There are no more powerful love stories than those in the Bible. Jacob served 14 years for Rachel. Samson gave his strength for Delilah. There is much said in churches about the amazing grace of God and the love of Jesus.
It is true the living God, the Mighty One of Israel would have all people saved.
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2Peter 3:9)
And Paul, who had reason to know, having persecuted the followers of Jesus until he saw Jesus himself on the road to Damascus, speaks of the love of Jesus and his salvation.
And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. (1Timothy 1:14-15)
But how many people stop and ask- 'do I love God?'
Let's ponder it for a moment. Is there any point in God loving us if we can't love him?
It's the basics of any relationship. It doesn't work if it's only one way.
There is something to ponder in Samson's love. It appears this really great strong man, Samson, loved unconditionally this woman.
She said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and have not told me where your great strength lies.”
It happened, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, that his soul was troubled to death. (Judges 16:15-16)
Delilah was asking Samson to give all of himself to her. It seems reasonable. So reasonable that Samson was troubled. But Delilah was only asking Samson for his love to get something for herself (money, it turns out). If Delilah had loved Samson she would have known his strength was his obedience to the commands of his God.
But why didn't Samson ask Delilah if her heart was with him?
If Delilah's heart had been with Samson she wouldn't have wanted to reduce his strength.
How many people ask God's heart to be with them? To do this is to be like Delilah.
Is our heart with God's?
Hear, Israel: Yahweh is our God; Yahweh is one: and you shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. These words, which I command you this day, shall be on your heart; (Deuteronomy 6:4-6)
Firstly we might want to know His name. 'God' is a description meaning 'good'. It isn't his favourite name. It's not the name he gave to Moses his servant. He called himself 'Yahweh' or 'He who will be'
Secondly we might want to spend a lot of time with 'He who will be' by reading the words he caused to be written for us. Would we ask another to read a personal love letter written to us if we could read it ourselves? If we love someone we would make at least some effort to understand at least half of what they say to us. So if we love Yahweh we want to understand his words!
But this is only the start, for those who love each other wish also to live and walk together. Moses said,
I command you this day to love Yahweh your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his ordinances, that you may live and multiply, and that Yahweh your God may bless you...(Deuteronomy 30:16)
This means not that God walks with us in our ways, as Delilah asked of Samson, but that we leave our ways and walk with Yahweh in his ways.
The analogy of the love of Yahweh for his people is like that of a father for his children and a husband for a wife.
You shall tell Pharaoh, ‘Thus says Yahweh, Israel is my son, my firstborn, (Exodus 4:22)
“Ephraim, what shall I do to you? Judah, what shall I do to you?For your love is like a morning cloud, and like the dew that disappears early. (Hosea 6:4)
“Return, backsliding children,” says Yahweh; “for I am a husband to you. I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you Zion. (Jeremiah 3:14)
Judah has dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has profaned the holiness of Yahweh which he loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god. (Malachi 2:11)
Love needs to develop, not disappear. Love develops when attitudes are shared, and people grow more alike. But we would be foolish to think Yahweh would grow to be like us. If we were to ask that of Yahweh the Mighty One of Israel it would be like Delilah, we would take away his strength. We need to change and grow to be like him. We need to understand why he is like he is.
We love Yahweh when we agree with him, and do as he likes.
For Yahweh is righteous. He loves righteousness. The upright shall see his face.(Psalm 11:7)
It shall happen, because you listen to these ordinances, and keep and do them, that Yahweh your God will keep with you the covenant and the loving kindness which he swore to your fathers: and he will love you, and bless you.. (Deuteronomy 7:12-13)
God's ordinaces challenge society, and some now find them uncomfortable. To say we love God, yet also say Yahweh does not really mean what he says, in words or actions, is to be deluded, in the same way as a husband or wife are, when they rationalise away uncomfortable behaviour in their partner. Such a relationship ends in bitterness when the delusion inevitably ends.
Some think that Jesus (Yeshua) loves us on easy terms, and accepts us as we are. But people who think this don't know him, for he, too, asks something of us. He asks us to love him.
The one who has my commandments, and keeps them, that person is one who loves me. One who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him, and will reveal myself to him.”(John 14:21)
We show our love by keeping Jesus commands. This love requires that we modify our actions to be like Jesus and to do as he says: then he will love us. Jesus extended grace, and healing, but it was conditional.
Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “Behold, you are made well. Sin no more, so that nothing worse happens to you.” (John 5:14)
Though he was merciful, he didn't accept the deeds of the Woman taken in adultery,
Jesus, standing up, saw her and said, “Woman, where are your accusers? Did no one condemn you?” She said, “No one, Lord.”
Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way. From now on, sin no more.”(John 8:10-11)
Jesus asked of this woman something very tough, 'sin no more'! So there is a challenge for those who appreciate that God loves them. It is the same as the challenge that the love of Jesus presents. Do we, like Delilah, expect their heart to be with ours, or do we understand we have to change our ways, our thinking and our heart to be like theirs.
In the end the grace of God and the love of Jesus is confronting. It is a challenge. Is it unrequited love, like Samson's love was? Or do we love them?
And if we do love them, does that love grow?
But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. (2Peter 3:18)
For more on how people who think they are servants of God may not be Unbelief in God
Love in the Symbol of Marriage
This article was born as it was found that the Greek word from which we have philanthropy, philanthropos, only occurs once in the Bible, with the noun form philanthrōpia occurring only twice. Even more intriguing we found that much is said about 'philadelphia' the Greek word for brotherly love.
This article is written in thanks to Yahweh for help given in modern medicine, and for a measure of healing. The writer, unknown to herself, had heart failure. It seemed like pneumonia, as one of the symptoms is retention of water in the lungs and elsewhere, and then the feet began weeping the fluid through open sores. We trusted and prayed for help. Medical help was given from of all things, results from a test not done correctly. She has been helped much. We thank Yahweh. Also it is soon Thanksgiving in the USA.
The New Testament advises us that many of the events recorded in the Old Testament teach us great principles that we must heed.
This phrase is taken from 1 John 3. It is a promise to the faithful, the 'sons of God', who are those who await the Messiah's return to the earth.
Despised & Rejected
This talk was given in Myanmar (Burma). I gave this talk to the older orphanage children after becoming aware of how the orphanage children felt they were treated by others in the local community.
