10-09-05

A GREAT MYSTERY

(Isa 66:8)  Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth [chuwl, khool; to twist or whirl (in a circular or spiral manner)] in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed [chuwl, khool], she brought forth her children.

(Jer 31:22)  How long wilt thou go about, O thou backsliding daughter? for the LORD hath created a new thing in the earth, A woman shall compass a man [i.e. the Body of Christ].

OUR LIFETIMES ARE IN REALITY THE BIRTHING PROCESS OF THE SONS OF GOD

Samson is the complete narrative of the transitory earthly life of “the son of man” beginning from his born again, holy, caterpillar stage and concluding with his butterfly stage. This world is his/our cocoon. Therein, Samson is a composite archetypical representation of all individual Christians beginning from the moment of our salvation, our being born again holy, represented by Samson’s birth as a Nazarite, and forward in our then still predominately carnal sinful nature, a dual-natured, i.e. Jerusalem, holy sinner. The saints of Heaven are being inexorably drawn upward through the clinging womb of this world toward God, while at the same time they are experiencing a lifetime of the throes of the new birth process, the violent spasms, pangs and convulsions of being transformed (Rom 12:2) from “the sons of man” culminating in our final emergence from the womb as the “the Sons of God.” The latter two appellations may function as bookends, by analogy respectively, the heel and the head of the Body of Christ. Each of us has a personal book chronicling our life neatly stacked up within this vast holy library of born again saints, forming as it were a ladder to Heaven (Gen 28:12). Samson's extraordinarily strong carnal nature and physical strength may be readily observed by the sin patterns of his lifeline experiences set forth by the Narrator as signs and symbols for the purposes of our education and enlightenment, whereas the strength of his even more powerful spiritual nature remains unobserved and deeply hidden until the end of his life. Samson's personal pathway to God is a very broad road sided by encompassing extremes, within which each of our own less extreme, more conservative pathways to God may be found. Samson personifies our transformation from "the son of man" into "the Son of God," a birthing process. God is the Father; the Holy Spirit is the midwife; and we are the children of God becoming the mature adult Sons of God - mighty men of valour (Judg 6:12).

1.     (Judg 13:5)  For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite [separate (holy)] unto God from the womb: and he shall begin [indicating a process] to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

2.     (Oba 21)  And saviours [deliverers, bring (having) salvation] shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau [i.e. flesh (older twin brother of Jacob)]; and the kingdom shall be the LORD'S.

3.     (Rev 12:1-5)  And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman [mother earth] clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child [the Body of Christ], who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron [judgment]: and her child was caught up [harpazo; to seize: catch (away, up), pluck, pull, take (by force) /// to take for oneself] unto God, and to his throne.

4.     (John 1:12)  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons [teknon] of God, even to them that believe on his name:

5.     (Rom 8:14)  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons [huios] of God.

6.     (Rom 8:18,19)  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons [huios] of God.

7.     (Phil 2:15)  That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons [teknon] of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights [an illuminator] in the world;

8.     (1 John 3:1-3)  Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons [teknon] of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons [teknon] of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

SAMSON WAS A MAN OF GREAT (WONDERFUL) FAITH

(Heb 11:32-40)  And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthah; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report [witness: testimony (by their life example)] through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

1.     (Judg 13:5)  For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite [separate (holy)] unto God from the womb: and he shall begin [indicating a process] to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

2.     faith = Gk: persuasion, i.e. credence; mor. conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), espec. reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstr. constancy in such profession; by extens. the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself:--assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity [Dict: fidelity = 1. strict observance of promises, duties, etc. 2. loyalty. 3. conjugal faithfulness].

3.     (1 Cor 10:11)  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition [calling attention to, rebuke or warning], upon whom the ends of the world are come.

4.     ensamples = Gk: a die (as struck), i.e. (by impl.) a stamp or scar; by anal. a shape, i.e. a statue; ("type"), i.e. a model (for imitation) or instance (for warning): example, figure, pattern /// to "thump", i.e. cudgel or pummel (prop. with a stick or bastinado), but in any case by repeated blows; fig. to offend (the conscience): beat, smite, strike, wound.

SAMSON HAD GREAT (WONDERFUL) POWER WITH GOD AND WITH MEN

(Gen 32:24-28)  And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man [an angel] with him until the breaking of the day. And when he [the angel] saw that he prevailed not against him [against Jacob], he [the angel] touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. And he [the angel] said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he [Jacob] said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he [the angel] said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he [the angel] said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

1.     (Hosea 12:3,4)  He [Jacob] took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength [in the sense of successful effort /// to exert oneself] he had power with God: Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept [earnestness], and made supplication [to implore (move to favor by petition): beseech, prayed] unto him [unto the angel]: he found him in Bethel, and there he spake with us;

2.     (Luke 18:1)  And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint [to be weak, (by impl.) to fail (in heart): faint, be weary];

3.     (1 Th 5:17)  Pray without ceasing. [Luke 21:36; Rom 12:12; Eph 6:18; Col 4:2; 1 Pet 4:7]

4.     (James 5:16)  Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed [cured, made whole]. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous [holy] man availeth much.

5.     What do you think was the “secret” of Samson’s power??

Amen