Tues.’s Devo - Pentecost

Read: Judges 15:1-16:31; John 2:1-25; Psalm 103:1-22; Proverbs 14:17-19
God does things around the harvests and his feasts. It was the wheat harvest and Samson went to get his bride. She had been given to his best friend so Samson took 300 foxes and tied every two foxes together. Then he let the foxes free in their wheat fields and they burned their entire harvest. Then 3,000 Philistines came to the Israelite camp demanding they turn over Samson. Samson let his people tie him up in ropes and turn him over to the Philistines. They took Samson up on a rock where he killed 1,000 of them with the jawbone of an ass.
Here is the picture. The wheat harvest has to do with Pentecost. At the first pentecost at Sinai, God betrothed himself to Israel. At the second Pentecost, Jesus betrothed himself to the Church. At the first Pentecost, 3,000 were killed when they made a golden calf. At the second Pentecost, 3,000 were saved when Peter preached his first sermon. Pentecost is all about the harvest of God. There are two different harvests: one is God’s and the other is Satan’s. Samson set fire to the devil’s harvest and Peter set God’s people on fire. Samson’s gift to the enemy was death and God’s gift to the church was the Holy Spirit that brought new life.
Samson was brought to his knees by a woman who through deceit found the secret to his strength. We can use this same tool to bind the strong men in our lives. A strong man is a principality that manifests in a sin that so easily besets us and makes us fall. Once we find how it entered and how it got so strong in our lives, we can bind it and cast it out.
In John, it was the third day which means something that was dead is about to resurrect and change. Jesus put water in 6 clay pots which stood for man since man was created on the 6th day and we are called earthen vessels made from dust. Jesus turned their water into wine and made it the best wine ever. That is the resurrection power of Jesus in a person’s life. This was Jesus’ first miracle and his first Passover of his ministry. He was in Jerusalem for the Passover as the law required and cleansed the temple. When they asked him on what authority he did this, he said, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” They didn’t have a clue what he was talking about until he actually rose from the dead.
Lord, make known your ways to us. Thank you for your forgiving grace.