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June 14

Reading 1 - Judges 14 & 15

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14 v.19 - I don't understand why God would want to intervene to save Samson from this situation which he had brought on himself. He seems here to have set up a wager which he cannot pay - a very irresponsible act based on one of the baser desires of human nature. Why did God help him to 'escape' from this predicament when it went wrong, and at the expense of 30 lives as well. Ashkelon was on the Philistine coast. If Samson was around Zorah and Eshtaol (13:25) then Ashkelon was around 20 miles away.
Peter Cresswell
15 v.18-19 - We see that God was in agreement with Samson's action, which we would find quite unacceptable. It is often necessary for us to recognise that we are affected by the sentimentality of the world's thinking, and we have a twisted view of the sanctity of human life. It is clear that God does not place any value at all on human life, unless the person turns to Him. People who do not turn to Him can be killed in their thousands and God is not angered by it, in fact, as we see here, gives His support.
Peter Cresswell

14 v.4 - Even though it was 'of the Lord' that Samson wanted to take a Philistine woman to wife he was not justified in his actions. The law was specific, Israel were not to marry strange women. [Deuteronomy 7:3] This is why Samson's parents were troubled. Notice also that the nation of Israel, who had been given the land, were in subjection, not to Yahweh but to the Philistines.

15:13 The way in which the men of Israel were going to deliver Samson to the gentiles, though not kill him themselves mirrors the way in which Israel treated Jesus. [Luke 18:32]
Peter Forbes

Here are some more links with the life of Jesus

13:24 The child grew Luke 2:40
14:6 told not his father or his mother Luke 2:43
14:14 They could not expound the riddle (parable) Matthew 22:46

Links with the crucifixion

15:11 the Philistines are rulers John 19:15 We have no king but Caesar
15:18 I die for thirst John 19:28

Peter Forbes

14:20 That Samson had a fellow who 'he had used as his friend' indicates that the word 'friend' is not used as we use it today. 'Friend' seems to be a title to describe someone with specific responsibilities - See also 2 Samuel 15:37 Psalm 41:9.

ch 15 - Etam is in the hill country of Judah about half way between Hebron and Beersheba. Some distance from the Gaza strip where the Philistines dwelt.
Peter Forbes

chs 13 and 14 - TRUST HIM, HE KNOWS WHAT HE IS DOING
Have you ever wondered why God called you to a specific job? You think that someone else you know would do it so much better than you do - if only they were here. Why didn't God get them to do it - they would have done the job with so much less effort and so much better than anything we ever did. Yet God knows what he is doing. I have often wondered why God chose Manoah to be the Father of Samson. Surely there must have been more faithful people in Israel than Manoah and his wife. He didn't seem to trust his wife when she told him that an angel had appeared to her; He had the angel repeat everything he told her; He thought they would be killed when he realised an angel had spoken to them; He gave in what seems like easily when Samson wanted a Philistine wife, and didn't say anything about Samson going through the vineyard when he was a Nazarite. Yet God chose this man to be the father of Samson. He probably had them most influence on Samson's life out of any other person. And Samson became one of the most successful and famous judges Israel ever had. God chose the right man for the job and Samson will be in the kingdom. And God chose you and I for the jobs we do because he knows what he is doing. He has chosen the right man for the job.
Robert Prins

Reading 2 - Isaiah 38

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v.18,19 - These inspired words of Hezekiah make it quite plain what hope there is in the grave for the unbeliever. If we have not made our commitment to God before we die, we have no chance left. This obvious truth was amplified for Hezekiah by the sure knowledge (he was given a direct sign of a sort only God had the power to give - v.7,8) that he would live when he should have died. One of the reasons God allowed this was that we might learn this very fact, and act accordingly. Ps. 6:5, 30:9, 88:11, 115:17,18, Ecc.9:10.
Peter Cresswell
v.1-5 - We see a strange thing here. There was no doubt that Hezekiah's description of himself was correct and that he was right to have the confidence to say it, but surely that degree of faith and Godly following should have left him with a concept of how death should not be feared. There is a sense in which what God gives him is a punishment for this feeling. To know that you have 15 years to live is something of a curse. Our determination and drive of our faith is based on the frailty of our lives. If we as human beings knew we would not die for 15 years (for sure) then I wonder what effect that would have. It seems Hezekiah did not make the best use of the time, and you can;t help but feel that it would have been better if he had accepted God's judgement that he should die now.
Peter Cresswell
v.5 Hezekiah’s prayer was answered immediately for Isaiah received a message from Yahweh to return to Hezekiah before he had even left the building. [2 Kings 20:4]
Peter Forbes
Again, I make no apology for repeating this table from chapter 22. The promises to David form such a central plank of the gospel.

9:7 Throne of David
16:5 Tabernacle of David
22:22 Key of the house of David
37:35 Defend for David's sake
38:5 The God of David thy father
55:3 The sure mercies of David

God worked in Isaiah's day because of what he said to David.
Peter Forbes

:1 Hezekiah must have been in a desperate state when he was told he was going to die Psalm 102 is a prayer of a man in a desperate state. Links between the Psalm and the life of Hezekiah indicate that this Psalm may have been written by Hezekiah at this time in his life.
Peter Forbes

Reading 3 - 2Peter 1 & 2

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1 v. 8 - The word 'abound' here reminds us that we should never stand still in our efforts to practise and therefore increase these virtues. The last thing we want to be at the time when Jesus returns is 'barren' or 'unfruitful' - 2Cor.13:5, Phil.2:5, Col.3:16.
Peter Cresswell

1 v.8 The word 'ordain' 2525 can be seen, from its use in the New Testament, to encompass rulership and judgment. Matthew 24:45,47 25:21,23 (made) ruler Luke 12:14,42,44 (made) judge / rule Acts 6:3 7:10,27,35 appoint / made Acts 17:15 conducted Romans 5:19 made Titus 1:5 ordain Hebrews 2:7 5:1 7:28 8:3 set / ordained / maketh James 3:6 4:4 is 2 Peter 1:8 make. The use in the epistles indicates that, when appointment was made, it was at the father's instigation, not man's.

2 v.7 named 'just' / 'righteous' individuals [Spoken of by God]: Genesis 6:9 Noah Matthew 1:19 Joseph [Mary's husband] Mark 6:20 John the Baptist Luke 1:6 Zacharias & Elizabeth Luke 2:25 Simeon Luke 23:50 Joseph of Arithamaea Acts 10:22 Cornelius Hebrews 11:4 Abel 1 Peter 3:18 Jesus 2 Peter 2:7 Lot. Can you think of anyone else who is named as being 'just' or 'righteous' in Scripture? A review of the lifestyles of these individuals will help us to understand how we should behave.
Peter Forbes

1:5-7 From the list of things that the believer has to do we realise that baptism is the beginning, not the end of the journey.

2:1-3 In using the word 'shall' we can conclude that the problems that Peter is anticipating have not yet manifest themselves in the ecclesias. By the time Jude wrote the problems we manifest. His keyword in this context is 'are'.
Peter Forbes

ch 1 - Notice the key phrase 'these things' in this letter
1:10, 12, 15, 3:17
The 'these things' are contained in the list (1:4-7)

2:5 Notice 'person' is in italics. Read the text as 'eighth preacher of righteousness' and then review Genesis 4:26 - 5:29 Noah was the eighth who called 'upon the name of the Lord'

1. 4:26 Enos
2. 5:9 Cainan
3. 5:12 Mahaleel
4. 5:16 Jared
5. 5:18 Enoch
6. 5:21 Methuselah
7. 5:25 Lamech
8. 5:28-29 Noah
Peter Forbes