A Less-Than-Orderly Transfer of Power

1 Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.

2 At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was.

4 Then the Lord called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!” 5 and ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down.

6 And the Lord called again, “Samuel!” and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.

8 And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10 And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” 11 Then the Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. 12 On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13 And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. 14 Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”

15 Samuel lay until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. 16 But Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he said, “Here I am.” 17 And Eli said, “What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.” 18 So 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 And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the Lord. 21 And the Lord appeared again at Shiloh, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord. – 1 Samuel 3:1-21 ESV

This chapter forms an important transition between chapters 2 and 4 by chronicling God’s calling of the young boy Samuel. These 21 verses are sandwiched between two events in Israel’s history that showcase the nation’s less-than-stellar relationship with the Lord. 

Chapter 2 introduced the two sons of Eli the high priest. According to the author, these two middle-aged men were worthless and did not know the Lord, yet they served as priests in the Tabernacle. Their penchant for breaking God’s laws and using the sacrificial system as a means for personal gain was well-known. Even news of their immoral sexual encounters with the women who served at the gate of the Tabernacle had reached the ears of their father, but he had done nothing to put a stop to it.

As priests, Hophni and Phinehas should have served as models of righteousness and faithfulness for the people of Israel but, instead, they set a precedence for unbridled decadence and the pursuit of personal pleasure. The apostle Paul provides an apt description of such individuals in his letter to the church in Philippi.

Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame. Their minds are set on earthly things. – Philippians 3:19 NLT

Based on the X-rated exploits of these two pseudo-priests, it’s no surprise that chapter 2 opens up with the rather dire news that “messages from the Lord were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon” (1 Samuel 3:1 NLT). The spiritual state of Israel was at an all-time low and God’s interactions with His people were scarce. The Book of 1 Samuel began when the nation of Israel was coming off a prolonged period marked by disobedience and God’s discipline. After arriving in the land of Canaan, they spent hundreds of years living a roller-coaster existence as God’s chosen people. He had redeemed them from slavery in Egypt and led them to the promised land, but they had failed to live up to their covenant commitments. The opening chapters of the Book of Judges record the sad state of affairs in those dark days of Israel’s history.

The Israelites did evil in the LORD’s sight and served the images of Baal. They abandoned the LORD, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They went after other gods, worshiping the gods of the people around them. And they angered the LORD. They abandoned the LORD to serve Baal and the images of Ashtoreth. This made the LORD burn with anger against Israel, so he handed them over to raiders who stole their possessions. He turned them over to their enemies all around, and they were no longer able to resist them. Every time Israel went out to battle, the LORD fought against them, causing them to be defeated, just as he had warned. And the people were in great distress.

Then the LORD raised up judges to rescue the Israelites from their attackers. Yet Israel did not listen to the judges but prostituted themselves by worshiping other gods. How quickly they turned away from the path of their ancestors, who had walked in obedience to the LORD’s commands. – Judges 2:11-17 NLT

As the Book of 1 Samuel opens, the nation of Israel is still under the judgeship of Samson, another far-from-perfect individual who, like Samuel, had been placed under the Nazirite vow by his mother. This highly flawed man was serving as a judge over Israel during a time when God was using the Philistines as His chosen instrument of judgment against His disobedient people.

Again the Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord handed them over to the Philistines, who oppressed them for forty years.

In those days a man named Manoah from the tribe of Dan lived in the town of Zorah. His wife was unable to become pregnant, and they had no children. The angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah’s wife and said, “Even though you have been unable to have children, you will soon become pregnant and give birth to a son. So be careful; you must not drink wine or any other alcoholic drink nor eat any forbidden food. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and his hair must never be cut. For he will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. He will begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines.” – Judges 13:1-5 NLT

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? His story is much like that of Samuel but there are significant differences in the lives of these two individuals. Samson was an impetuous young man of prodigious strength but questionable moral character. He had an eye for the opposite sex and struggled with self-control. He would serve as Israel’s judge for 20 years and his tenure likely began about the time Eli died. According to chapter 4, Eli’s death took place during the battle of Aphek. Upon receiving news that his two sons had been killed during the battle, Eli “fell backward from his seat beside the gate. He broke his neck and died, for he was old and overweight. He had been Israel’s judge for forty years” (1 Samuel 4:18 NLT). 

Samson would step into Eli’s vacated role as judge and serve as God’s appointed agent of deliverance from the Philistine onslaught. But his life and leadership would prove to be far from ideal. The story of his untimely and unflattering demise is recorded in Judges 16. He died a humiliating death but brought one final victory against the enemies of Israel.

But before God chose Samson to serve as a judge, the young boy Samuel had his personal encounter with God Almighty. One night, while sleeping in the Tabernacle, Samuel heard a voice calling his name. Mistaking this voice for that of Eli, Samuel ran to his elderly mentor, only to find out that Eli had not called him. This pattern repeated itself three different times with the same result. On the third occasion, Eli deduced that Samuel must be hearing the voice of the Lord, so instructed his young protege to respond, “Speak, Lord, for your servant hears” (1 Samuel 3:9 NLT).

Samuel returned to bed, only to be awakened by the voice a fourth time. Following Eli’s instructions, Samuel spoke to the voice and heard the following reply:

“I am about to do a shocking thing in Israel. I am going to carry out all my threats against Eli and his family, from beginning to end. I have warned him that judgment is coming upon his family forever, because his sons are blaspheming God and he hasn’t disciplined them. So I have vowed that the sins of Eli and his sons will never be forgiven by sacrifices or offerings.” – 1 Samuel 3:11-14 NLT

This news came as a shock to the young acolyte, and when he awoke the next morning, “he was afraid to tell Eli what the Lord had said to him” (1 Samuel 3:15 NLT). Yet, when pressed by his mentor, Samuel divulged the content of the Lord’s message, prompting Eli to respond, “It is the Lord’s will…Let him do what he thinks best” (1 Samuel 3:18 NLT).

Eli knew that God was going to fulfill His vow to deal with the sins of Hophni and Phinehas. It was all just a matter of time. This elderly priest had resigned himself to the fact that judgment was coming against him and his household, but that God had raised up Samuel to serve a vital role in the future of the nation of Israel. For Eli and his sons, the days ahead would be bleak but God had a plan for His chosen people that would ensure a much brighter tomorrow. He would use Samuel to usher in a new era of spiritual revitalization and nationalistic aspirations. The chapter ends on a promising note.

Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the Lord. And the Lord appeared again at Shiloh, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord. – 1 Samuel 3:19-21 ESV

But this feint glimmer of light is followed by a dark tale of divine judgment. God was going to fulfill the vow He had made to Eli. The message He delivered to Samuel in the Tabernacle was about to come to fruition. Lacking adequate spiritual leadership and faced with the threat of ongoing Philistine aggression, the people of God will take matters into their own hands and try to solve a spiritual problem through earthly means. Samuel has been called but his ministry has yet to begin. First, God must deal with Eli and his sons, setting the stage for Samuel’s rise to prominence and power.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

A Vow of Separation and Service

1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When either a man or a woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the Lord, 3 he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink. He shall drink no vinegar made from wine or strong drink and shall not drink any juice of grapes or eat grapes, fresh or dried. 4 All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, not even the seeds or the skins.

5 “All the days of his vow of separation, no razor shall touch his head. Until the time is completed for which he separates himself to the Lord, he shall be holy. He shall let the locks of hair of his head grow long.

6 “All the days that he separates himself to the Lord he shall not go near a dead body. 7 Not even for his father or for his mother, for brother or sister, if they die, shall he make himself unclean, because his separation to God is on his head. 8 All the days of his separation he is holy to the Lord.

9 “And if any man dies very suddenly beside him and he defiles his consecrated head, then he shall shave his head on the day of his cleansing; on the seventh day he shall shave it. 10 On the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves or two pigeons to the priest to the entrance of the tent of meeting, 11 and the priest shall offer one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering, and make atonement for him, because he sinned by reason of the dead body. And he shall consecrate his head that same day 12 and separate himself to the Lord for the days of his separation and bring a male lamb a year old for a guilt offering. But the previous period shall be void, because his separation was defiled.

13 “And this is the law for the Nazirite, when the time of his separation has been completed: he shall be brought to the entrance of the tent of meeting, 14 and he shall bring his gift to the Lord, one male lamb a year old without blemish for a burnt offering, and one ewe lamb a year old without blemish as a sin offering, and one ram without blemish as a peace offering, 15 and a basket of unleavened bread, loaves of fine flour mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers smeared with oil, and their grain offering and their drink offerings. 16 And the priest shall bring them before the Lord and offer his sin offering and his burnt offering, 17 and he shall offer the ram as a sacrifice of peace offering to the Lord, with the basket of unleavened bread. The priest shall offer also its grain offering and its drink offering. 18 And the Nazirite shall shave his consecrated head at the entrance of the tent of meeting and shall take the hair from his consecrated head and put it on the fire that is under the sacrifice of the peace offering. 19 And the priest shall take the shoulder of the ram, when it is boiled, and one unleavened loaf out of the basket and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them on the hands of the Nazirite, after he has shaved the hair of his consecration, 20 and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the Lord. They are a holy portion for the priest, together with the breast that is waved and the thigh that is contributed. And after that the Nazirite may drink wine.

21 “This is the law of the Nazirite. But if he vows an offering to the Lord above his Nazirite vow, as he can afford, in exact accordance with the vow that he takes, then he shall do in addition to the law of the Nazirite.” – Numbers 6:1-21 ESV

God had set apart Aaron and his sons to serve as priests. The male members of the tribe of Levi had also been chosen by God to serve as assistants to the priests and as caretakers of the Tabernacle. But in Numbers 6, we read of God’s provision for individual volunteerism. Any member of the faith community could choose to offer themselves in service to God by taking what was called the Nazirite Vow.

The Hebrew word nāzîr simply means “consecrated or devoted one.” These individuals took an oath of fealty to God, setting themselves apart as His servants. This period of consecrated service was usually for a specific length of time but, in some cases, it could last a lifetime. This commitment was not to be entered into lightly because those who took it were “setting themselves apart to the Lord in a special way” (Numbers 6:2 NLT). God took their vow seriously and expected them to keep their oath at all costs.

To emphasize the gravity of taking the Nazirite vow, God attached strict requirements that were intended to discourage the uncommitted. To dedicate oneself to God was a serious matter and it required sober introspection. While a certain amount of prestige could come from committing to dedicate yourself to the service of God, it was not about improving one’s social standing. Taking the vow was easy; fulfilling it was another matter altogether. So God outlined the cost of commitment associated with becoming a Nazirite. He wanted everyone to carefully consider whether they were willing to accept the severe standards that came with the vow.

God prescribed clear requirements for anyone wishing to dedicate themselves to His service. This consecration came with outward commitments that were designed to differentiate a Nazirite from the rest of the faith community. Not only were they set apart as God’s servants, but they were also to stand out from the crowd. First of all, they were prohibited from drinking wine.

“…they must give up wine and other alcoholic drinks. They must not use vinegar made from wine or from other alcoholic drinks, they must not drink fresh grape juice, and they must not eat grapes or raisins.” – Numbers 6:3 NLT

In a society where wine was a staple at every meal and a ubiquitous part of daily life, this would have proven to be a difficult concession to make. This requirement of abstinence was not because God considered the consumption of wine to be sinful, but because it always came with the risk of drunkenness. The Scriptures are filled with stories of individuals who allowed alcohol to blur their decision-making and cause them to violate God’s will. The book of Genesis describes how Noah “drank some wine he had made, and he became drunk and lay naked inside his tent” (Genesis 9:21 NLT). God considered Noah to be “a righteous man, blameless in his generation” (Genesis 6:9 ESV), but this godly man allowed alcohol to dull his senses and that decision had serious and long-lasting consequences (Genesis 9:18-25).

The apostle Peter referred to Lot as “a righteous man” (2 Peter 2:7), yet the book of Genesis describes how Lot’s daughters got him drunk with wine and then proceeded to commit incest with him.

“There are no men left anywhere in this entire area, so we can’t get married like everyone else. And our father will soon be too old to have children. Come, let’s get him drunk with wine, and then we will have sex with him. That way we will preserve our family line through our father.” – Genesis 19:31-32 NLT

The end result of these two immoral encounters was the birth of two sons who would later become the fathers of the Moabites and Ammonites, two nations that would become the sworn enemies of Israel.

The fruit of the vine was intended to be a sign of God’s blessing but, like all of God’s blessings, it could be abused and misused. So, the Nazirites were strictly prohibited from consuming alcohol for as long as they remained in service to God.

Secondly, all Nazirites were prohibited from cutting their hair.

“They must never cut their hair throughout the time of their vow, for they are holy and set apart to the Lord. Until the time of their vow has been fulfilled, they must let their hair grow long.” – Numbers 6:5 NLT

The length of their hair was intended to act as a sign or symbol of their set-apart status. There is no explanation given for this particular prohibition. Both men and women were required to allow their hair to grow for as long as they remained in service to God. Perhaps it was intended as a demonstration of their willingness to place their personal preferences on hold while they were in God’s service. Any concern they had for their outward appearance was to take a back seat to their commitment to God’s will. It’s interesting to note that Samson, one of the judges of Israel and a Nazirite, had concluded that his long hair was the source of his superhuman strength.

“A razor has never come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother's womb. If my head is shaved, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak and be like any other man.” – Judges 16:17 ESV

Samson’s long hair had been intended to serve as a sign of his commitment to God, yet he had come to view it as a source of his strength. He had been set apart for God’s service but lived his life according to his own selfish standards. He was driven by his passions and given to living a life of excess. When Samson’s hair was cut by Delilah, he lost his strength, not because he had lost his hair but because he had been abandoned by God.

…he didn’t realize the Lord had left him. So the Philistines captured him and gouged out his eyes. They took him to Gaza, where he was bound with bronze chains and forced to grind grain in the prison. – Judges 16:20-21 NLT

Samson lost his strength because he had long ago abandoned his commitment to God. He had repeatedly violated his vow to God and his shaved head was a sign that God no longer considered Samson to be set apart for His service. As the text clearly states, “the hair on their head is the symbol of their separation to God” (Numbers 6:7 NLT).

The third requirement had to do with defilement from personal contact with the dead. As a servant of God, the Nazirite was expected to remain ceremonially pure. Any physical contact with a human corpse would result in immediate defilement and require purification. What is interesting to note is how God highlights the role of the hair in the defilement process.

“If someone falls dead beside them, the hair they have dedicated will be defiled. They must wait for seven days and then shave their heads. Then they will be cleansed from their defilement.” – Numbers 6:9 NLT

The longer length of the hair would present a problem if someone came close to a dead body. While they might refrain from touching the corpse with their hands, their hair could easily come into contact with the deceased, rendering the Nazirite ceremonially unclean. The only remedy was to shave their heads and then offer a sacrifice at the Tabernacle. Once purified, he or she would be free to complete their vow to God. The whole point was that God expected each Nazirite to maintain their holiness as long as they were in His service.

“All the days of his separation he is holy to the Lord.” – Numbers 6:8 ESV

When each individual had completed the terms of their vow, a ceremony was conducted that officially released them from their commitment to God. It was called “the law of the Nazirite” and required each individual to shave their head and then burn the hair on the brazen altar as part of a sacrifice to God. This elaborate ritual brought the Nazirite’s service commitment to a close and allowed them to return to their former life.

But as long as their Nazirite vow was in place, they were expected to keep their commitment to God without fail.

“And they must be careful to do whatever they vowed when they set themselves apart as Nazirites.” – Numbers 6:21 NLT

While the Nazirite vow no longer exists or applies, there is a similar calling issued to every child of God today. The apostle Paul outlines this non-negotiable commitment in his letter to the believers in Rome and it still calls God’s people to maintain their commitment to moral purity and holiness – at all times and at all costs.

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. – Romans 12:1-2 NLT

In a way, every believer has made a voluntary commitment to set themselves apart for God’s service. In placing their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior, they have chosen to live a set-apart life, relying upon the power of the Holy Spirit and in keeping with the will of God. The apostle Paul reminds us that God “saved us and called us to a holy calling” (2 Timothy 1:9 ESV). And Peter echoes that same sentiment when he writes, “you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy” (1 Peter 1:14-15 NLT).

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Faith Is Simple, But Never Easy

32 And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35 Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. 36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— 38 of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. – Hebrews 11:32-38 ESV

The list goes on. The author of Hebrews draws this chapter to a close, but can’t help but add a few more names to his growing list of the faithful. He mentions Gideon, who lived in Israel during a time of spiritual apathy and moral depravity. As a result of their rebellious behavior, God gave the Israelites over to the hands of the Midians as punishment.

For whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them. They would encamp against them and devour the produce of the land, as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel and no sheep or ox or donkey. – Judges 6:3-4 ESV

But when the people cried out to God, He sent them Gideon as a judge to deliver them. But Gideon was a reluctant deliverer. When God called him, his response was less than enthusiastic.

“Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.” – Judges 6:15 ESV

And God’s response to him was simple and direct: “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man” (Judges 6:16 ESV). Gideon would go on to accomplish great things for God, delivering His people from the oppression of the Midianites and, according to the book of Hebrews, he did so by faith. Each step of the way, Gideon had to believe God’s promise that He would be with him.

This is true of each of the individuals listed in the verses above. Barak had to face the overwhelmingly superior armies of Sisera on the words of Deborah, a prophetess. The odds were against him, but He obeyed the word of the Lord and God gave Israel a great victory.

Then there was Samson, a somewhat surprising addition to the list. His story is a sad one and does not end well. He was driven by his desires and eventually defeated by them. But on the final day of his life, having been blinded by the Philistines and chained between two pillars, he called out to God in faith.

“O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes.” – Judges 16:28 ESV

That prayer of faith lifted up in his vulnerable and weak condition was answered by God.

Then he bowed with all his strength, and the house fell upon the lords and upon all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life. – Judges 16:30 ESV

He died in faith, trusting in His God and giving the last minutes of his life to destroy the enemies of God.

What about Jephthah? He had been born as a result of his father’s immoral affair with a prostitute, and when he became an adult, Jephthah was thrown out of the family by his brothers. He ended up living in exile from his family and found himself in the companionship of “worthless men.” But when the Ammonites began to oppress the Israelites, they sought out Jephthah to deliver them because he was a mighty warrior. In his newfound position as the judge of Israel, Jephthah turned to the Lord, and he made a vow to God.

“If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the Lord's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.” – Judges 11:30-31 ESV

Jephthah believed that God could and would deliver His people. But he wrongly assumed that God would want something in return, so he bargained with God. I suggest that Jephthah fully believed that God would come through and that he would be required to follow through on his vow. But little did he know that after God had given him the victory over the Ammonites, it would be his own daughter who came out of the house to greet him, and he would go on to keep his rash vow and sacrifice his daughter.

This is a bizarre and disturbing story, and it seems a bit strange to include the “hero” of the story in the great “Hall of Faith.” But while Jephthah’s understanding of God was somewhat flawed, he did believe in the power and deliverance of God. He trusted that Yahweh could and would come through. His problem was that his faith in God was marred by a faulty comprehension of God’s nature.

In the case of David, the stories that exemplify his faith in God are many. The psalms he wrote echo his belief in God and his unwavering faith that God was his savior and sustainer. From the moment David was anointed the next king of Israel, he had to live a life of faith in God, spending years trusting in the promise of God while running for his life from the wrath of King Saul. He had been anointed king by the prophet of God, but Saul was still on the throne. David learned to wait on God, believe in God, trust in God, and rely on God. And his life reflects that faith.

From his earliest days as a young boy serving in the house of the Lord under the watchful eye of Eli the priest, Samuel developed a growing faith in God. He would become a prophet for God, speaking on his behalf and leading the people of Israel to obey the will and word of God. Samuel would eventually be called on by God to anoint Israel’s first king. And while he was reluctant to do so, he obeyed. Throughout his life, Samuel would learn to trust God. He had to believe that God knew what He was doing, even when it seemed to make no sense. His faith is best seen in his unwavering obedience to the will of God. What God said, he would do. What God declared, he would believe. Trusting that God knows what He is doing even when you can’t comprehend it or completely appreciate it is a hallmark of faith.

The author of Hebrews goes on to illustrate that faith is oftentimes accompanied by rousing success, including great military victories. Faith is often illustrated by strength in the midst of weakness, deliverance by the hand of God, and mind-blowing miracles. But just as often, faith can be accompanied by less-than-ideal circumstances. He mentions torture, mocking, flogging, chains, imprisonment, stoning, destitution, and even death.

Faith doesn’t always result in a happy ending. Samson died under the very rubble that destroyed the Philistines. David died never getting to build the temple he dreamed of constructing for God. Jephthah would see the accolades for the victory over the Ammonites go to a woman.

The focus of our faith should always be God. Faith is trusting Him regardless of what we see happening or not happening around us. The presence of difficulty does not mean the absence of God. The lack of an answer is not proof of God’s lack of power or interest. Faith that is God-focused is willing to wait and comfortable accepting seemingly unacceptable outcomes knowing that God is not yet done.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Separated to God

1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When either a man or a woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the Lord, 3 he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink. He shall drink no vinegar made from wine or strong drink and shall not drink any juice of grapes or eat grapes, fresh or dried. 4 All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, not even the seeds or the skins.

5 “All the days of his vow of separation, no razor shall touch his head. Until the time is completed for which he separates himself to the Lord, he shall be holy. He shall let the locks of hair of his head grow long.

6 “All the days that he separates himself to the Lord he shall not go near a dead body. 7 Not even for his father or for his mother, for brother or sister, if they die, shall he make himself unclean, because his separation to God is on his head. 8 All the days of his separation he is holy to the Lord.

9 “And if any man dies very suddenly beside him and he defiles his consecrated head, then he shall shave his head on the day of his cleansing; on the seventh day he shall shave it. 10 On the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves or two pigeons to the priest to the entrance of the tent of meeting, 11 and the priest shall offer one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering, and make atonement for him, because he sinned by reason of the dead body. And he shall consecrate his head that same day 12 and separate himself to the Lord for the days of his separation and bring a male lamb a year old for a guilt offering. But the previous period shall be void, because his separation was defiled.

13 “And this is the law for the Nazirite, when the time of his separation has been completed: he shall be brought to the entrance of the tent of meeting, 14 and he shall bring his gift to the Lord, one male lamb a year old without blemish for a burnt offering, and one ewe lamb a year old without blemish as a sin offering, and one ram without blemish as a peace offering, 15 and a basket of unleavened bread, loaves of fine flour mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers smeared with oil, and their grain offering and their drink offerings. 16 And the priest shall bring them before the Lord and offer his sin offering and his burnt offering, 17 and he shall offer the ram as a sacrifice of peace offering to the Lord, with the basket of unleavened bread. The priest shall offer also its grain offering and its drink offering. 18 And the Nazirite shall shave his consecrated head at the entrance of the tent of meeting and shall take the hair from his consecrated head and put it on the fire that is under the sacrifice of the peace offering. 19 And the priest shall take the shoulder of the ram, when it is boiled, and one unleavened loaf out of the basket and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them on the hands of the Nazirite, after he has shaved the hair of his consecration, 20 and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the Lord. They are a holy portion for the priest, together with the breast that is waved and the thigh that is contributed. And after that the Nazirite may drink wine.

21 “This is the law of the Nazirite. But if he vows an offering to the Lord above his Nazirite vow, as he can afford, in exact accordance with the vow that he takes, then he shall do in addition to the law of the Nazirite.” – Numbers 6:1-21 ESV

God had set apart Aaron and his sons to serve as priests. The male members of the tribe of Levi had been set apart to serve as assistants to the priests and as caretakers of the tabernacle. But in Numbers 6, we read of God’s provision for individual volunteerism. Any member of the faith community could choose to offer themselves in service to God by taking what was called the Nazirite Vow.

The Hebrew word nāzîr simply means “consecrated or devoted one.” These individuals took an oath of fealty to God, setting themselves apart as His servants. This period of consecrated service was usually for a specific length of time but, in some cases, it could last a lifetime. This commitment was not to be entered into lightly because they were “setting themselves apart to the Lord in a special way” (Numbers 6:2 NLT). God took their vow seriously and expected them to keep their oath at all costs.

To emphasize the gravity of taking the Nazirite vow, God attached strict requirements that were intended to discourage the uncommitted. To dedicate oneself to God was a serious matter and it required sober introspection. While a certain amount of prestige could come from making the commitment to dedicate yourself to the service of God, it was not about improving one’s social standing. Taking the vow was easy. Fulfilling it was another matter altogether. So God outlined the cost of commitment associated with becoming a Nazirite. He wanted everyone to carefully consider whether they were willing to accept the severe standards that came with the vow.

God prescribed clear requirements for anyone wishing to dedicate themselves to His service. This consecration came with outward commitments that were designed to differentiate a Nazirite from the rest of the faith community. Not only were they set apart as God’s servants, but they were also to stand out from the crowd. First of all, they were prohibited from drinking wine.

“…they must give up wine and other alcoholic drinks. They must not use vinegar made from wine or from other alcoholic drinks, they must not drink fresh grape juice, and they must not eat grapes or raisins.” – Numbers 6:3 NLT

In a society where wine was a staple at every meal and a ubiquitous part of daily life, this would have proven to be a difficult concession to make. This requirement of abstinence was not because God considered the consumption of wine to be sinful, but because there was always the risk of drunkenness. The Scriptures are filled with stories of individuals who allowed alcohol to blur their decision-making and cause them to violate God’s will. The book of Genesis describes how Noah “drank some wine he had made, and he became drunk and lay naked inside his tent” (Genesis 9:21 NLT). God considered Noah to be “a righteous man, blameless in his generation” (Genesis 6:9 ESV), but this godly man allowed alcohol to dull his senses and that decision had serious and long-lasting consequences (Genesis 9:18-25).

The apostle Peter referred to Lot as “a righteous man” (2 Peter 2:7), yet the book of Genesis describes how Lot’s daughters got him drunk with wine and then proceeded to have sex with him.

“There are no men left anywhere in this entire area, so we can’t get married like everyone else. And our father will soon be too old to have children. Come, let’s get him drunk with wine, and then we will have sex with him. That way we will preserve our family line through our father.” – Genesis 19:31-32 NLT

The end result of these two incestuous encounters was the birth of two sons who would later become the fathers of the Moabites and Ammonites, two nations that would become the sworn enemies of Israel.

The fruit of the vine was intended to be a sign of God’s blessing but, like all of God’s blessings, it could be abused and misused. So, the Nazirites were strictly prohibited from consuming alcohol for as long as they remained in service to God.

Secondly, all Nazirites were prohibited from cutting their hair.

“They must never cut their hair throughout the time of their vow, for they are holy and set apart to the Lord. Until the time of their vow has been fulfilled, they must let their hair grow long.” – Numbers 6:5 NLT

The length of their hair was intended to act as a sign or symbol of their set-apart status. There is no explanation given for this particular prohibition. Both men and women were required to allow their hair to grow for as long as they remained in service to God. Perhaps it was intended as a demonstration of their willingness to place their personal preferences on hold while they were in God’s service. Any concern they had for their outward appearance was to take a back seat to their commitment to God’s will. It’s interesting to note that Samson, one of the judges of Israel and a Nazirite, had come to the conclusion that his long hair was the source of his superhuman strength.

“A razor has never come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother's womb. If my head is shaved, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak and be like any other man.” – Judges 16:17 ESV

Samson’s long hair had been intended to serve as a sign of his commitment to God, not a source of his strength. He had been set apart for God’s service but lived his life according to his own selfish standards. He was driven by his passions and given to living a life of excess. And when Samson’s hair was cut by Delilah, he lost his strength, not because he had lost his hair but because he had been abandoned by God.

…he didn’t realize the Lord had left him. So the Philistines captured him and gouged out his eyes. They took him to Gaza, where he was bound with bronze chains and forced to grind grain in the prison. – Judges 16:20-21 NLT

Samson lost his strength because he had long ago abandoned his commitment to God. He had repeatedly violated his vow to God and his shaved head was a sign that God no longer considered Samson to be set apart for His service. As the text clearly states, “the hair on their head is the symbol of their separation to God” (Numbers 6:7 NLT).

The third requirement had to do with defilement from personal contact with the dead. As a servant of God, the Nazirite was expected to remain ceremonially pure. Any physical contact with a human corpse would result in immediate defilement and require purification. What is interesting to note is how God highlights the role of the hair in the defilement process.

“If someone falls dead beside them, the hair they have dedicated will be defiled. They must wait for seven days and then shave their heads. Then they will be cleansed from their defilement.” – Numbers 6:9 NLT

The longer length of the hair would present a problem if someone came in close proximity to a dead body. While they might refrain from touching the corpse with their hands, their hair could easily come into contact with the diseased, rendering the Nazirite ceremonially unclean. The only remedy was to shave their heads and then offer a sacrifice at the tabernacle. Once purified, he or she was free to complete their vow to God. The whole point was that God expected each Nazirite to maintain their holiness as long as they were in His service.

“All the days of his separation he is holy to the Lord.” – Numbers 6:8 ESV

When each individual had completed the terms of their vow, there was a ceremony conducted that officially released them from their commitment to God. It was called “the law of the Nazirite” and required each individual to shave their head and then burn the hair on the brazen altar as part of a sacrifice to God. This elaborate ritual brought the Nazirite’s service commitment to a close and allowed them to return to their former life.

But as long as the Nazirite’s vow was in place, they were expected to keep their commitment to God without fail.

“And they must be careful to do whatever they vowed when they set themselves apart as Nazirites.” – Numbers 6:21 NLT

While the Nazirite vow no longer exists or applies, there is a similar calling issued to every child of God today. The apostle Paul outlines this non-negotiable commitment in his letter to the believers in Rome and it still calls God’s people to maintain their commitment to moral purity and holiness – at all times and at all costs.

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. – Romans 12:1-2 NLT

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Driven By Desire and Distraction.

When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the Lord who has avenged the insult I received at the hand of Nabal, and has kept back his servant from wrongdoing. The Lord has returned the evil of Nabal on his own head.” Then David sent and spoke to Abigail, to take her as his wife. When the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, they said to her, “David has sent us to you to take you to him as his wife.” And she rose and bowed with her face to the ground and said, “Behold, your handmaid is a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.” And Abigail hurried and rose and mounted a donkey, and her five young women attended her. She followed the messengers of David and became his wife.

David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and both of them became his wives. Saul had given Michal his daughter, David’s wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was of Gallim. – 1 Samuel 25:39-44 ESV

In these closing verses of chapter 25, we are given a glimpse into an area of David’s life that was going to prove an ongoing problem for him throughout his life. He loved women. And this attraction to the opposite sex would be a constant thorn in his side even after becoming king. He would even pass on this propensity to his son, Solomon, who took David’s obsession with women to a whole new level.

Now King Solomon loved many foreign women. Besides Pharaoh’s daughter, he married women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon, and from among the Hittites. The Lord had clearly instructed the people of Israel, “You must not marry them, because they will turn your hearts to their gods.” Yet Solomon insisted on loving them anyway. He had 700 wives of royal birth and 300 concubines. And in fact, they did turn his heart away from the Lord. – 1 Kings 11:1-3 NLT

And all of this, as the passage reflects, was in direct violation of God’s commands.

The king must not take many wives for himself, because they will turn his heart away from the LORD. – Deuteronomy 17:17 NLT

Yet, after David finally became king, he would continue his practice of accumulating wives, in direct violation of God’s command.

After moving from Hebron to Jerusalem, David married more concubines and wives, and they had more sons and daughters. – 2 Samuel 5:13 NLT

David was a man after God’s own heart, but he was far from perfect. Women were his Achilles heel. And he found Abigail highly attractive. On top of that, she was godly, wise, assertive, brave, insightful, and a take-charge kind of woman. And it didn’t hurt that she was recently widowed. In fact, David didn’t seem to give Nabal’s body time to cool off before he made the move on Abigail, asking her to marry him.

The text ends with the statement that “David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and both of them became his wives” (1 Samuel 25:43 ESV). It also references Michal, David’s first wife, whom he had to leave behind when he fled from Saul. She was eventually given to another man, but David most likely didn’t know that at the time. So effectively, he had three wives at one time. Again, in direct disobedience to the will of God.

Why is this important? It provides us with an insight into the life of this man who would prove to be Israel’s greatest king and who, as has already been pointed out, was declared by God to be a man after His own heart. David loved God. He wanted to serve God. He had a deep desire to honor and obey God. But he also had a sin nature, just like the rest of us. And one of David’s weak spots would be his attraction to women. Satan would repeatedly use this weakness to his own advantage, tempting David to give in to his overactive libido. David would learn to justify his actions, excusing his sexual obsession as natural and normal. And yet, this sinful proclivity was a spiritual weakness, a chink in his armor that would make him an easy target for the enemy.

There are some less-than-flattering similarities between David and the Old Testament judge, Samson, when it comes to this issue. During a time when the Jews were being tormented by the Philistines because of their disobedience, God raised up Samson to be their judge and deliverer. He was a powerful man, but he had a particular weakness.

One day when Samson was in Timnah, one of the Philistine women caught his eye. When he returned home, he told his father and mother, “A young Philistine woman in Timnah caught my eye. I want to marry her. Get her for me.” – Judges 14:1-2 NLT

Like David, Samson couldn’t keep his eyes or his hands off of women. His mother and father tried to reason with Samson and talk him out of choosing a wife who was a pagan, but he would not listen.

“Get her for me! She looks good to me.” – Judges 14:3 NLT

Later on we read, “One day Samson went to the Philistine town of Gaza and spent the night with a prostitute” (Judges 16:1 NLT). And then, “Some time later Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who lived in the valley of Sorek” (Judges 16:4 NLT). Each of these women would prove to be a thorn in Samson’s side. They would cause him much grief and sorrow. And his dalliance with Delilah would result in his own death.

David too, would struggle with a lustful, almost lascivious attraction to women. The most infamous story concerning David and his love affair with the opposite sex involves his affair with Bathsheba. David was the king. He was rich, powerful, and happily married to several women already. But one day, as he walked on the rooftop patio of his palace, he spied Bathsheba bathing alfresco. David was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The passage tells us “In the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to war, David sent Joab and the Israelite army to fight the Ammonites…However, David stayed behind in Jerusalem” (2 Samuel 11:1 NLT). David wasn’t where he was supposed to be. He was the warrior-king, but instead of doing battle with the Ammonites, David would end up battling his own lusts and losing. His lust for Bathsheba quickly turned to action and he had sex with her. When their affair resulted in her pregnancy, he began a cover-up campaign, that eventually led him to have her husband, a faithful soldier in his army, purposely exposed and killed on the front lines of battle. All so David could marry his wife and cover up his illicit affair.

James provides us with a stark explanation of how this whole process works.

Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. – James 1:14-15 NLT

David was a man after God’s own heart, but he had a problem. His heart was divided. He loved women. He saw them as a source of satisfaction, comfort, pleasure and self-worth. They made him feel good. They provided him with companionship. Perhaps they helped fulfill his need for conquest. Whatever drove his love affair with women, it would end up distracting him from what should have been his primary focus: His love for and dedication to God.

The chapter ends with the statement that “Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was of Gallim” (1 Samuel 25:44 ESV). This is important, because, while it might be easy to use this as an explanation why David took Abigail to be his wife, it falls short. Years later, when David became king and Saul was dead, he would send for Michal, demanding that Ish-bosheth, the sole remaining heir to the throne of Saul, hand her over.

So David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, saying, “Give me my wife Michal, to whom I was betrothed for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.”  Ish-bosheth sent and took her from her husband, from Paltiel the son of Laish. But her husband went with her, weeping as he went, and followed her as far as Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go, return.” So he returned. – 2 Samuel 3:14-16 ESV

In spite of the fact that David had married multiple wives since his departure from Saul’s palace, he had not been able to stop thinking about Michal. He had to have her. So he had her forcibly removed from her husband. And like so many of David’s decisions regarding women, this one would prove to be less-than-ideal. Michal would end up despising David and his God. Their marriage would produce little in the way of love and no offspring.

David had a propensity to be driven by desire, and that desire would prove to be a distraction throughout his life. Even in his old age, near the point of death, an attractive woman would play a significant role in his life.

King David was now very old, and no matter how many blankets covered him, he could not keep warm. So his advisers told him, “Let us find a young virgin to wait on you and look after you, my lord. She will lie in your arms and keep you warm.”

So they searched throughout the land of Israel for a beautiful girl, and they found Abishag from Shunem and brought her to the king. The girl was very beautiful, and she looked after the king and took care of him. But the king had no sexual relations with her. – 1 Kings 1:1-4 NLT

We all have weaknesses. Each of us has our spiritual Achilles heel, which Satan, our enemy, knows about and takes full advantage of at every opportunity. He tempts, lures and entices us. He baits the hook with the very thing we find most attractive. It may be sex, popularity, material possessions, pleasure, a sense of accomplishment, power, or any of a number of things. In essence, our weakness is nothing more than an insight into what we have made an idol in our life – a god that serves as a stand-in or substitute for the one true God. For David, women because his go-to choice for satisfaction, self-worth, and a sense of joy. Sexual pleasure was his idol of choice. What is yours? What do you turn to other than God? What do you worship in place of God? Anything that we allow to rob God of worship is a weakness in our lives that must be confessed and removed. When God said, “You must not have any other god but me” (Exodus 20:3 NLT), He meant it. And David was going to have to learn to believe it.

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

Samson Versus Paul.

Judges 15-16, Acts 25

But he did not know that the Lord had left him. ­– Judges 16:20 ESV

Samson and Paul were both men who had been hand-picked by God to serve on His behalf. Samson was to act as a judge of the people of Israel, rescuing them from the persecution of the Philistines who surrounded them. Paul was to be God's witness to the Gentiles, introducing them to the Good News regarding Jesus Christ, and providing them with a means of experiencing freedom from slavery to sin and the condemnation of death for their rebellion against God. These men were both servants of God, and eventually they both found themselves imprisoned. But that is where the similarity ends. Samson was an impetuous, impertinent servant of God, who was driven by his passions and controlled by his lusts. He comes across like a ill-tempered child who was constantly demanding his own way. He never seemed to take his role as a judge of the people of Israel seriously. It all appeared as a game to him. Rather than see his superhuman strength as a gift from God, he used it to his own advantage. Instead of taking his Nazarite vow seriously, and understanding that it was a symbol of his separation to God; he treated it flippantly, regularly violating his commitment to God. On the other hand, Paul was a faithful servant of God, who took his role seriously and served his God obediently. And while both men ended up as prisoners, the circumstances that led to their imprisonment could not have been any more different. Samson had repeatedly chosen to align himself with the enemies of Israel, seeking sexual relationships with three different Philistine women. He seemed to view his supernatural strength as a toy to be played with, rather than a Spirit-endowed gift to be stewarded and used with care. And yet, in spite of Samson's flaws and faithlessness, God continued to use him. Samson's unworthiness did not prevent God from accomplishing His divine plan concerning Samson. He would serve as judge of Israel for 20 years. He would destroy many Philistines during that time. But unlike Paul, Samson's life and ministry would be marked by unfaithfulness and a disregard for the holiness of God and the integrity of his own calling.

What does this passage reveal about God?

Over and over again, we see how Samson's lack of spiritual integrity got him into trouble. His moral compass seemed to be broken, causing him to make poor choices and leaving him in less-than-perfect circumstances. And yet we read, “Then the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him” (Judges 15:14 ESV). In spite of him, God still used him, because God had something He wanted to accomplish through him. God's plan was greater than Samson. God's righteous agenda was not tied to or limited by Samson's unrighteous character. It is interesting to note that Samson's darkest moments are marked by an absence of the presence of God. But his greatest accomplishments are the direct result of God's divine empowerment. It seems that when Samson found himself blind, shorn of his hair, and devoid of his strength, he finally realized that God was the sole source of his significance. As he stood before his captors, forced to entertain them as they attributed his defeat to their pagan god, Samson called out to God for the first time in his life. “Oh Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once. O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes” (Judges 16:28 ESV). He realized that without God, he was nothing. His strength had been from God. His victories had all been God's doing. And now, at his darkest hour, he called out to God. But even as he cried out, his motivation remained selfish and self-centered. He wanted to avenge himself, not God. He wanted to repay his enemies for his lost eyesight, not for their mocking of his God. And yet, God still answered him. One last time, Samson received divine enablement to inflict punishment on the enemies of Israel. “So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life” (Judges 16:30 ESV).

What does this passage reveal about man?

We have a mistaken perspective that allows us to believe that somehow God is restricted to only using those who are useful. We somehow think that God is relegated to accomplishing His divine will through those who prove themselves worthy. But the Scriptures paint a different picture. God is not limited by the availability and worthiness of men. He is fully capable of accomplishing His will with us or without us. And even when God used men who appeared to be worthy, He did so in ways that to us seemed unexpected and unnecessary. That Paul had to be persecuted by the Jews and arrested by the Romans seems so counter-productive. Wouldn't it have made more sense for him to remain free and continue this work on behalf of the Gospel? But God, in His divine wisdom, chose to allow Paul to be arrested and taken before Festus and even King Agrippa, and eventually imprisoned in Rome. This was all part of His plan. We could easily tend to see Paul's imprisonments as setbacks and road blocks to the Kingdom's cause. But had not Paul been imprisoned, most of the letters he wrote that comprise our New Testament would never have seen the light of day. Had not God forced Paul to take time off the road from his travels, he would have never put in writing the great theological truths found in Romans. We would not have his Spirit-inspired insights into the body of Christ found in Ephesians. We would be without a clear understanding of the role of the Spirit found in the book of Galatians. God had a purpose in his plan for Paul's life. God's ways are not our ways. God used Paul, not because he was worthy, but because God chose to use him. God used Samson, not because Samson deserved to be used, but because God chose to use him. God's divine plan is not restricted to or limited by our usefulness.

How would I apply what I’ve read to my own life?

God is going to accomplish His will in the world. And He will use whomever He chooses to use to accomplish it. My goal should not be to try and make myself useable by or useful to God, but to understand that God will use me in spite of me, not because of me. My objective should be to remain faithful to Him, not so I can be used by Him, but simply because He has been faithful to me. Had Samson simply looked back on his life, he would have seen that his many exploits had been the work of God, not himself. His victories had been God's doing, not the result of his superhuman strength. Paul had the capacity to see everything in his life as the result of the work of God. That is why he could say, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:11-13 ESV). Paul knew the source of his strength. He knew that God was capable of using any and all circumstances to accomplish His will in and through his life. My greatest value to God comes in recognizing that I really offer nothing of value to God. He doesn't need me, but He still uses me. Samson presents the sad picture of a man who gave his life to accomplish God's will, but he did so selfishly focused on his own agenda and his own selfish desires. It was all about him all the way to the end. Paul portrays the life of an individual who willing to suffer insult, imprisonment, indignity and injustice – all so that God's will might be accomplished and the Gospel be spread. That is the man I want to be. That is the life I want to live.

Father, give me the heart of Paul. Forgive me for the many times I act like Samson, childish, self-centered and stubbornly focused on my own desires. Help me to increasingly understand that Your will is greater than my own. Let me continue to learn that Your way is the only way. You don't need me, but You use me. Don't let me get distracted by my own usefulness or usability, but on Your sovereignty. You are in control. Help me to see that You are at work behind the scenes in my life. Help me to accept Your will regarding my life and rejoice in Your use of me, no matter what it may look like or how it may appear. Amen

Righteousness, Self-Control and Judgment.

Judges 13-14, Acts 24

And as he reasoned about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed, and said, “Go away for the present. When I get an opportunity I will summon you.” ­– Acts 24:25 ESV

God has an expectation for mankind. He created us for a reason. There was a purpose and a plan behind His making of man. Adam and Eve were created to have an intimate, uninterrupted relationship with God, and were to rule over and care for the rest of His creation. But sin entered the scene. From that moment forward the relationship between God and man would be radically changed. Rather than live according to God's expectations and follow His plan for them, Adam and Eve would find themselves selfishly seeking their own way and living according to their own self-centered agenda. From that point forward, their lives would be marked by sin – a willful breaking of the requirements of God for their lives. They would spend the rest of their lives violating God's will and suffering from a broken relationship with the very One who had made them. This damaged relationship between God and man is at the heart of the Scriptures. The effects of sin can be seen throughout the pages of the Bible, from beginning to end. Since the time of Adam and Eve, mankind has been marked by unrighteousness and a lack of self-control. The condition of mankind is that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 ESV). “Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins” (Ecclesiastes 7:20 ESV). And because every man and woman who has ever lived is guilty of sin, they stand condemned before God and worthy of punishment. And according to the Scriptures, “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23 ESV).  So God's preordained plan was to send His Son to deal with and provide the remedy for man's sin problem. “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8 ESV).

What does this passage reveal about God?

Our righteous, holy God has chosen to work with and through flawed, sometimes faithless and always sin-prone men and women. The judges God used to rescue His people in the Old Testament were imperfect and far from righteous. They tended to exhibit unrighteous characteristics and a marked lack of self-control, and Samson was no exception. He was driven by his passions and a walking contradiction to his role as God's deliverer. He regularly broke his vows as a Nazarite and lived with the focus always on his desires and driven by his natural passions. And yet God used him. That is the amazing part of the story. When Samson demanded that his father give him a woman from among the Philistines, his father “didn't know that is was from the Lord, for he was seeking an opportunity against the Philistines” (Judges 14:4 ESV). Even after Samson broke his Nazarite vow and defiled himself by eating honey from a hive he found in the carcass of a dead animal, God would fill him with His Spirit and cause him to defeat the enemies of Israel. This flawed, faithless man would be used by God – in spite of himself. And yet God's desire and expectation for Samson was the same as it He has for every man and woman He has ever created. He longs for us to live righteously and exhibiting self-control over our lives. And God knows that every one of us faces His judgment one day when we will answer for our sins and pay for our rebellion against Him. And not one human being who has ever lived has ever been able to perfectly live up to God's expectations for them – except one. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, became a man so that He might live the life that God expected of us all. He alone was able to live righteously and practice perfect self-control, dying to His own desires and living in perfect obedience to the will of God the Father. Jesus was the man, “who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15 ESV).

What does this passage reveal about man?

The expectation of God for mankind has always been a life of righteousness, living in perfect submission and obedience to His will for them. He gave the people of Israel His law so that they would be without excuse, knowing full well just what He expected. But they couldn't pull it off. They didn't have within them the capacity to live in obedience to His law. And yet, the expectation has never changed. God didn't lower His standards when man failed to measure up. His purpose behind giving the law was not just to reveal His expectations, but to expose man's limitations. He wanted men to know that they were incomplete and incapable of living up to His righteous standards. They needed help. They had to come to grip with the fact that they were sinners in need of a Savior. Their sin had condemned them to judgment and only God's Son provided the solution. This was exactly what Paul discussed with the Roman governor, Felix, day after day during his house arrest in Caesarea. “…Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and heard him speak about ‘faith’ in Christ Jesus. And as he reasoned about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed” (Acts 24:24-25 ESV). And Felix should have been alarmed, because what Paul was telling him was that God had an expectation of Felix and his wife. The same expectation He has had for every man and women who has ever lived. He expected Felix and Drusilla to live in perfect righteousness and practice self-control. And if they didn't, they would face judgment at the hands of God. That should alarm anyone and everyone. That is the message of the Bible. That is the purpose behind the redemptive plan of God for mankind. It is the reason Jesus Christ came, died, and was raised again. That He might pay the price we all deserve to pay for our sins.

How would I apply what I’ve read to my own life?

God has high expectations for every one of us. In fact, His expectations are impossible. No one can live up to His righteous standards. So we all fall short. And because we fall short, we're all guilty and worthy of His righteous, holy judgment. But God provided a solution to man's problem. He offered us a means of salvation that was based on something other than our own self-effort. Paul reminds us, “Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it” (Ephesians 2:9 ESV). If left to our own feeble efforts, we would all have fallen short of God's righteous expectations. But God provided a better way, the only way for men to be made right with Him. And that “Way” is what Paul discussed with Felix that day. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 ESV). He alone provides the means by which men can be made right with God. He alone provides us with a way to live righteously and under self-control. He alone provides us with freedom from future judgment because He has paid for our sins and satisfied our debt to God. But as a recipient of God's amazing grace, I must never lose sight of the fact that His expectations of mankind have never changed. He still demands a life of righteousness. He still expects us to practice self-control. And He wants us to fully understand the reality and gravity of the judgment to come. While I live with the confidence and peace that “there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1 ESV), I must always remember and appreciate that I once lived with the threat of judgment hanging over my head. “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11 ESV).

Father, thank You that I have had my sins forgiven and my future made secure through the gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ. I can now do what You have always expected me to do: live righteousness, with self-control. I can live according to Your expectations because You have given me Your Spirit. I have a power I once did not possess. And Your Son's death has paid my penalty and freed me from future judgment. Don't ever let me take that reality for granted. Amen