May 14, Day 134 – A Fair Hearing?
- Dr. Eric Stricker
- 12 minutes ago
- 3 min read
In Judges 16-17, we notice that, although Samson was considered a strongman, today we recognize how weak he really was. In fact, Samson had many weaknesses. Apparently, he married his foreign wife on the singular strength of seeing her (cf., Judges 14:1-3). I think that’s just a little risky right there! Moreover, in this chapter, we see that he also “saw a prostitute” with whom he “spent part of the night” (verses 1-3); that’s even riskier – I would think. Had he not left her place early, the Philistines would have pounced on him like a bear on honey. Here we see that Samson is clearly playing with fire – keeping company with Philistine women – enemies – in enemy territory. The spiritual implications of Samson’s behavior are enormous for us today. How easily his enemies duped him, and even though he is somehow included in God’s hall of faith (c.f., Hebrews 11), nevertheless Samson is just an example of God’s divine use of a poor role model. Later, Samson repeated his foolish nonsense with his nemesis – Delilah – who easily and steadily worked her charm on the big fellow who had absolutely no resistance. How strong is that? “So he told her everything” (verse 17), and from that point on – it’s downhill for Samson. “He did not know the LORD had left him,” and “the Philistines literally took him down to Gaza …” (verse 21). In the words of Charles Swindoll, “this is a picture of sin’s increasingly ill effects – it blinds; it binds, and it grinds,” and it did all these to Samson unto his death. Next, in chapter 17, we are introduced to one of the Bible’s strangest stories and people – Micah – with his stolen silver, his homemade shrine, his homemade gods, and his own, do-it-yourself priest. Wow! Micah thinks that he has it all under control, and he says, “Now I know the LORD will be good to me, since this Levite has become my priest” (verse 13). But we need to be careful not to miss verse 6: “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.” This is God’s assessment of Israel during the entire period of the Judges, and we will see it again.
In Psalm 60:1-4, David states that his people were living in “desperate times” (verse 3), which God had brought upon them. Today, we also live in “desperate times” that God has measured out to us – for all our individual, national, and global sins. All over the world, we see people living in desperate times. Nowhere on earth are the times not presently desperate. People are increasingly unfavorable toward God, and God is moving the world toward His consummation of all things – which includes His judgment. The Bible teaches that desperate times correlate with snowballing levels of sin and godlessness. However, David says, “But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner to be unfurled against the bow” (verse 4). We live under the banner of Christ, and only God is able to protect His people in such times.
In John 7:45-8:11, we read the continuation of what we saw yesterday – what the people knew about “this man” (verse 46). We note that, “No one ever spoke the way this man does” (verse 46). As a point of fact, what these Jews don’t realize is that their discussions actually assert and unwittingly verify this man’s claims to fulfill all the Old Testament prophecies about Himself. That some of them understood Him to be their unique Messiah is enough to convict the whole lot of them about this truth. Then, in John 8:1-11, we see “the teachers of the law and the Pharisees trying to trap Jesus as a basis to accuse Him about the woman caught in adultery” (verses 3-6). After “writing on the ground, Jesus says, ‘If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her’” (verse 7). One by one, they all depart, and Jesus forgives her (verse 11). However, her sin is not the real issue; the main problem here is the sin of those who set her up for this confrontation – the teachers of the law and the Pharisees. Unlike her shame and humility, their haughty arrogance and pride kept them from His forgiveness – as distant as the east is from the west. Their treatment of Nicodemus (verse 52) reveals how easily these leaders of Israel could turn against one of their own. These wicked men would never give Jesus a fair hearing.
Comments