Category: Published

Judges 16:18-19 (MSG) When Delilah realized that he had told her his secret, she sent for the Philistine tyrants, telling them, “Come quickly—this time he’s told me the truth.” They came, bringing the bribe money.  19 When she got him to sleep, his head on her lap, she motioned to a man to cut off the seven braids of his hair. Immediately he began to grow weak. His strength drained from him.

Observation

What an example of the results of toying with and being betrayed by sin!  Samson has already demonstrated that his personal life is out of control – his temper, his indulgences, his sleeping around – and now he falls in love with a Philistine woman who lives in the Valley of Sorek (Grapes).  Since grapes in any form are forbidden to the Nazirite, it is fitting that his indulgences caught up with him here.

Delilah is an example of indulging a temptation until it ripens into addictive, soul-owning sin. Surely even if he was mesmerized by her, Samson had to suspect something was up when Delilah nagged him about the source of his strength – and tested each method!! – until he gave up the secret (16-17 She kept at it day after day, nagging and tormenting him. Finally, he was fed up—he couldn’t take another minute of it. He spilled it.).  However, he chose to indulge her, to live in the moment, to have his sinful pleasure, to ignore the truth, until it was his undoing as she delivered him into the hands of the enemy.  Before this night, Samson could have voluntarily repented, cut off his hair, offered the proscribed sacrifices and started over as a Nazirite, reconsecrating himself, bearing the public humiliation of his failure, and been restored before God; he did not choose to do so and the Philistines extracted a far greater price to eventually bring him to that same place.

In Roman mythology there are stories of the Sirens, women in the distance appearing beautiful and desirable who by their mesmerizing song would lure mariners to their deaths by shipwreck on rocky shores.  Temptation is like this – it sings a beautiful, sweet and hypnotizing song of promise while in reality it draws us to destruction, away from our goal, our purpose, our commitment to follow, love, and serve well, distracted until we find ourselves lost, weakened and ashamed. We get our eyes focused on that beautiful, sparkly, shiny, or easy gain thing and don’t notice that we are being drawn into dangerous rocky areas that threaten shipwreck and death until it is too late.  We are already compromised, addicted, consumed by guilt and shame, afraid to admit what we have done.

Impact on Me

Where are my Delilahs – those voices that promise pleasure, power, and the praise of men?  Am I wiser than Samson?  Will I recognize the false promises and flee temptation rather than be drawn by its tempting siren song to shipwreck?  Why would I turn my ear to it when I can instead choose to listen to the songs of grace, love, salvation, redemption, mercy and restoration that God sings over His children?  Why do I find myself indulging my personal wants and desires like a spoiled child when I know they have no real eternal value and do not please my Father?  The Enemy, Satan, the devil, is like those sirens – appearing desirable while drawing me toward destruction.

I know that setting aside my wants, desires, and dreams to follow God’s dreams for me will bring real peace, joy, contentment, something my own efforts could never produce, and are worth whatever I perceive as the cost to me. What song I listen to is my choice and will rest on who I determine is more trustworthy to keep the promises made.  May I be wise enough to turn away from the siren song of sin by keeping my ears tuned to the song that leads to and fills Heaven.

Prayer

Lord God, Eternal Father, Lover of my soul, You are not willing for any to perish and, yet, You allow the sirens to sing so I alone may choose the song I follow.  I pray that I may always discern the source of the song I am hearing and then choose the song that leads to You and the part You have given me to play in bringing souls to Christ.  May I turn my ear and heart to Your music alone so I may please You in my journey. In the name of Jesus, make it so.

Matthew 9:9-13 MSG ⁹ Passing along, Jesus saw a man at his work collecting taxes. His name was Matthew. Jesus said, “Come along with me.” Matthew stood up and followed him.

^10-11 Later when Jesus was eating supper at Matthew’s house with his close followers, a lot of disreputable characters came and joined them. When the Pharisees saw him keeping this kind of company, they had a fit, and lit into Jesus’ followers. “What kind of example is this from your Teacher, acting cozy with crooks and misfits?”

^12-13 Jesus, overhearing, shot back, “Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? Go figure out what this Scripture means: ‘I’m after mercy, not religion.’ I’m here to invite outsiders, not coddle insiders.”

Romans 2:1-4 Phillips Now if you feel inclined to set yourself up as a judge of those who sin, let me assure you, whoever you are, that you are in no position to do so. For at whatever point you condemn others you automatically condemn yourself, since you, the judge, commit the same sins. God’s judgment, we know, is utterly impartial in its action against such evil-doers. What makes you think that you who so readily judge the sins of others, can consider yourself beyond the judgment of God? Are you, perhaps, misinterpreting God’s generosity and patient mercy towards you as weakness on his part? Don’t you realise that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

Observation

As a Roman tax collector, Matthew was persona non grata among the Jewish people.  He was considered a Roman collaborator and one who enriched himself by enforcing burdensome tax laws.  His family was probably punished – shunned by former friends and perhaps kicked out of synagogue – for Matthew’s association with the Romans.  He was judged by his community as a disreputable character. 

We don’t know what Matthew knew about this itinerant rabbi – what he had seen or heard about Jesus.  Had Matthew come to a point in his life where he recognized trading wealth for relationships left him empty?  Had he become uncomfortable with the poverty and despair he saw created by the demands he was asked to impose on his own people?  Had the ostracism because of his position begun to increase the pain of loneliness and feelings of rejection?  We don’t know for certain.  However, something was going on inside Matthew for him to respond so suddenly and decisively to Jesus’ invitation.  In that moment, Matthew traded all his accomplishment and status for what this itinerant rabbi offered him – redemption, belonging, hope.

Impact on Me

For me, this story is about the miracle of mercy compared to the captivity of judgment.  The religious leaders were captive to the rules and traditions they had heaped on top of the Law of Moses.  “What makes you think that you who so readily judge the sins of others, can consider yourself beyond the judgment of God?”  It seems to me that they went around looking for violations, trying to take others captive to the same bondage they embraced, rather than encouraging people that God provided a way (read the Book of Leviticus) for each one to restore relationship when the laws had been broken.   No wonder Jesus was so hard and confrontational with the religious leaders of His time!

I want to stay firmly in the camp of allowing God’s kindness to flow through me to lead others to repentance.  Kindness born of God’s mercy and grace is the opposite of the condemnation of judgment.  The only person I am allowed to judge is me as I am the only human who can truly know the motives and intentions of my heart.  If I think someone else has gone astray, I am called to love him/her enough to draw them toward Jesus through kindness, allowing the power of His Holy Spirit to work on his/her inside. 

So, I need to make a continuous and conscious effort to avoid judging others and “do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with my God” (Micah 6).  It is not that difficult to fall into the trap of comparing my outward performance to that of another, feeling special or privileged because my life currently appears in a better state or I am experiencing the favor of people around me.  That is not the way that I am judged by God.  He looks on my heart, my thoughts, my deepest secrets.  He knows where pride has taken me captive and where faith has been eroded.  Following Him is a lifelong pursuit that requires my full attention.

Prayer

Lord God, Father of Mercy, Kindness, Truth, Justice, Grace and Encouragement, I humbly come before You and ask for the wisdom, strength and courage to be kind and merciful when I am tempted to become judgmental.  I ask that You teach me to speak the truth in love so that Your kindness can bring the understanding that opens the eyes of myself and others to what it truly is to follow You consistently and fully.  Deliver me from the temptation to compare myself with others, being content to allow You to be the judge of us all.  In Jesus’ name, make it so.

Isaiah 26:3-4 (AMP) “You will keep in perfect and constant peace the one whose mind is steadfast [that is, committed and focused on You—in both inclination and character], Because he trusts and takes refuge in You [with hope and confident expectation].  Trust [confidently] in the Lord forever [He is your fortress, your shield, your banner], for the Lord God is an everlasting Rock [the Rock of Ages].”

Philippians 4:6-7 (Phillips) Don’t worry over anything whatever; tell God every detail of your needs in earnest and thankful prayer, and the peace of God which transcends human understanding, will keep constant guard over your hearts and minds as they rest in Christ Jesus.

Observation

The world around us seems in such upheaval – people calling what is evil good and what is good evil.  Crime is on the rise, our government is crippled and people are celebrating acts of terror.  It seems like the perfect moment to lose our sense of peace and security.  However, the perfect and constant peace, shalom (resting in Christ), the peace of God is not shaken by circumstances around us.  Circumstances are temporary and fluctuating; the peace of God is everlasting (“perfect and constant”). 

To have and rest in this perfect and constant peace requires a close and consistent relationship with the God of Peace.  One key phrase is He “will keep constant guard over your hearts and minds as they rest in Christ Jesus.”  Another is “one whose mind is steadfast…Because he trusts and takes refuge in You [with hope and confident expectation].”  Any enforced peace (essentially, peace-keeping, lack of conflict) will pass and provides only a temporary pause in the chaos and upheaval.  Only Shalom, the peace that comes from resting in Christ Jesus, will make real change, turning the hearts of hatred into hearts hungry for perfect and constant peace that only comes from trusting in God.

Impact on Me

So, I have been thinking about what resting in Christ Jesus requires.  I think it requires some detachment from the events around me.  I don’t mean ignoring what is going on, but rather allowing all the events and circumstances to become prayer points, actually putting them all in God’s hands to work out.  If I really believe that God is sovereign, almighty, omniscient, and working His plan from before the creation of the Earth, I have to make a decision whether I trust Him or not in the face of dire circumstances which seem to be evil conquering good.

This requires me to be ready to say “yes” to what He requires of me, whether action or inaction.  Peace-making is not the absence of conflict or avoiding risk; it is being an agent of His grace, mercy and forgiveness so the Holy Spirit can begin resolving the root of the conflict, dissolving the animosity, the division, the hatred.  This kind of miracle only happens when I bring God’s peace into the fray with me.  I can only be that kind of agent (the kind that Jesus was on this earth) when my heart and mind are stayed on the shalom that only God can provide.  He is the only source of that perfect and constant peace.  His plan is for all of us to be His agents of peace to the world – regardless of how we are received.

Prayer

Lord God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, I worship You and purposely embrace Your peace.  First, make me full of mercy, grace and forgiveness so I can move past terrifying or wounding circumstances to be what You have called me to be and do what You have called me to do. Teach me to walk in that perfect and constant peace, Your shalom, the wholeness that comes from resting in Christ Jesus.  Draw me closer to You, deeper into relationship with You, so I can be a better and more effective agent of Your peace to the world.  I ask this all in the name of Jesus.  Make it so.

(NKJV) The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.  ² He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.  ³ He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.  ⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.  ⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.  ⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Observation

Sheep depend on their shepherd for everything; the shepherd is literally their source for green pastures, still waters, safe passage, shelter and defense.  The shepherd’s crook (a long strong staff or rod with a curve at the top) served many purposes, such as a weapon to repel predators and a tool to gently guide wandering sheep back into the herd.  Sheep are not equipped to survive on their own.  Neither are we.

The last part of this psalm is about Jesus as host, showing grace and favor to us.  The word translated “follow” has the meaning in it of “chasing after”.  This psalm is God singing His love and protection over us as His children, His personal responsibility. Our part, our choice, is to accept and rest in what He has prepared for us.

Impact on Me

I have heard this psalm read at so many funerals.  I never really took the time to recognize that it was meant to bring hope and comfort to the living, not describe the reward of the person for whom the funeral was being held.  This is a song for the living, to encourage – and, yes, even carry – us through the “valley of the shadow of death” – those dark, desperate and threatening times and places in our lives where we feel like we are alone, abandoned, defenseless and surrounded by evil.  This is God declaring His promise to be our protection, to lead us in righteousness and peace, to be present and active in our lives – as we allow Him to be. 

The culture in which I live can raise barriers to choosing to be that Psalm 23 sheep.  I often have to wrestle with the way I have learned to understand my world and the way God wants me to engage my world.  Surrender and submission have become “shame” words in our culture.  They have come to signify defeat, weakness and subjugation.  Surrender and submission to the Lord are exactly the opposite, signifying my embracing of His victory, strength and freedom as I submit to His care and leading. 

Prayer

Lord God, Everlasting Father, Great Shepherd, Lover of my Soul, help me to become that Psalm 23 sheep, submitted to Your care, Your protection, Your pathway for my life.  May I look to You when the way seems dark and desperate, allowing Your staff to protect me and keep me from wandering, knowing You are always with me.  Help me to see this world and Your purpose for me through Your eyes and with Your heart.  I pray this all in Jesus’ name.  Make it so.

Hebrews  4:12-16  JBP – For the Word that God speaks is alive and active; it cuts more keenly than any two-edged sword: it strikes through to the place where soul and spirit meet, to the innermost intimacies of a man’s being: it exposes the very thoughts and motives of a man’s heart. No creature has any cover from the sight of God; everything lies naked and exposed before the eyes of him with whom we have to do. ^14-15 Seeing that we have a great High Priest who has entered the inmost Heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to our faith. For we have no superhuman High Priest to whom our weaknesses are unintelligible—he himself has shared fully in all our experience of temptation, except that he never sinned.  ¹⁶ Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with fullest confidence, that we may receive mercy for our failures and grace to help in the hour of need.

Hebrews 4:12-16 MSG  ^12-13 God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one can resist God’s Word. We can’t get away from it—no matter what. ^14-16 Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin.  So, let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.

Observation

“No creature has any cover from the sight of God; everything lies naked and exposed before the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”.  We forget this!  We think there are motives and thoughts hidden within us that God cannot see and continue unrepentant in those areas either from arrogance or shame.  Nothing is hidden from God and it is foolish to think we can hide anything from Him.  Arrogance misses the mercy and grace because it cannot admit failure and the need for help; shame misses it because of fear that our value to God is so small that the offense is too great and was not covered by the Cross.  We have an Advocate, One Who is on our side in the Throne Room – Jesus, our great High Priest (“a priest who is [not] out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all.”).  Because of Jesus, we are welcome at the throne of grace. 

Jesus stands ready to provide us the “mercy for our failures and grace to help in the hour of need” – fully cognizant of our sin condition, our past, our rebellions, our arrogance, our shame.  Because of Jesus, God embraces us in our repentant state and releases us restored and redeemed to wholeness – forever changed by the contact and, hopefully, hungry for a increasingly deeper, more intimate, relationship, seeking opportunities to bring joy to the heart of our God, alive with gratitude and love for our Redeemer, and searching for ways to respond to that love so other’s will come to trust in and receive that same grace-filled embrace.

Impact on Me

Before I received Jesus as Lord and Savior, I had many locked rooms inside me – hiding places for my shame, anger, failures, wounds and all those things I didn’t want exposed for fear of rejection.  I had a firm grip on the keys to all those rooms.  No one was ever going to enter them.  Those keys and the contents of the rooms held me captive.  Over the years, as I allowed His Word, His grace, His redemption to work in me  (cut away with His Word), I learned to trust one key after another in the hands of the Holy Spirit.  He could clean out those rooms because He already knew what each room contained.  He knows my “place where soul and spirit meet, … the innermost intimacies of a man’s being….” He was waiting for me to trust Him with my darkest secrets, my most painful moments, my deepest wounds.  I came to know by experience that His Word, when allowed freedom to work in me, “exposes the very thoughts and motives of a man’s heart” and, yet, gives grace, redemption, healing and freedom for the evil, hurt and failure that previously held me captive.

So, as I continue to submit to and conform to His Word, the Holy Spirit performs surgery on my soul – “For the Word that God speaks is alive and active; it cuts more keenly than any two-edged sword.”  This surgery to remove “diseased parts” hurts until healing does its work to leave only a scar as a reminder.  Allowing His Word to do its surgery will sometimes bring embarrassment, pain and sorrow as it exposes our shame, sins and failures, but submitting to the knife of the Word of God will expose His grace and mercy, bringing healing which allows me to embrace a deeper relationship with Him. 

Prayer

Lord God, Great Surgeon, Merciful Father, Fountain of Grace, I am so grateful that I can be sure of grace and mercy as I come in repentance to bow before You in praise and worship.  Use that sword of Your Word on me to cut away fear, shame and all the unlovely, unproductive, worldly motives, desires, words and actions.  I desire to please You – first, foremost and always.  May I be everyday more like Jesus, living and walking as He did on this earth  – confident in His relationship with You, a humble, obedient and bold servant and, when necessary, a sacrifice.  May I be focused only on fulfilling Your will and purpose no matter what the cost to me.  In Jesus’ name, make it so.