“SAMSON AND THE SOREK VALLEY ”
“And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.” Judges 16:4
The two most well-known inhabitants of the Sorek Valley in the Bible were Samson
and Delilah. Before he was born, an angel told Samson’s parents that he would deliver Israel from the hand of the Philistines. He was chosen by God to dwell in the hilly border area of the Sorek and to be a shield against the Philistines. Instead, Samson spent time with his enemy and eventually decided to marry someone he met when he “went down” (Judges 14:1) to the Philistine plain.
Samson And Delilah
The Bible tells us that his parents pleaded with him to find a woman from among his own people, the people of Israel. Despite this, Samson insisted on marrying his unnamed Philistine wife down in Timnath. After this marriage ended disastrously, it appears that Samson listened to his parents’ pleas and found an Israelite woman from his home area in the Sorek Valley. However, she was worse than anything that his parents could have imagined: Delilah.
Despite common belief, and in contrast with Samson’s other love interests, she is never identified in the Bible as a Philistine. Instead, she is a resident of the territory of the tribe of Dan in the Sorek borderlands, just as Samson was. This, combined with her Hebrew name, shows us that Samson finally found and loved a local woman. The problem is, we never read that she loved him. Samson no doubt thought he was doing the right thing when he stopped his dalliances with the Philistines and pursued her. However, his ultimate betrayal did not come from one of his Philistine lovers, but from Delilah.
“55 PROPHECIES JESUS FULFILLED”
“Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” (John 5:39)
For the skeptic, the religious Jew, the seeker, or the Christian, very few points serve to clarify who Jesus is to the degree of prophecy. Jesus fulfilled over 300 prophecies of all kinds in His earthly life. From birth to ascension, His ministry on earth was marked by fulfilled prophecy. He proved that He was the Word made flesh (John 1:1, 14). It was His Word, and He was the fulfillment of it.
The Power Of Prophecies
All the prophecies from the Old Testament were recorded 400 or more years before the time of Christ. For example, Psalm 22 was written 1,000 years before the time of Jesus yet provides graphic detail of the suffering He endured. Additionally, Psalm 22 details the process of Roman crucifixion, which was not invented for another 700 years. How is this possible? The inspiration of Scripture and the omniscience of God. The Author knows all. He used men to record future events (1 Peter 1:21) to establish Christ as the Messiah. (Click HERE to download our free book, “10 Reasons Why I Believe the Bible is the Word of God” by R.A. Torrey.)
Mathematically, one man could never fulfill so many unique prophecies, many of which were related to the actions of others toward Christ. How can you orchestrate your death in such a specific manner, i.e., by crucifixion (not invented) between criminals, being given vinegar to drink while dying, being killed at the hands of the Gentiles, after being betrayed by a dear friend for 30 pieces of silver? These are just a few such prophetic details concerning Christ. It is only possible if that Man is the God-man – Jesus Christ.
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“THE HOPE OF ISRAEL”
“O Lord, the hope (mikveh) of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters” (Jeremiah 17:13).
The desert prophetJeremiah used some evocative language in his poetry. One of the words he used,
mikveh, comes loaded with additional meaning if you delve into the culture of the ancient people of the Bible.
Most Christians have heard of a synagogue, but many are not familiar with the mikveh. They are of utmost importance to Jews and have been since ancient times. In fact, the rabbis of antiquity wrote that if a Jewish community did not have a mikveh, they should sell their synagogue, or even their Torah scrolls and use the money to build a mikveh.
Week 16: What will you believe God for this week?
“He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification” (Romans 4:20-25). #BELIEVE
