𝐌𝐲 𝐉𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧⁣ ⁣ 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 (𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭): Read 2 Samuel 22:1 – 23:23, Acts 2:1-47, Psalm 122:1-9, and Proverbs 16:19=20.⁣ ⁣ 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐠: What is your area of responsibility?⁣ ⁣ 𝐎𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭: (Psalm 122:6) All law enforcement officers have an area of responsibility. There is only One who has jurisdiction over the entire world and that is God.⁣ ⁣ You may be a local peace officer who has a small beat in a big city or has responsibility for an entire small town. You may be a county sheriff with a large jurisdiction of land or a state trooper who is responsible for one area but has jurisdiction that stretches throughout your whole state. You may be a federal agent having authority in every state in the country. The thing we all have in common is we have an area.⁣ ⁣ Jerusalem was not different. That city and area belonged to David. It was his jurisdiction and area of responsibility. David prayed for the peace of Jerusalem and had a strong desire to see the people of Jerusalem secure. I hope this is how all peace officers feel about their area of responsibility. God has called each of us to an area. We are shepherds of the flocks in our jurisdiction, to protect and teach them about the hope we have in Jesus.⁣ ⁣ In Acts 1:8, Jesus told His disciples to be His witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest parts of the earth. He gave them areas. I believe this was a progressive list. Today’s application is for us to start in our own backyard, which is our Jerusalem. Once the disciples had shared with Jerusalem, they were to go to Judea, which was the state. After that, He mentions Samaria, which we know as the parts of Israel that contained foreigners and people of different colors and languages. Lastly, He tells them, and us, to go to all the remotest parts of the world. The question is, have you shared the Gospel with your family, friends, and co-workers? That is your Jerusalem. Have you moved out to the people of your jurisdiction? How about your county, and so on? What is your current area of responsibility?⁣ ⁣ 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬: Acts 1:8.⁣ ⁣ 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞: We all have a responsibility because we all have work that has been assigned to us. With authority comes responsibility.⁣ ⁣ 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘉𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘊𝘰𝘱 © 𝘣𝘺 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘎𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥. 𝘜𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘝𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 (𝘕𝘐𝘝) 𝘶𝘯𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘉𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 © 𝘣𝘺 𝘛𝘺𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘐𝘯𝘤. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘥.⁣ (fb)

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬⁣ ⁣ 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 (𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭): Read 2 Samuel 20:14 – 21:22, Acts 1:1-26, Psalm 121:1-8, and Proverbs 16:18.⁣ ⁣ 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐠: Commentaries and Biblical scholars go back and forth about how tall Goliath was. Some say he was nine foot nine inches while others argue that he was six foot nine inches. From the initial description of the spies in Numbers 13, I would go with nine feet tall.⁣ ⁣ 𝐎𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭: (2 Samuel 21:19-22) When I think about these giants, I wonder if this is who the spies saw when they came to spy out the land in Numbers 13. They returned to tell Moses and the Israelites that the men of Canaan were of great size and that they became like grasshoppers in comparison to them. These giants must have been what the spies saw.⁣ ⁣ Goliath was a descendant of Rapha. We do not know if Rapha was his father, grandfather, or great grandfather. No matter how far-removed Rapha was, these four giants were his descendants. They were either brothers or cousins of Goliath. The battles between David’s house and Goliath’s house were not contained to the one battle of David versus Goliath. Here is a list:⁣ ⁣ 1.) David versus Goliath, 1 Samuel 17⁣ 2.) Abishai rescued David and killed Ishbi-Benob, 2 Samuel 21:15-17⁣ 3.) Sibbekai killed Saph, 2 Samuel 21:18 and 1 Chronicles 20:4⁣ 4.) Elhanan of Bethlehem killed Jair, a brother of Goliath, 2 Samuel 21-19 and 2 Chronicles 20:5.⁣ 5.) David’s nephew Jonathan killed another brother of Goliath who had twelve toes and twelve fingers, 2 Samuel 21:21 and 1 Chronicles 20:6-7.⁣ ⁣ There may have been other brothers, cousins, or relatives that did not make the history books of the Bible. We know that these five descendants of Rapha were related. They were all part of the Philistine army and probably the reason David chose 5 stones when he went to fight Goliath in 1 Samuel 17. He picked one stone for each of the giants.⁣ ⁣ 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬: Numbers 13, 1 Samuel 17, 2 Samuel 21:15-17, 2 Samuel 21:18, 1 Chronicles 20:4, 2 Samuel 21-19, 2 Chronicles 20:5, 2 Samuel 21:21, and 1 Chronicles 20:6-7.⁣ ⁣ 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞: I once went to a family violence call where a son had beat up his father. When we got on scene, we found a six-foot tall, teenage kid, standing over a bloody, badly beaten dad. When we tried to take the son into custody, the dad, mom, two younger brothers, and three sisters all came to his aid. Families can be a dangerous dynamic for law enforcement.⁣ ⁣ 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘉𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘊𝘰𝘱 © 𝘣𝘺 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘎𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥. 𝘜𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘝𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 (𝘕𝘐𝘝) 𝘶𝘯𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘉𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 © 𝘣𝘺 𝘛𝘺𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘐𝘯𝘤. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘥.⁣ (fb)