"There is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper still" - Corrie ten Boom
I think Chapter 16 proves this quote to be true.
Samson could've had no greater spiritual beginning - the Lord announced his birth, his mother adhered to the dietary rules of the Nazirites as Samson was to be a Nazirite his entire life (another argument for life beginning in the womb), he was to begin to deliver the Israelites from the Philistines, he appeared to have a godly upbringing.
But he choose to go down the wrong path, time after time. He let his lust and his anger - uncontrolled emotions - take him away from God and God's plan for his life.
What path are we going down? Is it leading us closer to God or away from him? Are we allowing uncontrolled emotions to lead us away from God?
Eventually, after Samson's final betrayal, God leaves him and Samson is defeated, imprisoned, humiliated...... and humbled. And in his brokenness he cries out to God and God hears him. His prayer was not perfect, and still at least partly motivated by revenge. But he asked God to remember him (reminiscent of the thief on the cross) and he referred to him as Sovereign Lord and God. And God answered his prayer.
Samson was pretty low. He had done pretty much everything wrong - he was arrogant, he slept with a prostitute, he married a Philistine woman (against God's commands, against his parents wishes/training/advice), he took the credit instead of giving glory to God, he murdered in vengeance, he ignored his vow as a Nazirite. He had fallen into a pretty deep pit. And yet the love of God is deeper still.
Chapters 17 & 18 show how deep the Israelites had fallen into sin. The fact that the sentence in 17:3 begins with "I solemnly consecrate my silver to the Lord...." ends with "for my son to make a carved image and a cast idol" gives us a glimpse into the lies the people had believed. To be honest, these are some depressing chapters. The Israelites are spiraling down into spiritual depravity.
17:6 says "everyone did as he saw fit". Sound familiar? That's pretty much the mantra of our society today. Truth is relative and subjective. There is no absolute truth. You can believe what you want to believe. My truth is different than your truth.
Lies from the pit of hell.
And yet, incredibly, God's love goes deeper still.
No matter how bad things got with the Israelites - when they reached the stage of repentence, God forgave them, again and again.
We have never gone so far that we are beyond the reach of God's love, mercy and forgiveness. God sent His one and only Son to die in our place because of love. Jesus died, once and for all, to open up the way for us to restore our relationship with God. His love, His gift of forgiveness and grace is amazing, it's endless, it's bottomless, it's boundless, it's for everyone and anyone. All we have to do is accept it. Acknowledge our sin, turn to Him in remorse, accept His gift of salvation, and live our lives in gratitude and obedience to our Lord and Saviour. It is finished - the battle is over!
It is Finished - Bill & Gloria Gaither
There's a line that is drawn through the ages
On that line stands an old rugged cross
On that cross, a battle is raging
To gain a man's soul or it's loss
On one side, march the forces of evil
All the demons, all the devils of hell
On the other, the angels of glory
And they meet on Golgotha's hill
The earth shakes with the force of the conflict
And the sun refuses to shine
For there hangs God's son, in the balance
And then through the darkness he cries
It is finished, the battle is over
It is finished, there'll be no more war
It is finished, the end of the conflict
It is finished and Jesus is Lord
Yet in my heart, the battle was still raging
Not all prisoners of war had come home
These were battlefields of my own making
I didn't know that the war had been won
Oh, but then I heard the king of the ages
Had fought all the battles for me
And that victory was mine for the claiming
And now praise his name, I am free.
It is finished, the battle is over
It is finished, there'll be no more war
It is finished, the end of the conflict
It is finished and Jesus is Lord
How Deep the Father's Love for Us - Stuart Townend
How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure
How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory
Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished
I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom
There's a line that is drawn through the ages
On that line stands an old rugged cross
On that cross, a battle is raging
To gain a man's soul or it's loss
On one side, march the forces of evil
All the demons, all the devils of hell
On the other, the angels of glory
And they meet on Golgotha's hill
The earth shakes with the force of the conflict
And the sun refuses to shine
For there hangs God's son, in the balance
And then through the darkness he cries
It is finished, the battle is over
It is finished, there'll be no more war
It is finished, the end of the conflict
It is finished and Jesus is Lord
Yet in my heart, the battle was still raging
Not all prisoners of war had come home
These were battlefields of my own making
I didn't know that the war had been won
Oh, but then I heard the king of the ages
Had fought all the battles for me
And that victory was mine for the claiming
And now praise his name, I am free.
It is finished, the battle is over
It is finished, there'll be no more war
It is finished, the end of the conflict
It is finished and Jesus is Lord
How Deep the Father's Love for Us - Stuart Townend
How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure
How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory
Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished
I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom
Tomorrow's passage (completes the book of Judges): Judges 19-21
1 comment:
I also found these chapters depressing, and the verse about everyone doing as he saw fit practically leaped off the page at me. More and more as we read, I realize that there really is nothing new under the sun. Human nature has not changed one iota in thousands of years. That's not an excuse for our repetition of previously made mistakes, just an observation. We see so clearly the downfall of others in these stories and yet we follow the same patterns and make the same mistakes over and over. How blessed we are that God continues to love us and forgive us when we repent!
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