Conflict and Pain

 DEVOTION

1 SAMUEL

CONFLICT AND PAIN

1 Sam 1:1-8

1:1 There was a certain man from Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. 2 He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none. 3 Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the LORD Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the LORD. 4 Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. 5 But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the LORD had closed her womb. 6 And because the LORD had closed her womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. 7 This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the LORD, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat. 8 Elkanah her husband would say to her, "Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don't you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don't I mean more to you than ten sons?"

NIV

Although we are familiar with the story and much of Samuel's life, we have never worked through it as a devotion. It is always beneficial when examining the life of a prophet to begin with his mother. Once again, we do not judge Elkanah for having two wives, as this was very normal in those days. However, as in many cases where there has been more than one wife, there always seems to be some kind of conflict. Jealousy or pride may well play a major role in the relationship of the multiple wives. We cannot even imagine what went on in Solomon's home with hundreds of wives. Here we have Peninnah having many sons and daughters, but Hannan was barren. Of course, the reason was that the Lord closed her womb. It wasn’t as though she was not trying, as we know her husband loved her. But this provoking of Peninnah is our lesson. She must have been proud of the fact that she could bear Elkanah so many sons, heirs to his land and possessions, while Hannan bore him not even one son. Here is where we come into the story. In life, each of us is born into a family, not of our choice, but of God’s choice. We each have varied personalities that can be formed by our family environment, but at the same time mostly formed by the hand of God, as he is the one who knits us together in our mother’s womb. Nevertheless, as we reach our age of independence, we have such varied areas of interest that we become very different in our lives. Some become highly educated, others become very wealthy, and others learn skills or develop talents in the arts. To enumerate all aspects of how different each life is would take books, not just a thought to ponder. These varied levels of life invade the church because we all found the Lord and have that one common thread in life. Over the years, we have witnessed multiple responses to the different levels of success in the world and in the church. Even in ministry, we have found pastors who have large, even mega churches, while some have churches with less than a hundred. We have seen some denominations distinguish between levels or titles, such as priest, bishop, cardinal, and pope in the catholic faith. Others save the title of ordained for those who have higher educational levels. But the point is what goes on in each local church. We believe no one provokes another in any area of church life. The fact is, we are all coming together from wide life experiences and successes. Hannan felt inferior because she could not bear children while Peninnah was fertile and successfully produced heirs for her husband. We cannot allow the fact that some have been given more than others to influence true koinonia, Christian fellowship, communion with each other. Sadly, we have witnessed pridefulness and jealousy within the community of faith. If we lived in humility, it would be a wonderful church, and our lives would be without any stress or inappropriate feelings that are not included in loving our neighbor as ourselves. Maybe that is idealistic, but it is biblical. When we see how this conflict between Hannah and Peninnah occurred because of pride that caused emotional pain, we would hope this kind of division or conflict does not invade the church. Being humble is not as easy as it seems; we want others to know our successes or experiences that are better than theirs, which is prideful. How can we combat this human nature that seems to override the nature of Christ? We know our transformation into the fullness of Christ is a process, but to live with so much invested in our human nature will cause both pridefulness and envy or jealousy in the church. Let us make every effort to live in peace and harmony with each other. 

Reconciliation

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

RECONCILIATION

Judges 21

21:1 The men of Israel had taken an oath at Mizpah: "Not one of us will give his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite." 2 The people went to Bethel, where they sat before God until evening, raising their voices and weeping bitterly. 3 "O LORD, the God of Israel," they cried, "why has this happened to Israel? Why should one tribe be missing from Israel today?" 4 Early the next day the people built an altar and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.  5 Then the Israelites asked, "Who from all the tribes of Israel has failed to assemble before the LORD?" For they had taken a solemn oath that anyone who failed to assemble before the LORD at Mizpah should certainly be put to death. 6 Now the Israelites grieved for their brothers, the Benjamites. "Today one tribe is cut off from Israel," they said. 7 "How can we provide wives for those who are left, since we have taken an oath by the LORD not to give them any of our daughters in marriage?" 8 Then they asked, "Which one of the tribes of Israel failed to assemble before the LORD at Mizpah?" They discovered that no one from Jabesh Gilead had come to the camp for the assembly. 9 For when they counted the people, they found that none of the people of Jabesh Gilead were there. 10 So the assembly sent twelve thousand fighting men with instructions to go to Jabesh Gilead and put to the sword those living there, including the women and children. 11 "This is what you are to do," they said. "Kill every male and every woman who is not a virgin." 12 They found among the people living in Jabesh Gilead four hundred young women who had never slept with a man, and they took them to the camp at Shiloh in Canaan. 13 Then the whole assembly sent an offer of peace to the Benjamites at the rock of Rimmon. 14 So the Benjamites returned at that time and were given the women of Jabesh Gilead who had been spared. But there were not enough for all of them. 15 The people grieved for Benjamin, because the LORD had made a gap in the tribes of Israel. 16 And the elders of the assembly said, "With the women of Benjamin destroyed, how shall we provide wives for the men who are left? 17 The Benjamite survivors must have heirs," they said, "so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out. 18 We can't give them our daughters as wives, since we Israelites have taken this oath: 'Cursed be anyone who gives a wife to a Benjamite.' 19 But look, there is the annual festival of the LORD in Shiloh, to the north of Bethel, and east of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem, and to the south of Lebonah." 20 So they instructed the Benjamites, saying, "Go and hide in the vineyards 21 and watch. When the girls of Shiloh come out to join in the dancing, then rush from the vineyards and each of you seize a wife from the girls of Shiloh and go to the land of Benjamin. 22 When their fathers or brothers complain to us, we will say to them, 'Do us a kindness by helping them, because we did not get wives for them during the war, and you are innocent, since you did not give your daughters to them.'" 23 So that is what the Benjamites did. While the girls were dancing, each man caught one and carried her off to be his wife. Then they returned to their inheritance and rebuilt the towns and settled in them. 24 At that time the Israelites left that place and went home to their tribes and clans, each to his own inheritance. 25 In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.

NIV

The end of this story has come, and we need to have the complete ending, as it gives us the story of reconciliation after war. There is also the story of brotherhood among the twelve tribes of Israel. Even though the very ending statement of the entire story of Judges, that is repeated several times,” in those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit”, we still see that Israel wept before the LORD because one tribe was missing from the assembly. Even though, because of an oath before the LORD, they had to put to death the missing tribe, they still felt that Benjamin should be part of Israel with an inheritance. They devised a plan that worked, and reconciliation was achieved. This was an action plan to have the tribe of Benjamin once again be among Israel. It is more than just being sorry for their actions of revenge against the men of Gibeah or even telling those men of Benjamin who had left Gilead and gone into hiding that they were sorry. It is about making restitution through action, taking the initiative to achieve reconciliation. This should serve us as a Godly lesson when there is a disruption in the assembly of believers. We would think that anything that would cause any friction within a local church would not happen, yet we have witnessed various disturbances that ended up unresolved, unreconciled, and left with an unhealed rift that caused an everlasting sense of unforgiveness. We know that as believers, followers of Jesus, we must always forgive if we have been hurt in some way. Jesus forgave those who got him crucified by the Romans, asking the Father to forgive them because they were ignorant, or did not know, did not have the knowledge of what they did. Jesus wanted them restored, to reconcile them to the Father; in fact, his actions on that cross were what reconciled us to the Father and the Father to us. No longer are we subject to his wrath, but through the actions of Jesus, we are now subject to His grace. If we are followers of Jesus, then it is we to take action, making the first step to resolve and restore any brokenness in koinonia, true fellowship, and communion with each other. Even if we think we are the ones hurt, we should not take the higher ground and demand an apology or act in a non-Christlike manner. This horrible story all started with a few men with evil intent, and it caused tens of thousands of men to lose their lives, and a rift in Israel for a long time. Fortunately, reconciliation occurred. We should not allow this kind of long-standing rift in fellowship to happen, which can also apply in marriage. Let us learn to be the one who takes that initiative to reconciliation. 

He Does What He Says

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

HE DOES WHAT HE SAYS

Judges 20:29-48

29 Then Israel set an ambush around Gibeah. 30 They went up against the Benjamites on the third day and took up positions against Gibeah as they had done before. 31 The Benjamites came out to meet them and were drawn away from the city. They began to inflict casualties on the Israelites as before, so that about thirty men fell in the open field and on the roads — the one leading to Bethel and the other to Gibeah. 32 While the Benjamites were saying, "We are defeating them as before," the Israelites were saying, "Let's retreat and draw them away from the city to the roads." 33 All the men of Israel moved from their places and took up positions at Baal Tamar, and the Israelite ambush charged out of its place on the west of Gibeah.   34 Then ten thousand of Israel's finest men made a frontal attack on Gibeah. The fighting was so heavy that the Benjamites did not realize how near disaster was. 35 The LORD defeated Benjamin before Israel, and on that day the Israelites struck down 25,100 Benjamites, all armed with swords. 36 Then the Benjamites saw that they were beaten. Now the men of Israel had given way before Benjamin, because they relied on the ambush they had set near Gibeah. 37 The men who had been in ambush made a sudden dash into Gibeah, spread out and put the whole city to the sword. 38 The men of Israel had arranged with the ambush that they should send up a great cloud of smoke from the city, 39 and then the men of Israel would turn in the battle. The Benjamites had begun to inflict casualties on the men of Israel (about thirty), and they said, "We are defeating them as in the first battle." 40 But when the column of smoke began to rise from the city, the Benjamites turned and saw the smoke of the whole city going up into the sky. 41 Then the men of Israel turned on them, and the men of Benjamin were terrified, because they realized that disaster had come upon them. 42 So they fled before the Israelites in the direction of the desert, but they could not escape the battle. And the men of Israel who came out of the towns cut them down there. 43 They surrounded the Benjamites, chased them and easily overran them in the vicinity of Gibeah on the east. 44 Eighteen thousand Benjamites fell, all of them valiant fighters. 45 As they turned and fled toward the desert to the rock of Rimmon, the Israelites cut down five thousand men along the roads. They kept pressing after the Benjamites as far as Gidom and struck down two thousand more. 46 On that day twenty-five thousand Benjamite swordsmen fell, all of them valiant fighters. 47 But six hundred men turned and fled into the desert to the rock of Rimmon, where they stayed four months. 48 The men of Israel went back to Benjamin and put all the towns to the sword, including the animals and everything else they found. All the towns they came across they set on fire. NIV

Once the Israelites made a substantial inquiry of the LORD, and He told them He would give the Benjamites into their hands, it happened. Without recounting the attack, which may have been a little unusual for battles of that time, with the ambush instead of a complete frontal assault by all warriors, the lesson for us is twofold. First, it is in seeking the face of God with all our being. After seeing how Israel wept before the LORD and made offerings, seeking his counsel regarding what they were to do, we wonder how sincere our prayers are. Have we lost some fervor in our seeking the Lord? Are we just going through the motions of prayer without actually expecting the Lord to answer or do anything about our need? We have heard some believers use many words in their prayer, but words are just words if they are only words. We look at David’s psalms, some of which are great supplications, deep requests for his help, even asking why he is so long in helping him. We look at some of the men of faith and how they fell before the presence of the LORD. Perhaps we need to be more sincere, more engaged with our Lord than as casual as it seems we are in prayer. The second part of this twofold lesson is that the Lord will always do what he said he would do when we seek him. He told Israel that he would give the Benjamites into their hands, and he did. They believed him and went out expecting the victory. Once again, we wonder when we sing, “Victory in Jesus,” are we only thinking of victory over death, and forgetting about the other victories over other battles in life we face. When we see some of those media mogul preachers, healers, either sling their jacket and people fall over, or laugh until people find laughter, or whatever gimmick they use to make the watching audience think this is how God reacts to their antics, we might get a skewed view of prayer or having a relationship with the Lord. When we want to get a true picture, we can go directly to his word and find all the answers to how we pray, and how God answers. Let is live as people of faith and believe that if we ask, he will answer. We have heard many believers say that God may say, “No”, “Maybe”, “Not yet”, or some other answer than “Yes”. God said that if we, his people, would listen to him and follow his ways, he would subdue our enemies, or what difficulties we face. Years ago, there was a commercial that said, “When E.F. Hutton speaks, people listen”. We know that God speaks, and we should be listening. 

Show Me The Way

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

SHOW ME THE WAY

Judges 20:12-28

12 The tribes of Israel sent men throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, "What about this awful crime that was committed among you? 13 Now surrender those wicked men of Gibeah so that we may put them to death and purge the evil from Israel." But the Benjamites would not listen to their fellow Israelites. 14 From their towns they came together at Gibeah to fight against the Israelites. 15 At once the Benjamites mobilized twenty-six thousand swordsmen from their towns, in addition to seven hundred chosen men from those living in Gibeah. 16 Among all these soldiers there were seven hundred chosen men who were left-handed, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair and not miss. 17 Israel, apart from Benjamin, mustered four hundred thousand swordsmen, all of them fighting men. 18 The Israelites went up to Bethel and inquired of God. They said, "Who of us shall go first to fight against the Benjamites?" The LORD replied, "Judah shall go first." 19 The next morning the Israelites got up and pitched camp near Gibeah. 20 The men of Israel went out to fight the Benjamites and took up battle positions against them at Gibeah. 21 The Benjamites came out of Gibeah and cut down twenty-two thousand Israelites on the battlefield that day. 22 But the men of Israel encouraged one another and again took up their positions where they had stationed themselves the first day. 23 The Israelites went up and wept before the LORD until evening, and they inquired of the LORD. They said, "Shall we go up again to battle against the Benjamites, our brothers?" The LORD answered, "Go up against them." 24 Then the Israelites drew near to Benjamin the second day. 25 This time, when the Benjamites came out from Gibeah to oppose them, they cut down another eighteen thousand Israelites, all of them armed with swords. 26 Then the Israelites, all the people, went up to Bethel, and there they sat weeping before the LORD. They fasted that day until evening and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the LORD. 27 And the Israelites inquired of the LORD. (In those days the ark of the covenant of God was there, 28 with Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, ministering before it.) They asked, "Shall we go up again to battle with Benjamin our brother, or not?" The LORD responded, "Go, for tomorrow I will give them into your hands."

NIV

Wonders will never cease, as Israel has now made an inquiry of the LORD. However, their request is not whether they should go fight against the Benjamites, but who should go first. It was not until the Benjamites cut down forty thousand men of Israel in two days of battle that the Israelites wept and fasted before the LORD and presented offerings. Because the ark of the covenant of God was at Bethel, we must know the presence of the LORD was there in some way. Was there still a pillar of fire standing over the tabernacle? How did Phinehas, son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, minister before the ark? Was it the same way that his father and grandfather did? Aaron was installed as the first priest by his brother Moses after he constructed the tabernacle exactly as the LORD instructed. The LORD answered their inquiry and told them he would give the Benjamites into their hands. How did the LORD speak to them? How did they know it was the LORD who told them the next battle they would win? This leads us into the same situation in life. First, do we only inquire of the Lord when things are not going the way we think or plan them to go? Second, when we find ourselves in a difficult spot, do we weep and fast before the Lord, presenting our offering before Him. Of course, we do not offer grain or burnt offerings, but only ourselves as living sacrifices. Thirdly, how do we know when the Lord answers us, and in what form is his answer? We do not have the ark of the covenant of God, or the tabernacle, or the temple to represent the presence of the Lord, nor do we have a pillar of fire showing us where the Lord is present. However, we are now the temple of the Holy Spirit, who came with what appeared as tongues of fire on the disciples that day in Jerusalem. Then we would believe we have the presence of the Lord within us, and He leads us into all truth. However, this would also imply that we are always listening to that small, gentle voice within, leading us in the way we should go. We think Israel may have made their first mistake by deciding for themselves, making their own verdict against the men of Gibeah. Plus, from the account the Levite told them, they did not have all the truth. We should be careful not to make the same mistake, deciding our path and then asking the Lord to help us along our way when we encounter an obstacle. We should seek first His kingdom, which implies that before we do or decide to do anything, including every aspect of our lives, we should inquire of the Lord, “Show me the way?”

What Not to Do

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

WHAT NOT TO DO

Judges 20:1-11

20:1 Then all the Israelites from Dan to Beersheba and from the land of Gilead came out as one man and assembled before the LORD in Mizpah. 2 The leaders of all the people of the tribes of Israel took their places in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand soldiers armed with swords. 3(The Benjamites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah.) Then the Israelites said, "Tell us how this awful thing happened." 4 So the Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, said, "I and my concubine came to Gibeah in Benjamin to spend the night. 5 During the night the men of Gibeah came after me and surrounded the house, intending to kill me. They raped my concubine, and she died. 6 I took my concubine, cut her into pieces and sent one piece to each region of Israel's inheritance, because they committed this lewd and disgraceful act in Israel. 7 Now, all you Israelites, speak up and give your verdict." 8 All the people rose as one man, saying, "None of us will go home. No, not one of us will return to his house. 9 But now this is what we'll do to Gibeah: We'll go up against it as the lot directs. 10 We'll take ten men out of every hundred from all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred from a thousand, and a thousand from ten thousand, to get provisions for the army. Then, when the army arrives at Gibeah in Benjamin, it can give them what they deserve for all this vileness done in Israel." 11 So all the men of Israel got together and united as one man against the city.

NIV

There is still more of this story to unfold, yet there is a biblical truth we need to ponder. Four hundred thousand came together as one man. This is a true example of unity in spirit, as when one suffers, they all suffer; likewise, we would believe that if one man rejoiced, they all would rejoice. On the other hand, there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in their own eyes, and then, in some sense, this was vigilante justice. We do wonder why all of Israel felt this act by the men of Gibeah was such a vile act unless they were so pure themselves. Now we know that is not true for every man did what was right in his own eyes, which might imply they were not so concerned with what was right in the eyes of God. We are also not sure the Levite was totally honest about the motives of the men of Gibeah. This testimony was that the men surrounded the house he was in with intent to kill him, however they raped his concubine instead. He did not give an account of the man of the house he was staying in offered the men of the city both his virgin daughter and the concubine. Nothing in this narrative meets any of the standards of the new covenant through Jesus Christ. God said revenge belongs to him, and yet the men of Israel were about to exact their revenge. Jesus taught us the truth about forgiveness, yet neither the Levite nor all the men of Israel were exhibiting any forgiveness. Jesus taught about taking the log out of our own eye before looking for a speck in our brother’s eye. The men of Israel were only looking to take the log out of the eye of those men of Gibeah. Jesus taught us that if we judge, we will be judged, and if we do not forgive, we will not be forgiven. The one thing we do learn from this narrative is not to be anything like the Levite or all the men of Israel. They did not have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, who is working within us, transforming us into the likeness of Jesus. We are thankful we live under the new covenant. This narrative tells us or shows us what not to do.

 

Finding Rest

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

FINDING REST

Judges 19:11-30

11 When they were near Jebus and the day was almost gone, the servant said to his master, "Come, let's stop at this city of the Jebusites and spend the night." 12 His master replied, "No. We won't go into an alien city, whose people are not Israelites. We will go on to Gibeah." 13 He added, "Come, let's try to reach Gibeah or Ramah and spend the night in one of those places." 14 So they went on, and the sun set as they neared Gibeah in Benjamin. 15 There they stopped to spend the night. They went and sat in the city square, but no one took them into his home for the night. 16 That evening an old man from the hill country of Ephraim, who was living in Gibeah (the men of the place were Benjamites), came in from his work in the fields. 17 When he looked and saw the traveler in the city square, the old man asked, "Where are you going? Where did you come from?" 18 He answered, "We are on our way from Bethlehem in Judah to a remote area in the hill country of Ephraim where I live. I have been to Bethlehem in Judah and now I am going to the house of the LORD. No one has taken me into his house. 19 We have both straw and fodder for our donkeys and bread and wine for ourselves your servants — me, your maidservant, and the young man with us. We don't need anything." 20 "You are welcome at my house," the old man said. "Let me supply whatever you need. Only don't spend the night in the square." 21 So he took him into his house and fed his donkeys. After they had washed their feet, they had something to eat and drink. 22 While they were enjoying themselves, some of the wicked men of the city surrounded the house. Pounding on the door, they shouted to the old man who owned the house, "Bring out the man who came to your house so we can have sex with him." 23 The owner of the house went outside and said to them, "No, my friends, don't be so vile. Since this man is my guest, don't do this disgraceful thing. 24 Look, here is my virgin daughter, and his concubine. I will bring them out to you now, and you can use them and do to them whatever you wish. But to this man, don't do such a disgraceful thing." 25 But the men would not listen to him. So the man took his concubine and sent her outside to them, and they raped her and abused her throughout the night, and at dawn they let her go. 26 At daybreak the woman went back to the house where her master was staying, fell down at the door and lay there until daylight. 27 When her master got up in the morning and opened the door of the house and stepped out to continue on his way, there lay his concubine, fallen in the doorway of the house, with her hands on the threshold. 28 He said to her, "Get up; let's go." But there was no answer. Then the man put her on his donkey and set out for home. 29 When he reached home, he took a knife and cut up his concubine, limb by limb, into twelve parts and sent them into all the areas of Israel. 30 Everyone who saw it said, "Such a thing has never been seen or done, not since the day the Israelites came up out of Egypt. Think about it! Consider it! Tell us what to do!"

NIV

Now we have come to the rest of the story, of this horrific story that is difficult to understand why a man would take his concubine and cut her up into twelve parts and then send those parts into all the areas of Israel. Once again, we see in this one town that this elderly man exhibited hospitality. Still, at the same time, this man and his male servant and concubine came into this man's home, just as in Sodom, the men came and wanted to have illicit relationships with the man. How evil is the heart of man that they would even consider doing such a thing, and then, when they were offered the concubine, they abused her all night long. There is no excuse for this kind of behavior other than pure evil. However, the story is still not complete. We will come to the reasoning behind the Levite sending 12 pieces of his concubine throughout Israel there will be a war The Benjamite’s will pay for this evil behavior they committed against this Levite and his concubine, however for now we are still seeing the hospitality offered to the Levite, and his manservant and concubine similar to the hospitality what was offered the two angels. As with lot, this man's hospitality was repaid to him with evil. We are still in the time when Israel had no king and everyone did as they saw fit, which meant there was no true law and order, and it seemed, at least generally speaking, the Israelites had no moral compass not even paying attention to the commands that had been given to them through Moses. It does seem strange that in our culture, we have law and order and a justice system, and yet we still have a segment of our society that seems to pay no attention to law and order or has any moral compass and does whatever they see fit. We will see the Benjamites defend themselves against the retribution placed on them for their evil deeds rather than repenting and asking for forgiveness. Certainly, none of us are free from all evil deeds, as none of us are free from sin, however, we repent and seek forgiveness and find it. But on earth, some would defend their evil deeds and will ultimately pay. Although we do not judge the world, for that is God's right and his alone, and we do not condemn the world, for that too is God's right and his alone. And yet this truth that this man who offered hospitality to the Levite and his manservant and concubine offered his own daughter to those men is also a picture of God who is offering us hospitality into his Kingdom by offering his own son. Let us also be willing to extend that invitation of hospitality to those who need to come to Jesus and find rest.

Hospitality

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

HOSPITALITY

Judges 19:1-10

19:1 In those days Israel had no king.

Now a Levite who lived in a remote area in the hill country of Ephraim took a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. 2 But she was unfaithful to him. She left him and went back to her father's house in Bethlehem, Judah. After she had been there four months, 3 her husband went to her to persuade her to return. He had with him his servant and two donkeys. She took him into her father's house, and when her father saw him, he gladly welcomed him. 4 His father-in-law, the girl's father, prevailed upon him to stay; so he remained with him three days, eating and drinking, and sleeping there. 5 On the fourth day they got up early and he prepared to leave, but the girl's father said to his son-in-law, "Refresh yourself with something to eat; then you can go." 6 So the two of them sat down to eat and drink together. Afterward the girl's father said, "Please stay tonight and enjoy yourself." 7 And when the man got up to go, his father-in-law persuaded him, so he stayed there that night. 8 On the morning of the fifth day, when he rose to go, the girl's father said, "Refresh yourself. Wait till afternoon!" So the two of them ate together. 9 Then when the man, with his concubine and his servant, got up to leave, his father-in-law, the girl's father, said, "Now look, it's almost evening. Spend the night here; the day is nearly over. Stay and enjoy yourself. Early tomorrow morning you can get up and be on your way home." 10 But, unwilling to stay another night, the man left and went toward Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), with his two saddled donkeys and his concubine.

NIV

This is the beginning of a horrific story that somehow reminds us of Sodom and Gomorrah. This Levite who took a concubine or paramour, which is defined in some sense as an illicit partner of a married man, or for a man to simply have sexual relationships with someone who is not his wife. That may have been customary during that time in history, for we know many of the men, even those considered men of faith, had relationships with more than one woman. Some had two wives, and others had a wife and a concubine. Certainly, today we would consider a man having a paramour would be committing adultery if he were married. Nevertheless, she was unfaithful to him, so we are not sure exactly how this relationship between them existed. It does seem rather strange that her back from her father's house, where she spent four months, and then he attempted to persuade her to come with him. It is also strange how her father, this Levite’s father-in-law, did not want him to leave and kept trying to persuade him to stay one more night. Was this just being hospitable? Did the father-in-law have some other agenda?  What can we learn from this that we can apply to our lives? We would think in our culture, when someone comes to visit, it would be very unusual for us to try to persuade them to spend the night and have something to eat and drink and enjoy themselves and refresh themselves. On the other hand, we would want to be good hosts, providing our guests with something to eat and drink. It could also be outside of the norm for someone to just show up unannounced to spend the night, or for that matter, expect to be given food and drink. Perhaps this father-in-law had the gift of hospitality, although we would think everyone would demonstrate hospitality when a guest showed up. Still, it is difficult to find any spiritual application from this narrative; however, just the fact of being hospitable, not just in our homes, but also in the church, when someone just shows up, might be our lesson. That can be one of the downsides of the mega church. A new person can show up, and no one even knows they were there. This might even happen in a non-mega church where no one is really interested in either introducing themselves to a guest or finding out anything about that guest. We think, as a general rule, from our past experiences, most people are more interested in talking about themselves than being hospitable and finding out about the guest’s life. Maybe there is a lesson to learn about hospitality in the church, by the church. How would that look in the church? Maybe, we might persuade them to just stay an hour or so after church so that we might take them out for breakfast or lunch to have something to eat and drink. It does come down to hospitality.

Value

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

VALUE

Judges 18:7-31

7 So the five men left and came to Laish, where they saw that the people were living in safety, like the Sidonians, unsuspecting and secure. And since their land lacked nothing, they were prosperous. Also, they lived a long way from the Sidonians and had no relationship with anyone else. 8 When they returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their brothers asked them, "How did you find things?" 9 They answered, "Come on, let's attack them! We have seen that the land is very good. Aren't you going to do something? Don't hesitate to go there and take it over. 10 When you get there, you will find an unsuspecting people and a spacious land that God has put into your hands, a land that lacks nothing whatever." 11 Then six hundred men from the clan of the Danites, armed for battle, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol. 12 On their way they set up camp near Kiriath Jearim in Judah. This is why the place west of Kiriath Jearim is called Mahaneh Dan to this day. 13 From there they went on to the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah's house. 14 Then the five men who had spied out the land of Laish said to their brothers, "Do you know that one of these houses has an ephod, other household gods, a carved image and a cast idol? Now you know what to do." 15 So they turned in there and went to the house of the young Levite at Micah's place and greeted him. 16 The six hundred Danites, armed for battle, stood at the entrance to the gate. 17 The five men who had spied out the land went inside and took the carved image, the ephod, the other household gods and the cast idol while the priest and the six hundred armed men stood at the entrance to the gate. 18 When these men went into Micah's house and took the carved image, the ephod, the other household gods and the cast idol, the priest said to them, "What are you doing?" 19 They answered him, "Be quiet! Don't say a word. Come with us, and be our father and priest. Isn't it better that you serve a tribe and clan in Israel as priest rather than just one man's household?" 20 Then the priest was glad. He took the ephod, the other household gods and the carved image and went along with the people. 21 Putting their little children, their livestock and their possessions in front of them, they turned away and left. 22 When they had gone some distance from Micah's house, the men who lived near Micah were called together and overtook the Danites. 23 As they shouted after them, the Danites turned and said to Micah, "What's the matter with you that you called out your men to fight?" 24 He replied, "You took the gods I made, and my priest, and went away. What else do I have? How can you ask, 'What's the matter with you?'" 25 The Danites answered, "Don't argue with us, or some hot-tempered men will attack you, and you and your family will lose your lives." 26 So the Danites went their way, and Micah, seeing that they were too strong for him, turned around and went back home. 27 Then they took what Micah had made, and his priest, and went on to Laish, against a peaceful and unsuspecting people. They attacked them with the sword and burned down their city. 28 There was no one to rescue them because they lived a long way from Sidon and had no relationship with anyone else. The city was in a valley near Beth Rehob. The Danites rebuilt the city and settled there. 29 They named it Dan after their forefather Dan, who was born to Israel — though the city used to be called Laish. 30 There the Danites set up for themselves the idols, and Jonathan son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the time of the captivity of the land. 31 They continued to use the idols Micah had made, all the time the house of God was in Shiloh.

This is a lot of text, but it's one complete story that is difficult to separate. There is one thing that bothers us. The Danites were looking to take the land that was assigned to them under the direction of Moses, and these are Israelites who have a history with Yahweh. Of course, they did not personally cross the Red Sea or see the pillar of fire and the pillar of smoke that led them through the wilderness. Those who crossed the Red Sea were their forefathers, but certainly they passed on the stories of how God delivered them from Egypt and brought them into the land of promise. However, when they came to the House of Micah, they took his idols and the Levi priest; in essence, they were no better than their forefathers when they wanted Aaron to make a golden calf to worship. Why would the chosen people of God want to take idols? Once again, we are faced with the concept of being God's people because we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior, and yet may very well have things that would be considered an idol. God was very specific when he said that we are to have no other gods before him. Although an idol may not be considered a god, it is something that we may place value on. If we are Christians, the only thing that we should place value on is our relationship with God. Yet, we find ourselves still placing value on many material things. We lock up all our homes to protect our possessions within. We place our money in a bank and maybe even invest in some worldly venture to increase our wealth because we place value on it, while all the time, Jesus said that we cannot serve two masters. Another point of interest is that although the Danites had been assigned a lot of land, they needed to destroy those living in it before they could take possession of it. They attacked the city and burned it to the ground. We think that was rather self-centered as it does not appear they counseled with God nor asked him to lead them. Once again, we know that these graven images or idols have no eyes to see, no ears to hear, and no mouth to speak, so why would they want them when the God almighty would simply give the Danites the land that was promised? Although they were successful, it was by their own hands, their own large numbers who overpowered the unsuspecting people who were living peacefully and had no relations with others, which means they had no allies to help defend them. It would seem the strong win, and the weak are the losers. We should not confuse being weak with being meek, in fact, we are in the Lord's army and dressed in his armor so that we can take our stand against the evil schemes of this Dark World and the forces of evil in the spiritual realm, for our battle is not against flesh and blood as the Danites fought against. Let us not look to our strength or our abilities, training, education, or wealth to win some worldly prize, whether that be success, power, or authority. When we humble ourselves before the Lord, he will lift us up, not that the reason we humble ourselves is so that He will lift us up. We are told, as far as it is up to us, we are to live in peace with all men. If we could do just that, there would be no conflicts, no envy, no jealousy, or bitterness. Because we are followers of Jesus Christ, we live in peace and harmony with each other, which means we do not live a self-seeking or self-centered life. In addition, because we follow Jesus, we have no need for idols. The only person we put value on is Jesus.

Seek First

DEVOTION

JUDGES

SEEK FIRST

Judged 18:1-6

18:1 In those days Israel had no king. And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking a place of their own where they might settle, because they had not yet come into an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. 2 So the Danites sent five warriors from Zorah and Eshtaol to spy out the land and explore it. These men represented all their clans. They told them, "Go, explore the land." The men entered the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah, where they spent the night. 3 When they were near Micah's house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite; so they turned in there and asked him, "Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? Why are you here?" 4 He told them what Micah had done for him, and said, "He has hired me and I am his priest." 5 Then they said to him, "Please inquire of God to learn whether our journey will be successful." 6 The priest answered them, "Go in peace. Your journey has the LORD's approval."

NIV

Now the descendants of Dan needed their own place where they had not yet taken the territory assigned to them. As they approached the House of Micah, we don't know how they recognized the voice of the Levite priest. Perhaps the different tribes or sons of Jacob, as they took their inheritance, developed a certain dialect that may have been different than some of the other sons of Jacob and their dialect. In either case, they understood that he was a priest. However, I am not sure that Micah wanted him to be a priest for his idols or for the LORD. However, the Danites, when they asked the priest to inquire of God to learn whether their journey would be successful, the word used in Hebrew was Yahweh, not Elohiym. There is a major difference between those two names, as Yahweh means the existing one. The Danites wanted to know whether Yahweh would bless their journey. They were not interested in what the idols had to say. It is also interesting that the Levi priest, being from the tribe of Levi, knew the history of their tribe being the priests in the Tabernacle during their sojourning in the wilderness. Whenever Yahweh, as either the pillar of smoke or fire, moved, it was the Levites who disassembled the Tabernacle, packed it up, and carried it, reassembling it whenever Yahweh stopped moving in front of them. We take our lesson from the question the Danites inquired of the priest. “Please inquire of God to learn whether our journey will be successful.” Therefore, we should learn not to move by our own will for we do not know if we will fail or be successful however, the Lord God knows all good things and so we should always inquire of the Lord regarding anything that we do, whether that is where we live, where we work, and where we worship together in church. When we take the words of Jesus as he taught his disciples the pattern for prayer, he included, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” The “on earth’ phrase implies explicitly us, as we are on earth. It might be possible that we consider our will all too often by either forgetting or ignoring God's will. We are aware he has a plan for our lives, and the only way we can live according to his plan is to always inquire about what he wants us to do or not do. This is not to be confused with the list we generate about the do’s and don'ts, which usually differ depending on various denominational biases. The key we know this is our lists and not God's is that over time our lists change, and we know God never changes or does his will. We may even look back and laugh at some of the old hard lists the church tried to live by. Yes, it would be behoove us to always inquire of the Lord about anything, then we will know whether our journey will be successful. When we inquire of ourselves, we cannot be sure whether we will be successful or fail. Always seek first the Lord and his righteousness.

Worship Who

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

WORSHIP WHO

Judges 17

17:1 Now a man named Micah from the hill country of Ephraim 2 said to his mother, "The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you and about which I heard you utter a curse — I have that silver with me; I took it." Then his mother said, "The LORD bless you, my son!" 3 When he returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, she said, "I solemnly consecrate my silver to the LORD for my son to make a carved image and a cast idol. I will give it back to you." 4 So he returned the silver to his mother, and she took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to a silversmith, who made them into the image and the idol. And they were put in Micah's house. 5 Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some idols and installed one of his sons as his priest. 6 In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit. 7 A young Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, who had been living within the clan of Judah, 8 left that town in search of some other place to stay. On his way he came to Micah's house in the hill country of Ephraim. 9 Micah asked him, "Where are you from?" "I'm a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah," he said, "and I'm looking for a place to stay." 10 Then Micah said to him, "Live with me and be my father and priest, and I'll give you ten shekels of silver a year, your clothes and your food." 11 So the Levite agreed to live with him, and the young man was to him like one of his sons. 12 Then Micah installed the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in his house. 13 And Micah said, "Now I know that the LORD will be good to me, since this Levite has become my priest."

NIV

This is wrong on so many levels, we wonder why God wanted this recorded for us to know about, other than to make sure we do not try to emulate Micah. The first wrong we see is his mother wanting to have the silversmith cast an idol. Micah and his mother are Israelites, and they have to be aware of their history as a people. We are told that his mother used, "The LORD bless you, my son!” Yet she wanted an idol cast from her silver. Why would she think the LORD would be pleased with her having an image, or idol, and then for Micah to have a shrine, or in Hebrew it means a house of gods. However, the worst thing we notice is that everyone did as they saw fit, for Israel had no king. When people do not worship the Lord God, the maker of heaven and earth, then they do whatever is fit in their own eyes. We can see that in our culture because so many have no moral compass; they are, in fact, living in darkness, hiding in the dark so they can do whatever they see fit. They could even be aware of God, in some sense, but refuse to acknowledge his authority in their lives, because they want to do whatever they want to do, being their own authority. We, however, are not like that, for we know God has absolute authority in our lives. We should not even say that we are going to go here, or go there, do this, or do that, without counsel from our Lord. The Apostle James warns us that we should not say, or decide today or tomorrow, we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business, and make money. The fact is, our lives are but a mist, here today and gone tomorrow. We should be thinking correctly and saying, “If the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that”. We cannot do what is right in our eyes, because we have a King, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, and he has given us life, and it is to worship him. We cannot build any shrine or make anything an idol in our lives, including our lives in the church. If we make “good deeds” or some special position or title, or even our giving into an idol, we are missing the mark. We have one God, and we worship Him and Him alone. Sure, our works may follow as a result of our worship for our Lord, but that is all it is; first and foremost, our worship is to our Lord, so that we do what is right in His eyes. 

The Proud and the Humble

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

THE PROUD AND THE HUMBLE

Judges 16:21-31

21 Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding in the prison. 22 But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved. 23 Now the rulers of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to celebrate, saying, "Our god has delivered Samson, our enemy, into our hands." 24 When the people saw him, they praised their god, saying, "Our god has delivered our enemy into our hands, the one who laid waste our land and multiplied our slain." 25 While they were in high spirits, they shouted, "Bring out Samson to entertain us." So they called Samson out of the prison, and he performed for them. When they stood him among the pillars, 26 Samson said to the servant who held his hand, "Put me where I can feel the pillars that support the temple, so that I may lean against them." 27 Now the temple was crowded with men and women; all the rulers of the Philistines were there, and on the roof were about three thousand men and women watching Samson perform. 28 Then Samson prayed to the LORD, "O Sovereign LORD, remember me. O God, please strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes." 29 Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other, 30 Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines!" Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived. 31 Then his brothers and his father's whole family went down to get him. They brought him back and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had led Israel twenty years.

NIV

So the Philistines praised their dead god, not because they overpowered Samson, but because a woman used her womanly prowess to get him to tell her the truth of his strength. In their pride, they made a mistake that would cost them their lives. It wasn’t good enough to praise their little useless god, but they had to celebrate and have Samson brought to them so they could watch his subjectiveness. But that is not what happened, for God did not forget Samson, and he strengthened Samson one more time so he brought the house down, so to speak. Solomon, known as the wisest man, said, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall”. We see this played in all the rulers of the Philistines, plus a crowd of men and women who filled the temple, as well as thousands more on the roof, which must have overlooked an open-air portion, or courtyard, of the temple. They were so proud of defeating Samson, they did not know what was about to happen. Pride is an awful thing to hold within the heart, which will do more damage to the prideful than to anyone else. Humbleness is opposite to pridefulness, and we are told by Jesus to take his yoke upon us and to learn from him, for he is gentle and humble in heart. The apostle James tells us to humble ourselves before the Lord; it is He who will lift us up. When we try to lift ourselves up, proclaiming our accomplishments, whether they be success in either the world or in ministry, our educational level, our titles, or whatever we think makes us better or of higher standings then others, pride not only is lurking at our hearts, but is has taken over and we are simply destroying ourselves from within. Even if we confess Jesus as our Lord and Savior, that pridefulness causes a division within our hearts, and we simply cannot serve both God and self. Because we profess our service to God and desire to serve the Lord with our whole being, we should be servants to others, as Jesus said he did not come to be served but to serve. We believe it is impossible to serve both God and people without first having a humble heart. Samson humbled himself before God and was given his strength one last time. We should not humble ourselves just to get strength from the Lord or to be lifted up, but simply because we should be humble. 

Weaken by the World

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

WEAKENED BY THE WORLD

Judges 16:15-19

15 Then she said to him, "How can you say, 'I love you,' when you won't confide in me? This is the third time you have made a fool of me and haven't told me the secret of your great strength." 16 With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was tired to death. 17 So he told her everything. "No razor has ever been used on my head," he said, "because I have been a Nazirite set apart to God since birth. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man." 18 When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines, "Come back once more; he has told me everything." So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands. 19 Having put him to sleep on her lap, she called a man to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him. And his strength left him. NIV

Although Samson had defended himself against thousands of men, striking them down even with the jawbone of a donkey, he could not defend himself against that nagging, prodding woman, Delilah. Once again, she was not interested in the love of Samson, but took advantage of his love for her because she had a love for that silver she was promised if she could find out how to subdue or weaken Samson. On the surface, the woman won, and Samson told her everything. We might think he was a dope for giving in to her nagging and telling her the truth about his strength, yet we know God would expect honesty from His people. The fact that Samson was a Nazarite, one set apart for God, we could call Samson a “Man of God”, which all of us are in some sense. We are either a man or a woman of God, a brother or sister of Jesus, co-heirs with him, children of God. We are the sheep of the Great Shepherd, belonging to God, and have been set apart for and to God. Samson was set apart to deliver Israel from the rule of the Philistines, but we see the Philistine woman accomplishing what thousands of men could not. We will know the reason he began to weaken was not just a razor being put to his head, but the LORD left him.

20 Then she called, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!" He awoke from his sleep and thought, "I'll go out as before and shake myself free." But he did not know that the LORD had left him.

Was Samson true to the LORD, or did he allow himself to be deceived by his own desire? Because we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and are now called children of God, set apart for him, and seeing Israel always turning to some other god, or idol, and now even Samson, a man set apart from birth, turns to a foreign woman, or turns to his own desires and thus, away from God, and as a result, God left him, and Samson was weakened. We should know better than to turn to anything or anyone other than God. The question we have to ask ourselves is, have we? Have we put our trust in anything other than our Lord? Of course, we would confess we can only trust him for our salvation, but what about the rest of life? Do we look to our own abilities, skills, talents, education, profession, or wealth for our success or security? Maybe we don’t turn away from the Lord, but just get distracted by all the things of this world. We know God’s intent is not that we are rich or poor, but that we seek him, and his righteousness first and foremost, and he will add whatever we need to our lives, and that can include all the things those who trust in the world chase after. Let us not be like Samson, allowing ourselves to become weakened by the world, but let us remain strong because we are in Christ and He is in us.

 

True Love

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

TRUE LOVE

Judges 16:4-14

4 Some time later, he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah. 5 The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, "See if you can lure him into showing you the secret of his great strength and how we can overpower him so we may tie him up and subdue him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver." 6 So Delilah said to Samson, "Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued." 7 Samson answered her, "If anyone ties me with seven fresh thongs that have not been dried, I'll become as weak as any other man." 8 Then the rulers of the Philistines brought her seven fresh thongs that had not been dried, and she tied him with them. 9 With men hidden in the room, she called to him, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!" But he snapped the thongs as easily as a piece of string snaps when it comes close to a flame. So the secret of his strength was not discovered. 10 Then Delilah said to Samson, "You have made a fool of me; you lied to me. Come now, tell me how you can be tied." 11 He said, "If anyone ties me securely with new ropes that have never been used, I'll become as weak as any other man." 12 So Delilah took new ropes and tied him with them. Then, with men hidden in the room, she called to him, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!" But he snapped the ropes off his arms as if they were threads. 13 Delilah then said to Samson, "Until now, you have been making a fool of me and lying to me. Tell me how you can be tied." He replied, "If you weave the seven braids of my head into the fabric [on the loom] and tighten it with the pin, I'll become as weak as any other man." So while he was sleeping, Delilah took the seven braids of his head, wove them into the fabric 14 and tightened it with the pin. Again she called to him, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!" He awoke from his sleep and pulled up the pin and the loom, with the fabric.

NIV

This is a one-sided love, for we can clearly see from this narrative and the rest that will follow that Delilah was not in love with Samson, but was motivated by her own self-interest. She wanted that twenty-eight pounds of silver from each of the rulers of the Philistines. She had no commitment to Samson, and we would think that he could see right through her constant asking, or nagging, what his secret that gave him such strength. At first, he seemed wise to her persistence in wanting to know his secret, and with each time having the Philistines come upon him. He had to know by now that she was not interested in his well-being, but her own. Yet she kept on nagging, and he kept on keeping his secret, at least for now. We know what is going to happen, but our lesson today is about this one-sided love. We have often thought that within a relationship that is not established with mutual or equal love, the person who loves less controls the relationship. However, when love is mutual or equal, each is looking for the benefit of the other, giving instead of taking. Yet, while both give, each receives, and both are benefited by a union that is established by God. Samson would give in to this one-sided love he had for Delilah, as we are never told that she fell in love with Samson. Perhaps because the times were different and it was not necessary for a woman to love her man, but to obey him, yet Delilah didn’t obey Samson either, but had her mind on all that silver. In Paul’s letter to Timothy, he tells him that the love of money is the root of all evil. There is no question that Delilah’s love for that silver drove her to evil deeds against Samson. When we are in perfect harmony with each other because of mutual love, and our lives are dedicated to the Lord and not to this world’s wealth, we then see the absence of evil within our relationships. However, if we look to the ways of this world, if we desire the things of this world, the wealth, positions, power, looking for the esteem of men, rather than from God, evil lurks at the door of our hearts. When we take to heart the definition Paul gives, under the inspiration of the Spirit, of love in the letter to the Corinthians, then we see the love of God that we should emulate in our relationships with each other. Then we will know true love. 

The Gate

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

THE GATE

Judges 16:1-3

16:1 One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute. He went in to spend the night with her. 2 The people of Gaza were told, "Samson is here!" So they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the city gate. They made no move during the night, saying, "At dawn we'll kill him." 3 But Samson lay there only until the middle of the night. Then he got up and took hold of the doors of the city gate, together with the two posts, and tore them loose, bar and all. He lifted them to his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron.

NIV

It would appear that everyone who is not an Israelite is out to kill Samson. Are they just jealous because of his great strength, or is it out of fear that he will destroy them? He has a reputation for killing thousands of men, as we just saw with one jawbone of a donkey. Whatever the reason for their wanting him subdued or killed, he needs to be smart or listen to the Spirit. Although this could be seen as the world’s conflict with us, that is as long as we take our stand against the forces of evil, speaking up for the gospel. In fact, the enemy of our souls is always roaming about seeking whom he can destroy, tempting believers to have an affair with the world. But our story is about those city gates that Samson tore right off the hinges and then carried large, heavy wooden gates up a hill. There is another city where the gates are only open to those who have accepted the key to that city, which is now in the heavenly realm. This is the new city of Jerusalem, and Jesus is the key, the way into that city. It is just the same as when he died upon that cross, the curtain in the temple, keeping the people away from the Holy of Holies, the presence of God, was torn in two, giving the people a way to God. Jesus is the truth, the way, and the life. He is the way into the new city of Jerusalem. He threw open the gates, all twelve of them, each made from a single pearl. Jesus said that he was the gate, the one true gate into the presence of the Lord God Almighty. When John was given the revelation, he was shown an open door, or gate into heaven, and Jesus told him, “Come up here”. We cannot tear down that gate nor carry it alone on our shoulders. What we can do is accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and He will throw open the gates to heaven for us. In Addition, we do not even have to carry the burdens of this world alone, for we can take his yoke upon us and learn from him. He will lift the load; he will carry us through. No amount of our strength, abilities, knowledge, education, wealth, works, titles, or anything else of ours can carry us through the burdens of this world, or through the city gates of that new city. Only our faith in Jesus will get us access to the city of God. Samson may have carried those gates, but we have Jesus, the Gate, and he will carry us through. 

He Provides

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

HE PROVIDES

Judges 15:9-20

9 The Philistines went up and camped in Judah, spreading out near Lehi. 10 The men of Judah asked, "Why have you come to fight us?" "We have come to take Samson prisoner," they answered, "to do to him as he did to us." 11 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." 12 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." 13 "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. 14 As he approached Lehi, the Philistines came toward him shouting. The Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax, and the bindings dropped from his hands. 15 Finding a fresh jawbone of a donkey, he grabbed it and struck down a thousand men. 16 Then Samson said, "With a donkey's jawbone I have made donkeys of them. With a donkey's jawbone I have killed a thousand men." 17 When he finished speaking, he threw away the jawbone; and the place was called Ramath Lehi.   18 Because he was very thirsty, he cried out to the LORD, "You have given your servant this great victory. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?" 19 Then God opened up the hollow place in Lehi, and water came out of it. When Samson drank, his strength returned and he revived. So the spring was called En Hakkore, and it is still there in Lehi. 20 Samson led Israel for twenty years in the days of the Philistines.

NIV

Although the narrative is about the rest of the story about Samson and his revengefulness, and now after Samson burnt down all the Philistine wheatfields, vineyards, and olive groves, they readied themselves for war against Israel, there is a nugget of truth we need to focus on. We could spend time pondering those new ropes becoming like charred flax because of the power of the LORD. We could focus on Samson finding a donkey's jawbone and striking down a thousand men. But what our attention is drawn to us after everything was said and done, Samson is now thirsty and cries out to the LORD. God did not disappoint, for he opened up the hollow place, which in Hebrew was like an opening in the jaw after a tooth is pulled, and water came pouring out. Elohiym provided for Samson and, of course, Samson was a special man, who had the power of God upon him. God had a special calling for Samson, as even before he was conceived, his mother was told he was never to taste fermented wine, or a razor was never to touch his head, that he was to be a Nazarite. Interestingly, the Hebrew word translated as Nazarite means a consecrated or devoted one, but also is used as an untrimmed(vine). This is why his hair should never be trimmed. Yet, our story is about how God provided water for Samson. Even with all the times the LORD came upon him, God took care of the basic need for him, water. We might experience the hand of the LORD upon us from time to time, having some supernatural happening in our lives, which could be seen as those mountaintop times in life. But it is those quiet times, those moments when all the hoop-ta-la is over, the Lord is still there with us, providing everything we need. Of course, we have seen how Israel turned elsewhere for their needs and paid the consequence of being overpowered by some foreign power. Samson always looked to the LORD, and his life reflected the power of God in providing his needs. We cannot turn to looking at our abilities, skills, education, wealth, or our flesh, thinking it is up to us to make our way in the world. We must always cry out to our Lord, looking to him for everything in our lives, as we worship the Living God who provides. 

Revenge

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

REVENGE

Judges 15:1-8

15:1 Later on, at the time of wheat harvest, Samson took a young goat and went to visit his wife. He said, "I'm going to my wife's room." But her father would not let him go in. 2 "I was so sure you thoroughly hated her," he said, "that I gave her to your friend. Isn't her younger sister more attractive? Take her instead." 3 Samson said to them, "This time I have a right to get even with the Philistines; I will really harm them." 4 So he went out and caught three hundred foxes and tied them tail to tail in pairs. He then fastened a torch to every pair of tails, 5 lit the torches and let the foxes loose in the standing grain of the Philistines. He burned up the shocks and standing grain, together with the vineyards and olive groves. 6 When the Philistines asked, "Who did this?" they were told, "Samson, the Timnite's son-in-law, because his wife was given to his friend." So the Philistines went up and burned her and her father to death. 7 Samson said to them, "Since you've acted like this, I won't stop until I get my revenge on you." 8 He attacked them viciously and slaughtered many of them. Then he went down and stayed in a cave in the rock of Etam.

NIV

There is more to this encounter with the Philistines, however, within this action by Samson against the Philistines, because his father-in-law gave his wife to one of his friends. Why did he walk off and leave her, and that revengeful act against those thirty men? Now he wants this wife, but she has been defiled by being given to another man, so Samson takes out his fury on the crops and vineyard of the Philistines. Samson is supposed to be a man set apart for God, a Nazarite, and it seems he acts out of anger and revengefulness. Israel was indeed being ruled by the Philistines, which was done by the hand of God because they did evil in his sight. Israel had a problem with being faithful to God; although he was always faithful and made a covenant with Abraham, however, his descendants turned to other gods. We know that God wanted Samson to lead Israel, and eventually he would, but for a man of God to act so angrily and strike out against a whole people because of the actions of one man does not seem Godly. We can take our cue from this portion of the story. First, we know God would not approve of us having any anger against anyone. Jesus said that anger is equal to murder. It also seems to us that the reason anyone who even considers any revengeful action would be due to self-centeredness. The fact that Samson had those hurt feelings about the actions of his father-in-law was that Samson thought it was his right to act anyway he wanted with his wife, marry her, leave her, come to her. It was all about Samson. When our feelings get hurt, it may not be about the other person being wrong for acting in some way or saying or not saying something, but we get our feelings hurt because we are centered on self. Sometimes, we may strike out a little bit, sort of a “tit for tat” action, so to speak. We might even just go silent, cold, when our feelings take over, getting hurt, which could be seen as an act of revenge. Should we not treat others as we would want to be treated? That is the golden rule, but it seems we ignore it at times. Lord, help us love first, and all our relationships will fall in line, and revenge will never be part of our lives. 

Who Benefits

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

WHO BENEFITS

Judges 14:8-20

8 Some time later, when he went back to marry her, he turned aside to look at the lion's carcass. In it was a swarm of bees and some honey, 9 which he scooped out with his hands and ate as he went along. When he rejoined his parents, he gave them some, and they too ate it. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion's carcass. 10 Now his father went down to see the woman. And Samson made a feast there, as was customary for bridegrooms. 11 When he appeared, he was given thirty companions. 12 "Let me tell you a riddle," Samson said to them. "If you can give me the answer within the seven days of the feast, I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes. 13 If you can't tell me the answer, you must give me thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes." "Tell us your riddle," they said. "Let's hear it."

14 He replied, "Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet."

For three days they could not give the answer. 15 On the fourth day, they said to Samson's wife, "Coax your husband into explaining the riddle for us, or we will burn you and your father's household to death. Did you invite us here to rob us?" 16 Then Samson's wife threw herself on him, sobbing, "You hate me! You don't really love me. You've given my people a riddle, but you haven't told me the answer." "I haven't even explained it to my father or mother," he replied, "so why should I explain it to you?" 17 She cried the whole seven days of the feast. So on the seventh day he finally told her, because she continued to press him. She in turn explained the riddle to her people. 18 Before sunset on the seventh day the men of the town said to him,

"What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?"

Samson said to them, "If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have solved my riddle."

19 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power. He went down to Ashkelon, struck down thirty of their men, stripped them of their belongings and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. Burning with anger, he went up to his father's house. 20 And Samson's wife was given to the friend who had attended him at his wedding.

NIV

First, we should note that this woman was not Delilah; however, she still used her feminine persuasion on Samson to reveal the answer to his riddle. He may have been a physically strong man, but his weakness toward women would bring only harm to him. Yet, because the people and his wife deceived him, the LORD was not pleased either, so His power came upon Samson to strike down thirty men and gave that plunder to those who solved his riddle, and then, burning with anger, he left his bride behind and went home. We do not understand why the woman’s father, after playing a part to deceive Samson, gave his wife to another man. But what can we glean from this narrative? What truth is there that we can apply to our lives? First, we would think that making a wager for personal gain is not the best life course. Samson was trying to deceive them with an unsolvable riddle to gain thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes. They deceived him by using his wife to get the answer to the riddle. Deception, especially for personal gain, should never be part of our lives, but truth should reign within us, as the Spirit who dwells within us is truth. This personal gain may not be for some physical thing, such as thirty linen, however, it could be for self-edification, self-gratification, an upper hand in a relationship, or a variety of personal self-oriented reasons. Anything that resembles that kind of thinking or action is the opposite of living in humility, being humble before God and men. Instead of breaking others down, we are to build each other up, looking for ways to encourage and exhort others to be better, to strengthen their faith, and walk with the Lord. This kind of living would look more selfless than the other way of life would be selfish. Let us always look for ways to benefit others, rather than how Samson looked for ways to benefit himself. Whatever we are faced with, we should always ask ourselves, who will benefit? 

Move with Power

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

MOVE WITH POWER

Judges 13:24-14:7

24 The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson. He grew and the LORD blessed him, 25 and the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him while he was in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

14:1 Samson went down to Timnah and saw there a young Philistine woman. 2 When he returned, he said to his father and mother, "I have seen a Philistine woman in Timnah; now get her for me as my wife." 3 His father and mother replied, "Isn't there an acceptable woman among your relatives or among all our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife?" But Samson said to his father, "Get her for me. She's the right one for me." 4(His parents did not know that this was from the LORD, who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines; for at that time they were ruling over Israel.) 5 Samson went down to Timnah together with his father and mother. As they approached the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young lion came roaring toward him. 6 The Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he told neither his father nor his mother what he had done. 7 Then he went down and talked with the woman, and he liked her.

NIV

Samson is one of the special men of old, and we know the Spirit of the Lord began to stir within him. Within all the scripture, we see the Spirit of the Lord moving on and within people. This is the same Spirit who was there in the beginning and was hovering over the deep. Many only think the  Spirit showed on the day of Pentecost, or is a New Testament experience. However, here we have the Spirit stirring within Samson as he grew under the blessing of the LORD. Of course, Samson was no ordinary man, for he had the strength to tear a lion apart with his bare hands. Although we know the whole story, we should let it unfold moment by moment, so we can find those nuggets of truth that can apply to our lives. First, as we have noted, it was the  Spirit who began to stir in Samson, then we see it was the Spirit of the LORD who came upon Samson in power, so he tore a young, furious lion apart bare-handed. However, he kept that a secret from his parents. We do not know why he would not want them to know about the Spirit coming upon him with power. We do not keep silent about either the Spirit stirring within us or coming upon us in power. Maybe we do stay silent, not giving any verbal testimony about the indwelling Spirit that endows us with various gifts, including miracles, or miraculous powers, not to tear a lion apart, but perhaps to tear apart the forces of evil around us. When the Spirit moves within us, He could give us power in some area of ministry that we have no human abilities in whatsoever. We wonder how open we are to Him moving within us, manifesting His power within us so we can do mighty things for the benefit of others, and thus, the kingdom of God. Samson did not quench the Spirit, but moved in His power, tearing that lion to pieces. We must be aware of the Spirit and allow Him full access so that we will be able to move with power, doing that which we are called to do, which means some kind of action. However, when the Spirit comes upon us, watch out, for we will move with power. 

The Ascension

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

THE ASCENSION

Judges 13:6-25

6 Then the woman went to her husband and told him, "A man of God came to me. He looked like an angel of God, very awesome. I didn't ask him where he came from, and he didn't tell me his name. 7 But he said to me, 'You will conceive and give birth to a son. Now then, drink no wine or other fermented drink and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite of God from birth until the day of his death.'" 8 Then Manoah prayed to the LORD: "O Lord, I beg you, let the man of God you sent to us come again to teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born."  God heard Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman while she was out in the field; but her husband Manoah was not with her. 10 The woman hurried to tell her husband, "He's here! The man who appeared to me the other day!" 11 Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he said, "Are you the one who talked to my wife?" "I am," he said. 12 So Manoah asked him, "When your words are fulfilled, what is to be the rule for the boy's life and work?" 13 The angel of the LORD answered, "Your wife must do all that I have told her. 14 She must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, nor drink any wine or other fermented drink nor eat anything unclean. She must do everything I have commanded her." 15 Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, "We would like you to stay until we prepare a young goat for you." 16 The angel of the LORD replied, "Even though you detain me, I will not eat any of your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, offer it to the LORD." (Manoah did not realize that it was the angel of the LORD.) 17 Then Manoah inquired of the angel of the LORD, "What is your name, so that we may honor you when your word comes true?" 18 He replied, "Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding." 19 Then Manoah took a young goat, together with the grain offering, and sacrificed it on a rock to the LORD. And the LORD did an amazing thing while Manoah and his wife watched: 20 As the flame blazed up from the altar toward heaven, the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame. Seeing this, Manoah and his wife fell with their faces to the ground. 21 When the angel of the LORD did not show himself again to Manoah and his wife, Manoah realized that it was the angel of the LORD. 22 "We are doomed to die!" he said to his wife. "We have seen God!" 23 But his wife answered, "If the LORD had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and grain offering from our hands, nor shown us all these things or now told us this." 24 The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson. He grew and the LORD blessed him, 25 and the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him while he was in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

The rest of the story, page two, so to speak. We just could not stop anywhere in the middle as this reveals the whole story about the angel of the LORD, the ‘I AM”. Although Manoah wanted to prepare a meal for the angel of the LORD, he told him that he would not eat it. He was a spiritual being of the heavenly realm, although he appeared in the physical realm and talked with both Manoah and his wife. Here too is where Manaoh asked the angel of the LORD his name, and the only answer was, “it is beyond understanding,” but in the Hebrew text, it means wonderful, which Isaiah spoke. This can be none other than Jesus before he came as one of us. This was Jesus in his creator form, in the glory of heaven, only appearing like a man so as not to overwhelm them, yet when the angel of the LORD agreed to allow Manoah to offer the goat and a grain offering to the LORD, the Hebrew word is Yahweh. Now Yahweh did an amazing thing for them. With the goat and grain on a rock, a flame rose to the heavens, and the angel of the LORD ascended within the flames. We cannot be sure if Manoah set the fire, as would be the custom for a burnt offering, but we wonder how can a burnt offering be done on a rock, instead of something with wood, unless the LORD caused the flame so Jesus, in this appearing form” could ascend back into heaven. We do not think this is just a coincidence, the language used ascends, in the same sense as after His resurrection and appeared to many, He ascended back into heaven. The fact that after they watched this supernatural ascension in the flames, Manoah said they were doomed to die. We are told he thought that because he realized who the angel of the LORD was. How can a man see God and live? Everything about this encounter brings us another picture of the power of God and how Jesus was present in the Old Testament. We are not surprised to see Jesus throughout the scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments. He was in the beginning of time, in fact, He created time, and will be there after the end of time. Jesus is the Alpha and Omega. However, after His ascension, we wonder if He would make another appearance to someone in our lifetime, even to ourselves. But then it would not be faith if we actually saw Jesus appear before us. However, we have the Holy Spirit, the third person of the triune God, who testifies within us to the truth about the Father, the Son, and Himself, the Spirit. Just as Manoah realized he came face to face with the angel of the LORD, who was Jesus, and thought he would die, someday we will see Jesus, face to face, and live. How can we not worship to our fullest before the everlasting God all the days of our lives? How can we not fall face down before our Lord?

 

He is Able

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

HE IS ABLE

Judges 13:2-5

2 A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was sterile and remained childless. 3 The angel of the LORD appeared to her and said, "You are sterile and childless, but you are going to conceive and have a son. 4 Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean, 5 because you will conceive and give birth to a son. No razor may be used on his head, because the boy is to be a Nazirite, set apart to God from birth, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines."

NIV

This is the most wonderful story about the mother of Samson and her encounter with Jesus. Although the narrative does not give us this truth in the beginning, we know from later in this story that when the angel of the LORD appears to him, he asks him what his name is. In Hebrew, the name given is “wonderful,” and we know that is one of the names of Jesus. In the prophetic words of Isaiah, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, “and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”. Therefore, we have a woman who is not just barren, but sterile, as the Hebrew is obvious in the distinction between sterile and not bearing young, or barren. This means it would be absolutely impossible for this woman to ever conceive. There is so much within the whole narrative. We want to bring it all into this truth about Jesus appearing to first this wife of Manoah and then to both of them in order to see this wonderful fact the it is Jesus who heals not just her womb, but her entire reproductive system, so that she is no longer sterile, or that Jesus caused a child within her miraculously, just as he would be conceived in Mary. Yet, this is the narrative about Samson, his birth, and that he would begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines. Interestingly, as Samson was to be set apart to God from birth, Jesus was set apart to God, but then Jesus is God. Once again, we are faced with God doing what is impossible with man and only what is possible for Him. Yet, we suffer from ailments, or hurts within our bodies, and it would seem our Lord is silent, although he told us to ask the Father in his name and He would heal us. Is our healing to come from the hands of man, or from the hand of the Lord, or is the medical man a hand from the Lord? Has the Lord given this knowledge, wisdom, and skills to be able to heal many infirmities in our bodies? Yet, all throughout the scripture, in many cases, Jesus just spoke a healing, or a miracle, without lifting a hand, yet in some cases he just touched them, but he always healed them completely, and instantly. They had no need for some time to recover or therapy. Yet, we must always submit to his will, whatever that means in our lives. Yes, we want, but what does He want? Unless he appears and makes it clear, we live by faith, and that is enough to follow our Lord, whatever comes our way. This woman lived with no hope of bearing a child, yet she did because of the hand of God. We are not hopeless, for we know our Lord is able, he is able, He is able, I know my Lord is able to carry me through, He has healed the broken hearted, he has set the captive free, he made the lame to walk again, caused the blind to see, he is able, I know he is able, I know my Lord is able to carry me through.