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I guess going out with the nonbeliever wasn’t such a great idea after all. Throughout his life, Samson was attracted to women from outside of his own people. Tonight I read the story of Samson and Delilah to my kids. They really found it strange that he would want to be with a woman who consistently tried to destroy him. We concluded that he wasn’t thinking with his ‘big head’. I know the Bible is outdated. So you likely don’t know real stories about real people who thought, “But she is so dreamy. She must be the one.” It doesn’t happen in modern times. Does it?
If you are unfamiliar with the story of Samson and Delilah, I encourage you to read Judges 16. If you don’t have a Bible, you can find it online at www.biblegateway.com .
The thing that I often find odd about this story, is that this was all God’s plan. Early on in Samson’s dating life, he fell for a Philistine woman in the town of Timnah. His parents protested. After all. The people of Israel were told not to intermarry with the nations around them. In Samson’s case however, “His father and mother didn’t realize that the Lord was at work in this, creating an opportunity to work against the Philistines, who ruled over Israel at that time.” Judges 14:4
Even though God told his people not to marry people from the surrounding nations, His plan was for Samson to fight against the Philistines who were oppressing his people. Why would God have one of His people do something that He had expressly told them not to do?
There is a huge difference between God’s will and God’s plan. I don’t have any supporting scripture for this train of thought, so this is your big chance to chastise me. Here I go. Tell me if this is a stretch.
It was not God’s will that His only begotten Son should die horribly on the cross, but it was however part of His redemptive plan for humanity. God didn’t want Samson to lust after foreign women, but it was part of His redemptive plan for the people of Israel.
Just because we walk with the Lord, doesn’t mean that everything works out nicely. It is possible to be within God’s plan for our lives, but remain outside of His will. Just because life is in the toilet, does not mean that we haven’t went where we were supposed to go. For Samson, obedience to God held the appearance of disobedience to his immediate family.
Now, Samson lives in chains, shackled to the mill, having his eyes gouged out of their sockets. It’s not a pretty place. His situation is both demonstrative of the consequence for his poor choices AND the very path for the deliverance of Israel.
There is a bigger picture surrounding our lives that we are unable to see. When we fall on hard times, it doesn’t mean that we are accursed by God. If you have landed on similar times, I can’t give you God’s narrative for your life. Perhaps He has a similar redemptive work in the making. Maybe there is something to be learned, if we are attentive and receptive. It could be nothing more than the manifestation of the general curse which hangs over mankind.
No Samson. She wasn’t the one. Now that I think on it, I don’t believe that there is such a thing as ‘the one’. Maybe you should pick an Israelite next time.
So typical of Christians. Somehow I always want what I know I can't have. And sometimes I want something, even when I know it's going to hurt me in the long run. Strange how we work that way.
ReplyDeleteAs for your latter idea, I must admit I'm not sure if I wholly agree, although I think I know what you're trying to say. Seeing that Jesus said "Not my will, but thy will" I would think that in some place it was God's will, even if He didn't want to see His Son suffer. But I don't know. I think I know what you're saying though. Sometimes our situation is junk, to say the least, but somehow it's part of God's bigger plan for good. It's like Joseph being sold into slavery. Horrible circumstances but God used it for good.
I thought about this a lot on the way to work today. Truthfully, this article isn't a product, it's a work in progress. I really haven't found a way to articulate the truth at work here.
ReplyDeleteSo is there another word besides, 'will' which could describe God's attitude in circumstances such as Christ's death, Samson's romantic exploits, the conquest of Canaan (killing women, children and even animals) and Joseph's betrayal? If you find the word, can I patent it? I accept that 'God's will' doesn't quite summarize it since Jesus asked for the Father's will to be done. To be honest, I didn't have that in mind when I wrote this. I just don't have a better word. These were all part of His bigger plan, but they couldn't be His........(what?)
I understand the work in progress thing. Most of my posts are like that too. Actually, I'm working through a post in my mind on the issue of rededication. I have no idea if my view is right or where it'll exactly go, but I will throw my thoughts out there anyway.
ReplyDeleteI know sometimes you get misunderstood because of the "lack of a better word" issue. I don't know how you would say it or put it so it would make more sense. I'm not sure if there's a single word to describe it. You're the writer. You'll come up with something.
Totally irrelevant question: How's that next book of yours coming along?
Thanks for asking about the book. This book is taking much longer to launch. I've gone through the first edit on the first 5 chapters. I'm really not expecting it to take form until next summer. I want to put more effort into it than the last one, partly because The Edge of His Cloak was never intended to be a book.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the birthday wishes.
Kevin