A story of tragedy and triumph

Judges

16:4-31

The story of Samson is a story of tragedy and triumph. We see Samson’s tragedy – ‘”I will go out at other times, and shake myself free”. But he did not know that the Lord had left him’ (20). There is a warning for us here. Yesterday’s triumphs do not guarantee today’s victory. Today’s challenge needs today’s grace. We need to keep close to the Lord – ‘His mercies…are new every morning’ (Lamentations 3:22-23). We see Samson’s triumph – In his death, he triumphed over the Philistines (30). What encouragement there is for us here! How often we feel like Samson – ‘seized…gouged…brought down…bound…in the prison’ – going through ‘the mill’ (21)! Satan seems to have the upper hand. We feel so helpless. Satan will not have the last word. Take this for your encouragement: Satan will be ‘thrown into the lake of fire’ (Revelation 20:10).

17:1-18:13

Things are not going well – ‘every man did that which was right in his own eyes’ (17:6). People were doing what suited themselves. Micah was trying to ‘get the best of both worlds’. He was worshipping idols (17:4-5). He was trying to keep on the right side of the Lord – ‘Now I know that the Lord will prosper me, because I have a Levite priest’ (13). Micah’s priest was a ‘Yes’ man. He told Micah what he wanted to hear. Many people ‘refuse to listen to the truth’. They prefer to listen to those who ‘tell them what they want to hear’ (2 Timothy 4:3-4). Many are ‘lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God’ (2 Timothy 3:4). We must not fall into the trap of ‘trying to please all the people all the time’. Seek to be like Jesus – ‘I seek not My own will but the will of Him who sent Me’ (John 5:30).