Judges 16-18 - Samson Called to Yahweh

Samson and Delilah

Jdg 16:16-17 LSB - [16] Now it happened when she pressed him daily with her words and urged him, that his soul was annoyed to death. [17] So he told her all [that was] in his heart and said to her, "A razor has never come on my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother's womb. If I am shaved, then my strength will leave me and I will become weak and be like every [other] man."

Jdg 16:19 LSB - [19] Then she made him sleep on her knees and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to afflict him, and his strength left him.

“As long as he is consecrated he is strong; break that, he is weak as water. Now there are a thousand razors with which the devil can shave off the locks of a consecrated man without his knowing it. Samson is sound asleep; so clever is the barber that he even lulls him to sleep as his fingers move across the pate, the fool’s pate, which he is making bare. The devil is cleverer far than even the skillful-barber; he can shave the believer’s locks while he scarcely knows it.” (Spurgeon)

“Not that his hair made him strong, but that his hair was the symbol of his consecration, and was the pledge of God’s favor to him. While his hair was untouched he was a consecrated man; as soon as that was cut away, he was no longer perfectly consecrated, and then his strength departed from him.” (Spurgeon)

“In the opinion of some persons Samson looked much improved when his matted hair was gone. He was more presentable; more fit for good society. And so in the case of churches, the notion is that they are all the better for getting rid of their peculiarities.” (Spurgeon)

Jdg 16:22 LSB - [22] However, the hair of his head began to grow again after it was shaved off.

“I wonder why these Philistines did not take care to keep his hair from growing to any length. If cutting his hair once had proved so effectual, I wonder that they did not send in the barber every morning, to make sure that not a hair grew upon his scalp or chin. But wicked men are not in all matters wise men: indeed, they so conspicuously fail in one point or another that Scripture calls them fools.” (Spurgeon)

“When Samson’s hair began to grow, what did it prophesy? Well, first, it prophesied hope for Samson. I will be bound to say that he put his hand to his head, and felt that it was getting bristly, and then he put his hand to his beard, and found it rough. Yes, yes, yes, it was coming, and he thought within himself, ‘It will be all right soon. I shall not get my eyes back. They will not grow again. I am an awful loser by my sin, but I shall get my strength back again, for my hair is growing. I shall be able to strike a blow for my people and for my God yet.” (Spurgeon)

 

Samson’s Revenge

Jdg 16:28 LSB - [28] Then Samson called to Yahweh and said, "O Lord Yahweh, please remember me and please strengthen me just this time, O God, that I may at once be avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes."

“The Old Testament biographies were never written for our imitation, but they were written for our instruction. Upon this one matter, what a volume of force there is in such lessons! ‘See,’ says God, ‘what faith can do. Here is a man, full of infirmities, a sorry fool; yet, through his childlike faith, he lives. ‘The just shall live by faith.’ He has many sad flaws and failings, but his heart is right towards his God; he does trust in the Lord, and he does give himself up as a man consecrated to his Lord’s service, and, therefore, he is saved.’ I look upon Samson’s case as a great wonder, put in Scripture for the encouragement of great sinners.” (Spurgeon)

Micah’s Idolatry

Jdg 17:6 LSB - [6] In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.

Pro 14:12 LSB - [12] There is a way [which seems] right to a man, But its end is the way of death.

Ecc 11:9 LSB - [9] Be glad, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be merry during the days of young manhood. And walk in the ways of your heart and in the sights of your eyes. Yet know that God will bring you to judgment for all these things.

 

Danites Seek an Inheritance

Jdg 18:1 LSB - [1] In those days there was no king of Israel; and in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking an inheritance for themselves to live in, for until that day [the land] among the tribes of Israel had not fallen to them as an inheritance.

Jdg 1:34 LSB - [34] Then the Amorites pressed the sons of Dan into the hill country, for they did not allow them to come down to the valley;

 

Danites Take Micah’s Idols

Jdg 18:30-31 LSB - [30] Then the sons of Dan set up for themselves the graven image; and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the exile of the land. [31] So they set up for themselves Micah's graven image which he had made, all the time that the house of God was at Shiloh.

Judges 13-15 - Teach Me to Do Your Will

The Birth of Samson

Jdg 13:1 LSB - [1] Then the sons of Israel again did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh, so that Yahweh gave them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.

Jdg 13:5 LSB - [5] "For behold, you shall be with child and give birth to a son, and no razor shall come upon his head, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines."

Jdg 13:8 LSB - [8] Then Manoah entreated Yahweh and said, "O Lord, please let the man of God whom You have sent come to us again that he may instruct us what to do for the boy who is to be born."

Psa 143:10 LSB - [10] Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

Teach me to do the thing that pleaseth Thee

Author: John S. B. Monsell

1 Teach me to do the thing that pleaseth thee;
Thou art my God, in thee I live and move;
Oh, let thy loving Spirit lead me forth
Into the land of righteousness and love.

2 Thy love the law and impulse of my soul,
Thy righteousness its fitness and its plea,
Thy loving Spirit mercy's sweet control

To make me liker, draw me nearer thee.

3 My highest hope to be where, Lord, thou art,
To lose myself in thee my richest gain,
To do thy will the habit of my heart,
To grieve the Spirit my severest pain.

4 Thy smile my sunshine, all my peace from thence,|
From self alone what could that peace destroy?
Thy joy my sorrow at the least offence,

My sorrow that I am not more thy joy.

 

Jdg 13:16 LSB - [16] And the angel of Yahweh said to Manoah, "Though you delay me, I will not eat your food, but if you prepare a burnt offering, [then] offer it to Yahweh." For Manoah did not know that he was the angel of Yahweh.

Jdg 13:18 LSB - [18] But the angel of Yahweh said to him, "Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?"

Jdg 13:19-20 LSB - [19] So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering and offered it on the rock to Yahweh, and He did a wondrous thing while Manoah and his wife looked on. [20] Indeed, it happened when the flame went up from the altar toward heaven, that the angel of Yahweh went up in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife saw [this], so they fell on their faces to the ground.

Jdg 13:24-25 LSB - [24] Then the woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson; and the child grew up, and Yahweh blessed him. [25] And the Spirit of Yahweh began to stir him in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

Manoah’s Wife and her Excellent Argument - Spurgeon

THE first remark arising out of the story of Manoah and his wife is this — that oftentimes we pray for blessings which will make us tremble when we receive them. Manoah had asked that he might see the angel, and he saw him: in answer to his request the wonderful One condescended to reveal himself a second time, but the consequence was that the good man was filled with astonishment and dismay, and turning to his wife, he exclaimed, “We shall surely die because we have seen God.”

...

A second remark is this— Very frequently deep prostration of spirit is the forerunner of some remarkable blessing. It was to Manoah and to his wife the highest conceivable joy of life, the climax of their ambition, that they should be the parents of a son by whom the Lord should begin to deliver Israel. Joy filled them— inexpressible joy— at the thought of it; but, at the time when the good news was first communicated, Manoah, at least, was made so heavy in spirit that he said, “We shall surely die, for we have seen an angel of the Lord.” Take it as a general rule that dull skies foretell a shower of mercy. Expect sweet favour when you experience sharp affliction.

 

Prayer answered by Crosses

Author: John Newton

1. I asked the Lord that I might grow

In faith, and love, and ev'ry grace,

Might more of his salvation know,

And seek more earnestly his face.

2. 'Twas he who taught me thus to pray,

And he, I trust, has answered prayer,

But it has been in such a way

As almost drove me to despair.

3. I hoped that in some favored hour,

At once he'd answer my request,

And by his love's constraining power,

Subdue my sins and give me rest.

4. Instead of this, he made me feel

The hidden evils of my heart

And let the angry powers of Hell

Assault my soul in every part.

5. Yea, more with his own hand he seemed

Intent to aggravate my woe,

Crossed all the fair designs I schemed,

Cast out my feelings, laid me low.

6. Lord, “Why is this?” I trembling cried,

“Will you pursue your worm to death?”

“’Tis in this way,” The Lord replied,

“I answer prayer for grace and faith.”

7. “These inward trials I employ

From self and pride to set you free

And break your schemes of earthly joy

That you would seek your all in me.”

Samson Takes a Philistine as His Wife

Jdg 14:3-4 LSB -
[3] But his father and his mother said to him, "Is there no woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?" But Samson said to his father, "Take her for me, for she is right in my eyes."
[4] However, his father and mother did not know that it was of Yahweh, for He was seeking an occasion against the Philistines. Now at that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel.

Jdg 14:6 LSB - [6] And the Spirit of Yahweh came upon him mightily, so that he tore it as one tears a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand; but he did not tell his father or mother what he had done.

Jdg 14:19 LSB - [19] Then the Spirit of Yahweh came upon him mightily, and he went down to Ashkelon and struck down thirty of them and took their spoil and gave the changes [of clothes] to those who told the riddle. And his anger burned, and he went up to his father's house.

Hands Full of Honey - Spurgeon

It seems to me that the Israelitish hero with a slain lion in the background, standing out in the open road with his hands laden with masses of honeycomb and dripping with honey, which he holds out to his parents, makes a fine picture, worthy of the greatest artist. And what a type we have here of our Divine Lord and Master. Jesus, the conqueror of death and hell. He has destroyed the lion that roared upon us and upon him. He has shouted “victory” over all our foes. “It is finished” was his note of triumph; and now he stands in the midst of his church with his hands full of sweetness and consolation, presenting them to those of whom he says, “these are my brother, and sister, and mother.” To each one of us who believe in him he gives the luscious food which he has prepared for us by the overthrow of our foes; he bids us come and eat that we may have our lives sweetened and our hearts filled with joy. To me the comparison seems wonderfully apt and suggestive: I see our triumphant Lord laden with sweetness, holding it forth to all his brethren, and inviting them to share in his joy.

 

Samson Strikes Down the Philistines

Jdg 15:14 LSB - [14] [When] he came to Lehi, the Philistines shouted as they met him. And the Spirit of Yahweh came upon him mightily so that the ropes that were on his arms were as flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds dropped from his hands.

Jdg 15:18-19 LSB - [18] Then he became very thirsty, and he called to Yahweh and said, "You have given this great salvation by the hand of Your slave, but now shall I die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?" [19] So God split the hollow place that is in Lehi and water came out of it. Then he drank, and his spirit returned, and he revived. Therefore he named it En-hakkore, which is in Lehi to this day.

Judges 10-12 - Israel Cries Out to Yahweh

Tola and Jair Judge Israel

Israel Forsakes Yahweh Again

Jdg 10:7 LSB - [7] So the anger of Yahweh burned against Israel, and He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and into the hands of the sons of Ammon.

Nah 1:2 LSB - [2] ALEPH A jealous and avenging God is Yahweh; Yahweh is avenging and wrathful. Yahweh is avenging against His adversaries, And He keeps [His anger] for His enemies.

 

Israel Cries Out to Yahweh

Jdg 10:16 LSB - [16] So they removed the foreign gods from among them and served Yahweh; and He could bear the trouble of Israel no longer.

Isa 63:9 LSB - [9] In all their distress He was distressed, And the angel of His presence saved them; In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them, And He lifted them and carried them all the ancient days.

Jer 31:20 LSB - [20] "Is Ephraim My dear son? Is he a delightful child? Indeed, as often as I have spoken against him, I certainly still remember him; Therefore My inmost being yearns for him; I will surely have compassion on him," declares Yahweh.

 

Jephthah Delivers Israel

Jdg 11:11 LSB - [11] Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and chief over them; and Jephthah spoke all his words before Yahweh at Mizpah.

Gen 31:48-49 LSB - [48] Then Laban said, "This heap is a witness between you and me this day." Therefore it was named Galeed, [49] and Mizpah, for he said, "May Yahweh watch between you and me when we are absent one from the other.

 

Jephthah Vows a Burnt Offering

Jdg 11:30-31 LSB - [30] Then Jephthah made a vow to Yahweh and said, "If You will indeed give the sons of Ammon into my hand, [31] then it shall be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the sons of Ammon, it shall be Yahweh's, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering."

“He had made a rash vow, and such things are much better broken than kept. If a man makes a vow to commit a crime his vow to do so is in itself a sin, and the carrying out of his vow will be doubly sinful. If a man’s vowing to do a thing made it necessary and right for him to do it, then the whole moral law might be suspended by the mere act of vowing, for a man might vow to steal, to commit adultery, or to murder, and then say, ‘I was right in all those acts, because I vowed to do them.’ This is self-evidently absurd, and to admit such a principle would be to destroy all morality.” (Spurgeon)

Jdg 11:36 LSB - [36] So she said to him, "My father, you have opened your mouth [to vow] to Yahweh; do to me according to what has gone out from your mouth, since Yahweh has avenged you of your enemies, the sons of Ammon."

Jdg 11:39 LSB - [39] And it happened at the end of two months that she returned to her father, and he did to her according to the vow which he had made; and she did not know a man. Thus it became a custom in Israel,

Exo 38:8 LSB - [8] Moreover, he made the laver of bronze with its base of bronze, from the mirrors of the serving women who served at the doorway of the tent of meeting.

Heb 11:32 LSB - [32] And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I recount Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, as well as David and Samuel and the prophets,

 

Jephthah Fights Ephraim

Jdg 12:6 LSB - [6] then they would say to him, "Say now, 'Shibboleth.'" But he said, "Sibboleth," for he could not pronounce it correctly. Then they seized him and slaughtered him at the fords of the Jordan. Thus there fell at that time 42,000 of Ephraim.

Mat 26:73 LSB - [73] A little later the bystanders came up and said to Peter, "Surely you too are [one] of them; for even the way you talk gives you away."

 

Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon Judge Israel

 

Judges 7-9 - Gideon’s 300 Men

Gideon’s 300 Men

Jdg 7:7 LSB - [7] And Yahweh said to Gideon, "I will save you with the 300 men who lapped and will give the Midianites into your hands; so let all the [other] people go, each man to his place."

Jdg 7:10-11 LSB - [10] "But if you are afraid to go down, [then both] you and Purah your young man, go down to the camp, [11] and you will hear what they say; and afterward your hands will be strengthened, that you may go down against the camp." So he went with Purah his young man down to the outskirts of the armed men that were in the camp.

Gideon Kills the Princes of Midian

Jdg 7:20 LSB - [20] Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers, and they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing and called out, "A sword for Yahweh and for Gideon!"

THE SWORD OF THE LORD AND OF GIDEON
Words: Cla­ra H. Thwaite

Twelve thou­sand stand on Gi­le­ad,

Yea, twice twelve thou­sand say!

They flocked at sil­ver trum­pet’s call,

All men of Is­ra­el they.

But faith­ful Gi­de­on cried aloud,

If crav­en heart there be,

Return, faint-heart­ed, to your tents,

Not yours the vic­to­ry!

Ten thou­sand stand at Gi­le­ad!

No crav­en hearts are these;

But will they speed at du­ty’s call,

Or love they sloth­ful ease?

In wea­ri­ness, in watch­ings oft,

The sol­dier’s lot must stand:

Can these ten thou­sand hard­ness bear,

And march at God’s com­mand?

See! Har­od’s spark­ling waters

Flow flash­ing thro’ the plain!

The Lord will try His war­ri­ors

Again and yet again.

Down to the mar­gin of the stream

The thirst­ing sol­diers press,

Their parch­èd lips ap­proach the stream,

The leap­ing tor­rent kiss.

Some yield to wea­ri­ness and thirst,

And, kneel­ing on the sod,

Forget awhile the trum­pet’s call,

Their coun­try and their God!

Some on­ly bend in man­ly grace

With hand dipped in the ford,

And mar­tial stand, the sword in hand,

To heark­en Gi­de­on’s word.

By these, by these, cried Gi­de­on,

The Lord shall Is­ra­el save;

By prov­en men and chos­en,

Three hun­dred war­ri­ors brave;

Lest Is­ra­el’s host should vaunt it­self,

And dream that its pow­er and might,

Or pru­dence of the wise and skilled,

Had con­quered in the fight.

Three hun­dred stand on Gi­le­ad,

Obedient men—but lo!

More than a hun­dred thou­sand

In Mi­di­an’s tents be­low!

What wea­pons for the war­fare?

A trum­pet and a light!

The shout of a king among them

Ringing thro’ Mi­di­an’s night!

O Lord, arise! Thy war­ri­ors choose,

As erst at Har­od’s well,

And prove them at the wa­ters—

Thy faith­ful Is­ra­el!

Swift as the ea­gle may they bear

Love’s em­bas­sy abroad!

Send out Thy sons of va­lor

To war, the wars of God!

They will not pause, those ea­ger souls,

Where plea­sure’s waves glide by,

Nor, heed­less of the Mas­ter’s call,

In ease­ful lang­uor lie.

They hear the call of na­tions,

The Mas­ter’s high com­mand,

And pure re­solve and zeal in­spire

The mis­sion­ary band.

O flash the torch of truth athwart

The gloom of hea­then night!

And cheer ye with a song of faith,

And trum­pet sound of might!

The bat­tle is not yours, but God’s;

Ring out the bat­tle cry!

The sword of God and Gi­de­on

Shall bring the vic­to­ry!

Gideon Makes an Ephod

Jdg 8:27 LSB - [27] Then Gideon made it into an ephod and placed it in his city, Ophrah, and all Israel played the harlot with it there, so that it became a snare to Gideon and his household.

“He did not set up an idol, but he made an ephod, an imitation of that wonderful vestment worn by the high priest. Perhaps he made it of solid gold, not to be worn, but to be looked at, simply to remind the people of the worship of God, and not to be itself worshipped. But ah, dear friends, you see here that, if we go half an inch beyond what God’s Word warrants we always get into mischief!” (Spurgeon)

 

The Death and Burial of Gideon

Jdg 8:34 LSB - [34] Thus the sons of Israel did not remember Yahweh their God, who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side;

Abimelech Kills His Brothers

Jdg 9:19-20 LSB - [19] if then you have dealt in truth and integrity with Jerubbaal and his house this day, be glad in Abimelech, and let him also be glad in you. [20] "But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech and consume the lords of Shechem and Beth-millo; and let fire come out from the lords of Shechem and from Beth-millo and consume Abimelech."

The Downfall of Abimelech

Jdg 9:23 LSB - [23] Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the lords of Shechem; and the lords of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech,

Jdg 9:53 LSB - [53] But a certain woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech's head, and she smashed his skull.

Jdg 9:56-57 LSB - [56] Thus God returned the evil of Abimelech, which he had done to his father in killing his seventy brothers. [57] God also returned all the evil of the men of Shechem on their own heads, and the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal came upon them.

Judges 4-6 - I Will Remain Until You Return

Yahweh Raises Up Deborah and Barak

Jdg 4:9 LSB - [9] So she said, "I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the honor shall not be yours on the journey that you are about to take, for Yahweh will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman." Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.

Jdg 4:21 LSB - [21] Then Jael, Heber's wife, took a tent peg and placed a hammer in her hand and went secretly to him and drove the peg into his temple, and it went through into the ground; for he was sound asleep and exhausted. So he died.

The Song of Deborah and Barak

Jdg 5:1 LSB - [1] Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying, 

“Deborah sang concerning the overthrow of Israel’s enemies, and the deliverance vouchsafed to the tribes: we have a far richer theme for music; we have been delivered from worse enemies, and saved by a greater salvation. Let our gratitude be deeper; let our song be more jubilant.” (Spurgeon)

“When he had been most slandered — when the Pope had launched out a new bull, and when the kings of the earth had threatened him fiercely — Luther would gather together his friends, and say, ‘Come let us sing a psalm and spite the devil.’ He would ever sing the most psalms when the world roared the most.” (Spurgeon)

 

Midian Prevails Against Israel

Jdg 6:1 LSB - [1] Then the sons of Israel did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh; and Yahweh gave them into the hands of Midian seven years.

Yahweh Sends Gideon to Save Israel

Jdg 6:18 LSB - [18] "Please do not depart from here until I come [back] to You, and I bring out my offering and lay it before You." And He said, "I will remain until you return." 

Jdg 6:23-24 LSB - [23] And Yahweh said to him, "Peace to you. Do not fear; you shall not die." [24] So Gideon built an altar there to Yahweh and named it Yahweh is Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

Gideon Tears Down the Altar of Baal

Jdg 6:32 LSB - [32] Therefore on that day he named him Jerubbaal, that is to say, "Let Baal contend against him," because he had torn down his altar.

Jdg 6:32 ESV - [32] Therefore on that day Gideon was called Jerubbaal, that is to say, "Let Baal contend against him," because he broke down his altar.

Jdg 6:34 LSB - [34] But the Spirit of Yahweh clothed Gideon; and he blew a trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called together to follow him.

The Test of the Fleece

Judges 1-3 - Yahweh Raises Up Judges

The Fight Against the Canaanites

Jdg 1:1 LSB - [1] Now it happened after the death of Joshua that the sons of Israel asked of Yahweh, saying, "Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites, to fight against them?"

Jdg 1:19 LSB - [19] Now Yahweh was with Judah, and they took possession of the hill country; but they [could] not dispossess the inhabitants of the valley because they had iron chariots.

Israel Fails to Complete the Conquest

Jdg 1:34 LSB - [34] Then the Amorites pressed the sons of Dan into the hill country, for they did not allow them to come down to the valley;

The Angel of Yahweh Speaks to Israel

Jdg 2:3 LSB - [3] "Therefore I also said, 'I will not drive them out before you; but they will become [as thorns] in your sides, and their gods will become a snare to you.'"

Joshua’s Death and Burial

Jdg 2:10 LSB - [10] And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them who did not know Yahweh or even the work which He had done for Israel.

Israel Serves Baals

Yahweh Raises Up Judges

Yahweh Tests Israel

Jdg 3:1-2 LSB - [1] Now these are the nations which Yahweh [allowed to] remain, to test Israel by them ([that is], all who had not known any of the wars of Canaan; [2] however, [God tested them] in order that the generations of the sons of Israel would know [war], by learning war, especially those who had not known it formerly).

Yahweh Raises Up Othniel

Jdg 3:9-10 LSB - [9] Then the sons of Israel cried to Yahweh, and Yahweh raised up a savior for the sons of Israel to save them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother. [10] And the Spirit of Yahweh came upon him, and he judged Israel. And he went out to war, and Yahweh gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand. So his hand was strong against Cushan-rishathaim.

Yahweh Raises Up Ehud and Shamgar

Jdg 3:15 LSB - [15] Then the sons of Israel cried to Yahweh, and Yahweh raised up a savior for them, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man. And the sons of Israel sent tribute by his hand to Eglon the king of Moab.

Colossians 1-4 - Alive with Christ

Thanksgiving and Prayer

Col 1:3-6 LSB - 

[3] We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 

praying always for you, 

[4] since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and 

the love which you have for all the saints, 

[5] because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, 

of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel 

[6] which has come to you, 

just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and multiplying, 

just as [it has been doing] in you also 

since the day you heard and understood the grace of God in truth;

Col 1:9-14 LSB - 

[9] For this reason also, since the day we heard, 

we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that 

you may be filled with the full knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 

[10] so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, 

to please [Him] in all respects, 

bearing fruit in every good work 

and multiplying in the full knowledge of God; 

[11] being strengthened with all power, 

according to His glorious might, 

for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; 

joyously [12] giving thanks to the Father, 

who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 

[13] Who rescued us from the authority of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son of His love, 

[14] in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

The Firstborn of All Creation

Col 1:15-20 LSB - 

[15] Who is the image of the invisible God, 

the firstborn of all creation. 

[16] For in Him all things were created, [both] in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him. 

[17] And He is before all things, 

And in Him all things hold together. 

[18] And He is the head of the body, the church; 

Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, 

so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. 

[19] For in Him all the fullness [of God] was pleased to dwell, 

[20] And through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, 

having made peace through the blood of His cross--through Him--whether things on earth or things in heaven.

Alive with Christ

Col 2:1-3 LSB - 

[1] For I want you to understand how great a struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not seen my face in the flesh, 

[2] so that their hearts may be encouraged, 

having been held together in love, 

even unto all the wealth of the full assurance of understanding, 

unto the full knowledge of God's mystery, [that is], Christ [Himself], 

[3] in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Col 2:6-7 LSB - [6] Therefore as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, [so] walk in Him, [7] having been firmly rooted and being built up in Him, and having been established in your faith--just as you were instructed--[and] abounding with thanksgiving.

Col 2:9-12 LSB - 

[9] For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells bodily, 

[10] and in Him you have been filled, who is the head over all rule and authority; 

[11] in whom you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ, 

[12] having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.

Col 2:13-15 LSB - 

[13] And you being dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, 

He made you alive with Him, having graciously forgiven us all our transgressions. 

[14] Having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us which was hostile to us, He also has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 

[15] Having disarmed the rulers and authorities, 

He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them in Him.

Put On the New Man

Col 3:2 LSB - [2] Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.

Col 3:12-13 LSB - [12] So, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, [and] patience; [13] bearing with one another, and graciously forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone, just as the Lord graciously forgave you, so also should you.

Col 3:16 LSB - [16] Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms [and] hymns [and] spiritual songs, singing with gratefulness in your hearts to God.

Family and Work

Col 3:19 LSB - [19] Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them.

Col 3:21 LSB - [21] Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so that they will not lose heart.

Col 3:23-24 LSB - [23] Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, [24] knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. Serve the Lord Christ.

Final Instructions and Greetings

Col 4:2 LSB - [2] Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving;

Notebook LM

The sources define Christ as the "image of the invisible God," a description that sits at the center of a larger discourse on His divine nature, His role in creation, and His relationship to the church.

The Manifestation of the Invisible

According to the sources, God is "invisible," yet Christ is His "image". This suggests that Christ is the visible manifestation of the otherwise unseen God. This nature is further clarified in the statement that "all the fullness of Deity dwells bodily" in Him. The sources emphasize that this "fullness" of God was "pleased to dwell" in Christ, indicating that He is not merely a reflection of God but possesses the complete essence of God's nature.

Christ’s Supremacy over Creation

The description of Christ as the "image of the invisible God" is directly linked to His status as the "firstborn of all creation". This supremacy is detailed through several key roles:

• Creator: All things—whether visible or invisible, in heaven or on earth—were created in, through, and for Him.
• Sustainer: He existed "before all things," and it is in Him that "all things hold together".
• Preeminent Authority: He is the "head over all rule and authority" and holds "first place in everything".

The Nature of Christ in Redemption

The sources also contextualize Christ's nature through His redemptive work. While He possesses the fullness of Deity, He also has a "body of His flesh" through which He achieved reconciliation for humanity via the "blood of His cross". This duality highlights His nature as both fully divine and fully involved in the physical human experience to "reconcile all things to Himself".

The Image and the "New Man"

The concept of the "image" extends beyond Christ's personal nature to the transformation of believers. The sources state that those who follow Christ are putting on a "new man who is being renewed to a full knowledge according to the image of the One who created him". This suggests that Christ, as the primary image of God, serves as the template for the spiritual renewal of humanity, where "Christ is all and in all".

Hidden Wisdom and Knowledge

Finally, the sources assert that in Christ are "hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge". By presenting Him as the "full knowledge of God’s mystery," the text argues that understanding the nature of Christ is the key to avoiding "philosophy and empty deception" or "elementary principles of the world" that are not according to Christ.

Joshua 22-24 - You will not be able to serve Yahweh

Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh

An Altar Called Witness

Jos 22:10 LSB - [10] And they came to the region of the Jordan which is in the land of Canaan, and the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan, a large altar in appearance.

Lev 17:8-9 LSB - [8] "Then you shall say to them, 'Any man from the house of Israel, or from the sojourners who sojourn among them, who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice, [9] and does not bring it to the doorway of the tent of meeting to offer it to Yahweh, that man also shall be cut off from his people.

Jos 22:34 LSB - [34] And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad called the altar [Witness]; "For," [they said], "it is a witness between us that Yahweh is God."

Joshua Calls All Israel

Jos 23:6, 8, 11 LSB - 

[6] "Be very strong, then, to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, so that you may not turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left, ... 

[8] "But you are to cling to Yahweh your God, as you have done to this day. ... 

[11] "So keep your souls very carefully to love Yahweh your God.

Jos 23:14 LSB - [14] "Now behold, today I am going the way of all the earth, and you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one word of all the good words which Yahweh your God spoke concerning you has failed; all have come to pass for you; not one word of them has failed.

Jos 23:16 LSB - [16] "When you trespass against the covenant of Yahweh your God, which He commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, then the anger of Yahweh will burn against you, and you will perish quickly from off the good land which He has given you."

Joshua Gathers Israel

Jos 24:1 LSB - [1] Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and called for the elders of Israel and for their heads and their judges and their officers; and they presented themselves before God.

Jos 24:12-13 LSB - [12] 'Then I sent the hornet before you, and it drove out the two kings of the Amorites from before you, [but] not by your sword or your bow. [13] 'And I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities which you had not built, and you have lived in them; you are eating of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.'

We Will Serve Yahweh Our God

Jos 24:14 LSB - [14] "So now, fear Yahweh and serve Him in integrity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve Yahweh.

Jos 24:15 LSB - [15] "If it is evil in your sight to serve Yahweh, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve Yahweh."

Jos 24:19 LSB - [19] Then Joshua said to the people, "You will not be able to serve Yahweh, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgression or your sins.

Mat 6:24 LSB - [24] "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

 

Joshua’s Death and Burial

Jos 24:31 LSB - [31] And Israel served Yahweh all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua, who knew all the work of Yahweh which He had done for Israel.

 

Joshua 19-21 - All Came to Pass

Simeon’s Inheritance

Jos 19:9 LSB - [9] The inheritance of the sons of Simeon [was taken] from the portion of the sons of Judah, for the share of the sons of Judah was too large for them; so the sons of Simeon received [an] inheritance in the midst of Judah's inheritance.

Zebulun’s Inheritance

Jos 19:15 LSB - [15] [Included] also [were] Kattah and Nahalal and Shimron and Idalah and Bethlehem; twelve cities with their villages.

Issachar’s Inheritance

Asher’s Inheritance

Naphtali’s Inheritance

Dan’s Inheritance

Jos 19:50 LSB - [50] In accordance with the command of Yahweh they gave him the city for which he asked, Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim. So he built the city and settled in it.

Jos 19:51 LSB - [51] These are the inheritances which Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun and the heads of the households of the tribes of the sons of Israel distributed by lot in Shiloh before Yahweh at the doorway of the tent of meeting. So they finished dividing the land.

The Cities of Refuge

Jos 20:7-9 LSB - [7] So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. [8] Now beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, they designated Bezer in the wilderness on the plain from the tribe of Reuben and Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh. [9] These were the appointed cities for all the sons of Israel and for the sojourner who sojourns among them, that whoever strikes down any person unintentionally may flee there and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood until he stands before the congregation.

The Cities of the Levites

Jos 21:41-42 LSB - [41] All the cities of the Levites in the midst of the possession of the sons of Israel were forty-eight cities with their pasture lands. [42] These cities each had its surrounding pasture lands; thus [it was] with all these cities.

Jos 21:43 LSB - [43] So Yahweh gave Israel all the land which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they possessed it and lived in it.

Heb 4:9 LSB - [9] So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.

Jos 21:45 LSB - [45] Not [one] promise of the good promises which Yahweh had promised to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass.

Joshua 16-18 - How long will you put off ...

Ephraim’s Inheritance

Jos 16:10 LSB - [10] But they did not dispossess the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites live in the midst of Ephraim to this day, and they became forced laborers.

Manasseh’s Inheritance

Jos 17:12-13 LSB - [12] But the sons of Manasseh could not take possession of these cities because the Canaanites persisted in living in that land. [13] Now it happened that when the sons of Israel became strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but they did not dispossess them completely.

Jos 17:16-18 LSB - [16] And the sons of Joseph said, "The hill country is not enough for us, and all the Canaanites who live in the valley land have chariots of iron, both those who are in Beth-shean and its towns and those who are in the valley of Jezreel." [17] Then Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and Manasseh, saying, "You are a numerous people and have great power; you shall not have one lot [only], [18] but the hill country shall be yours. For though it is a forest, you shall clear it, and to its farthest borders it shall be yours; for you shall dispossess the Canaanites, even though they have chariots of iron [and] even though they are strong."

The Remaining Land Divided

Jos 18:2-3 LSB - [2] And there remained among the sons of Israel seven tribes who had not divided their inheritance. [3] So Joshua said to the sons of Israel, "How long will you put off entering to take possession of the land which Yahweh, the God of your fathers, has given you?

Benjamin’s Inheritance