Kansas City, Missouri, United States - Reflecting God – Embrace Holy Living - “Vengeance and Redemption” – Wednesday, 1 October 2014 - Scripture: Judges 16:18-31

Kansas City, Missouri, United States - Reflecting God – Embrace Holy Living - “Vengeance and Redemption” – Wednesday, 1 October 2014 - Scripture: Judges 16:18 When Delilah realized that he had told her his secret, she sent for the Philistine tyrants, telling them, “Come quickly—this time he’s told me the truth.” They came, bringing the bribe money.
19 When she got him to sleep, his head on her lap, she motioned to a man to cut off the seven braids of his hair. Immediately he began to grow weak. His strength drained from him.
20 Then she said, “The Philistines are on you, Samson!” He woke up, thinking, “I’ll go out, like always, and shake free.” He didn’t realize that God had abandoned him.
21-22 The Philistines grabbed him, gouged out his eyes, and took him down to Gaza. They shackled him in irons and put him to the work of grinding in the prison. But his hair, though cut off, began to grow again.
23-24 The Philistine tyrants got together to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon. They celebrated, saying,
Our god has given us
Samson our enemy!
And when the people saw him, they joined in, cheering their god,
Our god has given
Our enemy to us,
The one who ravaged our country,
Piling high the corpses among us.
25-27 Then this: Everyone was feeling high and someone said, “Get Samson! Let him show us his stuff!” They got Samson from the prison and he put on a show for them.
They had him standing between the pillars. Samson said to the young man who was acting as his guide, “Put me where I can touch the pillars that hold up the temple so I can rest against them.” The building was packed with men and women, including all the Philistine tyrants. And there were at least three thousand in the stands watching Samson’s performance.
28 And Samson cried out to God:
Master, God!
    Oh, please, look on me again,
    Oh, please, give strength yet once more.
God!
    With one avenging blow let me be avenged
    On the Philistines for my two eyes!
29-30 Then Samson reached out to the two central pillars that held up the building and pushed against them, one with his right arm, the other with his left. Saying, “Let me die with the Philistines,” Samson pushed hard with all his might. The building crashed on the tyrants and all the people in it. He killed more people in his death than he had killed in his life.
31 His brothers and all his relatives went down to get his body. They carried him back and buried him in the tomb of Manoah his father, between Zorah and Eshtaol.
He judged Israel for twenty years.
"Vengeance and Redemption" by David W. Kendall
Samson had not guarded his heart. God had given him great strength and leadership to bless others, but he had carelessly taken God’s goodness for granted. Then the day came when “he did not know that the LORD had left him” (v. 20).
Consequently, Samson lost his freedom, his eyesight, and his leadership. Worse, his people lost peace and security. Samson’s carelessness reflected poorly on God. He made the Lord appear weak and unfaithful to His people.
We like to think God will always give us another chance, and He often does. Even so, the consequences of our sin may continue hurting others. God can redeem our worst sins, but doing so doesn't necessarily relieve the suffering our carelessness inflicts on the people we love.
On the last day of Samson’s life, he prayed for another chance, for redemption. His motives were mixed: he sought vengeance for what the Philistines had done to him and help for the people hurt by his sin. God granted this redemption, but not for Samson’s sake. In the end, Samson accomplished more by dying than by living.
It is better to guard our hearts and avoid carelessness that will hurt others.

Hymn for Today:

"Ye Ransomed Sinners, Hear" by Charles Wesley
1. Ye ransomed sinners, hear,
The prisoners of the Lord;
And wait till Christ appear
According to His Word.
Rejoice in hope; rejoice with me.
Rejoice in hope; rejoice with me.
We shall from all our sins be free.
2. In God we put our trust:
If we our sins confess,
Faithful He is, and just,
From all unrighteousness
To cleanse us all, both you and me;
To cleanse us all, both you and me;
We shall from all our sins be free.
3. Surely in us the hope
Of glory shall appear;
Sinners, your heads lift up
And see redemption near.
Again I say: rejoice with me.
Again I say: rejoice with me.
We shall from all our sins be free.
4. The Word of God is sure,
And never can remove;
We shall in heart be pure
And perfected in love.
Rejoice in hope; rejoice with me.
Rejoice in hope; rejoice with me.
We shall from all our sins be free.
5. Then let us gladly bring
Our sacrifice of praise;
Let us give thanks and sing
And glory in His grace.
Rejoice in hope; rejoice with me.
Rejoice in hope; rejoice with me.
We shall from all our sins be free.
Thought for Today:

“Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. “I’ll do the judging,” says God. “I’ll take care of it.”"(Romans 12:17-19)
Prayer Needs:
That many people in Guyana will come to know Jesus the Christ, Yeshua, and receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit.
____________________________
WordAction Publishing Company
Beacon Hill Press
Nazarene Publishing Company
2500 Troost Avenue
Kansas City, MO 64108 United States[
Embrace holy living…visit reflectinggod.com.
____________________________