{"id":27657,"date":"2023-08-21T22:00:18","date_gmt":"2023-08-22T05:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/judges-13_15-25-copy\/"},"modified":"2023-08-08T22:52:25","modified_gmt":"2023-08-09T05:52:25","slug":"judges-14_1-20","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/judges-14_1-20\/","title":{"rendered":"Cracks on the Wall"},"content":{"rendered":"

Judges 14:1-20 \u00a0<\/strong>Click here for Bible Verses<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs!<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is Judges 14:1-20.\u00a0 Today we begin the story of Samson, one of the most tragic characters in all the Bible.\u00a0 There are many lessons we can learn from Samson\u2019s life.\u00a0 Let’s go!<\/p>\n

Judges 14:1-3 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n1\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Samson went down to Timnah and saw there a young Philistine woman.
\n2\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0When he returned, he said to his father and mother, “I have seen a Philistine woman in Timnah; now get her for me as my wife.”
\n3\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0His father and mother replied, “Isn’t there an acceptable woman among your relatives or among all our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife?” But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me. She’s the right one for me.”<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 1-3:\u00a0 Notice that the first recorded words from Samson\u2019s mouth are about him being so intent on doing something that was against God\u2019s commands for Israel (Deuteronomy 7:3-4) and how he wouldn\u2019t be swayed or persuaded otherwise.\u00a0 Unlike Gideon who grew from immaturity to a more mature faith, Samson\u2019s entire life it seems would unfortunately be characterized by this kind of me-centered attitude.<\/p>\n

Judges 14:4 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n4\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0(His parents did not know that this was from the\u00a0LORD, who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines; for at that time they were ruling over Israel.)<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 4:\u00a0 Does verse 4 mean that God wanted Samson to marry the Philistine woman?\u00a0 No.\u00a0 What it means is that God would find a way to use Samson\u2019s poor choice for God\u2019s good purposes, even though his choice was contrary to God\u2019s commands.\u00a0 That\u2019s how sovereign God is.\u00a0 By choosing his own way, Samson would not be nearly as blessed as if he had chosen God’s way.\u00a0 Still, in His sovereignty God will make sure that His will is done in the end, one way or the other.<\/p>\n

Judges 14:5 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n5\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Samson went down to Timnah together with his father and mother. As they approached the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young lion came roaring toward him.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 5:\u00a0 As a Nazirite, Samson was not to touch wine or other fermented drink.\u00a0 Here while Samson is near the vineyards of Timnah, where grapes are harvested and where wine is made, a lion attacks him.\u00a0 While Samson didn\u2019t do anything wrong per se by going to the vineyards of Timnah, it\u2019s interesting that Samson was attacked in that very place.\u00a0 Likewise, Satan is described as a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).\u00a0 We need to be careful, especially when we are in situations where we might be tempted to compromise our faith, to resist the enemy.<\/p>\n

Judges 14:6-9 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n6\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The Spirit of the\u00a0LORD\u00a0came upon him in power so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he told neither his father nor his mother what he had done.
\n7\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Then he went down and talked with the woman, and he liked her.
\n8\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Some time later, when he went back to marry her, he turned aside to look at the lion’s carcass. In it was a swarm of bees and some honey,
\n9\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0which he scooped out with his hands and ate as he went along. When he rejoined his parents, he gave them some, and they too ate it. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion’s carcass.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 6-9:\u00a0 Another requirement from Samson\u2019s Nazirite vow was that Samson was not to touch a dead body (Numbers 6:6).\u00a0 It is safe to assume that Samson\u2019s parents would have taught him this repeatedly.\u00a0 Yet here is Samson snacking on honey which he got from a dead lion that he had killed.\u00a0 These verses show us two things: first, Samson\u2019s incredible God-given strength, as shown in his ability to rip apart a lion with his own two hands (v6).\u00a0 Second, we see Samson once again disregarding the calling God had on his life.<\/p>\n

Judges 14:10 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n10\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Now his father went down to see the woman. And Samson made a feast there, as was customary for bridegrooms.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 10:\u00a0 It seems to me that Samson had a father who was vocal and present in Samson\u2019s life.\u00a0 Even when his father did not approve of Samson\u2019s choice for a wife, his father Manoah still went down to see the woman.\u00a0 His father seems to have been available to Samson if Samson wanted.\u00a0 Unfortunately, Samson was not open to seeking any help or advice from his father.<\/p>\n

Judges 14:11-12 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n11\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0When he appeared, he was given thirty companions.
\n12\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“Let me tell you a riddle,” Samson said to them. “If you can give me the answer within the seven days of the feast, I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.
\n13\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0If you can’t tell me the answer, you must give me thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.” “Tell us your riddle,” they said. “Let’s hear it.”
\n14\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He replied, “Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet.” For three days they could not give the answer.
\n15\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0On the fourth day, they said to Samson’s wife, “Coax your husband into explaining the riddle for us, or we will burn you and your father’s household to death. Did you invite us here to rob us?”
\n16\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Then Samson’s wife threw herself on him, sobbing, “You hate me! You don’t really love me. You’ve given my people a riddle, but you haven’t told me the answer.” “I haven’t even explained it to my father or mother,” he replied, “so why should I explain it to you?”
\n17\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0She cried the whole seven days of the feast. So on the seventh day he finally told her, because she continued to press him. She in turn explained the riddle to her people.
\n18\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Before sunset on the seventh day the men of the town said to him, “What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?” Samson said to them, “If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have solved my riddle.”<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 10-18:\u00a0 Samson loved to play games.\u00a0 There\u2019s nothing wrong with wanting to have fun and being light hearted.\u00a0 However, when you combine Samson\u2019s penchant for playing games with his tendency to entrust himself to strangers with questionable character, the result would spell trouble in Samson\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

Also, notice the lack of transparency on both sides between Samson and his new bride.\u00a0 Neither one of them seemed to let the other in on what was really going on, so they end up fighting each other when they could have fought together as a team.\u00a0\u00a0It takes trust and transparency for a team to thrive.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Judges 14:19-20 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n19\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Then the Spirit of the\u00a0LORD\u00a0came upon him in power. He went down to Ashkelon, struck down thirty of their men, stripped them of their belongings and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. Burning with anger, he went up to his father’s house.
\n20\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0And Samson’s wife was given to the friend who had attended him at his wedding.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 19-20:\u00a0 Samson was used to using his brute strength to bail himself out of trouble that he had gotten himself into.\u00a0 We see him doing that here.\u00a0 Samson uses the strength that God had given him not to serve God but to serve his own self-centered purposes.\u00a0 To pay a gambling debt, Samson kills 30 Philistines, strips them of their clothes and gives those clothes to his wedding guests.<\/p>\n

Also, ignoring his marriage commitment, he returns home alone and abandons his newly wedded wife, who is given to someone else.<\/p>\n

In just 20 verses, we\u2019re already noticing some issues and warning signs when it comes to Samson\u2019s character.\u00a0\u00a0No matter how talented or gifted you are, it\u2019s your character that will determine the direction your life heads in.\u00a0 Since all of us have been given tremendous strengths and talents from God, let\u2019s combine them with a humble heart that is committed to loving and serving God.\u00a0 Only then will we be wise, faithful stewards of what God has given us.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Father, to the extent that I have any of these unhealthy tendencies that Samson displays, please help me.\u00a0 Please help me to spot those cracks in my character that need attention.\u00a0 Please give me wisdom to know how to deal with those cracks so I can avoid unnecessary trouble for me and for those around me.\u00a0 In Jesus\u2019 name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 2021 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs!<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is Judges 14:1-20.\u00a0 Today we begin the story of Samson, one of the most tragic characters in all the Bible.\u00a0 There are many lessons we can learn from Samson\u2019s life.\u00a0 Let’s go!<\/p>\n

Judges 14:1-3 (NIV)
\n1\u00a0\u00a0Samson went down to Timnah and saw there a young Philistine woman.
\n2\u00a0\u00a0When he returned, he said to his father and mother, “I have seen a Philistine woman in Timnah; now get her for me as my wife.”
\n3\u00a0\u00a0His father and mother replied, “Isn’t there an acceptable woman among your relatives or among all our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife?” But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me. She’s the right one for me.”<\/p>\n

On verses 1-3:\u00a0 Notice that the first recorded words from Samson\u2019s mouth are about him being so intent on doing something that was against God\u2019s commands for Israel (Deuteronomy 7:3-4) and how he wouldn\u2019t be swayed or persuaded otherwise.\u00a0 Unlike Gideon who grew from immaturity to a more mature faith, Samson\u2019s entire life it seems would unfortunately be characterized by this kind of me-centered attitude.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27659,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27657","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27657","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27657"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27657\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27660,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27657\/revisions\/27660"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27659"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27657"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27657"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27657"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}