DAY 16: GOD CHOSE SAMSON

 THE RHEMA WORD FOR TODAY

(A DAILY DEVOTIONAL WITH PREACHER SAM)

 

TOPIC: GOD CHOSE SAMSON

DATE: 16 SEPTEMBER, 2020

BIBLE READING: JUDGES 13

MEDITATION/MEMORY VERSE: JUDGES 13:5 (ERV)

Because you are pregnant, and you will have a son. He will be dedicated to God in a special way. He will be dedicated to God in a special way. He will be a Nazarite. So you must never cut his hair. He will be God’s special person from before he is born. He will save the Israelites from the power of the Philistines.

 

The story of Samson is a popular story, a story of a man with superhuman strength. God chose Samson before he was born to be a superhero in Israel. The foretelling of this special child seems like a child free from flaws just like John the Baptist or even Jesus. But nay! This one; though divine, yet filled with so many flaws. Someone sent from God does not mean he is 100% flawless.

The story of Samson cover from Judges 13-16. He is the only Judge in the book of Judges that has his biography well detailed- his imperfections were not hidden in anyway. But our Bible reading just talked about his early life just to bring out Samson’s being chosen before birth, but we will journey through the life of Samson and pick out some lessons from it.

The story of Samson began with Israel’s state; she was facing the consequences of her sin.

Almost all the characters in Judges always began with ‘The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight.’ (Jud. 3:7; 12; 4:1; 6:1; 10:6; 13:1). You may wonder, what kind of people are they that would be delivered by the Lord yet repeat doing evil over and over again? The epilogue of this book reveals to us that they did whatever seemed right in their own eyes (Judg. 21:25). And what seemed to be right in their own eyes is evil in the eyes of the Lord (Ref. Jer. 17:9; Eccl. 9:3; Matt. 15:19).

But God full of compassion raised up Samson as a judge over Israel to rescue the Israelites from their attackers (Ref. Judg. 2:10-23; Ps. 78:37-39). Why will God choose such a man? We understand why God chose Deborah; she was obedient, courageous and had faith. But Samson acted in disobedience by breaking the Nazarite vow (Numb. 6). He gave a feast in Timnah (Judg. 14:10), and feast from the Hebrew lexicon, refers to drink party. So there is a probability that he took strong wine (Numb. 6:3). He leaked out His secret of his strength, which led to his hair being cut (Judg. 16:19; Numb. 6:5). He had contact with a dead body (Judg. 14:8-9; Numb. 6:6).

We also understand God chose Gideon. He was obedient, humble and had faith. But Samson seemed to be a proud man. After God gave him victory over the 1000 Philistines, he took the credit to himself (Judg. 15:16-17). So why would God choose a disobedient proud man to be a judge over His own people?

First, God chose him before he was born. He foreknew his flaw, but chose him notwithstanding. So God chose Samson because He is king (Judg. 21:25) and He is Sovereign; no man question His sovereignty (Rom. 9:15-23). God chose Samson as a king because He wanted all glory to be ascribed to Himself. In Hebrews 11:34, we see ‘… out of weakness were made strong…’ In Samson’s weakness in the spirit, God caused strength in the physical in order to find an expression of his glory. And that’s why we always read ‘the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him’ (Judg.14:6, 19; 15:14).

Speaking of, ‘the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him’, the first time it was recorded was in Judges 14:6, when he ripped the Lion’s jaws apart. God was using that experience to prepare him for his leadership and defeat over the Philistines (Judg. 15:14). It was after his victory over the 1000 Philistines, that was when he became a judge in Israel (Judg. 15:20). So just like every other men and women whom God chose, he also passed through the process. And that’s what the angel of the Lord meant, ‘He will begin…’ (Judg. 13:5). His parents also would have prepared his heart by telling him his assignment because the Spirit of the Lord stirred him while he was in his ‘wilderness experience’ (Judg. 13:24-25). So once thing we can pick up from here is that he was zealous for God, and we can also add to it that he didn’t do little things for ‘God’ (Ref. Judg. 15:4, 15; 16:27-30),

The Spirit of the Lord coming powerfully upon him proved that Samson had faith and that was why he acted in faith. This was what qualified him to be enlisted in the Hall of Faith (Heb. 11:32-34). Although in Judges 15:4, there was no record of ‘the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him.’ Because he acted in ‘self’ to avenge (Judg. 15:7), whereas vengeance is of the Lord (Deut. 32:35; Ps. 94:1; Rom. 12:19).

Many times, God tolerated his behaviour. For instance, He tolerated his behaviour when he wanted to marry a stranger (Judg. 14:1-4). In Deuteronomy 7:3, God somehow discourages marriage with strangers because in verse 4, they will turn their hearts away from following the true God. Samson had a mission and wanted to ruin it by marrying a stranger, but God whose purpose does not change (Mal. 3:6), had to use that for good (Rom. 8:28). This does not mean He encouraged it, but tolerated it and tried to use it for good (Judg. 14:4). Also, He tolerated his behaviour when he took the credit of his victory by hearing his prayer (Judg. 15:16-19). And many other places, He tolerated his behaviour in mercy and in love (Judg. 14:19; 16:28-30). He tolerated his behaviour even to the point he was spiritually asleep and blind, when His Spirit left him (Judg. 16:19-21). Though, at the end of his life, he fulfilled God’s purpose in a hard way (Judg. 16:28-30).

DECLARATION: OUT OF MY WEAKNESS, I AM MADE STRONG.

 

FURTHER STUDY: JUDGES 16