Day 17 - Girls Devo

Day 17

WORD: Again

Female characters:

Rebekah

Reading:

Genesis 26:7-11

When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” because he was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He thought, “The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful.” When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked down from a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah. So Abimelech summoned Isaac and said, “She is really your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac answered him, “Because I thought I might lose my life on account of her.” Then Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the men might well have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.” So Abimelech gave orders to all the people: “Anyone who molests this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”

Additional Reading:

Proverbs 29:23-27

A man’s pride brings him low,

but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.

The accomplice of a thief is his own enemy;

he is put under oath and dare not testify.

Fear of man will prove to be a snare,

but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.

Many seek an audience with a ruler,

but it is from the Lord that man gets justice.

The righteous detest the dishonest;

the wicked detest the upright. 

Observations:

Yes, you read this right Isaac and Rebekah did the same thing as Abraham and Sarah. Isaac said that he was Rebekah sister to get out of being possibly killed.  Then when he thought Abimelech was not looking he caress his wife thinking they were all alone, but Abimelech saw it.  We do not know if this was the first time they hid away and thought no one would see them but just like all sins they will be found out.  Sin is sin and it cannot be hidden.  Even if it is not something the whole world finds out. Also remember God always knows there is no hiding it from him.  God is always there.  And once again God protected the wife Rebekah in that no men of the city pursued her.   Fear of man will always give you trouble, but the Lord he will protect you. 

Ponder this:

What sin are you trying to hid? Do you have unconfessed sins?  What are you waiting for good will forgive you. Are you trusting God or man?  

Just for fun:

Take a moment and just reflect on your life.

Day 16: Girls Devo

Day 16

WORD: Twins

Female characters:

Rebekah

Judith 

Basemath

Reading:

Genesis 25:19-28

This is the account of Abraham’s son Isaac.

Abraham became the father of Isaac, and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean. Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. The Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger. ” When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau. After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them.

The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was a quiet man, staying among the tents. Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

Additional Reading:

Genesis 26:34-35 (NIV 1984)

When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.

Observations:

And then there were four.....Rebekah was many things she was a woman, daughter, sister, and a wife; but she was not a mother not yet.  Isaac prayed for his wife to have a child.  God answered this pray by not just giving her one child but two.  This was just the beginning of the story for this family.  I love how God says their are two nations inside her.  I am sure many pregnant women have thought the same think.  The difference here is that in Rebekah case it is true.  Rebekah love Jacob and Isaac loved Esau.  In the additional reading the first in law issues started.  

Ponder this:

Do you have a favored?  Do you treat someone as if they are the favored?  Look around you do you see someone that is unfavored?  What can you do to help them?  How do you feel when you are the favored one?  How do you feel when you are the unfavored one?  

Just for fun:

Buy yourself some flowers.

Day 15: Girls Devo

Day 15

WORD: Bloodline 

Female characters:

Leah

Rachel

Reading:

Exodus 6:15  The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. These were the clans of Simeon.

Additional Reading:

Genesis 29:31-33

When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, “It is because the Lord has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now.” She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Because the Lord heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon.

Observations:

God showed mercy on Leah by opening her womb and giving her children.  Here sons would play an important role in the bloodline of Christ. 

Ponder this:

How has God blessed you?  

Just for fun:

Start a blessing journal

Day 14: Girls Devo

Day 14 -Exodus 3:21-22

WORD: Favorably

Female characters 

Women of Egypt

Women of Israel 

Exodus 3:21-22

“And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed. Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians.”

Additional Reading:

Exodus 12:31-36

During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord as you have requested. Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me.” The Egyptians urged the people to hurry and leave the country. “For otherwise,” they said, “we will all die!” So the people took their dough before the yeast was added, and carried it on their shoulders in kneading troughs wrapped in clothing. The Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and for clothing. The Lord had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered the Egyptians.   

Observations

If you look up favorably in the dictionary it is defined as "with approval or to the advantage of someone or something".  Not only did the Egyptians have a favorably disposition to the Israelites but also God had the advantage in that he knew what was going to happen.  God told Moses what was going to happen before it happened.  The Israel women and men were to leave the land of Egypt with the possessions but also their silver, gold and clothing. The second reading is when the Israelites leave Egypt. 

Ponder this

Do you live life like you know God know everything?  Do live like God wants the best for you?  Do you know that God loves you and put things in your life for your good. 

Just for fun

Buy a new piece of jewelry in remembrance of what God did for the women of Israel.

Day 13: Girls Devo

Day 13 - Exodus 2:7-10

WORD: Moses

Female characters 

Sister

Pharaoh's daughter

Mother

Exodus 2:7-10

Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” “Yes, go,” she answered. So the girl went and got the baby’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.” So the woman took the baby and nursed him. When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, “I drew him out of the water.”

Additional Reading:

Numbers 12:1-9

Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” And the Lord heard this. (Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.) At once the Lord said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, “Come out to the Tent of Meeting, all three of you.” So the three of them came out. Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud; he stood at the entrance to the Tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When both of them stepped forward, he said, “Listen to my words:

“When a prophet of the Lord is among you,

I reveal myself to him in visions,

I speak to him in dreams.

But this is not true of my servant Moses;

he is faithful in all my house.

With him I speak face to face,

clearly and not in riddles;

he sees the form of the Lord.

Why then were you not afraid

to speak against my servant Moses?”

The anger of the Lord burned against them, and he left them.

Numbers 26:59

the name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, a descendant of Levi, who was born to the Levites in Egypt. To Amram she bore Aaron, Moses and their sister Miriam.

Observations

Have you been around a new baby.  Everyone wants to see, hold and love on the baby.  If you are a big sister or brother, you either love or are jealous of the new baby.  Miriam is a big sister that was watchful of her baby brother Moses.   Just like all siblings (expectably when you have 3 siblings) you gang up on the other sibling.  This is the case in the second passage.  Aaron and Miriam are talking about Moses and God hears them and chastens them. In the third passage Miriam is referenced.  Many time females are not added to this but sisters are even less.  

Ponder this
How do you treat your siblings?  Do you speak about others, forgetting that God is right there with you? Would God talk about you the same way he did Moses.  Are you walking worthy to be defined by God?  

Just for fun

Drink a glass of water or sip a cup of tea

Day 12: Girls Devo

Day 12 - Exodus 2:1-6

WORD: Family

Female characters 

Daughter of Levi

Sister (Miriam)

Daughter of Pharaoh

Her maidens

Israel women

Exodus 2:1-6

Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a daughter of Levi. The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was beautiful, she hid him for three months. But when she could hide him no longer, she got him a wicker basket and covered it over with tar and pitch. Then she put the child into it and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile. His sister stood at a distance to find out what would happen to him.

The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the Nile, with her maidens walking alongside the Nile; and she saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid, and she brought it to her. When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the boy was crying. And she had pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”  

Additional Reading:

Exodus 15:19-21

When Pharaoh’s horses, chariots and horsemen went into the sea, the Lord brought the waters of the sea back over them, but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground. Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing. Miriam sang to them:

“Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea.”

Observations

Ok sometimes I have the craziest thoughts.  Today when I reread the first passage I couldn't help but notice that it says  "when she saw that he was beautiful she hid him for three month".  So my thought was if Moses had been hideous what would his mother have done?  

There are several female characters in this story.  Usually Moses mother is the person that is thought about or maybe pharaoh's daughter.  When I read it this time I was struck by several things.  One, how much his mother cared for him and how amazing the story is in the fact that she gets him back for awhile. Second, how the story of adoption is shown, just like how we are adopted into God's family (Romans 8:23).  Third, Miriam is a good sister who watches over her brother as a baby and she is still close to him as he leaves Egypt. In the second passage we also see that Miriam is a leader among her fellow females.  I love the picture of the praiseful worshipping of the women dancing and playing their tambourines.  

Ponder this

How do you interact with your family?  Do you have an adopted family?  How do you show your gratefulness to God when he does things for you?  How is your relationship with your mother and father?  Is there anything you should do to change it?  Are you a leader among your peer group of females?  

Just for fun

Pick a day and wear pajamas all day