March 23rd reading: Judges 13 - 16
Judges 14 - 16 Samson's lack of self control
1) Self Control is a fruit of the Spirit (See Galatians 5:22-23)
2) Samson's Background: Nazirite: set apart for service to God (See Numbers 6), "to begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines". Judges 13:5
Nazirites (Numbers 6) should not eat or drink grape based food and drinks. They also should avoid dead bodies and not cut their hair. Samuel and John the Baptist where also life long Nazirites.
(I used to get Nazarite confused with Nazarene: someone from Nazareth)
3) Samson was lead astray by his relations with Philistine women, which went against his parents wishes and God's commands. (See Deutronomy 7:3-6).
4) Samson lacked control in what he ate. Eating honey from a lion's carcass in a vineyard, and offering it to his parent's would seem to go against Leviticus 11.
5) Samson lacked self control in what he said. (Judges 16:17) This allowed the Philistines to capture him.
There are alot of scriptures about be careful of what you say.
Here are some from Proverbs that use the word tongue: Proverb 6:17, 10:19, 12:18, 15:4, 17:20, 21:23, 25:13, 26:28, 28:23, and 31:26.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
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2 comments:
Self control requires a sacrificial heart. Kevin Mains did a lesson this Sunday about being a Living Sacrifice based off of Romans 12. I feel like I’m starting to see God’s heart more and more as we see how people react to God’s direction. God has a plan and Samson is a part of it. But because of Samson’s lack of self control he doesn’t benefit from God’s plan. None the less God’s plan is successful. To this day God continues to have plans on how to save and protect His people and we are all a part of it. It’s up to us if we want to benefit from God’s plans or get crushed along with the rest of the world.
self control is the act of denying yourself...the cornerstone of being a christian. 'deny yourself and take up his cross daily and follow Jesus'
it is easier to be comfortable than be radical. it is no longer about me, but what God wants.
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it is so important to be careful what we say to others. our words are very powerful. (James 1:26- If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless!) God hates gossipers, slanders and deceptive speech. we must have self-control in what we share...that it may benefit those who listen.
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