Strength Day by Day

Samson is known in scripture for his superhuman strength made possible by the Holy Spirit.  His feats of strength, however, were accompanied by moral failings and spiritual weakness.  The Spirit of the LORD moved him to pursue a wife of the Philistines because God sought an occasion against the Philistines, and God made Samson a judge in Israel after miraculous victories in battle.

After the woman Samson previously married had been murdered, we do not read of Samson marrying again.  Instead he sought the services of a harlot and then lived in sin with a woman of Sorek named Delilah whom he loved.  She was employed by the Philistines to discover the secret of Samson's strength, and harped on him constantly.  As the days passed her tears wore down the resolve of Israel's strong man, even as solid rock is carved by water.  Judges 16:16-17 says, "And it came to pass, when she pestered him daily with her words and pressed him, so that his soul was vexed to death, ¹⁷ that he told her all his heart, and said to her, "No razor has ever come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother's womb. If I am shaven, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man."  A man who slew 1,000 Philistine warriors with the jawbone of a donkey in one battle was overcome by Delilah on her couch.

The life of Joseph provides an interesting contrast, for though he was not a Nazarite from birth he feared God.  When his master Potiphar's wife commanded him to sleep with her, Joseph refused the direct order because it was great wickedness in the eyes of God.  Genesis 39:10 says, "So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her."  Though she pestered Joseph day by day, he was wise not to listen to her, to sleep with her or even be around her.  The fear of God moved Joseph to wisely avoid the woman who tempted him to sin, and he overcome her advances without the superhuman strength that Samson possessed.  This demonstrates how spiritual strength is more important than physical strength, and the Holy Spirit is able to provide both as the situation requires.

Proverbs 9:10 says, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."  Those who know the almighty God fear Him, and this knowledge of what is pleasing and offensive to God guides our steps in doing His will.  Samson willfully transgressed by his illicit sexual relationships and was easily overcome by Delilah's pestering.  Joseph knew adultery was great wickedness in God's eyes and thus was empowered by God's grace to walk wisely and circumspectly.  Should we find ourselves worn down by temptation to sin and cannot flee from it, this can be evidence our hearts have already strayed from the fear of God.  Praise the LORD God renews our strength daily when we wait on Him, and those who seek Jesus Christ will always be guided to walk in wisdom.

Changed Heart and Mind

For a Christian feelings of guilt can provide motivation, but the love of God is a far better one.  People can "guilt" others to manipulate their behaviour yet scripture shows us this was never the way employed by Jesus.  Even after Peter denied Jesus He did not resort to attempts to manipulate his behaviour, for conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit lead to repentance and restoration.  A change of heart and mind is needed more than behaviour modification due to guilt.

A lot of believers can feel guilty because they have sinned by doing wrong or have fallen short of doing what was right.  There can be a persistent feeling we are not measuring up to a relative standard we have set for ourselves, usually by measuring ourselves by the arbitrary standards of personal experience or that of others.  Perhaps we have read a book or heard a sermon that invokes feelings of guilt over neglect of prayer.  Thus we think, "I haven't been praying enough.  I need to pray more."  Because this realisation has not resulted with intentional action, we can perpetually wallow in guilt rather than be moved by our feelings to repentance and right actions.

This whole mentality of needing to do good things "more" betrays a misunderstanding that we must measure up, and the implication is if we measure up by meeting our arbitrary standard we can avoid bad feelings of guilt.  Thus avoiding negative feelings becomes our selfish motivation instead of joyful obedience to Jesus.  Rather than saying, "I need to pray more" we would be better saying, "I need to pray" and actually do it.  The Bible never says we should pray more but to pray without ceasing and in everything give thanks (1 Thess. 5:17-18).  To say we need to pray more is like saying I want to be a "good Christian" when being a Christian is simply what matters.  Our actions flow out of who we are as born again children of God filled with the Holy Spirit, not from effort of the flesh to act like one.

There is what could be called a faux guilt around others to justify ourselves.  Some have said, "I haven't read the Bible much lately; I'm so bad."  Neglect is bad, and for those who believe this is true will make plan and conscious effort to avoid it.  It is ironic these sorts of statements are more an indication of pride than humility, for the proud make themselves a primary focus rather than God.  It is not that we are so bad, but God is so good that we look to Him and read His word with intention to obey.  With our minds instructed by God's word and our hearts surrendered to His will, we are greatly helped in time of present need.

The Rod Before the Axe

When the disciples suggested they step into Elijah's sandals and call down fire from heaven upon those who rejected Jesus, Luke 9:55-56 recorded His response:  "But He turned and rebuked them, and said, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. ⁵⁶ For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them." And they went to another village."  God who created mankind is inclined to show mercy and save sinners, not destroy them.  Though He is just, He is also gracious, compassionate and longsuffering.  If this was not the case, not one of us would remain.

C.H. Spurgeon said in a sermon, "The LORD usually brings the rod before the axe."  This is seen throughout the scripture concerning God's dealings with people.  For about 100 years Noah was a preacher of righteousness as he built the ark, using a rod of rebuke to warn lost sinners judgment was coming.  God sent Moses to tell Pharaoh to let God's people go and sent plagues upon Egypt that increased in severity until the final plague that killed the firstborn of man and beast throughout the land.  God did not begin with a deadly plague but with miracles and earnest warnings of what was to come, and the words were confirmed by the LORD's signs through Moses.

On two occasions during the life of Jesus, He went into the Temple and overturned the tables of money changers and drove out the animals sold in illicit trade.  Even as the LORD and angels went down to Sodom in response to the cry that rose up to heaven, Jesus walked through the Temple to observe everything that took place there before He took decisive action the following day (Mark 11:11-19).  What God intended to be a house of prayer had been made a den of thieves, and the quote of Jesus from the prophet Jeremiah strongly suggests coming judgment for sin.  To have tables overthrown and animals driven from the Temple was a foretaste of what God would do through the Romans who sacked Jerusalem and left no stone unturned in their destruction of the Temple.  Jesus did not kill anyone when He cleansed the Temple, yet many would perish when God purged Jerusalem in 70AD.

Since we are born again by the Spirit of the living God, it is good for us to adopt His approach to conflicts and situations of our lives.  We can be guilty of taking the axe to a relationship when we have neglected to gently confront or rebuke someone for an offense against us or others.  Perhaps there are parents who have "cut off" their children without taking decisive action to discipline or adequately warn those who strayed.  We can internalise frustrations and never voice our concerns in a constructive way until we are done.  We might also have been victimised by this behaviour, having been cut off without a word or a legitimate reason from our view.  It is natural to treat others like they have treated us rather than loving others like Jesus loves us.  How gracious is God to provide the rod before the axe, and may we do the same.

Having Peace With God

I read a book recently that contained a lot of valuable points.  It is important when reading books that are not the Bible, to view them through the lens of scripture and the Gospel.  There may be many things in this world that are accepted and even seem beneficial but are not biblical.  Even as we are discerning about the ingredients of dishes or take note of calories for our physical health, we ought to be wise concerning our spiritual nutrition.  Nothing is as vital for our spiritual and practical consumption as the milk and meat of God's word.

This book about apology languages and forgiveness would have had my stamp of approval until the penultimate chapter which camped on the benefits of "apologising to ourselves."  Chapman and Thomas wrote:

"When you apologize to someone else, you hope the apology will remove the barrier between the two of you so that your relationship can continue to grow.  When you apologize to yourself, you are seeking to remove the emotional disequilibrium between the person you want to be (the ideal self) and the person you are (the real self).  The greater the distance between the ideal self and the real self, the greater the intensity of the inner emotional turmoil.  Being "at peace with oneself" occurs when we remove the distance between the ideal self and the real self."  (Chapman, Gary D., and Jennifer Thomas. The 5 Apology Languages: The Secret to Healthy Relationships. Northfield Publishing, 2022. page 158)

While some may find this helpful or insightful, this perspective is not presented or sustained anywhere in the Bible.  There is no division between an "ideal self" and the "real self," for our real self (which is inherently fleshly and sinful) cannot ascertain what our ideal self even is or how to become that person.  It is not in us to be anyone other than we are.  The only Person who can measure up to God's level of perfection worth emulating is Jesus Christ, and being God it is we who have transgressed and wronged him by our sinful thoughts, attitudes, words and conduct.  Our problem with sin is not merely an emotional one but a spiritual one, for our sin separates us from God.

Never in scripture is it put forth as our aim to "be at peace with oneself," but the Gospel has been provided so we lost and doomed sinners can have peace with God.  It is Jesus who is our Peace.  Romans 5:1-2 says, "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."  Being "at peace" suggests a transitory condition that can change based upon our circumstances or how we feel, but having peace with God through our LORD Jesus Christ is a constant.  It is not about us spanning the gap by our own apologies or forgiveness that provides perfect peace, but by faith in Jesus Christ.  We confess our sins to Him, repent, receive forgiveness and access grace in which we stand.

God rejoices over one soul that repents, and we can also rejoice in hope of the glory of God.  How blessed we are who were once far from God because of our sins, yet have been brought near to God by His grace.  Inner peace is a fleeting mirage, and peace with God is what matters most to our spiritual growth and well-being.