«If you fear the Lord and serve Him and obey His voice, and do not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then both you and the kingw ho reigns over you will continue following the Lord your God» (l Samuel 12:14).
After Saul’s victory defending the Israelites from the Gibeonites, Samuel called them to meet in Gilgal for a national assembly of thanksgiving, to turn his work as a judge over to the newly named king, Saul, and to reflect on the blessings and lessons of the past. Gil was the most appropriate place for a reconsecration because it brought Israelites many important, heartfelt memories.
«Gilgal had been the place of Israel’s first encampment in the Promised Land. It was here that Joshua, by divine direction, set up the pillar of twelve stones to commemorate the miraculous passage of the Jordan. Here circumcision had been renewed. Here they had kept the first Passover after the sin at Kadesh and the desert sojourn. Here the manna ceased. Here the Captain of the Lord’s host had revealed Himself as chief in command of the armies of Israel. From this place they marched to the overthrow of Jericho and the conquest of Ai. Herc Achan met the penalty of his sin, and here was made that treaty with the Gibeonites which punished Israel’s neglect to ask counsel of God.”- Patriarchs and Prophets, ch. 59, p. 613.
Gilgal was a witness of blessing in obedience and of the consequences of disobedience. We all have a place that brings us the most beatiful and the saddest memories. Barquisimeto, Venezuela, is my Gilgal. It was the first big city that I was in; I had my first university interview there, and I began my professional life there. It is also where I became engaged and had my engagement party; it is where my three children were born. It is where my son died, and where my mother had two strokes. My marriage ended there. «That city helps me remember the blessings I received and the consequences of warnings that went unheeded. Where is your Gilgal? Does it inspire you to consecrate yourself to God?
«Oh, where, as a people, are our commemorative stones? Where are set up our monumental pillars carved with letters expressing the precious story God has done for us in our experience? Can we not, in view of the past, look on new trials and increased perplexities—even afflictions, privations, and bereavements—and not be dismayed, but look upon the past and say, ‘Hitherto hath the Lord helped us. I will commit the keeping of my soul unto Him as unto a faithful Creator.’ «—Selected Messages, vol. 3,ch.41, p. 320.
Discover your Gilgal, and return there, though it be symbolically, to remember the blessings and lessons learned, and renew your pact with God.
www.meditacionesdiarias.com
https://twitter.com/meditacionesdi1
http://www.instagram.com/meditacionesdiarias7
Taken from: Devotional Thoughts for Women 2023
“DAUGHTER OF MINE” Do Not Be Afraid
From: Arsenia Fernandez-Uckele
Collaborators: Xiomara Perdomo & Angelica Cuate
