What has amazed me and never will cease to amaze me is a CAUCASIAN? The Son of The almighty God?
Remember the ‘kiss’ on the cheek?
The kiss of Judas, also known (especially in art) as the Betrayal of Christ, is how Judas identified Jesus to the multitude with swords and clubs who had come from the chief priests and elders of the people to arrest him, according to the Synoptic Gospels.
I am so used to seeing Jesus with a halo that I almost expect to see one around the head of a true believer in actual life. I have to remind myself that these photos are art!
When they hung Jesus from the cross was He glowing? Yes! With welts from the whips, blood from the points (His entire body which was struck!(
The physical effects of the scourging and crucifixion of Jesus
Wow! I have seen so many depictions of Jesus from blood haired/blue eyed to even a Jesus with ‘African’ features! Remember, Jesus was born of a choice appointed woman of the descent of king David.
And we travel down the roads of God’s story! His-story.
The promise to David is the third of the great promises made by God upon which all further revelations are based. This promise is essential if one it to understand the Bible and especially if one is to appreciate what the Bible teaches about Jesus Christ.
Background to David’s life
David was a divinely nominated King of Israel and described in the scriptures as “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14). Although he was not perfect he had an amazing faith in God and desired to see God glorified above all else.
David, by conquest had extended the Kingdom of Israel to it’s greatest extent and God had given King David “rest from his enemies” and had made his house to prosper. In light of this David wanted to build a temple for the worship of God.
In response to this God told him, through the prophet Nathan that He would not allow him to build the temple but his son, Solomon would. However God promised David that He would actually build David a house and this promise, along with it’s details forms another foundation promise of the gospel. The most significant part of this promise is that the seed of David would sit upon his throne, as king, ruling over an everlasting Kingdom. This is in fact the further unfolding of a previous pormise God gave to Abraham:
“In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:” Genesis 15-18
The promised seed (descendant) therefore is connected with the land of Israel.
Why is this important?
If you study what the Bible says about Jesus, you will note that there are lots of references to King David and the promises made to him. Jesus is to fulfill these promises and therefore to understand them is to appreciate what Gods purpose through Jesus Christs is. Consider the following:
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” Isaiah 9:6-7
“And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will. Of this man’s seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus:” Acts 13:22-23
“I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.” Revelation 22:16
What was promised to David?
The promise to David is recorded in 2 Samuel 7. It’s different aspects have been defined below:
- Israel, God’s chosen people, would eventually settle and would be safe (this is yet to be fulfilled!) – 2 Samuel 7:10
- The promised seed (see promises to Abraham and the promise in Eden) would be a decendant of David – 2 Samuel 7:12
- This seed (or decendant) would build a house for God – 2 Samuel 7:13
- God, as well as David would be the seed’s Father – he would be the “Son of God” – 2 Samuel 7:14
- God’s mercy would remain with David’s seed – 2 Samuel 7:14-15
- David’s throne an Kingdom is to be established FOREVER – 2 Samuel 7:13-16
- The throne and the seed would be done “before” David (e.g. in front of him) – 2 Samuel 7:26
What does this mean?
This covenant has not yet been fulfilled. Jesus was the seed (decendant) of David who was to come. Here are two references in the gospels to prove this:
“He (Jesus) shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end”. Luke 1:32-33
“The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham”. Matthew 1:1
So Christ then was the descendant (or seed) of David but also he was the son of God as was promised to David:
“And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God”. Luke 1:35
The promise stated that David would see his descendant (Christ) sitting on his throne, the throne of David in Jerusalem and that his Kingdom would continue forever. This is to happen in the future when Jesus Christ returns to the earth to establish that kingdom.
“And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again… And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David“. Acts 13:32-34
David himself realized that this covenant would be fulfilled through one greater than himself and he spake of this in one of his Psalms which the apostle Paul later picks up on:
“My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me. It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven”. Psalm 89:34-37
“THE LORD hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.” Psalm 132:11
“THE LORD (God) said unto my Lord (Davids seed), Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool”. Psalm 110:1
“Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ”. Acts 2:29-36
Clearly then, the Bible teaches that David must be resurrected, that Jesus Christ must come back to the earth to sit upon Davids and set up a Kingdom which will last forever. This will be a re-establishment of the Kingdom of God (over which David ruled). God told the last king, King Zedekiah, this:
“Thus saith the Lord GOD; Remove the diadem, and take off the crown… I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it (The Kingdom of Israel): and it shall be no more, until he (Jesus Christ) come whose right it is; and I will give it him”. Ezekiel 21:26-27
So this Kingdom then is to be re-established in the future. The one who is to come of whom God will give the Kingdom is Jesus Christ, the descendant of David and son of God.
“Behold, the days come, saith THE LORD, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness. For thus saith THE LORD; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel”. Jeremiah 33:14-17
In Hebrews 11 we have a list of faithful followers of God. David is mentioned in verse 32. We also read in that chapter the following:
“And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.” Hebrews 11:39-40
So then these promises are in the future and we can be associated with them by belief in them, being baptized and following a faithful life. Peter tells us that by having a knowledge of these things that there have been:
“…given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust”. 2 Peter 1:4
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.history.com/.amp/news/what-did-jesus-look-like
So blond haired, blue eyed Jesus was not!
Ever heard of the shroud of Turin?
Why does this have import? It was recorded in Scripture
So, why would there be evidence over 2000 years later? First, it was not normal blood, but supernatural. There are examples of beings from another existence plane exhibiting inexplicable properties that belie the physical.
“And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof. And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door. But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door. And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.”
Genesis 19:6-11
There are good reasons to believe in the existence of angelic beings, but our reasoning powers cannot reveal everything there is to know about these beings. God’s special revelation (in the Bible) provides us with the information unavailable elsewhere. The Apostle Paul, for example, acknowledged the existence of angelic beings and wrote about the power and influence they have in the world around us. While we are sometimes tempted to focus on the material forces we can see, Paul reminded his readers there are immaterial forces we can’t see. These non-physical powers are at work all around us; their influence often goes unnoticed because we choose to focus narrowly on the natural, material world:
Ephesians 6:12-13
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
The Bible says a battle is raging, even as we read these words. It’s not a battle of flesh and blood. It is an immaterial, spiritual battle of angelic proportion. The Bible describes supernatural beings living alongside the natural realm, and these beings are engaged in an epic battle for the hearts and minds of humans. This unseen angelic world is filled with both angels and demons. God created two kinds of sentient, conscious, rational beings. We are not alone in the Universe. The Scriptures says God also created invisible spirits (angelic beings):
Colossians 1:15-17
For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things have been created by Him and for Him.
Hebrews 1:13-14
But to which of the angels has He ever said, “Sit at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies a footstool for Thy feet”? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?
Some of the creatures are holy angels and some are evil demons:
Luke 7:21
At that very time He cured many people of diseases and afflictions and evil spirits; and He granted sight to many who were blind.
Scripture tells us angels and demons are of the same innate nature. They are of the same order. They are spiritual creatures, created by God with the ability to make free will choices. Demons are simply angels who have rebelled against God:
2 Peter 2:4
For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment
Jude 6
And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day.
Demons are created angels who made the choice to submit to their own pride rather than to the will of the God who created them. It appears angelic beings were created at a specific time in history. The entire group was created at once, and there is no reason to believe new angelic beings have been created since. It also appears the dark angels fell at a specific point in time, and no additional angels have fallen. When did this fall occur? One possibility is in the period recorded in Genesis chapter three, after God declared His creation was “very good” and prior to the fall of man. But regardless of when the demons and the angels parted company, one thing is clear: they both share powers greater in many ways than those of humans. That’s why their unseen, immaterial activity is so important (and trumps the material activity we see in our visible world):
They Have Super-Human Knowledge (But Not Omniscience)
Angelic beings are not spatially limited like we are. As a result, they have the ability to exist without physical restraint (and they know more than we do based on their ability to observe without material limitations). But while they may know more than we do, they still don’t know as much as God:
1 Peter 1:12
It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.
Matthew 24:36
No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
They Have Super-Human Wisdom (But Not All Wisdom)
Wisdom is different from knowledge. Wisdom comes from making mistakes and learning from these errors. You gain wisdom from either learning from your own mistakes or learning from the mistakes of others. Angelic beings have the advantage of learning from our mistakes as well. They observe many more “life errors” than we do (since they live much longer), so their collective wisdom grows as they watch the errors humans make every day. The angels use this wisdom as they help us, but the demons use this wisdom to better target our weaknesses. The Bible describes angelic beings as ever-present and ever-watchful:
1 Corinthians 4:9
For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men.
Ephesians 3:10-11
His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.
They Have Super-Human Strength and Power (But Not Omnipotence)
Angelic beings move between the material, physical world and the immaterial, spiritual realm. As a result, they are able to accomplish more than humans, based on our limited and restricted existence. The Bible describes angelic beings as having great power and strength:
2 Peter 2:11
… yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord.
Psalm 103:20
Praise the LORD, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word.
But notice something in these two passages. Angels (those angelic beings who still love and serve God) make the choice daily to operate only within the will of God. Demons, of course, are another matter entirely (more on that later). But lest you think angelic beings are allpowerful, it’s important to remember no created being is more powerful than its Creator. Angels and demons do not have the same power over nature as doe God:
Psalm 72:18
Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds.
Angels and demons are an important part of our Christian worldview, although many of us come from traditions that have marginalized the power and influence of angelic beings. It’s important to recognize the existence of these beings, however. Our petitions and prayers must always reflect the involvement of these unseen forces, and even our response to the problem of evil must take angelic beings into account.
This is a whole other topic that we will tackle. However, it is for us to know that we are mortal, hence with limits. We may refer back to Jacob (before bein named Israel) wrestling all night with something. It says so much that when it got light, a mere touch on his hip affected him for life!
“That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. So Jacob was left alone, and a manwrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”
But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
The man asked him, “What is your name?”
“Jacob,” he answered.
Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”
Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”
But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there.
So Jacob called the place Peniel,saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”
The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip.“
Genesis 32:22-31
There are times that it is not seen:
“It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.” So these administrators and satraps went as a group to the king and said: “May King Darius live forever! The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or human being during the next thirty days, except to you, Your Majesty, shall be thrown into the lions’ den. Now, Your Majesty, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.” So King Darius put the decree in writing. Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help. So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree: “Did you not publish a decree that during the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human being except to you, Your Majesty, would be thrown into the lions’ den?” The king answered, “The decree stands—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.” Then they said to the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, Your Majesty, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day.” When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed; he was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him. Then the men went as a group to King Darius and said to him, “Remember, Your Majesty, that according to the law of the Medes and Persians no decree or edict that the king issues can be changed.” So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!” A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed. Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep. At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?” Daniel answered, “May the king live forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.” The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. 24 At the king’s command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children. And before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones. Then King Darius wrote to all the nations and peoples of every language in all the earth: “May you prosper greatly! “I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. “For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.” So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
Daniel 6
What prevented the lions from feeding on Daniel was not seen, but when his enemies who had conspired to have him killed wee thrown down, both the men aethneif families were jumpe upon bbefore they hit the floor.
Yes, Samson wasstronger. His-Storically strong. Carrying the gates of a town on his shoulders? Killing enemies
The biblical account states that Samson was a Nazirite, and that he was given immense strength to aid him against his enemies and allow him to perform superhuman feats, including slaying a lion with his bare hands and massacring an entire army of Philistines using only the jawbone of a donkey.
Whether you grew up in Sunday School or not, chances are you’re at least somewhat familiar with the epic story of Samson, “the strongest man who ever lived.” But how recently have you actually taken the time to read the account of Samson’s life in Judges 13-16? Samson, while chosen by God to be a judge of Israel, had some serious flaws. With today’s release of the major motion picture “Samson,” we wanted to take some time and refresh you on some of the aspects of Sampson’s story your Sunday school teacher likely left out.
1. Samson’s Father Had Major Doubt Issues
In Judges 13, we read of the angel of the Lord who came and visited Samson’s mother, informing her that she would bear a son, despite her barren womb. The angel went on to give her specific instructions for how to raise her son as a Nazirite. Her husband had such a hard time hearing this news from her that he prayed to God and asked Him to send the angel again so he could hear these instructions for himself.
God actually did send the angel again and after the angel refused to eat any food they offered, Samson’s parents offered a burnt offering to the Lord—as an alternative to preparing a meal for the angel. After the angel left them by ascending into heaven in the rising flames, Samson’s father thought they had seen God and were therefore “doomed to die.” His wife had to talk some sense back into him, saying “If the Lord had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and grain offering from our hands, nor shown us all these things or now told us this.”
2. God Actually Condoned Samson’s First Marriage to a Philistine Woman
In Judges 14, Samson declares his desire to take a young Philistine girl as his wife. Despite his parents urging him to reconsider and marry within his own people, he insisted on marrying this Philistine. The Bible actually goes on to say that “His parents did not know that this was from the Lord, who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines; for at that time they were ruling over Israel.”
3. Samson Took Riddles Way Too Seriously
We’ve all told riddles to people who didn’t understand them. Normally, when asked to explain the riddle, most people will eventually just do it. No big deal, right? Well, not Samson. He took his riddles veryseriously. Take this example. One day, on his way to visit the girl he was courting, he was approached by a roaring lion. God allowed him to easily kill this lion, which he tossed aside and went on his merry way. However, when he was making this journey again, this time on his way to marry the Philistine girl, he noticed the dead lion’s carcass filled with beehives and honey. A normal person would have kept walking at this point, but not Samson. He took a bunch of honey, ate some, and gave some to his parents.
At the customary feast with the Philistines later that evening, he proposed a riddle-based bet with them: “If you can give me the answer within the seven days of the feast, I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes. If you can’t tell me the answer, you must give me thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.”
They agreed and Samson went on: “Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet.” His new bride’s friends, after being unsuccessful in deciphering Samson’s riddle for several days, approached her and asked her to get the answer from Samson. After begging him for seven days (yes, six days, 23 hours, and 59 minutes longer than most of us would withhold the answer to a riddle), he finally told her, and she in turn, told her Philistine friends. When Samson learned this, he went and “struck down” (which we can assume means killed) 30 Philistines, stripped them, and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. So he didn’t even strike down the people who cheated to learn the answer to his riddle, he struck down 30 OTHER Philistines and actually honored the bet. Even more interesting to consider, the Bible says that “the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him” as he went down to strike down these people. It would appear that even though Samson was killing them for seemingly trivial reasons, God gave him the strength to do it.
4. Samson Took Wedding Drama to a Whole New Level
To make the wedding riddle story even crazier, after all of this was said and done, the Bible says “Samson’s wife was given [by her father] to one of his companions who had attended him at the feast.” When Samson went to visit his wife (apparently, he remained in Israel and she remained with the Philistine’s even after their wedding), her father informed him that he had given her in marriage to somebody else because he assumed Samson hated her by now (see Judges 15:2).
Her father then tries to convince Samson to take her younger sister instead. He even throws Samson’s original wife under the bus by saying her sister is more attractive anyway. “Isn’t her younger sister more attractive? Take her instead.”
Samson gets so mad at this point that he goes out and catches 300 (yes, 300) foxes and ties their tails together in pairs, secures burning torches to their tails, and sets them free to run for their lives in the Philistine’s fields. They took down everything in their path, including vineyards and olive groves. It’s interesting to note that, unlike in earlier moments of extreme behavior in Samson’s life, nowhere in scripture does it say that the Spirit of God came upon Samson during this time. He did this completely out of his own power and free will.
Not to be outdone, when the Philistines learned that Samson was responsible for their burnt fields, they went and burned his father-in-law and his wife to death.
It’s no surprise that the same person who killed 30 people for cheating to answer a riddle wouldn’t take very well to his wife being killed. Samson vowed at this point, “Since you’ve acted like this, I swear I won’t stop until I get my revenge.”
Samson then slaughtered many of them. Remember, all this stemmed from wedding drama. Basically, you won’t like Samson when he’s angry.
5. Judah Betrayed Samson
Everybody remembers Delilah and how she betrayed Samson, but did you realize that it was Samson’s own people who first betrayed him? And after only a brief conversation they had with the Philistines at that.
After the wedding drama, you could say that tensions were pretty high between Judah and Philistia. Think the Montagues and Capulets times a thousand. So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that neither group of people were too supportive of Samson at this point in time.
After the Philistines confronted the armies of Judah because of Samson (Judges 15:9), the people of Judah decided to give in to their demands and hand over Samson. Three thousand of the men from Judah went and politely asked Samson if they could capture him and turn him over to the Philistines. Instead of resisting the idea, Samson was ok with it under one condition—that they wouldn’t kill him themselves. After they agreed, he let them tie him up and they delivered him to the Philistines.
So essentially, Samson was the original “Trojan Horse” and the men inside it – all as one person. He ripped through the ropes, grabbed the jaw bone of a donkey, and slaughtered a thousand Philistines. One. Thousand. Philistines.
Keep in mind, the men of Judah who delivered Samson to the Philistines weren’t in on this. They thought they were really turning him over to his execution. They probably didn’t expect him to be back home in time for dinner.
6. Between His Tragic Marriage and His Time With Delilah, Samson Went to a Prostitute
We all remember how at one point in Samson’s story, he tore the doors off the gate of the city of Gaza, but did you know why he was in Gaza in the first place? According to Judges 16:1, the Bible just says that he went there, but whatever his initial intentions were, he ended up seeing a prostitute instead. You don’t really hear about that part of the story, but usually skip right to the next part of his story. After the Gazites realized he was there, they planned to kill him at daybreak. Instead, Samson “took hold of the doors of the city gate, together with the two posts, and tore them loose, bar and all. He lifted them to his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron” (see Judges 16).
7. Samson’s Patience With Riddles Didn’t Carry Over to More Important Secrets
The Bible says that when Samson started seeing a Philistine woman named Delilah, the Philistines convinced her to try to get him to reveal the secret to his incredible strength. We all know this part of the story. He tells her fake reasons over and over, and over and over she tells the Philistines, who proceed to try to overtake him each time using their newly discovered information.
According to Judges 16:16, Delilah prodded Samson with nagging “day after day until he was sick to death of it.” The Bible doesn’t say how long “day after day” was, but if you remember from earlier in the story, Samson was able to withhold the answer to a silly riddle for an entire week. While we don’t know exactly how long he was able to keep this secret from Delilah, “day after day” seems a little short for a life and death matter such as his strength. “Month after month” or even “year after year” might have been more understandable.
Sadly, he eventually gave in, Delilah had his head shaved, and the Philistines captured him. In the end, God gives him his strength back one last time, allowing Samson to topple a large Philistine temple onto three thousand Philistines, a feat that took the life of Samson himself. But as the Bible says, “Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived.”
Next, we touch on Joseph the ‘dreamer’.
Here, we will pause and consider a major lesson. No matter who or what we think we are. We are known! In our entirety better than we know ourselves!
God Knows Your Name!
https://www.openbible.info/topics/god_knows_your_name
We have touched on so very much! We will continue this ‘study’. Amazingly, we started from the of Christ and here we are!