Salvogesis

We read about the end of Samson’s life and we have just read about the beginning of his life and a covenant that his mom and dad were encouraged to enter into with God on behalf of their son – and their whole nation, actually.   Do we know what a covenant is? A covenant is an agreement. I covenant is promise. A covenant is a contract. It is a holy contract. Mostly today if we use this word covenant it will be in relationship to our marriage covenants – in that covenant, among other things, people promise not to date other people but to forsake all others. Sometimes people enter into sobriety covenants to help them break free of addiction – they promise not to drink again and other things. And when someone becomes a full member of The Salvation Army we enter into a soldier’s covenant where we also promise to do and not to do certain things as a way of saying we are part of this movement.   COVENANTS are very important to the Lord. In his article 'Till I Die' (Nov - Dec ...

These stories (Esther, Terah, Barak, and many like them) have impacted my theology greatly over the years. I think this is one of the many keys to comprehending how God works in our world.   These passages and stories of which they are a part really answer the question, “What do I do when God is calling me to do something?” “What do I do when the Lord has put someone on my heart?”  and to some extent, in some ways, “What happens if I don’t do what God asks me to do?”  “Can God be thwarted?” He can’t. Luke Chapter 19:40: “I tell you…if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”   Luke 19 has the very good news that if it is the time that God wants something done, He will do it. God loves us and He will reach out to us to help us in our distress. The question for us today is what happens if God wants to use us to reach out to others in distress and we refuse? The short answer is that God will do it anyway. In the stories of Barak and of Terah we see that because t...

This is a very important passage for our world today. Judges 2:1-5: The angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, "I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land that I swore to give to your forefathers. I said, 'I will never break my covenant with you, and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall break down their altars.' Yet you have disobeyed me. Why have you done this? Now therefore I tell you that I will not drive them out before you; they will be thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you." When the angel of the LORD had spoken these things to all the Israelites, the people wept aloud, and they called that place Bokim (weepers). There they offered sacrifices to the LORD. This is disappointing; it’s a sad but very important passage from which to launch the stories of the so-called Judges.[1] This pericope (Joshua 2:1-5) explains why the Israelites and their allies suffer hundreds of year...

Today we read in Genesis about the LORD reducing the size of Abraham’s entourage for harmony and we read in Judges about the LORD reducing Gideon’s numbers for mission. The passage in Judges comes near the end of a very difficult time. Some people – at least the tribe of Manasseh, probably the tribes of Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali as well - and maybe even more or all of the Israelites have been under the control of the Midianites for 7 years.[1] And this was not the first time that they had been in dire straights, under the control of another and having everything that they had seen built, torn down bit by bit so that more and more of their people are fleeing and in hiding (cf. Judges 3-5). It is in this context that the people of Israel cry out to the LORD and, Judges 6:7-10: When the Israelites cried out to the Lord because of Midian, he sent them a prophet, who said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. I r...

I enjoy kayaking when I have the opportunity. This morning I had the opportunity. It was quite nice I saw cormorants, ducks, geese, a seal, and a number heron. I went out early in the morning, kayaked for a few hours and then returned before 10am. When I left after 6am, it wasn't that difficult to set out. I had to carry the kayak over a few rocks but it wasn't that difficult. It was certainly manageable anyway. While I was admiring the birds and kayaking around the bays, however, something happened: the tide went out. The tide went way out. I have been kayaking in this area a number of times over the years and I have never seen the tide that far out before. I paddled around the corner from where I launched in order to land and I noticed that the beach had grown by quite a distance which meant that I had a long way to carry my kayak before I could put it away. Kayaks are relatively light and light and I am not that heavy so I was able to paddle quite a way into the shallow ...

Covenants are important to the Lord. I am reminded of Samson. Samson was bound by a covenant without an expiry date (Jdgs 13:7) that he did not even willingly enter into (Jdgs 13, Cf. 1 Sam 1, Lk 1, Lev 27.28-29) and he struggled to keep. Samson was not to drink nor was he to defile himself. Samson was however a liar at times (Jdgs 16:7ff) and a killer (Jdgs 14:19). He visited prostitutes (Judges 16:1). He put himself and others ahead of God at times (Jdgs 14:17). Samson disobeyed his vows. Samson transgressed his covenant with God. The Lord did not forsake him though (Jdgs 16:22, Rom 3:3,4). At times Samson did follow the Lord’s direction. At times he experienced the blessings that accompanied his covenant. At times Samson drew on the strength of the Lord and was used greatly by God to accomplish His purposes. At other times Samson sinned. Every time Samson turned to and drew on the strength of the Lord, the Lord delivered him. No matter what Samson did, the Lord did not leav...