Today's devotional
The legend of superman. Few kids attending Sunday School haven't heard of the famous strong man, Samson. This mighty man with long hair is at least as much an enigma as a hero. Supernaturally empowered in an unprecedented way, his God-given strength stands in stark contrast to his morality. The sordid details of his two marriages to foreign wives, and at least one visit to a prostitute, are all there. Hardly the conduct expected from a man of God.
Putting this mighty man's life in perspective begins by looking at an angel's announcement to his mother concerning his life purpose:
"For behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son, and no razor shall come upon his head, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines." (Judges 13.5) This angelic announcement sounds similar to the one made to Mary, Jesus' mother. But, that's where the similarities both begin and end.
No one's life makes much sense unless framed against the backdrop of their times. The period of the judges was a brutal time, and unusual measures were divinely taken for intervention in the life of God's people. Strange as it may sound, the marriages of this mighty man to Philistine wives was a key factor in delivering Israel from the oppression of these wicked tyrants.
God's ways and will sometimes seem to make little sense on the surface. Samson serves as one odd example of divine deliverance. But, the fact remains, he was mightily used of Yahweh God. Is he to be commended for his immorality and lack of discernment? Hardly. But, he was God's tool in unimaginable times.
Perhaps the lessons of Samson are that we may need a broader view of where and how God works. The stereotypical view the religious leaders had of God's Messiah caused them to stubble and miss the very One they sought. The lesson of Samson is that we need to be very discerning as to the activity of God. He just might be at work in unlikely ways and people right before us.
©Steve Taylor, 2013
Be sure to also visit http://thetruthrevolution.wordpress.com/
Putting this mighty man's life in perspective begins by looking at an angel's announcement to his mother concerning his life purpose:
"For behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son, and no razor shall come upon his head, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines." (Judges 13.5) This angelic announcement sounds similar to the one made to Mary, Jesus' mother. But, that's where the similarities both begin and end.
No one's life makes much sense unless framed against the backdrop of their times. The period of the judges was a brutal time, and unusual measures were divinely taken for intervention in the life of God's people. Strange as it may sound, the marriages of this mighty man to Philistine wives was a key factor in delivering Israel from the oppression of these wicked tyrants.
God's ways and will sometimes seem to make little sense on the surface. Samson serves as one odd example of divine deliverance. But, the fact remains, he was mightily used of Yahweh God. Is he to be commended for his immorality and lack of discernment? Hardly. But, he was God's tool in unimaginable times.
Perhaps the lessons of Samson are that we may need a broader view of where and how God works. The stereotypical view the religious leaders had of God's Messiah caused them to stubble and miss the very One they sought. The lesson of Samson is that we need to be very discerning as to the activity of God. He just might be at work in unlikely ways and people right before us.
©Steve Taylor, 2013
Be sure to also visit http://thetruthrevolution.wordpress.com/
posted by steve @ 9:03 AM
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