Today we begin Judges Chapter 14.
For the Complete Jewish Bible, click HERE.
For the King James Version, click HERE.
Over the past week we’ve been examining the mysterious circumstances surrounding Samson’s birth.
We went over how his birth was preceded by a visit from God Himself in the form of the Angel of the Lord.
We saw how his status as a Nazarite began even before he was born while still being nursed inside his mother’s womb…
And we talked about how Samson would maintain his Nazir status all his life even if he never obeyed all the requirements.
Now Samson hailed from the Tribe of Dan.
This tribe was located along the coastal region and was territory controlled by the powerful Philistines.
True to their oceanic origins, the Philistines were also called the “Sea Peoples”.
The Philistines were so strong that the majority of the tribe of Dan decided to pick up and re-establish themselves far north to an area bordering Lebanon.
But a tiny remnant decided to stay put in central Canaan.
It was this remnant that Samson was a part of.
So this was the current situation.
Since the Philistines were so powerful, rather than drive them out as they should have per God’s command, the majority of the Danites headed up north or spread themselves out among the other tribal territories.
It turns out the plot of land assigned to Judah was not only one of the biggest territories but also the nearest to Dan.
So many Danites ended up going there.
Now an important reminder folks.
God’s purpose for Samson was to use him as a tool to begin riling things up between the Philistines and the local Israelites.
It was not Samson’s assignment to completely deliver Israel from the Philistines.
I know I’ve used the word “oppression” when describing the Philistine’s relationship with Israel at this time.
But that’s not quite accurate.
It was more like the pagan culture of the Philistines had exerted a strong influence over the local Israelites…
And the local Israelites had NOT resisted nor kept themselves separate like they should have.
There was a peaceful co-existence between the Philistines and Israel that God had to disrupt.
There’s an important takeaway here folks.
God does NOT want peace if it’s not on his terms.
Another important reminder.
This situation is nothing less than a continuation of the Holy War that Joshua started.
The hell-raising antics Samson was about to instigate were in a sense sanctioned and approved by God.
And when I say hell-raising antics, I ain’t kidding man.
The things we’re about to see Samson do were not only morally questionable, but sometimes downright criminal.
Yet it was the Lord’s Holy Spirit who anointed Samson with supernatural strength and drove him to cause trouble for the Philistines.
In fact, the Lord’s strength often came upon Samson AFTER he had strayed away from the Torah and its commands.
In this sense, I think God’s relationship and the way he worked through Samson is quite unique among the Judges and honestly, I’m not so confidence it’s something we should seek to emulate.
But it is what it is.
See ya all next time.
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