Judges 12-17

The Lord used Samson to save Israel from the Philistines.   Samson was not the usual judge but was used non the less.  His strength came from the Spirit as does ours.  He defiled himself with lying, eating from a dead carcass, killing, getting a Philistine wife......Did not do exactly what you would think a judge should do.  Yet, God used him and was with him.   We have the power of Sampson available to us and sometimes we do not feel worthy.   We do things we should not do as well but as in Sampson's case, God can and will use us in miraculous ways.   Be aware of the Holy Spirit in us and nothing is impossible.  

Judges 12-16

Samson had already gotten into trouble with one woman, but now he tried again, this time going deep into enemy territory to Gaza. Again, God warned him by allowing the enemy to almost catch him, but Samson still refused to repent. It was then that Delilah came into his life and led him to his doom.
It shocks us to see this Nazarite sleeping on the lap of a wicked woman, but this is what happens when people choose to go their own way and reject the counsel of loved ones and the Lord. Three times Delilah enticed Samson, and three times he lied to her. Each time, the enemy attacked him, so he should have realized he was in danger.
The rest of the story shows the tragic end of the believer who will not let God have his way with his life. From v. 20 on, Samson does nothing but lose. He loses his hair. Then he loses his strength, but he is ignorant of it until he is overpowered. How futile it is for the servant of God to try to serve the Lord when out of His will. Next Samson loses the light, for the Philistines put out his eyes. He loses his liberty, for they bind him with fetters of brass. He loses his usefulness to the Lord, for he ends up grinding corn instead of fighting God’s battles. Someone has said that v. 21 pictures the blinding, binding, and grinding results of sin. And all of this began when Samson despised his blessings and defied his parents!
Samson also lost his testimony, for he was the laughingstock of the Philistines. Their fish-god Dagon, not the God of Israel, was given all the glory. Apparently Samson repented of his sin, for God gave him one more chance to act by faith. His hair had begun to grow and Samson asked God for strength to win one more victory over the enemy. God answered his prayer, but in defeating others, Samson took his own life.
Samson illustrates people who have power to conquer others, but who cannot conquer themselves. He set the Philistine fields on fire, but could not control the fires of his own lust. He killed a lion, but would not put to death the passions of the flesh. He could easily break the bonds that men put on him, but the shackles of sin gradually grew stronger on his soul. Instead of leading the nation, he preferred to work independently, and as a result, left no permanent victory behind. He was remembered for what he destroyed, not for what he built up. He lacked discipline and direction; without these, his strength could accomplish little. He failed to check the impulses that began early in his career, and twenty years later, they killed him.
It remained for Samuel and David in later years to finally defeat the Philistines. Samuel by one prayer accomplished more than Samson did in twenty years of fighting. (see 1 Sam. 7:9–14). Wiersbe

Genesis 28-31

Theme: Scheming, deception, and disobedience to God. Jacobs life was like a soap opera. It probably was inherited from his mother Rebekah who taught him well with the birthright deception episode. It's funny that Jacob, the second born, stole Esau's birthright and then when he worked 7 years for Rachel, the second born, he had to instead marry Leah, the oldest. He was deceived by Laban. He still got Rachel but at the cost of 7 more years. It very much runs in the family. Then Jacob practices deception against Laban concerning his cattle when he leaves. It seems Rachel was practicing idolatry by stealing Laban's idols. And since they were his idols he must have also been involved in idolatry. In spite of all this God was still faithful and kept his promises to Jacob. I think we see this same sort of thing today in our political arena. But to be honest I think we're all guilty of it at some level. May we repent and pray to God for a pure heart and pure motives in all our affairs.

Genesis 28-31

Knowing the whole story helps me to understand more and more that God's ways are not my ways and that I need to be faithful as Jacob was.  Really? 7 years to wait for his wife, then to get tricked and wait another 7 years?  Let alone the time tending sheep, working for his father in law who continues to cheat.  God spoke to Jacob and Jacob knew that God had been with him.  If it had happened any other way, the rest of the story would have been different.   We are not in charge but we can delay God's blessings and even forgo them should we choose.  God's purpose will be done.  I am trying to learn patience, perseverance, forgiveness, and faithfulness.  These chapters help.  I will continue to listen for God's voice and in the mean time I will continue to tend His sheep until He diverts me to another of His tasks.  I am just a sojourner on my way home and will gather my spotted and striped sheep as God gives them.  Love this stuff.   Just returned from a blessing with the grandkids and the celebration of 28yrs with Jessica.  Just a taste of the blessings from our Lord.  

Job 13,14

Sounds to me like Job is yearning for a Savior. 14:14 "Can the dead live again? If so this would give me hope."

Psalm 18-20

Psalm 19 - Here's a paraphrase of what I hear Psalm 19 telling me today: The heavens speak to us and speak to God's glory. The sunrise and the day speak to us. The nighttime speaks to us and reveals Him. All languages and peoples hear these things. We will never be able to say when we stand face to face with Him that we didn't know. We will have no excuse.

Judges 7-11 Gideon

After winning a great victory, we must always beware of the temptation to sin, for Satan attacks us subtly when we least expect it. The nation asked Gideon to become their king and to establish a dynasty; but this he refused. “The Lord shall rule over you!” However, Gideon used this opportunity to ask for “a lesser thing”—all their earrings and ornaments. This seemed like a fitting gift for a great deliverer, but keep in mind that these golden trinkets were associated with idol worship. Ornaments in v. 21 is actually “crescents”; these items were connected with moon-worship. Read Gen. 35:1–4 for the association between earrings and idolatry.
Gideon made an idolatrous “ephod” (or image) with the seventy pounds of gold he collected. What the Midianites could not do by means of swords, Satan accomplished with earrings. (Wiersbe)

Genesis 24-27

Genesis 25 - Esau
The natural man values only what he can see and puts no value on the things of God. Many despise their birthright as sons of God because it is a spiritual thing, of value only as there is faith to apprehend it.
Esau is a type of the man of the earth, Heb. 12:16, 17. In many respects a nobler man than Jacob, yet the fact that he was destitute of faith caused him to despise his birthright. God’s choice of His children does not depend on their character, but their faith.

Romans 13,14

Chapter 14: one of the topics of Romans 14 deals with the problem of questionable things in the Christian life and what to do when sincere Christians disagree about personal practices. Paul recognizes that in each local church there are mature believers (“We that are strong,” 15:1) as well as immature (“him that is weak in faith,” 14:1), and that these two groups may disagree on how the Christian is to live. The Jewish Christians might want to cling to special holy days and OT dietary laws, while the Gentile believers might turn their Christian liberty into license and offend their Jewish brothers and sisters. Many Christians have the false notion that extreme legalism (observing days and diets) shows strong faith, but Paul states that just the opposite is true! It is the Christian that is mature in the faith who recognizes the truths found in Col. 2:18–23.

Just read Dan's post and I would also like to encourage your thoughts on God's Word. I am an old guy but I'm still a baby in my Christian walk. I'm only eight years old. I didn't have great mentors in my life when I was young and I realize now what I missed by being worldly and self willed and not in God's Word. Don't miss this great opportunity for spiritual growth.

Romans 13-14

Dave, you have given great points on the scripture readings.  I would like to hear from some of you others that are reading and let us old guys know what you are thinking about.   These chapters reveal several things to me.  1)  I need to submit to governing authorities. Give them the respect that they deserve.  God has placed them in their positions for His purpose whether I like it or not.  This is a hard one to swallow sometimes but I need to trust that God knows much better of how to get others to Him than I.   2) In 13:8 he says to owe no one anything, except to love each other.. I have taken this not only in the sense of obligation to help, return a favor, etc but also as a point to not get into debt.  I think it is important for the young adults to understand that debt causes a lot of problems later.  Avoid credit card bills, etc that are just debt for the sake of filling earthly desires and you will be free. 3)  The times when we quarrel over opinions is meaningless.  In 14:1 it is discussing you trying to make a point of what is right or wrong with someone who is weak in the faith.  Let God deal with that.  It is okay to share what you interpret the truth as but you do not need to force others to believe your way.  God will take care of that and hold each of us accountable according to what we know.    Do not judge yourself or other or cause a stumbling block for you brother whether it be through judgement, actions, or words.  There is no reason to do something, though it may be permissible, if your brother thinks it is wrong.  There are numerous situations that this can come into play.  Trust God and His word.   Have faith in what He is doing.   As it says in 14:23..For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.   If we try to justify ourselves and what we want lacking the faith then God says it is sin.   Whoa.  Heavy stuff but it is truth and I choose to follow it.  

Matthew 14-16

Matthew 14
John’s ministry was now completed. He had heralded the coming of the King and had faithfully preached God’s truth. Christ must increase, and he must decrease (John 3:30). Any Christian who is faithful to the Word of God, as John was, will suffer persecution. The world is not the friend of the Christian. The world has rejected the King and will also reject His messengers.

Isaiah 29-33

Isaiah 29:
“Ariel” was a pre-Israelite name for Jerusalem. It is probably used as a play on the word for “altar stone.”
The people were in such a spiritual stupor that the word of the Lord through the prophet was as a “book that is sealed.”
It is only when God is known with the heart as well as the mind, when his word is a part of the life as well as the lips, that the ways of God can be known.
Spiritual insecurity is the result of spiritual stupor. Which way is God moving? We do not always know beforehand. When God begins to act we will be better able to discern it and to move with him if our hearts are aligned with him. (Teachers Bible commentary).

Job 11-12

Job 11: Zophar says a lot of right things but “his pride is showing.” He asks Job “can you fathom the mysteries of God?” (implying correctly that Job can’t), and then acts as if he can by suggesting to Job why he is suffering. His assessment would be valid if we were only talking about sin and it’s consequences. He is acting as a mouthpiece for Satan. The “mysteries” of God that Zophar is not addressing are His mercy, compassion, wisdom, love, plans, and all others to numerous to mention.

Lessons for me are: to be conscious of God in every person , place, and thing. To listen to James when he says “be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger.” To come to every situation and person I meet today with a spirit of humility.

Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Psalms 15-17

Psalm 16

8 I know the LORD is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. 9 No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety. 10 For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave. 
 11 You will show me the way of life, 
granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever

I read some commentary on this Psalm. It’s the third messianic psalm. It touches on the life of Christ (v8), the death of Christ (v9), the resurrection of Christ (v10), and the ascension of Christ (v11). I did not know that, but I can see it now.

Judges 1-6

Judges 6:25-26
That night the LORD said to Gideon, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one that is seven years old. Pull down your father’s altar to Baal, and cut down the Asherah pole standing beside it. Then build an altar to the LORD your God here on this hilltop sanctuary, laying the stones carefully. Sacrifice the bull as a burnt offering on the altar, using as fuel the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down.”

I’m weary of the direction of our country. I’m ready for a Gideon to arise and destroy our idols. I pray for revival that we return to the one true God. Even so, come Lord Jesus.

Genesis 20-23

Genesis 22:1-24

True faith is always tested. Of course, God did not want Isaac’s life; He wanted Abraham’s heart. Isaac was dear to Abraham, and God wanted to be sure that Isaac was not an idol standing between Him and Abraham. It was possible that Abraham was trusting Isaac to fulfill the promises and not trusting God. How did Abraham go through this test? For one thing, he rested on God’s promises (Heb. 11:17–19). God had promised Abraham many descendants, and this promise could not be fulfilled unless Isaac lived or God raised him from the dead. Abraham knew that God would not lie, so he rested in His unchanging Word. “Never doubt in the dark what God has told you in the light.” Abraham obeyed without delay. If we do the one thing God tells us to do, He will reveal the next step when the right time comes. God’s answers never arrive a minute too late! God supplied a ram just when one was needed. This is why Abraham called the name of the place “Jehovah-Jireh—the Lord will see to it!” (Wiersbe)

Romans 11 & 12

Romans 11


For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone.
33 Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!
34 For who can know the LORD’s thoughts?
Who knows enough to give him advice?
35 And who has given him so much
that he needs to pay it back?
36 For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.

I certainly don't know His ways. And it's not important to me anymore that I do. I believe, I trust, I choose to serve Him, and give all glory and honor to Him. His ways are perfect. His will, not mine, be done. Amen.

Matthew 11-13

Matthew 11
John the Baptist, the greatest of men born of women, but least in the kingdom of heaven. But even this great man must have wondered about Jesus while trapped in his dark, lonely cell. Like many Jews of the day, including the Apostles, maybe he thought Jesus had come to set up His kingdom right now and doubt had set in. Therefore he asks the question "Are you the Coming One, or do we look for another?" Jesus answer is remarkable and is a direct reference to Isaiah 35:4-6. Jesus knew that John would recognize his credentials from the OT and ease his fear.

Matthew 13
I have to comment on Matthew 13:33. For eight years now I've pondered over, studied, prayed about, asked at least five different pastors about, and read numerous commentaries about this verse. I've gotten many different answers. I still don't have my answer. Does the leaven represent evil, or the gospel, or something else? What does the woman represent? It's driving me nuts. My translation says she hid the leaven, others say she put in the leaven. Translators can't even decide. Anyway... :) that's what I've got to say about that.

Isaiah 23-28 Judgment

Isaiah Chapters 13-23 have to do with prophecies of judgment on the nations. Isaiah 24 is prophesying judgment on the world. The "Great Tribulation". 25-27 is about the millennium after the Great Tribulation. Amazes me how much Scripture there is about the end times. I used to think it was only Revelation that dealt with that subject. It's all over the Bible. I think I'm only just now scratching the surface. Only thing I know for sure at this point...Jesus is coming back and no one knows when.

Job 9-10

Jessica and Dave got it.   What an amazing God we have.  Who am I to question Him?  I can't understand His ways.   He is greater than I can comprehend.   Can I reason with Him?    You and I are no different than Job in being loved by God.  The difference is that Job really believed.  
I choose to believe and unlike Job I am going to plead to Christ that He not allow me to suffer like Job. But, I need to be firm in the faith that when suffering comes, I can praise Him.    I choose to believe that, like Jessica said, He is God and I am not.  

Job 9,10 It's all about Jesus

As I sit here in my quiet time this morning I can feel God's presence and His peace. It started as I started reading Chapter 9. Not to be dramatic but there are some times when I read God's Word and it brings me to the point of tears...good tears. God's Word is so amazing to me. I've read these Chapters many times but not until this morning did they affect me like this. They exploded on me. They bypassed my brain and went straight to my heart. God revealed more of Himself to me and I feel like some of the characters in the Bible who fall on their faces in His presence. I just want to worship Him.

These are the verses that spoke to me the most:
"But how can a man be righteous before God?"

"God is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has hardened himself against Him and prospered?"

”He does great things past finding out,Yes,wonders without number."

"If He takes away, who can hinder Him?"

"Who can say to Him, ‘What are You doing?”

“How then can I answer Him, And choose my words to reason with Him?"

"For though I were righteous, I could not answer Him; I would beg mercy of my Judge."

“For He is not a man, as I am, That I may answer Him, And that we should go to court together."

"Nor is there any mediator between us, Who may lay his hand on us both."

"Let Him take His rod away from me, And do not let dread of Him terrify me. Then I would speak and not fear Him, But it is not so with me."

I just put them all together. It seems as if Job is pleading for a Savior. He's begging for mercy from the judge, he wishes God were a man so he could answer him, he's wishing for a mediator. Sounds like a longing for Jesus to me. I think that's why I got emotional. I realized that all the things Job was pleading for...we have. We have Jesus. I can't even put into words how grateful I am for that. Thank you LORD, thank you Jesus.

February 2, 2012 Job 9-10

As I sit here reading the woes of Job from the comfort of my ivory tower, I do not know the pain or suffering Job endured... I felt I had to make that disclaimer.

9- It amazes me how God is about the details... He recorded here for us a conversation between these men that is very elaborate with picture words that describe God's character.

9:2 ... But how can a mortal be righteous before God? Case and point!

10- My foot note stated that Job was starting to wallow in self-pity... "our pain lures us toward feeling sorry for ourselves, at this point we are only one step from self-righteousness" OUCH! This is where we keep track of how unfair that our situation is and what has happened us. We take our eyes off of God and focus on the circumstance we find ourselves in. I need to look and see what I can learn from situation and how it can be used in my life and how it will grow me. God IS God, I am not.

Psalms 12-14 Fools

Psalm 14:1 says "The fool says in his heart there is no God" I have a hard time believing that anyone really believes there is no God. As a matter of fact, I don't believe it. I do believe there are millions(billions) who don't want to believe in God. They don't want to believe in sin either. How convenient. I think Scripture clearly says that anyone who claims "non belief" is a liar. Some verses:

Romans 1:20
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,

1 John 2:22
Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ?

John 12:32
And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.

Most(not all) atheists I've had discussions with on this topic are what the world considers intellectuals. Their god is their intellect. I think I'll trust the one true God on this one. "The wisdom of this world is foolishness to God." Atheists - Fools participating in foolishness.