Devotional - July 7, 2004

It was a long time ago, generations even, when the tribal ancestors of Simeon finished what no one before them would do. It only took five hundred of them to do it and when they were done, no Amalekites were left alive. The people God whom hated so much he put a price on their head, were finally history.

Who were these people God hated so much? You may remember that the Amalekites hid from the massive group of Israelites who were led by Moses and making their way through the desert to the Promised Land. The Amalekites would target the old, crippled, weak and defenseless Israelites who lagged behind. When opportunity availed itself, the ancestors of Amalek would attack the vulnerable stragglers and steal what they wanted without so much as a fight.

Later the Amalekites would grow bolder as they faced off against Joshua (Ex 17), and in a battle that lasted all day, their army was defeated at Rephidim. But the nation of Amalek still existed and it was revealed to Moses that God himself would be at war against Amalek from generation to generation of Israelites.

A little later, you may recall that Saul, the first king of Israel, failed to finish off the Amalekites and subsequently lost his crown because of it. Saul's successor, David would exact revenge on the Amalekites for plundering Ziklag and kidnapping two of his wives and their children. He soundly defeated the Amalekite army but allowed four-hundred young men to run away on camels. (1 Sa 15:15; 28:18; 30:17)

What is so important that we've spent so much time talking about a long lost enemy of God and how generation after generation of leaders has failed to complete their mission?

Scripture tells us to love what is good and to hate evil. Still, it seems that few of us really have a hatred for sin that drives us to see it as God does. We shouldn't criticize anyone for their failure to complete the mission God gave them, for I'm afraid we no better than them. (Ro 12:9)

A mission statement is something that identifies the things that motivate us to serve God. Do you have one? Does it include the determination to love what God loves and hate what He hates? I doubt it, and even if it did, most of us see being on mission as going somewhere with God to do something for God that we don't or won't do here at home.

May we learn that the only mission we need is the one we'll do today, right where we live, work and play. May we learn to see things from God's point of view and do those things he's told us to do in His word. Now there's a mission statement that will please the Lord and it's just three words:
LISTEN, LEARN & LIVE.

1 Developed from Read the Bible Thru ( 1 Ch. 4:5-5:17 Ac. 25:1-27 Ps. 5:1-12 Pr. 18:19 )
2. Scripture comes from the Holy Bible, New International Version; (c)1978 by New York International Bible Society