TUESDAY 26TH SEPTEMBER 2017 MORNING
1 Samuel 12:8-15 New International Version (NIV)
8 “After Jacob entered Egypt, they cried to the Lord for help, and the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your ancestors out of Egypt and settled them in this place.
9 “But they forgot the Lord their God; so he sold them into the hand of Sisera, the commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hands of the Philistines and the king of Moab, who fought against them. 10 They cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned; we have forsaken the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths. But now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve you.’ 11 Then the Lord sent Jerub-Baal,[a] Barak,[b] Jephthah and Samuel,[c] and he delivered you from the hands of your enemies all around you, so that you lived in safety.
12 “But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, ‘No, we want a king to rule over us’—even though the Lord your God was your king. 13 Now here is the king you have chosen, the one you asked for; see, the Lord has set a king over you. 14 If you fear the Lord and serve and obey him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the Lord your God—good! 15 But if you do not obey the Lord, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your ancestors.
Footnotes:
- 1 Samuel 12:11 Also called Gideon
- 1 Samuel 12:11 Some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac; Hebrew Bedan
- 1 Samuel 12:11 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac Samson
These words are part of the speech of Samuel to the Jewish people. He wanted to remind them of their history and the way in which they had often failed to serve the true God. Samuel warned the people about the choices they would make and the consequences. If they remained faithful to the true God, He would bless them.
We should also think about our lives and whether we are truly loving and obeying God. Let us commit our lives to serve God and not to be lead astray.
JUMANNE TAREHE 26 SEPTEMBA 2017 ASUBUHI
1 SAMWELI 12:8-15
8 Yakobo alipokuwa ameingia Misri, na baba zenu walipomlilia Bwana, ndipo Bwana akawapeleka Musa na Haruni, nao wakawatoa baba zenu kutoka Misri, wakawakalisha mahali hapa.
9 Lakini wakamsahau Bwana, Mungu wao, naye akawauza na kuwatia katika mikono ya Sisera, jemadari wa jeshi la Hazori, na katika mikono ya Wafilisti, na katika mikono ya mfalme wa Moabu, nao wakapigana nao.
10 Nao wakamlilia Bwana, wakasema, Tumefanya dhambi, kwa kuwa tumemwacha Bwana, na kuwatumikia Mabaali na Maashtorethi; lakini sasa utuokoe na mikono ya adui zetu, nasi tutakutumikia wewe.
11 Bwana akawatuma Yerubaali, na Baraka, na Yeftha, na Samweli, akawaokoa ninyi na mikono ya adui zenu pande zote, nanyi mkakaa salama.
12 Hata mlipomwona Nahashi, mfalme wa wana wa Amoni, amekuja kupigana nanyi, mliniambia, Sivyo, lakini mfalme atatutawala; ingawa Bwana, Mungu wenu, ni mfalme wenu.
13 Basi sasa, mtazameni mfalme mliyemchagua na kumtaka; tazameni, Bwana ameweka mfalme juu yenu.
14 Kama mkimcha Bwana, na kumtumikia, na kuisikia sauti yake, msiiasi amri ya Bwana, tena kama ninyi, na mfalme anayewatawala, mkimfuata Bwana, Mungu wenu, vema!
15 Bali msipoisikia sauti ya Bwana, mkiiasi amri ya Bwana, ndipo mkono wa Bwana utakuwa juu yenu, kama ulivyokuwa juu ya baba zenu.
Maneno haya ni sehemu ya hotuba ya Samweli kuwaaga Waisraeli. Anawaonya kutofanya kama mababu zao walivyofanya. Anawasihi wawe waaminifu kwa Mungu wa kweli na kutoabudu miungu wengine.
Mungu atusaidie kumwabudu yeye na kutojaribiwa kuabudu miungu mingine. Tukimtumikia Mungu, tutabarikiwa.
