Another daily devotional email sent to "my girls," two weeks ago:
I read from Genesis chapters 24-27 today. Here is recorded the events
surrounding Jacob's deception of his father Isaac, by trickery obtaining
the blessing intended for the firstborn son. Previously, Esau had sold
his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of stew. The family of Isaac is
plagued with jealousies, injustice, favoritism, deception, hatred, and
murderous intentions. By today's standards, this family would be
dysfunctional indeed! Yet, they are the chosen lineage for Israel and
Christ himself, and God uses them for his glory in spite of their woeful
shortcomings.
As we've been mentioning in the last few emails, we see again here
that the problem with this family is not external, but internal. Their
hearts had grown affectionate for worldly ideas, and sin had crept in
and taken a stronghold. Isaac favored Esau. Rebekah favored Jakob. Esau
disrespected his honorable position and responsibility as firstborn.
Jacob sneaked around, stealing and deceiving to get what he wanted.
Rebekah assisted in lying to her own husband. Esau threatened to murder
his own twin brother. All of these sins come from the heart.
It is so easy to lose perspective of the "big picture." We struggle
with sin every moment of every day. But even as the Lord redeemed the
line of Abraham and Isaac, so he redeems us and pardons our sins. Shame
leads to repentance, which in turn restores a beautiful, intimate
friendship with the highest, most sovereign, most terrifying and
wonderful God of all that is. See here, in Isaiah 55:6-7:
"Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call upon him while he is near;
let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."
Take heart! Isaiah 56:1-2 says,
Thus says the Lord:
“Keep justice, and do righteousness,
for soon my salvation will come,
and my righteousness be revealed.
Blessed is the man who does this,
and the son of man who holds it fast,
who keeps the Sabbath*, not profaning it,
and keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
[*keeping the Sabbath
was a covenant sign that represented an entire lifestyle devoted to
serving the Lord, including both secret thoughts and outward deeds]
Notice the Lord says to put away evil thoughts, then evil
deeds? The one produces the other. As it was with Isaac and Rebekah, and
their sons, who each entertained selfish thoughts, deceitful thoughts,
jealous thoughts, grudging thoughts, so it goes with us. Humans haven't
changed much through throughout the ages, really.
Now, then--as we seek to dwell on pure, lovely, holy, beautiful,
kind, inspiring, magnificent things, here is a poem for you today, as
you cultivate within yourself the beauty that cannot be stolen away, the
beauty that will someday permeate your own home with an infectious joy
and blessedness to all who enter your door:
"Lord, let our house be something more
than just a shelter with a door;
May its windows gleam with light,
Shedding radiance through the night.
Not just a glitter of glass and chrome,
But give it the "feel" of a happy home.
Let it have flowers, a well-loved book,
Soft cushions in a quiet nook.
May it be more than a downy bed,
Or snowy cloth with silver spread;
Lend it some smiles, warm sympathy,
With kindly thought, true charity--
That all may recall, though far they roam,
That God was there--in the heart of home."
-----Christine White, "Heart of Home"
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
The Power of a Woman
An email sent this morning to a group of nine young women with whom I'm privileged to fellowship:
Today, I'm reading from Judges 12-16, the story of Samson's birth, life, and death.
Since our focus is on the role of women in God's kingdom, there are definitely a few things that stood out to me in these chapters that are good lessons for us to think about today. First, God called Samson to a specific role from before he was born. Samson was chosen to judge and save Israel. Samson is listed among the heroes of the faith in Hebrews chapter 11. Samson, with divine power from the holy Spirit overcame thousands of Philistines in his lifetime.
But, Samson was also very sinful, and his biggest weakness was women. Several times throughout these passages we see Samson--the strongest man alive--succumb to the wiles of crafty women. He was lured in by their charms and helpless before their manipulation. The most famous woman in his story, of course, is Delilah--we all know how she wickedly manipulated him into revealing the secret of his strength. But, before her, there were others.
The MacDonald Bible Commentary notes, on the verse speaking of Samson's demand that his parents get him a certain Philistine woman for a wife, that "He had a weakness for women, and was willing to disobey God in order to get a women who pleased him." He had lusted after a Philistine woman, and his marriage to her turned into an all-out fiasco after she wheedled the answer to a riddle out of him and told her people. The situation resulted in the woman and her father being burned alive by their own people because of the Philistine's hatred of Samson. Samson also spent the night with a prostitute on another occasion, and throughout these chapters, we see the mighty warrior of God, selected for victory--falling prey to the powerful snares of evil women.
C.H. Mackintosh says this: "The lap of Delilah proved too strong for the heart of Samson, and what a thousand Philistines could not do was done by the ensnaring influence of a single woman."
It was ultimately Samson's unbridled fetish for seductive women that led to his humiliating downfall, when the Spirit of God left him, and he served, blinded, in a prison. We know the Lord returned his strength enough to buckle the pillars of the Philistine's party-house, killing more in his death than he had killed during his lifetime, but his story is still blighted by the lifelong reign of sin in Samson's heart, and his utter weakness to the powers of women.
If you've ever secretly wondered if it really matters that you're a woman, take note: it matters . . . a lot. Sure, we're not called to teach and preach in church, and we follow the leadership of the men God has given to us to protect and guide us --fathers, husbands, brothers, pastors--but the truth is, your influence as a woman is IMMENSELY powerful and you must never ever ever underestimate its strength.
Scores have men have been sent to their graves in a horrendous state of spiritual ruin because of women's power and influence, asserted for evil intent. Just observe how many, many warnings there are throughout Scripture of shunning the seductress, the evil woman who flatters, tricks, connives, manipulates, flirts---and viciously destroys. She is a terrible force to be reckoned with, and although her day of judgment comes, she still takes scores of victims with her to that pit of despair.
Countless other men, throughout the ages, have accomplished mighty feats of victory and reformation of entire cultures, and often they readily acknowledge their ever-ready, wise, able, helpful woman companions who enabled them to rise to such great heights. Do not dismiss the far-reaching influence of a righteous woman. Her husband, her children, her grandchildren, her great-great-great-great-great-
But, by the same token, do not be afraid or discouraged, but be filled with exhilarated excitement and anticipation: you, as a woman, are not called to be stupid, timid, ignorant, un-opinionated, with no advice or insight. What a ridiculous lie! Don't buy it--it's just the awful ugly twin sister of the Lie of Liberated Feminism. Rather, the beautiful crowning glory of a woman of God is her courage, intelligence, humility, wisdom, insight, advice, and sweet-spirited, vivacious dominion over all her realms of responsibility. Imagine what an exemplary man Samson would have been if he had chosen a wise godly woman for his wife. How she would have helped him! Prayed for him! Advised him wisely! Alas, his weakness destroyed him.
Take courage, dear ones. The need for noble women has never been greater than now, and you are young: you stand at the crossroads, able now to set the course of history. Set your vision high. Do not settle for a drab, mundane, resigned existence. Take joy and be content in the upward call to godliness, a pursuit which clothes you with a beauty that cannot be found on earth, for it is not from this mortal realm, but from the eternal realms of glory.
Today, I'm reading from Judges 12-16, the story of Samson's birth, life, and death.
Since our focus is on the role of women in God's kingdom, there are definitely a few things that stood out to me in these chapters that are good lessons for us to think about today. First, God called Samson to a specific role from before he was born. Samson was chosen to judge and save Israel. Samson is listed among the heroes of the faith in Hebrews chapter 11. Samson, with divine power from the holy Spirit overcame thousands of Philistines in his lifetime.
But, Samson was also very sinful, and his biggest weakness was women. Several times throughout these passages we see Samson--the strongest man alive--succumb to the wiles of crafty women. He was lured in by their charms and helpless before their manipulation. The most famous woman in his story, of course, is Delilah--we all know how she wickedly manipulated him into revealing the secret of his strength. But, before her, there were others.
The MacDonald Bible Commentary notes, on the verse speaking of Samson's demand that his parents get him a certain Philistine woman for a wife, that "He had a weakness for women, and was willing to disobey God in order to get a women who pleased him." He had lusted after a Philistine woman, and his marriage to her turned into an all-out fiasco after she wheedled the answer to a riddle out of him and told her people. The situation resulted in the woman and her father being burned alive by their own people because of the Philistine's hatred of Samson. Samson also spent the night with a prostitute on another occasion, and throughout these chapters, we see the mighty warrior of God, selected for victory--falling prey to the powerful snares of evil women.
C.H. Mackintosh says this: "The lap of Delilah proved too strong for the heart of Samson, and what a thousand Philistines could not do was done by the ensnaring influence of a single woman."
It was ultimately Samson's unbridled fetish for seductive women that led to his humiliating downfall, when the Spirit of God left him, and he served, blinded, in a prison. We know the Lord returned his strength enough to buckle the pillars of the Philistine's party-house, killing more in his death than he had killed during his lifetime, but his story is still blighted by the lifelong reign of sin in Samson's heart, and his utter weakness to the powers of women.
If you've ever secretly wondered if it really matters that you're a woman, take note: it matters . . . a lot. Sure, we're not called to teach and preach in church, and we follow the leadership of the men God has given to us to protect and guide us --fathers, husbands, brothers, pastors--but the truth is, your influence as a woman is IMMENSELY powerful and you must never ever ever underestimate its strength.
Scores have men have been sent to their graves in a horrendous state of spiritual ruin because of women's power and influence, asserted for evil intent. Just observe how many, many warnings there are throughout Scripture of shunning the seductress, the evil woman who flatters, tricks, connives, manipulates, flirts---and viciously destroys. She is a terrible force to be reckoned with, and although her day of judgment comes, she still takes scores of victims with her to that pit of despair.
Countless other men, throughout the ages, have accomplished mighty feats of victory and reformation of entire cultures, and often they readily acknowledge their ever-ready, wise, able, helpful woman companions who enabled them to rise to such great heights. Do not dismiss the far-reaching influence of a righteous woman. Her husband, her children, her grandchildren, her great-great-great-great-great-
But, by the same token, do not be afraid or discouraged, but be filled with exhilarated excitement and anticipation: you, as a woman, are not called to be stupid, timid, ignorant, un-opinionated, with no advice or insight. What a ridiculous lie! Don't buy it--it's just the awful ugly twin sister of the Lie of Liberated Feminism. Rather, the beautiful crowning glory of a woman of God is her courage, intelligence, humility, wisdom, insight, advice, and sweet-spirited, vivacious dominion over all her realms of responsibility. Imagine what an exemplary man Samson would have been if he had chosen a wise godly woman for his wife. How she would have helped him! Prayed for him! Advised him wisely! Alas, his weakness destroyed him.
Take courage, dear ones. The need for noble women has never been greater than now, and you are young: you stand at the crossroads, able now to set the course of history. Set your vision high. Do not settle for a drab, mundane, resigned existence. Take joy and be content in the upward call to godliness, a pursuit which clothes you with a beauty that cannot be found on earth, for it is not from this mortal realm, but from the eternal realms of glory.
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