Judges 16:18-21 – “When Delilah saw that he had told her his secret, she sent for the rulers of the Philistines, saying, “Come up here again, for he has told me his secret.” So the rulers of the Philistines went up to visit her, bringing the silver in their hands.  ¹⁹ She made him go to sleep on her lap and then called a man in to shave off the seven braids of his hair.  She made him vulnerable and his strength left him.  ²⁰ She said, “The Philistines are here, Samson!” He woke up and thought, “I will do as I did before and shake myself free.” But he did not realize that the Lord had left him.  ²¹ The Philistines captured him and gouged out his eyes.  They brought him down to Gaza and bound him in bronze chains.  He became a grinder in the prison.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, I heard a warning.  The account of Samson and Delilah produced some challenging thoughts.

My focus was not on the sin of fornication, although it is important.  My focus was on a danger that is not uncommon.  Samson allowed his physical desire and his ego to bring him into bondage.

If we dabble with sin, we open the door to deception and corruption.  We give the devil control, and as he controls, he corrupts.  Samson knew the power of God.  He had experienced it.  He has first-hand knowledge of God’s power.  He presumed upon God, and through the open door to the devil, he toyed with evil.  He had been used by God mightily.  He presumed his specialness.

Samson toyed with Delilah, but his continued interaction with sin wore down his resistance.  He trusted wickedness and gave his strength to sin in a moment of weakness.  He told Delilah the secret or the condition that produced his strength.

That’s why we are told to shun the very appearance of evil.  That’s why we come out from among them.  That’s why we submit to God and resist the devil.  That’s why we bring every thought captive to Jesus.  The more we indulge in sin, the less dangerous it appears, and over time, it erodes our resistance and ultimately controls us.  You can’t play with fire without getting burned.

Multitudes in the church today allow sin to become part of their lives, thinking they are so special to God that they are immune to its consequences.  Things once considered sins no longer bother us.  Profanity on TV and in life does not make us uneasy and convict us.  Sins of the flesh don’t faze many.  Creating idols of the heart no longer breaks our hearts.

Like Samson, we presume that we are special because we have experienced God’s power in the past.  God’s power without purity pollutes the mind and penetrates the heart, poisoning the soul.  Purity is the ingredient that enables us to have God’s power without the pollution of sin.  Power alone is not evidence of favor.

Seek God above all, and His power for His purpose will be manifest.  God’s power, peace, provision, protection, and presence are available to the pure of heart.  It’s not power we are to seek but purity and purpose.

Lord, please help us not to trust in the flesh but to be totally committed to the Spirit in our lives.

Joshua 24:31 – “Israel worshiped the Lord throughout Joshua’s lifetime and as long as the elderly men who outlived him remained alive.  These men had experienced firsthand everything the Lord had done for Israel.”

Judges 2:7 – “The people worshiped the Lord throughout Joshua’s lifetime and as long as the elderly men who outlived him remained alive.  These men had witnessed all the great things the Lord had done for Israel.”

In Joshua, we see Joshua’s reminder of God’s incredible blessings.  Then, in Joshua 24:31 and Judges 2:7, we read that Israel served God as long as Joshua and the elders who had witnessed God’s mighty acts lived.  Then, they followed the depravity of their hearts.

Repeatedly, in their plight, they called to God, and He sent them a deliverer.  The deliverer died, and the cycle was repeated.  Tragically, we often tend to think that God will rescue us every time and become complacent in our commitment.    God’s amazing display through Gideon and the 300 has multiple revelations and inspirations for us.

In the Pentateuch, we are told that one could chase a thousand and two put ten thousand to flight.  God demonstrated that.  Gideon and his band knew that promise.  We have promises we know but have not embraced as current realities.  They are fictional theories to us, not expected realities.

In Judges 7, the story unfolds.  Midian has an army of 132,000.  Gideon has 32,000 or 4.125 to 1 odds.  God weeds out the fearful, and Gideon is left with 10,000 or 13.2 to 1.  Then, God did something that only the covenant-minded could embrace.  He left Gideon with 300 or 440 to 1 odds.

God brings us to places where only the Covenant-minded can stand.

This story showcases God’s power and faithfulness, but also reveals that it does not take a whole nation to deliver it.  It takes a group of people who trust Him completely and are willing to lay down their lives to secure freedom.  Do we trust Him, and are we willing to sacrifice ourselves for Him?

If one can chase a thousand and two defeat ten thousand, why do we fear?  Extrapolate that to whatever number we can muster today.  A million in the trenches for God?  There is hope IF we believe.

In the Book of Judges, we see the escalation of depravity.  Each time they were delivered and then turned back, they got worse.  We are those people, but we can also be Gideon’s 300.  Personally, or nationally, embrace God’s promises and expect God’s deliverance.  What do you need?  Is God capable?

May the LORD help us overcome all odds and obstacles!

Matthew 18:18-20 – “I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven.  ¹⁹ Again, I tell you the truth, if two of you on earth agree about whatever you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you.  ²⁰ For where two or three are assembled in my name, I am there among them.”

As I prayed, read, and pondered Matthew 18, I was deeply challenged in my heart.  It begins with humility and a willingness to be submissive, much like obedient, well-raised children.  Then, guard against being offensive or offending.  Offense is a two-way street.  We are not offended until we “take offense.” We personalize it and participate.

He continued to address offenses and biblically deal with them.  Binding and loosing are in the context of dealing with offenses.   We make Matthew 18:18-19 a formula for answered prayer, but it is also a pathway to restoring relationships.

In verse 19, we encounter the phrase “if two are agreed.”   The Greek is ‘sumphoneo,’ from which we get the Word ‘symphony,’ indicating complete harmony and unity.  The Aramaic is ‘shava,’ which means ‘unity-uninterrupted flow.’

The Talmud does not focus on two or three, but on ten in agreement.  It advises against studying the Torah alone.  (No scripture is of private interpretation.)   In the West, we have a “me” mentality.  The idea of being a body, family, or compound unity is lacking.

Unity, here, refers to having multiple people join us and allowing others to help us focus correctly.  It is not a bunch of us ganging up on God to force our will ‘agreement’ on Him, but together ascertaining His will and pursuing it in symphony.  That demands transparency far beyond what we now exhibit.

Our pursuit and desire should be total submission to God.  When offenses come, out of that humility, we can then, in symphony with other believers, address the offenses and bind the forces of darkness that hinder.  In that unity and agreement, we pull down strongholds, grow in grace, and reap God’s harvest.

Are we invested enough as the Body of Christ to drop the ‘me’ syndrome and become the ‘Body of Christ’?   God does not give us formulas to manipulate Him and get what we want, but a pathway to becoming what He wants us to be.  From that condition, power is infused into our prayers.

Verse 20 – “For where two or three are gathered in My Name, I AM THERE among them.” He is always present to guide us unless we hide behind our masks.  Threefold cords!  God is not into formulas but pathways to wholeness.

LORD, please help us to become united in our hearts and minds with each other and You!

Matthew 5:43-48 – “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’ and ‘hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I say to you, love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ so that you may be like your Father in heaven, since he causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.  ⁴⁶ For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?  Even the tax collectors do the same, don’t they?  ⁴⁷ And if you only greet your brothers, what more do you do?  Even the Gentiles do the same, don’t they?  ⁴⁸ So then, be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

As I read Matthew’s Gospel today, I was inspired to pray and reflect on specific passages.  If we read scripture without chapter divisions and verse distinctions, we often see something previously not linked.

Jesus’ ministry, method, and pattern were to build precept upon precept and put line upon line as He wove a theme of life practice and spiritual revelation.  He gave the information needed to live godly lives.

In Matthew 5:44, He emphasized loving those we consider our enemies (our antagonists).  In Matthew 6:6-13, He gave us the biblical pattern of prayer.  In vv.  14-15, He connects forgiveness from us and to us to prayer.  It is the doorway or the key into His presence.

Then, in vv.  19-21, He highlights the focus and warns against making the fulfillment of the flesh our focus.  The ground is the flesh, and heaven the spiritual.  The one we elevate to preeminence will house our treasure and produce the fruit of that realm.

It is interesting to see the link between Matthew 6:33 and 7:1-2.  Judging is done from one of the realms (fleshly desires or God’s heart).  Also, generosity, or the lack thereof, flows in the same stream.  The Law of Sowing and Reaping is clearly seen.

Matthew 7:12-13 does not offer unrelated topics or principles.  The Golden Rule is connected to the Narrow Door and its absence to the Wide Door and Broad Road. 

In verses 21-23, we discover that the foundation for our confession stems from a stream of self-centeredness or God-centeredness.  We cannot earn favor with God, but we can earn disfavor.  Consistent behavior, good or bad, is a reflection of the heart.  You can’t fake it ’til you make it with God.  We cannot earn favor or perform our way into favor, but we can perform our way out of favor.

Everything flows from the heart.  If our behavior is unsavory, we need to examine our hearts.  If He holds our hearts, He extends His hand, and we have the provision needed to be Who He designed and desires us to be.

LORD, help us to surrender our whole hearts to you!