turtle30cshell Daily Devotions For May 21, 2020

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A Warrior Until Death
5/21/2020

Daily Devotions:
by Christina Farris

Judges 16:1-31 KJV
1 Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her.
2 And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, In the morning, when it is day, we shall kill him.
3 And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron.
4 And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
5 And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.
6 And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee.
7 And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven green withs that were never dried, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.
8 Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withs which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.
9 Now there were men lying in wait, abiding with her in the chamber. And she said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he brake the withs, as a thread of tow is broken when it toucheth the fire. So his strength was not known.
10 And Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound.
11 And he said unto her, If they bind me fast with new ropes that never were occupied, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.
12 Delilah therefore took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And there were liers in wait abiding in the chamber. And he brake them from off his arms like a thread.
13 And Delilah said unto Samson, Hitherto thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound. And he said unto her, If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web.
14 And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, and went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web.
15 And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth.
16 And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;
17 That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother's womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.
18 And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath shewed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand.
19 And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.
20 And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him.
21 But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.
22 Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven.
23 Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.
24 And when the people saw him, they praised their god: for they said, Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, which slew many of us.
25 And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them sport: and they set him between the pillars.
26 And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I may lean upon them.
27 Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport.
28 And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.
29 And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left.
30 And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.
31 Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the buryingplace of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years.

First of all it is not God's will for Samson to sin by sleeping with a harlot. Second let me say the way in which Samson waged war was never in God's plan. He needs no man to tear a city gat off its hinges to leave, God can use an earthquake to destroy a city or kill people. Samson was a judge for 20 years, before he became imprisoned by deception of a harlot who gave away his secret to strength was his long hair and that he was called to be a Nazarite.

Now to be called by God does not mean you live according to the will of God in some cases. If we want to go and dig a little deeper, Satan power is given or allowed by God for a time period and time period with an end date. If we study Old Testament we find not all men chosen by God were obedient to God beyond the will of God. Now this sounds like a statement of right and wrong, but this was the time after the law of God was given though only judges ruled and no king.

There is no justification for sin for sin will take you further then you want to go and it did Solomon for the cost of the harlot became the cost of his strength found in the length of his hair. God plan for Samson to be a warrior came to pass, to protect the children of Israel from the Philistines that worshipped the idol Dagon and mocked not only Samson but Samson God. When Samson heard it and knew how long his hair was he had a boy take him to the pillar and with all his strength and killed not just himself but all that were in the temple. God never plans man to kill himself and a group of people. This was in opposition to God's way, so what was God's way if Samson had followed God?

Samson had chose to be follow after God like let's say King David, he would of been a mighty warrior for God and not a bully for God. Samson would not of been just a judge for twenty years but maybe even longer if he only followed after the ways of God. No leader whoever follow after the ways of God was disappointed with the outcome of his life. As human being we are ever choosing God's way or our way. Samson was called to be a warrior and leader by God but he chose his pathway not of God. Why did God provide strength to pull down the columns and not just allow Samson to be defeated. Not God's way will lead to death either by accident, on purpose by another or by one's own hand. God sometimes even allows death to be of a natural force like a storm or fire.

Samson was hot temper and ill equip to deal with his own emotions and only want to destroy others caring not how it effect others who did not wish him harm. He target those that had nothing to do with the issue. Samson was still consider a hero to Israel because of the slaughter of the enemy of God. We have to ask is our heros also our villans. Jesus was not a Samson, he was a pacifist and verbal warrior when he needed to be. His call as Son of God was not to make war. He was called to brings peace. Samson call was to make war. Samson definitely stirred up trouble. Yet it was Samson choice to be a rebel or a warrior for God like David. David had not been born at the time of Samson so the comparison for Samson was not available beyong the pathway of Moses and Abraham had chosen and neither of these men were perfect in the ways of God either. Abraham held to his righteousness, because God called him friend. He knew there were things he did was wrong and it was imputeth against him. Moses had sin that was imputeth against him but it did not cost him eternity. Samson call made him chosen his life style made him a devil.

Do you think Samson life could be justified by tearing down the temple and dying by God? Samson only did what God may or could of done himself. Why did God destroy allow him to tear down the temple. Samson choosing his strength because of his ego and not God's. Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt you is old childhood rhyme. In truth Samson could not handle his humiliation. He could not handle being bested by the enemy. He could not be a pacifist 100% of his life nor even 50% percent of his life. His attitude if you hurt me I will hurt you and that is not of God. Vengaenous is mine saith the Lord in Scripture. If we allow God to revenge he will, but it not unusual for us to loose our cool. Samson is a good person to learn to not be like, but he also a good reminder of our free will in God's will in our life. God's will to revenge Philistines came to be but not by someone of nobel character.

Choose wisely when God choose, you may choose the pathway of destruction and become a vessel of destruction in God's revenge not by choice but your own ego. Choose God's pathway today and be more like Christ choosing the pathway of peace. Jesus still had a cross to bear, but not one of his own hand and for that innocent blood was shed and only one died that day Christ died, but he rose to victory on the third day. With God's strength we are able to do more then we thought possible. Even God provide water for Samson after battle though he was not walking in the pathway of God. If God's purpose is not for you to die, you going to live to face tomorrow. As a believer and one that tries to walk in the pathway of Jesus, I know then my hope for tomorrow is guaranteed. We all sin and fall short of the glory of God. Let us turn to him for our hope in trouble and in times of need, but also everyday for instruction to walk the right way. Samson's parents knew to seek God's for his direction concerning raising Samson, but Samson chose his own pathway.

Dear Heavenly Father, help us to see your direction and your ways in all that we do, knowing we may fall at times, but our strive to follow you is not just words, but action when we can control our minds, heart, our bodies and emotions. Lord enable us to be followers of your word and not just doers of your will. by doing so we know you will bless us. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study: Romans 9:15-22 KJV
15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?
20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:

Romans 12:19 KJV
19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV
5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

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