Posts
This was a conundrum for me today, and my commentary just
seemed to double it! In chapter 14,
Samson saw a Philistine woman and desired her greatly. His parents, aware of his Nazirite status, knew this wasn’t good. But verse 4 says in parentheses, “Samson’s
parents did not know that the LORD WANTED this to happen because
He was looking for a way to challenge
the Philistines.”
This sounds like
Samson’s desire for a Philistine woman was given to him by God.
My commentary keeps talking over and over about what Samson’s
alternatives were and how he always
seemed not to select the godly
path. “Samson was a loner; unlike previous
judges, he never rallied the troops and tried to unite Israel … he played the champion, but he failed to act the leader… When God isn’t permitted
to rule in our lives, He overrules
and works out His will in spite of our
decisions.”
Yes, I agree that he disrespected his parents and himself
when he defiled all three of them by
taking honey from the body of the lion he’d killed. His temper tantrum after losing the riddle
competition at his wedding looks very bad, but the Bible does say, “Then the
Spirit of the Lord entered Samson and Samson … killed 30 men …”
“God was looking for someone to challenge the Philistines.” “The Lord wanted this to happen.”
Hmmmmmmm…….
Father, I know
that You wouldn’t lead someone to sin.
And I understand that there were
other, more godly, ways Samson could have accomplished Your will. It sounds like You wanted an antagonize. Had
Samson not desired a Philistine woman, You’ve have found other ways to
antagonize them for sure. Help me to
understand. I keep remembering that You “give
us the desires of our heart”, meaning not that You give us all we want, but that You place desires within
our heart to motivate us to do what You have planned for us, like the desire
You gave me for all the Russian stuff that led me to my boys. I just want to make sure I’m on Your page and not mine.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
No comments:
Post a Comment