“His parents did not know that this was from the LORD, who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines; for at that time they were ruling over Israel.”
~ Judges 14:4
Hi James and Ellen,
When you get big, would you like to be really strong? Do you think that your dad is really strong? Do you like to tell riddles? A riddle is like a brainteaser. A riddle is a puzzle story. Has your dad or ma ever told you a riddle? Judges 14 is the story of a guy who was really strong and who told riddles. This guy’s name was Samson. Samson would be the strongest guy who will ever live on planet Earth. Samson was a Nazirite. A Nazirite was a guy who made a vow to never drink wine, to never use a razor to cut his hair or his beard and to never go near a dead guy, gal, kid or animal. God’s specially chosen guys were the only guys who could make the Nazirite vow. There were three guys who made a lifetime Nazirite vow. These guys were John the Baptist, Samuel and Samson. If a guy decided that he want to make a Nazirite vow for a year – or for other lengths of time, that guy would be called a Nazirite as he was fulfilling his vow. Do you know what a vow is? A vow is to make a promise that you will do something. Have you ever made a promise to do something for your dad and/or ma? When you make a promise that you will do something for your dad and/or ma, you are making a vow. When a guy would a long time ago made a Nazirite vow, the guy was making a promise to God. Have you ever made a promise to God? It seems like every time that a guy, gal or kid today makes a promise or a vow to God, the promise or vow gets broken. Even though Samson was really not a very good Nazirite, Samson still ended up doing what God had planned for him to do.
How do you think that God’s perfect plan for your life works? Are you hoping that God will tell you before you get as old as your dad or before you get old like your grandpaa what His perfect plan or His will is for your life? God does not tell guys, gals and kids what is going to happen the next minute in their lives let alone the next day. Samson did not know how God was using or going to use his life for His sake. This chapter about Samson tells you about a guy who made a bad decision. Have you ever made a bad decision? What would you say would be a bad decision? A bad decision can be when you do something which you selfishly want to do after your dad and/or ma told you that it was something that they did not want you to do. A bad decision is to deliberately do something that is against the law. If your grandpaa drives faster than what the posted speed limits says and a policeman stops him, do you know what will happen? Your grandpaa learned years ago what happens when your grandpaa was told after he was stopped by a policeman in a speed trap in Estelline, Texas that he would have to pay a fine. A bad decision that you make and learn from will teach you to make good decisions. As God is unfolding the perfect plan that He has made for the lives of every guy, gal and kid, God is using for His Kingdom’s sake every decision – both good and bad, that He has every guy, gal and kid make. Verse 4 says “(His parents did not know that this was from the LORD, who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines; for at that time they were ruling over Israel.)”
Do you remember who the Philistines were? The Philistine guys were one of God specially chosen guys, gals and kids worst enemies. The Philistine guys, gals and kids lived on a stretch of land next to the Mediterranean Sea. The Philistine guys are known today as the PLO. Samson lived over 3000 years ago. The Philistine guys and God’s specially chosen guys – the Israelite people group guys, have been enemies for over 3000 years. When Samson was a young guy, the Philistines domineered the Israelites. The Israelites – who were God’s specially chosen guys and gals, were living in the land which God had promised them through Abraham then Isaac and then Jacob that they would always have to live in as their very own land if . . . Samson’s dad and ma were from the Dan tribal clan. The Dan tribal clan lived right next to where the Philistines lived. Samson decided one day to visit one of the Philistine towns that was probably close to where he lived. When Samson was in the Philistine town, Samson saw a gal there who he decided that he just had to marry. Samson’s dad and ma did not think that it was a good idea that an Israelite guy marry a Philistine gal. Samson’s dad and ma were right but . . . this is when God tells guys and gals through the guy who wrote Judges that it was God’s desire – or His will in His perfect plan for Samson’s life, that Samson was to marry this gal. Why do you think that it was God’s will in His perfect plan to have Samson marry this Philistine gal? God was not pleased at all in the way that the Philistine guys and gals were treating His specially chosen guys and gals. It was God’s will in His perfect plan to use Samson to fight and kill Philistine guys. Samson had no way of knowing that God was going to use him to fight and kill Philistines. God had Samson get so angry at the Philistines that Samson killed thirty Philistine guys in Askelon. Do you know what God allowed to happen to get Samson so mad? God permitted Samson to marry the Philistine gal. On the way to marry the Philistine gal, a lion tried to kill Samson. Because Samson was really strong, Samson ripped the lion apart with his bare hands. When Samson saw the lion again, Samson saw that bees had made honey in the lion’s body. Samson decided to make a riddle out of what the bees did – which Samson told to the Philistines as a bet. The Philistine guys threatened Samson by telling Samson that they would kill his new wife and her family if . . . so after Samson’s new wife kept crying and begging Samson for the answer to the riddle, Samson told her. Samson’s new wife told the Philistine guys and . . . what do you think that Samson did with his new wife? Samson – after he had killed the thirty Philistines, gave his new wife away to a friend. When you make bad decisions as you are growing up, always remember that God is in control.
Judges 14 (116)