Skip to main content

March 15 + Daily notes & readings

DAY 74

Samson judged Israel for 20 years and gave us a few interesting stories along the way. 

Image result for birth of samson

DAILY READINGS

Judges 13-15 & Psalm 73

DAILY NOTES

Judges 13

  • Samson's mother is barren, but is visited by an angel  and told she will "bear a son."
  • She is given certain prohibitions and her son is to be a nazarite to God.
  • The parents don't seem to completely realize the angel of the Lord has visited them.  It isn't until he ascends in fire.
    • They believe (trust, hope?) the man's words and look forward to the day they come true.
Judges 14
  • Samson chooses a wife from the Philistines.  The Philistines rule over the Israelites.  
  • His parents ask him why he didn't choose someone from his own people.
    • Samson comes off as pretty bratty, no?
  • Maybe he would have come up with a riddle anyways, but trouble for Samson begins when he defeats a lion and later takes some honey from bees that are flying around its dead body.
  • After Samson marries, he gives a riddle about the honey to the Philistines who are at his wedding.  They can't figure it out. So, they threaten Samson's wife.  She convinces him to tell her the answer.  
    • In return he kills 30 people and leaves town in a hot rage.  Consequently, his wife is given away (to his best man).  
Judges 15
  • Samson returns to visit his wife only to find out she was given away.  He burns their fields.  They kill his wife and her family.  Samson promises revenge and eventually kills 1,000 men.
Psalm 74
  • Enemies have overtaken the temple of God.  They have left it in ruins and disgraced God and the people.  The psalmist asks God to intervene.  The psalmist believes in God's power that has been demonstrated before.  Therefore, he trusts that God will demonstrate power again in this much needed time.  Amen.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS

Kids don't come with instruction books.  That's for sure!

Samson's parents, though, got a little heads up.  They were given particular instructions on how to raise their child.  He was to be a nazarite (read about that here) to God.  His parents were given a second chance to ask the man/angel about what they were to do.  He told them to do what he already told them. Thanks.

The text then says "The angel of the Lord did not appear again..."  That was the last time they saw him.  Now, they were going to have to follow through on their own.

Raising kids, living life and everything else in between is hard work.  What does God want us to do.  He's already told us.  That's why we're reading the Bible together.  Does that mean God doesn't reveal new things to us?  No, but quiet often those new things are inspired from the stories we read from the Bible.  

We'll never have another book of the Bible added to the Bible because God's already told us what to do.  With prayer, fasting, faith and commitment we'll have to figure the rest out on our own--good thing we're never alone!

Stay blessed...john

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

March 24 + Daily notes & readings

DAY 83 The relationship between Saul and David worsens.  David is now Saul's enemy.   DAILY READINGS 1 Samuel 18-20 & Psalm 83 DAILY NOTES 1 Samuel 18 Saul's delight for David quickly turns.  Saul is jealous of David's success and the fact that everyone else seems to like David more than him. Of course, we have to think about what this evil spirit from the Lord might mean. Saul tries to kill David.  He even devises a plan to have him married into the royal family so that he can create a snare for him. What does it say about David that, even after Saul has tried to kill him, he still finds it an honor to be married to the family? David escapes Saul's traps.  So, from here on out, the text says that Saul considered David an enemy.  Think he knows what it means to love your enemies? 1 Samuel 19 Verse 5 reminds us of David's fight with Goliath.  At this point, David has fought other times.  What makes that ...
Post a Comment
Read more

May 23 + Daily readings & notes

DAY 143 DAILY READINGS Job 12-15 & Psalm 138 DAILY NOTES Job 12 Surely, Job says, his friends don't think they're the only ones with wisdom?  Plus, they are telling him anything that isn't known by all.   Maybe they aren't as smart as they think they are? God holds true wisdom.  "With God are wisdom and strength" (vs. 13). Job 13 Job's friends have taken it upon themselves to speak on behalf of God.  Job considers their representation to be false because they have not considered Job's condition. Job 14 Job's prayer to God continues. We see a bit of the book's larger vision in these verses.  Job recognizes, and wants God to remember, that all humanity shares the same days of life.   Job 15 Eliphaz considers that Job's questioning hinders God and would keep others from knowing God. Psalm 138 The praise of the psalmist is a communal act.   God has been faithful and the psalmist wants to thank God...
Post a Comment
Read more

March 2 + Daily readings & notes

DAY 61 I didn't include any daily notes today.  While they may seem strange, most of the laws we're reading about today are pretty straightforward.   Today's Bible Project video gives a final look at what the book of Deuteronomy is about.   DAILY READINGS Deuteronomy 24-27 & Psalm 61 OTHER OBSERVATIONS Within many of the commands of God given to the Israelites is the notion to remember.  Remember you were slaves to Egypt.  Remember what happened to Miriam.  Remember. The point is to remember what God has done and that the Israelites are now God's own people.  You can almost hear someone ask, "Why do we have to do [fill in the blank]?"  Because we are God's!  Remember it was the Lord who delivered us.  So, this is his way to be holy. Even the psalmist (in Psalm 61) picks up on this.  In speaking of God's protection, he says that God has given him the "heritage of those who fear your name."  ...
Post a Comment
Read more