091231: Armor of God

Ephesians 6:10-20

The Armor of God

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

- Not a physical armor but a spiritual armor—evidence for spiritual warfare between spirits of good vs. evil

- Physical attack à bruises; spiritual attack w/o the Armor of God à Christians won’t be able to stand strong and will fall under attack

- “heavenly realms”: there are 3 heavens—1) sky, 2) sun/moon/stars (celestial being), 3) place where God resides; Satan’s dominion is the sky (Prince of the Sky), and we thus believe here, it is referring to the 1^st heaven.

13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

- “day of evil”: end of days or day-in and day-out? End of days: the need to put on an armor suggests war, hence the end of days; day-in and day-out: suggested to have the armor on “in case”, hence able to use it whenever one is experiencing an external attacks of evil; also, there is no definite reference to the end of days, hence the context would suggest it is referring to day-in and day-out (these attacks are NOT temptations; temptations are internal, which is people are held responsible to keep these in check)

14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

- Armor of God: Truth (Proverbs 12); Righteousness; Peace (Philippians 4:4-7; the knowledge that we are saved and are under the protection of God—the relationship with God through Christ); Faith (Luke 17:1-10); Salvation; Spirit (Matthew 4:4—Jesus Christ was in the desert fighting the devil with the Word of God)

- Ideally, all Christians should already have the Armor of God; lacking any one of these things would lead to the fall of the Christian under the attack of the Satan—i.e., Christians must CHOOSE to PUT ON all these articles of the Armor of God to be protected from the evil attacks (e.g. every time we sin, we steer away from Righteousness and thus loose a bit of this article of the Armor; we must be vigilant and continuously check ourselves to ensure that we repair this loss of Armor via repent)

- What does it mean to “wear” these articles of the Armor? To always have it on our mind—as opposed to just knowing that we have it but not actually think about it or to use it

- Armor of God may thus be viewed as having 3 functions: 1) supportive structures (belt & shoes; Truth and Peace supports); 2) defensive (breastplate, shield, and helmet; Righteousness, faith, and salvation protects); 3) offensive (sword; the Word cuts)

- These articles of the Armor of God parallel the armor of Roman soldiers; just as these soldiers depended largely on their shields for protection, Christians depend greatly on their Faith for protection—the shield/Faith is the primary defense against the enemy/Satan. The Romans constructed their shoes with massive support (up to their knees), hence allowing them to walk longer (more support and more comfortable) and providing them with more mobility than their enemies; similarly, Peace provides comfort, mobility, and support. The belt supports the breastplate and the sword, as does Truth supports Righteousness and the Word. The helmet protects the head, just as Salvation protects the mind from the attacks of the devil. When a soldier loses an arm or a leg, he may still be able to survive; without his head, he is dead; without his heart, he is dead. Similarly, when we face the most desperate of times, we can still rely lastly on Salvation for the protection of our mind and Truth for the protection of our heart, protecting the precious body, mind, and soul—the essentials of a human being. The sword is the main attacking article of the armor, and the Roman sword is light and one-handed, which allows its soldier to hold a shield and the sword at the same time; i.e. a Christian fights with all of the Armor of God, able to shield himself from the devil’s attacks AND attack the devil at the same time. Prayer is integral to the sword (e.g. calling upon the Lord).

091224: The Structure of a Prayer

1 Kings 8:22-53
Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication

- First temple of God to be built

- Built before he built his palace

22Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven 23and said:

“O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below—you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way. 24You have kept your promise to your servant David my father; with your mouth you have promised and with your hand you have fulfilled it—as it is today.

25“Now LORD, God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father the promises you made to him when you said, ‘You shall never fail to have a man to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your sons are careful in all they do to walk before me as you have done.’ 26And now, O God of Israel, let your word that you promised your servant David my father come true.

27“But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!

- Solomon acknowledge that man’s best attempt to build the best temple is still finite and not good enough for the perfection of God.

30Hear the supplication of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive.

- Ask for an audience of the Lord, and then ask for forgiveness.

31“When a man wrongs his neighbor and is required to take an oath and he comes and swears the oath before your altar in this temple, 32then hear from heaven and act. Judge between your servants, condemning the guilty and bringing down on his own head what he has done. Declare the innocent not guilty, and so establish his innocence.

33“When your people Israel have been defeated by an enemy because they have sinned against you, and when they turn back to you and confess your name, praying and making supplication to you in this temple, 34then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them back to the land you gave to their fathers.

35“When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because your people have sinned against you, and when they pray toward this place and confess your name and turn from their sin because you have afflicted them, 36then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Teach them the right way to live, and send rain on the land you gave your people for an inheritance.

37“When famine or plague comes to the land, or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers, or when an enemy besieges them in any of their cities, whatever disaster or disease may come, 38and when a prayer or plea is made by any of your people Israel—each one aware of the afflictions of his own heart, and spreading out his hands toward this temple— 39then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive and act; deal with each man according to all he does, since you know his heart (for you alone know the hearts of all men), 40so that they will fear you all the time they live in the land you gave our fathers.

41“As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your name— 42for men will hear of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm—when he comes and prays toward this temple, 43then hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your Name.

- This is the few times that non-Jewish/non-Israelite people are mentioned. This gives evidence to the idea of how the prayers of the gentiles can be answered and how God’s name may travel throughout the world.

44“When your people go to war against their enemies, wherever you send them, and when they pray to the LORD toward the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name, 45then hear from heaven their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause.

46“When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive to his own land, far away or near; 47and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their conquerors and say, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly’; 48and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their enemies who took them captive, and pray to you toward the land you gave their fathers, toward the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name;49then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause. 50And forgive your people, who have sinned against you; forgive all the offenses they have committed against you, and cause their conquerors to show them mercy; 51for they are your people and your inheritance, whom you brought out of Egypt, out of that iron-smelting furnace.

- Psalm 25: David prays for himself; Psalm 26: David prays for others, in the sense of his struggles with his interaction with other people; in parallel to Solomon’s Dedication, Psalm 25 is similar to the beginning of Solomon’s prayer where he, too, prayed for himself; whereas Psalm 26 is similar to Solomon’s prayer involving his troubles with other people.

Psalm 25

Of David.

1To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul;

2in you I trust, O my God.

Do not let me be put to shame,

nor let my enemies triumph over me.

3No one whose hope is in you

will ever be put to shame,

but they will be put to shame

who are treacherous without excuse.

4Show me your ways, O LORD,

teach me your paths;

5guide me in your truth and teach me,

for you are God my Savior,

and my hope is in you all day long.

8Good and upright is the LORD;

therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.

9He guides the humble in what is right

and teaches them his way.

15My eyes are ever on the LORD,

for only he will release my feet from the snare.

18Look upon my affliction and my distress

and take away all my sins.

20Guard my life and rescue me;

let me not be put to shame,

for I take refuge in you.

21May integrity and uprightness protect me,

because my hope is in you.

- Psalm 25 illustrates David’s struggles within himself: David is worried that he has sinned and is further worried that he would continue to sin; he thus prays to God for instruction to not sin any further, to not to lose his way, and for forgiveness

- In today’s age, this is a prayer for the average Christian; i.e. a prayer asking for instructions on how not to continue to sin, on seeking forgiveness

Psalm 26

Of David.

4I do not sit with deceitful men,

nor do I consort with hypocrites;

5I abhor the assembly of evildoers

and refuse to sit with the wicked.

9Do not take away my soul along with sinners,

my life with bloodthirsty men,

10in whose hands are wicked schemes,

whose right hands are full of bribes.

11But I lead a blameless life;

redeem me and be merciful to me.

12My feet stand on level ground;

in the great assembly I will praise the LORD.

- Psalm 26 is about David’s prayer for guidance when faced with his personal struggles with his interactions with other people.

- David says he has been walking with God and has been careful about not associating with “sinners”

- It would seem that David, being the King of Israel, is worried that the people he is leading have gone away from God. He is thus praying that God does not judge unfavorably against him along with these people.

1 Samuel 2:1-10

Hannah’s Prayer

1Then Hannah prayed and said:

“My heart rejoices in the LORD;

in the LORD my horn^a is lifted high.

My mouth boasts over my enemies,

for I delight in your deliverance.

2“There is no one holy^b like the LORD;

there is no one besides you;

there is no Rock like our God.

3“Do not keep talking so proudly

or let your mouth speak such arrogance,

for the LORD is a God who knows,

and by him deeds are weighed.

4“The bows of the warriors are broken,

but those who stumbled are armed with strength.

5Those who were full hire themselves out for food,

but those who were hungry hunger no more.

She who was barren has borne seven children,

but she who has had many sons pines away.

6“The LORD brings death and makes alive;

he brings down to the grave^c and raises up.

7The LORD sends poverty and wealth;

he humbles and he exalts.

8He raises the poor from the dust

and lifts the needy from the ash heap;

he seats them with princes

and has them inherit a throne of honor.

“For the foundations of the earth are the LORD’s;

upon them he has set the world.

9He will guard the feet of his saints,

but the wicked will be silenced in darkness.

“It is not by strength that one prevails;

10those who oppose the LORD will be shattered.

He will thunder against them from heaven;

the LORD will judge the ends of the earth.

“He will give strength to his king

and exalt the horn of his anointed.”

- This is like Jesus’s comment in Matthew 20:16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

- Also, as in Matthew 5, The Beatitudes

Summary

- The above prayers all start out with the man acknowledging God, the Father, and how he is below God.

- Prayers aren’t for just needs; they can be for a simple praising of the Lord, to thank the Lord.

- A model prayer can be found in Matthew 6:9-13, which is taught by Jesus [1. call upon the Lord God; 2. praise the Lord; 3. pray for God’s will to come to fruition (including His plans for the self to be carried out by himself) 4. pray for needs; 5. pray for forgiveness as “I have forgiven others” (i.e. reaffirmation that the praying person is worthy to be forgiven); 6. pray to not sin again (away from temptation); 5. pray to be delivered away from the devil and his evil deeds]:

5“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

9“This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

10your kingdom come,

your will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.

11Give us today our daily bread.

12Forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.^a’

091217: The Story of Samson

Judges 13: The Birth of Samson

1Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, so the LORD delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years.

* 40 = number of trials

2A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was sterile and remained childless. 3The angel of the LORD appeared to her and said, “You are sterile and childless, but you are going to conceive and have a son. 4Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean,5because you will conceive and give birth to a son. No razor may be used on his head, because the boy is to be a Nazirite, set apart to God from birth, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”

* The Nazirite is defined in Numbers 6:1-21.

* “set apart to God,” “separated unto God’s will” = to pull oneself away from the world to dedicate a certain amount of time to the Lord; people of this group (Elijah, John the Baptist, Moses, Samson, Jesus) are often 1) prophesized; 2) special from everyone else, e.g. with special powers; 3) doers of God’s will

* The angel warned the woman not to drink the moment she is conceived, hinting that once conceived, it is considered life (hence, abortion at any stage is killing off a life).

17Then Manoah inquired of the angel of the LORD, “What is your name, so that we may honor you when your word comes true?” 18He replied, “Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding.^a”

* The people wanted to know the angel’s name so they know how to present their thanks to him. The angel didn’t think his name was important—all thanks should be given to God.

* The people thought that since they saw God, they would surely die; this idea is reiterated throughout the Torah; e.g. Exodus 33:18-20, where God told Moses “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”

Judges 14: Samson’s Marriage

6The Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat.

8Some time later, when he went back to marry her, he turned aside to look at the lion’s carcass. In it was a swarm of bees and some honey, 9which he scooped out with his hands and ate as he went along. When he rejoined his parents, he gave them some, and they too ate it. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion’s carcass.

* The Lion is the symbol of Judah.

* Samson ate the honey without telling his parents because as a Nazarite, he wasn’t suppose to go near a dead carcass.

19Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power. He went down to Ashkelon, struck down thirty of their men, stripped them of their belongings and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. Burning with anger, he went up to his father’s house.20And Samson’s wife was given to the friend who had attended him at his wedding.

Judges 15: Samson’s Vengeance on the Philistines

14As he approached Lehi, the Philistines came toward him shouting. The Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax, and the bindings dropped from his hands. 15Finding a fresh jawbone of a donkey, he grabbed it and struck down a thousand men.

* Proof that the Holy Spirit is found in the Old Testament (Many believe that the Holy Spirit didn’t descent onto the humans until after Christ’s death, during a Pentecost.)

Judges 16: Samson and Delilah

17So he told her everything. “No razor has ever been used on my head,” he said, “because I have been a Nazirite set apart to God since birth. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man.”

19Having put him to sleep on her lap, she called a man to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him.^d And his strength left him.

20Then she called, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!”

He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the LORD had left him.

21Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding in the prison. 22But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.

* Of all Samson’s weaknesses, he was able to keep the one vow of a Nazarite: to never shave his head—and this was his source of favor from God; the moment his hair was cut off, he lost that favor.

The Death of Samson

28Then Samson prayed to the LORD, “O Sovereign LORD, remember me. O God, please strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.” 29Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other, 30Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived.

* His hair grew back AND he prayed to get back in favor of God—hence his success in defeating the Philistines.

Jeremiah 35: The Recabites

6But they replied, “We do not drink wine, because our forefather Jonadab son of Recab gave us this command: ‘Neither you nor your descendants must ever drink wine. 7Also you must never build houses, sow seed or plant vineyards; you must never have any of these things, but must always live in tents. Then you will live a long time in the land where you are nomads.’

15Again and again I sent all my servants the prophets to you. They said, “Each of you must turn from your wicked ways and reform your actions; do not follow other gods to serve them. Then you will live in the land I have given to you and your fathers.” But you have not paid attention or listened to me. 16The descendants of Jonadab son of Recab have carried out the command their forefather gave them, but these people have not obeyed me.’

* Recabites are descendents of Israelites; their “vow” is as highlighted above, which has been followed for at least 3 generations (~100 years); the Recabites obey these special instructions without falter—very much like Samson with his vow with God; as long as these special instructions are followed, they would remain in favor of the Lord—They will always be a man of God; they will always be blessed.

Lessons Learned:

- God-fearing people are not perfect and make mistakes.

- Mistakes can be made (e.g. breaking the law, etc.), but instructions from the Lord should never be broken. With obedience, comes blessing/favor; without obedience, that blessing/favor is lost. Follow the Lord, for the Lord will take care of you.