The Upper Story and Lower Story

 Continuing a Series on “Living by Faith”
 (Use the link below to read the verses.)
Judges 16:23-31; Hebrews 11:32

[Hebrews 11 is a recounting of the Heroes of the Faith. Each person is commended for living “by faith”. Following these commendations we read, “Therefore, because you are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses… throw off sin; run with perseverance; fix your eyes on Jesus”. In other words, continue to live “by faith”.]

  

Push leads to shove. Take a sporting event for instance. When a player feels like they have suffered some perceived injustice, they retaliate and strike back at the offending person.

 

The fact is, you probably experience something similar on a daily basis. For instance, how do you feel when a car cuts you off on the highway; don’t you want to speed up and cut them off? What about when your boss does something that really ticks you off; don’t you want to retaliate?

 

Push leads to shove. In a word… revenge. It’s easy to see in others; but in reality, it’s a part of human nature.

 

Samson was a judge of Israel for twenty years; a Nazarite dedicated to God at birth. But if you were to pick one word to describe him, it would likely be revenge. His life started off with a familiar story that promised great hope. His mother was barren when an angel of the Lord appeared to her and made this promise.

 

⁵ You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”             Judges 13 NIV

 

Unfortunately, as an adult, Samson made one bad decision after another. He had many sexual escapades with Philistine women. He was also busy killing Philistine men, and destroying their livelihood. Not out of a desire to fulfill the promise made to his mother, or even his lifelong dedication as a Nazarite; but out of revenge.

 

And yet, he is commended in Hebrews 11 for “living by faith”. As you read through the stories of Samson’s life, what you see is the Lower Story; but what the Lord sees, and had purposed, is the Upper Story.

 

For instance, in Samson’s Lower Story, he insisted that his parents bring him a young Philistine woman as his wife while in the Upper Story, the Lord was at work.

 

⁴ His father and mother didn’t realize the Lord was at work in this, creating an opportunity to work against the Philistines, who ruled over Israel at that time.                 Judges 14 NLT

 

What if there were four chapters in the Bible written about your life, or mine? Would people only see the failures; the selfish acts; our Lower Story? Or would they see what the Lord sees, how we shared the love of Christ; how we lived by faith; our Upper Story.

 

Nobody is perfect, least of all Samson; and yet the Lord was at work through him. The same is true for you and me. What is your Upper Story?