Israel built kings’ houses.\par But it forgot its Maker!\par Now Judah builds fortresses. {\cf2\super [83]} \par But I will send a fire on Judah’s cities.\par And the fire will destroy its fortresses!”\par
Those people will continue to act like they serve God. But the way they live shows that they don’t really serve God. Timothy, stay away from those people.
Come near to God and God will come near to you. You are sinners. So clean sin out of your lives. {\cf2\super [23]} You are trying to follow God and the world at the same time. Make your thinking pure.
So Gideon built an altar [57] in that place to worship the Lord. Gideon named that altar, “The Lord is Peace.” That altar still stands in the city of Ophrah. Ophrah is where the Abiezer family lives.
Then Saul said, “Go to the men and tell them each person must bring his bull and sheep to me. Then the men must kill their bulls and sheep here. Don’t sin against the Lord! Don’t eat meat that still has blood in it.”
After this, Samuel set up a special stone. {He did this to help people remember the things God did.} Samuel put the stone between Mizpah and Shen. [87] Samuel named the stone “Stone of Help.” [88] Samuel said, “The Lord helped us all the way to this place!”
But Samuel’s home was in Ramah. So Samuel always went back to Ramah. Samuel judged and ruled Israel from that town. And Samuel built an altar to the Lord in Ramah.
Samuel took a baby lamb. He burned the lamb as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. Samuel prayed to the Lord for Israel. The Lord answered Samuel’s prayer.