Interesting 'additions' to the Bible...
Which verse of the Bible tells us that Samson had sex with Delilah?
N-O-N-E!
You can swear he did, right? So could I till I read Judges 16 CAREFULLY!
I'll try to explain where the confusion came from...Let's read Judges 16:1-4
"Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her. And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, In the morning, when it is day, we shall kill him. And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron. And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah." (Judges 16:1-4).
Delilah and the harlot in verse 1 were two different women. Please, don't get me wrong, I have ABSOLUTELY no doubt in my mind that Delilah was EVIL!
However, the Bible did not tell us Delilah was a harlot. Of course, she was having a weird relationship with a man who was not her husband. The Philistines knew she could entice Samson, otherwise, they would not have come to her. For whatever it is worth, the harlot lived in Gaza while Delilah lived in the valley of Sorek. (Some have speculated that the valley of Sorek was a 'Red Light District'. Uhmmm...I believe if Delilah was a harlot, the Bible would have said so PLAINLY...)
I am not convinced that sex was what made Delilah appealing to Samson. I believe that when you look up 'Strange Woman' in the dictionary, Delilah's picture should be posted there. That is why I was DEEPLY annoyed when someone flippantly said 'There is a Delilah in all of us'...Please, speak for yourself!
Why do I detest Delilah so much? Because she was EVIL! She was a terrible 'unfriendly friend'. I've seen posts where people have advised married women to learn from Delilah how to 'handle' their men. Uhmmm, I am pretty uncomfortable with such counsel...
I think there was something terribly wrong with Samson. He shows us how being full of self, listening to no one else 'forming strong man/woman' and not being able to bridle one's passion would quickly lead one into the arms of strange women/sons of Belial.
Judges 16:19 gives me shivers...The Bible says she made him sleep upon her knees. I wonder how. Some have speculated that she slept with him. I doubt that he would have slept ON HER KNEES while making love...I'm thinking more of the way Jael made Sisera sleep by giving him milk when he asked for water...systematic destruction, uhm...
She got someone to shave his hair. Then, the Bible says she began to afflict him...HOW? I'm equally as interested in the answer as you probably are. The Bible tells us that his strength went from him...
Today, I have a burden for someone. You've been so confident in your natural abilities. You've been doing your own thing and 'showing yourself'. You are currently in the custody of an 'unfriendly friend' aka Delilah. You have revealed the source of your strength with your loose lips/fingers. They're currently shaving your head and you are being afflicted; your strength is going...
Thankfully, your story does not need to end like Samson's...
"Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted. Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death. Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses." (Psalm 107:17-19).
"Is any among you afflicted? let him pray..." (James 5:13a).
It's time to cry to the Lord from the pits of affliction. Call on Him and He will answer. It's time to come back home...
Have a blessed and productive day.
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
That I Might By All Means Save Some
The fact that you mean well does not guarantee that your gesture will be well received.
I can tell you stories upon stories of good intention gone bad. I remember a story I read that was narrated by Kathryn Kuhlman. She said that she wanted to impress her mum when she was about 8 years old. She decided to wash all the clothes in the laundry basket. She had washed and hung them by the time her mother got back home. She couldn't wait for Mama to see what she had done.
Soon enough, Mama returned and saw what she had done! Thankfully, her mum was not like some women- Kathryn may not have survived the beating that would have followed, lol. She had washed all the clothes TOGETHER! The coloured ones had ruined the neutral ones. If you want to know the rest of the story, send a private message, lol.
Paul had a service for Jerusalem, he had GOOD INTENTIONS...However, he was wise enough to realise that his service may not be accepted by the saints. Therefore, he requested for prayers "...that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted of the saints;" (Romans 15:31).
The fact that you have a call/service/fill in the gap does not mean that it will be acceptable to all saints. It doesn't stop them from being saints and it doesn't mean you're not sent.
Spend some time to pray 1) to verify the authenticity of the service 2) to confirm that the timing of the delivery is right and 3) for acceptability of the service to the intended audience. You can then deliver the service.
I am still studying the scriptures so I cannot claim to be all-knowing. I do not believe that all the saints in Jerusalem accepted Paul's service. There were still some that must have rejected it.
If your God-ordained service has been rejected by some of your target audience, you are in good company...
"He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:" (John 1:11-12).
I'll leave you with this intriguing statement by Paul, the Apostle...
"And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some." (1 Corinthians 9:20-22).
Just SOME? After all that 'wahala'?
Have a blessed and productive day.
I can tell you stories upon stories of good intention gone bad. I remember a story I read that was narrated by Kathryn Kuhlman. She said that she wanted to impress her mum when she was about 8 years old. She decided to wash all the clothes in the laundry basket. She had washed and hung them by the time her mother got back home. She couldn't wait for Mama to see what she had done.
Soon enough, Mama returned and saw what she had done! Thankfully, her mum was not like some women- Kathryn may not have survived the beating that would have followed, lol. She had washed all the clothes TOGETHER! The coloured ones had ruined the neutral ones. If you want to know the rest of the story, send a private message, lol.
Paul had a service for Jerusalem, he had GOOD INTENTIONS...However, he was wise enough to realise that his service may not be accepted by the saints. Therefore, he requested for prayers "...that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted of the saints;" (Romans 15:31).
The fact that you have a call/service/fill in the gap does not mean that it will be acceptable to all saints. It doesn't stop them from being saints and it doesn't mean you're not sent.
Spend some time to pray 1) to verify the authenticity of the service 2) to confirm that the timing of the delivery is right and 3) for acceptability of the service to the intended audience. You can then deliver the service.
I am still studying the scriptures so I cannot claim to be all-knowing. I do not believe that all the saints in Jerusalem accepted Paul's service. There were still some that must have rejected it.
If your God-ordained service has been rejected by some of your target audience, you are in good company...
"He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:" (John 1:11-12).
I'll leave you with this intriguing statement by Paul, the Apostle...
"And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some." (1 Corinthians 9:20-22).
Just SOME? After all that 'wahala'?
Have a blessed and productive day.
Friday, November 7, 2014
The Mysterious Word
Good morning.
About 2 weeks ago, I was busy minding my own business when I heard the Spirit remind me of a particular incident in the Bible. I did a quick scan in my life to confirm if the word was for me but I couldn't find anything I was doing that fitted it. So, I held my peace, meditated on it for a while and in the busyness of the day, I forgot about it. That day was so busy that I decided to have a late lunch.
By the time I went for lunch, the canteen was nearly empty. The two people I met there were almost rounding up. Not long after they left, a young lady that I talk with once in a while on a surface level came in. Apparently, she went for a meeting and had to have a late lunch too. She joined me at my table. After exchanging pleasantries, we continued eating. Suddenly, she said 'Can I ask for your opinion on a matter?' As she narrated her issue, the Holy Spirit reminded me of the mysterious word I received earlier in the day - IT WAS FOR HER! When she was done with her narrative, I immediately gave her the message and she readily agreed.
By priviledge of some positions I've held and currently hold, as well as some discussions I've had, I've seen a lot of prayer requests. I love the fact that a lot of us love to pray. In my opinion, it is a great habit to cultivate. I hope we love to receive answers too? Sometimes, God's answer to our prayer is - Ok, answer provided immediately. Sometimes, it's - Received, processing. Sometimes, it's - Received, syntax error...
I'll talk about a type of #3.
"Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts." (James 4:3).
Why do you want God to do what you're asking Him to do? And why do you want it in that particular way?
Someone says, 'I've sown seeds', 'I've given all I have to the poor' etc. I have to say that there is nothing wrong with doing any of these things; the Bible enjoins us to do them. However, if our motive for doing them is to get God to bend to our will - SYNTAX ERROR (You can ask Google for what it means, lol).
The 'mysterious word' I received was in Numbers 22:21-35. You should read it and be instructed. The Holy Spirit told me that some of us are so bent on having things OUR way that no matter who/what stands in our way, we are ready to slay them the same way Balaam would have slain that ass that was trying to help him. We are using prayer as a means of getting OUR own way. I need to confess that I am not guiltless in this matter...I was just not guilty at the time the Word came, hehehehe. I found this scripture that might interest someone that laid a wrong foundation (e.g. Married another woman's husband) and is hoping to make things work out for her by observing rituals and whatever else tickles your fancy...
"For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem." (Psalm 51:16-18).
Please read the whole of Psalm 51 to get the whole context.
I pray for us all that we will learn to surrender our will/way to God, even in prayer. May we say with Mary "...be it unto me according to thy word..." (Luke 1:38).
And I say to you, like Elizabeth said to Mary "And blessed is she (he) that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her (him) from the Lord." (Luke 1:45).
Have a blessed and productive day.
About 2 weeks ago, I was busy minding my own business when I heard the Spirit remind me of a particular incident in the Bible. I did a quick scan in my life to confirm if the word was for me but I couldn't find anything I was doing that fitted it. So, I held my peace, meditated on it for a while and in the busyness of the day, I forgot about it. That day was so busy that I decided to have a late lunch.
By the time I went for lunch, the canteen was nearly empty. The two people I met there were almost rounding up. Not long after they left, a young lady that I talk with once in a while on a surface level came in. Apparently, she went for a meeting and had to have a late lunch too. She joined me at my table. After exchanging pleasantries, we continued eating. Suddenly, she said 'Can I ask for your opinion on a matter?' As she narrated her issue, the Holy Spirit reminded me of the mysterious word I received earlier in the day - IT WAS FOR HER! When she was done with her narrative, I immediately gave her the message and she readily agreed.
By priviledge of some positions I've held and currently hold, as well as some discussions I've had, I've seen a lot of prayer requests. I love the fact that a lot of us love to pray. In my opinion, it is a great habit to cultivate. I hope we love to receive answers too? Sometimes, God's answer to our prayer is - Ok, answer provided immediately. Sometimes, it's - Received, processing. Sometimes, it's - Received, syntax error...
I'll talk about a type of #3.
"Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts." (James 4:3).
Why do you want God to do what you're asking Him to do? And why do you want it in that particular way?
Someone says, 'I've sown seeds', 'I've given all I have to the poor' etc. I have to say that there is nothing wrong with doing any of these things; the Bible enjoins us to do them. However, if our motive for doing them is to get God to bend to our will - SYNTAX ERROR (You can ask Google for what it means, lol).
The 'mysterious word' I received was in Numbers 22:21-35. You should read it and be instructed. The Holy Spirit told me that some of us are so bent on having things OUR way that no matter who/what stands in our way, we are ready to slay them the same way Balaam would have slain that ass that was trying to help him. We are using prayer as a means of getting OUR own way. I need to confess that I am not guiltless in this matter...I was just not guilty at the time the Word came, hehehehe. I found this scripture that might interest someone that laid a wrong foundation (e.g. Married another woman's husband) and is hoping to make things work out for her by observing rituals and whatever else tickles your fancy...
"For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem." (Psalm 51:16-18).
Please read the whole of Psalm 51 to get the whole context.
I pray for us all that we will learn to surrender our will/way to God, even in prayer. May we say with Mary "...be it unto me according to thy word..." (Luke 1:38).
And I say to you, like Elizabeth said to Mary "And blessed is she (he) that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her (him) from the Lord." (Luke 1:45).
Have a blessed and productive day.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)