A Survey of the Old Testament Law--Deuteronomy 13 (Part 1)

Deuteronomy 13:1-18—1 “If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, 'Let us go after other gods'—which you have not known—'and let us serve them,' 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him. 5 But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage, to entice you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put away the evil from your midst. 6 If your brother, the son of your mother, your son or your daughter, the wife of your bosom, or your friend who is as your own soul, secretly entices you, saying, 'Let us go and serve other gods,' which you have not known, neither you nor your fathers, 7 of the gods of the people which are all around you, near to you or far off from you, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth, 8 you shall not consent to him or listen to him, nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him or conceal him; 9 but you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. 10 And you shall stone him with stones until he dies, because he sought to entice you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 11 So all Israel shall hear and fear, and not again do such wickedness as this among you. 12 If you hear someone in one of your cities, which the LORD your God gives you to dwell in, saying, 13 'Corrupt men have gone out from among you and enticed the inhabitants of their city, saying, "Let us go and serve other gods"'—which you have not known—14 then you shall inquire, search out, and ask diligently. And if it is indeed true and certain that such an abomination was committed among you, 15 you shall surely strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying it, all that is in it and its livestock—with the edge of the sword. 16 And you shall gather all its plunder into the middle of the street, and completely burn with fire the city and all its plunder, for the LORD your God. It shall be a heap forever; it shall not be built again. 17 So none of the accursed things shall remain in your hand, that the LORD may turn from the fierceness of His anger and show you mercy, have compassion on you and multiply you, just as He swore to your fathers, 18 because you have listened to the voice of the LORD your God, to keep all His commandments which I command you today, to do what is right in the eyes of the LORD your God.” 

Let’s talk a little about prophets. When God speaks to a people, especially His people, He does so through prophets. The prophets did not speak their own words, or whatever came into their mind, but they spoke the words given to them by God. 2nd Peter 1:21 (George Williams New Testament)—No prophecy has ever yet originated in man's will, but men who were led by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. When Ezekiel lay on his left side for three years (Ezekiel 4:5), it wasn’t because of some weird idea he had. That was what God commanded him to do.  When Isaiah spoke against Moab (Isaiah 15:1-9), it wasn’t a speech he prepared the night before and carefully proofread. The words he spoke were the words given to him by God. These things that were done and spoken by the prophets seemed strange to the people at the time, but we now see that these things were done and said because God gave them the words and the actions to perform.

Today, men (and women) set themselves up as prophets, and claim to speak all kinds of things, claiming they are from God, and that the people hearing them ought to obey because they are speaking for and from God. I shared some of the “prophecies” of Benny Hinn that were blatantly false here. The fact that these prophecies did not come to pass automatically disqualifies him from being a prophet and would have caused him to be stoned to death under the Old Testament Law (Deuteronomy 18:22). But these self-appointed “prophets” include two things in their “prophecies”. The first thing they do is to make sure that they are telling the people something they want to hear—how God is going to rain down material blessings on them, that they are going to be rich and healthy and that everything they will do will succeed. So they thus grab the favor of the people. The second thing they do is to warn the people not to judge them or second-guess them or compare their “prophecies” to Scripture, or they will suffer greatly by God. The warning they give most of the time is from 1st Chronicles 16:22—"Do not touch My anointed ones, and do My prophets no harm." By setting themselves up as prophets, and by claiming to be anointed by God, they can use this verse to try to silence their critics and keep their followers in line. Whether it’s Creflo Dollar or Kenneth Copeland or TD Jakes, they all use this verse to deflect criticism of their false teachings and warn those speaking against them that they are enemies of God. 

But let’s talk about the true prophets of God. The ISBE says this about true prophets:

 

According to the uniform teaching of the Bible the prophet is a speaker of or for God. His words are not the production of his own spirit, but come from a higher source. For he is at the same time, also, a seer, who sees things that do not lie in the domain of natural sight, or who hears things which human ears do not ordinarily receive; compare 1st Samuel 9:9, where נָבִיא (nābhı̄', “speaker, spokesman, prophet”) and  רֹאֶה (rō'eh, “seer”) are used as synonymous terms. Jeremiah 23:16 and Ezekiel 13:2 are particularly instructive in this regard. In these passages a sharp distinction is made between those persons who only claim to be prophets but who prophesy “out of their own heart,” and the true prophets who declare the word which the Lord has spoken to them. In the latter case the contents of the prophecy have not originated in their own reflection or calculation; and just as little is this prophecy the product of their own feelings, fears or hopes, but, as something extraneous to man and independent of him, it has with a divine certainty entered the soul of the prophet. The prophet has seen that which he prophesies, although he need not have seen it in the form of a real vision. He can also “see” words with his inner eyes (Isaiah 2:1, and often). It is only another expression for this when it is frequently said that God has spoken to the prophet. In this case too it is not necessary that there must have been a voice which he could hear phonetically through his natural ear. The main thing is that he must have been able sharply to distinguish the contents of this voice from his own heart, i.e. from his personal consciousness. Only in this way is he capable of speaking to the people in the name of God and able to publish his word as that of Yahweh. In this case he is the speaker of Yahweh (נָבִיא, nābhı̄'), or the mouth of the Lord (compare Ezekiel 7:1 with Ezekiel 4:16). 

Long story short, those gifted with the gift of prophecy can distinguish between what they simply feel in their heart or mind and words spoken to them by God. 

Many think of Samuel as the first prophet, but this is not the case. For before him, Moses spoke with God “face-to-face” (or rather, “Mouth-to-mouth”, as Moses was not allowed to see God) and even Noah could be considered a prophet and his building of the Ark a sign to the people. We are seeing the prophetic office of Moses as we study the Law, so let’s talk about Noah. Genesis 6:6, 8—6 And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart…8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. The world had become altogether corrupt, save for one man and his sons. Did God give a warning to the corrupt people? Yes, He did. He had Noah build an ark as a sign to the people and to save them from the flood. Hebrews 11:7—By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. In all the days of building the Ark, he must have been laughed at and scoffed at by the wicked. “What is he building? Why is he building it? He must be a madman!” They thought nothing of the wickedness they were doing. They were just going about their daily lives, doing whatever they thought in their hearts, drinking and carousing and carrying on, not thinking about how this may have been grieving the heart of God, if they even thought of God. It was as Jesus said in Matthew 24:38-39a (repeated in Luke 17:26-27)—38 “For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away.” Noah was giving them a sign, and they ignored it. It was not only a sign to the people then, but Jesus even used it to warn us to be careful to watch for His second coming. Matthew 24:37, 39b—37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be…39 so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. We see today many who ignore God, who ignore the pleas to come to Christ that they may be saved from the wrath to come. But they don’t listen, they don’t care, they don’t know God and don’t want to know Him. They go about their daily lives, doing whatever they think in their hearts, drinking and carousing and carrying on, not thinking about how this may be grieving the heart of God, if they even think of God.

 Samuel was set apart to God as a boy. 1st Samuel 1:24, 28—24 Now when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bulls, one ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the LORD in Shiloh. And the child was young…28 “Therefore I also have lent him to the LORD; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the LORD.” We have already talked about how Samuel was a Nazirite all his life. And we see in this same book that God began speaking to him at a young age (1^st Samuel 3:4). The first prophecy he heard from God was not a pleasant one, for it foretold of the end of Eli (the second-to-last judge in Israel), and he had to tell it to Eli. But such was the lot of a true prophet of God—they do not always have feel-good stories to tell the people, tales of health and wealth and prosperity. Many times when God speaks through a prophet, it is to warn of impending doom. 1st Samuel 2:16-19—16 Then Eli called Samuel and said, "Samuel, my son!" He answered, "Here I am." 17 And he said, "What is the word that the LORD spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the things that He said to you." 18 Then Samuel told him everything, and hid nothing from him. And he said, "It is the LORD. Let Him do what seems good to Him." 19 So Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. Samuel was a true prophet of God, and what he told the people to do or to not do was to be obeyed, as the words he spoke came from none other than God Himself. 

This applied not only to the lay people, but even to the king Himself. In 1^st Samuel 15, he gives a command to King Saul to wipe out the Amalekites—everything living among them was to be destroyed. 1st Samuel 15:2-3—2 “Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. 3     Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.'” Pretty clear and straight forward, no ambiguity there. The command was simple: Saul was to have his army wipe out every living thing of the Amalekites, including the women and children and livestock. But Saul had a better idea. 1st Samuel 15:9—But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed. “Let’s destroy the bad stuff but keep the best things alive and sacrifice them to God! What’s the worst that can happen?” Well… 1st Samuel 15:10-11—10 Now the word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying, 11 "I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments." And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the LORD all night. Not only did Saul’s disobedience grieve God, it grieved His prophet as well. That is how close the relationship is between God and His prophets. His heart is their heart and their heart is His heart. It is as if they were one and the same. Not only that, but the heart of the prophet is with the people his words come against. I’m sure he felt no joy about telling Eli that he and his sons were about to die. And it obviously did not tickle him to tell Saul the words that God was about to speak against him. Here, Saul thought he was doing a great thing by keeping King Agag and the best of the livestock alive. He thought he knew what God wanted better than the prophet to whom God Himself spoke. 1st Samuel 15:13, 15—13 Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, "Blessed are you of the LORD! I have performed the commandment of the LORD…15 They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrifice to the LORD your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.” But Samuel had told him what God had told Samuel—everything and everyone of the Amalekites was to be destroyed. “Everyone?” 

 

 

Yes, everyone. Saul did not give obedience to the command of God—he gave partial obedience, which is disobedience. “I have performed the commandment of the LORD!” 1st Samuel 15:14, 18-19, 22-23—14 But Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?…18 Now the LORD sent you on a mission, and said, 'Go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.' 19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the LORD?"…22 Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king." Because Saul did not harken to the words of the prophet, and did what was right in his own eyes, God took the kingdom away from him and gave it to David. 

Interestingly, Samuel’s final prophecy came after he died. King Saul had banished all necromancers and mediums (1st Samuel 28:3, as well he should have). But the Philistines were coming to attack Israel, and when Saul went to inquire of God, He would not answer him either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets (1st Samuel 28:6). God had taken His spirit way from Saul, and had cut him off as king, and this attack from the Philistines was to be his final downfall. And because God did not answer him, Saul had another brilliant idea. “I’ll go to a necromancer and medium, even though I have put them out of Israel!” In other words, he did what was right in his own eyes. He went to the Witch of En Dor to have her bring up the spirit of Samuel (1st Samuel 28:8-11). Necromancers and mediums are another class of false prophets. None can speak with the dead (see Isaiah 8:19-20), and anyone who says they can are in danger of destruction. But Saul was so bent on holding on to his kingdom that he went against the word of God that he used this as his last resort, hoping that Samuel would give him a word from God that would allow him to keep it. But, alas! God did bring up Samuel, by His own hand and not by the hand of the witch. 1st Samuel 28:12—When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman spoke to Saul, saying, "Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul!" She knew that her necromancy was false, and when Samuel appeared she knew that this was of God. Many use this as an excuse to use psychics to tell them things they want to hear. When actually, this is a warning against such practices. G. Campbell Morgan:

 

It is strange how this story has been made to serve in defense of things occult, which, as a matter of fact, it condemns. Let it be carefully read, and it becomes perfectly patent that this woman had nothing to do with bringing up Samuel…When in response to her incantations, as it seemed, Samuel actually appeared, she was startled beyond measure. That Samuel actually did appear to Saul there can be no doubt. However, he was sent of God for the express purpose of delivering the terrible message to Saul, to which the king listened in amazement. It was the pronouncement of his doom, and the call from the other side to the spirit of the man who had so utterly and disastrously failed to fulfil his opportunity. 

1st Samuel 28:16-19—16 Then Samuel said: "So why do you ask me, seeing the LORD has departed from you and has become your enemy? 17 And the LORD has done for Himself as He spoke by me. For the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. 18 Because you did not obey the voice of the LORD nor execute His fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore the LORD has done this thing to you this day. 19 Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines. And tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The LORD will also deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines." Even in death, the prophet of God was speaking to Saul, and not good things, but rather reinforcing what he had already told him, and that this was going to happen the very next day!

Part 2 next week

 

Je4sus Christ is Lord.

Amen. 

A Survey of the Old Testament Law--Numbers 6, the Nazirite Vow (Part 1)

Numbers 6:1-8—1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'When either a man or woman consecrates an offering to take the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the LORD, 3 he shall separate himself from wine and similar drink; he shall drink neither vinegar made from wine nor vinegar made from similar drink; neither shall he drink any grape juice, nor eat fresh grapes or raisins. 4 All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, from seed to skin. 5 All the days of the vow of his separation no razor shall come upon his head; until the days are fulfilled for which he separated himself to the LORD, he shall be holy. Then he shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow. 6 All the days that he separates himself to the LORD he shall not go near a dead body. 7 He shall not make himself unclean even for his father or his mother, for his brother or his sister, when they die, because his separation to God is on his head. 8 All the days of his separation he shall be holy to the LORD.

This is the section where God lays out the law of the Nazarite. A man or woman who was not a Levite could consecrate themselves to God by taking a vow as a Nazirite. The word “Nazarite” comes from the word נָזִיר (nazir), which means “to dedicate, separate, consecrate”. This vow could be taken by either a man or a woman, anyone who wanted to consecrate themselves to God could take the vow. And there were three key elements in this vow:

 

1)                They could not eat grapes or eat or drink anything that was made from grapes

2)                They could not take a razor to their hair, and

3)                They could not touch a dead body

First, the prohibition against eating or drinking grapes or grape products. Not just wine, but even grapes themselves, or raisins, which are dried grapes. And why would that be? Why would this Nazarite not touch grapes? Well, as the Nazarite was consecrated to God, they were not to see how close they could come without becoming intoxicated. It was a way for them to keep from testing God. You see, grapes themselves can sometimes taste like wine, and can tempt the person into drinking wine. This was something the Nazarite was to abstain from in order to serve God, so they may always have their minds on God. There are many warnings in the Bible about wine and strong drink. For example, Proverbs 20:1—Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise. Proverbs 23:29-35—29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? 30 Those who linger long at the wine, those who go in search of mixed wine. 31 Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it swirls around smoothly; 32 at the last it bites like a serpent, and stings like a viper. 33 Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart will utter perverse things. 34 Yes, you will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, or like one who lies at the top of the mast, saying: 35 "They have struck me,  but I was not hurt; they have beaten me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake, that I may seek another drink?" “All these woes came upon me because I got drunk. When can I get another?” Wine is seen as something more cultured, something that is consumed by elites and the wise. And when someone wants to look and act like they are more upper class than what they are, they won’t drink beer or whiskey; they will pour a glass of wine.

But here’s the thing: you can get just as drunk on wine as you can on whiskey or rye. Ever heard the term “wino”? Because it is alcohol. And it is common knowledge that alcohol impairs judgement and lowers inhibitions. And look at the passage in Proverbs 23 to see all the things that can come upon you from drinking too much wine. It can make you feel depressed, it can make you easily outraged, it can make you mad at the world, it can cause you to fall down and injure yourself, it can give you bloodshot eyes, it can throw off your equilibrium. Do those sound like the traits of one who has set themselves apart to God? I like what Alexander MacLaren says “Intemperance delights in scoffing at all pure, lofty, sacred things. It is the ally of wild profanity, which sends up its tipsy and clumsy ridicule against Heaven itself. If a man wants to lose his sense of reverence, his susceptibility for what is noble, let him take to drink, and the thing is done.”

One Nazirite we come across in Scripture is the prophet Samuel. Samuel was set apart as a Nazirite from the womb. His mother, Hannah, was barren and had not conceived any children, and was constantly ridiculed by her husband’s other wife, Penninah, because *she*gave Elkanah children. But then one day when Hannah was at the temple mouthing te words to a prayer, the priest Eli saw her and thought her moved by wine, and told her 1st Samuel 1:14— So Eli said to her, "How long will you be drunk? Put your wine away from you!", to which Hannah replied 1^st Samuel 1:15—“No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD.” Then we see in 1st Samuel 1:20 that God opened her womb, and she called the child Samuel, "Because I have asked for him from the LORD." The name Samuel (Heb. שְׁמוּאֵל, šᵊmû'ēl) means “His name is El”, and, Hannah gave him to the service of God, and declared him a Nazirite in 1st Samuel 1:11—Then she made a vow and said, "O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head." Samuel was a fascinating man; he was prophet when Saul was chosen as the first king of Israel. And being a Nazirite he was perfectly suited to be the man God needed him to be to be strong enough to stand up to this king. He had to be sharp in his mind, had to be able to hear from God and proclaim what he had heard. And when Saul offered a Burnt Offering when Samuel was not there, he had to be clear enough in his mind to tell Saul that the kingship would be taken from him for his rash deed.

When I was a kid I remember a restaurant, I forget the name of it, but on their sign out front it said “Fine Food and Spirits”. Spirits, like ghosts? No. I asked my mom, who told me that “Spirits” referred to wine and other such drinks. Ever wonder why they call them “spirits”? Ever see someone become a totally different person after a few drinks? Now, don’t get me wrong, a bottle of whiskey or rye is not a literal spirit, but it certainly does make people’s spirits change when they’ve had a few. The people at Pentecost thought the Apostles had those kinds of spirits. Acts 2:12-15—12 So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "Whatever could this mean?" 13 Others mocking said, "They are full of new wine." 14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. 15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.” These were not drunk on wine, but were filled with the Holy Spirit. We are warned, even in the New Testament, about the dangers of alcohol. Ephesians 5:18—And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit. 1st Peter 4:3-4—3 For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. 4 In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. Romans 13:13—Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. We may not be Nazirites, but in this regard we should probably follow their example.

The second regulation concerns not taking a razor to one’s head. A Nazirite was only to shave his head if he was defiled by a dead body. But why the prohibition from cutting one’s hair? Doesn’t Paul say in 1st Corinthians 11:14—Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him? Yes, but then he goes on to say in 1st Corinthians 11:15—But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given to her for a covering. So why, then, would God command that men who set themselves apart to Him should wear this long hair that nature tells him is a dishonor? The male Nazirite was not wearing his hair long as a way to be seen as feminine, but as a sign that he was under the covering of God.

Samson, in the Book of Judges, was a Nazarite and he is famed for his long hair. Like Samuel, he was born to a mother who was barren. That is, until she and her husband were visited by an Angel of God. Only it wasn’t the child’s mother who declared him a Nazirite, but the Angel who visited her. Judges 13:2-5—2 Now there was a certain man from Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren and had no children. 3 And the Angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, "Indeed now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. 4 Now therefore, please be careful not to drink wine or similar drink, and not to eat anything unclean. 5 For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines." This man was set apart by God to do a great thing in God’s name. He was meant to deliver God’s people from their enemies.

Remember, we are in the period of the Judges, and if you have read the Book of Judges you know this may be the most depressing book in the Bible. Moses led them in the wilderness for 40 years, then he died and Joshua took his place. Then when he died, the wheels fell off the wagon, so to speak. The nation of Israel falls into chaos, and instead of being led by God, they followed men. It’s interesting, it says in Joshua 24:16—So the people answered and said: “Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods”. Yet that is exactly what they did! Just like at the foot of Mt. Sinai, when God was still speaking to Moses and they convinced Aaron to make the golden calf. Joshua dies in Judges 2:8. Then, a few verses later, this people who said “Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods” DID JUST THAT! Joshua’s body was barely cold when we read in Judges 2-13—They forsook the LORD and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. This is a theme that gets repeated in Judges. And don’t think we’re any better. Were it not for the Holy Spirit given to us by God, we would do the exact same thing.

So by the time Samson comes along, Israel has lived under Othneil and Ehud and Shamgar—who slew 600 Philistines with and ox goad—and Deborah/Barak and Abimelech and 7 other Judges for a period of roughly 400 years. Some were good, some were not. And Samson would prove to be the last of the Judges. And for the good he did in his death, his life is not one we should try to model ourselves after. If you read the account of his life, it is full of pride and almost arrogance and indifference. He gave to his parents honey that he had obtained from the carcass of the lion he killed—honey which made the person eating it unclean. He burned up a wheat field, slew 1000 men with the jawbone of a donkey, and pretty much joked with Delilah about his strength.

And if we don’t think too much about it, we can assume that his strength derived from his long hair. But that is not true. Yes, it is true that when Delilah’s accomplices shaved his head that his strength left him. Or did it? Judges 16:20—And she said, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" So he awoke from his sleep, and said, "I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!" But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him. Not that his strength had departed, but that YHVH—the LORD—had departed from him. The fact that he no longer had the strength he once possessed was not simply due to his head being shaved. That was incidental. He lost his strength because this man, who was set apart as a Nazirite by God, had made a grievous mistake: He had let his pride carry him away, told his mistress the secret of his strength, and a bunch of pagans caused him to break his vow to God. Keil & Delitzsch—

 

 The superhuman strength of Samson did not reside in his hair as hair, but in the fact that Jehovah was with or near him. But Jehovah was with him so long as he maintained his condition as a Nazarite. As soon as he broke away from this by sacrificing the hair which he wore in honour of the Lord, Jehovah departed from him, and with Jehovah went his strength.

 It was not his hair that made him strong. It was God working through him, as a man called a Nazirite by God Himself that made him strong. Likewise for us, we can do mighty things. We can preach, and teach, and evangelize and sing and do all these wonderful things. But if we do them simply out of our own treasury these will have no effect on those who hear. 1st Corinthians 2:14—But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. Think you can understand and believe this Book with human knowledge? No. You can understand what it *says*, but you will never know what it *means*. That’s why Jesus spoke in parables: to separate those who were His from those who weren’t. He knew His sheep would understand what He was saying, but to those who weren’t His sheep they would just be words. And if anything convinced me that Jesus was really real, it was His parables. I understood them. And I did not understand them because I was smarter or more righteous than anyone else. Far from the truth! He gave me that understanding. And far from making me puffed up, it has humbled me, and more so the more I read and study His word.

Part 2 next week

 

Jesus Christ is Lord.

Amen.