Day 41
Judges 13 - 16
Bible Time Period: Conquest and Judges
You led Israel triumphantly into the Promised Land. They failed to teach their children, and instead did what was right in their own eyes: Help me to keep my eyes on you and teach others what is truly right.
Today's Reading
Judges 13 - 16
Prayer
Before we judge the Israelites in the period of the Judges too harshly, help us to look honestly at ourselves and our society. We also stray far from You when our lives are full of success and happiness but come running back when adversity drags us down to the depths. You are constant in all things in Your relationship with us, Lord, but sadly we cannot make the same claim. Blessed are those who walk in Your Presence daily. Help us, Lord, in our weakness to lean on You always and to remember not to become over confident in the midst of blessings which we must also acknowledge are the gifts of Your Fatherly affection. We pray in the name of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. (Agape Catholic Bible Study, Judges Lesson 5)
Before we judge the Israelites in the period of the Judges too harshly, help us to look honestly at ourselves and our society. We also stray far from You when our lives are full of success and happiness but come running back when adversity drags us down to the depths. You are constant in all things in Your relationship with us, Lord, but sadly we cannot make the same claim. Blessed are those who walk in Your Presence daily. Help us, Lord, in our weakness to lean on You always and to remember not to become over confident in the midst of blessings which we must also acknowledge are the gifts of Your Fatherly affection. We pray in the name of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. (Agape Catholic Bible Study, Judges Lesson 5)
Samson
Probably the best known of the Judges. He was the instrument of deliverance from the Philistines at the time of prolonged Philistine domination (Judges 13 - 16).
Probably the best known of the Judges. He was the instrument of deliverance from the Philistines at the time of prolonged Philistine domination (Judges 13 - 16).
Samson was the son of Manoah, of the village of Zoprah of the tribe of Dan. His mother had been barren, like Sarah, Hannah, and Elizabeth, and his birth was thus the result of a miracle that was announced by an angel (Judges 13:3). He was to be a Nazirite from birth.
Samson was famous for his incredible physical strength, but he had an equally incredible weakness for women and reckless behavior. His strong passions led to his marriage to a Philistine woman in Timnah. The union proved a disaster as a result of the ongoing problems between the Israelites and Philistines; he lost his wife, and a bloody feud with the Philistines followed.
Samson's strength came entirely from God. His uncut hair was a sign of his Nazirite vow and his commitment to God. But Samson's undoing was his sexual weakness. His involvement with a harlot in Gaza led to his being trapped by the enemy. His weakness caused him to show little concern for his Nazirite commitment to God. For this reason the Spirit of the Lord withdrew from him (Judges 16:18-22)(Catholic Bible Dictionary General Editor, Scott Hahn, page 809)
Today's Reading
Judges 13 - 16
Commentary
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