Your Hair Always Grows Back

“Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven.” (Jud 16:22 AV)

Isn’t that amazing?  His hair grew back.  What is amazing about his hair growing back is the provision of grace in the Nazarite vow.  Let me explain.  There were three parts to Samson’s vow.  First, he must refrain from grape products.  No grapes.  No wine.  No Vinegar.  Second, he could not touch any dead thing.  That would include any relatives or animals.  Third, he could not cut his hair.  He failed the first part of the vow in walking through a vineyard.  The implication was that he ate grapes as he went.  The second was violated when he touched the carcass of a dead lion.  So, the only part of the vow left was his long hair.  As long as his hair remained uncut, God would still bless his life.  Delilah took care of that.  She enticed Samson to divulge his secret.  The Philistines came and shaved his head while he lay asleep in Delilah’s lap.  As a result, the Spirit had left Samson.  His eyes were put out, and he became a grinding mule in the house of Dagon their god.  Now, here is the amazing thing.  One would think that when his vow was completely broken, there was no renewing it.  Samson cannot undo eating the grapes.  He cannot undo the fact that he touched a dead carcass.  The only thing that could be undone was his hair.  The LORD built into the Nazarite vow the ability for reconciliation and restitution.  There was one part in three that could be undone.  Samson could be used.  He would not enjoy a life of usefulness for God’s glory had he broken none of the vows.  But at least his purpose was not totally removed.

A friend of mine sent me a short devotional this morning.  It has the same basic thought as above.  It is out of Ps 37 and is a reminder that even when David made a few missteps, God still used him.  There are work-release programs for the once-incarcerated.  Some have an aversion to that idea, but it is a biblical one.  Those who have satisfied their obligations to society are given a second, third, or fourth chance.  I understand the reluctance of some to support this idea.  But the fault is not in the idea.  Rather, the insufficient standards of justice that precede it.  There is accountability.  There are standards placed upon the released individual imposed by the court.  Just because a person may have served the term of his or her incarceration does not mean that all things can go back to the way they were before the crime was committed.  They are given a second chance, but not a second life.  There is a difference.

All things being equal, giving someone another chance after they have messed up is something God does with us all the time.  There is built into salvation the idea of restoration and reconciliation.  If we fall away, God does not cast us off.  Paul’s fear was that he might be a castaway.  Not from God’s point of view.  Rather, he was afraid that people would cast him away and he could no longer reach them with the gospel of Christ.  At least not as he had done.  God is not in the refuge business.  He is in the recycling business.  God is not interested in letting us get to a useless condition.  Grace has built into our relationship the understanding that our hair will grow back.  We might lose our eyesight, but our hair will grow back.  We may not walk throughout Israel as a Judge, but we can take it on the child in defeat of God’s enemies.  Samson’s life changed once he gave up that last vow of the Nazarite.  But God was not done with him.  His hair grew back.  There was one last chance to glorify God, and God was gracious enough in His foreknowledge to provide a way for Samson to do just that!

Arguing Against Only Proves the Point

"The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue [is] from the LORD.” (Pr 16:1 AV)

Solomon is not saying that everything we verbalize is perfectly guided by the LORD.  We know this is not true.  That would make God the Father of lies.  Rather, what Solomon is sharing is that the ability to reason, form an argument, and debate one’s point of view only comes by the Creator who gives life and the ability to reason.  This is ironic since the philosopher who prides himself on deep thoughts designed to disprove a Creator is, by the skill to form an argument, proving His existence.  Information comes from an outward source.  A computer is a simply block of metal unable to do much unless a programmer installs information and instructions.  The same is true with the human mind.  It was created with basic instructions and knowledge.  The child in vitro does not install humanity by himself.  It comes from a source outside of itself and also greater than Self.  Whether Solomon meant to imply the metaphysical argument into this verse or not, it cannot be avoided.  By trying to disprove God, absolute truth, etc., one is actually proving it.

Reason was never given by the Creator to replace faith.  Reason will eventually end with the fatal necessity to exercise faith.  Why?  Because of the nature of information.  Information is infinite.  Information must start with a self-evident fact.  Think of mathematics.  The absolute fact of ‘one’ is self-evident.  It does not exist as a result of something else.  One is one.  When one is added to one, then there are two.  When one is subtracted from one, there is zero.  If you play with the numbers by adding or subtracting, then the possibilities become infinite.  Pi is a great example.  Mathematicians will tell you that Pi is an infinite number.  How that there be such a thing?  Information is not information unless it has a repository.  There must be a way to express, store, and work with information or information does not exist.  If there must be a repository for information, and information is infinite, then the repository for infinite information must also be infinite.  Can we produce this infinite repository?  Can we quantify the infinite?  We accept it by faith.  Reason ends with the acceptance of something we cannot prove with normal and physical methods.  Thus, God exists, and we accept Him by faith.

The philosopher will struggle to produce evidence that God does not exist.  He uses the inability to understand as proof of God’s non-existence.  For example, if God exists then why all the evil?  The intelligence of fallen man tries to corner God into his definition of what God must be or how He must act.  When this fails, he declares God does not exist.  Why?  Because he cannot understand why a God of love would allow all the evil.  It is ironic.  He will use the inability to know as evidence of God’s non-existence, but refuses to acknowledge the existence of God by the same standard.  And infinite cannot be proven by a finite being.  He must be accepted by faith.  The ability to reason, form an argument, and debate is not proof of God’s non-existence.  Rather, it proves that He lives!

God Is Grieved Despite Our Failures

“And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the LORD: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.” (Jud 10:16 AV)

I was moved with the fact that God could be grieved with the condition of Israel even after they turned their back on Him.  Their situation was self-inflicted.  They had gone after the gods of Ammon.  They served Baal.  They wanted nothing to do with Jehovah until their enemies enslaved them.  They repented of their sins and put away all their strange gods.  They prayed to the LORD for deliverance with the condition that God could do anything He wanted.  All they asked for was deliverance.  This is where we pick it up.  I think after the third or fourth time, I would have run out of patience.  Pity would not be my emotion.  Resentment would be more like it.  I would feel as though I were being taken advantage of.  Grieving would not be high on my list.  Not with Jehovah who has infinite love and mercy.  His grace moved Him to take pity on His habitually disobedient people.  He was moved with grief that they had to suffer so much.  Even though it was all their fault.  Their enslavement was not something God sent.  It was a result of their compromise.  Yet God was grieved.

This reminds me of the wonderful people who care for the sick and dying.  Some of those who come in for care are sick because of poor life choices.  They do not take care of themselves and therefore they are in need of medical attention.  In particular, there are those who habitually make bad choices and find themselves in need of care.  We spent a good portion of time in the ER a few weeks ago.  The initial visit was pretty quick.  There wasn’t anyone there.  But we had to return a second time.  This time it was packed.  Most of those who were there were frequent flyers.  They were patients who use the ER as their primary healthcare provider.  Most had ailments that could have been prevented with better choices and a more disciplined lifestyle.  Yet, there was no discrimination among the staff.  They cared for each patient with compassion and timely care.  It takes a special kind of person to do that for a living.

God is infinitely more gracious than we ever could be.  When I read the verse above, I couldn’t help but praise the LORD for His wonderful mercy.  There is still hope for me!  If Jehovah could have infinite mercy on a nation which constantly insulted Him, then He can have mercy on me when I fall to the flesh, the world, or the devil.  Perhaps the LORD will be grieved at the sinner’s situation even though he or she got themselves into it.  Perhaps the LORD can be grieved despite the saints' proclivity toward self-pleasure.  Perhaps the LORD will be grieved when the life of the saint is in a total mess and He is the only one who can untangle the knot.  If He did with Israel, He can and will certainly do so for His children.

Pray for our Nation

“Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin [is] a reproach to any people.” (Pr 14:34 AV)

It is becoming abundantly clear that electing someone we agree with does not automatically turn the tide of God’s judgment.  Believers are waking up to this, and the attitude shift is apparent.  Those who have biblical faith in God and some sort of biblical worldview were elated at the prospect of our nation turning a corner.  We thought that our troubles would be in the rearview mirror.  We thought that God would once again shine His light of favor on a Judeo-Christian nation.  Perhaps there is revival yet to be realized.  But as long as our nation supports filth, murder of the unborn, and the mutilation of our defenseless, there is no turning the hand of God’s judgment.  Our sins are not limited to liberty and financial responsibility.  If the student of God’s word will notice a pattern of God’s judgment.  The prevalence of immorality is the straw that breaks the back.  Noah’s flood came because mankind destroyed the institution of marriage.  Sodom and Gomorrah happened because of sexual deviancy.  Israel was destroyed and scattered because they offered their children as sacrifices to pagan gods.  Immorality and the abuse of children is what brings God’s hand.

In the heart of God, there is a special place for women and children.  Some of the harshest judgements are promised upon those who do harm to these two groups.  God takes seriously the treatment of ladies and children.  The defenseless are special to the Creator.  Society is expected to protect and honor them.  Nations are required to defend themselves.  If they are widowed and orphaned, the Bible requires us to care for them.  Rather, our nation has done just the opposite.  We have tolerated the objectification of our most precious people.  We have treated them not as the special people they are, but rather, objects for our own pleasure.  Our children are seen as inconveniences.  They are treated as things to be discarded if not wanted, or worse, manipulated to our own rebellious ends.  When will the nation that is supposed to be one nation under God come to the defense of our most precious members?

The somberness of God’s people is telling.  We have quickly realized that a nation that elects a leader who may agree with some or even most of our values cannot stay the hand of God unless immorality and abuse become the highest priority.  We are putting Band-Aids on a broken dyke hoping if we fix the cracks then the dam will hold.  Not so.  The only thing that will save our nation is true revival.  This true revival in not the pseudo revival we have seen and are seeing.  True revival results in the masses turning to the word of God in all things.  Not just those things that are convenient.  True revival results in sin being rooted out and forsaken.  True revival means the hearts of people are turned toward obedience and faith.  What we have today is emotional, not spiritual.  How do we know this?  Because what we see today is having little to no impact on our nation.  True revival changes a nation.  It isn’t a large crowd expressing emotion because they simply do not know much more than that.  I fear that in the next national election, God will finally put the last nail in the coffin.  Unless we see immorality close down, abortions cease, and child mutilation outlawed, there is no turning back.  May God bring revival!

Grab the Handrail

“Righteousness keepeth [him that is] upright in the way: but wickedness overthroweth the sinner.” (Pr 13:6 AV)

Righteousness puts us ‘in the way’, but it also keeps us there.  As I sit and write, we are under a severe wind advisory.  An enormous tree across the street had blown over.  That tells you just how blustery it is.  Where I walk the dog, we are sheltered out of the wind.  However, I just took him out in a wind-whipped area and a plastic bag attacked him.  Needless to say, my little dog is a bit jittery.  The wisest course of action is to take him in the corner of the backyard that is sheltered on three sides.  There is little to no wind there, and any wind swirls at a very low speed.  Wickedness is like that wind.  If we are not careful, it will knock us right off our feet. 

The way of looking at righteousness helping the upright is like guardrails along a treacherous path.  The older I get, the more I appreciate handrails!  Especially when the walker wears bifocals or trifocals, handrails are great!  One cannot depend solely on depth of field when the eyesight isn’t the best.  Those guardrails keep us from falling.  They tell us of the edge or width of the stairs as well as the grade of incline or decline.  Those guardrails are not solely for stability.  They are an invaluable source of information.  They instruct when level ground is approaching.  They tell us of the length of journey one is required to take.  Turns are announced not just be sight, but also by touch.  Handrails can tell us how treacherously a path might be by the permanence and design of the handrails.  If they are decorative, then we know the stairs or path is short and not all that difficult to navigate.  However, if the guardrails are sturdy and bolted to a stone wall, we know the journey might be a bit of a chore.  We are already on the path which we need to be walking, but the guardrails keep us on the path without falling or getting lost.

God’s word is like this.  The guardrails are there to keep us safe and get us from one point to the next.  They are there regardless of who we are or how much we think we need them.  They are the same for everyone.  One size fits all.  The handrails are indiscriminate.  They are absolute.  They do not adapt to the walker.  The walker must adapt to them.  The word of God is the same.  It is the constant we need to navigate a difficult pilgrimage.  The key is to have the humility to use the handrails.  Too many are too proud.  They don’t need the assistance.  My wife has a handicap permit for parking.  She has complications from cancer.  Yet, when we try to use it while riding as passengers in someone else’s car, the driver feels like he or she is taking advantage.  Not so.  The permit is there for a reason.  The handrails are there, whether we think we need them or not.  There is no harm in using assistance if it is there to us.  Pride is the enemy here.  If we are to stay on the upright way, the guardrails of the word of God are the way we are going to do it.

Praise God for What We Will Never Know

“My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness [and] thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers [thereof].” (Ps 71:15 AV)

For I know not the numbers thereof!  Absolutely.  The psalmist could mean the days he has left, or he could be referring to righteousness and salvation.  Either works.  The vast majority of our beloved sages understand the reference to be for the latter.  This begs a question.  Just how many things has God done for us of which we are never aware?  I imagine the righteousness of which David refers is righteous judgements on his behalf.  For the N.T. saint, we can extend this even further to include the righteousness of Christ that grows in us day by day.  The salvation of which David speaks is not limited to eternal salvation.  Rather, David is speaking of salvation from all sorts of threats.  As a king of the most powerful mid-eastern nation, no doubt he had enemies of whom he had no knowledge.  Only the LORD knows how many plots of assassination were foiled by His intervention.

We don’t know what we don’t know, but we can assume based on the character of God.  As a father, there was much from which I kept my sons.  Most of which they never had a clue.  When they were young, we lived in a neighborhood that was plagued by gangs.  To my sons, the graffiti was comical artwork.  But to those of us who were in the know, it was much more than that.  The sneakers hanging from the power lines were not an old ornament or a prank.  It meant something.  A red laser dot from an undisclosed location meant far more than a bored child who wanted to scare someone.  The worldly wise knew how to keep their eyes open for pending trouble.  Many times, I diverted my sons from a dangerous situation, and all they thought was that dad was being fun again and taking them for ice cream.  It wasn’t until they grew and became more aware that they realized what I had done all those years.  At the time, it never dawned on them that dad was saving them from harm.  To them, it was normal life.

If God is our Father and He has parental responsibilities, it stands to reason He would do no less.  Our heavenly Father in omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent.  He foreknows all things.  Therefore, He can see all threats that could harm us even to the smallest of detail.  It may seem as though the work of God is idle.  After all, harm comes to the saint.  We are not protected from all.  But if we assume all that we see is all that God sees, then He is not a benevolent and interceding God.  If we believe David, and by extension God, then we must assume there are far more threats in life that could cause harm than those which actual do.  Those that do cause harm are allowed by a sovereign God for our growth and benefit.  Which then naturally suggests that there are far more ills that could have come our way but never did.  Praise be to God!

Cleaving is a State and Much as a Practice

“But cleave unto the LORD your God, as ye have done unto this day.” (Jos 23:8 AV)

Good advice, regardless of the context.  Yet there is context to consider here.  These are the last words of Joshua to Israel. He is old and well stricken in years.  He knows he is about to go the way of all flesh.  He has led Israel through thick and thin.  They have fought many battles together.  The two and a half tribes have just made a covenant with the remaining tribes that neither was to forget nor deny the other.  They had, for the most part, conquered all their inheritance.  Those nations left were a means for God to test the resolve of Israel’s faithfulness.  Now, they stand the moment when leadership will once again change.  Sometimes for the better.  Sometimes for the worse.  Israel, it its best day, stood on victory’s ground.  They had promised to love the LORD with their whole hearts.  They promised to follow the law.  They promised to worship only the one true God.  It wouldn’t be long before they broke their promises.  The thing is, this challenge should be a daily one.  In other words, if we make it a daily goal to cleave unto the LORD, it will soon become a lifestyle.

Being married for almost 40 years, I know a bit about cleaving.  Cleaving is a feeling of unity between two people that is painfully inseparable.  Two people walk together through shared experiences and shared dreams.  They know each other almost better than they do themselves.  When two people are cloven together, they know what the other is thinking and can often finish the other’s thoughts.  Outside of our walk with God, there is no other relationship like it.  None.  Not with our parents.  Not with our children.  A marriage relationship is unique and is a shadow of what our relationship with the LORD should and can be.  When two people cleave together, they complete one another.  Without the other, the one not what he or she was meant to be.  Loneliness doesn’t even come close to explaining the feeling when one is absent from the other.  They change each other.  When done right, they change one another for the better.  Marriage is a blessing from God that, if done in the will of God, is a slice of heaven on earth.

This cleaving is even more meaningful when the saint cleaves to the LORD.  There is a bond that surpasses the love of people.  This cleaving is so permanent that Paul tells us that nothing can separate us from the love of God.  One thing that makes marriage special is the growth that comes thereby.  Joshua told Israel to cleave to the LORD from this day forward, as they were in the present.  In other words, cleaving has with it the idea of continuance, permanence, and change.  If one were to ask a newly married couple if it were possible to love their new spouse any more than they do at that moment, inexperience would answer, probably not.  They cannot imagine how they could love this person and more than they do at that moment.  The thing is, as two people live a life together, love matures, changes, and deepens.  This is Joshua’s plea.  Continue in the love you have for your God, but in the process, love Him even more.  I think this is the key to walking by faith and obedience.  It isn’t enough to accept Christ and then stay as we are.  We are establishing a relationship with almighty God.  Our Creator is not the most important personal relationship we have.  Cleaving means adhering.  It means becoming inseparable.  It means yielding the heart in vulnerability to someone whom you can trust.  As we started out the day we accepted Christ, we must continue.  We must remain cloven to the God who created us and saved us.  As we started, we must finish even better.