“It came about when she pressed him daily with her words and urged him, that his soul was annoyed to death.”
Judges 16:16, NASB
This has become a savage and vicious verse for me. I used it to alienate a dear sister in the Lord. Vicki was a dear one who ran our office. She had a heart that fully embraced our work of evangelism in the inner city in San Francisco. She was an exceptional secretary.
She was wonderful. She would constantly reach out to me, with the desire to see me established in this ministry of evangelism. Her heart of kindness motivated me to press into the work of the Lord. But there was something in my own heart that opposed her presence that was directed to me.
But her constant questions and comments every single morning had become a burden and a hassle. Out of this frustration, I became somewhat more and more brazen and cynical toward her. I don’t really know why, really. Vickie continued to reach out to me, but I thwarted her work. She wanted so much to contribute, and I figuratively slashed her tires with my dark skepticism.
One day I read this verse in Judges 16:16, “It came about when she pressed him daily with her words and urged him, that his soul was annoyed to death.” I so very absorbed this and laid it on her. I can see her now opening the Bible she kept in her desk. She read with eagerness “the Word of the Lord” from me, and she was crushed. The tears streamed down her face.
Mishandling the Word like this should be a capital offense. I have deeply regretted that moment when I slammed my sister with my twisted interpretation of scripture. I wounded her very deeply, all ‘in the name of the Lord.” I imparted to her with “my verse” which was a certain evil, in spite of my noble ministry of evangelism to the lost.
“Brothers, do not speak evil of one another” (James 4:11). Is not this a word which is much needed by some of us today? Alas, in some quarters the habit of discrediting others behind their backs has become so common that it is regarded almost as a matter of course; the mentioning to others of a brother’s faults or a sister’s failures, the repeating of unfavorable reports which have come to our ears—is so general that few appear to make any conscience thereof.
But we do this every day. We contaminate everyone around us with an awful evil. At the first observation, it seems true and holy. But as we press into it we find a powerful iniquity. It is camoflaged and hidden. But it is quite corrosive and detrimental.
Oh, dear one. I hope you can circumvent this issue. I hope you can resist the evil of misguided truth. We effect so many, we come to this place of analysis where we can reject those on the boundries. We place them into our “unacceptable” folder.
Related articles
- Cosmetic Evil (brokenbelievers.com)
- Scripture affirms Scripture (believersbattlecry.com)
Broken Believers 
I’m reading in Judges right now and so just read this verse! Pastor B, thank you for sharing the hard things like this, showing us from your own life so that we can see it in our own. God bless you as you continue to shine His light and love.
LikeLike
TY, I always wonder if I have shared too much. ybic, B
LikeLike
Pastor Bryan, This is very good. I wanted to read some of the writings here… so yesterday I joined, then ‘here is a thought from you today. I was told by another Catholic years ago, Norma , we don’t pray so that God can hear us: He already knows our thoughts.. but so that we can hear Him.Amen ,now I heard your words today. It must be the worst thing that we can do, to use the holiest text we know of not to heal but to wound..it’s vile but we are all guilty of it. Let kindness RULE the day in all of it’s forms, Let’s really follow Christ’s example and be gentle with one another today. Norma (First… Christ Healed ..Then ,He Taught)
LikeLike