Judges 14
Samson wants to marry woman from Timnath verse 1- 2
And Samson went down to Timnath
and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines
And he came up – and told his father and his mother
and said
I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines
now therefore get her for me to wife
Parents wanted him to marry within Israel verse 3- 4
Then his father and his mother
said unto him
Is there never a woman among the daughters of your brethren
or among all my people
that you go to take a wife of the
uncircumcised Philistines?
And Samson said to his father
Get her for me – for she pleased me well
BUT his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD
that HE sought an occasion against the Philistines
for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel
Samson kills a lion verse 5- 7
Then went Samson down – and his father and mother – to Timnath
and BEHOLD – a young lion roared against him
And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily on him
and he rent him as he would have rent a kid
and he had nothing in his hand
but he told not his father and his mother
what he had done
And he went down – and talked with the woman
and she pleased Samson well
Samson finds bees in body of lion verse 8- 9
And after a time he returned to take her
and he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion
and BEHOLD there was a swarm of bees
and honey in the carcass of the lion
And he took thereof in his hands – and went on eating
and came to his father and mother
and he gave them – and they did eat
BUT he told not them that he had taken the honey
out of the carcass of the lion
Samson has pre-wedding party verse 10- 11
So his father went down to the woman
and Samson made there a feast
for so used the young men to do
And it came to pass – when they saw him
that they brought thirty companions to be with him
Samson confronts men with a riddle verse 12- 15
And Samson
said to them
I will now put forth a riddle to you
IF you can certainly declare it me
within the seven days of the feast and find it out
THEN I will give you thirty sheets
and thirty change of garments
BUT IF you cannot declare it me
THEN shall you give me thirty sheets
and thirty change of garments
And they
said to him
Put forth thy riddle
that we may hear it
And he said unto them
Out of the eater came forth meat
and out of the strong came forth sweetness
And they could not in three days expound the riddle
and it came to pass on the seventh day
that they said to Samson’s wife
Entice your husband
that he may declare to us the riddle
Lest we burn you and your father’s house with fire
Have you called us to take that we have?
Is it not so?
Wife gets answer from Samson verse 16- 17
And Samson’s wife wept before him
and said
You do but hate me – and love me not
you have put forth a riddle unto the children of my people
and have not told it me
And he said to her – BEHOLD
I have not told it my father nor my mother
and shall I tell it you?
And she wept before him the seven days – while their feast lasted
and it came to pass on the seventh day – that he told her
BECAUSE she lay sore upon him
and she told the riddle
to the children of her people
Samson receives answer from men of Timnath verse 18
And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day
before the sun went down
What is sweeter than honey?
What is stronger than a lion?
And he said to them
IF you had not plowed with my heifer
you had not found out my riddle
Samson kills thirty Philistines for clothes verse 19- 20
And the Spirit of the LORD came on him
and he went down to Ashkelon
and slew thirty men of them
and took their spoil
and gave change of garments to
them which expounded the riddle
And his anger was kindled – and he went up to his father’s house
BUT Samson’s wife was given to his companion
whom he had used as his friend
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 4 But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that HE sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel. (8385 “occasion” [tooanah] means an opportunity, purpose, or a favorable time for something to happen)
DEVOTION: The Angel of the LORD gave special instructions regarding the birth of Samson. His mother was to have a restricted diet. She honored the LORD by keeping his instructions. Once Samson was born, they gave him instructions regarding the life of a Nazarite.
However, he was rebellious regarding these instructions as well as other Biblical instructions his parents had taught him. He was not to marry someone from another nation. He was to marry within his Israelite heritage. His parents wanted him to marry someone from his tribe, Dan. He didn’t’ care.
Samson was supposed to be a Nazarite from the womb. Some of the restrictions of the Nazarite are that they could not drink wine or strong drink, they could not eat any unclean thing, they could not put a razor to their body, and they could not touch a dead body.
Samson killed the lion and ate the honey that he found in his carcass. He used the riddle as an opportunity to gain income from the riddle. He gave them three days to come up with an answer. They threatened his future wife. She went to Samson for the answer to the riddle. She got it. They told it to Samson. All this was done by the will of God. HE used Samson’s disobedience as a way to free the Israelites from their captivity under the Philistines.
God didn’t condone his sin, but HE chose Samson to be the one to end the reign of the Philistines.
At the end of the chapter, we find him killing thirty men to give the garments to the men who forced his wife to give them the answer to his riddle. He leaves the woman and goes home. His wife was given to the best man at his wedding.
God works through events in our lives to accomplish HIS purposes in us. HE had picked Jonah to represent HIM in Nineveh. Jonah went the wrong way but God used other means to get him to do what HE wanted. HE is doing the same in the life of Samson. HE filled Samson twice in this chapter.
The LORD sees the beginning from the end. Each of the events in our lives has a purpose. God wants us to mature in our faith. HE realizes that we are sinners but HE looks at our heart and knows our relationship to HIM. HE will use us for HIS glory. All the people HE uses are individuals who are sinners saved by grace alone through Jesus Christ alone. There is no other way.
How we react to circumstances shows how mature we are in HIM. What is HE allowing in our lives to motivate us to serve HIM? Do we think that HE will give up on HIS children? The answer is NO!! We have been chosen before the foundation of the world.
CHALLENGE: There is only one unpardonable sin: rejection of Jesus Christ as our person Savior. All other sins are forgivable. We sometimes don’t forgive ourselves but HE does. Praise HIS name. Serve HIM!!!
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 6 And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done. (6743 “mightily” [tsalach] means rush, to move hurriedly, to prosper, powerful, or successful.)
DEVOTION: The Old Testament is different from the New Testament in the ministry of the Holy Spirit. There are many times where we find the Holy Spirit coming with power on individuals and uses them to bring glory to God.
In the New Testament once the Holy Spirit indwells an individual HE never leaves. David was afraid that the Holy Spirit would leave him. Here we have Samson given a powerful amount of strength to defeat a lion that attacked him on a journey.
Remember that Samson was to be a Nazarite which means that he was not to touch a dead body. Here he caused a lion to die. He did it through the power of the Holy Spirit. He might not have understood all that was happening but he knew that it was the LORD who gave him the strength.
This action was kept secret from his parents. Not sure why but again there were special instructions regarding the life of Samson and it seems that the LORD was using things that were happening to him for future use that only he and the Holy Spirit were to know about.
Sometimes we are share all the things the LORD is doing in our life and sometimes not. We are not brag about all the LORD has done for us if it will hinder those around us and their relationship to the LORD.
One lesson we can learn is that there are times when the LORD wants to work in a rush in our life to give us power to do something HE wants done. We have to be prepared for HIM to work in us in unusually way at times in our life if we are available for HIS use.
CHALLENGE: Be available to the Holy Spirit to use you in a mighty way even today. We don’t have to kill a lion but we have all those arrows of the enemy to ward off.
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: 9 And he took thereof in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his father and mother, and he gave them, and they did eat: but he told not them that he had taken the honey out of the carcass of the lion. (1472 “carcass” [gaviyah] means corpse, body, dead body, or physical being.)
DEVOTION: The parents of Samson were told that he had to be a Nazarite. There were many restriction that he was supposed to follow. His parents knew the restrictions when they raised him from birth.
So they followed all the rules the LORD laid down to them from their instructions from the LORD. He grew up and became a man and wanted a wife.
However, he either didn’t know the rules of behavior the LORD had laid down for him but his parents did and didn’t tell him. Or he knew the rules but didn’t keep them. It seems that the parents knew but he didn’t.
Here we find that he killed a lion and bees made a hive in it’s body and he found that there was honey and ate some and gave it to his parents.
We are given restrictions by the LORD in the Word of God. The Holy Spirit convicts us when we do wrong. We are to obey HIS restrictions with the help of the Holy Spirit and our fellow believers.
We also are not to cause others to fall because we are breaking the rules the LORD has given us to follow. The restrictions were not given to the parents but when they ate of the honey they were not aware that Samson was sinning against the LORD.
Our knowledge of the commands of the LORD are necessary. So our study of the Word of God has to be something that we are studying daily to learn what is expected of us. Once we know what is expected of us we need to obey those expectation to the best of our ability with the help of the Holy Spirit and our fellow believers.
CHALLENGE: Are we meeting the LORD’S expectation of us?
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 15 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they said to Samson’s wife, Entice your husband, that he may declare to us the riddle, lest we burn you and your father’s house with fire: have you called us to take that we
have” is it not so? (3423 “take” [yarash] means to take possession of, to be heir, to dispossess, inherit, to devour, to make poor, steal, rob, take possession by force, or by false pretense)
DEVOTION: The Philistine men didn’t want to lose the bet. They couldn’t guess the answer to the riddle and had to cheat to try to win. They threatened his wife and her family if she didn’t find out the answer to the riddle.
This was all according to the plan of the LORD. Samson was to marry a Philistine woman who would be given to another man on the wedding night. She got the answer for the men who wanted the answer from Samson and then they told Samson the answer.
He knew how they received the answer. He went out to another town of the Philistines and killed thirty men to give the winning to those who cheated on the riddle.
This is giving Samson a reason to fight with the Philistines. God was using the circumstances to allow him to fight with the Philistines to end their rule over Israel. He was a different type of judge. He didn’t lead an army against the Philistines but fought them all himself.
God wants us to realize that HE uses the circumstance in our life to make HIS plan work in our world. We might not understand what HE is doing but HE is at work in our life to influence some of the individuals in our world toward HIM.
CHALLENGE: We need to go with the flow at times even when we don’t understand what is happening around us.
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: 20 But Samson’s wife was given to his companion, whom he had used as his friend. (7462 “friend” [ra’ah] means to get oneself involved, to be in relationship of friendship with someone, best man at a wedding ceremony, to be a special friend, or attend groom)
DEVOTION: So now we have three excuses Samson can use to fight with the Philistines. His parents didn’t understand why he was taking a Philistine wife instead of a wife from the children of Israel.
His parents didn’t know about his killing of a lion and then eating honey from the body of the same lion. In fact, they ate some of the honey as well but didn’t know the source. They would have told him he was breaking his Nazarite vows.
Next, he dealt with the friends of the family of his bride and gave them the spoils from thirty Philistines he had killed.
Finally, now his wife was given to another man. He didn’t need any more excuses to fight with the Philistines that were ruling over the Israelites. This was the last straw that was necessary for Samson to go to war with the Philistines.
Circumstances were used by the LORD to give Samson justification for his battle with a nation that was against the God of the Bible. We have to realize that the LORD uses circumstances in each of our lives to advance HIS kingdom through our witness. Never underestimate what is going on in your life.
CHALLENGE: Sometimes we think that the LORD is not working through us, but in reality, HE is!!!
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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)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
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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 4, 6, 19
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon Samson verse 6
Spirit of the LORD came upon Samson mightily verse 19
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Philistines verse 1- 20
Daughter of the Philistines
Uncircumcised
Dominion over Israel
Riddle given to 30 Philistines
Philistines told wife they would burn
her parents house if answer to
riddle not given
Ashkelon verse 19
Samson’s wife given to Philistine verse 20
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Marrying someone other than believer verse 2
Uncircumcised verse 3
Pleased with unsaved woman verse 3, 7
Unclean eating verse 8
Entice verse 15
Burn family verse 15
Redefining love verse 16
Wife given to another verse 20
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Marry those who are believers verse 3
Brethren verse 3
Power from the LORD verse 6
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Samson verse 1- 20
Went to Timnath –saw a woman
Young lion killed by
Didn’t tell parents he killed a lion
Talked to Philistine woman that pleased him
Honey in carcase of lion
Eat honey and gave some to parents
Riddle with payment if not solved
Wife entices Samson for answer
Samson gave wife answer
Slew thirty Philistines for payment
Israel verse 4
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
18–20 Given the answer by Samson’s wife, the Philistines triumphantly presented it before the deadline (v.18). Samson replied with another bit of verse that showed how they got the answer. Heifers were not normally used for plowing; so the thirty had not played fair. In retaliation Samson traveled over twenty miles to the coastal city of Ashkelon, one of the five key Philistine centers (v.19). There, again empowered by the Spirit (v.6), he waylaid thirty well-dressed men and robbed them of their clothes to pay off the debt. Apparently he hoped to conceal his actions by going such a long distance from Timnah.
Still angry with his wife, Samson avoided her for a time and returned to his father’s home. If Samson had not had relations with his wife, the marriage was not fully legal; and the bride’s father wondered whether it ever would be consummated. Therefore, because he did not want his daughter to be abandoned in disgrace so soon after the wedding, he gave her to Samson’s best man (v.20; cf. 1 Sam 25:44). (Wolf, H. (1992). Judges. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel (Vol. 3, p. 469). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House)
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14:19–20. To fulfill his obligation in the wager (cf. v. 12) Samson attacked 30 Philistines in Ashkelon (23 miles southwestward on the Mediterranean coast—far enough away not to be associated with Samson in Timnah) and took their clothes to the Philistines who had explained the riddle. God overruled Samson’s foolishness by the enabling power of the Spirit of the Lord (cf. v. 6; 15:14) to accomplish His purpose of disrupting the Philistine status quo of easy dominance over Israel (cf. 14:4). Still angry, Samson went up to his father’s house in Zorah without returning to his wife on the seventh night of the wedding to consummate the marriage. The bride’s father, to avoid the disgrace of what he perceived as an annulment (cf. 15:2), gave her to the best man.
(4) The conflicts of Samson with the Philistines (15:1–16:3). (Lindsey, F. D. (1985). Judges. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, pp. 405–406). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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Samson lost his temper (vv. 19–20). He went twenty miles away to Ashkelon so the news of the slaughter wouldn’t get back to Timnah too soon. His joke about the lion and the honey ceased to be a joke, for it led to the death of thirty men whose garments Samson confiscated. Samson was so angry that he didn’t even consummate the marriage but went back to Zorah and stayed with his parents. While he was away from Timnah, his wife was given to his best man. The Lord used this turn of events to motivate Samson to decide to fight the Philistines instead of entertaining them.
If Samson had won his way and married a Philistine woman, that relationship would have crippled the work God had called him to do. Believers today who enter into unholy alliances are sinning and hindering the work of the Lord too (2 Cor. 6:14–18). If Samson had sought God’s leading, the Lord would have directed him. Instead, Samson went his own way, and the Lord had to overrule his selfish decisions.
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you” (Ps. 32:8–9, NKJV). If we’re looking by faith into the face of the Lord, He can guide us with His eye, the way parents guide their children. But if we turn our backs on Him, he has to treat us like animals and harness us. Samson was either impetuously rushing ahead like the horse or stubbornly holding back like the mule, and God had to deal with him. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1994). Be available (p. 113). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books)
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Ver. 20. But Samson’s wife was given to his companion, &c.] By her father, and with her consent, both being affronted and provoked by Samson leaving her, who judged her not only to be injured, but hereby discharged from him, and free to marry another: and whom he had used as his friend; though there were 30 of them that were his companions, yet there was one of them that was the principal of them, and was the most intimate with him, whom he used in the most friendly manner, and admitted to a more free conversation than the rest, the same that is called the friend of the bridegroom, John 3:29. whilst the others were called the children of the bride-chamber, Matt. 9:15. It is not unlikely that this person had too much intimacy with Samson’s wife before, and so had the secret of the riddle from her, and so very readily married her, as soon as Samson departed; and all this furnished out an occasion and opportunity, which Samson sought for, to be revenged on the Philistines, as in the following chapter. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 2, p. 355). London: Mathews and Leigh)
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Samson pays off a debt (14:19–20). Soured by the Philistines’ devious behavior, humiliated Samson was finally at a point where the Lord could effectively use him. The divine spirit rushed upon him, just as he did earlier when the lion attacked (see v. 6), and Samson murdered thirty men of Ashkelon, took their clothes, and used them to pay off his debt to the Timnite groomsmen. Rather than consummating the marriage, he angrily returned home, and the Timnite woman was given instead to the best man at the wedding. While the narrator’s statement about the Timnite woman’s marriage might suggest closure for the story, one suspects this is just the beginning of Samson’s dealings with the Philistines, for the death of thirty Ashkelonites does not even begin to relieve Israel from Philistine oppression.
Samson’s murderous act, prompted by the spirit of the Lord, is problematic for many modern readers. However, like Ehud’s assassination of Eglon, it should not be viewed in isolation. Ehud’s murderous deed initiated a war of liberation against the oppressive Moabites. Likewise, Samson’s murderous deed should be viewed as an act of war against the oppressive Philistines. From the very beginning of the story we know the Lord intended to deliver Israel from the Philistines through Samson (Judg. 13:5). The narrator later informs us that the Lord nudged Samson in the direction of the Philistines in order to ignite a conflict (14:4). Having laid the foundation for strife, the Lord’s spirit empowered Samson to inaugurate the war. This does not mean that Samson understood his actions in this light. This is where Ehud and Samson contrast. Ehud was very much aware that he was leading a war of liberation. As we have noted above, Samson was unaware of his role as God’s deliverer; he was simply expressing his indignation at being cheated. But Samson’s very human, selfish response to Philistine trickery becomes a weapon of war in the Lord’s hand. (Chisholm, R. B., Jr. (2013). A Commentary on Judges and Ruth: Commentary (pp. 410–411). Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic.)
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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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JUSTIFICATION AND SANCTIFICATION
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom,
and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. 1 Corinthians 1:30
Let me show you the essential difference between justification and sanctification. Look at it like this: Justification is an act of God the Father; sanctification is essentially the work of God the Holy Spirit. There is this division of work in the blessed Persons of the Trinity. It is the Father who declares righteous and just. It is the Holy Spirit who sanctifies.
Second, justification takes place outside us, as in a tribunal; sanctification takes place within us, in our inner life. I stand in the court when I am justified, and the judge pronounces that I am free; it is a statement about me, outside me. But sanctification is something that is worked and takes place within.
Third, justification removes the guilt of sin; sanctification removes the pollution of sin and renews us in the image of God.
And therefore, last, by definition justification is a once-and-for-all act. It is never to be repeated because it cannot be repeated and never needs to be repeated. It is not a process but a declaration that we are pronounced just once and forever, by God. Sanctification, on the other hand, is a continuous process. We continue to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord until we are perfect beyond the veil.
So there is nothing quite so erroneous and confusing and unscriptural as to mistake the essential difference between justification and sanctification. That is the whole trouble with Roman Catholic teaching and all Catholic piety. If you confuse sanctification with justification, you will be doubtful as to whether you are justified or not. If you bring in your state and condition and sin that you may commit, then you are querying your justification. But if you realize that justification is forensic, external, and declaratory, you know that you are justified whatever may be true about you.
A Thought to Ponder: Justification removes the guilt of sin; sanctification removes the pollution of sin. (From God the Holy Spirit, pp. 174-175, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Jots and Tittles
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16)
Concerning Scripture, Christ taught that every “jot and tittle” (i.e., even portions of letters, not to mention words and phrases) was inspired and would last forever. In many portions of Scripture, the teaching rests on a seemingly rather insignificant component of a word or phrase.
For example, consider the phrase “yet once more” in Hebrews 12:26, quoting Haggai 2:6. We see in verse 27 that the argument requiring a coming judgment on all of creation hinges on it pointing back to a similar judgment in the past. Similarly, in Galatians 4:9, we see Paul couching his comments to the Galatian believers, who had returned to a legalistic system, in a question that turned on the active voice of a verb rather than passive. We have not only “known God” but “are known of God.” In John 8:58, a clever use of verb tense was made: “Before Abraham was, I am,” thereby asserting Christ’s deity. Note also in John 10:34-36 how Christ cleverly used the mood of a verb while quoting from Psalm 82:6 in order to defuse the charge of blasphemy leveled against Him. Paul’s argument in Galatians 3:16 (based on a quotation from Genesis 22:17-18) shows how even the singular or plural form of a word is equally inspired.
Consider Christ’s answer to the Sadducees, who denied personal resurrection, when He said, “Have ye not read…I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living” (Matthew 22:31-32). Christ is their God, not simply was. “And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine” (v. 33).
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable.” Let us handle Scripture with the same care and love it with the same fervency as did Christ and the apostles.
(JDM, The Institute for Creation Research)
(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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GOD’S FAITHFULNESS
God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:9
Another moral attribute of God is God’s faithfulness. What does it mean? When you say that God is faithful, you mean that He is one upon whom you can safely lean. It means one on whom you can absolutely rely, one upon whom you can depend, one upon whom you can secure yourself, without ever being in doubt that He will suddenly let you go.
The Bible has some glorious statements about this. It tells us about the faithfulness of God who always keeps His promises and never breaks His covenants. It tells us that God will always fulfill every word that has ever gone out of His mouth (Isaiah 55:11). It tells us that God will always faithfully and certainly defend and deliver His servants at all times of trial, testing, and conflict. It tells us that God can be relied upon to confirm and to establish all whom He has called, guarding them from the evil one and keeping them and guiding them until His purposes are fulfilled in them.
Listen to one great statement of all that: “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:9). Whatever else may happen, whatever may be going wrong, Paul tells those people to be sure of this–God is faithful. Again, he says, “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”(1 Thessalonians 5:23). Then notice, “Faithful is he that called you, who also will do it” (verse 24). This is absolutely certain: Nothing can frustrate His plans; nothing can make Him forego what He has promised; nothing can cause Him to change what He has purposed with respect to you.
A Thought to Ponder: God is one upon whom you can safely lean on. (From God the Father, God the Son, pp. 76-77 by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones.)
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