This chapter has the account of Samson’s marriage feast and his famous riddle. I have heard multiple teachings on the shortcomings of Samson, the long list of things he does wrong, yet I’d like to focus on how God works through him, despite his numerous flaws.
“Then [Samson] came up and told his father and mother, ‘I saw one of the daughters of the Philistines at Timnah. Now get her for me as my wife.’ But his father and mother said to him, ‘Is there not a woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you must go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?’ But Samson said to his father, ‘Get her for me, for she is right in my eyes.’ His father and mother did not know that it was from the Lord, for he was seeking an opportunity against the Philistines.” (v2-4)
This is the first of three instances in the chapter where Samson does something rather foolish, yet God redeems all three situations.
– Samson’s lust for a Philistine (unclean) woman becomes a gateway creating a bond between Samson and the Philistine people (Israel’s captors)
– Samson’s killing of a lion (with his bare hands) then scooping honey from the dead carcass (which he wasn’t allowed to touch) became a catalyst for building relationship with the Philistine people
– Samson’s riddle and wager with the Philistines became a gateway for him to destroy 30 Philistines as his first big move against them
This reminds me of a favorite passage of mine: “When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, ‘It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.’ But Joseph said to them, ‘Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.’ ” (Gen 50:15,19-20) Joseph’s 10 brothers sold him into slavery in Egypt because they hated him, yet God made an infinite amount of good come from that sin (the birth of the nation of Israel, for one).
Though Samson makes a large number of mistakes, God continues working in and through Samson – for example opening the door to Israel’s freedom from the Philistines, and strengthening him to kill a lion and 30 men. God redeems our sin and mistakes and continues to execute His will, even though we don’t always follow Him flawlessly.
The greatest example of this is Jesus. Satan moved the hearts and minds of the Jewish people to crucify Jesus. This mob mentality was completely off the rails – they even asked that a convicted murderer be set free in Jesus’ place. There was no logic, no rational explanation for the blindness these people showed when they demanded Jesus’ execution. Yet, I can hear Jesus echoing Joseph’s infamous line: “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”
Just as Samson’s intentions and methods were far from ideal, God used him to work miracles and free Israel. God always works through sinners – because those are the only people He has to work with. My encouragement today is to praise God for the good works He has accomplished in and through you, a sinner. We are all sinners, yet God chose to forgive us, making us righteous and holy, set apart for His glory. Let’s continue partnering with God, humbling ourselves and asking forgiveness as we still sin from time to time, and keep pressing forward in obedience to Him.
Father God, all honor, glory and praise be to You, our redeemer and King. You have saved us from our sin, and not only that, You have worked in and through our sin to glorify Yourself. Father, please continue to use our flaws to elevate Yourself. May Your Spirit still guide us even through the midst of disobedience, so that not even our disobedience is wasted. Father please help us to build Your kingdom, even when we don’t realize we’re helping You. Please help us to remain fruitful, even in seasons of drought. May Jesus be made known to this world through Your work in our lives. In the name of Jesus our Savior and Redeemer, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training