| |
|
March 19 - Evening
“Then three thousand men from Judah went down to the cave in the rock of Etam and said to Samson, ‘Don’t you realize that the Philistines are rulers over us? What have you done to us?’
He answered, ‘I merely did to them what they did to me.’
They said to him, ‘We’ve come to tie you up and hand you over to the Philistines.’
Samson said, ‘Swear to me that you won’t kill me yourselves.’
‘Agreed,’ they answered. ‘We will only tie you up and hand you over to them. We will not kill you.’
So they bound him with two new ropes and led him up from the rock. As he approached Lehi, the Philistines came toward him shouting. The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax, and the bindings dropped from his hands. Finding a fresh jawbone of a donkey, he grabbed it and struck down a thousand men.”
- Judges 15:11-15 |
 |
|
| Samson's Motivation is Self, Not the Lord or Israel |
|
|
Samson is not fighting for love of country or out of devotion to the Lord, instead he is retaliating for personal reasons and seeking revenge for personal insults. Mighty warriors of God, such as Joshua and David, fought for a purpose and a plan that originated with the Lord and climaxed in security for the Lord’s chosen people. Not so Samson. It is never about the Lord or Israel. Even in his death Samson’s last words were self-centered and focused on revenge for a personal wrong when he said,
“O God, please strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.” – Judges 16:28
But, whatever the motivation Samson used to get the job done, the Lord accomplished his purpose when,
“Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived.” – Judges 16:30
Samson was merely a man completely overcome with the values, morals, theology, self-will and sensual pursuits of the men of his culture. The men of Israel around 1150 BC were compromisers who just wanted peace whatever the cost. If they were men from the generatino that followed Joshua and Caleb into the Promised Land they would have sided with Samson and driven the Philistines into the sea.
Instead, the men of Judah (Israel’s warrior tribe) considered Samson a nuisance who was upsetting the compromised balance they had with their oppressors. When the Philistines marched out to attack Israel because of Samson’s escapades, the men of Judah (again, Israel’s warrior tribe) quickly negotiated an alternative to hand to hand combat. The men of Judah agreed to arrest and hand Samson over to the Philistines. Instead of siding with their national deliverer who had been sent and anointed by the Lord, the entire culture wanted no involvement with the Lord’s deliverance of the nation from the hands of the Philistines. |
|
 |
""The early Church was married to poverty, prisons
and persecutions.
Today, the church is married to prosperity, personality,
and popularity."
- Leonard Ravenhill
|
 |
When addressing the issue of proper hermeneutics and interpretation of scripture Justin Martyr said in 160 AD:
"Since I am entirely convinced that no Scripture contradicts another, I will rather acknowledge that I do not understand what is written."
- Justin Martyr, 160 AD |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
Compassion for the poor and needy |
Embrace holiness |
Global Presence |
BIOT, British Virgin Is, Brunei |
|
|
| |
 |
 |
 |
 |
This is a photo of a monastery at Kursi on the northeast side of the Sea of Galilee at the base of a cliff where the demon/pigs plunged into the water.
(Details here and here.) (click on image for larger size) |
The location of a tomb in the Kidron Valley known as Absolom's Pillar, but it is not.
(Photo is here and details are here.)
(click on image for larger size) |
| |
|
| Details and Explanation of Sets & Reps Devotional System Here |
 |
|
|
| |
| |
| |
| Reps & Sets is a daily Bible devotional for Christians from Generation Word Bible Teaching used each morning and evening. |
| |
|
