Comments for June 15

:18 Forgetfulness was a characteristic of Israel in the wilderness. But as well as forgetting what God had done they gave scant regard to His provision also. Familiarity with His provision had blunted the senses. How often do we lightly esteem the things of God because we take them for granted?

About Rahab from a few days ago who told a lie about the whereabouts of the spies, I recall that you commented that this was one of the few occasions when we might consider a lie to be acceptable. The other is for Today''s reading about Samson - the simple comment that you do not understand the number of occasions when visiting a harlot is not condemned.

I don't have an answer, but I believe that there are many occasions when men of faith failed and there is no specific condemnation. However, there are plenty of passages that show that telling a lie or committing adultery (or fornication) is wrong. I believe that we are meant to understand that despite our failings, God can still work with us because of the atonement, and all that that entails.

Brother Mark Vincent recently gave a talk on the book of Judges at a youth gathering. He drew our attention to the fact that there is little comment by way of Judgement in the book of that name. He suggested that we might be being encouraged to try and apply judgement to the situations that we read about. Further he said that when we try and do so we find it exceedingly difficult to the point of impossibility. Therefore the message is perhaps that we should leave judgement to God.

If I understood him correctly, then I like what he said.

My point really is that God does not explicitly condemn every sin committed by the characters in scripture. We would also be wrong to condemn the sinners - especially where we have confirmation of a place for them in God's kingdom.

In short - I don't think that any lie can be said to be acceptable, and whilst I share your lack of understanding with regard to, for example, Samson and Delilah, I think that we can draw comfort from God's loving mercy when we fail. Certainly we cannot justify any of our own sins because there are occasions when there is no direct condemnation of a similar sin to ours in the Bible.

Misconceptions about Samson

Is there any possible practical lesson from the fall of this great man, Samson, by the hands of the woman he loved?

Samson had a tragic past. In 15:6 he had experienced the burning alive of his young wife. Not only that, but she had been taken away from him even before their wedding night. What effect would an event like that have on your character? From the record in 15:19 we read that he Judged Israel for twenty years. We also know that his relationship with Delilah was towards the end of this period. Samson, therefore, may have been around for thirty five or forty years before he met Delilah -- before he could finally lie peacefully in the arms of a woman he loved. Would any of us deny him this?

All his life he had been hounded.  He had even spent time living alone in a rock face (15:8). How lonely was this man by the time he met Delilah?*  Does any of this put his seemingly weak attitude towards Delilah in context?

* Note: It is a popular misconception that Delilah was a Philistine woman and that Samson shouldn't have been with her. Sorek, where she lives, certainly sounds Philistine but it probably isn't. The Valley of Sorek marks the boundary of the Israelite territory of Dan, so she is almost certainly an Israelite.

What is fantastic about this account of Samson is the parallel on a prophetic plain. As it has been suggestion, Samson types Israel. So when we read the account of Samson and his failures, we also see the failure of Israel and the mercy Yahweh will pour out upon them in due course. Notice then how this chapter enacts Armageddon, and specifically the fall of the Gogian host. How so?
The meaning of Gog(Ezekiel 38 for example) is "a roof" and Hamon-Gog(Ezekiel 39) then "multitude on the roof". Notice that the destruction of the philistines( symbol of flesh through scripture) was "on the roof". Samson(Israel typed) after renewing his strength(brought back from the sword) overthrew it. So Samson types Israel, on behalf of whom Gog is destroyed.

Also, In Numbers 24:7, Balaam predicted that Israel's future King "shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted". Look this up in the Septuagint and you will find 'Agag' rendered as"Gog". So , if we accept that translation, Balaam saw prophetically Gog destroyed at the hands of the multitudinous Christ, and the exultation of the kingdom of Yahweh over Edom, or that of the flesh- here styled 'the philistines'.

A number of people, such as Peter Forbes, have raised similarities between Christ and Samson including their birth and circumstances of their betrayal by one close to them for silver. God strengthened each of them. Jesus associated with sinners and tax collectors, died for Jew and Gentile and many who come to Christ are not faithful just as some Samson knew and loved were unfaithful to him. Samson was blinded and humiliated much as Christ was blindfolded and mocked. Both Jesus and Samson were in bondage. In death Samson and Jesus achieved their greatest victory. So it would appear that Samson is perhaps a type of Christ.

Similarly, Jesus and Samson are perhaps representatives of Israel. The Gospel in the Book of Judges by Ian Giles notes Hos 11:1 "When Israel  was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt." and this is picked up in Matt 2:15. Also, Samson took on a priestly status for his people as a Nazarite Num 6:3-8 which had similar requirements to that of a high priest who's job was to represent Israel such as on the day of atonement.

Samson, as Matt Drywood and Ian Giles have suggested, is perhaps a type of Israel. Israel were separated for God's service Lev 20:24-26; Israel married those of different lands and whored after the gods of the Canaanites Exo 34:15; Israel and Samson broke their covenants and lost the strength to defend themselves; Zedekiah, Israel's last king was blinded and put in fetters of brass 2Kin 25:7; national blindness in Israel remains Rom 11:25-26.

God strengthened Sampson, and will strengthen all who turn to Him in faith. Those who do this, humbly seeking His help and guidance in life, trying to keep His ways as revealed in His Word, shall receive Divine help (Phil 2:13). Without this God- given help and strength, however, the strongest among us are weak in spiritual attainments. Even with God's strength many fail like Sampson.  

Judges 16: 19-20

Until today, I’ve often wondered why Samson told Delilah his secret, knowing she had betrayed him each time when she called out, ‘The Philistines be upon you.’

Although the last time he repeated what he’d told her before, ‘I shall become weak and be like any other man,’ I suspect he didn’t believe it, which is why he felt safe in confiding to her.

I think this is proved when later, when he woke, he said, ‘I will go out as at other times before and shake myself.’ He was surprised to find The LORD was departed from him.

I suggest God had left him, because indirectly Samson had broken his Nazarite vow by causing his head to be shaved. It was this sin that caused his capture.

The failures as well as the faith of the worthies of old are written for our learning. We must take heed lest we fall. No doubt we feel sad and humbled by their failures, knowing that we are people of like passions. May we also feel inspired and encouraged by their faithful walk as we seek to follow the same path towards God's Kingdom.

While the record does indicate that Hezekiah may have been the cause of the deportation of Judah to Babylon, this is not supported by the record in 2 Kings where the blame is firmly fixed on Manasseh. 

39:1 for he heard that Hezekiah had been sick and had recovered.

Had Hezekiah explained to his visitors that he had been miraculously healed rather than brag about all his possessions, the outcome might have been significantly better. Boast in God, not in ourselves.

4:3      In saying that the readers of the letter “wrought the will of the gentiles” Peter is making a scathing comment. He was writing to Jews who would have thought themselves better than the gentiles!

BUT GROW IN GRACE

These are the last words of an old man, written down as his legacy to us. Peter had his life changed by his encounter with Jesus. Peter who had been full of self-confidence, rashness, and instability, changed into one in whom the grace of God could shine forth. Peter finishes his letter by urging others to get to know Jesus better and better - to grow in wisdom & stature.

No matter where we are in our spiritual journey, no matter how we've matured in our faith - we all still have a long way to go. The sinful world still challenges us day by day and if can get closer and closer to Jesus every day, we will be prepared to stand up for the truth no matter what the circumstances.

Let us grow in grace that in the day of the Lord's appearing, he may see us as a reflection of himself.

3:9 The Lord ... is not slow ... but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Instead of complaining that God is slow in sending Christ back to the earth, maybe we should reflect that God is slowing things so that we have time to repent and be saved (cp v15). Praise God for his patience for us rather than protest that the Kingdom is taking too long to be established. And realise then the urgency of our repentance - we are delaying human history by being slow to repent!