The Rise and Fall of Samson - Lessons from Judges 13-16

THE RISE AND FALL OF SAMSON: LESSONS FROM JUDGES 13-16

By Ezekiel Kimosop

INTRODUCTION

The story of Samson is recorded in Judges 13-16. It is a fairy tale type of narrative condensed in only four chapters. It carries powerful moral lessons for covenant believers in all ages.

Samson was one of the twelve judges that ruled Israel during the cyclic apostasy period after Joshua's generation rested (see Judges 2).

Little is however known about Samson's life as a judge. One of the outstanding lessons from the story of Samson is that whereas the writer of the Book of Judges sought to depict Samson's moral excesses, he nevertheless underscores that God ultimately used this "superman" to accomplish His purposes for Israel in an amazing way. The story meanders along low and high moments which are inextricably interwoven in the four chapters.

We shall focus on one of the incidents that perhaps most aptly reveals the moral escapades of Samson and around which his ungodly marriages and activities stand.

Samson never got to marry the woman he loved. Of course he got it wrong on his choices on all instances. He trusted his eyes and instincts more than the wisdom of his godly parents and settled for Philistine women. American televangelist John Hagee once said that love at first sight is cured by a second look! How true.

The second Philistine woman to come into Samson's life is Delilah, the girl from the Valley of Sorek, who was equally up to no good. The Hebrew meaning of her name is "delicate", a name that has come to be associated with treacherous and voluptuous women. Delilah was perhaps the equivalent of a cold war double agent spy-queen, who was under the direction of the enemies of God's people (Judges 16:4-5).

THE BIRTH OF SAMSON

Let's begin with the story of Samson's birth...

The young Nazarite was miraculously born to a Danite man called Manoah, whose wife was until her conception of Samson, barren (Judges 13). Samson, like Isaac, was a miracle child. Samson's mission was spelled out by God before he was conceived. Judges 13:5 attests that Samson was born to deliver Israel from the oppression of the Philistines. He was a special child, set apart as a Nazarite who was forbidden from taking strong drink or shaving his hair (Judges 13:4-5). It is instructive that the mother was forbidden from taking strong drink during her pregnancy.

SAMSON'S EXCESSES

In Judges 14, Samson began his ministry journey on a wrong footing. His decision to marry a Philistine girl went against the wisdom of his godly parents and was perhaps the beginning of his downfall. However, God ultimately used his unpleasant circumstances to fulfill His divine purposes for Israel.

Before Samson could take the first Philistine girl, he got into a number of misdeeds, some of which, in the eyes of the young men, were perhaps heroic.

We shall draw our evaluation of Samson's moral flaws from the incidents described in Judges 14. It is important to appreciate that the people of Israel were morally fallen at this stage. They had departed from God's covenant in several ways. Intermarriage with heathen nations was nothing new at the time. Moses was at one time accused of marrying an Ethiopian woman (Numbers 12).

Judges 2:11-23 carries a deep lament on the moral corruption identified with the generation that came after Joshua's generation had departed. Thankfully, God had His faithful remnant. Samson's parents were perhaps among this small group of faithful covenant people.

THE FIREFOX INCIDENT

Judges 15:6-5 says "Then Samson went and caught three hundred foxes; and he took torches, turned the foxes tail to tail, and put a torch between each pair of tails. 5 When he had set the torches on fire, he let the foxes go into the standing grain of the Philistines, and burned up both the shocks and the standing grain, as well as the vineyards and olive groves." (NKJV). This incident came at the backdrop of a special event. Samson had gone to meet his Philistine wife [a girl betrothed to him in violation of Ezra 9:12 and Nehemiah 13:25]. As stated earlier, the Jews were forbidden from intermarrying with the Canaanites.

Earlier in Judges 14, we learned that Samson had hosted a celebration at his in-laws, perhaps in fulfilment of the cultural requirements for marriage. The feast went awry. His wife betrayed him by revealing the secret behind his riddle to the Philistines. Samson killed 30 of their men in a bout of anger when he learned that he had been tricked. He had however acted in utter foolishness.

His father in law decided to give Samson's wife to his best-man. This now confirms that she had only been betrothed to Samson and was not married to him at this stage! The customary practice of betrothal was a common Middle Eastern custom. It is perhaps most clearly demonstrated under Joseph's relationship with Mary in Matthew 1:18-25. Elsewhere in the New Testament Scripture, the Church is symbolically portrayed as a bride that has been betrothed to Christ. The marriage feast of the Lamb is described in Revelation 19:6-10. Up till then the Church prepares herself for this feast.

Samson was shocked to learn that the woman he deeply loved had been snatched from him (Judges 14:20). His youthful anger burned and he mindlessly destroyed a large plantation of wheat by catching 300 foxes and tying them in pairs and placing fire torches on them before sending them into the ripen farms (15:3-5). 

Judges 15 does not reveal how Samson was able to accomplish this strange act. It is however not a prescriptive narrative. None of us can replicated what Samson did and neither is it needful or beneficial for Christian obedience!

Another tragedy followed. His father in law and Samson's wife were killed by the Philistine farmers who were enraged by the economic loss that they attributed to the betrayal by Samson's father in law.


THE FALL OF SAMSON

Samson was finally captured by the Philistines after he fell to Delilah's trickery (Judges 16). He revealed the secret behind his unique strength - his uncut hair. Samson died in the hands of the Philistines after enduring humiliation and pain. The Philistines gouged out his eyes and used him for sport (Judges 16:25-29).

Meanwhile, Samson's hair sprouted and grew and with that God's strength returned to him (Judges 16:22). Samson finally summoned his strength through a dying wish which God granted him. Judges 16:30 says "Then Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” And he pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So the dead that he killed at his death were more than he had killed in his life." (NKJV).

MORAL LESSONS FROM SAMSON'S LIFE

1) Unbridled  or uncontrolled anger is dangerous! Elsewhere in Scripture, the Bible admonishes believers, saying "Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil (Ephesians 4:26-27, NKJV). We need to contain our anger even under great provocation. 

2) We should refrain from vengefulness. Samson acted in revenge because his wife was given to someone else. He caused more harm in the end. Romans 12:19 says "Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord."

3) We should never misuse the gifts that God has bestowed upon us for selfish and ungodly purposes. Samson was highly gifted but the manner in which he exercised his gifts is not worth emulating. He crossed the red line. 

4) Never marry from among the unbelievers. God forbade his people from intermarrying with heathen Canaanites. Samson defied the wisdom of his godly parents and disobeyed God. Believers should not marry from among unbelievers. Scripture underscores our separation from the sinful world, saying "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God..." (2 Corinthians 6:14-16, NKJV). 

5) God will always accomplish His divine purposes even under the most unusual circumstances. No situation is beyond Him. He preserved the people of Israel during the reign of Samson and ultimately used him to destroy the Philistines. With God all things are possible. 

CONCLUSION

Few people would perhaps deny that God used Samson to ultimately fulfill His purposes in destroying Israel's enemies. This is alluded to in Judges 14:4. It is finally revealed and affirmed in Samson's death under the statement of Judges 16:30. We may not find a compelling reason to celebrate Samson's life in the context of his deplorable acts described in the passages of context of Judges 13-16. He simply failed God's moral test and for this, the Bible conveys a warning to God's people never to emulate him.

On the flip side, Samson's case is a depiction of our moral fallibility, our sinfulness which only Christ's shed blood could cleanse. We should however be sympathetic to Samson's cause in the concluding passage of Judges 15. God used Samson's death to destroy the Philistines. This is perhaps the reason to celebrate him in the end. Having walked the path of ruin, Samson became a tool at God's disposal by which the Philistine forty year siege over Israel was finally broken (ref. Judges 13:1).

This truth should therefore never escape the reader's mind.

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2020

Dealing with Tragedy - Lessons from David's Response in 1 Samuel 30:1-8

DEALING WITH TRAGEDY: LESSONS FROM 1 SAMUEL 30-1-8

By Ezekiel Kimosop

TEXT

Now it happened, when David and his men came to Ziklag, on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the South and Ziklag, attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire, 2 and had taken captive the women and those who were there, from small to great; they did not kill anyone, but carried them away and went their way. 3 So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. 4 Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep. 5 And David’s two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had been taken captive. 6 Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was [a]grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

7 Then David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, “Please bring the ephod here to me.” And Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 8 So David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” (1 Samuel 30:1-8, NKJV). 

INTRODUCTION

The passage of 1 Samuel 30 picks up from the events reported in 1 Samuel 29 that terminate in 1 Samuel 31. David's offer to fight alongside the Philistines in the battle of Jezreel had been turned down by the Philistine commanders who feared that David may betray them to Saul. The Bible reader will notice that King Saul perished along with his three sons in the battle of Mount Gilboa (1 Samuel 31:1-5). God preserved David from shedding the blood of Saul and his sons, one of whom was his covenant friend. God used Israel's enemies to execute His judgment against Saul. 

David and his band of 600 men returned to their Ziglag camp with heavy hearts, having missed an opportunity to showcase their military skills in fighting Saul, their sworn enemy. Little did they know that God had divinely permitted their withdrawal from battle for what awaited them at their camp! 
After their three days journey back to Ziglag, the men were in for a rude shock! 1 Samuel 30 relays the story of tragedy, devastation, and divine intervention rolled together. This is where we shall draw important lessons on how we should handle the tragedies or devastations of life.

It is instructive that no believer or Christian community is immune to the afflictions of this passing evil world. God's presence however hovers over His covenant people in all ages. The passage of 1 Samuel 30 reveals seven critical phases in David's response to his circumstances of tragedy.

STAGE 1: THE TRAGEDY

The first stage is the stark pain of tragedy and devastation. David and his men were rendered speechless when they found their camp reduced to ashes. There was not a single soul left who could explain what exactly took place or where the invading enemies had fled with their people. The Amalekites had taken away their wives and children together with all their possessions. This incident is captured in 1 Samuel 30:1-8.

This is how sudden tragedy can become. It often strikes when one is least prepared. One of the most profound tragedies recorded in Scripture is perhaps Job's experience. Job 1:13-22 reveals that Job, a faithful covenant saint, lost all his children and property in a single day of devastation after Satan was permitted by God to strike him. Worse even, Job suffered bodily affliction. He suffered leprosy and was forced to live in isolation from those whose company he badly needed at the time. His frustrated wife asked him to curse God and die! We shall be drawing theological parallels from Job's tragedy in this article. 

STAGE 2: THE OUTPOURING OF EMOTIONS

The immediate reaction by David's team to the devastation was an outpouring of grief and emotion. The men wept until they had no strength left (1 Samuel 30:4). They were faced with an existential apocalypse. Weeping is a healthy response to devastation and pain. In most African cultures, men are taught never to weep! They are required to demonstrate courage even in circumstances that human frailty could not withstand the agony of loss and despair. However, God gave us tears for this natural purpose and weep we should for ourselves and for those we love. 

Jesus Himself wept when He witnessed the pain and hopelessness at Lazarus' home (John 11:35). Jesus was expressing His humanity. The Bible exhorts that we should rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15).

In Job's case, his emotional outpouring is recorded in Job 3. In the depth of his agony, Job regretted his existence and cursed his day of birth! He laments in Job 3:11-12 saying: 

“Why did I not die at birth?

Why did I not perish when I came from the womb?

12 Why did the knees receive me?

Or why the breasts, that I should nurse?"

Job's three friends who came to visit him did not make things any better for him. They blamed him for his misfortunes, arguing that Job must have sinned against God (Job 3:4-5). Scripture however ultimately attests that Job did not sin against God in this context. This is not to suggest that he had attained moral perfection for no one can do so under the sun. Job faced his afflictions with the fortitude and wisdom that could only come from a man who had a close covenant walk with God. As Job engaged his friends, his emotions played out. He raised fundamental theological questions about his tragedy that was laced with residual divine mystery. God finally answered Job, not with articulate answers but with confounding theological questions that left him speechless! In Job 38-39, God reveals that His sovereignty was beyond human comprehension.

We may never comprehend why certain afflictions are permitted by God upon His saints. Someone would perhaps why evil things happen to godly people. Suffice it however that we allow the Scriptures to speak to us under those difficult circumstances. 

Job 40:3-5 says "Then Job answered the Lord and said:

4 “Behold, I am vile;

What shall I answer You?

I lay my hand over my mouth.

5 Once I have spoken, but I will not answer;

Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further.”

Job finally admitted that he was no match for His creator. His theological prudence was nondescript before a deity before whom all men must bow in obeisance. He submitted Himself to God in silence. 

STAGE 3: THE BLAME GAME

Following their pain and anguish, David's men broke the team spirit and began to lay blame on their leader David. Some even sought to stone him to death in utter frustration! (1 Samuel 30:6). They were unable to reign in on their emotions. Their military command structure and team spirit were deeply tested at this point. We should guard our Christian brotherhood in the face of tragedy lest the bond of unity is inadvertently broken!

It is common for people in trouble to seek to lay blame where they believe it should lie - far from the confines of personal responsibility. This is scapegoating. Our solutions to problems should be handled with wisdom. If David was to blame as the group leader, where does that leave his loyal men who willingly accepted to travel to the Philistine territory with him? The entire team should take collectively responsibility for failing to provide adequate security arrangements at their camp during their absence.

Did they perhaps presume that their desert camp was secure for the period they would be away? Were there sentries who were overpowered by the Amalekites? Scripture is silent on the details!

These are just but a few of the many hard questions that perhaps rang through their minds as the painful picture of their ruined camp unfolded. Someone said leaders should have a thick skin because they will ultimately be the center of focus when things go awry! Their wisdom and fortitude must count at the hour of need.

Again, in Job's case, we learn about his moral fortitude in tragedy. He did not blame God for his afflictions. Despite the many questions that crossed his mind, Job was careful to submit to God under his difficult circumstances. His human limitations however played out until God's voice rung out. 

Job's brokenness before God is revealed in his repentance and restoration recorded in Job 42:1-6 which says: "Then Job answered the Lord and said:

2 “I know that You can do everything,

And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.

3 You asked, ‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’

Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,

Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.

4 Listen, please, and let me speak;

You said, ‘I will question you, and you shall answer Me.’

5 “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear,

But now my eye sees You.

6 Therefore I abhor myself,

And repent in dust and ashes.” (NKJV). 

Job's discernment of God's incomprehensibility finally dawned on him. His revelation of God was considerably expanded through his discourse with God. He realized that he had offended the divinities by his presumptive attitude. It is wise to repent and seek forgiveness from God where we have sinned against God in dealing with our anguish and devastation.  

STAGE 4: THE RISE OF A LEADER -  DAVID'S REACTION

David exemplified mature leadership spiritual discernment during the Ziglag crisis. 1 Samuel 30:6 reveals that David, though heavily distressed by the loss of his wives and children, was deeply grieved by what his men were seeking to do. David's prudence and stature towered above the rest and through him, the needed leadership was found. Great leaders rise from the ashes of ruin and hopelessness and provide godly direction for people. God ultimately uses them to reshape the direction of things and offer practical solutions. Scripture says "Wisdom strengthens the wise, More than ten rulers of the city" (Ecclesiastes 7:19). 

To his credit and to the glory of God, David acted with profound wisdom! He sought refuge and comfort in the LORD! The Bible states that David strengthened himself in the LORD his God (1 Samuel 30:6). There can be no greater refuge in times of disaster than in the hands of God. A great leader discovers and cherishes God's leading during tragic moments of life and always leads his people towards God. Weak leaders lead people through blame games and witch-hunts and self preservation. They lead people further and further away from God.

What kind of leader are you?

David here offers us a glimpse of important lessons on crisis management under the hand of God. Solutions to our many problems only begin to unfold when we turn to God for answers. It is only God who has the answers to our life issues. No witchdoctor or self appointed diviner has access to the mind of God in our difficult times. God alone is the source of our eternal security.

Psalm 18:2 says "The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."

STAGE 5: SEEKING DIVINE LEADING

David sought wisdom and direction from God on the way forward following his tragedy. Despite his vast military experience, proven battlefield prowess, and the many victories for which he was decorated and celebrated, David rightly discerned that without the hand of God guiding him during his lowest moments, his efforts would be an exercise in futility. He turned to God in prayer and sought His divine leading. He asked God whether he should pursue the enemies and whether he would overtake them. This is where his dependence on God was most practically demonstrated. 

Do you seek God's leading during the darkest moments of life? 

Notice that the three day gap that stood between David's return from Jezreel and the fleeing Amalekite forces may have been strategically impossible to bridge. It was legitimate for David and his men to have feared for the worst. They may have thought that the enemy had probably decimated their captors. This was the worst case scenario. As we wrestle with the ashes of life, we should bear in mind that God alone can lead us out of the ruin that stands before us. 

STAGE 6: GOD'S RESPONSE

God graciously gave David the answer to his tragedy, having seen the sincerity of David’s heart before His presence. He directed David to pursue the enemy saying that he will overtake them and recover all! David would only succeed under God's leading. 

We need the discernment of God to appreciate what God is saying to us concerning our difficult circumstances of life. Until and unless God speaks, we remain helpless and without direction. Our strategies and actions should be informed by divine the wisdom that we can distill from the word of God and the leading of His Spirit. We need patience in the presence of God so that we may walk with confidence in confronting the many troubles of this life. God never called us into comfort and bliss. He however assures us of His presence comfort and leading in those difficult moments. 

David profoundly understood this divine truth. In Psalm 123:4, David proclaims: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil;

For You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."

This scripture reminds us about God's awesome presence that surrounds the lives of His covenant people at all times including during the most horrifying circumstances of life. 

One famous church hymn writer Horatio Spafford wrote the famous hymn: "It is well....It is well with my soul..." Interestingly, this hymn was a tribute to one of the most tragic and devastating moments of his life. Mr. Spafford, an American real estate investor and church elder, lost his property through the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. His real estate fortune went up in smoke! Before he could recover from his investment loss, another tragedy visited him. He also lost all his children through a transatlantic shipwreck in 1873. His wife was sailing to France with his three daughters. Only his wife survived. By ordinary standards, this man would perhaps have been asking difficult questions about his relationship with God rather than praising God. The man however found refuge in God's immeasurable grace at his lowest moment and this explains his unparalleled courage under the dumbfounding distress. He threw himself into God's arms! God later restored him. 

As for David's case above, God miraculously provided vital intelligence details and direction using an abandoned Egyptian slave who was part of the raiding party (1 Samuel 30:11-15). The man had been left to die in the desert after he fell sick. This was miraculous in all proportions because such captives were usually eliminated by the enemy to rule out any possibility that they may be captured and would betray the enemy's cause. God permitted the Amalekites to abandon this sickly Egyptian slave for a divine purpose. When we emerge through harrowing circumstances of life and look back, we discover God's divine footprints through the people and events that stood along our recovery path! God can use strangers or unusual people to lift us out of the ashes! These are divine agents appointed by God under those circumstances. 

STAGE 7: DIVINE VICTORY/GOD'S PURPOSES SERVED

1 Samuel 30:16-20 records the glorious victory that God granted David against the Amalekites. It also mentions David's bountiful recovery. To the glory of God, none of their families were killed. They had simply been taken as war prisoners, perhaps with the intention of enslaving them. God graciously preserved David's people not just because David was faithful to God and served him with dedication but because God is exceedingly gracious and merciful. He also captured lots of resources that the Amalekites possessed. 

We need to appreciate that even when we walk faithfully before God, He may permit some afflictions to come our way to to test our faith. Some tragedies result in unpleasant outcomes even for God's people. However, we must remain steadfast in allowing God to have His way in those painful circumstances. We should never give up on God or question His sovereignty. 

All the great men and women of the Bible were tested under different sets of afflictions. Some even perished under their convictions but God later approved them as saints (Hebrews 11). We should therefore hold a healthy view of trials and afflictions to the glory of God. 

Psalm 34:19 says "Many are the afflictions of the righteous,

But the Lord delivers him out of them all." (NKJV)

James 1:2-4 says "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." (NKJV). 

In Job's case, we notice that God finally restored him. God affirmed Job's covenant faithfulness. He rebuked his three friends and asked them to take seven bulls and seven rams and present them to Job for their sacrificial atonement (42:7-8). This is evidence of Job's priesthood. In the end, God restored His servant Job. Job's restoration is recorded in Job 42:10-17. No matter what afflictions we suffer in this world, our hope in Christ Jesus will never fail. 

Paul faced his martyrdom with profound courage. His valedictorian confession in 2 Timothy 4:6-8 is deeply inspiring. He proclaims:  

"For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing."

CONCLUSION

This passage of 1 Samuel 30:1-8 has taught us vital lessons in dealing with tragedy or crises in our lives. David knew where the secret of his success lay. He always turned to God. God alone can restore us from the tragedies of life. He restored David, Esther, Mordecai, Daniel and his three friends and countless others. He restored Joseph in Egypt. He restored us from Adam's disobedience and fall that resulted in our separation from a holy and righteous God until Calvary. This is the greatest restoration that we can receive from God. 

Do you turn to God in your lowest moments or do you blame God or others for your misfortunes? What afflictions are you now undergoing and what prescriptions are you contemplating in response to them?

Let us always turn to the Lord for answers to the many afflictions affecting us, our families, our Christian communities; our society, and nation at large. God alone has the solutions.

More significantly, however, we should remain hidden in Christ so that we are shielded from the tragedy that awaits the wicked. Revelation 20:11-15 says:

"Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

There can be no greater tragedy. 

Is your life hidden with Christ in God? 

Is your name written in the Book of Life?


Shalom




© Ezekiel Kimosop 2020

Biblical Principles for a Christian Marriage

BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES FOR A CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE

By Ezekiel Kimosop

Before answering the question on the place of children in a Christian marriage, allow me to address the context of marriage within the Biblical worldview which is governed by the authority of Scripture. I will conclude with a statement describing my Biblical view on children in a marriage relationship.

1) A Christian marriage must be heterosexual. It is between one believing Christian man and one believing Christian woman, both of mature age and both wilfully consenting to the marriage in the fear of God (Genesis 2:23-24).

2) A Christian marriage is monogamous. It is exclusive to the two. No other parties are contemplated in the marriage. Hebrews 13:4 says "Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge."

3) A Christian marriage can only terminate on the death of either party. At this point, the surviving spouse is at liberty to remarry if they so choose.
There's therefore no room for divorce in a Christian marriage. Jesus never permitted it and it was never God's intention from the beginning. Matthew 19:4-6 says "And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”

4) Where the Christian couple is compelled by some circumstances to separate, neither shall remarry so long as both shall be alive. Their only option is to reconcile and be restored to each other (1 Corinthians 7:10-11).

5) Where a person comes to Christ but was otherwise married to an unbeliever, they should remain in the marriage (1 Corinthians 7:12-14).

If however the unbelieving spouse decides to leave the marriage, not wishing to remain married to the believer, the believer is at liberty to remarry. (1 Corinthians 7:15).

6) A Christian marriage does not depend on children being born to it. It is founded on a solemn covenant between the two. Children are a gift from God (Psalm 127:3-5).

CONCLUSION

A Christian marriage subsists independently of any unfolding realities brought about by earthly afflictions such as childlessness (or barrenness) illness, lack, or suffering. God is the author of this marriage and He alone sustains, nourishes and blesses the marriage. It should glorify Him.

A Christian marriage is a shadow of the relationship between Christ and His Church. It is founded on covenant faithfulness, love, fellowship and support.

Ephesians 5:22-33 says "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband."


Shalom




© Ezekiel Kimosop 2020

A Theological Reflection on Racism

A THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION ON RACISM

By Ezekiel Kimosop

The heinous murder of African American George Floyd by a Caucasian police officer on a Minneapolis street on 25th May 2020, ignited global outrage that saw violent protests and continued global media coverage that has temporarily overshadowed reports on the COVID 19 pandemic.

The incident also sparked hot debates on online platforms, especially on Facebook regarding "black on white"  racism in America and Europe. For the Christian community, this incident has ushered in a time for sober reflection on this problem. How should Christians respond to racism? Should we condemn it openly or covertly? What does Scripture reveal on racism?

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE ON RACISM IN AMERICA

In order to make a sound evaluation of this vice, it is perhaps important to appreciate the history of Black racism in America which has epitomized global racism.

Racial segregation and discrimination is not a new phenomenal in American society. It perhaps predates the American independence in 1776. Before European settlers set foot in America, Red Indians and other natives and indigenous people lived in the expansive "new world". Within decades of European settlement in America, these communities rapidly declined in numbers and some faded away from the global face.

The native communities faced all manner of systemic racial injustices, including repression, land confiscation and limited access to state amenities. They were finally driven into native reserves that still exist today. This phenomenon is evident in Africa where some European settlers took away land from indigenous people and relocated them to native reserves where life is unbearable. 

According to Wikipedia, Racism in the United States has existed since the colonial era. The White Americans were given access to legally sanctioned privileges and rights while these same rights were denied to other races and minorities.

European Americans—particularly affluent white Anglo-Saxon — enjoyed exclusive privileges on matters of education, immigration, voting rights, citizenship, land acquisition, and criminal procedure throughout American history. Non-Protestant immigrants from Europe, particularly the Irish, Poles, and Italians, often suffered xenophobic exclusion and other forms of ethnicity-based discrimination in American society until the late and early 20th centuries.

In addition, groups like Jews and Arabs have faced continuous discrimination in the United States, and as a result, some people who belong to these groups are not identified as white. African Americans faced restrictions on their political, social, and economic freedoms throughout much of US history. Native Americans have experienced genocide, forced removals, massacres, and discrimination.

Historically, Hispanics have also experienced continuous racism in the US. Additionally, South, Southeast, and East Asians have also been discriminated against. Pacific Islander Americans also experience discrimination and marginalization.

This historical and existential reality cannot be overlooked. It should be acknowledged as a basis for addressing the wrongs.

I have come across Christians on Facebook who seek to belittle the Black racism debate. Yes it is a sin, an abomination before God and for which the perpetrators will be held accountable by God.

Meanwhile, justice for victims requires a systematic, coherent and comprehensive, legal and policy reform framework which is currently unavailable. Black racism is real, identifiable, and worthy of condemnation. However it needs practical resolution.

So what should inform our reaction to the current racism debate, and indeed any other forms of racial discrimination?

BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATIONS

In the Bible, there are several descriptions of racial or near racial acts or events. In Genesis 43:32, Joseph was segregated from his Egyptian hosts during meals. The Bible is explicit on the racial attitudes held by the Egyptians. : "...Egyptians could not eat food with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians."

Joseph perhaps didn't have issues about eating with Egyptians. After all he was a senior official in Pharaoh's courts. The source of this racial segregation can be rightly attributed to the dominant Egyptian society. There's something about a dominant community developing racial or ethnic overtones against minorities even in a Christian society.

The Egyptians disliked the Jews. No reasons are given at this point for this racial animosity. It was possibly by reason of skin color and culture distinctions. It may also have had to do with historical conflicts between the two communities.

In Genesis 34, we learn that when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite defiled Dinah, Jacob's only daughter by Leah, her brothers Simeon and Levi plotted a revenge plan against the Hivites. The violence against the Hivites was partly motivated by their racial hatred for this Canaanite community. The Hivites, like many Canaanites, never circumcised their males. The consequences of this cultural animosity resulted in a catastrophe.

In the New Testament Scripture, a number of incidents depict racial discrimination and disparities in varying degrees.

During Jesus' earthly ministry, Jews would travel a longer route to Galilee in the North in order to avoid the Samaritans, a community considered by ethnic Jews as an impure race. Historical sources reveal that Jews never greeted Samaritans because they considered them an abomination of sorts. They completely isolated themselves from them. They never intermarried with them.

Jesus' discourse with the Samaritan woman in John 4 reveals the deep seated racial hatred between Jews and Samaritans. Jesus confronted this animosity and won converts among the Samaritans.

In Acts 6:1-4, we learn that the Grecian widows were discriminated against during food distribution in the Jerusalem church. This incident was possibly motivated by racial distinctions.

In Galatians 2:11-21, Paul rebuked Peter when he refused to eat with Gentile believers in the presence of the Jewish delegation from James, yet he had been eating with them before these men arrived. Even Barnabas, a close companion of Paul, temporarily took sides with Peter!

Shades of racial discrimination and injustice are therefore captured in the pages of Scripture. These incidents are meant to convey to us moral lessons on the ungodliness and evils associated with racial discrimination.

The Bible is explicit that believers are one in Christ irrespective of their racial distinctions. Jesus broke the barrier between Gentiles and Jews through His shed blood. Ephesians 2:14-18 says "For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father." (NKJV). 

Once the world of separation was broken by Christ, all the Gentile races and tongues of the earth received the invitation to come to Christ. This introduced a new paradigm, a platform under which racial segregation or distinction was abolished by God in Christ.

Scripture resolutely affirms in Galatians 3:28: "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise." (NKJV). 

CONCLUSION

Racism is therefore an abomination before God. We should openly condemn racial or ethnic profiling and discrimination of a people, wether or not they are Christians. We should also take the gospel to all people irrespective of race, ethnicity or color. The Christian community should lead by example in embracing people of all races, colors or ethnic distinctions.

Beware of the Gospel of Mammon!

KEEP OFF THE GOSPEL OF MAMMON

By Ezekiel Kimosop

Please bear with me for I will be bold and candid in what I have to say below. I mince no words. I will shoot from the hip as I stand in defence of the household of faith, as I earnestly contend for the gospel that was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 1:3).

In this difficult season of restrictions under COVID 19, we all yearn for the traditional congregational gatherings in our churches. We pray that things will soon normalize.

Those believers who are privileged to catch their own pastors live on TV, YouTube or Facebook should count themselves lucky. The rest of the believers have to resort to whatever is on offer on our television screens and other online media platforms for spiritual nourishment.

Here's the million dollar question...

Have you ever taken time to evaluate the preaching that is offered on our local TV channels each Sunday morning?

It pays to be vigilant about the type and quality of preachers who rule the airwaves. Not all that comes to our living rooms on Sunday morning is edifying. Here's why... and I will once more sound the warning...

We must keep off the gospel of Mammon.

I must confess that just observing some leading prosperity preachers teach their concoction of heresies on screen makes me sick.

Let me now take the bull by its horns... and please listen to my caution carefully. I don't relish dropping names but as a Bible teacher, I must tread the unbeaten path, and throw away the social etiquette in defense of the truths of God's word.

There are two classic examples of prosperity clowns that we can refer to as Apostle X and Prophet Y (not their real names) who regularly appear on a leading local TV channel every Sunday morning.

I have just singled them out in order to warn believers about them and to use their preaching for my illustrations. I am not saying that they are the worst of their type for there are many of their feather. I don't know the two peachers in person but I have watched and attempted to listen to their "shows" with a Berean focus, a diligence that is required of God's discerning children but which is scarcely embraced by many easy going modern Christians.

By the way, have you read 1 John 4:1-3? Do you believe that John was perhaps addressing the New Testament Church alone? Some think so and would readily contend with you, labelling you a Pharisee if you dare find fault with their MOG!

Never mind the labels for I too have received many on social media forums whenever I raise the Berea flag on teachers of error and apostasy.

Here's the beauty of this...Every faithful Christian will carry a label. Jesus carried a number of them. At one time they called Him an agent of Beelzebub (Matthew 12:24-27). On another occasion He was labelled a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners! (Luke 7:34). None of these tags deflected His focus on the cross!

Now back to our story.

My sincere conclusion is that the two guys (you may call them preachers) have nothing to do with the gospel of the cross at all! They have another gospel at their disposal: the accursed gospel of Mammon that Jesus condemned. This is part of the false gospels of which Paul warned us in 2 Corinthians 11:4 and Galatians 1:6 and in other passages of Scripture. It is a gospel in which Christ is blasphemed and the cross is glaringly missing.

Jesus condemned this specific gospel that stands at the centre of our focus, the gospel of Mammon. Luke 16:9 says "And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous Mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home."

Now let me clarify this...

Jesus was not commending the unjust steward but was rather mocking him for his hapless acts of ingenuity whose eternal consequences were sealed. The man cleverly stole from his master but forgot that there was a greater Master in heaven who took note of his mischief!

Jesus was therefore not praising his treacherous act of deceiving his master. Reading through Luke 16:1-13 and paying close attention to verse 8 and the concluding statement reveals the shocking. truth. Luke 16:13 that says "“No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

Why did Jesus employ this parable?

He was drawing a distinction between the true religion of the Bible and the counterfeit religion controlled by Satan.
The religion of Mammon is a counterfeit Christianity that hides under the name of God but is truly an abomination before God. It is totally polluted beyond redemption. This religion targets unsuspecting men and their wallets! The vendors are stinking rich, suave and extremely cunning!

Now concerning the two prosperity preachers I spoke of, I have never heard a single faithful exhortation of Scripture from the two, neither an altar call for sinners in their preaching or an admonition for disobedience based on the faithful teaching of Scripture. All they teach is about how God would make the life of the follower easy; how He will open doors to their prosperity and how Christians can stop suffering! They teach heaven on earth; a soothing message of Belial, deep heresy.

Mmmm... their preaching sounds good until the discerning believer discovers that the cross is conspicuously missing from this religion! There's no message of redemption from sin! No tale of man's fall and the way to his freedom from sin in Christ.

The two Sunday shows are often punctuated by high drama and high sounding cliches and philosophical statements that endear them to people who are seeking for quick answers to their problems of life. Many stand on their feet for most of the preaching time, shouting and praising the prophet, the MOG, papa, apostle for the "revelatory messages". Some prostrate themselves at the altar, rolling as the "prophet" speaks into their lives.

They declare and decree this and that and proclaim about God saying this and that through them. These men truly live in heaven between Sundays!

This is followed by a great appluase from the cheering crowd! These teachers claim all manner of revelations and purport to prophesy in the name of God.

Then comes seed time... and the frenzy hits fever pitch. The hypnotized followers give mindlessly, not even caring about their monthly rent or critical family commitments! They count on receiving a hundred fold because the prophet had decreed it.

I must caution here that I haven't watched the giving sessions associated with the two preachers I mentioned. I have however witnessed miracle seed giving in meetings or services of prosperity preachers of their kind. One Facebook friend recounted to me the pain that her family suffered under the manipulation of Prophet M. They lost a fortune seeking miracle prayers for a relative who finally succumbed to illness despite the assurance of the "prophet" that he would recover.

Here's the shocker: these preachers are a counterfeit... they neither know God nor His word, neither are they sent by Him. They are self styled latter day prophets of Mammon!

Those who truly love the Lord and cherish the word of God should never partake of such abominations. We should mark our boundaries carefully.

Keep off the gospel of Mammon! Turn to another TV channel which hosts faithful preaching of the word of God.

The Bible says in Revelation 18:4-5 says "And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities."

Let's all be careful and also warn others to keep off these ravenous wolves and workers of inequity.

Here's my closing exhortation:
Seek the true gospel where the cross of Calvary is at its centre; where the truths of Scripture reign and Christ is exalted. This is the undiluted gospel of the Bible.

Keep away from the gospel of Mammon!




© Ezekiel Kimosop 2020

Is it Biblical to Make an Altar Call?

IS IT BIBLICAL TO MAKE AN ALTAR CALL?

By Ezekiel Kimosop

An altar call is an invitation extended by a preacher to his congregation or audience requesting them to come forward and publicly confess sin or disobedience. This invitation is often made at the conclusion of a sermon or public preaching of the gospel.

An altar call is therefore an offer or opportunity for a person who has been convicted by the preaching of the word of God to publicly receive Christ or renounce sin.

This practice is identified with Evangelical Baptists and Pentecostals. It is however not embraced by sections of the Reformed tradition. Critics of the altar call attribute it to controversial 18th century American preacher called Charles Finney who they say abused the practice to draw men to himself rather than to God.

Are altar calls consistent with Biblical truth?

In order to address this question objectively, it is only fair that we first consider the popular objections against the practice.

COMMON OBJECTIONS TO ALTAR CALLS

1) Altar calls are manipulative. They employ psychological techniques that are intended to cause people to blindly respond to the preacher without true conviction.

2) Salvation is purely the work of God and He alone exclusively calls men to Himself without the involvement of any act or will of man. Altar calls are therefore unnecessary.

3) Altar calls shift the focus of the audience from God to man. Man (the preacher) is ultimately glorified for work that God alone has accomplished.

4) There's no passage in Scripture where an altar call is taught or practiced by the New Testament Church.

5) Since God knows the elect (those chosen to eternal life) and had predestined them to eternal life from the foundation of the world, an altar call is unnecessary. His calling is effectual.

MY RESPONSES

1) My view is that altar calls that are made in good faith and purely for the advancement of the gospel cannot be considered manipulative. A true preacher does not call men to himself but to Christ. The preacher is merely a steward of Gods grace (1 Corinthians 4:1-2).

A person who responds to an altar call is under God's conviction for sin. They voluntarily come forward and publicly proclaim their faith as a celebration of God's working in their lives. Dr R Larry Moyer, a veteran evangelist, says that public confession is important not for justification but for living a victorious victorious Christian life.

2) My view is that salvation is a synergistic process involving God's gracious providence in Christ and man's responsibility for accepting this grace. To exclude man's responsibility in salvation is to deny the authority of Scripture.

The public proclamation of the word of God is integral to the salvation process. Romans 10:14 says "How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?"

3) A preacher with a true calling from God cannot and will not take any glory for God's grace and His glorious power in saving sinners. The preacher is merely an usher who directs men to the cross.

This is what we can confirm from the ministry of John the Baptist. In John 1:29-30, John says "...Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me."

John pointed men to Christ. We learn from the same passage of Scripture that two of John's own disciples, on hearing his words, immediately left him and followed Jesus (John 1:35-36). John was not offended by their departure. John also declared that Jesus should increase even as he (John) should decrease (John 3:30).

The first altar call [if I may so describe it] was perhaps made in Genesis 3. Adam had transgressed against God and chose to hide from Him. When God came calling, He sought Adam, saying, "Where are you?"

Man, since Adam, has consistently rebelled against God but God in His immeasurable grace and mercy, finally sought him in Christ. God is not seeking man in order to condemn him but to cure his sin and restore his relationship with God.

Those who preach the gospel in truth are God's faithful agents and stewards. When they make an altar call, they are effectively drawing men to God, beseeching them on God's behalf to come to Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:20 says "Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God."

Finally, it is instructive that an altar call does not preclude the working of God in calling sinners to repentance. God's calling deserves the sinner's response. The altar call is a golden opportunity by which God's grace is met by the sinner's response.

I must caution here that any sinner who comes to Christ in response to the preaching of the gospel should be presumed to be acting in truth. To cast aspersions on the sinner's response is to entertain a judgmental spirit.

God alone knows the sincerity of a person's heart. We have no spiritual barometer by which to determine if the sinner is sincere in his response.

4) There's evidence from some passages of New Testament Scripture that the preaching of the gospel concludes with an exhortation or invitation to the hearers to turn to God. The procedure or methodology may not necessarily be similar in every aspect to the altar call practice we know today but the objective in both cases should be the same: getting men to repent from sin and to come to Christ.

The first sermon delivered by Peter during the day of Pentecost was concluded with a call to repentance. The Bible describes the powerful impact of his public proclamation of the gospel under the power of the Holy Spirit.

Luke conveys both the question from the convicted sinners and the answer from God by Apostle Peter. Acts 2:37-38 says:

"Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

I believe that those who repented possibly came forward to meet Peter and the apostles or that some methodology was employed in identifying them. This is how we get to learn about the large number that responded to Peter's sermon. Acts 2:41 reveals that about 3,000 souls were converted during the preaching of the gospel on that very day - the day of Pentecost!

An altar call offer's the converted sinner an opportunity for spiritual accountability and instruction in the way of Christ by a Christian community.

Notice that when Apollos [a Christian evangelist from Alexandria who is described as "mighty in the Scriptures"] came to Ephesus, he was deficient in Christian instruction (Acts 18:24-28). Notice that he had been instructed in the way of the Lord but not sufficiently enough to ground him in the truths of the gospel.

When a faithful Christian couple, Priscilla and Aquilla, heard Apollos preach in the synagogue in Ephesus, they discerned his incapacity and took him to their home where they guided him in the way of Christ. Apollos went on to serve God as a faithful minister of the gospel (1 Corinthians 1:12, 3:4-6, 16:12).

5) An altar does not interfere with or countermand God's foreknowledge of those who will come to Christ. If anything, it sufficiently compliments it. It is a means to an end, not an end in itself, for the end is Christ. It is necessary for the preacher (and the Christian community) to identify those who have responded to the call of the gospel so that they may disciple them effectively.

If God cares about details and numbers, how much more should we? (cf. Matthew 10:30; Luke 12:7).

CONCLUSION

My view is that altar calls made in furtherance of the gospel are godly, needful and should be encouraged whenever the gospel message is proclaimed. There''s absolutely nothing ungodly about the invitation to Christ provided that the motives are noble and are consistent with the objects of the gospel in Christ.

When an altar call is made in truth, men are effectively directed to Christ and God receives glory.  The church is edified by God's working in Christ in bringing souls to His fold.

Jesus says in Revelation 3:20 says "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me."

When we make an altar, we are beseeching men to open their hearts to Christ and receive Him in truth.




© Ezekiel Kimosop 2020