Monday Morning Quarterback

A series on the Judges of Israel
 – Samson from the tribe of Dan
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Judges 16:4-30 

[The book of Judges is a roller coaster ride. It’s about the history of Israel following their entry into the Promised Land. Unfortunately, Israel went through cycles of rejecting God and then repenting. Each time, the Lord saved them by raising up a leader who was called a judge. In this series, we will be looking at some of these judges to learn about God’s character as well as our own.]

  

Every Wednesday, I have a zoom call with a good friend of mine who lives in Nevada. At some point during the call the conversation invariably turns to the most recent Michigan State football game.

 

True to the “experts” that we are, we analyze the problems that the Spartans are having and what they need to do in order to correct them. If only the coach would contact us, I’m sure we’d have things turned around in no time. You could easily call us a “Monday morning quarterback”.

 

Sampson is an easy target for a Monday morning quarterback.

 

Once again Israel did evil in the eyes of the Lord. As a result, he handed them over to the Philistines who oppressed them for forty years. During that time the angel of the Lord appeared to a barren woman telling her that she would become pregnant and that her son would take the lead in delivering Israel from the Philistines.

 

True to the word of the angel, she gave birth to a son who she named Samson. Unfortunately, he became a flawed man with feet of clay. Although he was feared far and wide, he also had a weakness for Philistine women that led to his demise.

 

There are a series of bizarre stories that revolve around a Philistine woman that Samson insisted on marrying. These stories put on public display his compulsive, violent and vengeful behavior. However, the Lord was at work through this as Samson confronted the Philistines.

 

Later when Samson fell in love with Delilah, the rulers of the Philistines offered her a significant bribe to find out what gave Samson his strength. Motivated by greed, Delilah nagged Samson “day after day until he was sick to death of it”.

 

Having grown weary of her nagging, he finally told her that it was his hair. With this information, the Philistines were able to capture Samson, gouging out his eyes. In the closing story, the Philistine rulers gathered together to celebrate in the temple of their god Dagon.

 

But with one final act of revenge, Samson asked the Lord to give him the strength that he might kill all who were present at the gathering, including himself. There were over three thousand men and women praising their god for capturing their mortal enemy, when Samson brought the temple down on top of them.

 

As an experienced Monday morning quarterback, I would say that Samson had some great strengths, but also some glaring weaknesses. Despite this, God worked in and through his life.

 

In fact, he is mentioned as one of the heroes of the faith in the “Hall of Faith” in Hebrews 11. Here’s what is written about Samson and some others.

³³ By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, ³⁴ quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight.        NLT

 

Like Samson, none of us are perfect, and yet the Lord has called us to serve him by faith.

 

Copyright 2024 Joseph B Williams

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Two Sides of the Same Coin

 Continuing a Series on “Living by Faith”
 (Use the link below to read the verses.)
Judges 14:1-20; 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”.]

 

There’s an old saying that goes “two sides of the same coin”. It’s a short way of saying that even though heads and tails are totally different, they’re a part of one in the same coin. This can also be a metaphor of our life.

 

For instance, growing up, I knew that my Dad loved me; I just couldn’t feel it. He wasn’t good at showing his affection or verbalizing his love. He also didn’t appear to have time for me; to play catch or shoot baskets. And when he was angry with me, it felt like I had disappointed him to the point that he could never love me.

 

As a young adult, that perception of not feeling loved by my Dad, was a major motivation for leading me into a twenty-five year career in urban youth ministry. On one side of the coin, was the feeling of not being loved by my earthly Father. On the other side, was my desire to show the love of my Heavenly Father. Two sides of the same coin.

 

The Lord has a way of doing the same thing; of taking the duality of an ordinary person to do something extraordinary. Take Samson for instance. Despite all of his shortcomings, failures and weaknesses, he was a part of the Lord’s plan. In Judges 14, Samson has set his eyes and desires on a Philistine woman, much to the consternation of his parents.

 

³ His father and mother objected. “Isn’t there even one woman in our tribe or among all the Israelites you could marry?” they asked. “Why must you go to the pagan Philistines to find a wife?” But Samson told his father, “Get her for me! She looks good to me.” 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.    NLT

 

The Lord seems to revel in taking a person with a significant weakness, and doing something amazing. This is a pattern throughout Scripture! While the world steps on weakness, making it shameful; the Lord holds it up, making it a tool of sanctification and redemption.

 

Perhaps Paul said it best in 2 Corinthians 12.

 

⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.          NIV

 

…Two sides of the same coin.

 

 

 

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?