Day 132 Bible Reading - Judges 14: 1-4 (ESV)

Judges 14 & 15, John 7: 14-44, Psalm 74: 1-9

Judges 14: 1-4 (ESV)

“Samson went down to Timnah, and at Timnah he saw one of the daughters of the Philistines. Then he 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. At that time the Philistines ruled over Israel.”

I’ve always been fascinated by the story of Samson with his long hair. He was born in a time when the Jewish people were ruled by the Philistines, but God had great plans for him. In verses 1 through 4 from Judges 14, we see Samson wanting to marry someone just because of the way she looked to him. He knew nothing about her except that she was the daughter of a Philistine, so he knew at the start that he was marrying someone not of his faith which was not according to God’s law. But I love how God’s uses everything about us, even our disobedient and sinful nature to do his will. He wanted Samson to marry this Philistine woman so he could kill many Philistines.

Does this justify Samson’s action in disobeying God? The answer is No, but God knows everything about us. He gave us the freedom to choose and when he knows we will choose to do wrong, he will use it to serve his purpose on earth. I like this story because even when we choose to disobey God’s will, we can be assured that God will use it to serve his purpose. I know I am a person who learns by doing things wrong. I’ve always been that way because I have a very curious nature. I know that God uses my nature to teach me things about myself, about him, and my faith. And I know over the years, my faith has become so much stronger because of my curious nature. We can’t change who we are, but we can be assured that God will use us to serve his purpose and to bring us closer to him.