Saturday, April 2, 2011

Samson Defeats the Philistines

Judges 13:1-16:31
Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and they suffered 40 years. Why must we lose an entire generation to evil? What is it that we can not learn? How smart of Manoah to know he didn't know! He prayed to the Lord and said, "O Lord, please let the man of God whom you sent come again to us and teach us what we are to do with the child who will be born."

Now we know how to pray. Pray for the man of God to come and teach us how to raise the children. This telling, is it how we can bring the wonder and knowledge of the Lord to each generation?

The he said: "Now when your words come true, what is to be the child's manner of life, and what is his mission?"

When your words come true - this is the way of faith-When-not if. Prepare ourselves ahead of time. Ask how shall we do what we must do?

This story of Sampson comes to a sorry end. Forty years the Philistines oppressed Israel, twenty years Sampson judges Israel-led them safely, but Sampson continued when the Lord was not with him. He does not ask what shall I do-what would the Lord have me do.

Why do the women he meets have such a hold on him? Why do we let ourselves be drawn away? Reading the story it seems to us from the outside that Sampson should see the deceit and free himself from such distractions, and yet how often do we stay where it is not best for us, and do things that don't work for us or for God? Not just once as a mistake but again and again?

I pray I learn to ask what the Lord would have me do, and learn to listen to Him and not to my own whims.

See you tomorrow,
-maggie

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