Psalm 43
Heart Speak versus Hate Speak: Staying Humble
The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord,
and the Lord gave them into the hand of the Philistines forty years....
Samson's mother was barren
until the angel of God came to her
and spoke of her having him.
Before he was born he was
consecrated to God
from birth to death,
to lead the Israelites out
of the hand of the Philistines.
Sampson's mother followed
specific directions from the angel
during pregnancy and after he was born.
One specific instruction ,was never to cut his hair
for that was the secret to his strength.1
He married a Philistine girl,
under the pretext of acting
against her people.
He began his plan with a riddle.
He posed it to a group of men;
knowing full well his
wife would share the answer
he gave to her-- with them.
He exposed their conspiracy
giving reason to kill 30
men and leave his wife.2
Samson was clever with another
woman, Delilah, but not clever enough.
This time the cruel joke was on him.
She questioned him about his
super power. Over and over
he would give her false testimony.
She called him on his lies
so he told her the truth.
That night, while he rested his head on her lap
she had someone come in and cut his hair.3
They seized him and gouged out his eyes.
Some may say he got his just rewards,
and I might agree, except for his destiny.
During a large party celebrating their
victory, the Philistines brought Samson out
of prison to entertain them.
With one final prayer he asked God
for strength which God granted.
Samson pulled down the house killing more Philistines
in his death than while he was alive.
Shrewd words and games played in the
life of Samson and his women.
They all met the same end,
except Sampson fulfilled his destiny.
As Paul said to the Romans,
"I urge you to keep an eye
out for dissension and offenses, for
such people serve their own appetites,
and by smooth talk and flattery
they deceive the hearts
of the simple-minded.4
It's not always the simple-minded
that get deceived
a cunning intellect can too.
Lord help us to know ourselves
and know YOU
so that we hold fast to Your wisdom
and do not deceive our hearts with proud delusions.5
Keep us humble God
and keep us mindful
that there's so much more to You
than we could ever know.
Let us eat the meat of your knowledge,
and not be nursed with the milk of an infant.6
If we are to use our words
let us use them
for the purpose of building up,
and if we can't then keep silent,
listening to the
thoughts and revelations,
of others, learning from
and encouraging them.7
1 Judges 13:1 The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of the Philistines forty years. 2 There was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. His wife was barren, having borne no children. 3 And the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, "Although you are barren, having borne no children, you shall conceive and bear a son. 4 Now be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, or to eat anything unclean, 5 for you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor is to come on his head, for the boy shall be a nazirite to God from birth. It is he who shall begin to deliver Israel from the hand of the Philistines."
2 Judges 14:1 Once Samson went down to Timnah, and at Timnah he saw a Philistine woman. 2 Then he came up, and told his father and mother, "I saw a Philistine woman at Timnah; now get her for me as my wife." 3 But his father and mother said to him, "Is there not a woman among your kin, or among all our people, that you must go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?" But Samson said to his father, "Get her for me, because she pleases me." 4 His father and mother did not know that this was from the Lord; for he was seeking a pretext to act against the Philistines. At that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.
11 When the people saw him, they brought thirty companions to be with him. 12 Samson said to them, "Let me now put a riddle to you. If you can explain it to me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty festal garments. 13 But if you cannot explain it to me, then you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty festal garments." So they said to him, "Ask your riddle; let us hear it." 14 He said to them, "Out of the eater came something to eat. Out of the strong came something sweet." But for three days they could not explain the riddle. 15 On the fourth day they said to Samson's wife, "Coax your husband to explain the riddle to us, or we will burn you and your father's house with fire. Have you invited us here to impoverish us?" 16 So Samson's wife wept before him, saying, "You hate me; you do not really love me. You have asked a riddle of my people, but you have not explained it to me." He said to her, "Look, I have not told my father or my mother. Why should I tell you?" 17 She wept before him the seven days that their feast lasted; and because she nagged him, on the seventh day he told her. Then she explained the riddle to her people. 18 The men of the town said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, "What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?" And he said to them, "If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have found out my riddle." 19 Then the spirit of the Lord rushed on him, and he went down to Ashkelon. He killed thirty men of the town, took their spoil, and gave the festal garments to those who had explained the riddle. In hot anger he went back to his father's house. 20 And Samson's wife was given to his companion, who had been his best man.
3 Judges 16: 15 Then she said to him, "How can you say, "I love you,' when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me three times now and have not told me what makes your strength so great." 16 Finally, after she had nagged him with her words day after day, and pestered him, he was tired to death. 17 So he told her his whole secret, and said to her, "A razor has never come upon my head; for I have been a nazirite (consecrated) to God from my mother's womb. If my head were shaved, then my strength would leave me; I would become weak, and be like anyone else." 18 When Delilah realized that he had told her his whole secret, she sent and called the lords of the Philistines, saying, "This time come up, for he has told his whole secret to me." Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her, and brought the money in their hands. 19 She let him fall asleep on her lap; and she called a man, and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. He began to weaken, and his strength left him
28 Then Samson called to the Lord and said, "Lord God, remember me and strengthen me only this once, O God, so that with this one act of revenge I may pay back the Philistines for my two eyes." 29 And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other. 30 Then Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines." He strained with all his might; and the house fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So those he killed at his death were more than those he had killed during his life.
4Romans 16: 17 I urge you, brothers and sisters, to keep an eye on those who cause dissensions and offenses, in opposition to the teaching that you have learned; avoid them. 18 For such people do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the simple-minded.
5Obadiah 3 Your proud heart has deceived you, you that live in the clefts of the rock, whose dwelling is in the heights. You say in your heart, "Who will bring me down to the ground?" 4 Though you soar aloft like the eagle, though your nest is set among the stars, from there I will bring you down, says the Lord.
6 Hebrews 5:11 About this we have much to say that is hard to explain, since you have become dull in understanding. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic elements of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food; 13 for everyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is unskilled in the word of righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those whose faculties have been trained by practice to distinguish good from evil.
1 Corinthians 3: 1 And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, 3 for you are still of the flesh. For as long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations?
7 1 Corinthians 14:26 What should be done then, my friends? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn; and let one interpret. 28 But if there is no one to interpret, let them be silent in church and speak to themselves and to God. 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. 30 If a revelation is made to someone else sitting nearby, let the first person be silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged. 32 And the spirits of prophets are subject to the prophets, 33 for God is a God not of disorder but of peace.
Heart Speak versus Hate Speak: Staying Humble
The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord,
and the Lord gave them into the hand of the Philistines forty years....
Samson's mother was barren
until the angel of God came to her
and spoke of her having him.
Before he was born he was
consecrated to God
from birth to death,
to lead the Israelites out
of the hand of the Philistines.
Sampson's mother followed
specific directions from the angel
during pregnancy and after he was born.
One specific instruction ,was never to cut his hair
for that was the secret to his strength.1
He married a Philistine girl,
under the pretext of acting
against her people.
He began his plan with a riddle.
He posed it to a group of men;
knowing full well his
wife would share the answer
he gave to her-- with them.
He exposed their conspiracy
giving reason to kill 30
men and leave his wife.2
Samson was clever with another
woman, Delilah, but not clever enough.
This time the cruel joke was on him.
She questioned him about his
super power. Over and over
he would give her false testimony.
She called him on his lies
so he told her the truth.
That night, while he rested his head on her lap
she had someone come in and cut his hair.3
They seized him and gouged out his eyes.
Some may say he got his just rewards,
and I might agree, except for his destiny.
During a large party celebrating their
victory, the Philistines brought Samson out
of prison to entertain them.
With one final prayer he asked God
for strength which God granted.
Samson pulled down the house killing more Philistines
in his death than while he was alive.
Shrewd words and games played in the
life of Samson and his women.
They all met the same end,
except Sampson fulfilled his destiny.
As Paul said to the Romans,
"I urge you to keep an eye
out for dissension and offenses, for
such people serve their own appetites,
and by smooth talk and flattery
they deceive the hearts
of the simple-minded.4
It's not always the simple-minded
that get deceived
a cunning intellect can too.
Lord help us to know ourselves
and know YOU
so that we hold fast to Your wisdom
and do not deceive our hearts with proud delusions.5
Keep us humble God
and keep us mindful
that there's so much more to You
than we could ever know.
Let us eat the meat of your knowledge,
and not be nursed with the milk of an infant.6
If we are to use our words
let us use them
for the purpose of building up,
and if we can't then keep silent,
listening to the
thoughts and revelations,
of others, learning from
and encouraging them.7
1 Judges 13:1 The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of the Philistines forty years. 2 There was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. His wife was barren, having borne no children. 3 And the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, "Although you are barren, having borne no children, you shall conceive and bear a son. 4 Now be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, or to eat anything unclean, 5 for you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor is to come on his head, for the boy shall be a nazirite to God from birth. It is he who shall begin to deliver Israel from the hand of the Philistines."
2 Judges 14:1 Once Samson went down to Timnah, and at Timnah he saw a Philistine woman. 2 Then he came up, and told his father and mother, "I saw a Philistine woman at Timnah; now get her for me as my wife." 3 But his father and mother said to him, "Is there not a woman among your kin, or among all our people, that you must go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?" But Samson said to his father, "Get her for me, because she pleases me." 4 His father and mother did not know that this was from the Lord; for he was seeking a pretext to act against the Philistines. At that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.
11 When the people saw him, they brought thirty companions to be with him. 12 Samson said to them, "Let me now put a riddle to you. If you can explain it to me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty festal garments. 13 But if you cannot explain it to me, then you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty festal garments." So they said to him, "Ask your riddle; let us hear it." 14 He said to them, "Out of the eater came something to eat. Out of the strong came something sweet." But for three days they could not explain the riddle. 15 On the fourth day they said to Samson's wife, "Coax your husband to explain the riddle to us, or we will burn you and your father's house with fire. Have you invited us here to impoverish us?" 16 So Samson's wife wept before him, saying, "You hate me; you do not really love me. You have asked a riddle of my people, but you have not explained it to me." He said to her, "Look, I have not told my father or my mother. Why should I tell you?" 17 She wept before him the seven days that their feast lasted; and because she nagged him, on the seventh day he told her. Then she explained the riddle to her people. 18 The men of the town said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, "What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?" And he said to them, "If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have found out my riddle." 19 Then the spirit of the Lord rushed on him, and he went down to Ashkelon. He killed thirty men of the town, took their spoil, and gave the festal garments to those who had explained the riddle. In hot anger he went back to his father's house. 20 And Samson's wife was given to his companion, who had been his best man.
3 Judges 16: 15 Then she said to him, "How can you say, "I love you,' when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me three times now and have not told me what makes your strength so great." 16 Finally, after she had nagged him with her words day after day, and pestered him, he was tired to death. 17 So he told her his whole secret, and said to her, "A razor has never come upon my head; for I have been a nazirite (consecrated) to God from my mother's womb. If my head were shaved, then my strength would leave me; I would become weak, and be like anyone else." 18 When Delilah realized that he had told her his whole secret, she sent and called the lords of the Philistines, saying, "This time come up, for he has told his whole secret to me." Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her, and brought the money in their hands. 19 She let him fall asleep on her lap; and she called a man, and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. He began to weaken, and his strength left him
28 Then Samson called to the Lord and said, "Lord God, remember me and strengthen me only this once, O God, so that with this one act of revenge I may pay back the Philistines for my two eyes." 29 And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other. 30 Then Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines." He strained with all his might; and the house fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So those he killed at his death were more than those he had killed during his life.
4Romans 16: 17 I urge you, brothers and sisters, to keep an eye on those who cause dissensions and offenses, in opposition to the teaching that you have learned; avoid them. 18 For such people do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the simple-minded.
5Obadiah 3 Your proud heart has deceived you, you that live in the clefts of the rock, whose dwelling is in the heights. You say in your heart, "Who will bring me down to the ground?" 4 Though you soar aloft like the eagle, though your nest is set among the stars, from there I will bring you down, says the Lord.
6 Hebrews 5:11 About this we have much to say that is hard to explain, since you have become dull in understanding. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic elements of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food; 13 for everyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is unskilled in the word of righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those whose faculties have been trained by practice to distinguish good from evil.
1 Corinthians 3: 1 And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, 3 for you are still of the flesh. For as long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations?
7 1 Corinthians 14:26 What should be done then, my friends? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn; and let one interpret. 28 But if there is no one to interpret, let them be silent in church and speak to themselves and to God. 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. 30 If a revelation is made to someone else sitting nearby, let the first person be silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged. 32 And the spirits of prophets are subject to the prophets, 33 for God is a God not of disorder but of peace.
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