About the Author of the Blogsite, Not the Author of the Bible::

About the Author of the Blogsite, Not the Author of the Bible: I was uncertain of how to accomplish this, mindful of Revelation 22:18-19, which says that nobody is to add to, or to take away from what was written in the Bible. After lots of prayerful contemplation, the Lord had it on my heart that I’m not to change the meaning of what is written in the Bible. He has also shown ways to add to people’s understating of that meaning, without altering the meaning, by putting that info within [brackets]. This is primarily accomplished with the KJV Bible and lots of prayers, but at times, BibleGateway.com, Biblehub.com, NIV Bible, Webster Dictionary, and other internet resources, as needed. Debra Seiling

About Understanding the Bible:

Understanding the Bible: After reading Isaiah 28:10 many times over the years and not totally understanding it, it recently became apparent to me that the Lord God has this passage as the means for understanding the Bible. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little. Isaiah 28:10 KJV. Being prayerful about this passage, and looking up 'precept' in the Webster's Dictionary, it gave this passage a whole new meaning, once 'commandment' is substituted for 'precept'. Within brackets are additional words the Lord had on my heart to aid in understanding the meaning. For commandment must be [built up] upon commandment; commandment upon commandment; line upon line, line upon line; [developing understanding] here a little, and there a little.

The Table Format:

The Table Format: I was overwhelmed with how to explain the process for determining if someone had leprosy in Leviticus 13, which seemed very complicated. After praying, "Lord, if this is difficult for me to understand after reading it many times, how can this be explained to others?" The thought the Lord God had on my heart was for me to put it into a vertical chart to visually see the process. This made it much easier for me to follow the progression. After doing so, I prayed, "Lord, how can this be conveyed to readers, so that they can understand this process?" The thought the Lord God had on my heart was to put it within the lines of a table. Being a stiff-necked, stubborn person, as it's often called in the Bible, I prayed, asking the Lord God if He's sure that's really what He wanted me to do? I reluctantly put Leviticus 13 into a table format. When I read this difficult leprosy process within a table format, it suddenly became easier for me to understand. That's because it builds line upon line, as explained in the Understanding the Bible section. Shortly after that, the Lord God had it on my heart, to put all of The Books of the Bible in Smaller Chunks within a table format, to aid in understanding, line upon line.

6/30/2023

Judges 16:1-31 Samson is Blinded, but Prevails in the End

 

Samson is Blinded, but Prevails in the End

Judges 16:1-31    The Book of Judges [in Smaller Chunks]

Then, Samson went to Gaza & saw a [prostitute] there & was [intimate with] her. The Gazites were told, Samson has come [here] & they [blocked] him in & laid in wait [quietly through the] night, in the [city’s] gate & [said,] We shall kill [Samson] in the morning when it’s [daylight.]

Samson [lay there until] midnight & arose & took the gate doors of the city & 2 posts, bar & all & put them on his shoulders & carried them up to the top of the hill that is before Hebron.

It [happened] afterward, that [Samson] loved a [different] woman, [named] Delilah, in the Valley of Sorek. The Philistine lords came up to [Delilah] & said, [Convince Samson] to [tell us in what] his great strength lies & [how] we [might] prevail against him & [tie him up] to afflict him.

Everyone of us will give you 1,100 pieces of silver. Delilah said to Samson, I pray [that] you, tell me [in what] your strength lies & [with what] you might be [tied] to afflict you. Samson said to her, If they [tie] me with 7 [fresh bowstrings] that were never dried, then I shall be weak, [like] another man.

Then, the [Philistine] lords brought her 7 [fresh bowstrings that] hadn’t been dried & she [tied Samson] with them. Now, there were men lying in wait & [they secretly stayed] with her in the [room.] 

[Delilah] said to [Samson,] The Philistines are upon you, Samson. [Samson] broke the [fresh bowstrings] like a thread of [yarn] is broken when it touches fire. So [Samson’s] strength was not known. 

Delilah said to Samson, [Look,] you have mocked me & told me lies. Now, I pray [that] you tell me [with what] you might be [tied.] [Samson] said to her, If they tie me [tightly] with new ropes [that have never been used,] I will be as weak as [any other] man. 

[Then,] Delilah took new ropes & [tied Samson with them] & said to him, The Philistines [are] upon you, Samson. There were [men lying] in wait in the [room.] [Samson broke the ropes] off his arms like thread. Delilah said to Samson, You have mocked me [until now] & told me lies.

Tell me [with what] you might be [tied.] [Samson] said to [Delilah,] If you weave 7 locks of my hair with [the loom] & she fastened it with the pin & she said to [Samson,] The Philistines are upon you, Samson. 

He [awoke from] his sleep & went away with the pin of the beam [& the loom still attached to his hair.] [Delilah] said to [Samson,], How can you say, I love you, when your heart isn’t with me? 

You have mocked me these 3 times & you haven’t told me [in what] your great strength lies. It [happened after she pressured] him daily with her words & urged him, [until she troubled] his soul to death. 

[Samson opened up] his heart & told her, A razor hasn’t come upon my head, for I have been a Nazarite to God from my [birth.] If [my hair is shaved,] then my strength will go from me & I will become weak like any other man. 

When Delilah saw [that Samson] had told her all [on] his heart, she sent for the [Philistine] lords & [said,] Come up [now,] for [Samson] has [shared] all his heart [with] me & [they] came up to her, [with] the money in their [hands.] 

[Delilah] made [Samson] sleep upon her knees & called for a man, [who shaved] off the 7 locks [of hair] on [Samson’s] head. [Delilah] began to afflict [Samson] & his strength [was gone] from him.

She said, The Philistines are upon you, Samson. He woke from his sleep & said, I will go out [like the] other times before & shake myself, but he [didn’t know] that the Lord [had] departed from him. 

But the Philistines took [Samson] & put out his eyes & brought him down to Gaza. They bound him in brass [shackles] & [forced him to] grind [grain] in the prison. [However] the hair of his head began to grow again after he was [shaved.]

Then, the [Philistine] lords gathered together to offer a [large] sacrifice to Dagon their god & to rejoice, for they said, Our god has delivered Samson, our enemy, into our hand.

When the people saw [Samson,] they praised their god. They said, Our god has delivered our enemy into our hands & the destroyer of our country, [who killed] many of us. When their hearts were merry, they said, Call for Samson, [so] he may [perform for us.] 

And they called for Samson, out of the prison & he [performed for] them. [Afterward,] they [stood Samson] between the pillars & [Samson told] the lad [who guided] him by the hand, [because he was blind,] [Allow] me, [so] I may feel the pillars [upon which the upper floor of the temple] stands, [so] I may lean on them. 

Now, the [temple] was full of all the [Philistine] lords, about 3,000 men & women on the roof, [who watched] while Samson [performed.] Samson called [out] to the Lord & said, O Lord God, I pray You remember me only this once, & strengthen me, O God, that I [might] be avenged of the Philistines for my 2 eyes.

Samson took hold of the 2 middle pillars upon which the [temple] stood & was [held] up, [with his right hand on one & his left hand on the other [pillar that supported the temple.] 

Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines & he bowed himself with all his might & the temple fell upon the [Philistine] lords & upon the people [in it.] So, the dead [Samson killed] at his death, were more than [those he killed throughout] his life.

Then, his brethren & all of his [father’s] house came down & took [Samson’s body] & buried him between Zorah & Eshtaol in the place [they buried] Manoah, his father. [Samson] judged Israel for 20 years.