Those words were just spoken by my 7 year old daughter after I let her look at how much I wrote on my blog this week... and I think to some degree I agree with her, not about taking a break from God or reading my Bible, but about posting on it. On the weekends, I'm going to reflect on things I've learned during the week and concentrate on prayer for the areas of weakness I've discovered rather than adding even more for me to digest at a time. Weekends are also a time to relax, unwind, spend time with loved ones, etc... and that is a healthy way of worshipping Christ in our actions, or interactions with others... it's kinda the practical application of what you've learned the past week.
So, now that you know this, you know you can't bust me for not posting on the weekends because it's part of the "plan". Isn't it cool that God used my daughter wanting me to have more time with her as a reminder that application of what I've read is the ultimate reason for reading? In many ways my children help with my spiritual growth and I love them dearly for helping me understand God so much better!
Have a great weekend!
Hugs & Love
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Friday, June 29, 2007
Bible Blog: Genesis 17 - June 29, 2007
Hagar: Part II
Disclaimer: What you are about to read has absolutely NOTHING to do with Hagar except that her son Ishmael is mentioned. It deals with a very adult topic, circumcision, if you can't handle a discussion that involves names of private body parts, do not read any further! If however you can appreciate this for the intelligent, clean, hopefully enlightening thought process that it is intended to be, please, read on!
I read through this chapter, thought, I don't have a penis, this doesn't apply to me, let's continue to chapter 18 when I remembered that everything in the Bible is for us to learn from. Then I tried to rationalize that Hagar wasn't even mentioned in this chapter... but that I had decided yesterday to take this one chapter at a time and learn what I could from each one... And once again back to the "I don't have the body parts in question" argument when I remembered a time just before a friend's wedding when I was studying with my small group what it meant to be the bride of Christ and how preparing for that is to look to us when I realized... I asked a few of my guy friends to seriously try to imagine what being a bride is like... I wanted them to think outside the box and put them on the other side and try to get something from it to apply to their relationships with Christ... while none of them did it (or at least none of them told me about it... still waiting guys!) I realized how hypocritical it would be for me not to examine circumcision and it's application to my life if I expect the men in my life to examine what it is to be a bride... so that is the approach I am taking with this, it's a stretch, it's not going to be easy, and in order to try to make sense of things there is going to be mention of male and female equivalent body parts because I am funny that way and try to make things as accurate as possible when trying to visualize them... just please keep in mind this is really not just an excuse to list off genitalia or talk about things of that nature! Don't believe me, read Genesis 17! I DO want to ask any of you guys to please feel free to correct me if I make any incorrect assumptions... like I said, this is not something I usually think about in terms of myself!
I'm going to tell the story as though I am Abram, put myself in his sandals...
I am 99 years old, and God just changed my name to "father of nations". I have one child, Ishmael who is 13, a 90 year old wife, well past her prime, and I'm starting to feel my age. First thing that comes to my mind is that after 99 years, I think I'd be pretty well attached to my name, wouldn't you? But as far as requests God makes of a person, this one is, well, reasonable, so I go along with it... Then God tells me it's time to renew the covenant, that I will be father of nations... okay fine, I suppose this is going to happen through Ishmael right? WRONG, you're gonna get your 90 year old wife pregnant! First things first, even though people lived longer back then, women were pretty much done with the baby making by the mid 5o's... Sarai... what, you're changing her name too? Okay, Sarah is WAY to old to be thinking about kids! It's a humorous thought, I laugh, God tells me to name my son Isaac meaning he laughs.
This is where my conversation with God starts to take a turn I don't like so much... as a sign of my acceptance of this gift, I have to circumcise myself, all my offspring, every worker in my charge, every male in my household. Any male born into my family must be circumcised... but what is this circumcision, certainly not something you would instantly know of! So I look it up (okay this is a little off the story but it's what happened) The word circumcise comes from the Hebrew word mûl (mool) which means "to cut short" the bâśâr (baw-sawr') which means "flesh" of the ‛orlâh (or-law') which is the feminine form of ‛ârêl (aw-rale') which means the loose exposed skin. YOU WANT ME TO DO WHAT? I don't know why Abram... excuse me, Abraham didn't ask that very question to be honest... after 99 years, I think I'd be pretty well accustomed to having that particular feature of my anatomy intact, dont' you? No, he thought it more unreasonable for God to say he was going to get Sarai... Sarah pregnant at the age of 90 than that God wanted him to cut off the skin at the end of his penis! I personally don't get this guys... I've always thought that this is a particularly sensitive area of the anatomy for a man, and to draw a parallel for my own reference since I don't have one, it would be like removing the protective hood from around my clitoris... which would make things even MORE sensitive wouldn't it? I don't know about you gents, but if a lady gets rubbed the wrong way by clothing in that area it can be downright painful, without that protective skin around it I can imagine it being even worse... yes I would like thoughts on this, if you want to keep them private you can feel free to email me.
Okay, back to the story, Abraham finishes up the chat with God and goes home, takes Ishmael, a boy Abraham had to ask God to show favor on as well since Isaac was to be the heir, and he just goes right ahead and cuts off his foreskin at age 99, turns to the 13 year old boy who is staring at him wondering what herbs he put in his coffee that morning when Abraham says to him, pull up your robes... again, this story doesn't have enough reality in it, while I can see Abraham having the willpower to circumcise himself, I do not see Ishmael, a 13 year old boy who is starting puberty and just learning what this part of his body can do willingly pulling up his tunic and saying "please daddy, cut it off" what is more realistic is that although willing to follow the "master's" wishes, these men had to have some help with this process... they probably had 4 men, one on each of Ishmael's limbs, and possibly someone else across his stomach to prevent serious harm, not to mention running away which I think in this case I would DEFINITELY do... they didn't have anesthesia back then and wine doesn't numb you that much! This was, without a doubt, a test of loyalty and devotion to God... thankfully little jewish boys undergo this process on day 8 of their lives and never remember it, but those who had to endure this as a teenager or adult? This is not a pretty thing!
Now we have Abraham who has been circumcised, presumably by his own hand, which I couldnt' do and not just because I'm female either, and he's been told he's going to have a son within a year. Let's think about this shall we? If I remember correctly, the calendar they used at that time was not quite as long as the current calendar year (someone help me out here, am I remembering the right calendar or was that the one used before our current one?) anyway, realistically to be before a year is up it would be about 11 months... you need 10 for a pregnancy... yes guys, 10, 40 weeks... but because of our current calendar it appears to be 9 instead of the 28 day month which doctors use for this purpose. That means he needs to get Sarah pregnant immediately... but wait, he just cut his foreskin off of his penis! If you don't know how a child is conceived see me after class and I'll explain the significance of this for you. Assuming a 4 week recovery based upon how long my son's circumcision took to heal (about 3 weeks) and the fact that adults heal more slowly than children and 99 year old men even slower than a 30-40 year old man would and we're talking about some rather precise timing on God's part here. He knew Abraham would obey, would instantly circumcise the household, and from there would recover, lie with his wife, and Isaac would have to be conceived immediately to give birth in a one year time frame... this is rather impressive! It also brings up a lot of questions for me that probably are not appropriate in this context, but I have to wonder,... was it painful for him to have intercourse with Sarah after this? This is a serious question. After the birth of each of my children, the last thing I wanted to think about while healing was having sex, when I was healed and it was time to fulfill my marital obligations again... and after having a baby it is often done as an obligation... it hurt almost as badly as having the baby did! So here is Abraham, he knows he has to get Sarah pregnant to work within God's timeframe, but was he still tender and in pain during the child's conception? I think I'm going to ask him that when I get to Heaven if he seems like he won't be offended at least... I don't really know him yet.
So that's the story told in Genesis 17... what have I taken from this other than a lot of cringing and bewilderment? Abraham was a faithful child of God. I'm not sure I would have been able to follow God's instruction if He asked me to do the same. That really makes me sad. Jesus was willing to DIE for me, yet I can't even conceive of removing an unnecessary part of my body for Him as a sign of devotion... I think I'm going to have to pray about my attitude with such things.
Hugs & Love
Disclaimer: What you are about to read has absolutely NOTHING to do with Hagar except that her son Ishmael is mentioned. It deals with a very adult topic, circumcision, if you can't handle a discussion that involves names of private body parts, do not read any further! If however you can appreciate this for the intelligent, clean, hopefully enlightening thought process that it is intended to be, please, read on!
I read through this chapter, thought, I don't have a penis, this doesn't apply to me, let's continue to chapter 18 when I remembered that everything in the Bible is for us to learn from. Then I tried to rationalize that Hagar wasn't even mentioned in this chapter... but that I had decided yesterday to take this one chapter at a time and learn what I could from each one... And once again back to the "I don't have the body parts in question" argument when I remembered a time just before a friend's wedding when I was studying with my small group what it meant to be the bride of Christ and how preparing for that is to look to us when I realized... I asked a few of my guy friends to seriously try to imagine what being a bride is like... I wanted them to think outside the box and put them on the other side and try to get something from it to apply to their relationships with Christ... while none of them did it (or at least none of them told me about it... still waiting guys!) I realized how hypocritical it would be for me not to examine circumcision and it's application to my life if I expect the men in my life to examine what it is to be a bride... so that is the approach I am taking with this, it's a stretch, it's not going to be easy, and in order to try to make sense of things there is going to be mention of male and female equivalent body parts because I am funny that way and try to make things as accurate as possible when trying to visualize them... just please keep in mind this is really not just an excuse to list off genitalia or talk about things of that nature! Don't believe me, read Genesis 17! I DO want to ask any of you guys to please feel free to correct me if I make any incorrect assumptions... like I said, this is not something I usually think about in terms of myself!
I'm going to tell the story as though I am Abram, put myself in his sandals...
I am 99 years old, and God just changed my name to "father of nations". I have one child, Ishmael who is 13, a 90 year old wife, well past her prime, and I'm starting to feel my age. First thing that comes to my mind is that after 99 years, I think I'd be pretty well attached to my name, wouldn't you? But as far as requests God makes of a person, this one is, well, reasonable, so I go along with it... Then God tells me it's time to renew the covenant, that I will be father of nations... okay fine, I suppose this is going to happen through Ishmael right? WRONG, you're gonna get your 90 year old wife pregnant! First things first, even though people lived longer back then, women were pretty much done with the baby making by the mid 5o's... Sarai... what, you're changing her name too? Okay, Sarah is WAY to old to be thinking about kids! It's a humorous thought, I laugh, God tells me to name my son Isaac meaning he laughs.
This is where my conversation with God starts to take a turn I don't like so much... as a sign of my acceptance of this gift, I have to circumcise myself, all my offspring, every worker in my charge, every male in my household. Any male born into my family must be circumcised... but what is this circumcision, certainly not something you would instantly know of! So I look it up (okay this is a little off the story but it's what happened) The word circumcise comes from the Hebrew word mûl (mool) which means "to cut short" the bâśâr (baw-sawr') which means "flesh" of the ‛orlâh (or-law') which is the feminine form of ‛ârêl (aw-rale') which means the loose exposed skin. YOU WANT ME TO DO WHAT? I don't know why Abram... excuse me, Abraham didn't ask that very question to be honest... after 99 years, I think I'd be pretty well accustomed to having that particular feature of my anatomy intact, dont' you? No, he thought it more unreasonable for God to say he was going to get Sarai... Sarah pregnant at the age of 90 than that God wanted him to cut off the skin at the end of his penis! I personally don't get this guys... I've always thought that this is a particularly sensitive area of the anatomy for a man, and to draw a parallel for my own reference since I don't have one, it would be like removing the protective hood from around my clitoris... which would make things even MORE sensitive wouldn't it? I don't know about you gents, but if a lady gets rubbed the wrong way by clothing in that area it can be downright painful, without that protective skin around it I can imagine it being even worse... yes I would like thoughts on this, if you want to keep them private you can feel free to email me.
Okay, back to the story, Abraham finishes up the chat with God and goes home, takes Ishmael, a boy Abraham had to ask God to show favor on as well since Isaac was to be the heir, and he just goes right ahead and cuts off his foreskin at age 99, turns to the 13 year old boy who is staring at him wondering what herbs he put in his coffee that morning when Abraham says to him, pull up your robes... again, this story doesn't have enough reality in it, while I can see Abraham having the willpower to circumcise himself, I do not see Ishmael, a 13 year old boy who is starting puberty and just learning what this part of his body can do willingly pulling up his tunic and saying "please daddy, cut it off" what is more realistic is that although willing to follow the "master's" wishes, these men had to have some help with this process... they probably had 4 men, one on each of Ishmael's limbs, and possibly someone else across his stomach to prevent serious harm, not to mention running away which I think in this case I would DEFINITELY do... they didn't have anesthesia back then and wine doesn't numb you that much! This was, without a doubt, a test of loyalty and devotion to God... thankfully little jewish boys undergo this process on day 8 of their lives and never remember it, but those who had to endure this as a teenager or adult? This is not a pretty thing!
Now we have Abraham who has been circumcised, presumably by his own hand, which I couldnt' do and not just because I'm female either, and he's been told he's going to have a son within a year. Let's think about this shall we? If I remember correctly, the calendar they used at that time was not quite as long as the current calendar year (someone help me out here, am I remembering the right calendar or was that the one used before our current one?) anyway, realistically to be before a year is up it would be about 11 months... you need 10 for a pregnancy... yes guys, 10, 40 weeks... but because of our current calendar it appears to be 9 instead of the 28 day month which doctors use for this purpose. That means he needs to get Sarah pregnant immediately... but wait, he just cut his foreskin off of his penis! If you don't know how a child is conceived see me after class and I'll explain the significance of this for you. Assuming a 4 week recovery based upon how long my son's circumcision took to heal (about 3 weeks) and the fact that adults heal more slowly than children and 99 year old men even slower than a 30-40 year old man would and we're talking about some rather precise timing on God's part here. He knew Abraham would obey, would instantly circumcise the household, and from there would recover, lie with his wife, and Isaac would have to be conceived immediately to give birth in a one year time frame... this is rather impressive! It also brings up a lot of questions for me that probably are not appropriate in this context, but I have to wonder,... was it painful for him to have intercourse with Sarah after this? This is a serious question. After the birth of each of my children, the last thing I wanted to think about while healing was having sex, when I was healed and it was time to fulfill my marital obligations again... and after having a baby it is often done as an obligation... it hurt almost as badly as having the baby did! So here is Abraham, he knows he has to get Sarah pregnant to work within God's timeframe, but was he still tender and in pain during the child's conception? I think I'm going to ask him that when I get to Heaven if he seems like he won't be offended at least... I don't really know him yet.
So that's the story told in Genesis 17... what have I taken from this other than a lot of cringing and bewilderment? Abraham was a faithful child of God. I'm not sure I would have been able to follow God's instruction if He asked me to do the same. That really makes me sad. Jesus was willing to DIE for me, yet I can't even conceive of removing an unnecessary part of my body for Him as a sign of devotion... I think I'm going to have to pray about my attitude with such things.
Hugs & Love
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Bible Blog: Genesis 16 - June 28,2007
Hagar: Part I
The story of Hagar takes place over the course of 6 chapters. I'm reading one at a time with the intent of digging deeper into each.
My first questions are legitimately questions, not questions I asked and answered. Hagar was an Egyptian servant, yet God spoke directly to her. Without getting into the whole "everyone is blood related through Adam & Eve or Noah" arguments... God's chosen people were the Jews, Egyptians were not typically thought of as being in God's favor. So, my questions are for anyone with more information on Jewish culture and history than I have available... What is Hagar's significance? She's not Jewish, she's Egyptian; she's not a "wife", she's a servant (and basically slave/prostitute in this situation). What possible reason would God have to go to her through an angel and encourage her to return to slavery and sorrow? I'm speaking only historically and culturally here, but would really like answers!
Obviously, the spiritual significance and symbolism of Hagar being looked after by God is that He loves us all, no matter our heritage, height, weight, political stance, or any other "important" traits that people use to judge us.
I can relate all too well to Hagar. Many of the circumstances of my life are outside my control... I'm divorced because my husband was unfaithful, my son was conceived against my wishes, God allows me to endure chronic pain in the forms of Fibromyalgia and Psoriatic Arthritis as well as the equally difficult treatments... yet I know God is working in me and using me. Just tonight, Alyssa asked me how it's possible to be good when everyone around you is being bad. Such a hard lesson for a 7 year old! But God allowed me to remind her of Daniel, of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, of their faithfulness in difficulty, and we prayed together. If that's not God using me to help shape His kingdom I don't know what is! The point I'm trying to make, although I'm rambling about it, is that God uses the hardships and difficulties that He allows us to face for His glory.
The other aspect I relate to so well is Hagar's desire to run away. Just this past Tuesday I wanted to give up, stop fighting, stop trying. God had something else in mind. At the church's business meeting about Phase III we opened up with a time of confession and prayer. You can't clear the air with the most powerful being to ever exist and say okay, but I'm still running... it doesn't work that way. That's why this blog came into existence... God let me know exactly why I was running, what I was running from, and the reasons I felt inept were 100% related to not giving Him the time He deserves in prayer and studying His word. This is only day 2 and the change is dramatic already!
I know this ending is abrupt... but I only read chapter 16. Tune in next time for Hagar: Part II aka Genesis 17.
The story of Hagar takes place over the course of 6 chapters. I'm reading one at a time with the intent of digging deeper into each.
My first questions are legitimately questions, not questions I asked and answered. Hagar was an Egyptian servant, yet God spoke directly to her. Without getting into the whole "everyone is blood related through Adam & Eve or Noah" arguments... God's chosen people were the Jews, Egyptians were not typically thought of as being in God's favor. So, my questions are for anyone with more information on Jewish culture and history than I have available... What is Hagar's significance? She's not Jewish, she's Egyptian; she's not a "wife", she's a servant (and basically slave/prostitute in this situation). What possible reason would God have to go to her through an angel and encourage her to return to slavery and sorrow? I'm speaking only historically and culturally here, but would really like answers!
Obviously, the spiritual significance and symbolism of Hagar being looked after by God is that He loves us all, no matter our heritage, height, weight, political stance, or any other "important" traits that people use to judge us.
I can relate all too well to Hagar. Many of the circumstances of my life are outside my control... I'm divorced because my husband was unfaithful, my son was conceived against my wishes, God allows me to endure chronic pain in the forms of Fibromyalgia and Psoriatic Arthritis as well as the equally difficult treatments... yet I know God is working in me and using me. Just tonight, Alyssa asked me how it's possible to be good when everyone around you is being bad. Such a hard lesson for a 7 year old! But God allowed me to remind her of Daniel, of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, of their faithfulness in difficulty, and we prayed together. If that's not God using me to help shape His kingdom I don't know what is! The point I'm trying to make, although I'm rambling about it, is that God uses the hardships and difficulties that He allows us to face for His glory.
The other aspect I relate to so well is Hagar's desire to run away. Just this past Tuesday I wanted to give up, stop fighting, stop trying. God had something else in mind. At the church's business meeting about Phase III we opened up with a time of confession and prayer. You can't clear the air with the most powerful being to ever exist and say okay, but I'm still running... it doesn't work that way. That's why this blog came into existence... God let me know exactly why I was running, what I was running from, and the reasons I felt inept were 100% related to not giving Him the time He deserves in prayer and studying His word. This is only day 2 and the change is dramatic already!
I know this ending is abrupt... but I only read chapter 16. Tune in next time for Hagar: Part II aka Genesis 17.
Fortune Cookies
I went to dinner with a friend last night and we had Chinese food... we had each gotten 2 fortune cookies and I've got to say, mine made me think:
"Don't be surprised by the emergence of undiscovered talents!"
"You're transforming yourself into someone who is certain to succeed."
I've actually found myself wondering what talent, if any, I have lately, what it is I'm good at that makes me unique (besides the obvious quirky wit of course). Perhaps the "audition" last night for the Christmas program is just one of the ways to uncover some of my hidden talents. How can I use the talents I've been given to glorify God if I don't know what they are? I really hope there is an emergence of undiscovered talent!
As for transforming myself into a successful person, I'm not the one doing it, God is. The only part I have to play in this transformation is letting God have control so He CAN transform me. I've already become successful, I'm an heiress to the most powerful King ever, a daughter to the Ruler of the universe, Creator of everything wonderful. My mansion is being built already, I am already successful. But I do want to strive to be more Christ-like in my daily life, using what I know of Him to transform my life into something better, something that honors and pleases Him. Even though I'm successful, confident of my faith, I feel there is more to do in this life than just taking that success, my status as child of the King, and letting it stop there. There are so many more people in this world who aren't be heirs or heiresses yet... there is much work to be done!
Hugs & Love
"Don't be surprised by the emergence of undiscovered talents!"
"You're transforming yourself into someone who is certain to succeed."
I've actually found myself wondering what talent, if any, I have lately, what it is I'm good at that makes me unique (besides the obvious quirky wit of course). Perhaps the "audition" last night for the Christmas program is just one of the ways to uncover some of my hidden talents. How can I use the talents I've been given to glorify God if I don't know what they are? I really hope there is an emergence of undiscovered talent!
As for transforming myself into a successful person, I'm not the one doing it, God is. The only part I have to play in this transformation is letting God have control so He CAN transform me. I've already become successful, I'm an heiress to the most powerful King ever, a daughter to the Ruler of the universe, Creator of everything wonderful. My mansion is being built already, I am already successful. But I do want to strive to be more Christ-like in my daily life, using what I know of Him to transform my life into something better, something that honors and pleases Him. Even though I'm successful, confident of my faith, I feel there is more to do in this life than just taking that success, my status as child of the King, and letting it stop there. There are so many more people in this world who aren't be heirs or heiresses yet... there is much work to be done!
Hugs & Love
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Bible Blog: Judges 16 - June 27, 2007
Delilah:
How could God's favor be with a man who is recorded as having slept with a prostitute? I know, some versions say "loose woman" some say "harlot" some say "prostitute"... but they all say he went to bed with this woman, who is not his wife, which is a sinful thing to do, and yet God is with him and protects him from his would be attackers. My first thought was outrage, Sampson did not deserve God's grace and favor... followed by disgust, he was treating a woman like an object... and I continued reading but finally it hit me... God loves me, His favor is on me, I'm no better than Sampson going in to lie with a prostitute, I've done things that are horrible, disgusting, vulgar... but God loves me, His favor and grace are with me every day. He has every right to be appalled by the woman I am, the mistakes I make... He would be justified in turning away from me at any moment... yet His grace, His love, His mercy, His favor are with me every day of my life. Then I thought of my children, how rotten they've been lately, how I've wanted to just get away from them and not look back until they start behaving like the good kids I know are in there (somewhere). My grace, my love, my mercy, my favor has not been with them. I've been judging them and letting my human weaknesses win over the abilities I have through Christ. He wants me to strive to be like Him, yet when my children have made me crazy lately, I've behaved in a way even less pleasing to Him... but I'm supposed to be studying Deililah, not just Judges 16:1.
Some obstacles are to be overcome... lack of home, job, family, faith, or severe illnesses and injuries. But when a person doesn't share with you because it will negatively impact another person and you persist in trying to find out the way Delilah did and nag someone like that it's just wrong. She was manipulative (vs 15 "How can you say, 'I love you,' when you won't confide in me?") and complaining that a man wouldn't confide in her while she was trying to get him to open up so she could harm him... For the guys reading this, let me just tell you, I've never understood this mentality, make them feel bad about something to get what you want. But at the same time, when a woman's heart is sincere, those words, "How can you say you love me, when you don't mean it?"(GNB) ring so true. I could hear her begging voice, pleading with him to open up, to build a closeness between them. Women are designed, by God, to desire an intimacy with a man that can only be obtained by a man opening up to them. For a woman, hearing the words "I love you" without the emotional connection is devastating! But for her to use this very basic, very real emotion and play the role to use this desire women have to manipulate is as unimaginable to me as God standing with Sampson after he slept with a prostitute! Doesn't this woman realize that if a man does open up to her it is a precious gift to be treasured? Men generally don't deal well with emotions, they don't wonder how to get a woman to open up to them because we tend to do it naturally, if anything they want a woman to back off and let them veg in front of the TV while they regroup before spending time together, so to take the gift Sampson, albeit out of annoyance from her nagging, and to use it to have him turned into a slave is revolting.
The last thing that seemed a little odd to me was that God gave Sampson the strength, one last time, to kill a LOT of people, himself included. Now I understand in war situations that there is a possibility of your own death, but to intentionally drop a building on your head and the heads of a huge crown killing more than you ever had in your entire lifetime, while everyone is peacefully assembled? It reminds me of school shootings, planes crashing into the World Trade Center, even an tsunami... devastation without any understanding or realization that your death is near. But this man did it intentionally to so many people, and he did it because God was with him and gave him the strength to do it. Why would God do that? Aren't those people as deserving of the same grace and favor that God gave to the man who slept with a prostitute? Then I had another "ah ha" moment... none of us deserve His grace and favor. Sampson aligned himself with sinners, he became a blinded slave as a result. But he went to God and asked for God to remember him... and God answered Sampson's pray and used Sampson, an ordinary sinner like you and me, to destroy a pagan temple and worshippers.
I use the "Life Application Study Bible" and it provides "mini" commentaries at the bottom of pages on certain topics. The last sentence for verses 28-30 is, "If God could still work in Samson's situation, he can certainly make something worthwhile out of yours." I think I need to remember that. He isn't keeping tabs on every wrong, they're forgiven because of the sacrifice of Jesus... He just wants me to be willing to let Him work, through me, to accomplish His purpose.... no pressure though, He'll love me even when I fail.
How could God's favor be with a man who is recorded as having slept with a prostitute? I know, some versions say "loose woman" some say "harlot" some say "prostitute"... but they all say he went to bed with this woman, who is not his wife, which is a sinful thing to do, and yet God is with him and protects him from his would be attackers. My first thought was outrage, Sampson did not deserve God's grace and favor... followed by disgust, he was treating a woman like an object... and I continued reading but finally it hit me... God loves me, His favor is on me, I'm no better than Sampson going in to lie with a prostitute, I've done things that are horrible, disgusting, vulgar... but God loves me, His favor and grace are with me every day. He has every right to be appalled by the woman I am, the mistakes I make... He would be justified in turning away from me at any moment... yet His grace, His love, His mercy, His favor are with me every day of my life. Then I thought of my children, how rotten they've been lately, how I've wanted to just get away from them and not look back until they start behaving like the good kids I know are in there (somewhere). My grace, my love, my mercy, my favor has not been with them. I've been judging them and letting my human weaknesses win over the abilities I have through Christ. He wants me to strive to be like Him, yet when my children have made me crazy lately, I've behaved in a way even less pleasing to Him... but I'm supposed to be studying Deililah, not just Judges 16:1.
Some obstacles are to be overcome... lack of home, job, family, faith, or severe illnesses and injuries. But when a person doesn't share with you because it will negatively impact another person and you persist in trying to find out the way Delilah did and nag someone like that it's just wrong. She was manipulative (vs 15 "How can you say, 'I love you,' when you won't confide in me?") and complaining that a man wouldn't confide in her while she was trying to get him to open up so she could harm him... For the guys reading this, let me just tell you, I've never understood this mentality, make them feel bad about something to get what you want. But at the same time, when a woman's heart is sincere, those words, "How can you say you love me, when you don't mean it?"(GNB) ring so true. I could hear her begging voice, pleading with him to open up, to build a closeness between them. Women are designed, by God, to desire an intimacy with a man that can only be obtained by a man opening up to them. For a woman, hearing the words "I love you" without the emotional connection is devastating! But for her to use this very basic, very real emotion and play the role to use this desire women have to manipulate is as unimaginable to me as God standing with Sampson after he slept with a prostitute! Doesn't this woman realize that if a man does open up to her it is a precious gift to be treasured? Men generally don't deal well with emotions, they don't wonder how to get a woman to open up to them because we tend to do it naturally, if anything they want a woman to back off and let them veg in front of the TV while they regroup before spending time together, so to take the gift Sampson, albeit out of annoyance from her nagging, and to use it to have him turned into a slave is revolting.
The last thing that seemed a little odd to me was that God gave Sampson the strength, one last time, to kill a LOT of people, himself included. Now I understand in war situations that there is a possibility of your own death, but to intentionally drop a building on your head and the heads of a huge crown killing more than you ever had in your entire lifetime, while everyone is peacefully assembled? It reminds me of school shootings, planes crashing into the World Trade Center, even an tsunami... devastation without any understanding or realization that your death is near. But this man did it intentionally to so many people, and he did it because God was with him and gave him the strength to do it. Why would God do that? Aren't those people as deserving of the same grace and favor that God gave to the man who slept with a prostitute? Then I had another "ah ha" moment... none of us deserve His grace and favor. Sampson aligned himself with sinners, he became a blinded slave as a result. But he went to God and asked for God to remember him... and God answered Sampson's pray and used Sampson, an ordinary sinner like you and me, to destroy a pagan temple and worshippers.
I use the "Life Application Study Bible" and it provides "mini" commentaries at the bottom of pages on certain topics. The last sentence for verses 28-30 is, "If God could still work in Samson's situation, he can certainly make something worthwhile out of yours." I think I need to remember that. He isn't keeping tabs on every wrong, they're forgiven because of the sacrifice of Jesus... He just wants me to be willing to let Him work, through me, to accomplish His purpose.... no pressure though, He'll love me even when I fail.
WOB
WOB stands for is "Women Of the Bible". I had started a journey (before the idea of blogging my thoughts as a means of accountability) through some of the different women in the Bible using the 'Character Profiles' in my Bible for the women as a guide. I've always loved learning about different cultures and history, so for me, making a decision to see how women in Biblical times lived their lives, learned about God, and everything else, seemed to be a good way for me to start reading the WORD. So, I'm providing you with the WOB list I have. The * denotes women I have already studied, but that doesn't mean I won't revisit them to blog about them for you... what I can tell you so far... God wants women to wait... a lot. There is nothing more annoying to me than waiting, but the underlying theme for Rachel, Sarah, and Elizabeth was WAIT FOR IT and God will provide. It's getting late and I'm going to try to read about one of these lovely ladies tonight... wonder if the theme will be wait again?
Hugs & Love!
Women of the Bible
Abigail – 1 Samuel 25 – 2 Samuel 2
Deborah – Judges 4 & 5
Delilah – Judges 16
* Elizabeth – Luke 1:5 – 80
Esther – Esther (go figure)
* Eve – Genesis 2:19 – 4:26
Hagar – Genesis 16 – 21
Jezebel – I Kings 16:31 – 2 Kings 9:37
Martha – Luke 10:38-2; John 11:17-45
Mary (Mother of Jesus) – Matthew, Mark, Luke, John… all the birth of Christ stories.
Mary (Sister of Lazarus) – Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9; Luke 10:38-42; John 11:17-45
Mary Magdalene – Matthew 27 & 28; Mark 15 & 16; Luke 23 & 24; John 19 & 20
Miriam – Exodus 2; 15; & Numbers 12; 20
* Rachel – Genesis 29 – Genesis 35:20
Rahab – Joshua 2; 6:22 - 23
Rebekah – Genesis 24 - 49
Ruth & Naomi – Ruth (again with the obvious)
* Sarah – Genesis 11 - 25
Hugs & Love!
Women of the Bible
Abigail – 1 Samuel 25 – 2 Samuel 2
Deborah – Judges 4 & 5
Delilah – Judges 16
* Elizabeth – Luke 1:5 – 80
Esther – Esther (go figure)
* Eve – Genesis 2:19 – 4:26
Hagar – Genesis 16 – 21
Jezebel – I Kings 16:31 – 2 Kings 9:37
Martha – Luke 10:38-2; John 11:17-45
Mary (Mother of Jesus) – Matthew, Mark, Luke, John… all the birth of Christ stories.
Mary (Sister of Lazarus) – Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9; Luke 10:38-42; John 11:17-45
Mary Magdalene – Matthew 27 & 28; Mark 15 & 16; Luke 23 & 24; John 19 & 20
Miriam – Exodus 2; 15; & Numbers 12; 20
* Rachel – Genesis 29 – Genesis 35:20
Rahab – Joshua 2; 6:22 - 23
Rebekah – Genesis 24 - 49
Ruth & Naomi – Ruth (again with the obvious)
* Sarah – Genesis 11 - 25
An idea!
An idea has formed in my warped little skull... I can use this as a place to keep notes on what I'm learning about God! So, if you see a title that has a Bible passage, that will tell you what passage I had read that day and what my musings were at the time... not necessarily a good thing, but I'm trying to learn more and this is a way to keep me accountable... after all, if I miss a day someone can say "Hey, Sno, where's your Bible Blog from today?" BUSTED!
Hugs & Love!
Hugs & Love!
Welcoming myself
Just a little hello, I'm not sure how I'm going to do with this blogging thing but figured if I can keep at it it will be a good way to get my thoughts out there for people to read without having to remember all the email addresses and send it to each person individually. Enjoy!
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