Philistines oppress Israel for forty years             verse 1 

And the children of Israel did EVIL again in the sight of the LORD

            and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines

                        FORTY YEARS 

Angel of the LORD appears to Manoah’s wife   verse 2- 5 

And there was a certain man of Zorah – of the family of the Danites

whose name was Manoah – and his wife was barren – and bare not

And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman

and said to her

BEHOLD now – you are barren – and bear not

BUT you shall conceive – and bear a son

Now therefore beware – I pray you – and drink not wine nor strong drink

and eat not any unclean thing – FOR lo

      you shall conceive – and bear a son

                  and no razor shall come on his head

FOR the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb

and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the

hand of the Philistines 

Manoah informed by wife of visit of angel          verse 6- 7 

Then the woman came and told her husband

saying

A man of God came to me

and HIS countenance was like the countenance of an

angel of God very terrible

BUT I asked HIM not whence HE was

neither told HE me HIS name

      BUT HE

said to me

BEHOLD – you shall conceive and bear a son

and now drink no wine – nor strong drink

neither eat any unclean thing

FOR the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the

            womb to the day of his death 

Manoah prays for return of angel                       verse 8 

Then Manoah entreated the LORD

and said

O my Lord – let the man of God which YOU did send come again

to us – and teach us what we shall do to the child

that shall be born 

LORD answers Manoah’s prayer                       verse 9- 10 

And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah

and the angel of God came again to the woman

as she sat in the field

BUT Manoah her husband was not with her

And the woman made haste – and ran – and showed her husband

and said to him

BEHOLD – the man has appeared to me

that came to me the other day 

Conversation between Manoah and Angel          verse 11- 18 

And Manoah arose – and went after his wife – and came to the man

and said unto him

Are you the man that spoke to the woman?

And HE said

I am

And Manoah said

Now let your words come to pass

How shall we order the child?

How shall we do to him?

And the angel of the LORD

said to Manoah

Of all that I said to the woman let her beware

She may not eat of anything that comes of the vine

      neither let her drink wine or strong drink

                  nor eat any unclean thing

All that I commanded her let her observe

And Manoah said to the angel of the LORD

I pray YOU – let us detain YOU

            until we shall have made ready a kid for YOU

And the angel of the LORD

said to Manoah

Though you detain ME – I will not eat of your bread

and if you will offer a burnt offering

            you must offer it to the LORD

For Manoah knew not that HE was an angel of the LORD

and Manoah said to the angel of the LORD

What is YOUR name

that when YOUR sayings come to pass we may do

YOU honor?

And the angel of the LORD

said to him

Why ask you thus after MY name – seeing it is secret?    

 

Manoah offers sacrifice to the LORD                 verse 19- 20 

So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering

and offered it on a rock to the LORD

      and the angel did wondrously

                  and Manoah and his wife looked on

FOR it came to pass

when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar

that the angel of the LORD

ascended in the flame of the altar

And Manoah and his wife looked on it

and fell on their faces to the ground 

Manoah thought he had seen God                       verse 21- 22 

BUT the angel of the LORD did no more appear

to Manoah and to his wife

THEN Manoah knew that he was

an angel of the LORD

And Manoah said to his wife

            We shall surely die – BECAUSE we have seen God 

Wife comforts Manoah                                       verse 23 

BUT his wife said to him

IF the LORD were pleased to kill us

            HE would not have received a burnt offering

and a meat offering at our hands

neither would HE have shown us

all these things

                                    nor would as at this time have told us

such things as these 

Samson born                                                       verse 24- 25 

And the woman bare a son – and called his name Samson

and the child grew – and the LORD blessed him

And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times

in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol 

COMMENTARY:              

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers 

: 1        And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years. (7451 “evil” [ra] means reprobate, morally objectionable behavior, bad, wicked, noxious, disagreeable, or unwholesome)

DEVOTION:  The children of Israel had over thirty years of peace with some judges. Now the end of the time of peace was ending because the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD.

It is not hard to do evil in the sight of the LORD when you are not trying to please the LORD. The children of Israel stopped trying to please the LORD and instead wanted to please themselves. Sin is breaking the standard God has set for HIS people.

Now they had been turned over to another nation that they didn’t conquer when they came into the LORD. They were disobedient at the beginning by not conquering all the people of the land.

So for forty years they were under the rule of the Philistines. They were a nation that lived next to the Mediterranean Sea. They had five key cities. They worshiped false gods.

Now Samson was born to be the next judge for Israel. The LORD heard the prayers of HIS sinful people and prepared the next judge to come to deliver them out of the hands of the Philistines.

Can the LORD do the same today in any nation that will turn to HIM in repentance? The answer is yes. We have to get our act together as a body of Christ to go to the LORD in prayer for revival in our hearts and for HIM to work though HIS people to influence the nation toward HIM again.

CHALLENGE:  Are we praying for the impossible? Is it too late? Only the LORD knows for sure. We have to do our part.

 

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers 

: 5        For, lo, you shall conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines. (3467 “deliver” [yasha] means to help, save, to be victorious, rescued, saved, to save from moral troubles, or to give victory to)

DEVOTION:  The angel of the LORD appeared to Samson’s mother. She had been barren all her married life. It was thought that she would never have any children. Now along comes an angel of the LORD telling her something different. Remember that every woman in Israel wanted to have children. There was the thought that one of them would have the Messiah that was promised to come in the future.

So we have a messenger from God to this woman. Her husband was not with her when HE first appeared to her. The LORD wanted to test her faith. HE wanted to know if she believed that the LORD had the ability to give a barren woman a child.

Not only was she going to have a child but it was going to be a boy. He was special because he was going to join a group of individuals who from birth to death were supposed to follow these special instructions that the angel gave to his mother and later to his father.

The angel told her the purpose of her son. He was going to begin to deliver Israel from the Philistines. God was going to not only make him a special boy but also give him a special purpose.

God knows about the day of our birth. HE knows what HE wants from us. HE didn’t send an angel to announce our birth but we are told that each of us has a guardian angel. That is that every heir of salvation has an angel. This is not the angel of the LORD who is talked about here. The angel of the LORD here was a theophany of Jesus Christ in the flesh.

Christ came to give us an abundant life that is manifested through the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our life.

Samson obeyed the Holy Spirit at times and disobeyed at others.

CHALLENGE:  Is this true in our life as well?

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: 14      She may not eat of anything that comes of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing: all that I commanded her let her observe. (8104 “observe” [shamar] means to keep, watch over, guard, preserve, to conform one’s action or practice to, treasure up, or restrain)

DEVOTION: Israel was back to their sinful ways. The LORD delivered them to the Philistines for forty years. Now HE was going to relieve them of their enemies. HE was going to send a new judge to them.

First, the angel of the LORD, talked to Manoah’s wife regarding the son she was going to have in the future. HE gave special instructions that were to be followed. Manoah wanted the angel of the LORD to repeat the instructions to him.

Once the instructions were given it was expected to be obeyed and followed when the child was born.

God wants us to observer the instructions HE gives us in the New Testament with learning from the Old Testament. HE wants us to understand what it means to be a genuine follower of HIM. HE wants HIS people today that are called Christians, to obey HIS instructions on a daily basis.

If we obey the instructions, HE can bless us a person and as a group that are HIS representatives in this world.

Too often we want to practice our beliefs the way we want to instead of the way the LORD gives us instructions. This causes problems in the church and hinders our witness to the world.

The Israelites were not good witnesses because they continued to disobey the LORD’S instructions. They were just as human as we are today. We need to make sure that we keep our commitment to obey HIM daily if we want HIS blessings.

CHALLENGE: Daily obedience is necessary and the only way we can do it is if we guard our actions daily with HIS help and the help of fellow believers.

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

               

: 18      And the angel of the LORD said to him, Why ask, You thus after my name, seeing it is secret? ((6383 “secret: [paliy] means wonderful, remarkable, incomprehensible, or extraordinary)

DEVOTION:  Here we find another theophany which is, the visible appearing of deity in the Old Testament. This is Jesus Christ in a pre-incarnate form. HE speaks with Manoah and his wife. HE gives instructions. HE makes statements like “ I said” and “I commanded.”

When we look at this meeting between the Angel of the LORD and Manoah, we find that it is unique. What is unique about this meeting? It was a meeting between God and a man. The person of the Godhead who appears in physical looks is only God the Son.

When we read in Isaiah about the names that are given to the child, we find the name wonderful. HE is remarkable. HE is extraordinary. This is God the Son giving instructions to man, just like HE did in the New Testament with the disciples.

This meeting was a time of giving instructions to a member of a nation that was supposed to be worshiping the LORD. They were far from the LORD but HE was still close to them. They had sinned. They were still the people of the LORD. Praise HIS name.

Samson was to live a separated life of a Nazarite. This is a man who vows to follow the LORD in every area of his life. He is not to eat or drink certain things. He is not to touch certain things. If he breaks the vow he can be judged of the LORD.

Today we realize that God is still working in our lives. We are still supposed to be living a separated life in our world. There are certain things that we are not to eat and drink or touch. There are certain places we shouldn’t go.

People in our world should see a difference in us. There was to be a difference in the life of Samson. He didn’t measure up to the standard set by the LORD, do we? Remember that God has used sinners who were followers to spread HIS message. Our salvation is based on the work of Christ, not on our works. Our fellowship depends on our confession and service to the LORD.

We have to realize WHO we serve. HE is wonderful, remarkable, incomprehensible, and extraordinary. Names can’t describe our God.

CHALLENGE: Worship HIM in wonder and amazement. HE still does great things through repentant sinners. That describes all of us!!!!

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: 25      And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol. (6470 “move” [pa‘am] means thrust, push, to impel, endow, or stir)

DEVOTION:  Samson was born through a special announcement. He was to be a Nazarite. He was to follow special instructions all of his life. His mother was given special instructions regarding her eating and drinking habits. His father was given instructions regarding his future life.

Now he was born and the Holy Spirit was stirring up his emotions regarding his responsibility toward the children of Israel. The Holy Spirit was training him for the future. As a youth he had to learn what was expected of him for the future by the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit indwells every genuine believer at the point of salvation. HE instructs and gifts each believer with a task that the LORD wants him/her to fulfill in their life. HE doesn’t expect us to do this task alone. HE has promised to give us strength. HE has promised to pray for what we need even when we are not sure what we need.

When it is the right time the Holy Spirit stirred up Samson to do something for the LORD. He was not always obedient but he knew that he received his strength from the LORD.

We have to come to the same conclusion in our walk with the LORD. Our strength is super-human when we are doing the work the LORD has called us to do.

Time in prayer gives us the right instructions regarding our future responsibility for the LORD. This is a fulltime activity.

 CHALLENGE: Each day comes new mercies and new instructions.

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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH: 

BODY 

Chastity (Purity in living)

Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)

Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)

Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)

Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone) 

SOUL 

Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)

Frugality (wise use of resources)

Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)

Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)

Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)

SPIRIT

Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)

Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)

Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level) 

Manoah prays (entreated)                                        verse 8

LORD answers prayer                                                 verse 9 

Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)

Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group) 

Burnt offering                                                           verse 16, 23

Meal offering                                                             verse 19, 23

Offered a sacrifice                                                     verse 19- 20

Manoah and wife fell on their faces                     verse 20

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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH: 

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)

God the Father (First person of the Godhead) 

LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)   verse 1, 13,                                                                                                     15-21, 23-                                                                                                       25

Sight of the LORD                                                        verse 1

God – Elohim (Creator)                                            verse 5, 6, 8,                                                                                                        9, 22

God hearkened                                                            verse 9 

God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah) 

Angel of the LORD or God  [theophany]              verse 3- 21

            Instructions to Manoah’s wife

            Man of God

            Angel of God

            Lord

            His countenance was very awesome

            Didn’t give his name to wife

            I am

          Honor angel of the LORD

            Tells Manoah his name is secret

            Did wonderously

            Angel ascended in flame of offering 

God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter) 

        Spirit of the LORD on Samson                                verse 25

 

Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)     

Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil) 

Angel of God                                                             verse 6, 9 

Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation) 

Philistines – forty years                                          verse 1, 5 

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels) 

Evil                                                                             verse 1

Kill                                                                              verse 23 

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins) 

Deliverance                                                                verse 5

Teach                                                                            verse 8

God hearkened                                                          verse 9

Order the child                                                          verse 12

Blessed                                                                        verse 24 

Israel (Old Testament people of God) 

Children of Israel                                                      verse 1

Manoah the Danite (Zorah)                                    verse 2

            Wife barren                                                     verse 2, 24

            Bares son: Samson

Angel of LORD visits wife: son                               verse 3- 7

No wine or strong drink

            Eat not any unclean thing

            No razor

            Nazarite to God

Manoah entreated the LORD                                 verse 8- 23

            Man of God appear again

            Teach

            Angel of God appears again

            Order the child

            Nothing to drink from vine

            Not eat unclean thing

            Offering to angel of the LORD

            Asks angel’s name

            We shall surely die – we have seen God

Samson born                                                              verse 24, 25

            Child grew

            LORD blessed him

            Spirit of the LROD moved him 

Church (New Testament people of God)

Last Things (Future Events)

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QUOTES regarding passage

18–22 The angel avoided a direct answer to the question, as he had done with Jacob centuries before (Gen 32:29). In the phrase “beyond understanding” (v.18), however, there is a clear indication of his divine nature. The phrase is a translation of the word pilʾî which can also be rendered “wonderful.” The same root occurs in “an amazing thing” in v.19 and in “wonders” in 6:13. In Isaiah 9:6 the closely related noun peleʾ is translated “Wonderful (Counselor),” a title for Christ himself.

Proof that this was the angel of the Lord came when Manoah presented the burnt offering and its accompanying grain offering (v.19). As the flame rose, the angel ascended in it before the couple’s startled eyes (v.20). This was even more spectacular than the disappearance of the angel who talked with Gideon (6:21). Manoah’s reaction to the miracle, however, matched Gideon’s; Manoah too thought he would die as a result of seeing God (vv.21–22; cf. Gen 16:13 and comment on 6:22). (Wolf, H. (1992). Judges. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel (Vol. 3, p. 464). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)

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13:19–23. Then Manoah sacrificed a young goat (cf. v. 15) with a grain offering (cf. Lev. 2) on a rock to the Lord. He and his wife were amazed as the Angel of the Lord ascended in the flame that blazed up from the altar. Realizing the identity of the divine Messenger, Manoah expressed fear of impending death because of their having seen God (cf. Gideon’s similar response, Jud. 6:22–23). Manoah’s wife more practically pointed out that God’s acceptance of the sacrifice and the promise of a son indicated that immediate death was not God’s plan for them. (Lindsey, F. D. (1985). Judges. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 404). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

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Ordinarily, Jewish worshipers had to bring their offerings to the tabernacle altar at Shiloh; but since the “man of God” commanded Manoah to offer the burnt offering, it was permissible to do it there, using a rock as the altar. Suddenly, the visitor ascended to heaven in the flame! Only then did Manoah and his wife discover that their visitor was an angel from the Lord. This frightened Manoah, because the Jews believed that nobody could look up on God and live (see 6:19–23). Using common sense, Manoah’s wife convinced him that they couldn’t die and fulfill God’s promises at the same time. Every baby born into a godly home carries the responsibility of honoring the family name. Samson’s inconsistent life brought shame to his father’s house just as it brought shame to the name of the Lord. Samson’s relatives had to pull his body out of the wreckage of the Philistine temple and take it home for burial (16:31). In one sense, it was a day of victory over God’s enemies; but it was also a day of defeat for Samson’s family. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1994). Be available (pp. 108–109). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

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Ver. 22. And Manoah said unto his wife, &c.] Being risen from the ground, where they fell on their faces: we shall surely die, because we have seen God: by which it appears that he not only believed him to be an angel, and not a man, but a divine Person; for though angels are sometimes called Elohim, the word here used, yet good men were not wont to fear death, or conclude they should die on sight of an angel; but their notion was, that an appearance of God to them was death, and were surprised when it did not follow, Gen. 32:30. Judg. 6:22, 23. see Exod. 33:20. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 2, p. 350). London: Mathews and Leigh.)

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Manoah asks if he might entertain the angel, and the messenger promises to wait until an offering is made to God. Manoah asks the messenger’s name; the angel replies that his name is completely beyond human comprehension. Finally, the offering is made and miraculously consumed by a fire from heaven; Manoah realizes that he has dealt with God himself. He falls into a panic, and tells his wife that they are doomed to die. Manoah’s wife maintains a very commonsense attitude toward the whole business. God would not have done all this just to kill them! The mother of the promised deliverer shows true faith. (Bowling, A. C. (1995). Judges. In Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (Vol. 3, p. 171). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.)

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FROM MY READING:

(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)

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THE HOLINESS OF GOD

Be ye holy; for I am holy. 1 Peter 1:16

God’s moral attributes are, in a sense, communicable. Something corresponding to them is to be found in men and women. What are these? Well, first we must mention the holiness of God. What is holiness? I think we almost inevitably tend to deal with it in negative terms, and we define it as meaning that God is entirely separate from and apart from sin. Holiness primarily means separation–separation from evil.
But, of course, holiness is also something positive. It is absolute purity. The Bible teaches us everywhere that God is holy, and a part of the manifestation of this holiness is His hatred of sin and His separation from sin, from the sinner and from all that is evil. 
Let me give you certain outstanding examples and illustrations of the Bible’s teaching on this. God has revealed His holiness by granting visions of Himself to certain people. There is the great case of Moses, in Exodus 33 and in other places, where God appeared, as it were, to Moses, and Moses was overwhelmed by the sense of His holiness. The same thing happened to Job, to Isaiah, and to Ezekiel. Anyone who has ever come anywhere near to God has always been impressed by His absolute holiness.
The Bible teaches this in certain terms that it uses; it refers to God as “the Holy One” (Isaiah 40:25), and we have God’s injunction, “Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16), which is a specific, explicit statement of God’s holiness. 
I suppose if you were to be asked to say where the Bible teaches the holiness of God most powerfully of all, you have to go to Calvary. God is so holy, so utterly holy, that nothing but that awful death could make it possible for Him to forgive us. The cross is the supreme and the sublimest declaration and revelation of the holiness of God.
A Thought to Ponder: The cross is the supreme and the sublimest declaration and revelation of the holiness of God. By Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

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Genesis 44

Joseph’s older brothers are tested.

INSIGHT

Sometimes we get a second chance. When we do, it is important to seize the opportunity.

Judah did. When his brothers plotted to kill Joseph, Judah intervened. But he still fell short of rescuing Joseph.

Judah’s second chance came when, from his perspective, Benjamin’s life was in danger. Judah put his own life on the line. Perhaps this commitment was taken into account in the blessings he passed on to his sons, resulting in the Messiah coming through the tribe of Judah.
Throughout life we are given second chances. We should take these chances and set things right. (Quiet Walk)

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The Deepest Places

I am worn out from my groaning.

Psalm 6:6

Victor Hugo (1802-1885), a poet and novelist during the social and political upheavals of nineteenth-century France, is perhaps best known for his classic Les Miserables. Over a century later, a musical adaptation of his novel has become one of our generation’s most popular productions. This shouldn’t surprise us. As Hugo once said, “Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.”

The psalmists would have agreed. Their songs and prayers provide us with honest reflections on life and its inevitable pain. They touch us in places we find difficult to access. For example, in Psalm 6:6 David cries out, “I am worn out from my groaning. All night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears.”

The fact that such raw honesty is included in the inspired songs of the Scriptures gives us great encouragement. It invites us to bring our fears to God, who welcomes us into His presence for comfort and help. He embraces us in our heartfelt honesty.

Music can give us the ability to express our feelings when words are hard to come by, but whether that expression is sung, prayed, or silently cried, our God reaches into the deepest places in our hearts and gives us His peace. By Bill Crowder – Our Daily Bread

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JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God.  Romans 5:1
Justification is opposed to condemnation, and nobody can bring an accusation because it is God who declares people just.
Justification is legal and forensic, and as you go on with the Scriptures you will find this in other places: “But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11). And in Galatians 2:16 there is a statement that is parallel to those in Romans: “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” Galatians is the great epistle that gave Martin Luther his liberty. His famous commentary on the epistle to the Galatians is a book that you should read, and the more you go on with it, the more you will enjoy it. Do not be put off by his polemic against the Roman Catholics. He had to do that because you must show what is wrong as well as what is right. People do not like

that today, but Luther had to do it, and I think we must do it in our age and generation.
God makes a legal declaration that all the demands of the law upon us, as a condition of life, are fully satisfied with regard to all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. We are no longer in a state of condemnation: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God” (Romans 5:1). “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Why? Because God has declared it. He is the Lawgiver, and He says that Christ has satisfied the law. “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes” (Romans 10:4).
A Thought to Ponder: God is the Lawgiver, and He says that Christ has satisfied the law.  (From God the Holy Spirit, pp. 171-172, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

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Thy Light and Thy Truth
“O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.” (Psalm 43:3)
This old troubled world desperately needs light to find the way out of its darkness and truth to rightly plan its future. But they must be God’s light and God’s truth, not the seductive lights and humanistic philosophies of man’s fabrications.
God has, indeed, already sent out His light and His truth, but “men loved darkness rather than light” (John 3:19) and, although they profess to be “ever learning,” they yet are “never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” and, in fact, “turn away their ears from the truth” (2 Timothy 3:7; 4:4).
That was true in the psalmist’s day, and perhaps even more so in our day, although we surely have far more light and access to truth today than the psalmist ever had. We now have, for example, God’s complete written Word (Genesis through Revelation). Another psalmist had promised: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105), and also had promised: “For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light” (Proverbs 6:23).
God’s truth surely is what we need—in fact, all we need—for our faith as we look to our future. This also is revealed in the light of His Word, both His inspired written Word and His incarnate living Word. The Lord Jesus not only claimed “I am…the truth” (John 14:6), He also prayed for us, saying: “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). And for all who believe His revealed truth: “God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).

                  (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)

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Franklin Graham writes : Australian Margaret Court is 78 now, but was one of the world’s greatest women’s tennis players, dominating women’s tennis back in the 1960’s and 1970’s. I am privileged to know her, and last saw her a couple of years ago when I was in Australia. She is such a fine lady who stands on her Christian faith and believes what the Bible says. She was recently named to receive her country’s highest honor, but some, including two governors are being very vocal about their opposition—all because she believes what the Bible says about homosexuality and doesn’t back down from that position. A state leader recently said her views were disgraceful and bigoted. Sadly, we are living in a time when some say that quoting the Bible’s truth is “spewing hate.” Why should Margaret Court’s firmly held religious beliefs cause her to be discriminated against? I thank her for courageously standing with the Word of Almighty God.

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