Judges 15:1-20
Samson decides to give it another go with his Philistine wife after the tragic and volatile end to the wedding feast and celebration. Unfortunately when he gets to his wife's house with his gift of a goat (weird), her father informs Samson that he has given Samson's wife to another man. Sampson doesn't take the news well at all. His emotions erupt and he reacts--poorly, burning the Philistines fields and killing 1000 men.
What does Samson show us about the danger of immediate and unchecked responses to emotions? What are some things we can do to help us respond to whatever our situation is in a godly manner? Tami W.
Samson is a man of unchecked passions. This causes him to do things in a rash manner. We must learn from this by first taking the time to assess the situation before we blindly react. Another thing that I am noticing in the story of Samson is that bad things continue to bring bad results. This is a good lesson to us all to use temperance and moderation in our affairs, that we don't just fly off the handle, but take a second to check out what is really happening, before we choose our next step.
i think samson let fear get the better of him, after he heard what his wife father had told him.i think what came to his mind was the thought and this brings on fear.and this triggers off his emotions, but im glad god was able to put his divine intervention and let him overcome. as christians we should at all times.seek god and know him and know who we are in him let us not have and not get carried away with emotions. Thank God for Salvation!
Emotions covers a wide array of feelings, and "emotions erupting" sure hits the nail on the head when it comes to what happens with mine. Because I do erupt; like a volcano. POW! Then it's too late and I have to make another trip to the spiritual woodshed, which at my age I de-test. Now I will be able to idendify what's going on and hopefully be able to keep them in check. Two simple descriptive words that begin with the same letter for easy memorization. Beautiful! Thank you for sharing them! May GOD bless all. Adios amigos.
Samson's rage didn't just affect those he was angry at. His wife and father in law were burnt. A good lesson; when we react hastily in anger, although it may be directed at others, it may end up hurting those we love. Our sin has consequences.
Thanks for these comments. Reality check we do sin in thought words and sometimes deeds. We need Jesus to remind us that He is with us all the time. We don't want the wood shed but since I have a hard head and poor memory the pain is often to my heart and conscience. How could I forget THE ONE who loves me so quickly is beyond my imagination but it happens...
The root of this type of behavior is selfish living. If Samson had been shown how to "love the Lord God with all of his heart, soul and might", he surely does not display any knowledge of or respect for it. His reactions come from a heart that is "looking out for #1". Had he known the heart of God, and had any respect for it whatsoever, I'm quite positive that his reactions would have been vastly different. Left to ourselves, our hearts are so utterly depraved that we immediately respond to situations only looking to satisfy our own selfish desires. That is why we need salvation...we need to be saved from ourselves. When our eyes are opened to this truth, and we cry out to God for salvation, He sends us a helper, the Holy Spirit, to guide us and instruct us in the intimacies and intricacies of God. As we discover the heart of God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are able to "put off the old self" (Ephesians 4:22-23) and our minds are made to think differently...we begin to want what God wants. The more we see things from God's perspective, the more we want to live the way that He intended...this reinforces our commitment to live surrendered to Christ and our dependence on the Holy Spirit to direct our earthly lives. This, in turn, builds our " immune system" against sin. Without the work of the Spirit in our lives, our "immune system" against sin is rendered useless or nonexistent at all, and the results of that are quite predictable and easily recognizable.
Clearly Samson hadn't learned a basic promise of God in scripture " Vengeance is mine, I will repay". Samson's actions are strange when we consider that he is a Nazarite and separated to the Lord. He should, therefore, have know better and abided by the laws of scripture. If he had counted to ten before acting on his impulses, cooler heads might have prevailed. For every action there is a reaction. It serves us well to always bear that in mind. Then we need to base our actions on Jesus' admonition: do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Do you think God cared that Samson has killed over 1000 people so far. Is it okay because they are Philistines, because all these murders seem to have a 'whatever' attitude about them.
I should stay prayed up. Praying without ceasing and given thanks unto God. Praying that his "fruit of the Spirit" would be upper most front in daily in my life to control the negative emotions in me. Reading God's word regularly will keep me in perspective in living righteously in HIS name.
I wonder too! King David was not allowed to buid GOD'S house because GOD said he had blood on his hands. Were not the Philistines Samson killed GOD'S enemies? I wish I could pray w/o ceasing; I try, but "this" world always gets in the way!? TY for your post.
Like most of us today, Samson was overpowered by what he thought was the right this at that time. Women can be very influential and we've seen that from Genesis with Eve. That's why as Christians,we cannot let our emtions take over;we must weigh things prayerfully and make sober decissions with God as our help,He told us to lean not to our own understanding.