June 8-12, 1009

Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and braced himself against them, the one with his right hand and the other with his left. And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” And he bent with all his might so that the house fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he killed in his life. (Judges 16:29-30)


Have you ever noticed that God will sometimes put people in leadership positions that we would vote “NO” on if we were given the choice? Samson would definitely have been one of them. Right from the start, Samson’s choices seem contrary to righteous living. His values, desires, and actions would unquestionably keep him off the list of potential leaders in our church. And yet, in God’s evaluation of the times, Samson was the perfect person to lead Israel. Why? Because God had an ultimate plan and He knew what was necessary to bring it to pass! If I were to sum up Samson’s life into one word, it would be “revenge.” Samson took revenge out on the Philistines for burning his wife whom abandoned. He tore off the gates of Gaza to show his displeasure for their assassination attempt. He tore down the Philistine temple to revenge the loss of his eyes. And each event was precipitated by his desire for a woman who didn’t love him like he loved them. If there is one thing I can learn from the life of Samson, it’s that God’s ways are not my ways! I tend to just look at the moment; God looks at the whole scheme of things. I would have been as disappointed with his choice for a wife as his parents. And like his parents, I would have found it difficult to understand that his desire was from the LORD. What a dichotomy we find in this man! On one hand, he consistently desires women that the Law forbade Israelites to marry, and on the other, he faithfully embraces his vow as a Nazirite, a separated one. As a matter of fact, in Hebrews 11, the chapter of whose-who in the category of faith, Samson’s name is mentioned in the same breath with Gideon, Barak, Jephthah, David and Samuel and the prophets!

We are told that Samson killed more Philistines at his death that he killed in his life. Perhaps we can consider the facts. When was Samson’s faith the strongest? 1. When his eyes were no longer able to look with desire at what was forbidden. 2. When he’d experienced the reality that his amazing strength truly came from his relationship with the LORD. 3. When he realized that it was better to die to this world than to live in the presence of God’s enemies. Now that’s true faith!

It seems like our journey through the pages of the judges takes us from bad to worse! We no sooner say goodbye to Samson than we meet Micah. Here we meet a thief who ends up having his “reward” stolen from him! It’s enough to make you dizzy!!! The Word tells us, “There was no king in Israel. The people did what was right in their own eyes.” The closer we come to the end of the period of the judges, the more clearly we see the truth of those words. By the time we get to the last two chapters, we are eager to see something wholesome take place!

The conclusion of our trek through Judges is the saddest yet of all tales. It is a clear witness of God’s hatred of homosexuality! This abomination not only affected the lives of the Benjamites, it took its toll on the whole nation! In the first two days, 40,000 warriors of Israel’s army lost their lives. We are not even told how many died on the third day, and this number doesn’t include the number of warriors from Benjamin who died. And so we leave the book of Judges with great grief.

What a welcomed relief to turn the page and meet Naomi and Ruth! We quickly learn what dedication is all about; but I doubt Naomi would be asked to speak at very many schools of evangelism! Some may question why she kept trying to talk her daughters-in-law out of going with her. Why would she send them back to their old, pagan ways? A closer look will show us that she didn’t. The wisdom of Naomi when speaking to her daughters-in-law would be a powerful guide to any conference geared toward reaching the loss. Let’s take a moment to look into her words.

1. “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead and with me. May the Lord grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband.”

Did you notice that Naomi told them to return to their “mother’s house?” You may recall that when Judah sent Tamar home, he sent her to her father’s house. What’s the difference? The father’s house speaks of the God or gods of the family. In both Old and New Testament, YHWH is referred to as “the God of our fathers.” In carefully selecting her words, Naomi confronted them with the truth that if they went back, they would not only be forsaking her, but also her God. She also cleverly reminded them that this was also the God of their husbands who had died.

2. “Have I yet sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? Return my daughters! Go, for I am too old to have a husband. If I sad I have hope, if I should even have a husband tonight and also bear sons, would you therefore wait until they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying?

To truly perceive Naomi’s tactic, we must remember to whom she was speaking. These were Moabite women! Although the law only prohibited male Moabites from entrance into the Jewish fold up to the tenth generation (Moabite women could be married by a Jewish man only after proselytization), Naomi knew that prejudice against them could be very strong. She gave them no guarantee that they would ever marry again if they came with her. If they chose to come, they had to be totally dedicated to YHWH as their God. She had nothing more to offer them! And with that, Orpah chose to return, but Ruth remained.

3. “Behold your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods; return after your sister-in-law.”

Once again, Naomi chose her words very carefully. To follow the steps of her sister-in-law would be a blatant rejection of YHWH! What a powerful answer Ruth gave Naomi. Clearly she had counted the cost and was ready to face life with YHWH as her God! POWERFUL!!!

“Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may YHWH do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me.”

Ruth’s words were not merely a statement; they were an oath! There is soooooooo much we could glean from the story of Naomi and Ruth that I could write a book. Who knows, maybe someday I will.

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TRAIL STOPS

Monday
What are the weapons of Samson’s vengence?

Tuesday
Find the territory of Dan on the map.
Find Laish on the map.

Wednesday
Before the war with the men from the tribe of Benjamin, where did Israel gather?
What city did they attack?
Where did they regroup when the first day’s battle was unsuccessful?

Thursday
Where does Ruth confront Boaz regarding marriage?
Why did the nearest kinsman turn down the offer to buy the land?

Friday
What are the names of David’s sisters?
What are the names of David’s cousins who were born