“Samson went down to Timnah and at Timnah he saw one of the daughters of the Philistines. Then he came up and told his father and mother, ‘I saw one of the daughters of the Philistines at Timnah. Now get her for me as my wife’. But his father and mother said to him, ‘Is there not a woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people , that you must go and take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?’ But Samson said to his father, ‘Get her for me for she is right in my eyes.’
His father and mother did not know that it was from the Lord, for he was seeking an opportunity against the Philistines. At that time the Philistines ruled over Israel.” Judges 14:1-4
In Sunday School yesterday, our lesson was about Samson, one of the judges of Israel, chosen by God. He was a bit of a spoiled brat. He wanted what he wanted. It looked like he was making a bad decision. In fact, he was making a bad decision. (He made plenty of others, as well). Luckily, God was in control. He knew what Samson would do. He knew his weaknesses. He used them, wrong as they appeared at the time, to ultimately do good. If you know the story, Samson is eventually humbled, cries out to God and through his physical strength, topples a building to destroy 3000 of the Philistines who were oppressing the Israelites.
The same thing happens in the story of Joseph is Genesis. Joseph’s brothers are jealous of his favored position with their father.(Joseph is a bit of a brat like Samson, he taunts his brothers). They sell Joseph into captivity. For years he is a slave in Egypt, and is even falsely imprisoned. In the end, through his gift of interpreting dreams (a gift from God, like Samson’s strength) he rises to power in Egypt and saves his family when famine strikes. He tells his brothers,
“And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant of earth, and to keep alive for you man survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God.” Genesis 45:7-8
Once again, what seemed like an evil situation was used by God for good.
The moral of this post? Thank God that He is in control. He knows our strengths and weaknesses and He will use them both. We only see “through a glass darkly”; He has the entire picture. What seems bad at the moment will work out for our good in God’s time.
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good.” Romans 8:28
Lutheran Ladies Connection 