“Jehovah’s Spirit Became Operative Upon” Samson 17 Consider another example. When Israel fell captive to the Philistines, “in time Jehovah’s spirit started to impel” Samson to deliver Israel. (Judg. 13:24, 25) Samson was empowered to perform deeds of astonishing, incomparable strength. When the Philistines persuaded Samson’s fellow Israelites to capture him, “Jehovah’s spirit became operative upon him, and the ropes that were upon his arms came to be like linen threads that have been scorched with fire, so that his fetters melted off his hands.” (Judg. 15:14) Even from the physically weakened state brought on by his own poor judgment, Samson was made powerful “through faith.” (Heb. 11:32-34; Judg. 16:18-21, 28-30) Jehovah’s spirit operated on Samson in a unique way because of unusual circumstances. Still, these historical events are of great encouragement to us. How so? 18 We rely on the same holy spirit that Samson did. We do so as we carry out the work Jesus gave his followers, namely, “to preach to the people and to give a thorough witness.” (Acts 10:42) This assignment calls for skills that may not come naturally. How grateful we are that Jehovah uses his spirit to enable us to accomplish the wide variety of tasks that we are entrusted with! Thus, as we carry out our commission, we can say as did the prophet Isaiah: “The Sovereign Lord Jehovah himself has sent me, even his spirit.” (Isa. 48:16) Yes, it is God’s spirit that has sent us! We set our hearts to the work with the assurance that Jehovah will enhance our qualifications as he did for Moses, Bezalel, and Joshua. We take up “the sword of the spirit, that is, God’s word,” confident that he will empower us as he empowered Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson. (Eph. 6:17, 18) By leaning on Jehovah for his help in overcoming obstacles, we can be as mighty spiritually as Samson was physically. 19 Clearly, Jehovah blesses those who take a bold stand for true worship. As we respond to the operation of God’s holy spirit, our faith abounds. It will be a pleasure, therefore, to review also some of the exciting events recorded in the Christian Greek Scriptures. That will reveal how Jehovah’s spirit operated upon his faithful servants in the first century, both before and after Pentecost 33 C.E. These accounts will be considered in the following article.
Posted on: Sat, 21 Sep 2013 21:30:26 +0000
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