...The Lord brings death and makes alive...
...sends poverty and wealth he humbles and exaults...
...the foundations of the earth are the Lord's...
The boy (Samuel) ministered before the Lord under Eli the priest. Eli's sons were wicked men, they had no regard for the Lord...Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.
Samson...said to his father and mother, "I have seen a Philistine woman...get her for my wife."..."Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife?"...(His parents did not know that this was from the Lord, who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philitines; for at that time, they were ruling over Israel.)...
...suddenly a young lion came roaring toward him. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power so that he tore the lion apart...later...the lions carcass. In it was a swarm of bees and some honey, which he scooped out with his hands and ate as he went along...when he rejoined his parents, he gave them some...but...did not tell them...honey...from lions carcass.
From 1 Samuel 2 & Judges 14 NIV
Today, among other things, we continue to read about Samson. We learn that he was a: Nazirite from birth, set aside to the Lord; man who had his wife, a Philistine, given to a friend by his father-in-law; man who felt he had a right to get even with the Philistines, as a result, tied three hundred foxes together by their tails with lighted torches and set the torches ablaze to destroy the grain, olive trees and vineyards.
Samson hid in a cave, was turned over to the Philitines and when the Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power, he killed one thousand Philitines with a Jawbone. Then he led Israel for twenty years.
Samson, in Gaza, spent the night with a prostitute, and ultimately fell in love with Delilah. Love must be blind, for Samson did not put it together that Delilah was out to destroy him, for when Delilah asked about sapping Samson's strength and was told by Samson that by; being tied with seven fresh thongs; being tied with new ropes; or weaving seven braids of hair into fabric that tying or weaving to try to sap strength occured.
Finally, with the fourth inquiry, Delilah is told about Samson's strength secret. If the hair of the Nazirite is cut, the strength is gone. The Lord left him.
We are given encouragement in the last verse of the day: But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.
In this tapestry we see priaise, obedience and disobedience to the Lord and the Lord's commands. Even the hero Samson has a less than stellar background. Consider Samson; was he, like David, a strong man yet weak when it came to women? Or was he just non-compliant with the Lord when it came to selecting a mate? One can only speculate. One might wonder if his noncompliance with God's commands left him in a position where he was blind to the Spirit's guidance when Delilah was persistant in her questioning about the source of Samson's strength? Despite his shortcomings, Samuel led the Israelites for 20 years in the days of the Philistines.
How do you give thanks and praise to the Lord in all situations?
What do you feel when you perceive people who appear to have no regard for the Lord?
How might you be ignoring God's Word, the Spirit's call or guidance?
Where might there be blindspots in your life?
Is your hair still growing?
Pray for protection for those who are serving others, especially for those in harms way.
In Christ,
David P
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