Judges 14:15-15:8.  Yesterday we met the next Judge all grown up and doing things his way.  He wasn’t following God’s rules, for the Israelites in general and as a Nazirite either. We also saw that he was pretty average.  He wanted a wife and went looking for the cutest girl around.  Judges 14:1-3 tells us he saw her and decided he wanted her as a wife.  There is no indication of any kind of relationship.  In spite of the fact that it was against the rule (of God) his parents caved in and arranged the marriage.  Samson also broke the rule about a Nazirite not touching a dead body.  Yes, he was doing things his way.  But we also saw God was getting what He wanted done too.  God was causing troubel between the Israelites and the Philistines.  it was time for the Israelites to stop being so “cozy” with the neighbors.  It always had been that time actually.

Today things get stirred up a lot more.  Samson challenges the Philistines to a battle of wits.  A riddle.  If they can solve it before the 7 day long wedding feast is over they get 30 new suits, one for each of the guys from Timnah that are at the wedding.  If they don’t solve the riddle each of them has to give Samson a suit.  Remember in those days they had to make the yarn, weave the cloth, and sew the garment.  No $15 outfit from Old Navy.  So they went to the bride and threaten her and her father’s family if she does not find out the answer from Samson and give it to her.  Even though an outfit would be costly it doesn’t seem like it would leave them broke (v. 15).  Their threat seems a bit over the top, burn the girl, her family, and all their possessions if they lose.  God was stirring and little bubbles were starting to form in the bottom of the pot (Judges 13:24, 14:4).  A couple of other things are interesting in this story.  They seemed to realize that Samson is affected by this girl.  They think she can manipulate him.  Why didn’t they just threaten Samson or blow him off?  Although Samson is clearly given power by God to accomplish the things he does (Judges 14:6, 19) it also would appear that he has some size.  Maybe they were a little bit afraid of him.  Another interesting thing is that verse 15 tells us that the guys went to the girl on the fourth day but verse 17 tells us that she had been crying about the riddle the who time the wedding feast had been going on.  It seems that the guys were not the only ones who thought she could manipulate Samson.

We already could see that Samson was more influenced by his hormones than any sort of commitment to God.  Samson takes another step down that path when he gives in to the girls nagging.  She gets the answer, passes it on, and the guests win the competition.  Or do they?  Samson realizes where they got the answer to the riddle and blows off the girl.  She goes from cute to cow (that’s what a heifer is)  in less than a week as Samson dumps her at the altar.  Samson is then empowered by God and goes out to the coast to a Philistine city and kills 30 guys for their clothes which he then uses to pay off the guests at the party and goes home.

Some time passed and I guess all the mooing back on the farm got to him.  Samson decides to go visit the girl.  She was so cute who cares if she was a nag.  It was fall.  The grain had been harvested and life would be slowing down on the farm.  Winter was coming it would be getting cold.  When Samson reaches the girl’s house he finds that he father has married her off to some friend of Samson.  Samson isn’t cold any longer, he’s hot, burning mad.  And so he comes up with a plot to get back at everyone.  He lights all of their fields, vineyards, and orchards on fire.  Along with the grain theat they had already harvested and stacked.  All of their food is gone.  The whole town of Timnah and anyone who depended on them.  the Philistines retaliate by burning the girl and her relatives and all their possessions.  Our reading today ends with Samson threatening and taking revenge.

Samson has been playing with fire and I don’t mean the real kind.  He has been allowing his passions to control him.  It is interesting that God stirred Samson back in chapter 13.  God’s spirit gave Samson power to kill the lion and the thirty Philistine for their clothes.  But we also see Samson acting out on his own.  As I mentioned yesterday I don’t think God is actively responsible for the decisions Samson is making.  Back in Judges 13:24 the Hebrew word for “stir” is “paam”.  It means to push, trouble, beat over and over, and impel (an impeller is the blade on a boat that make it move).  We might say “bugged” or “bothered”.  Samson was bugged by something and he acted.  As we have already seen much of what Samson does is a reaction, his reaction.  The fact that god can use our actions or reactions to move the world toward Heaven is again evidence of His power and wisdom.  No matter what our moves are God is working history for the best possible outcome with the most possible winners based on His rules (See Romans 8:16-28, 2 Peter 3:1-10).  Because of sin in the world there will be trouble.  God has a solution for sin.  He could have destroyed all humanity and been done with sin altogether and he almost did, in the flood (Genesis 6).  But God’s love and compassion moved Him to solve a way in which people would not perish, not all of them anyway.  2 Peter 3:9 says, “God is not willing that any should perish”.  Revelation 20:11-15 makes it clear that some people will not spend eternity in Heaven, they will perish.  Why?  Because of God’s character, His rules.  Sin must be punished and the punishment from the beginning was death, separation from God.  But Jesus paid that penalty.  Jesus said that he is the way and that no one can come to God except through him.  And come we must.  John 1:12 says, “As many as recieve him [Jesus] to them he gave the right to be a part of God’s forever family.  to all those who believe who Jesus is and what he has done.”  Peter then ends that chapter and letter with sort of a question.  “Since this is the way God has set up life.  And since this is the way it is going.  How should you live?  You should be dedicated to God in you actions.  You should be imitating god in your character.  You should be looking forward to Heaven and encouraging others to be looking for Heaven too.  The real fire is coming but after that a whole new remade world.  One in which everything is right again.  So let Jesus live in your lives and give you peace and purity.  God is patient and because of that the world has a chance.” (2 Peter 3:11-15).

God thank you for being patient.  I know that we all mess up all the time.  Our actions really deserve to be punished.  Thank you for taking my punishment.  Thank you for paying it all for all (1 John 3:3).  Help me point other to you.  Help me see your love and show others your love.  Help us all understand about your purity, your holiness.  God I’m glad you are so powerful and that your poser is moved by love.  thank you for providing Jesus and thank you for telling us about Him.  Help me find ways to pass on the Good News.  Let my passion be for You and Your way not my own.