Samson was bigger than life, like a tarnished super-hero. His feats were fantastic, but his character flawed. He single-handedly wreaked havoc with the Philistines, who had dominated Israel for forty years. Yet he philandered unashamedly and, in the end, met his match with the infamous and persistent Philistine beauty, Delilah. Humbled and eyeless, he slowly re-grew his hair and rediscovered his strength in a Philistine prison. In his death, which was essentially a suicide, he killed the 3000 partying Philistines who had brought him out to taunt him.
A troubling aspect of this account is the repeated references to Samson as being moved by the Spirit (13:25; 14:6, 19; 15:14). How could such a flawed fellow be Spirit-filled?
First of all, Samson was promised to childless parents and set apart for the Lord before he was born, not unlike John the Baptist. He was tapped out by God to deliver God’s people from the Philistines, and was filled with the Spirit for that purpose.
Secondly, his character issues, though real and problematic, do not negate God’s call. In other words, God can use, and the Spirit can fill, deeply flawed people. Samson is simply an extreme example.
God purposes in all of this were met: He, through a Spirit-moved Samson, preserved His people!
Until tomorrow,
Pastor Gary
A troubling aspect of this account is the repeated references to Samson as being moved by the Spirit (13:25; 14:6, 19; 15:14). How could such a flawed fellow be Spirit-filled?
First of all, Samson was promised to childless parents and set apart for the Lord before he was born, not unlike John the Baptist. He was tapped out by God to deliver God’s people from the Philistines, and was filled with the Spirit for that purpose.
Secondly, his character issues, though real and problematic, do not negate God’s call. In other words, God can use, and the Spirit can fill, deeply flawed people. Samson is simply an extreme example.
God purposes in all of this were met: He, through a Spirit-moved Samson, preserved His people!
Until tomorrow,
Pastor Gary
1 comment:
Amen!!
and this especially comforting for all us flawed folk trying in some way to be heroes for the Gospel and for Jesus. May we each be filled by and at the whim of the Holy Spirit!
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