5

Again the Israelites did evil things. Again their enemies troubled them. This time they were oppressed by the Philistines for forty years.

One day during that time an angel came to the wife of Manoah. She had never been able to have any children. “Now you will have a baby,” the angel told her. “God has a special plan for him. When he grows up, he will have the job of winning against the Philistines.”

The angel comes to Manoah and his wife - Artist unknown

In time the baby was born. His parents named him Samson. As he grew, God blessed him. One day God’s Spirit moved him to begin doing the job God had called him to do.

What do you think :
1. Does God still have special plans for people?

2. Who does He have a plan for - only the people who are going to have big jobs like kings or presidents – or everyone else too?

3. Does God have a plan for you? Read Psalm 139:15 - 16.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for knowing me before I was born and making plans for my life. Help me discover what those plans are. Amen.

MORE: Nazarite
Samson was to be raised as a Nazirite.

A Nazarite was a person especially consecrated or devoted to God. Often people would promise to live like a Nazarite for a short time. But Samson was to live as a Nazarite for his whole life. (Judges 13:7)

Nazarites had to obey three rules. Find two of them in today’s story:

1. ____________________________________________________ (Judges 13:4)

2. ____________________________________________________ (Judges 13:6)

3. Never touch any dead person or animal.

Even Samson’s mom had to obey these rules while she was pregnant with Samson.

Answers

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.


Adult readers - DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR ADULTS  are available too at Other Food: daily devo's. 

God's Battle

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Judges 7:9-16

TO CHEW ON: "When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed down and worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, 'Get up! The Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands.' ” Judges 7:15

The first job God gave Gideon to do was to smash the Baal idols in his father’s house. The second job was to fight the Midianites. Thousands of men showed up to join Gideon’s army.

But God told Gideon, “With so many soldiers your army will take credit for winning. I want everyone to know that it’s Me, God, who is making you win, not your big army or your wise plans. Send home all the men who are afraid.”

Twenty-two thousand men left that day. Less than one thousand soldiers were left.

“This is still too many,” God said. After Gideon sent home more soldiers, only three hundred were left.

How will I ever beat the Midianites with such a small army, Gideon wondered.

That night God woke Gideon up and said to him, “If you’re scared, go the enemy’s camp and listen to what they’re saying.”

Gideon and his servant snuck into the valley. The enemy soldiers were sleeping. Then they heard one soldier talking to another. He was telling about a dream he’d had.

1. What was the dream? (Judges 7:13) _______

2. What did his friend say it meant? (Judges 7:14) ____________.

Now Gideon knew God was making the Midianites afraid. He hurried back to camp. “Get up! Let’s go!” he said to his soldiers. “God will help us win right now.”

He split his men into three groups. He gave each man weapons – a trumpet, a torch hidden inside a bowl – and told them to spread around the enemy’s camp. When they were all in place, Gideon gave the signal. All together they blew their trumpets, broke their bowls and showed their torches.

All together they blew their trumpets - Artist unknown

The trumpet blasts and sounds of shattering pottery woke up the enemy soldiers. The torches made it look like a huge army all around them. In confusion and fear the Midianite soldiers began killing each other. Because Gideon fought God’s way, God won a great victory for Israel that day.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to do things Your way. Then help me to give You the glory for the success You give. Amen.


MORE: How will it work?
Like Gideon, we may not be able to figure out how God’s instructions will work. But God knows exactly what to do. Here are Bible words that remind us about that.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8,9

You may want to memorize these verses. Next time you don’t understand something God is telling you to do, review these words and remind yourself of God’s wise thoughts and ways.

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.


Adult readers - DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR ADULTS  are available too at Other Food: daily devo's. 

Unlikely Warrior

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Judges 6:11-16

TO CHEW ON: "The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.' ” Judges 6:16

After Joshua died the people quickly forgot his final instructions. They began marrying their Canaanite neighbors and were soon praying to idols. So God allowed the nations around them to pick fights with them and win. The kings of these nations took their cities, made them servants and stole their crops.

When this happened, the people prayed for help. Then God raised up rulers called judges. These judges trusted God. They helped the people turn back to God. They led them into battle, helped them get back their land and live in peace again.

But the peace never lasted for long. No sooner was the danger past than the Israelites went back to worshiping idols. Then God allowed their enemies to trouble them again.

In one of these times the people from Midian – the Midianites – were hassling the Israelites so much they had to leave their homes and live in caves. They were running out of food because the Midianites stole their crops and cattle, and wrecked their land.

Gideon, threshing wheat in his hideout - Artist unknown

A farmer named Gideon lived at this time. One day he was secretly threshing wheat in his hideout.
1. Choose the words from the list below that describe how he may have been feeling:


2. Suddenly an angel appeared to him. What did the angel call him? (Judges 6:12)
a] humble farmer
b] idol worshiper
c] mighty warrior.

An angel comes to Gideon - Artist unknown

3. The angel went on to give him an assignment. He – Gideon, the farmer – was the one God had chosen to lead his people against the Midianites. Gideon knew he could never do this. But then the angel went on to tell him, he didn’t have to do it alone. Who would be with him? (Judges 6:16) _________________.

4. Choose the words from the list above that describe how Gideon may have felt after the angel talked to him.

What an amazing day for Gideon. And what a hard assignment! But Gideon didn’t have to do this assignment alone. God would be with him.

God has a special assignment for you too. Right now you may or may not know what it is. But when God tells you what He wants you to do, He will be with you, helping you do it.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for promising to help us do the jobs You give us to do. Amen.

MORE: Mighty you
1. The Lord’s angel called Gideon “Mighty Warrior”
If an angel from God visited you and called you by an empowering name, what would you want to be called? __________

2. Perhaps you already have an idea of the job God has for you. Write your thoughts about it.

Answers

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.


Adult readers - DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR ADULTS  are available too at Other Food: daily devo's.