samson & delilah
Tomorrow I’m going to read more about Samson & Delilah and I’m thrilled. I’ve always wanted to actually know all the parts to the stories I’ve always known only little bits of. (ie. King David, Solomon, Samson & Delilah).
In case you don’t know (or, for the few who may care) I’m working my way through the B-i-b-l-e (yes that’s the book for me! - anyone remember that song?). Anyways, I’m on day 73 tomorrow- which lands me in the book of Judges (sounds daunting, but it’s not!). It’s where we learn about Samson (and, eventually, Delilah).
So far, I know that Samson was born to a couple who were unable to conceive. An angel came his mother & told her she would have him. He was not to have his hair cut and was to be dedicated to the Lord as a Nazarite. Samson also had incredible strength, that was given to him by the Lord.
Now that I’m partially through his story in the Bible, I know, about him & Delilah, that she was bribed by Phillistine officials to find out where he got his strength from. Eventually he cracked & told her it was from his hair. For something like 1,000 units of money (however they measured that back then) she cut his locks of hair off, turned him in & his strength was gone. His eyes were, then, gouged out & he was put in prison.
Ouch. In prison, no eyes, the love of your life cuts your hair off and you lose your strength; the one thing you had left - I’d say he was definitely in a place of no hope.
Hope seems lost. But then I read… “but before long, his hair started to grow back”. That’s something I love about the Lord. I love that, just when things start to seem hopeless the Lord intervenes with his amazing grace and continually delivers his people. No matter how often we turn our backs on Him, He is constantly there for us. And, He even lets us CHOOSE him. - Why we don’t, I’ll never know - but still, the choice is there.
I used to think the Old Testament was just an obligatory pre-cursor* to the “good stuff” in the New Testament, but I was wrong! - (*disclaimer, I may be using words here that I don’t quite know how to use properly, but, bear with me: they make sense in my head) - At the end of each of my daily summaries of the passage I read, I write a “What Did I Learn” section - just to sum up things in my head, (that helps a non-brainy girl like me keep things together) - and, one thing that has rung true in that section of my study is the fact that GOD IS FAITHFUL TO HIS PEOPLE. He loves us UNCONDITIONALY. We follow Him when things are good & ditch Him when things are hard - and yet He still loves us. He will still catch us when we fall & He will still deliver us.
I’m only 1/2 way through Samson’s story but I have a good feeling God is about to do something amazing.
Goodnight friends - or, whoever you are, reading this.
Love from,
Valerie
