We should ‘ALWAYS’ stay within our ‘BOUNDARIES’!
March 16 Bible
Reading: Judges Chapters 13-15
We should ‘ALWAYS’ stay within our ‘BOUNDARIES’!
Now Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a
woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines. So he went up and told his
father and mother, saying, "I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters
of the Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife." Then his
father and mother said to him, "Is there no woman among the daughters of
your brethren, or among all my people, that you must go and get a wife from the
uncircumcised Philistines?" And Samson said to his father, "Get her
for me, for she pleases me well." (Judges 14:1-3)
The entire
period of Israel during the rule by judges can be summarized in the following
words: "In those days there was no
king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges
17:6; 21:25). Samson, who became the 12th judge of Israel at the age
of twenty, was no exception as his unrestrained
lifestyle reflects someone who did
not stay within his boundaries!
Even before
Samson was born, God had listed several restrictions upon his mother to observe
strictly in her life. These restrictions were repeated again to Samson’s
parents upon request (13:13). Samson was meant to be a “Nazarite to God from the womb”, and his mother had to raise him carefully
within God’s boundaries so that he could be a deliverer of the Israelites from
the Philistines (13:3-5). As Samson grew up, he was blessed by God, and the
Spirit of God began to move upon him occasionally (13:24-25).
However,
Samson did not stay within his boundaries,
and had a weakness for women. His whole life revolved around three women in particular: the Philistine
woman in Timnah (14:1-15:20), the prostitute at Gaza (16:1-3), and Delilah from
the Valley of Sorek (16:4-31). God’s law forbade the Israelites to marry foreign
women (Exodus 34:16; Deut. 7:3–4), but they did not matter to Samson. His own parents
rightly opposed his marriage alliance (v. 3), but Samson was bent upon having
the Philistine woman as his wife for “she
pleased him well” (v. 3b). Samson’s words revealed his self-centered attitude. Instead of seeking to serve God, Samson was seeking to please only himself!
Despite
Samson’s disobedient and careless life, God was able to use him to gain
occasions against the Philistines (vs. 4) and bring about His good purposes for
Israel. Samson’s life is a sobering reminder for us concerning the tragedy of self-will, and it demonstrates
to us that it is possible for us to experience the gifts and power of God
without the blessing of God. When God is not allowed to rule, He will overrule
(Prov. 16:33) but that is not an excuse for sin (Rom. 3:8). We may ignore our
sins, but our sins will not ignore us. We
eventually reap what we sow!
