Friday 13 May

Judges 16:1-17:13

Whatever happened to an eye for an eye?  If the Lord had granted Samson’s actual request for revenge then he would only have given him enough strength to push over a candlestick.  That candlestick would then have knocked out one man’s eyeballs as it fell to the floor.  But the Lord didn’t do that.  He gave Samson enough strength to crush 3000 people.  Did the Lord just get his calculations wrong?  I don’t think so.  As the Philistines mocked Samson they were implicitly mocking God and as they celebrated Samson’s capture they began to worship Dagon as the sovereign lord of their land.  This was a power encounter between the false god Dagon and the Sovereign Lord of the earth.  In such a contest there can only ever be one winner.  So what can we take from this?  God is always doing a bigger thing that just sorting out personal gripes. God is obsessed with own name being glorified across the whole world.  Not because he is an egomaniac but because it is better for everyone to know that he is the one who can help them, he is the one who can heal them, he is the one who can protect them and he is the one who rules over them.  Personal issues still do get his attention - Samson got what he wanted and then some! - but this thing is about more than that.  It is about the world appreciating the Yahweh is the Sovereign Lord of all.

John 7:45-8:11

This is a bit of an odd section.  I guess the unbelief of the Jewish leaders reinforces the point that some people reject Jesus.  And their rejection is not based on sensible consideration but on prejudice and pride.  I guess some people have so much to lose if they acknowledge Jesus that they are very loathe to do so.  But, John is clear to point out that if people do approach Jesus with an open mind they will likely come back as the temple guards did, saying “no-one ever spoke the way this man does”.  The truth is that many people all across South West London are in the place of the guards.  From the outside they may look like they hate Jesus because that is what their close companions are saying but, in fact, they are finding themselves strangely attracted by him.  Jesus himself said that the harvest field in white.  Many many people are out there wanting to discover more about Jesus, wanting to work out what he is all about, why he spoke the way he does and what they should do about it.  It is for us, as Jesus’ body on this earth, to find them and help them in their search.  Please Jesus would you give us eyes to see them and boldness to approach them in love.

Psalm 60:1-4

Ouch.  Sometimes life hurts.  But with God there is always a ‘but’.  There is always something he is doing to redeem, to protect and to restore.