One Year Bible, May 2

JUDGES 15:1-16:31                                                                                                    
SAMSON: He could break his bonds, but not his bondages. Sin ALWAYS leads to bondage. He was deceived by his lust, thinking he could "manage it". "But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." (Jam 1:14-15)

PHILISTINES: They are symbolic of the flesh, and the "lust of the flesh" (Gal 5:16). Samson harassed the Philistines without really destroying them. When they captured him, 15:25 says, "the Spirit of the Lord came MIGHTILY upon him....and his bands loosed from off his hands...." and he slew 1000 Philistines with the jawbone of an ass. Samson judged Israel 20 years - The Holy Spirit produced the unlikely from the least likely.

DOWN, DOWN, DOWN: (14:1) Samson went down to Timnath (a Philistine woman); (16:1) Samson went down to Gaza (a harlot); Samson went down (16:31) to the Philistines (Delilah).

DELILAH:  Means "to languish, to slacken, to be oppressed." She is a type of seducing spirit that saps the anointing.  She is also the OT type of the old whore in Rev 17 and 18. Delilah deliberately rocked the Deliverer asleep on her lap and Samson lost the anointing of the Holy Spirit without even being aware of it! Those who lay with the harlot end up bound, blind, and going in circles.  Loss of the Holy Spirit brings spiritual blindness, bondage and servitude.

RESPONSE:   It is possible to lose the anointing of the Holy Spirit without being aware of it.  It happens when we sleep with the harlot - the seducing spirit of the world.   "Sleeping with the harlot" is when we allow ourselves to be seduced by world-thought, world-reasoning.  When we decide we want the privileges of being married to Jesus, but without the commitment and the responsibility.   So we go outside the relationship for fulfillment.   It happens all the time in little ways.   After awhile, they mount up - and we are rocked to sleep on her lap.   Isn't it better to stay excited about Jesus? To instruct our hearts to trust in Him ONLY?  To go to Him for our fulfillment and to satisfy our hungers?  Let's not even DATE a seducing spirit!

JOHN 2:1-25                                                                                                                 
IT HAD TO BE A WEDDING:  "The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son." (Mat 22:2) Jer 3:14 shows Jesus to be married to Israel. Mal 2:11 and Jer 3:8 shows Israel to have vacated that marriage and to have remarried another god. The first public miracle of Jesus happened when He attended a wedding. He MUST begin there. He is "the best wine", made from the water for cleansing.

MY FATHER'S HOUSE:   We are God's dwelling place, the Temple of the Holy Spirit.  We must be holy, and so Jesus braided a whip to drive out the uncleanness.  IF we are to live holy, we must be motivated by Truth.   And so, even when the people IN the Temple flattered Him, Jesus did not change his intensions or His life to accommodate their expectations. "He knew what was in man."

RESPONSE:   Do I want Jesus going through my life with a whip?  I always told my kids, "you can come easy, or you can come hard."  Once we are marked out as God's, He knows how to corner us so we repent.  What was the specific sins Jesus was cleansing?  Wrong motivations.  People were doing things for the money.  They were also doing things to be seen.  Jesus has expectations of us - and will equip us and empower us to meet those expectations.....but we must repent of our self-interest and independence first.

PSALM 103:1-22                                                                                                         

Written by David late in life. It is known as the most perfect Psalm of praise in the Bible.

"BLESS THE LORD" - There are two Hebrew words for "bless" or "blessed".
(1) "asher" -  (used 44 times)"Happy", "to walk straight on" - it is an empowerment to go forward.

(2) "barak" - (used 330 times) "to kneel", "to thank". It is like a fountain of enablement, a bountiful gift.   When man "blesses" the Lord it is a rejoicing because of receiving all the benefits of redemption. God IS the fountain of all blessing. Gen 1:22 is the first usage, where the blessing enabled them to "be fruitful and multiply". The word "Bless" ("barak") is found seven times in Psalm 103.

FIVE BENEFITS OF REDEMPTION:
(1) Forgives all my iniquities.
(2) Heals all my diseases.
(3) Redeems my life from destruction.
(4) Crowns me with loving-kindness and tender mercies.

(5) Satisfies my soul (mouth) with good things so my youth is renewed like the eagle's. (Def: "renewed" - to be new, to start over, a new thing. Not the same word as Isa 40:31) I tell my soul that God satisfies it with so much good that it gets its cheeks full like a chipmunk.

PROVERBS 14:17-19                                                                                                  
TWO ANGRY RESPONSES: One expresses his anger quickly and usually does something stupid. The other lets it soak awhile and wickedly devises revenge. Both are hated, but the second is more malicious.

TWO OUTCOMES: Foolish opinions and reasonings because they were easily led VS real knowledge and understanding about life by being cautious and sensible.

BOW AND BEG: That's what they do at the gates.

RESPONSE:   I have a crown - and the crown is woven by God of "Tendermercies" - The action of the womb to nourish, cherish and protect the fetus; compassion. Same as the word "pities" in v.13.    And "Lovingkindness" - The response in a mother that causes her milk to let down when the baby cries, so connected is she with her offspring.  God's favor and faithfulness, goodness and grace flow freely.  It is the full flow of natural affection.  Same as the word "mercy" in v.11 & 17).   These two words express the character of God and imply permanence and care.

How could I ask for anything more?