Back to Samson

 A few things to note before we get started. Today is Wednesday, and on Monday I posted an article on my website titled "Purposes and Distractions". In that article, I said that I was hoping that if I took one small step back it would lead to lots of steps forward. This blog post about Samson is one of the steps back I was referencing. I've talked about Samson before, so to repeat something when you haven't been blogging as much as you wanted feels like a step backwards. But I am hoping that it leads me to want I want to accomplish. What I am hoping for is to bring up a topic on Monday in an article on the website. Then, on Wednesday look at that topic from a biblical standpoint. Meaning, bring in some bible verses about that topic. After that, on Friday or Saturday release a podcast that brings it all together. I know that sounds like a lot, but from my perspective every time I tried to write something it became way too long and maybe even hard to follow. So, we will see how all of this works out.

    Going back to Monday's article, I mentioned the quest to find one's purpose. It seems like we wait too long in life to find our purpose. Once we find our purpose, we need to do make sure we have very few distractions. I know that no one is perfect, so mistakes and distractions will happen, but we need to limit them. That leads me to Samson. How soon did Samson know his purpose? It actually happened before he was born. Let's look at Judges chapter 13.

The Birth of Samson

Again the Israelites did evil in the LORD’s sight, so the LORD handed them over to the Philistines, who oppressed them for forty years. 

2 In those days a man named Manoah from the tribe of Dan lived in the town of Zorah. His wife was unable to become pregnant, and they had no children. 3 The angel of the LORD appeared to Manoah’s wife and said, “Even though you have been unable to have children, you will soon become pregnant and give birth to a son. 4 So be careful; you must not drink wine or any other alcoholic drink nor eat any forbidden food. 5 You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and his hair must never be cut. For he will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. He will begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines.” 

Now, let's skip ahead a little bit to verse 24.

24 When her son was born, she named him Samson. And the LORD blessed him as he grew up. 25 And the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him while he lived in Mahaneh-dan, which is located between the towns of Zorah and Eshtaol. 

All of this means that at a very young age, Samson knew something was going on, he knew he had a purpose. So once all this stirring started to happen, how did he handle it? What did he do? It appears at first that he did what almost all young men do, he wanted to find a wife. This is how chapter 14 begins.

Samson’s Riddle

One day when Samson was in Timnah, one of the Philistine women caught his eye. 2 When he returned home, he told his father and mother, “A young Philistine woman in Timnah caught my eye. I want to marry her. Get her for me.” 

3 His father and mother objected. “Isn’t there even one woman in our tribe or among all the Israelites you could marry?” they asked. “Why must you go to the pagan Philistines to find a wife?” 

Why were his parents upset? Let's go back to the beginning of the story in chapter 13.

Again the Israelites did evil in the LORD’s sight, so the LORD handed them over to the Philistines, who oppressed them for forty years. 

This woman was a Philistine, those are the people that he was supposed to rescue his people from. So even though he knew is purpose, he was distracted from it. If you are wondering if this was all part of God's plan, and they would get married and live happily even after maybe you should stop reading.

Shortly after this in chapter 14, we see Samson's strength for the first time. 

5 As Samson and his parents were going down to Timnah, a young lion suddenly attacked Samson near the vineyards of Timnah. 6 At that moment the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon him, and he ripped the lion’s jaws apart with his bare hands. He did it as easily as if it were a young goat. But he didn’t tell his father or mother about it.

So now back to the wedding.

10 As his father was making final arrangements for the marriage, Samson threw a party at Timnah, as was the custom for elite young men. 11 When the bride’s parents saw him, they selected thirty young men from the town to be his companions. 

12 Samson said to them, “Let me tell you a riddle. If you solve my riddle during these seven days of the celebration, I will give you thirty fine linen robes and thirty sets of festive clothing. 13 But if you can’t solve it, then you must give me thirty fine linen robes and thirty sets of festive clothing.” 

“All right,” they agreed, “let’s hear your riddle.” 

14 So he said: 

    “Out of the one who eats came something to eat; 

      out of the strong came something sweet.” 

What was Samson referring to? A few verses before all of that, this is what happened.

8 Later, when he returned to Timnah for the wedding, he turned off the path to look at the carcass of the lion. And he found that a swarm of bees had made some honey in the carcass. 9 He scooped some of the honey into his hands and ate it along the way. He also gave some to his father and mother, and they ate it. But he didn’t tell them he had taken the honey from the carcass of the lion. 

It's so strange to me that when he should have been focused on getting married, he was focused on honey and riddles. He was so focused on these outside distractions that he didn't notice that behind his back a group of people went to his soon to be wife and made a deal.

Three days later they were still trying to figure it out. 15 On the fourth day they said to Samson’s wife, “Entice your husband to explain the riddle for us, or we will burn down your father’s house with you in it. Did you invite us to this party just to make us poor?” 

16 So Samson’s wife came to him in tears and said, “You don’t love me; you hate me! You have given my people a riddle, but you haven’t told me the answer.” 

“I haven’t even given the answer to my father or mother,” he replied. “Why should I tell you?” 17 So she cried whenever she was with him and kept it up for the rest of the celebration. At last, on the seventh day he told her the answer because she was tormenting him with her nagging. Then she explained the riddle to the young men. 

18 So before sunset of the seventh day, the men of the town came to Samson with their answer: 

    “What is sweeter than honey? 

      What is stronger than a lion?” 

Chapter 15 is all about Samson and his vengeance against the Philistines. I'm going to skip that because this isn't what the focus of the post is. But I will say that he made a few enemies with how he handled the situation. So as chapter 16 starts, I'm sure now is the time that he will focus on God's purpose for his life. Nope! The chapter begins with the perfect verse that proves distraction is going on.

Samson Carries Away Gaza’s Gates

One day Samson went to the Philistine town of Gaza and spent the night with a prostitute.

That was verse one, but by verse four, something new has happened.

Samson and Delilah

4 Some time later Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who lived in the valley of Sorek. 

Ok, so now is when he starts to focus on God's purpose. He has had a few setbacks, but now he is ready to learn from his lessons and move full speed ahead.

Everyone has setbacks, everyone makes mistakes. To be in a situation where you wake up and you aren't where you thought you were going to be is ok. Just start over. Instead, this is what happens to Samson.

 5 The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, “Entice Samson to tell you what makes him so strong and how he can be overpowered and tied up securely. Then each of us will give you 1,100 pieces of silver.” 

How does this man find himself in pretty much the same situation as before? 

6 So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me what makes you so strong and what it would take to tie you up securely.” 

After everything he has been through, no way he falls for this. But yes, he did.

Three times she asked him, what is the secret to his strength and three times he lied about it. Yet, all three times right after he lied to her, he found himself in the situation that he told her would weaken him.  

15 Then Delilah pouted, “How can you tell me, ‘I love you,’ when you don’t share your secrets with me? You’ve made fun of me three times now, and you still haven’t told me what makes you so strong!” 16 She tormented him with her nagging day after day until he was sick to death of it. 

17 Finally, Samson shared his secret with her. “My hair has never been cut,” he confessed, “for I was dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as anyone else.” 

This is the ending the result of giving in to her nagging.

19 Delilah lulled Samson to sleep with his head in her lap, and then she called in a man to shave off the seven locks of his hair. In this way she began to bring him down, and his strength left him. 

20 Then she cried out, “Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!” 

When he woke up, he thought, “I will do as before and shake myself free.” But he didn’t realize the LORD had left him. 

21 So the Philistines captured him and gouged out his eyes. They took him to Gaza, where he was bound with bronze chains and forced to grind grain in the prison. 

22 But before long, his hair began to grow back. 

Samson was captured and he had wasted the gift God had given him. He was so distracted that he never had a chance to do what he was born to do. In these moments, I think he started to think about all of the things that distracted him during his lifetime. This is how Samson's story ends.

Samson’s Final Victory

23 The Philistine rulers held a great festival, offering sacrifices and praising their god, Dagon. They said, “Our god has given us victory over our enemy Samson!” 

24 When the people saw him, they praised their god, saying, “Our god has delivered our enemy to us! The one who killed so many of us is now in our power!” 

25 Half drunk by now, the people demanded, “Bring out Samson so he can amuse us!” So he was brought from the prison to amuse them, and they had him stand between the pillars supporting the roof. 

26 Samson said to the young servant who was leading him by the hand, “Place my hands against the pillars that hold up the temple. I want to rest against them.” 27 Now the temple was completely filled with people. All the Philistine rulers were there, and there were about 3,000 men and women on the roof who were watching as Samson amused them. 

28 Then Samson prayed to the LORD, “Sovereign LORD, remember me again. O God, please strengthen me just one more time. With one blow let me pay back the Philistines for the loss of my two eyes.” 29 Then Samson put his hands on the two center pillars that held up the temple. Pushing against them with both hands, 30 he prayed, “Let me die with the Philistines.” And the temple crashed down on the Philistine rulers and all the people. So he killed more people when he died than he had during his entire lifetime. 

31 Later his brothers and other relatives went down to get his body. They took him back home and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol, where his father, Manoah, was buried. Samson had judged Israel for twenty years. 

After all of this, Samson prayed. I've said this before, but I don't want to get to the end of my life and have to start a pray off with the words, "remember me again". I don't want to have to beg for God to give me one last chance to do his will. Let's learn from the life of Samson.

Am I all in?

 I was reading a book the other day and the author mentioned some verses in Luke. I have read the verses plenty of times, but the way he presented them just seemed new to me. I think part of it was because of what I had been thinking about after reading some verses in Mark. Let's start out with the verses from Luke.

Luke 16:10-12

10 “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. 11 And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? 12 And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own? 

Every time I have ever read these verses I have thought about money or talent. If God gives you a little bit of money, how do you handle it? If God gives you the ability to do something, how do you use it? 

Now let's look at the verses in Mark.

Mark 8:34-38

34 Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. 35 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. 36 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? 37 Is anything worth more than your soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” 

I read this set of verses first, these are the verses that have been on my mind for probably about a month now. I can't have one foot in the world and one foot in the church and hope that God blesses me fully.  How can I ask God to fully bless me when I am not being fully obedient? I feel like this has been the battle going on inside of me my whole life. I love my job; I love my friends. The world is full of temptation, and you come across a lot of people who don't involve God in their decision-making process. My job is to be a good witness to those people, but if I'm being honest, it's hard to be in Christian witness mode all of the time. After thinking about these two sets of verses my heart is really feeling like it's being pulled in the direction of truth. I have to be all the way in if I want to have a God blessed life. If I want the benefits of having an all-powerful God, then I have to be obedient all of the time. The book of Mark tells me that if I am ashamed of him on earth, he will be ashamed of me when he returns. The book of Luke tells me that if I can't handle a little, why would God give me a lot. Yes, he is talking about money. But he is also talking about how I handle the little parts of being a full-time Christian. I want to be all in, I want to be a full time Christian. I don't want anything I do to be thought of as being ashamed of the gospel. I want to make it a goal of mine to show God that I can be faithful with a little, so he will trust me with more.

Jonah - Again

 I'm not sure how to handle this one. We are at the point in the year where in the reading program last week we read Jonah. That means that I need to write something about it, but I've also been trying to do more with the website, so I wrote a few things about Jonah on that too. So, what is something new that I can write about with Jonah? That brought me all the way back to Jonah chapter one. Jonah knows that he is the reason for the storm. Everyone on board knows that someone on the ship is to blame for the rough seas. This is how they find out that Jonah is to blame, this is Jonah 1:7-9.

7 Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 So they asked him, “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?” 

9 He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” 

Jonah is quick to admit where he is from, and that he worships the Lord, who made the sea and the dry land. This is the part I want to focus on today, they ask Jonah how they should handle him, and this is his response in verses 11-16.

11 The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?” 12 “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.” 13 Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. 14 Then they cried out to the LORD, “Please, LORD, do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, LORD, have done as you pleased.” 15 Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. 16 At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him. 

Jonah knew that the only way to find peace was to throw him overboard. Jonah knew that the only way to calm the sea, was to get rid the issue on board. That leads me to two questions of focus today. One, when we know what is causing the storm in our lives, do we get rid of it? When we have sin in our lives that we know is there, but we aren't removing it, we can't have peace. We need to repent and run away from sin. Two, are we aware of the times that we are causing a storm for someone else? Have you ever shared the latest gossip? Do you have someone in your life that maybe you need to apologize to? The challenge for me is, if I am causing an issue for someone, can I either fix it or be strong enough to remove myself from the situation? Am I willing to jump overboard and spend a few days in a big fish?  A lot of times I worry about spending time in a big fish or being sent to the desert for a time of preparation. Maybe instead of being afraid I need to embrace the situation and finally fix what I am doing wrong. Fixing it yourself is a lot of better than being forced overboard!

Proverbs

 I think one of the main reasons people read the bible is that they want direction. So many people feel lost, and they just want to open the bible randomly and they expect that God will provide a miracle and have them somehow turn to the exact page that they need to get the answer they want. A quicker way might be to just read through the book of Proverbs as often as possible. I've heard of people who read through the books of Psalms and Proverbs every month. It works out really well because the book of Psalms has 150 chapters and Proverbs has 30, so read four chapters every day and by the end of every month, you are good. Let's start out by looking at what it says at the start of the book in Proverbs chapter one.

1 The Purpose of Proverbs

These are the proverbs of Solomon, David’s son, king of Israel. 2 Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline, to help them understand the insights of the wise. 3 Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair. 4 These proverbs will give insight to the simple, knowledge and discernment to the young. 5 Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance 6 by exploring the meaning in these proverbs and parables, the words of the wise and their riddles. 7 Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. 

What else can I add to that? People spend thousands of dollars every year on getting this kind of information. So, I wanted to just take a look at 20 of the chapters of the book and let the bible give you some advice.

Proverbs 1:10

10 My child, if sinners entice you, turn your back on them!

Proverbs 2:1-6

The Benefits of Wisdom

1 My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands. 2 Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. 3 Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. 4 Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. 5 Then you will understand what it means to fear the LORD, and you will gain knowledge of God. 6 For the LORD grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. 

Proverbs 3:1-4

Trusting in the Lord

1 My child, never forget the things I have taught you. Store my commands in your heart. 2 If you do this, you will live many years, and your life will be satisfying. 3 Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. 4 Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation. 

Proverbs 4:23-27

23 Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. 24 Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech. 25 Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. 26 Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. 27 Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.

Proverbs 5:21-23

21 For the LORD sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes. 22 An evil man is held captive by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him. 

23 He will die for lack of self-control; he will be lost because of his great foolishness. 

Proverbs 6:6-11

6 Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise! 7 Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, 

8 they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter. 9 But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up? 10 A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— 11 then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber. 

So far what I am hearing is Get Wisdom, Listen to God and work. When you listen to God and follow what he says and work hard, you will have a good life. It doesn't mean it will be perfect, but so many of the issues that people have you can avoid.

Proverbs 9:8-9

8 So don’t bother correcting mockers; they will only hate you. But correct the wise, 

and they will love you. 9 Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn even more. 

Proverbs 10:19

19 Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut.

Proverbs 12:1

1 To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction. 

Proverbs 13:10

10 Pride leads to conflict; those who take advice are wise. 

Proverbs 14:12

12 There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.

Proverbs 15:16-17

16 Better to have little, with fear for the Lord, than to have great treasure and inner turmoil. 17 A bowl of vegetables with someone you love is better than steak with someone you hate. 

So much great advice in such small sentences. I feel like these verses are telling me to shut my mouth, listen to others and be around good people. When you keep running your mouth you stop listening to others, that leads to pride. You might be sitting at the table with a huge steak in front of you, but you won't be happy, and you won't like who you are sitting with.

Proverbs 16:1-3

1 We can make our own plans, but the LORD gives the right answer. 2 People may be pure in their own eyes, but the LORD examines their motives. 3 Commit your actions to the LORD, and your plans will succeed. 

Proverbs 17:9

⁹ Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends. 

Proverbs 18:1-2

1 Unfriendly people care only about themselves; they lash out at common sense. 2 Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions. 

Proverbs 19:3

3 People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the LORD. 

Proverbs 20:1

1 Wine produces mockers; alcohol leads to brawls. Those led astray by drink cannot be wise. 

Proverbs 21:5

5 Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty. 

Proverbs 23:17-18

17 Don’t envy sinners, but always continue to fear the LORD. 18 You will be rewarded for this; your hope will not be disappointed. 

I want to focus on three of these verses really quickly because I think they are so impactful.

Proverbs 17:9, Love prospers when we forgive. Proverbs 19:3, People ruin their lives, then get angry at the Lord. Finally, Proverbs 23:17, Don't envy sinners. I think we fall into this trap way more than we want to admit. Someone wrongs us, and we hold onto it forever, then we can't figure out why we wake up grumpy every morning. When we envy sinners, we mess up our lives, then we take it out on God. We blame him for every bad decision that we made.  We have talked about this before, but people are going to hurt you. If you ever want to move on, you have to forgive. 

Proverbs 24:15-16

15 Don’t wait in ambush at the home of the godly, and don’t raid the house where the godly live. 16 The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked. 

Proverbs 25:2-3

2 It is God’s privilege to conceal things and the king’s privilege to discover them. 3 No one can comprehend the height of heaven, the depth of the earth, or all that goes on in the king’s mind! 

I want to finish on this last one, way too often we think that if we could just understand everything about God and what he does we would be faithful. We can't and you won't! The bible is very clear that God is so amazing, we just can't understand it or comprehend it. I encourage everyone to read through Proverbs on a regular basis, Gain wisdom!

Amos

 Amos is a book that does not get a lot of attention. When I looked it up in one of my bibles, it said that Amos was written between 760 and 750 b.c. It's purpose was to pronounce God's judgement upon Israel for its complacency, idolatry and oppression of the poor.  It also said that he was not an educated priest, he was a shepherd and sycamore-fig tree farmer. I'm not a shepherd or a tree farmer, but I feel like I can relate to him more than I could a prophet, so I'm already intrigued.  The book starts with an introduction and the reason for the book. 

Chapter 1

This message was given to Amos, a shepherd from the town of Tekoa in Judah. He received this message in visions two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam II, the son of Jehoash, was king of Israel. 

2 This is what he saw and heard: 

    “The LORD’s voice will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem! The lush pastures of the shepherds will dry up; the grass on Mount Carmel will wither and die.” 

From there, he talks about God's judgement on Israel's neighbors. I know that all of that is important, but I want to focus more on what is said about Israel. Starting in chapter 2 verse 4, he starts to talk about Israel and Judah.

God’s Judgment on Judah and Israel

4 This is what the LORD says: 

    “The people of Judah have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! They have rejected the instruction of the LORD, refusing to obey his decrees. They have been led astray by the same lies that deceived their ancestors. 5 So I will send down fire on Judah, and all the fortresses of Jerusalem will be destroyed.” 

6 This is what the LORD says: 

    “The people of Israel have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! They sell honorable people for silver and poor people for a pair of sandals. 7 They trample helpless people in the dust and shove the oppressed out of the way. Both father and son sleep with the same woman, corrupting my holy name. 8 At their religious festivals, they lounge in clothing their debtors put up as security. In the house of their gods, they drink wine bought with unjust fines. 9 “But as my people watched, I destroyed the Amorites, though they were as tall as cedars and as strong as oaks. I destroyed the fruit on their branches and dug out their roots. 10 It was I who rescued you from Egypt and led you through the desert for forty years, so you could possess the land of the Amorites. 11 I chose some of your sons to be prophets and others to be Nazirites. Can you deny this, my people of Israel?” asks the LORD. 12 “But you caused the Nazirites to sin by making them drink wine, and you commanded the prophets, ‘Shut up!’ 13 “So I will make you groan like a wagon loaded down with sheaves of grain. 14 Your fastest runners will not get away. The strongest among you will become weak. Even mighty warriors will be unable to save themselves. 15 The archers will not stand their ground. The swiftest runners won’t be fast enough to escape. Even those riding horses won’t be able to save themselves. 16 On that day the most courageous of your fighting men will drop their weapons and run for their lives,”    says the LORD. 

If you get nothing else from this post, I want everyone to focus on why God is punishing them. Look at what sins God has pointed out. In verse four, the people have sinned again and again. They have rejected the instruction of the Lord, refusing to obey his decrees. They have been led astray by the same lies that deceived their ancestors. Does this sound familiar? If we continue to where he is talking about Israel, starting in verse seven. Trample helpless people and shove the oppressed out of the way. Now listen to what I would call the big things. You caused the Nazirites to drink wine, you commanded the prophets to shut up. It also said they he destroyed the Amorites, though they were as tall as cedars and as strong as oaks. The Nazarites were a group of people who were forbidden to drink wine. So, what he is saying is that the people who are supposed to be the religious examples of the time, God's chosen people, were causing people to sin. When they were confronted by someone with a message from God, they told them to shut up. He also points to a strong nation that was destroyed even though they seemed unstoppable. If someone asked me to name a strong religious group, who was chosen by God and lived in a powerful nation, I would think that they were talking about Christians living in the United States. I know Amos wasn't talking to me, but I think the argument can be made, that he was talking to me.

Now, let's take a look at the coming judgement in chapter five, starting in verse eighteen.

Warning of Coming Judgment

    18 What sorrow awaits you who say, “If only the day of the LORD were here!” 

    You have no idea what you are wishing for. That day will bring darkness, not light. 

    19 In that day you will be like a man who runs from a lion— only to meet a bear. 

    Escaping from the bear, he leans his hand against a wall in his house— and he’s bitten by a snake. 20 Yes, the day of the LORD will be dark and hopeless, without a ray of joy or hope. 21 “I hate all your show and pretense— the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies. 22 I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings. I won’t even notice all your choice peace offerings. 23 Away with your noisy hymns of praise! I will not listen to the music of your harps. 24 Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living. 

25 “Was it to me you were bringing sacrifices and offerings during the forty years in the wilderness, Israel? 26 No, you served your pagan gods—Sakkuth your king god and Kaiwan your star god—the images you made for yourselves. 27 So I will send you into exile, to a land east of Damascus,” says the LORD, whose name is the God of Heaven’s Armies. 

What a vivid image! I'm being attacked by a lion, I escape, but run into a bear. I get away from the bear but end up getting bit by a snake. In verse twenty-seven, he finally says they will be going into exile. They try and get rid of Amos in chapter seven, and this is his reply.

14 But Amos replied, “I’m not a professional prophet, and I was never trained to be one. I’m just a shepherd, and I take care of sycamore-fig trees. 15 But the LORD called me away from my flock and told me, ‘Go and prophesy to my people in Israel.’ 16 Now then, listen to this message from the LORD: 

    “You say, ‘Don’t prophesy against Israel. Stop preaching against my people.’ 17 But this is what the LORD says: ‘Your wife will become a prostitute in this city, and your sons and daughters will be killed. Your land will be divided up, and you yourself will die in a foreign land.  And the people of Israel will certainly become captives in exile, far from their homeland.’ ” 

Again, he let them know they would be going into exile. He also showed that God can use anyone to warn us. In this day and age, we think that a popular preacher or someone well known will be the person to warn us, look out for the shepherd or the farmer, God uses them too.

Finally let's look at how the book of Amos ends in chapter nine, verses fourteen and fifteen.

    14 I will bring my exiled people of Israel back from distant lands, and they will rebuild their ruined cities and live in them again. They will plant vineyards and gardens; they will eat their crops and drink their wine. 15 I will firmly plant them there in their own land. They will never again be uprooted from the land I have given them,” says the LORD your God. 

We have hope, we can always repent. The people of Israel and Judah didn't learn. They never repented. When I listen to what Amos is saying, it scares me. It scares me that all of that stuff is still true today and it scares me that I am guilty. We have time to repent, and we have time to listen to the instruction of the Lord.

1 Samuel

 I really enjoy reading 1 Samuel. I think it has a little bit of everything in it. Over the last year or so I feel like I have written or talked about Saul and David many times, so when I read it this time my focus wasn't really on them. I know that is kind of hard to do, especially when you read the second half of the book. But, I found myself really focusing on Samuel this time around. I found myself trying to see things from his perspective. I also thought that the daily reading plan really helped me when I was reading, but I will get to that part later.  A lot of times when we are reading a story from either 1 or 2 Samuel, we really can't remember who Samuel was. So that is where I want to start. Let's take a look at 1 Samuel chapter 1. 

Chapter 1

Elkanah and His Family

There was a man named Elkanah who lived in Ramah in the region of Zuph in the hill country of Ephraim. He was the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, of Ephraim. ² Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah did not.

Is it just me or does every other story in the Old Testament start out with a woman who can't have children? I know that's an exaggeration, but I know that we have heard that before. What I love about those stories is they always seem to have a faithful woman who loves God. Hannah was very upset about not having any children and so she took her pain to God, this is what it says in 1 Samuel 1:9-18

Hannah’s Prayer for a Son

⁹ Once after a sacrificial meal at Shiloh, Hannah got up and went to pray. Eli the priest was sitting at his customary place beside the entrance of the Tabernacle. ¹⁰ Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord. ¹¹ And she made this vow: “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut.” ¹² As she was praying to the Lord, Eli watched her. ¹³ Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking. ¹⁴ “Must you come here drunk?” he demanded. “Throw away your wine!” ¹⁵ “Oh no, sir!” she replied. “I haven’t been drinking wine or anything stronger. But I am very discouraged, and I was pouring out my heart to the Lord. ¹⁶ Don’t think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow.” ¹⁷ “In that case,” Eli said, “go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.” ¹⁸ “Oh, thank you, sir!” she exclaimed. Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad. 

When I read this, I try to imagine what Hannah looked like as she prayed. The priest Eli thought she was drunk, so it had to be at least a little out of the ordinary. The other thing I think about is how passionate she had to have been. To be honest it makes me feel like a failure at prayer. I don't think I have ever prayed so hard that I looked like I had been drinking. But I think I have had issues come up that I prayed about that needed a passionate prayer. It goes to back to all of the times I have mentioned faith the size of a mustard seed. If I had more faith, I would be able to pray passionately because I would know that God would hear me and answer my prayer. I know you might be thinking that God might say no to those prayers, but I keep thinking that if I could pray like that and have more faith, my wants would align with what God wants. I also wish I could see her face when it says that she is no longer sad. I think she had some pep in her step and a smile that people could see but couldn't figure out. So, let's see what happens next in 1 Samuel 1:19-20.

¹⁹ The entire family got up early the next morning and went to worship the Lord once more. Then they returned home to Ramah. When Elkanah slept with Hannah, the Lord remembered her plea, ²⁰ and in due time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, “I asked the Lord for him.” 

Hannah then kept her promise in verses 24-27

24 When the child was weaned, Hannah took him to the Tabernacle in Shiloh. They brought along a three-year-old bull for the sacrifice and a basket of flour and some wine. 25 After sacrificing the bull, they brought the boy to Eli. 26 “Sir, do you remember me?” Hannah asked. “I am the very woman who stood here several years ago praying to the LORD. 27 I asked the LORD to give me this boy, and he has granted my request. 28 Now I am giving him to the LORD, and he will belong to the LORD his whole life.” And they worshiped the LORD there.

Chapter two of 1 Samuel is mostly Hannah's prayer of praise to God and then in chapter 3, God speaks to Samuel. I want to focus on the end of chapter 3, starting in verse 19.

19 As Samuel grew up, the LORD was with him, and everything Samuel said proved to be reliable. 20 And all Israel, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the LORD. 21 The LORD continued to appear at Shiloh and gave messages to Samuel there at the Tabernacle. 4:1 And Samuel’s words went out to all the people of Israel. 

So now it has been established that Samuel is a leader for the people of Israel. That brings us to chapter four, the Israelites are once again fighting against the Philistines. Something strange happens, the Israelite's lose. They come up with a master plan on how to go back and win again. They are going to bring out the Ark of the Covenant. When the crowd saw what was happening, they cheered, and the Philistines got scared. Everything was going according to plan. Let's look at how the Philistines reacted in 1 Samuel 4:6-9.

6 “What’s going on?” the Philistines asked. “What’s all the shouting about in the Hebrew camp?” When they were told it was because the Ark of the LORD had arrived, 7 they panicked. “The gods have come into their camp!” they cried. “This is a disaster! We have never had to face anything like this before! 8 Help! Who can save us from these mighty gods of Israel? They are the same gods who destroyed the Egyptians with plagues when Israel was in the wilderness. 9 Fight as never before, Philistines! If you don’t, we will become the Hebrews’ slaves just as they have been ours! Stand up like men and fight!”

Everyone knew what was going to happen, this was the beginning of the Israelites winning the war and the Philistines going away scared, never to return.

Except, that's not what happened.

Let's look at the next few verses.

10 So the Philistines fought desperately, and Israel was defeated again. The slaughter was great; 30,000 Israelite soldiers died that day. The survivors turned and fled to their tents. 11 The Ark of God was captured, and Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were killed. 

I don't understand, how could this happen? They did everything they were supposed to do.

I'm going to jump over chapters 5 and 6, but I highly recommend reading them. It's an amazing story of how God made sure that the Philistines returned the Ark.  But I want to focus on why the Israelites lost the battle. To figure that out we need to jump to chapter 7.

1 Samuel 7:3-17

Samuel Leads Israel to Victory

³ Then Samuel said to all the people of Israel, “If you want to return to the Lord with all your hearts, get rid of your foreign gods and your images of Ashtoreth. Turn your hearts to the Lord and obey him alone; then he will rescue you from the Philistines.” ⁴ So the Israelites got rid of their images of Baal and Ashtoreth and worshiped only the Lord. ⁵ Then Samuel told them, “Gather all of Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.” ⁶ So they gathered at Mizpah and, in a great ceremony, drew water from a well and poured it out before the Lord. They also went without food all day and confessed that they had sinned against the Lord. (It was at Mizpah that Samuel became Israel’s judge.)

It all gets clear now. They wanted God to save them, but they were worshiping other gods the whole time. Samuel had to set them straight. They had to get rid of everything not pleasing to God, they had to fast, and they also had to confess their sins. What a lesson that is! We want God to fight our battles for us every day, but we want to worship other things, and go on sinning all we want. Then when it doesn't go our way, we ask God what happened. I wish this was a moment when I was talking to everyone but me, but sadly, I am guilty of this way too often. I stay up all day watching baseball, run out of time, I quickly read a few sentences in my bible and say a two-minute prayer and then I can't figure out why God seems distant lately. I try to convince him that I did everything I am supposed to do, but it doesn't work. 

So now that Samuel has gotten them straightened out, what happens? Let's continue in chapter 7.

⁷ When the Philistine rulers heard that Israel had gathered at Mizpah, they mobilized their army and advanced. The Israelites were badly frightened when they learned that the Philistines were approaching. ⁸ “Don’t stop pleading with the Lord our God to save us from the Philistines!” they begged Samuel. ⁹ So Samuel took a young lamb and offered it to the Lord as a whole burnt offering. He pleaded with the Lord to help Israel, and the Lord answered him. ¹⁰ Just as Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines arrived to attack Israel. But the Lord spoke with a mighty voice of thunder from heaven that day, and the Philistines were thrown into such confusion that the Israelites defeated them. ¹¹ The men of Israel chased them from Mizpah to a place below Beth-car, slaughtering them all along the way. ¹² Samuel then took a large stone and placed it between the towns of Mizpah and Jeshanah. He named it Ebenezer (which means “the stone of help”), for he said, “Up to this point the Lord has helped us!” ¹³ So the Philistines were subdued and didn’t invade Israel again for some time. And throughout Samuel’s lifetime, the Lord’s powerful hand was raised against the Philistines. ¹⁴ The Israelite villages near Ekron and Gath that the Philistines had captured were restored to Israel, along with the rest of the territory that the Philistines had taken. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites in those days. ¹⁵ Samuel continued as Israel’s judge for the rest of his life. ¹⁶ Each year he traveled around, setting up his court first at Bethel, then at Gilgal, and then at Mizpah. He judged the people of Israel at each of these places. ¹⁷ Then he would return to his home at Ramah, and he would hear cases there, too. And Samuel built an altar to the Lord at Ramah.

 Ok, so now we are ready to live happily ever after! Everyone has learned their lesson and we are good now. So, let's see what happens in chapter 8.

Chapter 8

Israel Requests a King

As Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons to be judges over Israel. ² Joel and Abijah, his oldest sons, held court in Beersheba. ³ But they were not like their father, for they were greedy for money. They accepted bribes and perverted justice. ⁴ Finally, all the elders of Israel met at Ramah to discuss the matter with Samuel. ⁵ “Look,” they told him, “you are now old, and your sons are not like you. Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have.” ⁶ Samuel was displeased with their request and went to the Lord for guidance. ⁷ “Do everything they say to you,” the Lord replied, “for they are rejecting me, not you. They don’t want me to be their king any longer. ⁸ Ever since I brought them from Egypt they have continually abandoned me and followed other gods. And now they are giving you the same treatment. ⁹ Do as they ask, but solemnly warn them about the way a king will reign over them.”

What? The person who led you his whole life is telling you that you shouldn't do something, but they still want to go do it. I feel like we can learn at least 3-4 lessons here. First of all, if your kids are still in your care, make sure that you discipline them. The role of the parent is never over. Two, make sure you have someone who can take care of the next generation. It's sad but I think we have all seen it way too many times. Someone in a family passes away and the family falls apart. Third, put as many Godly people in your life as possible, and when they give advice, listen! I know that there are always exceptions, but if all of the Godly people in your life are saying the same thing, I don't know that you should go against it. 

Now, maybe after he warns them about what a king will do they will change their minds. Let's see what happens as we continue in chapter 8.

Samuel Warns against a Kingdom

¹⁰ So Samuel passed on the Lord’s warning to the people who were asking him for a king. ¹¹ “This is how a king will reign over you,” Samuel said. “The king will draft your sons and assign them to his chariots and his charioteers, making them run before his chariots. ¹² Some will be generals and captains in his army, some will be forced to plow in his fields and harvest his crops, and some will make his weapons and chariot equipment. ¹³ The king will take your daughters from you and force them to cook and bake and make perfumes for him. ¹⁴ He will take away the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his own officials. ¹⁵ He will take a tenth of your grain and your grape harvest and distribute it among his officers and attendants. ¹⁶ He will take your male and female slaves and demand the finest of your cattle and donkeys for his own use. ¹⁷ He will demand a tenth of your flocks, and you will be his slaves. ¹⁸ When that day comes, you will beg for relief from this king you are demanding, but then the Lord will not help you.” ¹⁹ But the people refused to listen to Samuel’s warning. “Even so, we still want a king,” they said. ²⁰ “We want to be like the nations around us. Our king will judge us and lead us into battle.” 

Can you imagine being told all of those things and still deciding to it? In verse 17 it specifically says, you will be his slaves. Their ancestors spent 400 years as slaves and ended up having to cry out to God for help. Now here you are being told by a very reliable source that you will be a slave again and they still do it. Let's see what God says in verses 21 and 22.

 ²¹ So Samuel repeated to the Lord what the people had said, ²² and the Lord replied, “Do as they say, and give them a king.” Then Samuel agreed and sent the people home. 

Every time I read this; I feel like a child who has disappointed his parents. I read it and I feel like God is lowering his head and walking away disappointed in me. At first, it seems as if God is caught off guard by all of this. I don't know why I feel that way, if you think about it, that doesn't even make any sense. Then I remember something that gives me hope. For those of you that are following in the daily reading plan, go back to March 17th. Let's see what Deuteronomy 17:14-20 says.

Deuteronomy 17:14-20

Guidelines for a King

¹⁴ “You are about to enter the land the Lord your God is giving you. When you take it over and settle there, you may think, ‘We should select a king to rule over us like the other nations around us.’ ¹⁵ If this happens, be sure to select as king the man the Lord your God chooses. You must appoint a fellow Israelite; he may not be a foreigner. ¹⁶ “The king must not build up a large stable of horses for himself or send his people to Egypt to buy horses, for the Lord has told you, ‘You must never return to Egypt.’ ¹⁷ The king must not take many wives for himself, because they will turn his heart away from the Lord. And he must not accumulate large amounts of wealth in silver and gold for himself. ¹⁸ “When he sits on the throne as king, he must copy for himself this body of instruction on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. ¹⁹ He must always keep that copy with him and read it daily as long as he lives. That way he will learn to fear the Lord his God by obeying all the terms of these instructions and decrees. ²⁰ This regular reading will prevent him from becoming proud and acting as if he is above his fellow citizens. It will also prevent him from turning away from these commands in the smallest way. And it will ensure that he and his descendants will reign for many generations in Israel.

Even if you only read verse 14, I feel safe! God had a plan all along. God knew what was going to happen, just because we can't remember what happened a few books ago doesn't mean he doesn't always have a plan. Over the last few years, we keep acting like everything that has come up is some crazy thing that no one could have planned for. I'm not just talking about covid, I'm talking about everything that has happened in our lives. We have all suffered loss or pain. Most of us have had some sort of financial setback. God had a plan. We need to make sure that we are always communicating with God and understanding that he always is prepared. 

Ruth

 When I start reading the book of Ruth, I wasn't sure what I was supposed to take from it. Chapter one makes you think it's a story of tragedy. A woman named Naomi, her husband and two sons had to move because of a famine in the area. After moving, her husband dies. Her two sons get married, but after about ten years, both her sons also pass away. So Naomi is left with her two daughters-in-laws. 

Naomi decides to return home and tells her daughters in law that they should go back to their mother's home, she shows appreciation for everything that they did for her. But she knows that if they go back home, they have a chance to get remarried and have a good life. One daughter in law decides to go back home, but Ruth makes a bold declaration, this is what she said in Ruth 1:16.

16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. 17 Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!” 18 When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she said nothing more. 

So now I am wondering if this is a story about loyalty. 

When Naomi finally arrives home in Bethlehem, everyone is excited to see Naomi. Her response to everyone was sad. This is how she responds to everyone in Ruth 1:20-21.

Don’t call me Naomi,” she responded. “Instead, call me Mara, for the Almighty has made life very bitter for me. 21 I went away full, but the LORD has brought me home empty. Why call me Naomi when the LORD has caused me to suffer and the Almighty has sent such tragedy upon me?” 

Naomi means pleasant, but Mara means bitter.

As chapter two begins, Ruth has to go to the fields and pick up leftover grain, so they have food to eat. She finds a field and starts to glean behind the harvesters. Most of us these days have no idea what that means. This is what it says in the book of Leviticus 23:22

22 “When you harvest the crops of your land, do not harvest the grain along the edges of your fields, and do not pick up what the harvesters drop. Leave it for the poor and the foreigners living among you. I am the LORD your God.” 

The field belonged to a man named Boaz, he was a relative of Elimelek, Naomi's husband. When Boaz finds out that Ruth is related to Naomi, he tells her not to go to any other fields and he will make sure that she is safe. When she asks why he is being so nice to her, this is his response in Ruth 2:11-12.

11 “Yes, I know,” Boaz replied. “But I also know about everything you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband. I have heard how you left your father and mother and your own land to live here among complete strangers. 12 May the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge, reward you fully for what you have done.” 

As chapter two is ending, Naomi says something we have to pay attention to, this is what she says in Ruth 2:19-20

19 “Where did you gather all this grain today?” Naomi asked. “Where did you work? May the LORD bless the one who helped you!” 

So Ruth told her mother-in-law about the man in whose field she had worked. She said, “The man I worked with today is named Boaz.” 

20 “May the LORD bless him!” Naomi told her daughter-in-law. “He is showing his kindness to us as well as to your dead husband. That man is one of our closest relatives, one of our family redeemers.” 

This is going to come back up again soon, but the fact that she mentions that he is one of the family redeemers is huge.

Chapter 3 is interesting, and I feel like it leaves a few things out about some of the customs of the day. But, from the beginning of the chapter I think we can fill in the blanks and figure out what everyone is talking about. This is how Ruth Chapter 3 begins.

Ruth at the Threshing Floor

One day Naomi said to Ruth, “My daughter, it’s time that I found a permanent home for you, so that you will be provided for. 2 Boaz is a close relative of ours, and he’s been very kind by letting you gather grain with his young women. Tonight he will be winnowing barley at the threshing floor. 3 Now do as I tell you—take a bath and put on perfume and dress in your nicest clothes. Then go to the threshing floor, but don’t let Boaz see you until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 Be sure to notice where he lies down; then go and uncover his feet and lie down there. He will tell you what to do.

In those days when you said to a female, I am going to find you a permanent home, it meant only one thing. Trying to look into everything else that has to do with customs of that time would take away from what I really want to get out the book at this time. But we know that Ruth is loyal and will listen to Naomi, so she does everything that she tells her to do. After she follows everything that Naomi said to do, here is the response from Boaz in Ruth 3:10-13

10 “The LORD bless you, my daughter!” Boaz exclaimed. “You are showing even more family loyalty now than you did before, for you have not gone after a younger man, whether rich or poor. 11 Now don’t worry about a thing, my daughter. I will do what is necessary, for everyone in town knows you are a virtuous woman. 12 But while it’s true that I am one of your family redeemers, there is another man who is more closely related to you than I am. 13 Stay here tonight, and in the morning I will talk to him. If he is willing to redeem you, very well. Let him marry you. But if he is not willing, then as surely as the LORD lives, I will redeem you myself! Now lie down here until morning.” 

So of course, in the end Boaz gets to marry Ruth and everyone lives happily ever after. Tragedy and loyalty win out and when Boaz and Ruth have a child, Naomi feels complete, and everyone is happy for everyone. I feel like if the story ended there it would still be a really good biblical story. But it's not over yet. We have still have a few key verses to go over at the end. We don't need to go over all of them but let's look at just verse 17.

 17 The neighbor women said, “Now at last Naomi has a son again!” And they named him Obed. He became the father of Jesse and the grandfather of David.

If you are reading this blog, you probably know who David is. This is King David! This is David and Goliath! This is the David that they said the Messiah would come from his lineage. So why do we not focus on this book more? This book has everything! In four short chapters we learn about adversity, we learn about working hard, we learn about loyalty and learn about just doing the right thing. I think we need to mention Boaz more often when we talk about what it is like to be a man. When we talk to our kids or our grandkids about what we want them to be when they grow up, maybe we need to mention a man named Boaz.