16-17^th May

Weekend Edition

“Samson said, “This time I cannot be blamed for everything I am going to do you Philistines.””

Judges 15:3

It’s so easy when we have been angered, to get caught up in the emotion of the situation, that you don’t realise what you are saying or doing. It is no coincidence that a fruit of a Spirit filled believer is self-control. When our lives are fully submitted to God, if we are squeezed then only goodness should come out. Yet so often this is not the case, as seen in todays passage.

A few days later, Samson returned to Timnah see his wife again. Upon arriving, he realised his wife had been given to his best man in his absence, and was offered the more beautiful sister instead by her father. Obviously Samson was outraged. In a moment of fury, he caught 300 foxes, tied their tails together in pairs, fastened burning torches to their tails and sent them to run wild in the Philistine fields. In doing so, their fields of grain, vineyards and olive groves were completely destroyed. In retaliation to Samson’s act of destruction, the Philistines, ordered Samson’s wife and her father to be executed.

This angered Samson even more, and as expected, he took revenge by killing 1000 Philistines with the jaw of a donkey. Whats more, he showed a complete lack of remorse by celebrating with an arrogant victory song about himself, in verse 16.

We too can learn a very important and valuable lesson from today’s passage: There is no end to retaliation and revenge. It goes on and on and on. If we are to show Christ to the nations, then we should strive to live like Christ in all we do. Jesus, when being accused of blasphemy and beaten by the Roman guards, did not strike back in revenge but acted as “a sheep being led to slaughter”. This did not show weakness, moreover, it took more courage, humility and self discipline for Jesus not to react than to strike back in revenge. Revenge will have its day, but that is for God to decide and not us. Submit in all things to the will of our Father and reap the benefits of His blessings, even in persecution.