Text: Judges 14:10-18
INTRODUCTION: These exhortation is indeed meant for all watchmen (cp. Mk. 13:37). Therefore, the Lord would have all to pay rapt attention to this information from on high. we will Review The Context, x-ray The Riddles On Ground and finally examine The Route To Solving The Riddles Today.
- A Review Of The Context (Judges 14:10-18): Samson went to Timnath of the Philistines in the company of his parents, to take a wife (Judges 14:1-5).
When the people gathered for the feast, Samson threw a riddle to them with the condition that if they were able to solve it within the 7 days of the feast, he would give them 30 sheets and 30 changes of garments, and that if they were unable they would pay him same. And to this they all agreed (cp. Judges 14:10-14).
Now when the people tried for 3 days and could not discover it, they resorted to the would-be wife who got the solution to the riddle from Samson and relayed same to the people. And when on the 7th day, they told Samson the meaning of the riddle, he said to them, If ye had not ploughed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle@ (cp. Judges 14:15-18).
- The Riddles On Ground (Judges 14:12-14): A riddle can be said to be any difficult task
or any problem whose solution is not readily in sight. Generally, life is filled with riddles. Time and again, you find some knotty problems, intractable difficulties or perplexing situations, ranging from health matters, social maladies, economic hardship, to spiritual problems. Besides, the hand writing on the wall shows that the deceptive, discouraging and destabilizing,, activities of the >night= that are climaxed in the >midnight= (Matt. 25:5,6), are assuming alarming proportion in 2009 (Cp. Matt. 24:4-8,12; Rev. 12:9-12). It is indeed a time of great riddles.
- The Route To Solving The Riddles Today (Judges 14:14-18):
The people of Timnath were able to solve Samsons riddle because they ploughed with his heifer. And the Lord is saying to all watchmen and whoever will care to listen, that we need to plough with His heifer to be able to solve the riddles on ground in the present day.
A heifer is a young cow, especially one that has not yet had a calf. To plough is to dig and turn over land surface with a plough. And a plough is a farming implement with a curved blade, pulled by an animal or a tractor.
Generally, ploughing with the Lords heifer would mean: To tune to, and walk in His Spirit (cp. Rom. 8:1,6-9; Gal. 5:16-18). This entails total consecration (Phil. 1:21; Gal. 2:20); prayerfulness (Lk. 18:1); walking by faith (Rom. 1:17; 2Cor. 5:7) and walking in holiness (cp. Heb. 12:14; Acts 24:16). Furthermore, ploughing with His heifer to solve the riddles on ground involves hearty and sincere participation in all the programmes He is churning out for us this year. These programmes include the normal weekly meetings, every Sunday, Tuesday and Friday. They equally include such other programmes that you will be required to participate in as a worker, leader, sister/brother, couple, bachelor/spinster or as a youth. To this end, one must refuse to be the man that was gathering sticks on the Sabbath (cp. Num 15:32-36); one must refuse to be a means of offence to God and His servant, one way or the other (cp. 1Cor. 10:31-33; Lk. 17:1,2).
Those who will plough with the Lord=s heifer by walking as prescribed in this message, have the Lord=s guarantee for solution to their riddles this year (cp. Ps. 91:7-10,14). If you believe and are thus resolved, you can rise and tell it to the Lord in prayer.
Fellowship Song (HSCF 119)