FBC Daily Devotional – September 1, 2021

Well a good Wednesday morning to you. You had a good night of rest and are refreshed for this day ahead of you one thing we can say for sure when we read the story of Samson is that God certainly moves in mysterious ways, doesn't he?

I mean you you could read what is verses chapters 14 15 16 of the book of Judges and write a catalog of Samson's sins and They're pretty egregious

The marrying of a Philistine woman the Eating the food from the unclean animal that violated his

Nazarite vow later on in chapter 16 Engaging with a prostitute then

The the practices the behavior with Delilah and and so forth

These are all pretty Pretty egregious things and pretty offensive things and yet what we read is that the

Lord used those sins those sinful behaviors of Samson as a means of Delivering his people the

Israelites from the Philistines and We we find this so difficult to comprehend we we tend to think that you know,

God God will only use holy vessels clean vessels and and I don't want to suggest that or Imply that it's okay not to be holy and clean or pursue holiness.

Not not at all That's not at all what I'm saying. Believe me But what I am saying is that we can't put

God in a box and say that God can't use or God won't use Even the wrong choices and sinful behaviors of his people that go astray because he this is this whole story of Samson is a

Is a great illustration of that very thing and it's not that Samson gets away with it all either does it?

No, well, not at all man. That guy was a kind of miserable life if you think about it, you know He's he's insistent on having this

Philistine woman. Well, he gets her but then you know, she ends up she ends up Brow -beating him into giving it giving the answer to his riddle and she turns around and gives that answer of the riddle to his groomsmen, which then

Puts him in a bind because he has to provide garments for all of them He had no expectation that they would get the answer this riddle his wife betrayed him so he turns around gets angry and goes and sets a field on fire and that that and Leaves in a huff leaves the area angry his wife ends up being given to the best man

If you will in the wedding, he comes back to claim his wife finds out she's already given to somebody else that makes him all the angrier and and It goes downhill from there.

It was downhill from there the whole of the whole of chapter Fifth of chapter 15 is about his fighting with the

Philistines and it all goes back to What he did with this field because of this wife that you know

Betrayed him if you will and then was given to somebody else and then you jump into chapters you jump into chapter 16 with his relationship with with Delilah first the prostitute that goes south and And then he's then he's with Delilah and she deceives him

This guy had a miserable life and he had a miserable life because of his sinful choices So don't draw the conclusion that since God uses

People even when they make sinful choices that it's okay to make those sinful choices

No, you know, you make the choices you're gonna suffer the consequences and he certainly did he certainly did

But the the thing I want us to get is that God isn't so limited as we might think he is

That he does use these things and he uses these things even

Ultimately for their for the benefit of his people. Can there be any more? Tragic story of self -destructive woe in all of the

Old Testament than you see Maybe Saul But I don't know.

It seems like Samson's whole adult life was one of tragic woe Can't I can't think of any any more tragic than the story of Samson and yet Yet, how does the story end chapter 16 verse 30 says

Samson said let me die with the Philistines remember his eyes have been plucked out and He's standing there between these two pillars.

He's but he's a mocker. You've been made fun of he's he's mocked and by the

Philistines in this theater because they've captured him and he's standing there between the two support pillars for this thing and and finally, he the

Spirit of the Lord comes back upon him empowers him and he's able to cause the the whole the whole building to collapse because he's able to take out those support beams and All these

Philistines died, but Samson dies with him. So he says let me die with the Philistines He pushed with all his might and the temple fell on the

Lord's and all the people who were in it then says so the dead that he killed at his death were more than he killed in his life and His brothers and all his father's household came down and took him

Brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshter all in the tomb of his father

Manoah tragic sad and yet it says He had judged

Israel 20 years and in that judging of Israel for 20 years

He delivered them from so much of the Philistine oppression the

Lord used that Tragic story of self -destructive.

Woe he used it for the benefit of his people As I said

God moves in mysterious ways But he does so for the benefit of his people

That's what I want us to see So let's give thanks to our God who? Who works in ways that are far beyond our comprehension?

But he does so for the benefit of his people We thank you our God that you do work in such strange mysterious ways to us but all perfectly all

Perfectly woven together to accomplish your ultimate purpose for the sake the welfare of your people we think even of even of our

Savior going to the cross Using all of the sinful acts of men even one closest to him like Judas and he did so he did so You did so used all these things for the benefit of Those for whom

Christ died We thank you and praise you father for your glorious mysterious gracious merciful ways

For the benefit of those you love and we pray praise you in Jesus name

All right. Well, have a good rest of your Wednesday this middle of the week. I hope the rest of your week goes well