Based on Judges 15
Samson and the Philistines are a good match… if you like bloodshed and mutual annihilation that is. After a while Samson got over his anger and came back to get his wife… specifically to sleep with her. Her father wouldn't let this happen because for some unclear reason he had given her to his best man. Then her father offers his younger daughter instead, which seems a fairly unrealistic proposition, Samson would need something really wrong with him to go along with that.
So Samson is unhappy, but he seems to be overreacting somewhat when he makes the first version of Firefox. He does this by the incredible feat of actually catching 300 foxes and using them to spread fires all over the Philistine wheat fields. This would have been an economic disaster for the Philistines, and seems a bit much considering that Samson was the one who left in a huff at the end of his wedding without his wife.
The Philistines are a match for Samson though, and act just as irrationally, burning Samson's wife and her father to death. Samson is understandably upset by this, and goes on a killing spree, we don't know how many people he killed. I don't know what the reference to "hip and thigh" is, I'd be interested to find out though. Anyway, Samson decides "its the hermit's life for me" and goes and lives on a rock where the Philistines come looking for him.
Samson must be pretty torn up at this point. He's lost the woman he loves and he knows it's his own fault. So he doesn't care too much what happens to him. But he still hates the Philistines.
The Philistines raise an army to come looking for Samson, and send the men of Judah to fetch him. Samson doesn't want to cause trouble for his own people and goes along with them and then kills as many of the Philistine army who will stand and fight.
He famously does this with a donkey's jawbone. He less famously sings a song about it. It wasn't a very good one, but the Philistines thought it was a hit. People who know nothing about art and culture have been called Philistines ever since. (Tongue in cheek)
The finale is that God gave Samson a water fountain out of the same jaw bone because he complains he's thirsty. Reminds me of the exodus.
And the epilogue is that Samson judges Israel for 20 years.
What can we get out of this story? If God is willing to work with and care for a juvenile delinquent like Samson, he can do the same with you and me.
Thursday, 3 September 2015
Wednesday, 2 September 2015
Judges 14 // Worst Wedding Ever
Judges 14
This is Samson's first attempt at love, so at this point one can feel a bit sorry for him, because this is the first of a miserable series of stories. Samson's big mistake is to be fooled by superficial glamour, and this leads on to everything that follows. Samson's parents frustration is understandable, there are a lot of Israelite women that Samson could have chosen, but he has picked a Philistine. Is is because of her wonderful personality? No, he sees her and wants her. This will become a pattern.
The Philistines were a much more technologically developed civilisation than the Israelites and much less morally developed. As such, Philistine women would have a had a lot more access to makeup and other means of attracting male attention than Israelite women.
I personally don't like the the look of the "painted" woman, and I don't think this is completely unusual. But it doesn't have to be about actually looking appealing, the way women typically present themselves proclaims availability rather than beauty. For a man who doesn't mind having multiple partners, availability is much more important than beauty. The Philistine culture would have made their women seem a lot more readily "available" than the Israelite, and this would have been appealing for the impulsive Samson.
Samson's Philistine groomsmen were so miserly that he was forced to buy 30 suits instead of each of them buying one. I'm glad mine aren't like that. Samson reacted understandably and killed 30 people… I mean Samson reacted inexcusably and killed 30 people to take their suits! What a terrible guy! This will become a pattern. Israel at this time was the wild west.
We also see here the first instance of Samson being manipulated by his desperate bride who is getting death threats form his demonic Philistine groomsmen. I'm glad mine aren't like that. In case you think they're joking, they're not, you'll see later because… this will become a pattern.
Someone once played me a One Direction song which had some words about "the story of my life" with something about taking a girl home. Perhaps those children would be able to relate to Samson. Incidentally, Samson may not be a lot older than them when this story takes place. This too is the story of his life.
This really was the worst wedding ever. The bride was crying the whole time and the groom didn't know why. The groomsmen were stingy blackmailers. The groom was a mass murderer. The groom's parents only approved the wedding so the groom would end up killing lots of Philistines.
How much of what we do is for selfish motives? Is there a difference between selfish motives and righteously finding our heart's desires? I would say yes, Samson should have gone for an Israelitess.
This is Samson's first attempt at love, so at this point one can feel a bit sorry for him, because this is the first of a miserable series of stories. Samson's big mistake is to be fooled by superficial glamour, and this leads on to everything that follows. Samson's parents frustration is understandable, there are a lot of Israelite women that Samson could have chosen, but he has picked a Philistine. Is is because of her wonderful personality? No, he sees her and wants her. This will become a pattern.
The Philistines were a much more technologically developed civilisation than the Israelites and much less morally developed. As such, Philistine women would have a had a lot more access to makeup and other means of attracting male attention than Israelite women.
I personally don't like the the look of the "painted" woman, and I don't think this is completely unusual. But it doesn't have to be about actually looking appealing, the way women typically present themselves proclaims availability rather than beauty. For a man who doesn't mind having multiple partners, availability is much more important than beauty. The Philistine culture would have made their women seem a lot more readily "available" than the Israelite, and this would have been appealing for the impulsive Samson.
Samson's Philistine groomsmen were so miserly that he was forced to buy 30 suits instead of each of them buying one. I'm glad mine aren't like that. Samson reacted understandably and killed 30 people… I mean Samson reacted inexcusably and killed 30 people to take their suits! What a terrible guy! This will become a pattern. Israel at this time was the wild west.
We also see here the first instance of Samson being manipulated by his desperate bride who is getting death threats form his demonic Philistine groomsmen. I'm glad mine aren't like that. In case you think they're joking, they're not, you'll see later because… this will become a pattern.
Someone once played me a One Direction song which had some words about "the story of my life" with something about taking a girl home. Perhaps those children would be able to relate to Samson. Incidentally, Samson may not be a lot older than them when this story takes place. This too is the story of his life.
This really was the worst wedding ever. The bride was crying the whole time and the groom didn't know why. The groomsmen were stingy blackmailers. The groom was a mass murderer. The groom's parents only approved the wedding so the groom would end up killing lots of Philistines.
How much of what we do is for selfish motives? Is there a difference between selfish motives and righteously finding our heart's desires? I would say yes, Samson should have gone for an Israelitess.
Tuesday, 1 September 2015
Judges 13:6-25 // In Step
Judges 13:6-25
The theme of this passage seems to be how bad Manoah is.
Manoah's wife tells him what the angel told her, and Manoah's reaction is to ask God to send the "man" to talk to him instead. Manoah has some sort of pretext for why he wants to see the "man", but when the angel comes he answers Manoah's question by repeating his instruction given to the woman.
Next he tries to invite the angel to dinner, still thinking it is a man. In the case of Abraham this seems to have been commendable, in the case of Manoah, the angel refused. Manoah was allowed to offer a sacrifice to God, and when he did it the angel ascended to heaven.
Then, after all this, Manoah mourned that having seen the angel he and his wife were both going to die. This doesn't make any sense at all; there is no indication in the Bible, known to me, that this should be true. Anyway, the angel had just been telling them that they would have a son. How could God's promise be fulfilled if they were both dead?
Manoah's wife showed patience and good sense, it was unfortunate for her she was married to such a faithless and dim-witted individual.
But maybe we can all be like Manoah. Horrors. When I am not spending time with God every day, meaningful time. When I am not really wasting time with God, I am out of step with His purposes and miss His opportunities. Manoah missed every beat in this story because he was not connected with God. If I want my story to be any better I need to have a real connection with God today.
The theme of this passage seems to be how bad Manoah is.
Manoah's wife tells him what the angel told her, and Manoah's reaction is to ask God to send the "man" to talk to him instead. Manoah has some sort of pretext for why he wants to see the "man", but when the angel comes he answers Manoah's question by repeating his instruction given to the woman.
Next he tries to invite the angel to dinner, still thinking it is a man. In the case of Abraham this seems to have been commendable, in the case of Manoah, the angel refused. Manoah was allowed to offer a sacrifice to God, and when he did it the angel ascended to heaven.
Then, after all this, Manoah mourned that having seen the angel he and his wife were both going to die. This doesn't make any sense at all; there is no indication in the Bible, known to me, that this should be true. Anyway, the angel had just been telling them that they would have a son. How could God's promise be fulfilled if they were both dead?
Manoah's wife showed patience and good sense, it was unfortunate for her she was married to such a faithless and dim-witted individual.
But maybe we can all be like Manoah. Horrors. When I am not spending time with God every day, meaningful time. When I am not really wasting time with God, I am out of step with His purposes and miss His opportunities. Manoah missed every beat in this story because he was not connected with God. If I want my story to be any better I need to have a real connection with God today.
Monday, 31 August 2015
Judges 13:1-5 // New Life
Judges 13:1-5
From this point until the time of David, the Philistines are the main enemy of the Israelites. Samson's mother was not able to have children. This is not written as if this is something God is doing it to her, but as if it is simply her natural condition. At any rate, it is no problem for God, who is able to work all kinds of miracle and facilitate the creation of new life in her womb.
Just as miraculously, God is able to create new life in our barren sinful hearts and make our lives righteous.
From this point until the time of David, the Philistines are the main enemy of the Israelites. Samson's mother was not able to have children. This is not written as if this is something God is doing it to her, but as if it is simply her natural condition. At any rate, it is no problem for God, who is able to work all kinds of miracle and facilitate the creation of new life in her womb.
Just as miraculously, God is able to create new life in our barren sinful hearts and make our lives righteous.
Wednesday, 26 August 2015
Judges 12:8-15 // Factual
Judges 12:8-15
Three more obscure judges.
Why Ibzan wanted all his sixty children to marry foreigners I don't know.
Why Abdon gave seventy young donkeys to his sons and nephews to ride I don't know.
Why Elon had nothing to be said about him I don't know.
The Bible does not always have a spiritual agenda for recounting something. What about 2 Timothy 3:16? Even without a spiritual agenda, Bible passages are still useful. Anyone trying to reconstruct the history of the judges, needs the record of these obscure judges to be accurate.
God cares about accurate history. God cares about facts.
To ensure that what we say to others is not only sincere but also factual is a challenge. But it is a necessary one.
Three more obscure judges.
Why Ibzan wanted all his sixty children to marry foreigners I don't know.
Why Abdon gave seventy young donkeys to his sons and nephews to ride I don't know.
Why Elon had nothing to be said about him I don't know.
The Bible does not always have a spiritual agenda for recounting something. What about 2 Timothy 3:16? Even without a spiritual agenda, Bible passages are still useful. Anyone trying to reconstruct the history of the judges, needs the record of these obscure judges to be accurate.
God cares about accurate history. God cares about facts.
To ensure that what we say to others is not only sincere but also factual is a challenge. But it is a necessary one.
Sunday, 23 August 2015
Judges 12:1-7 // Shibboleth
Judges 12:1-7
Why the Ephraimites hated Jephthah enough to want to murder him is not very clear. Their justification that he should have let them do the fighting sounds like bureaucratic nitpicking. Maybe Ephraim had a special army that was meant to fight off invaders. At any rate the previous judge had been a Gileadite, so there is no clear precedent for this. Besides this, Ephraim had been unable even to defend themselves. Perhaps the Ephraimites were worried about the prospect of a bandit being chief of Gilead.
Whatever their reasons, the Ephraimites raised an army to go and kill Jephthah. It may be that not one of those soldiers made it home. The Gileadites not only defeated the Ephraimites, they guarded their route home and executed them one by one as they tried to escape. They identified their cousins of Ephraim by their accent, they were not able to make a "sh" sound, using the word Shibboleth, which has acquired an idiomatic meaning today.
(Definition of the English idiom here if you want it. The original Hebrew word has the idea "growing, flowing")
Why the Gileadites were so cruel that they wanted to kill every Ephraimite is not clear either, they may have been afraid of the Ephraimites trying another invasion.
What lessons can we take from this closing chapter of Jephthah's life? I see some lessons for church politics. One is that the group in power may be surprised at the result if they make war on the radical and slightly unsavoury people that God is using. Another is that whatever side of a conflict you are on, you may well get hurt. Even though they were practically part of the same tribe, the Gileadites had no mercy on the Ephraimites. Don't join an army that's going to murder a man and his family. Don't get on the bandwagon trying to destroy the reputation of a man that's trying to serve God, even if he has real problems.
Finally, despite the politics and stark evil; Israel was still God's people with God's message of truth. Don't sacrifice your salvation for a grudge or for your disgust with those who claim to represent God but do not.
Why the Ephraimites hated Jephthah enough to want to murder him is not very clear. Their justification that he should have let them do the fighting sounds like bureaucratic nitpicking. Maybe Ephraim had a special army that was meant to fight off invaders. At any rate the previous judge had been a Gileadite, so there is no clear precedent for this. Besides this, Ephraim had been unable even to defend themselves. Perhaps the Ephraimites were worried about the prospect of a bandit being chief of Gilead.
Whatever their reasons, the Ephraimites raised an army to go and kill Jephthah. It may be that not one of those soldiers made it home. The Gileadites not only defeated the Ephraimites, they guarded their route home and executed them one by one as they tried to escape. They identified their cousins of Ephraim by their accent, they were not able to make a "sh" sound, using the word Shibboleth, which has acquired an idiomatic meaning today.
(Definition of the English idiom here if you want it. The original Hebrew word has the idea "growing, flowing")
Why the Gileadites were so cruel that they wanted to kill every Ephraimite is not clear either, they may have been afraid of the Ephraimites trying another invasion.
What lessons can we take from this closing chapter of Jephthah's life? I see some lessons for church politics. One is that the group in power may be surprised at the result if they make war on the radical and slightly unsavoury people that God is using. Another is that whatever side of a conflict you are on, you may well get hurt. Even though they were practically part of the same tribe, the Gileadites had no mercy on the Ephraimites. Don't join an army that's going to murder a man and his family. Don't get on the bandwagon trying to destroy the reputation of a man that's trying to serve God, even if he has real problems.
Finally, despite the politics and stark evil; Israel was still God's people with God's message of truth. Don't sacrifice your salvation for a grudge or for your disgust with those who claim to represent God but do not.
Saturday, 22 August 2015
Judges 11:34-40 // Faith and Grief
Judges 11:34-40
This is probably one of the most disturbing passages of scripture for me. Not because it shows anything against God, but because what happened was just a terrible, horrible, pointless thing. I have heard that Jephthah's daughter may have had a life as a kind of nun, but this doesn't really fit with the mourning of the girls of Israel. I wish I could explain it away, but I can't escape the conclusion that Jephthah's daughter was murdered by her own father to fulfill a foolish vow.
Jephthah's daughter is not primarily a victim however. She showed unshakable faith as well as genuine grief. No doubt she will live on in the resurrection, with every desire met by Jesus, the lover of our souls.
Are we ready to meet our destiny with this kind of faith? By God's grace we will.
This is probably one of the most disturbing passages of scripture for me. Not because it shows anything against God, but because what happened was just a terrible, horrible, pointless thing. I have heard that Jephthah's daughter may have had a life as a kind of nun, but this doesn't really fit with the mourning of the girls of Israel. I wish I could explain it away, but I can't escape the conclusion that Jephthah's daughter was murdered by her own father to fulfill a foolish vow.
Jephthah's daughter is not primarily a victim however. She showed unshakable faith as well as genuine grief. No doubt she will live on in the resurrection, with every desire met by Jesus, the lover of our souls.
Are we ready to meet our destiny with this kind of faith? By God's grace we will.
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