Re:Verse passage – 1 Samuel 16:5-13 (day one)
Join us as Senior Pastor Chris Johnson, Associate Pastor Aaron Hufty, and Associate Pastor Bryan Richardson walk us through 1 Samuel 16:5-13 in our Spring Re:Verse Series: “Unlocking The Old Testament.”
Samson in All of Us
Re:Verse passage – Judges 16:15-21 (day seven)
But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him. vs 20b
There is a little bit of Samson in all of us. Maybe not so much the ability to wipe out an entire army with the jawbone of a donkey, but more so, we are like Samson in the orientation of our priorities. Many people might say that the sin that led to Samson’s demise was the 7th commandment, “You shall not commit adultery.” I would argue that the sin that most immediately led to Samson’s demise was actually the 1st commandment, “You shall have no other God’s before me.” The moment his strength left him was not the moment he slept with Delilah, but the moment he prioritized her above God. He deemed his ungodly relationship as more important than his relationship to God.
We may not be in an ungodly relationship or committing adultery (even though this happen more regularly than we might think according to Jesus) but we do choose ungodly things over God on a regular basis. Just look back over your week. How much time did you spend with the Lord? How much time did you spend on your hobby? How much time did you spend on your phone, tv, computer? Where we spend our time will show us what we prioritize. We are more like Samson than we might think.
But God
Re:Verse passage – Judges 16:15-21 (day six)
Samson represents two simultaneous truths, the total moral collapse of the tribes of Israel and the total committedness of God to his people. God chose the twelve tribes, yet they had grown comfortable with Philistine idolatry and sexual immorality; they had forgotten God. God also chose Samson, but even under a Nazarite vow, he lived as if God didn’t exist.
YET, despite how far they had fallen, God used Samson to preserve his people once again. Samson’s story (in fact, the entire book of Judges) foretells a desperate need for a righteous king to rule God’s people and God’s committedness to make it a reality.
But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8
Hall of Faith
Re:Verse passage – Judges 16:15-21 (day five)
Samson’s story is tragic to say the least. Yet, he is listed in the “Hall of Faith” found in Hebrews 11 (vs 32). Wait? Wasn’t Samson faithless? Well, he believed the prophesy and promise of God. Samson knew his strength came from God. He trusted that God would provide that strength when he needed it. Every act Samson did could have been seen as an act of faith. But in the midst of his faith, Samson began to think more highly of himself than of God. So what was missing?? I believe it was love. “And if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:2 Samson didn’t have a love for God, which produces the fruit of obedience.
I close with a quote from Jon Bloom, “So let Samson’s faith soberly remind us that our spiritual or talent gifts are not God’s endorsement of us, that faithful obedience is better than impressive giftedness.” And that faith must be governed and balanced by a vibrant and deep love for the Lord.
Yet Not I
Re:Verse passage – Judges 16:15-21 (day four)
Samson is a truly unique character. We know that the Lord is with him, but he seems to have an ego and a careless attitude. You almost don’t want to root for him. If nothing else, though, he’s relatable. I’ve always gotten a chuckle out of v. 16, “his soul was annoyed to death.” We’ve all been there!
But his biggest mistake is even more relatable: he didn’t take the holiness of God seriously. Samson made a vow with the God, but he broke that vow over and over again. Here in his exchange with Delilah, he put his trust in his own wit and his own strength, forgetting that God was the source of his strength all along. It didn’t go well for him. How often do we do the same? When we rely on our own strength, we always come up short.
Contrast this with the apostle Paul: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
Let us commit to this way of living: “Yet not I, but through Christ in me.”
Body
Re:Verse passage – Judges 16:15-21 (day three)
“She … called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his hair.”
The evangelical church seems to be of two minds regarding the body’s importance. In attempting to honor the truth that the body is a temple, the church often focuses solely on warning of behaviors that would degrade it. Simultaneously, the church sometimes refers to death as a leaving behind of the body, implying that one’s destiny is something higher than the body. Both emphases can suggest a view of your body as a location of shame – mostly a magnet to degradation from which it’s good to escape. Not so. The passage not included in this week’s text says that Samson’s hair began to regrow, and that as it did, his strength began to return. God treasures your body as a place to draw near to you.
He Didn’t Know
Re:Verse passage – Judges 16:15-21 (day two)
Then she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? vs. 15a
A few years ago we did a study on the Judges of Israel. It was fascinating to look at the lives of these leaders. To say they were flawed is an understatement. Bryan used the term anti-hero, and that is about as close as we can come to describing most of those characters. They don’t share the archetypes that we usually associate with leadership, but it also shows that God can use anyone to fulfill his purpose. In our story this week we see how the impetuous Samson is unequally yoked to Delilah. Their union was not what you would want for your children. There was never a shared story between them that lead to their marriage. What is most troubling is Samson did not see the deceit that was brewing in front of him. When we make decisions based on desire rather than the leadership of the Holy Spirit we so often become blinded to the danger that is right in front of us. We must take care to always be sensitive to the Spirit, so we know when to turn right or left.
Re:Verse Blog – 4/10/23
Re:Verse passage – Judges 16:15-21 (day one)
Join us as Senior Pastor Chris Johnson, Associate Pastor Aaron Hufty, and Associate Pastor Bryan Richardson walk us through Judges 16:15-21 in our Spring Re:Verse Series: “Unlocking The Old Testament.”
The Promise
Re:Verse passage – Joshua 7:6-12, 20-21 (day seven)
I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy the things under the ban from your midst. Joshua 7:12
and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Matthew 28:20
Aren’t you thankful for the cross? Without the cross, we alone are accountable for our transgressions. Without the cross, we are dead in our trespasses and sins. Without the cross, we put others at risk with every selfish decision. Aren’t you thankful for the cross?
Aren’t you thankful for the empty tomb? Without the empty tomb, the presence of the Lord is not guaranteed. Without the empty tomb, we are left to fight our enemies alone. Without the empty tomb, death would be our greatest fear. Aren’t you thankful for the empty tomb?
The cross and the tomb bring us the promise of a Risen Savior. They bring us a promise that the Lord will always be by our side. They promise us hope.
He is Risen!
Finish
Re:Verse passage – Matthew 28:16-20 (alternate Easter text) (day six)
18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,[a] baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:16-20
After defeating sin and death in his resurrection, Jesus’ full rights as the Son of God have been restored (see Philippians 2:7), demonstrated in his “authority in heaven and on earth.” Of course, this means he has the authority to command the church to “make disciples” with the full expectation of obedience. It also means he has the authority to fulfill the command through us; to finish the task. That’s what Jesus meant when he said, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
May that give us the confidence to obey this command through our church family faithfully.