Good morning brothers and sisters, A few thoughts on the final meeting of these two men.  Do you remember the last time you saw a close friend before their passing especially if it was unexpected.  I was in a men's  Bible study with a guy who lived in Salem.  Everybody else was from the Groton area and we made jokes about having to pack a lunch for the trip to Salem.  Anyway, we met at his house on a Wednesday evening on the topic of eternal security.  On Saturday afternoon, he died of a heart attack.  Now we drive by the road to his house every week on our way to church.  And I still think of him. Blessings, Jeff The penny has dropped at least for Saul.  He knows that David will be king after him, so the one person who had brought him relief from the harmful spirit from the Lord is not banished.  Another step down the slope.   But Jonathan still thinks that although he is Saul's heir, he will survive and be second to David.  Unfortunately, the king's son either becomes kin

In some ways, this is the flip side of yesterday's devotional.  Of course, the psalms were written before Lamentations.  So Jeremiah had the psalms available to him.  This psalm focuses on the fact that the Lord will never forsake His saints.  Jeremiah was asking for restoration, the psalmist was giving assurance that the saints will never be forsaken.  Isn't it a comfort to see that while these themes seem to be in conflict, we are able to trust Him to work them out for His glory and our good. The promise of not being forsaken applies only to His saints, to those who are righteous and take refuge in Him.  The plight of Judah during the exile was due to their refusal to take refuge in Him. The promise applies in times of trouble - the righteous are not exempt from times of trouble. His is our stronghold - we are not our stronghold, all the plans of man cannot provide safety.

Good evening friends, Have you ever felt that God doesn't have a clue about the situation you are in?  This seems to be the case in the last chapter of Lamentations. Blessings Jeff The beginning of a list of the consequences of exile. I always find it interesting when an inspired writer reminds God of something.  In reality, all the things on the list are exactly what God intended Judah to experience when they went into exile.  So what do we make of this? Does prayer change God's knowledge of our circumstances? No.  Jesus tells us in the Sermon on the Mount that God knows what we need before we ask him.  Yet we are also told to ask for our daily bread.  I think the point is that our prayers remind us of our dependency on God.  Our prayers change us, not God.  In this case, as Jeremiah recounts the problems, we are reminded that all these things resulted from Judah's disobedience.  These things are happening to us because we deserve them. Does prayer change God's plan? N

 Good morning fellow workers in Christ, While it is not a biblical statement, I think the idea "there, but for the grace of God, go I" comes to mind today.  We have nothing to boast about in our salvation because we had nothing to do with it.  God made us alive when we were dead in sin and trespasses.  I respond in faith because He regenerated me.  So when I see examples in scripture of people who are left in their sin and trespass, I can only thank God for saving me. Blessings, Jeff Downward slide accelerates.  Saul swears to Jonathan that David will not be killed (v6) and David is restored.  David wins a victory over Philistines (presumably more women singing about David and his 10,000s).  Harmful spirit comes upon Saul and he attempts to kill David. While David escapes, that night Saul sends men to capture him, but they are deceived by Michal. In the past, David's  music has mitigated the influence of the harmful spirit, but the Saul seems to be more and more susceptib

Good morning fellow soldiers, While Lamentations is grouped with the prophetic books, it seems to have a lot of wisdom characteristics. It answers the "why do bad things happen to good people" question.  As I sit in a comfortable chair in a comfortable apartment in Madison, Wi Jeremiah's experience is beyond my understanding.  I have to wonder if being "in Christ" is a nice theological concept of a experiential reality. Blessings, Jeff Jeremiah pouring out his heart about his experience as God's prophet.  This is the location of "great is your faithfulness" in v21-27.  But this confidence is surrounded by the lament of a man who is not at all happy with God.  The first 20 verses are like these first 3.  He sees God's relentless affliction of the man who has been a faithful prophet. It is a solemn reminder that Jeremiah saw God's faithfulness most clearly in the midst of great anguish.  The "health and wealth" message closes its ey

Last devotion from Romans for this reading cycle. Here are v 8&9 with my comment or explanation  in parenthesis For I (Paul) tell you (Roman believers) that Christ became a servant to the circumcised (Jews of Paul's day) to show God's truthfulness (in two ways, First)  in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs (made millennia ago, not about the Promised Land, but about the Messiah) and (Second) in order that the Gentiles (today and in the future) might glorify God for his mercy. Devotional from earlier today was God's sovereignty over the specifics of Saul and David in a relative short period of time.  Here Paul is taking a much larger view of history to show God's truthfulness (He will do what He said He will do - things that only a sovereign God can do).  As a Gentile beneficiary of God's sovereignty, the only rational response is to glorify Him for His mercy.. Brothers and sisters, reflect on what Mel said in sermon today (5/16/21).  Know what

Good afternoon fellow sojourners Well here is another example of a passage selected on weeks ago (4.24.21) that I got around to writing today (5.16.21).  Sermon this morning was "know that you know".  I think this passage is a reminder at least to me that I say God is sovereign but don't always walk in a manner that proves that I believe it. Blessings Jeff Another step in the decline of Saul and the ascension of David.   Observations: All in the plan of God.  Samuel privately anoints David as king and then David is brought into the service of Saul to calm him when the harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him.  David knew that he was the next king, yet he was submissive to God's timing.  Future kings of Israel and Judah won't be so passive and will resort to assassination.  Saul loved his successor greatly.  Because David's anointing was known only to his immediate family, Saul would not have known this about David at least at this point.  However, he does kn

Good afternoon friends, Congratulations on finishing the second of the major prophets.  Almost 2 months.  I hope that you have a better appreciation for the prophetic office.  Remember, that Jesus is prophet, priest and king.  Completely fulfills all these offices. Blessings, Jeff Last day in Jeremiah.  This chapter was not written by Jeremiah as Chapter 51 ends with Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.  Ezra is believed to have written this chapter to document the fulfillment of what Jeremiah had prophesied.  Highlights the importance of the fulfillment of what a true prophet says.  It may not happen in the prophets lifetime, but if it never happens the prophet was not a true prophet.   The exile happened in stages.  I think that each stage allowed those left behind to have time to repent.  But the fact that the exile continued tells me that even given partial fulfillment, they refused to repent.  This is not to say that God was modifying His plan to accommodate continued rebellion.  H

Good evening friends, The Bible is full of stories showing how people react differently in difficult times.  Today we see Saul going off the rails for the first time.  We can contrast this with David's psalm Blessings Jeff The contrast between David's psalm that we looked at yesterday and Saul's impetuosity. Saul - "until I am avenged on my enemies" - all about him, Philistines are really the enemy of all the people of Israel and ultimately God.  He sees himself as the one who brings victory, not the Lord. "laid an oath on the people" unilateral binding of other's conscience.  The reality is that an army travels on its stomach was true then as it is today.  Expecting solders not to eat is never a good idea.  Jonathan understood that the time saved by not eating was not as valuable as having strength for the battle. "Cursed be the man who eats food this day"  Curse comes from moral failure, not from physical needs.  If we think back to Moses

Good morning friends, (Wrote this May '21 while in Madison, Wi.  The activities of taking care of two 8 month olds is rather exhausting at times.  Even though we are only with them for 4 hours a day and they nap for some of that time, we are pretty tired at the end of our shift.  Everything else we do revolves around the hours spent with them.  As I thought about this psalm, I was struck by how the worship of God is to be all consuming.  Which makes me ponder why I find other things to be at the center of life. Blessings, Jeff Ascribe is one of those words that is not in common usage.   Webster says:  to refer to a supposed cause, source, or author : to say or think that (something) is caused by, comes from, or is associated with a particular person or thing Examples These poems are usually ascribed to Homer. They ascribe most of their success to good timing and good luck. She ascribes no importance to having a lot of money. Of course, David didn't write in English.  The Hebrew

Hope you get a smile from this. This is a kind of off-beat devotion.  You may have noticed that there are a number of towns in Connecticut with biblical names.  One of the is Bozrah, Salem's next door neighbor. So why did people decide to name their town Bozrah?  Why celebrate the capital of Esau? CWSB definition - The mountainous capital city of Edom. The name means “fortress.” It was where the major caravan highways of Edom ran (Gen. 36:33) and where early kings of Edom reigned. It lay south, southeast of the Salt Sea (Dead Sea). The prophets mention it in prophecies of judgment (Isa. 34:6; 63:1; Jer. 49:1, 13, 22; Amos 1:12). So I Googled it and here is what I found according to Wikipedia Bozrah is the name of a pastoral community mentioned several times in the Old Testament, sometimes with pleasing connotations, sometimes not. The town name may have resulted from the happy connotations connected with Micah chapter 2, verse 12: "I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I

Good morning fellow readers, I hope today's devotional helps to see the single story of the Bible. Blessings, Jeff Observations: How strange that the newly anointed king of Israel was out in the fields plowing with oxen?  He certainly wasn't doing the things that Samuel had said.  However, there was no precedent for Saul to follow.  Reminds me of the story that the Constitutional Convention purposefully left much of the duties of the President rather vague because everyone knew that George Washington would be the first and he would figure out what the President would actually do. The Spirit of the Lord rushes upon him. Points to the difference between OT and NT operation of the Holy Spirit.  In OT, The Spirit enabled certain abilities for a specific function and period of time.  In the NT, the Holy Spirit permanently dwells in each and every believer for the work of sanctification.  I can understand why the Jews in Jerusalem at Pentecost would be confused by the manifestation o

Greetings, Some borrowed thoughts on this short chapter. A short chapter (7 verses) about judgment of the Philistines.  The obvious question is why is Jeremiah concerned about judgment of a heathen nation, a long term enemy of Israel/Judah?   Observations (with commentary assistance from Calvin) V 1 - this prophecy came to Jeremiah before Pharaoh struck down Gaza. V 2 - waters rising out of the north - a reference to  Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon. Calvin - We must refer to history, and then we shall see what the design of the Holy Spirit was. When Pharaoh came to bring assistance to the Jews under Zedekiah, as we have already seen, he was soon compelled to return to Egypt, for the Chaldeans, having raised the siege, went against the Egyptians; for if they routed them, they knew that they could soon possess themselves of the whole of Judea. Haying then left the Jews for a time, they went against the Egyptians. Pharaoh, possessing no confidence in himself, as I have said, retreated; but he

Hello again, Rhetorical questions are a great tool for showing emphasis.  Today's passage is an example where Paul asks a questions (What then shall we say), gives an answer (That the law is sin) and then launches into the true purpose of the law.  Hope these thoughts help. Blessings, Jeff I think I have mentioned that I have been listening to Martyn Lloyd-Jones sermons on Romans.  I highly recommend them.  If you are interested, RefNet (Ligonier) carries him Sundays at 6:30 AM and 7:00 PM or you can go to mljtrust.org.  The series ran for 13 years ('55 to '68) on Friday nights.  I can only imagine what it was like to actually hear him.  Any way, it is very hard to pull a passage out and think of it in devotional terms.  Everything is part of an argument.  Chapters 6 and 7 are both answers to objections that Paul knew people would have to what he said in Chapter 5.   So these 3 verses I focused on illustrate this idea.  in 7:1-6, Paul seems to be critical of the law.  The l

Somewhat of a continuation of previous devotion.  Samuel delivered a stern warning to Israel which they chose to ignore.  Yesterday, Jeremiah delivered a stern warning to Judah which they chose to ignore.  To you see a pattern.  Let us learn from their mistakes. Blessings, Jeff Samuel warns Israel about how their king will treat them and ends with a promise that God will not hear them when they cry out to Him after these things come to pass.  Yesterday, we saw remnant of Judah accuse Jeremiah of lying.  Here is an earlier example of the same thing.  Samuel's prophecy about house of Eli had come true.  Proof that he was a true prophet.  Now he is telling them what will happen and they still choose to seek a king. Israel is developing the habit of arguing with what God says through the prophets.  A similar danger exists for NT believers.  We do not have prophets who foretell the future as a sign of their validity.  We have pastors and teachers who accurately preach what the Bible say

Good afternoon brothers and sisters, After all that Jeremiah had prophesied came true, the remnant left behind accuses him of lying when he reports that God forbids them from going to Egypt.  Imagine the mental gymnastics involved.  To see the dreadful prophecies come true and then think that he would lie about what God told him.  A stern warning not to argue with the word of God. Blessings Jeff "Lather, rinse, repeat" as the saying goes.  After all the promises to obey what Jeremiah reports to them, the rag-tag group of rebels show their true colors.  They even claim that it is Jeremiah's scribe who has set him against them.  They didn't go to Baruch for guidance, but now they think that he had influence over Jeremiah.  Several weeks ago, Jonathan sermon was about false faith.  This is an OT example of a group of people professing one thing but not actually possessing it.  They really believed that they would be obedient but actions show that they were not.  As long

What do we learn about Eli? He judged Israel for 40 years.  So he was part of the "Judges" era but also the "Kings" era.  So a time of transition. He was a priest but also a judge. He was 98 when he died so he was 58 when became a judge.  Not the typical judge as most were younger men and were military leaders. He was "blind, old and heavy" but still sat at the gate of Shiloh.  Not exactly a confidence building personality. His heart trembled for the Ark - so it is possible that he didn't approve of sending the Ark as a "good luck charm".   It isn't the death of his sons that causes him to fall over, but the news of the capture of the Ark. All this was a substantial fulfillment of what the Lord had revealed to Samuel. 3:13.  There is at least on male survivor (Ichabod) but the line is eventually terminated at beginning of Solomon's reign.   I think that this fulfillment of Samuel's prophecy which validates him as a prophet is the

Hello again, dear friends, I hope today's devotional helps in seeing how meditation on the psalms gets very personal. Blessings, Jeff One of the things I like to do with the Psalms is make them into questions.   V3 - Have I known the Lord's trying, testing and visitation?  If not, why not?  David did not have the Holy Spirit in the same way that Christians do.  If he was aware of the Lord's presence in trials, testing and visitation, certainly I should be aware of the Holy Spirit probing my thoughts, emotions and deeds.  God tells me that His will is to present me holy and blameless before Him.  Am I growing in holiness?  If not, the problem is not with God but me.  Can I say that he would find nothing?  This does not mean sinless perfection.  David's history shows that he fell into some terrible sins.  In Philippians, Paul tells us that he was not already perfect, but pressed on for the prize of the upward call of God.   Do I apply 1 John 1:8&9?  Is there unconfess

Good evening friends, Here we are in the beginning of the kings of Israel.  But the office of priest and prophet are important threads to follow in this portion of Israel's history.  So just a few thoughts on the priesthood. Blessings, Jeff Yesterday, we thought about the continuity of the messianic line of David through the Exile in the time of Jeremiah.  Today's passage relates to the continuity of the Aaronic line of high priests.  Eli was a descendant of Aaron through Ithamar and high priest and judge of Israel when Samuel entered service as a child.  The high priesthood survives because it is not a single line.  But there were faithful and unfaithful men in the descendants of Aaron.  Jesus becomes our great high priest, not because of physical descent from Aaron, but because of how He made the perfect sacrifice of His own blood on the cross.  The failings of the high priests point us to the reality of the need for a perfect high priest.  Just as the failings in the line of

Thoughts about how Jeremiah and the line of David were preserved during the Exile to Babylon. Blessings Jeff The Chaldeans treat Jeremiah better than the Jewish leadership had treated him.  The same Chaldeans who had just slaughtered Zedekiah's sons and the nobles of Judah, show respect to Jeremiah and allow him to stay in the land.  It is hard to explain this without the intervention of God.  The messianic line does not go through Jeremiah or Zedekiah  but the Davidic line is whittled down to bare minimum.  But that is what makes it so amazing. With many sons or few sons, the line is ultimately through one son.  God's plans are beyond man's ways. We want many ways to God, but He provides only one.

 Dear Friends, Originally wrote this from our home away from home in Madison Wi.  We were learning the ropes of taking care of soon to be 8 month old grandsons.  After the peaceful drive on 95 and then Chicago, we were a bit frazzled.  So concept of a place of rest had a special appeal at this point. Blessings Jeff  mānôaḥ: A masculine noun designating a rest, resting place. Israel, figuratively, could find no resting place for the soles of her feet (Deut. 28:65; Lam. 1:3). A resting place was or rest was a time or place of security (Ruth 3:1). It is used of rest for the soul because of the Lord’s mercies and blessings (Ps. 116:7). It points to a location where something settles down and remains there or the cessation of work in order to refresh oneself. The dove found no resting place for herself (Gen. 8:9). Finding a place of rest.  From looking at Strong's dictionary, Hebrew had a verb (nuah = to rest) and this noun, A resting place.  Naomi has been wandering or sojourning mos

Greetings my fellow pilgrims, Just a few thoughts on the shipwreck on Malta.  WCF Chapter 5, Section 1 describes God's providence.  There is nothing outside of his control.  But reading and believing are two different things.  Being on a small ship in the midst of a storm is a challenge. Blessings, Jeff These events make me wonder about the other 274 or possible just 74 people.  We know how things turned out for Paul and Luke, but the others were certainly impacted by the storm and shipwreck.  Sailors are famous for the sea stories about adventures on or under the water.  One of the expressions onboard submarines was "Days of boredom broken up by moments of sheer terror"  Somewhat like the voyage Paul was on.  Survivors of maritime disasters have a special perspective on God's providence. So I wonder about these men.  Did they remember the shipwreck of did they remember Paul encouraging them the night before the wreck?  Did they ask Paul why he was a prisoner? How man

 Dear Friends, I originally wrote this just prior to our trip to Wisconsin to see our son and his family.  I finished my "work for pay" career last week.  Now I am moving on to the "work for no pay" as we help take care of our grandsons.  Blessings, Jeff Observations: Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, 9 for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! 2 Timothy 2:8-9 I see Jeremiah and his scroll as an OT example of this NT statement.  Although Jeremiah was prohibited from the temple, God directed him to dictate everything God had said to him to his assistant Baruch.  He would then take it to the temple and read to the people. You can see the response to the secretary and then the officials.  The officials know they have to report these words to the king and that he is not going to like it.  Points to faithful author, faithful recorder and faithful reading to the

Good morning brothers and sisters, Congratulations on reaching our last day in Judges. Keep up the good work. Blessings Jeff The deal between 11 tribes and the wayward Benjaminites.  While it is true that God's decree is over all things whatsoever that come to pass, saying that the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel would seem to lay these events solely at His feet.   WCF Ch 3, Section 1 God from all eternity did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass:(a) yet so, as thereby neither is God the author of sin,(b) nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures, nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established.(c) The whole tribe of Benjamin was the "second cause" of this breach.   Convergence in a theological setting is how God's will for His glory and our good and man's will in accordance with his fallen nature converge.  Prime example is Josep

Dear Friends, Just a review of ancient covenant making.  This is a clear description of what God did when He made a covenant with Abram back in Genesis 15.  This was before Abram was renamed and before the sign of circumcision.  Abram was fast asleep while God passed between the divided animals.  God was swearing by Himself.  Covenants between people are a likeness of this. Blessings, Jeff In v 8ff, King Zedekiah (the superior) makes a covenant with the people (the inferior) that all  the Hebrew slaves would be set free.  This was a commitment to do what God had commanded back in Exodus and Deuteronomy.  Then almost immediately, the people re-enslaved their brothers. Now in v17ff, God proclaims a different kind of liberty to the people.  To pestilence, sword and famine.   In ancient times, covenants were a very serious thing.  As described here, one part of the process was to cut animals in half and then the two parties to the covenant (the superior and the inferior) would pass through

Spurgeon says that Psalm 3 is a "morning psalm" and Psalm 4 is matched with it as an "evening psalm".  He wrote a devotional book called "Morning and Evening" to help start and end our days in Gods word.  Thinking about the psalms as tied to events and times is helpful.  They are not just isolated songs.  They are meant to be subject of meditation.  And using commentators is not to be discouraged. Reading Spurgeon, Calvin and Henry, each psalm is divided into sections.  Most print versions don't show these divisions.  Maybe the printer doesn't want to waste space.  But this is one of the nice things about electronic versions.  Empty space doesn't cost anything.  So V1, v2-5, and v 6-8 are the three sections in this psalm. To me it seems that v2 is the challenge to those who oppose true religion and its practitioners and 3-5 are warnings to them about how they should change. But what got my attention was the last verse.  Do I close the day with

Dear Friends, Today's devotion is about excuses.  When I was working at Millsone, there was an "accountability" phase of leadership.  Everybody had to be able to explain why they did what they did.  Generally, this was after something went wrong.  It is very hard to explain why you didn't follow a procedure.  We should take Paul's warning to the Corinthians that we all have to stand before the judgment seat of Christ.  Will our "excuses" hold up before His questioning? Blessings Jeff Joshua 19:40-47 describes the lot that fell to Dan, how it was "lost to them" and their eventual capture of Leshem. 40 The seventh lot came out for the tribe of the people of Dan, according to their clans. 41 And the territory of its inheritance included Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir-shemesh, 42 Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah, 43 Elon, Timnah, Ekron, 44 Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath, 45 Jehud, Bene-berak, Gath-rimmon, 46 and Me-jarkon and Rakkon with the territory over against Jop

My fellow exiles and sojourners, I pray that today's reading is of great encouragement to you as we seek the Celestial City.  Sometimes it is easy to get lost in the prophetic curses and blessings. One minute is destruction and the next is is building up.  We have been saved, we are being saved and we will be saved.  There is a tension between the "Now" and the "not yet" Blessings, Jeff This chapter is absolutely stunning.  The exile is now on the doorstep and Jeremiah is given a promise of restoration of unbelievable proportions.  Something that only God could accomplish.   Observations: At the end of 70 years of exile, the people are to "Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, ‘O LORD, save your people, the remnant of Israel."  This is the promise that is to keep them going through difficult times. V 8&9 describe how extensive the restoration will be.  Absolutely no one wi

Dear Friends, Just a few thoughts about Samson as a deliverer. Blessings, Jeff Let us return to the question "How does this story advance the promise of Genesis 3:15?". The promise of a son who will crush the head of the serpent.  The promise of a deliverer.  Observations 1. Samson was of the tribe of Dan. So he was not the lineage of Jesus.   The promises was refined in Genesis 49:10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet,until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. 2. The physical downfall of Samson as a result of spiritual compromise.  His passions eventually blind him even as he was blinded physically by the Philistines.  Delilah is the third foreign woman he has loved. The first two lead to defeats of Philistines. Appears that these events led to confidence that he could continue without consequences. But each one was a breach of the law. Repetition of sin is destined for condemnation. 3.

Good evening friends, I hope today's devotional will help answer a possible question from sceptics.  Forces of evil often co-opt the events of scripture.  That does not make the events wrong in the context in which they occurred in New Testament times.  Nor does it make their use right in any other context. Blessings, Jeff Most of us have probably seen pictures of book burnings in Germany in the 1930's.  Are there any differences between that and what we read here? Yes. Beginning on May 10, 1933, Nazi-dominated student groups carried out public burnings of books they claimed were “un-German.” The book burnings took place in 34 university towns and cities. Works of prominent Jewish, liberal, and leftist writers ended up in the bonfires. The book burnings stood as a powerful symbol of Nazi intolerance and censorship. Voluntary in Acts, coerced in Germany.. Private decision in Acts, Government decision in Germany, Liberation from occult practice in Acts.. Suppression of thought in

Manage to get this out of order.  Sorry for confusion. Observations: 1. Who is  King Zedekiah? His name means "Jehovah is righteous" the last king of Judah renamed from 'Mattaniah' by Nebuchadnezzar; (2 Kings 24:17) How strange that a pagan king would rename the king of Judah.  Mattaniah = "gift of Jehovah" 2. What are the choices? According to Jeremiah: Submit to Nebuchadnezzar and live or rebel and die by sword, famine and pestilence. According to false prophets: resist Nebuchadnezzar because God is going to restore the captives already taken away. 3. What does God say? The false prophets are telling a lie so that the king will believe them and the king and prophets die as a result.   Thoughts: 1. God's ways are not man's ways.  From human perspective, surrender is humiliation.  Better to die free than submit to another superior power. But from God's perspective, surrender is obedience to God.  Obeying God is always the best path. 2. The false

Greetings friends, All the judges have some strange stories, but Samson is probably the strangest.   Blessings, Jeff Observations: Samson's mother is not named.  She is just "Manoah's wife" or "the women" She is the recipient of both angelic visitations and messages.  Manoah prays for a second visit, but the angel does not come to him directly.  He has to go to the angel. She is the one who puts the pieces together to figure things out.  Manoah thinks that after appearing twice, giving specific instructions about how to raise their son, and accepting their offering, that God was going to kill them.  She pulls him in from the edge and lays out the logic of what has happened and that they won't die.   Parallels between Jesus and Samson Birth is announced to their mothers, neither of whom were seeking such a position. God is the initiator of these events. Neither exercised his office immediately.  Jesus was king of the Jews from birth but does not exercise