turtle30cshell Daily Devotions For May 19, 2020

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Cost Of Disobedience
5/19/2020

Daily Devotions:
by Christina Farris

Judges 14:1-20 KJV
1 And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.
2 And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife.
3 Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.
4 But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.
5 Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared against him.
6 And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.
7 And he went down, and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well.
8 And after a time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcase of the lion: and, behold, there was a swarm of bees and honey in the carcase of the lion.
9 And he took thereof in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his father and mother, and he gave them, and they did eat: but he told not them that he had taken the honey out of the carcase of the lion.
10 So his father went down unto the woman: and Samson made there a feast; for so used the young men to do.
11 And it came to pass, when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions to be with him.
12 And Samson said unto them, I will now put forth a riddle unto you: if ye can certainly declare it me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty sheets and thirty change of garments:
13 But if ye cannot declare it me, then shall ye give me thirty sheets and thirty change of garments. And they said unto him, Put forth thy riddle, that we may hear it.
14 And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days expound the riddle.
15 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they said unto Samson's wife, Entice thy husband, that he may declare unto us the riddle, lest we burn thee and thy father's house with fire: have ye called us to take that we have? is it not so?
16 And Samson's wife wept before him, and said, Thou dost but hate me, and lovest me not: thou hast put forth a riddle unto the children of my people, and hast not told it me. And he said unto her, Behold, I have not told it my father nor my mother, and shall I tell it thee?
17 And she wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted: and it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her, because she lay sore upon him: and she told the riddle to the children of her people.
18 And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle.
19 And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave change of garments unto them which expounded the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father's house.
20 But Samson's wife was given to his companion, whom he had used as his friend.

Samson called to be a Nazarite but as a young man he was filled with mistakes and lust of his eyes. The mistakes in Samson life would be his downfall to happy marriage and a long life full of love and contentment. We all make mistakes in life, even find ourselves maybe a little rebellious at times. Yet is this rebellion a necessary evil or a necessary realization for own humanity. When Adam fell was he created to fall, was Samson created to fall. We are created for God's service and with that comes a bending of the knee to God and not ourselves or even others in regards to worship. Why is this point so crucial, because to see our own fallacy we can see the weakness of Samson in this story. He did not lack physical strength but spiritual strength. Sins begans at the door of weakness in the spiritual realm. First law of God Samson broke was obedience to his father and mother and not taking their advice in regards to where to choose a wife from. This one mistake would cost him a road of happiness, and lead him down a road of sin that would bring harm eventually to his physical being. But the harm to his physical being comes later this week.

Samson love of woman that pleased him, was all it took for him to decided to marry her, only to be intrapped by his own riddle. Some might say he had plenty of strength to kill a lion and take the honey from its body, only to lack the brains to keep it from his new friends instead of his parents. He used this killing of a lion to make a riddle with thirty friends that were philistines. With this riddle came a wager of thirty garments. The wager being a great price the men were willing to threaten Samson bride with a house fire and the death of her father if she did not find out the answer to the riddle. She went to Samson for information on the riddle and he finally told her and she in turn relayed the answer to the riddle through the children of her people. These his thirty companions gave Samson the answer only for Samson to turn on them and said what did you do work/plow with my wife to find out the answer. He being angry left his wife with his new father in-law and her father gave his daughter to Samson's friend figuring he no longer wanted her, and perhaps even a setup to wage war with Samson for killing of the Philistines.

Now some will say this story really in the Bible, yes it is. Stories like these that make one's blood boil as a woman and yet also angry at Samson for not inquiring his bride of why she really needed to know the answer. His bride would not of sought such an answer if it had not been to protect her father, who would then sell her out to Samson's thirty friends. His strength was definitely in his hands but not in his brain. This is the rebellious years of Samson in his faith. A faith taught but not yet grabbed a hold of beyond tradition of faith and legalism of faith in regards of family traditions. This man is a Nazarite because of God's calling and not a Nazarite by choice. His calling not as a peacemaker but a warrior for the Lord. God's enemies were to be destroyed.

Now to pay his debt to his new friends he went down to another Philistine village and killed thirty men and gave their garments to his new friends. If you looking for a moral application you might say Samson should of obeyed his parents and followed their advice instead of marrying a Philistine woman who would not be loyal to Samson as far keeping information to herself. Though the bride of Samson was trying to protect her family only loose her own dignity by betrayal of her husband and protection of her people. What scripture does not say is whether this one friend of Samson that gain his bride was really plotting to rescue the woman from Samson.

The point being that Samson was going through a time in his life, that was not necessarily a time of seeking to please God but to please himself and himself alone. His rebellion of self sinnerness, cause destruction to others as well as a loss to his ego. God was showing Samson his power with the killing of a lion. His killing of the Philistines was out of need for repayment of clothing and not done to protect his family or his father in-law. God was not necessarily in favor of Samson actions, but Samson life had a purpose that has not been revealed, beyond his ability and strength.

Just because someone in rebellion does not mean God is not going to change his life around for a godly purpose. A godly purpose we can not see. Godly purpose of Samson is what should teach us not to judge another for God's ways are not our ways, nor his justice our justice in every matter. A bad wager in the middle of Samson trial of faith only weakened his spiritual happiness. Samson need to turn to God, but he could not see how obedience to God would of effected his life. Blinded perhaps to the will of God. He killed Gods calling on his life and it tasted good to him. Like Eve tasting the fruit in disobedience to God only to say it is good.

What is hind sight 20/20 and foresight a lack of knowledge of God, to obey him in truth and righteousness. Learning to obey God is part of the battle, to submit to choosing other believers has a spouse should of been important to a Nazarite but it was not. His parents told him the right things of God, but only to have Samson disobey. Our strive should be to obey God and his ways and not to live in disobedience to God.

Dear Heavenly Father help us to obedient to your word, so that we do not fall into troublesome and rebellious times. in Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study: Genesis 3:6 KJV
6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

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