March 22 – Judges 14:8-20
March 22 – Judges 14:8-20
8 After
some days he returned to take her. And he turned aside to see the carcass of
the lion, and behold, there was a swarm of bees in the body of the lion, and
honey. 9 He scraped it out into his hands and went
on, eating as he went. And he came to his father and mother and gave some to
them, and they ate. But he did not tell them that he had scraped the honey from
the carcass of the lion.
10 His
father went down to the woman, and Samson prepared a feast there, for so the
young men used to do. 11 As soon as the people saw
him, they brought thirty companions to be with him. 12 And
Samson said to them, “Let me now put a riddle to you. If you can tell me
what it is, within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I
will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothes, 13 but
if you cannot tell me what it is, then you shall give me thirty linen garments
and thirty changes of clothes.” And they said to him, “Put your riddle, that we
may hear it.” 14 And he said to them,
“Out of
the eater came something to eat.
Out of the strong came something sweet.”
And in three days they could not solve
the riddle.
15 On the
fourth day they said to Samson's wife, “Entice your husband to tell
us what the riddle is, lest we burn you and your father's house with fire.
Have you invited us here to impoverish us?” 16 And
Samson's wife wept over him and said, “You only hate me; you do not love
me. You have put a riddle to my people, and you have not told me what it is.”
And he said to her, “Behold, I have not told my father nor my mother, and shall
I tell you?” 17 She wept before him the seven days
that their feast lasted, and on the seventh day he told her, because she
pressed him hard. Then she told the riddle to her people. 18 And
the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down,
“What is
sweeter than honey?
What is stronger than a lion?”
And he said to them,
“If you
had not plowed with my heifer,
you would not have found out my riddle.”
19 And the
Spirit of the Lord rushed
upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon and struck down thirty men of the
town and took their spoil and gave the garments to those who had told the
riddle. In hot anger he went back to his father's house. 20 And
Samson's wife was given to his companion, who had been his best man.
There is so much packed in
these verses. First Samson agreed to a
wife and a wedding that wasn’t of Hebrew tradition and then he trusts his new
wife and she betrays him.
Can God use Samson
although he made poor decisions? I am so
glad that God can use us even after we have made mistakes.
Have you ever been betrayed
by someone you trusted? It is so
hurtful, and can cause us harm not only in our feelings, but hurt our witness
and our reputation. The thing we know
though is th One we can always trust in is God.
He will never lead us astray or betray us.
Father in Heaven, You are
the one and only that we can always have full trust in. I’m so glad I can say You are always
there. I know there have been times in
my life that I haven’t relied on You and those times were the most lonely
because when I set You aside in my mind, You aren’t there to lean on and depend
on. Thank You for taking me back in all
the times I have set You aside in my heart and put myself first. Thank You for forgiving me when I have
disappointed You and been disobedient.
Thank You for Your grace and mercy.
In Jesus’ name.
Amen!
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