Burunche’s Blog

Judges 19:1 – 21 “And in those days, when there was no king in Israel, a Levite who lived in the remote hill country of Ephraim took for himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. But she was unfaithful to him and left him to return to her father’s house in Bethlehem in Judah. After she had been there four months, her husband got up and went after her to speak kindly to her and bring her back, taking his servant and a pair of donkeys. So the girl brought him into her father’s house, and when her father saw him, he gladly welcomed him. His father-in-law, the girl’s father, persuaded him to stay, so he remained with him three days, eating, drinking, and lodging there.

On the fourth day, they got up early in the morning and prepared to depart, but the girl’s father said to his son-in-law, “Refresh your heart with a morsel of bread, and then you can go.” So they sat down and the two of them ate and drank together. Then the girl’s father said to the man, “Please agree to stay overnight and let your heart be merry.” The man got up to depart, but his father-in-law persuaded him, so he stayed there that night.

On the fifth day, he got up early in the morning to depart, but the girl’s father said, “Please refresh your heart.” So they waited until late afternoon and the two of them ate. When the man got up to depart with his concubine and his servant, his father-in-law, the girl’s father, said to him, “Look, the day is drawing to a close. Please spend the night. See, the day is almost over. Spend the night here, that your heart may be merry. Then you can get up early tomorrow for your journey home.”

But the man was unwilling to spend the night. He got up and departed, and arrived opposite Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), with his two saddled donkeys and his concubine. When they were near Jebus and the day was almost gone, the servant said to his master, “Please, let us stop at this Jebusite city and spend the night here.”

But his master replied, “We will not turn aside to the city of foreigners, where there are no Israelites. We will go on to Gibeah.” He continued, “Come, let us try to reach one of these towns to spend the night in Gibeah or Ramah.” So they continued on their journey, and the sun set as they neared Gibeah in Benjamin. They stopped to go in and lodge in Gibeah. The Levite went in and sat down in the city square, but no one would take them into his home for the night. (The distance between Bethlehem and Gibeah is 12 miles or 19 km.)

That evening an old man from the hill country of Ephraim, who was residing in Gibeah (the men of that place were Benjamites) came in from his work in the field. When he looked up and saw the traveler in the city square, the old man asked, “Where are you going, and where have you come from?” The Levite replied, “We are traveling from Bethlehem in Judah to the remote hill country of Ephraim, where I am from. I went to Bethlehem in Judah, and now I am going to the house of the LORD; but no one has taken me into his home, even though there is both straw and feed for our donkeys, and bread and wine for me and the maidservant and young man with me. There is nothing that we, your servants, lack.” “Peace to you,” said the old man. “Let me supply everything you need. Only do not spend the night in the square.” So he brought him to his house and fed his donkeys. And they washed their feet and ate and drank.”

At first this seems like a strange story to stick in the middle of the Bible, but it is there for a reason. This story marks the final degradation to which the Israelites have descended. This young man from the remote hill country of Ephraim somehow found a young lady from Bethlehem to be his concubine. Wikipedia tells us, “The position of the concubine was generally inferior to that of the wife. Although a concubine could produce heirs, her children would be inferior in social status to a wife’s children, although they were of higher status than illegitimate children.” The advantage for the young man was that he did not have to pay a high bride price, although he might pay some money to the girl’s family. The girl ran back to her family in Bethlehem, perhaps because she was homesick. The girl’s father was naturally anxious to keep the couple with him as long as possible; however, after several delays, the young man insisted on leaving late in the afternoon. The distance between Jerusalem and Bethlehem was only a few miles, but the sun was already setting as they neared Jerusalem. This stubborn fellow refused to stay in Jerusalem but insisted on pushing on a few more miles to the Israelite city of Gibeah.

Traditionally, strangers who entered a city would come to the city square and one of the local citizens would readily take the strangers into their home and care for them. The first indication that staying in Gibeah was a bad idea was that the local people totally ignored the young man, his concubine, and his servant. This was particularly perplexing since the strangers had all their provisions and only needed a place to shelter for the night. Finally an old man who was from the same area as the young Levite offered them hospitality.

APPLICATION: One of the indications that a culture is breaking down is the deterioration of common courtesy. Throughout the ancient world, hospitality to strangers was practiced as a matter of course. There are many horrifying details in this story, but one of the earliest is the failure of the citizens of Gibeah to welcome these strangers. It is ironic but likely true that had this small band stopped in Jerusalem, the Jebusites might have been kinder to them. Finally an elderly man steeped in the culture invites them into his home for the night. Little does he know that the citizens of Gibeah are about to riot at his doorstep.

As we become more dependent on cell phones, tablets, and computers, the opportunities for direct face to face interactions are steadily decreasing. The less contact we have with other people, the less able we are to interact with them and the less compassion we may have. Kindergarten and primary school teachers are complaining that children who have been using electronic media for several hours a day don’t know how to play with other children or to even relate to them. One teacher testified on Facebook that when she gave her high school class five minutes in which to chat directly with one another rather than messaging, many of the students had no idea what to do and simply put their heads down on their desks.

We may criticize the people of Gibeah, but how many times do we actually recognize the people around us as individuals, or more importantly, as children of God? Cell phones and tablets allow us to distance ourselves so that we can control our social interactions, but in so doing we are losing our ability to converse or to extend common courtesy. May God help us to lay down our electronic media, get earbuds or bluetooth devices out of our ears, and to appreciate the people around us!

PRAYER: Father God, help! We have been taken captive by our cell phones and tablets and no longer practice kindness and courtesy! Help us to remember that You have created people as individuals and to appreciate those around us and show them Your love. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Judges 18:14 – 31 “Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land of Laish said to their brothers, “Did you know that one of these houses has an ephod, household gods, a graven image, and a molten idol? Now think about what you should do.” So they turned aside there and went to the home of the young Levite, the house of Micah, and greeted him.

The six hundred Danites stood at the entrance of the gate, armed with their weapons of war. And the five men who had gone to spy out the land went inside and took the graven image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molten idol, while the priest stood at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred armed men. When they entered Micah’s house and took the graven image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molten idol, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?” “Be quiet,” they told him. “Put your hand over your mouth and come with us and be a father and a priest to us. Is it better for you to be a priest for the house of one person or a priest for a tribe and family in Israel?” So the priest was glad and took the ephod, the household idols, and the graven image, and went with the people. Putting their small children, their livestock, and their possessions in front of them, they turned and departed.

After they were some distance from Micah’s house, the men in the houses near Micah’s house mobilized and overtook the Danites. When they called out after them, the Danites turned to face them and said to Micah, “What is the matter with you that you have called out such a company?” He replied, “You took the gods I had made, and my priest, and went away. What else do I have? How can you say to me, ‘What is the matter with you?’” The Danites said to him, “Do not raise your voice against us, or angry men will attack you, and you and your family will lose your lives.” So the Danites went on their way, and Micah turned to go back home, because he saw that they were too strong for him.

After they had taken Micah’s idols and his priest, they went to Laish, to a tranquil and unsuspecting people, and they struck them with their swords and burned down the city. There was no one to deliver them, because the city was far from Sidon and had no alliance with anyone; it was in a valley near Beth-rehob. And the Danites rebuilt the city and lived there. They named it Dan, after their forefather Dan, who was born to Israel—though the city was formerly named Laish. The Danites set up idols for themselves, and Jonathan son of Gershom, the son of Moses,b and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land. So they set up for themselves Micah’s graven image, and it was there the whole time the house of God was in Shiloh.”

The Danites might have wimped out against the Amorites and the Philistines, but they could afford to be big and brave when confronting Micah and his unarmed household or the unsuspecting people of the city of Laish. Graphically demonstrating that they had no spiritual insight whatsoever, the Danites insisted on capturing Micah’s priest, along with the idols and the ephod and hauling them off to their new city. There is no spiritually neutral location in the entire world. By establishing Dan on the basis of idolatry, the Danites doomed themselves and their clan. Later on, Jereboam built an enormous altar in Dan as a means of keeping the Israelites from returning to the temple in Jerusalem, but the rot started with Micah’s idols and that unholy ephod.

APPLICATION: Many of us would like to go our own way, behaving according to our own lights, dim as they might be, without any regard for the lasting effect it might have on our friends or families. We give lip service to the idea that we want our children to be good upright moral people; however, we ourselves are lousy models. “Do as I say and not as I do” has never worked for parents, not even for Adam and Eve.

The story of Micah and his idols and the Danites is pathetic for several reasons. Here are people who sense that they need God and His power in their lives; however, they are clueless as to how to reach God. In the absence of true knowledge of God or of His precepts, these people are simply making things up as they go along, hoping that somehow they are going to get something right.

At this point it is evident that the Tabernacle is still in Shiloh. Presumably, there are also Levitical priests who are also still in Shiloh and who continue to follow the worship practices laid down by Moses. But Shiloh is a long ways off. The Danites haven’t paid any attention to that stuff in years, and they aren’t about to start now.

What kind of worship did the Danites conduct using these idols and that ephod? Who knows? And when the Danites attempted to hear from God using the ephod as a divining tool, was it God who answered or was it Satan? There were really only two possibilities.

Jesus told the Samaritan woman in John 4 that “God is a spirit and they who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.” How do we worship God when we have never known Him? Ask! God promises that He will always hear those who are searching for Him. Tell God your problems and ask Him for help. Then see what He will do. The results might be amazing.

PRAYER: Father God, there are many of us who aren’t sure Who You are or how to approach You. Please guide all who are truly seeking You into Your Truth. Thank you that You love us and that You always respond to those who want to know more of You. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Judges 18:1 – 12 “In those days there was no king in Israel, and the tribe of the Danites was looking for territory to occupy. For up to that time they had not come into an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. So the Danites sent out five men from their clans, men of valor from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and explore it. “Go and explore the land,” they told them. The men entered the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah, where they spent the night. And while they were near Micah’s house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite; so they went over and asked him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? Why are you here?” “Micah has done this and that for me,” he replied, “and he has hired me to be his priest.”

Then they said to him, “Please inquire of God to determine whether we will have a successful journey.” And the priest told them, “Go in peace. The LORD is watching over your journey.” So the five men departed and came to Laish, where they saw that the people were living securely, like the Sidonians, tranquil and unsuspecting. There was nothing lacking in the land and no oppressive ruler. And they were far away from the Sidonians and had no alliance with anyone.

When the men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their brothers asked them, “What did you find?” They answered, “Come on, let us go up against them, for we have seen the land, and it is very good. Why would you fail to act? Do not hesitate to go there and take possession of the land! When you enter, you will come to an unsuspecting people and a spacious land, for God has given it into your hands. It is a place where nothing on earth is lacking.”

So six hundred Danites departed from Zorah and Eshtaol, armed with weapons of war. They went up and camped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah. That is why the place west of Kiriath-jearim is called Mahaneh-dana to this day. And from there they traveled to the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah’s house.”

APPLICATION: Why was the tribe of Dan wandering around several generations after Joshua had given them their inheritance? (Joshua 19) The territory the tribe of Dan selected was west of Jerusalem and extended to the Mediterranean Sea. It extended north of the territory assigned to Judah and south of the territory given to Ephraim. But the tribe of Dan never occupied their inheritance. Judges 1:34-35 ^“The Amorites confined the Danites to the hill country, not allowing them to come down into the plain. And the Amorites were determined also to hold out in Mount Heres, Aijalon and Shaalbim..” The Philistines also opposed the Danites and ruled over them.

What was the problem of the Danites? The Danites failed to trust God or worship Him and they also wanted their inheritance to be handed to them. While 85 year old Caleb was down in Hebron conquering the local giants, the Danites were whining because they didn’t really want to fight as hard as they should have. The result was that the Danites were squeezed into a small area in the hill country. This passage describes the hunt of the Danites for the new territory that they eventually found in the northeast corner of Israel. The ruins of the ancient city of Dan are so close to the borders of Syria and Lebanon that if one looks north, one sees Lebanon and if one looks east, one sees Syria. And while the spies who returned to Dan might have brought an encouraging report, the plain fact is that Dan still wound up with a fraction of the land they would have possessed had they conquered the territory originally allotted to them. (Source material from: https://www.neverthirsty.org/bible-qa/qa-archives/question/did-tribe-dan-move-does-judges18-1-contradict-joshua19-48/)

The tragedy of the tribe of Dan was two – fold: they lacked the will for prolonged struggle against the Amorites and the Philistines and they failed to trust and worship the One True Living God who had brought them into the land and who had promised to give it to them. Had the Danites trusted God and worshiped Him, they would have succeeded in conquering their enemies. God wanted the Danites to succeed; however, God could not bless their efforts when they refused to trust Him.

Perhaps today you are facing enemies that seem invincible. You heartily wish that God would let you go somewhere else where things are easier. But if God has called you to hard places, then God will guide you and give you the strength and courage to go through whatever it takes to succeed. And remember, worship is just as much a form of spiritual warfare as is prayer. The more we worship God, the more we apprehend the magnitude of His power and the more encouraged we will be in our faith.

PRAYER: Father God, help us to never look back but to look forward to You as You lead us and guide us. Help us to realize that when we face giant problems, we do not face them alone but that You are always with us. Help us to worship You in spirit and in truth. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Judges 17:1 – 13 “Now a man named Micah from the hill country of Ephraim 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 the silver here with me; I took it.” (1,100 shekels is approximately 27.6 pounds or 12.5 kilograms of silver.) Then his mother said, “Blessed be my son by the LORD!” And when he had returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, she said, “I wholly dedicate the silver to the LORD for my son’s benefit to make a graven image and a molten idol. Therefore I will now return it to you.”

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 a graven image and a molten idol. And they were placed in the house of Micah. (200 shekels is approximately 5 pounds or 2.3 kilograms of silver.)

Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some household idols, and ordained one of his sons as his priest. In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

And there was a young Levite from Bethlehem in Judah who had been residing within the clan of Judah. This man left the city of Bethlehem in Judah to settle where he could find a place. And as he traveled, he came to Micah’s house in the hill country of Ephraim. “Where are you from?” Micah asked him. “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah,” he replied, “and I am on my way to settle wherever I can find a place.”

“Stay with me,” Micah said to him, “and be my father and priest, and I will give you ten shekels of silver per year, a suit of clothes, and your provisions.” (10 shekels is approximately 4 ounces or 114 grams of silver.)

So the Levite went in and agreed to stay with him, and the young man became like a son to Micah. Micah ordained the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in his house. Then Micah said, “Now I know that the LORD will be good to me, because a Levite has become my priest.”

This is a terribly sad story! Joshua and all those of his generation and several generations afterwards are all dead and God’s laws and ordinances have been forgotten. What has survived is a form of Jewish folk religion – a mixture of magic practices with a pinch of truth, but only a pinch.

Micah steals a large quantity of silver from his mother and then later returns it, probably because he fears the curses his mother has put on anybody who has taken the money. Micah’s mother dedicates the money to the Lord…. for a graven image and a molten idol. HUH? God has expressly forbidden the Israelites to make any idols; however, parents have failed to teach children, and now the worship of the One True Living God has deteriorated into idolatry. Micah now has a shrine, an ephod that he has made, and some household idols. After Micah has ordained one of his sons as a priest, a young Levite from Bethlehem shows up. Micah doesn’t remember much about the priests of the Lord, but he does remember that the Levites are the priestly tribe, so he recruits the young Levite to be his personal priest. Having already done several things that are completely against the will of God, Micah tops it by assuming that having a Levite in his house will bring a blessing.

APPLICATION: The term “meshugganah” is a Yiddish word indicating someone who is crazy! This story is sad because Micah genuinely wants to worship the Lord but has no idea of what to do. Without any priest or teach to guide, Micah decides to create some of the trappings of the original tabernacle of Moses. Surrounding tribes have idols so Micah makes idols. The ephod was originally used for seeking the will of the Lord, so Micah creates an ephod in hopes of learning God’s will by divination, something else that God has forbidden. And Micah vaguely remembers that he needs a priest, so he looks around and selects one of his sons to act as a priest. Of course, this fellow has no idea how a priest is supposed to function, nor does he realize that he is from the wrong tribe to become a priest in the first place.

Given all these considerations, Micah might be excused if he gets really excited when the young Levite shows up. Somehow Micah remembers that the Levites are the priestly tribe, although he doesn’t remember anything else.

The key sentence in this chapter is verse 6: “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” By this point in Israel, things are really in a mess, morally and spiritually, as illustrated by this story. What happened? Despite God ordering the Israelites to teach their children and their grandchildren His ordinances, the Israelites became so caught up in conquering the land of Canaan and enjoying the cities, fields, vineyards, and olive groves, that they lost sight of the Lord.

What are we doing with our children and grandchildren? Are we teaching them about God or are we hoping that if we send them to Sunday School, somebody else will teach them? Are our children and grandchildren seeing us honoring God in our lives, or do they see us worshiping fame, wealth, social position, or our professions? We are the most vivid Bible that our children and grandchildren will ever see. If we fail to honor God in our own lives, how do we expect them to honor God in theirs? God help us if we fail as parents and grandparents!

PRAYER: Father God, help! We ourselves do not honor You as we should; yet, we want our children and grandchildren to do what we are failing to do. Help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. Help us to teach our children and grandchildren the things of God, but also help us to show them how much You love them. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Judges 16:15 – 31“How can you say, ‘I love you,’” she told him, “when your heart is not with me? This is the third time you have mocked me and failed to reveal to me the source of your great strength!” Finally, after she had pressed him daily with her words and pleaded until he was sick to death, Samson told her all that was in his heart: “My hair has never been cut, because I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaved, my strength will leave me, and I will become as weak as any other man.”

When Delilah realized that he had revealed to her all that was in his heart, she sent this message to the lords of the Philistines: “Come up once more, for he has revealed to me all that is in his heart.” Then the lords of the Philistines came to her, bringing the money in their hands. And having lulled him to sleep on her lap, she called a man to shave off the seven braids of his head. In this way she began to subdue him, and his strength left him. Then she called out, “Samson, the Philistines are here!”

When Samson awoke from his sleep, he thought, “I will escape as I did before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him.

Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, where he was bound with bronze shackles and forced to grind grain in the prison.

However, the hair of his head began to grow back after it had been shaved.

Now the lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon. They rejoiced and said, “Our god has delivered Samson our enemy into our hands.” And when the people saw him, they praised their god, saying: “Our god has delivered into our hands our enemy who destroyed our land and multiplied our dead.”

And while their hearts were merry, they said, “Call for Samson to entertain us.” So they called Samson out of the prison to entertain them. And they stationed him between the pillars.

Samson said to the servant who held his hand, “Lead me where I can feel the pillars supporting the temple, so I can lean against them.” Now the temple was full of men and women; all the lords of the Philistines were there, and about three thousand men and women were on the roof watching Samson entertain them. Then Samson called out to the LORD: “O Lord GOD, please remember me. Strengthen me, O God, just once more, so that with one vengeful blow I may pay back the Philistines for my two eyes.”

And Samson reached out for the two central pillars supporting the temple. Bracing himself against them with his right hand on one pillar and his left hand on the other, Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.”

Then he pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the lords and all the people in it. So in his death he killed more than he had killed in his life. Then Samson’s brothers and his father’s family came down, carried him back, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. And he had judged Israel twenty years.”

APPLICATION: This story needs no explanation. Samson, called of God and gifted beyond all other men with supernatural strength, weakens and finally tells Delilah his secret. Captured and blinded, Samson becomes a slave. But while the Philistines are mocking Samson, his hair is growing.

At this point, many of us might question God. “Look, Lord, this guy has really made a royal mess of his life! So what if his hair grows. Big deal.” But God is not through with Samson; even if Samson has failed in much of his calling, God wants to prove to the Philistines that their god Dagon is no god but a useless demon who cannot deliver his worshipers. When Samson is brought into the temple so that the Philistines can mock him, Samson prays what may be one of the few sincere prayers in his entire life. Samson begs the Lord for his strength to return for one last desperate act, and God agrees.

Why does Samson beg God for the privilege of dying with the Philistines? What else is Samson to do? Samson is blind, and he knows that he has shredded his Nazirite vows and has spoiled God’s plan for his life. But finally Samson is facing God and acknowledging God as the Source of his strength, perhaps for the first time in his entire life. God is giving Samson one more chance to do things right, and this time Samson humbly and sincerely asks for God’s help.

Is the story of Samson a total disaster? Much of this account grieves us; many of us have had gifted friends who have wasted their gifts. But the final act in this story is NOT a disaster! Belatedly perhaps, but for once in Samson’s life, he truly turns to God and God acts mightily. Ironically, the temple collapse kills more Philistines than Samson has killed during his lifetime. God has triumphed over the false idol of Dagon. Has Delilah has come to the temple to gloat, only to die in this disaster? We don’t know. But we do know that at this point in time, the name “Sorek” has been fulfilled. Worship of a false god has proven to be a fruitless tree.

PRAYER: Father God, some of us feel that we have messed up our lives beyond all fixing. But YOU are the God of second chances. Your Name is Redeemer and Savior. Please come into our hearts, redeem us and save us from ourselves. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Judges 16:4 – 14 “Some time later, Samson fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. The lords of the Philistines went to her and said, “Entice him and find out the source of his great strength and how we can overpower him to tie him up and subdue him. Then each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.” (1,100 shekels is approximately 27.6 pounds or 12.5 kilograms of silver.)

So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me the source of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued.” Samson told her, “If they tie me up with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, I will become as weak as any other man.”

So the lords of the Philistines brought her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she tied him up with them. While the men were hidden in her room, she called out, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” But he snapped the bowstrings like a strand of yarn seared by a flame. So the source of his strength remained unknown.

Then Delilah said to Samson, “You have mocked me and lied to me! Now please tell me how you can be tied up.” He replied, “If they tie me up with new ropes that have never been used, I will become as weak as any other man.” So Delilah took new ropes, tied him up with them, and called out, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” But while the men were hidden in her room, he snapped the ropes off his arms like a thread.

Then Delilah said to Samson, “You have mocked me and lied to me all along! Tell me how you can be tied up.” He told her, “If you weave the seven braids of my head into the web of a loom and fasten it with a pin, I will become as weak as any other man.”

So while he slept, Delilah took the seven braids of his hair and wove them into the web. Then she fastened the braids with a pin and called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” But he awoke from his sleep and pulled out the pin with the loom and the web.”

Reading this story might cause us to ask ourselves how stupid can one man be? The first time Samson attempted to marry a Philistine girl, it was a disaster. The incident with the prostitute in Gaza resulted in Samson having to escape from Gaza at midnight, hauling the city gates with him. Now Samson has become entranced by yet another Philistine girl, this time from the valley of Sorek, a name some sources believe to mean “fruitless tree.”

Samson’s Nazirite vows are undoubtedly abandoned, apart from his allowing his hair and beard to grow. Delilah sees Samson as her opportunity to become rich and sets out to trap him by any means possible. Why is Samson sleeping as Delilah is tying him up with bowstrings and ropes? Who in their right mind is going to lie asleep while someone weaves his hair into the web of a loom? Has Samson been drinking each time these things happened in further rejection of his Nazirite vow?

Samson is so sure of himself that he continues to flirt with danger. One might observe that Samson’s ego is in a gaseous state, ever – expanding.

APPLICATION: At this point in the story, Samson is not yet completely doomed. If Samson stops, realizes how far he has fallen and repents, there will still be hope for him. Samson can tell Delilah “good – bye and and good riddance” and return to Israelite territory and stay there, renewing his Nazirite vows and leading a blameless life. But Samson has walked on the wild side and gotten away with it for so long that anything else appears dull by comparison. Samson has become an adrenaline junkie; the path of virtue doesn’t promise any adrenaline rushes.

God’s mercy extends down to the very last breath we take; however, we never know when that last breath will occur. Some of us may be in the same position as Samson. We have spent years chasing one thrill after another, searching for that next adrenaline rush that will spur us on to further exertions.

Perhaps your drug of choice is cocaine or meth. Perhaps you like alcohol. Perhaps you have become a gambler, betting on everything you can find. Perhaps your addictions are more socially acceptable – on – line gaming, playing the stock market, extreme sports, racing any vehicle you can find, or even working as many hours as possible. Whatever gives you your adrenaline fix has become an addiction, and addictions always separate you from friends and family until it becomes too late to turn back. One day, you look around and your friends and family are gone. Your children have grown up. Your spouse has found someone else. And you are alone.

Stop before it’s too late! Don’t copy Samson! Don’t tell yourself that you can always quit or that your obsessions aren’t harming anybody. Turn to God and let Him help you break out of that cycle. Let God lift you into a glorious life.

PRAYER: Father God, we confess that we have become adrenaline junkies, longing for the next high. Help us to see that You are the Life – giver, the Way – maker, and the only One who can truly fulfill us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Judges 16:1 – 4 ”One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute and went in to spend the night with her. When the Gazites heard that Samson was there, they surrounded that place and lay in wait for him all night at the city gate. They were quiet throughout the night, saying, “Let us wait until dawn; then we will kill him.” But Samson lay there only until midnight, when he got up, took hold of the doors of the city gate and both gateposts, and pulled them out bar and all. Then he put them on his shoulders and took them to the top of the mountain overlooking Hebron.”

Romans 11:29 says, “For God’s gifts and His calling are irrevocable.” This verse means that once God has given someone a gift or a calling, He doesn’t snatch it away from them when they perform poorly. Samson has been given incredible strength. Although Samson has been a judge over Israel for twenty years, he hasn’t learned anything when it comes to his sexual appetites. Samson has mistaken a holy calling from the lord as a sign of entitlement; he appears to feel that he can behave any way he pleases and that God is still going to bless him.

Samson’s great feat of strength is nearly incredible to believe. Most city gateposts consisted of huge stone pillars with heavy thick wooden or metal gates hung on them. The distance from Gaza to Hebron is at least twenty miles or more. Yes, God’s gift of strength is still working; however, God has called Samson to be a Nazirite from conception onward to defeat the demons worshiped by the Philistines. Instead of living a chaste and holy life as God desires, Samson has been sleeping with Philistine women.

Demons transfer during sex. One Christian who was involved in witchcraft in his youth has testified that sex was one of the ways his coven used to attract and enmesh new members. Evil is an acquired taste, just as is virtue. Unfortunately, Samson has acquired a taste for the demonic. Notice that throughout the story of Samson, there is never any mention of his marriage to an Israelite wife or to his worshiping the Lord. No, whenever Samson’s sexual liaisons are mentioned, it is always with Philistine women. Samson is in a downward spiral spiritually, one that will eventually lead to his doom.

APPLICATION: As we grow older, we become what we have always been, only more so. Samson’s lusts have grown over the years. Doing the math, Samson must now be in his 40’s in an age when many people had their lives cut short by sickness. And Samson is a judge, an authority figure. How many young Israelite men may have chosen to emulate Samson, allying themselves with Philistine girls in direct violation of God’s commandments? We miss a great deal when we assume that this story is only about the tragedy of a single individual.

God has intended Samson to be holy and righteous from the womb. Samson’s parents have done everything they can to make that calling happen. But Samson has spent a lifetime rebelling against authority and feeling entitled – a very bad combination!

Several years ago, we knew a pastor’s son who was incredibly gifted. This young man was handsome, intelligent, charming, well spoken, and very likable. His parents had high hopes that he would become a pastor or a teacher and be a shining example for others. But like Samson, this young man chose to have sex with girls from families worshiping traditional religions; as a result, he became confused and unable to focus. At last report, our friend was still bouncing from one job to another, leaving his parents to raise his illegitimate son by themselves.

What can we learn from Samson? Each one of us has a holy calling from God. God has a perfect plan for each of our lives. If we are not certain what that plan is, we should simply pray and ask God. James :5 1- 7 tells us, “Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” Once we have heard from God, we need to act on that knowledge, realizing that if God calls us to do something, God will also provide the strength and the resources to fulfill that call.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving each of us as individuals. Thank You for calling each of us to lives of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Lord, help everyone who reads this to learn the calling You have for them and to fulfill that calling so that Your blessings may rest upon them. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Judges 15:9 – 20 “Then the Philistines went up, camped in Judah, and deployed themselves against Lehi. “Why have you attacked us?” said the men of Judah. The Philistines replied, “We have come to arrest Samson and pay him back for what he has done to us.” In response, three thousand men of Judah went to the cave at the rock of Etam, and they asked Samson, “Do you not realize that the Philistines rule over us? What have you done to us?” “I have done to them what they did to me,” he replied.

But they said to him, “We have come down to arrest you and hand you over to the Philistines.” Samson replied, “Swear to me that you will not kill me yourselves.”

“No,” they answered, “we will not kill you, but we will tie you up securely and hand you over to them.” So they bound him with two new ropes and led him up from the rock.

When Samson arrived in Lehi, the Philistines came out shouting against him. And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him. The ropes on his arms became like burnt flax, and the bonds broke loose from his hands. He found the fresh jawbone of a donkey, reached out his hand and took it, and struck down a thousand men. Then Samson said:

“With the jawbone of a donkey I have piled them into heaps. With the jawbone of a donkey I have slain a thousand men.” And when Samson had finished speaking, he cast the jawbone from his hand; and he named that place Ramath-lehi. (Ramath-lehi means the hill of the jawbone)

And being very thirsty, Samson cried out to the LORD, “You have accomplished this great deliverance through Your servant. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” So God opened up the hollow place in Lehi, and water came out of it. When Samson drank, his strength returned, and he was revived. That is why he named it En-hakkore, (the spring of him who calls) and it remains in Lehi to this day.

And Samson judged Israel for twenty years in the days of the Philistines.

God is using Samson to deliver the Israelites in spite of themselves. When the Philistines show up complaining about Samson, do the Israelites back him? Are you kidding? If the Israelites could completely disown Samson, they would do so in a heartbeat! Three thousand men of Judah meet Samson at the cave where he is staying to convince him to allow them to hand him over to the Philistines. The predictable happens: when Samson is handed over, the Spirit of the Lord comes upon him, he flexes his muscles, and the ropes simply melt away. Grabbing the first thing handy, a donkey jawbone, Samson then kills a thousand Philistines. When the battle is finished and Samson is about to collapse from thirst, God even opens a spring for him.

APPLICATION: In this part of the story, God uses Samson, imperfect as he is, to help keep the Philistines at bay. Why is this such an important story? Many times we feel that we must earn God’s favor and that if we don’t behave perfectly, God will refuse to bless us. But in fact, none of us can possibly behave perfectly. Each one of us is a sinner in need of a Savior; that’s why Jesus had to come and die for our sins at Calvary. After all the other things that Samson has done, it is obvious that Samson is far from perfect; yet, God has continued to use him and to sustain him.

We can take comfort from this story in the fact that God hears our prayers and will answer our prayers. Many times we don’t realize how God has been working in our lives. It is only when we begin to look backwards that we realize “Wow! That was God!” Years ago, our hospital had only a single vehicle and we had to drive all the way to the capital city of Accra to buy drugs and medical consumables. One day we reached a parking spot in Accra, only to realize that all four tires on the vehicle were leaking and needed replacement. Amazingly, 3 months earlier, someone had donated money through the mission group for whom we worked, and the mission had just transferred that money to our account a few days before our tires went flat. This took place nearly 30 years ago, when communication was extremely difficult and even phone conversations required advance planning. Only God could have orchestrated that money arriving at that time. So many times as we have traveled raising funds for the hospital, someone has handed us donated items that we desperately need. Truly, God’s hand is never shortened; God supplies our needs, if not our wants.

Do you have a real need in your life? Go to God; He already knows. Ask Him to help you see if He has already made provision and then thank Him for that provision.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us so much that You provide for us, even before we realize that we need something. Thank You that You hear our prayers and that You answer them. Help us to trust You always. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Judges 15:1 – 8 “Later on, at the time of the wheat harvest, Samson took a young goat and went to visit his wife. “I want to go to my wife in her room,” he said. But her father would not let him enter. “I was sure that you thoroughly hated her,” said her father, “so I gave her to one of the men who accompanied you. Is not her younger sister more beautiful than she? Please take her instead.” Samson said to them, “This time I will be blameless in doing harm to the Philistines.”

Then Samson went out and caught three hundred foxes. And he took torches, turned the foxes tail-to-tail, and fastened a torch between each pair of tails. Then he lit the torches and released the foxes into the standing grain of the Philistines, burning up the piles of grain and the standing grain, as well as the vineyards and olive groves.

“Who did this?” the Philistines demanded. “It was Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite,” they were told. “For his wife was given to his companion.” So the Philistines went up and burned her and her father to death.

And Samson told them, “Because you have done this, I will not rest until I have taken vengeance upon you.” And he struck them ruthlessly with a great slaughter, and then went down and stayed in the cave at the rock of Etam.”

Let’s get this straight. Samson attempts to marry a Philistine girl despite his parents’ objections, breaks his life – long Nazirite vow, and causes all kinds of problems at his marriage feast. Samson, incensed because his bride has leaked the answer to his ridiculous riddle to the wedding guests, slaughters 30 Philistines from Ashkelon and gives their garments to fulfill the terms of his riddle. After misconducting himself in this fashion, Samson then stalks home with his humiliated parents. Samson’s would – be in – laws don’t know what to do because their daughter is no longer a virgin. Fortunately, there is another young man in Timnah willing to marry the girl, so her parents give her to him.

After months of absence, Samson suddenly reappears on the scene as if nothing untoward has ever happened, and wants to visit the girl in her room, obviously to sleep with her. The girl’s parents do the best that they can, offering the girl’s beautiful younger sister as a substitute. (There is no record of what this young lady might have thought of becoming a consolation prize.) Samson refuses and instead goes ahead to catch three hundred foxes, tie them together in pairs and tie torches to their tails so that all the standing grain, as well as the vineyards and olive groves catch on fire. The Philistines are so furious that they burn Samson’s intended bride and her father to death. Samson then retaliates by slaughtering a large number of Philistines.

There are several parts of the story that are difficult to believe. For one thing, how does one catch three hundred foxes all at once? Foxes can run very fast and are masters at evasive action. For Samson to catch three hundred foxes, he must have been able to run even faster. The retribution taken by the Philistines and then by Samson boggles the imagination; however, even today, many different religious groups slaughter any who are thought to have betrayed the faith with impunity.

APPLICATION: The big question as we consider this passage is this: did God really want such awful slaughter to happen to the Philistines? The amazing answer would seem to be that God allowed Samson to do these things as a means of loosening the Philistine hold on Israel.

Was this God’s perfect will for the Philistines? No. In the beginning, God wanted Israel to be a graphic demonstration of how to worship and Whom to worship. Had the Philistines turned away from the evil gods such as Dagon that they were worshiping, God could have stopped Samson. God used Samson, imperfect as he was; however, it is entirely possible that God may have had a far better plan. But Samson had already abandoned his Nazirite vows except for the length of his hair, and so God had to use him as he was.

God has a perfect plan for each one of us; however, we can always mess things up. God says in Jeremiah 29:11“’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. ‘” God had a perfect plan and a hope and a future for Samson. Perhaps God intended for Samson to become a truly godly man who would marry a godly wife and raise children of excellent character who would become a blessing to generations of future Israelites. Unfortunately, Samson spoiled those plans, wasting his talents as he lurched from one woman to another. There is no record that Samson ever fathered any children.

What if we have already messed up God’s plan for our lives? God is a God of infinite resourcefulness. Although we might never fulfill God’s original plan for our lives, God can still use us and guide us into righteousness, peace, and joy if we only will allow Him to do so. But we must first recognize that we are headed in a wrong direction and then ask God to help turn us around and to straighten us out. Once that process occurs, God can do amazing things with anyone who is yielded to Him.

Today you might feel as if you have made a complete shambles of your life! Nothing has turned out the way you have hoped. But it’s never too late. Ask God for help; He is as close as your heart beat.

PRAYER: Father God, thank you for loving us and for caring for us. We confess that we have gone in the wrong direction. Please turn us around. Straighten us out and help us to be willing to cooperate in that process. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Judges 14:8 – 20 “When Samson returned later to take her, he left the road to see the lion’s carcass, and in it was a swarm of bees, along with their honey. So he scooped some honey into his hands and ate it as he went along. When he returned to his father and mother, he gave some to them and they ate it. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion’s carcass.

Then his father went to visit the woman, and Samson prepared a feast there, as was customary for the bridegroom. And when the Philistines saw him,a they selected thirty men to accompany him. “Let me tell you a riddle,” Samson said to them. “If you can solve it for me within the seven days of the feast, I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes. But if you cannot solve it, you must give me thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.” “Tell us your riddle,” they replied. “Let us hear it.” So he said to them: “Out of the eater came something to eat, and out of the strong came something sweet.”

For three days they were unable to explain the riddle. So on the fourth day they said to Samson’s wife, “Entice your husband to explain the riddle to us, or we will burn you and your father’s household to death. Did you invite us here to rob us?” Then Samson’s wife came to him, weeping, and said, “You hate me! You do not really love me! You have posed to my people a riddle, but have not explained it to me.” “Look,” he said, “I have not even explained it to my father or mother, so why should I explain it to you?” She wept the whole seven days of the feast, and finally on the seventh day, because she had pressed him so much, he told her the answer. And in turn she explained the riddle to her people.

Before sunset on the seventh day, the men of the city said to Samson: “What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?” So he said to them: “If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have solved my riddle!”

Then the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, killed thirty of their men, took their apparel, and gave their clothes to those who had solved the riddle. And burning with anger, Samson returned to his father’s house, and his wife was given to one of the men who had accompanied him.”

As a Nazirite, Samson was not supposed to touch any dead bodies at any time, anywhere! But Samson was ruled by his appetites, and when he saw free honey, he took some and also gave some to his parents. As practicing Jews, Samson’s parents shouldn’t have eaten that honey either. Did Samson try to excuse himself by telling himself that if his parents had refused the honey, then he would have stopped eating it? At the very least, Samson manipulated his innocent parents into a sin so that he could feel better about it himself.

Compounding that sin, Samson goes on to the marriage feast and decides to be clever. Perhaps riddles were a local custom at marriage feasts. Samson himself is the one who places severe restrictions on those failing to solve the riddle, so Samson is the one who creates the crisis in the first place. Had Samson posed the riddle with some lesser consequences for those who could not solve it, the feast would probably have gone on and things would have been peaceful. But the price Samson demands is so high that the Philistines threaten to burn the bride’s family’s house with everyone in it. Faced with this threat, it is little wonder that the bride cries for all seven days of the feast. Finally, Samson can’t stand it any more and shares the answer with his bride, who immediately tells the wedding guests, thus saving her family from extinction.

Samson becomes infuriated and takes out his anger and fulfills his vow by going to the Philistine city of Ashkelon, murdering thirty men, and taking their clothes. Samson huffs off with his parents rather than first collecting his bride. (?Typical only child behavior?) Facing a difficult situation, the bride’s parents quickly give her to someone else so that she will not become a social pariah.

APPLICATION: The whole mess has begun with Samson’s wrong choice of a bride. As if that is not enough, Samson also breaks his Nazirite vow on the way to this ungodly wedding. Remember that Samson is supposed to be a Nazirite from the womb until the day of his death. Scooping that honey out of a dead carcass is an absolute violation of the restrictions on Nazirites. Unfortunately, once we choose to begin sinning, one sin is likely to beget another. Samson’s parents have tried their best to get him to marry an Israelite girl, but Samson has emphatically refused. Next, the Nazirite vow gets cast aside. What follows is a mockery of a wedding feast; how could it be otherwise? At the end, thirty men from Ashkelon are murdered for their clothes and Samson goes home with his parents, who are undoubtedly abashed at this turn of events.

What must Manoah and his wife feel as they trudge home with their spoiled handsome son who has just made a complete mess of his divine calling and embarrassed them before a rival tribe in the process? Quite likely, Manoah is already concerned about what Samson might choose to do next, since Samson has already demonstrated so little regard for God.

The story of Samson is an unqualified tragedy! Samson is gifted – strong, handsome, brave, and presumably intelligent. But Samson becomes a slave to his lusts early on, refuses to take wise counsel from his parents, and turns his back on most of his Nazirite vows. So far, Samson still has his long hair, so he is being PARTIALLY obedient, but partial obedience in the face of the demonic remains a recipe for disaster. Give demons any chance at all, and they will take over.

Today we have many people who claim to believe in Jesus Christ; however, their lives do not bear close inspection. Church rolls are littered with the names of those who attend regularly on Sunday but who cheat people on Monday. If we truly love someone, we do everything we can not to hurt or offend them. Sin grieves God. Nobody is perfect; however, those who truly follow Jesus recognize when they have sinned, turn away from that sin, and confess to God that they need His help to make it. Any believer who feels that he or she can make it on his/her own is doomed to failure. Compromises are useless.

PRAYER: Father God, let our hearts grieve with the things that break Yours. Help us to turn away from compromises and to continue to follow You all the days of our lives. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.