O. Addison Gethers e-mail address : [email protected] or [email protected] window live messenger: [email protected] aim: durangoadd64 skype: cowboys62 yahoo messenger: OADDISONGETHERS
----- Original Message ----- From: "Donnie Parrett" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, March 15, 2009 9:34 PM Subject: Daily Bible Reading For Monday March 16 > Judges 16-18 (The Message) > > Judges 16 > 1-2 Samson went to Gaza and saw a prostitute. He went to her. The news got > around: "Samson's here." > They gathered around in hiding, waiting all night for > him at the city gate, quiet as mice, thinking, "At sunrise we'll kill > him." > > 3 Samson was in bed with the woman until midnight. Then he got up, seized > the doors of the city > gate and the two gateposts, bolts and all, hefted them > on his shoulder, and carried them to the top of the hill that faces > Hebron. > > 4-5 Some time later he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek > (Grapes). Her name was > Delilah. The Philistine tyrants approached her and said, > "Seduce him. Discover what's behind his great strength and how we can tie > him up and humble him. > Each man's company will give you a hundred shekels of > silver." > > 6 So Delilah said to Samson, "Tell me, dear, the secret of your great > strength, and how you can be > tied up and humbled." > > 7 Samson told her, "If they were to tie me up with seven bowstrings-the > kind made from fresh animal > tendons, not dried out-then I would become weak, just > like anyone else." > > 8-9 The Philistine tyrants brought her seven bowstrings, not dried out, > and she tied him up with > them. The men were waiting in ambush in her room. Then > she said, "The Philistines are on you, Samson!" He snapped the cords as > though they were mere > threads. The secret of his strength was still a secret. > > 10 Delilah said, "Come now, Samson-you're playing with me, making up > stories. Be serious; tell me > how you can be tied up." > > 11 He told her, "If you were to tie me up tight with new ropes, ropes > never used for work, then I > would be helpless, just like anybody else." > > 12 So Delilah got some new ropes and tied him up. She said, "The > Philistines are on you, Samson!" > The men were hidden in the next room. He snapped the > ropes from his arms like threads. > > 13-14 Delilah said to Samson, "You're still playing games with me, teasing > me with lies. Tell me > how you can be tied up." > > He said to her, "If you wove the seven braids of my hair into the > fabric on the loom and drew it > tight, then I would be as helpless as any other mortal." > > When she had him fast asleep, Delilah took the seven braids of his hair > and wove them into the > fabric on the loom and drew it tight. Then she said, > "The Philistines are on you, Samson!" He woke from his sleep and ripped > loose from both the loom and > fabric! > > 15 She said, "How can you say 'I love you' when you won't even trust me? > Three times now you've > toyed with me, like a cat with a mouse, refusing to tell > me the secret of your great strength." > > 16-17 She kept at it day after day, nagging and tormenting him. Finally, > he was fed up-he couldn't > take another minute of it. He spilled it. > > He told her, "A razor has never touched my head. I've been God's > Nazirite from conception. If I > were shaved, my strength would leave me; I would be > as helpless as any other mortal." > > 18 When Delilah realized that he had told her his secret, she sent for the > Philistine tyrants, > telling them, "Come quickly-this time he's told me the truth." > They came, bringing the bribe money. > > 19 When she got him to sleep, his head on her lap, she motioned to a man > to cut off the seven > braids of his hair. Immediately he began to grow weak. His > strength drained from him. > > 20 Then she said, "The Philistines are on you, Samson!" He woke up, > thinking, "I'll go out, like > always, and shake free." He didn't realize that God had > abandoned him. > > 21-22 The Philistines grabbed him, gouged out his eyes, and took him down > to Gaza. They shackled > him in irons and put him to the work of grinding in the > prison. But his hair, though cut off, began to grow again. > > 23-24 The Philistine tyrants got together to offer a great sacrifice to > their god Dagon. They > celebrated, saying, > Our god has given us > Samson our enemy! > And when the people saw him, they joined in, cheering their god, > Our god has given > Our enemy to us, > The one who ravaged our country, > Piling high the corpses among us. > > 25-27 Then this: Everyone was feeling high and someone said, "Get Samson! > Let him show us his > stuff!" They got Samson from the prison and he put on a show > for them. > > They had him standing between the pillars. Samson said to the young man > who was acting as his > guide, "Put me where I can touch the pillars that hold > up the temple so I can rest against them." The building was packed with > men and women, including all > the Philistine tyrants. And there were at least three > thousand in the stands watching Samson's performance. > > 28 And Samson cried out to God: > Master, God! > Oh, please, look on me again, > Oh, please, give strength yet once more. > God! > With one avenging blow let me be avenged > On the Philistines for my two eyes! > > 29-30 Then Samson reached out to the two central pillars that held up the > building and pushed > against them, one with his right arm, the other with his > left. Saying, "Let me die with the Philistines," Samson pushed hard with > all his might. The building > crashed on the tyrants and all the people in it. He > killed more people in his death than he had killed in his life. > > 31 His brothers and all his relatives went down to get his body. They > carried him back and buried > him in the tomb of Manoah his father, between Zorah and > Eshtaol. > > He judged Israel for twenty years. > > Judges 17 > > Micah > 1-2 There was a man from the hill country of Ephraim named Micah. He said > to his mother, "Remember > that 1,100 pieces of silver that were taken from you? > I overheard you when you pronounced your curse. Well, I have the money; I > stole it. But now I've > brought it back to you." > > His mother said, "God bless you, my son!" > > 3-4 As he returned the 1,100 silver pieces to his mother, she said, "I had > totally consecrated this > money to God for my son to make a statue, a cast god." > Then she took 200 pieces of the silver and gave it to a sculptor and he > cast them into the form of a > god. > > 5 This man, Micah, had a private chapel. He had made an ephod and some > teraphim-idols and had > ordained one of his sons to be his priest. > > 6 In those days there was no king in Israel. People did whatever they felt > like doing. > > 7-8 Meanwhile there was a young man from Bethlehem in Judah and from a > family of Judah. He was a > Levite but was a stranger there. He left that town, Bethlehem > in Judah, seeking his fortune. He got as far as the hill country of > Ephraim and showed up at Micah's > house. > > 9 Micah asked him, "So where are you from?" > > He said, "I'm a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah. I'm on the road, > looking for a place to settle > down." > > 10 Micah said, "Stay here with me. Be my father and priest. I'll pay you > ten pieces of silver a > year, whatever clothes you need, and your meals." > > 11-12 The Levite agreed and moved in with Micah. The young man fit right > in and became one of the > family. Micah appointed the young Levite as his priest. > This all took place in Micah's home. > > 13 Micah said, "Now I know that God will make things go well for me- why, > I've got a Levite for a > priest!" > > Judges 18 > 1 In those days there was no king in Israel. But also in those days, the > tribe of Dan was looking > for a place to settle down. They hadn't yet occupied > their plot among the tribes of Israel. > > 2-3 The Danites sent out five robust warriors from Zorah and Eshtaol to > look over the land and see > what was out there suitable for their families. They > said, "Go and explore the land." > > They went into the hill country of Ephraim and got as far as the house > of Micah. They camped > there for the night. As they neared Micah's house, they > recognized the voice of the young Levite. They went over and said to him, > "How on earth did you get > here? What's going on? What are you doing here?" > > 4 He said, "One thing led to another: Micah hired me and I'm now his > priest." > > 5 They said, "Oh, good-inquire of God for us. Find out whether our mission > will be a success." > > 6 The priest said, "Go assured. God's looking out for you all the way." > > 7 The five men left and headed north to Laish. They saw that the people > there were living in safety > under the umbrella of the Sidonians, quiet and unsuspecting. > They had everything going for them. But the people lived a long way from > the Sidonians to the west > and had no treaty with the Arameans to the east. > > 8 When they got back to Zorah and Eshtaol, their brothers asked, "So, how > did you find things?" > > 9-10 They said, "Let's go for it! Let's attack. We've seen the land and it > is excellent. Are you > going to just sit on your hands? Don't dawdle! Invade > and conquer! When you get there, you'll find they're sitting ducks, > totally unsuspecting. Wide open > land-God is handing it over to you, everything you > could ever ask for." > > 11-13 So six hundred Danite men set out from Zorah and Eshtaol, armed to > the teeth. Along the way > they made camp at Kiriath Jearim in Judah. That is why > the place is still today called Dan's Camp-it's just west of Kiriath > Jearim. From there they > proceeded into the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah's > house. > > 14 The five men who earlier had explored the country of Laish told their > companions, "Did you know > there's an ephod, teraphim-idols, and a cast god-sculpture > in these buildings? What do you think? Do you want to do something about > it?" > > 15-18 So they turned off the road there, went to the house of the young > Levite at Micah's place and > asked how things had been with him. The six hundred > Danites, all well-armed, stood guard at the entrance to the gate while the > five scouts who had gone > to explore the land went in and took the carved idol, > the ephod, the teraphim-idols, and the god-sculpture. The priest was > standing at the gate entrance > with the six hundred armed men. When the five went into > Micah's house and took the carved idol, the ephod, the teraphim-idols, and > the sculpted god, the > priest said to them, "What do you think you're doing?" > > 19 They said to him, "Hush! Don't make a sound. Come with us. Be our > father and priest. Which is > more important, that you be a priest to one man or that > you become priest to a whole tribe and clan in Israel?" > > 20 The priest jumped at the chance. He took the ephod, the teraphim-idols, > and the idol and fell in > with the troops. > > 21-23 They turned away and set out, putting the children, the cattle, and > the gear in the lead. > They were well on their way from Micah's house before Micah > and his neighbors got organized. But they soon overtook the Danites. They > shouted at them. The > Danites turned around and said, "So what's all the noise > about?" > > 24 Micah said, "You took my god, the one I made, and you took my priest. > And you marched off! What > do I have left? How can you now say, 'What's the matter?'" > > 25 But the Danites answered, "Don't yell at us; you just might provoke > some fierce, hot-tempered > men to attack you, and you'll end up an army of dead men." > > 26 The Danites went on their way. Micah saw that he didn't stand a chance > against their arms. He > turned back and went home. > > 27 So they took the things that Micah had made, along with his priest, and > they arrived at Laish, > that city of quiet and unsuspecting people. They massacred > the people and burned down the city. > > 28-29 There was no one around to help. They were a long way from Sidon and > had no treaty with the > Arameans. Laish was in the valley of Beth Rehob. When > they rebuilt the city they renamed it Dan after their ancestor who was a > son of Israel, but its > original name was Laish. > > 30-31 The Danites set up the god-figure for themselves. Jonathan son of > Gershom, the son of Moses, > and his descendants were priests to the tribe of Dan > down to the time of the land's captivity. All during the time that there > was a sanctuary of God in > Shiloh, they kept for their private use the god-figure > that Micah had made. > > > Please join us on Skype Monday thru Friday at 8:00 EST for our Morning > Skype Prayer Time. > > > Contact Me At: > Donnie Parrett > 1956 Asa Flat Road > Annville, Kentucky 40402 > Home Phone: 606-364-3321 > Church Phone: 606-364-PRAY > Skype Name: Donnie1261 > Email: [email protected] > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Deaf-Blind Inspirational Life Group" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/DBILG?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
