Warning Signs

Day two hundred seventeen

Life is bigger than you.  I came across this quote yesterday and it got me thinking about the perspective that I have in my life.  I am not completely self-centered, but I do have my moments when my focus is about my wants and my desires.  But it's not me I'm supposed to be focused on, it's the Lord and His will that I should be thinking about.  I need to get over my frustrations when I have to wait or I am inconvenienced.  Instead I should be looking for opportunities during these times to learn and seek His will.  What if during my impatience I took the opportunity to talk to someone who is also waiting?  Could I change the negative situation into a positive?  Doesn't it seem like the journey would be so much better if we could see a positive instead of a negative in every situation?  I hope so, because I asked the Lord to please be with me today and help me see the positive in all the situations that I come across. 

I haven't forgotten that I need to take action, so I do have a plan. Whenever I start to feel those negative feelings I will repeat to myself, "Life is bigger than you!"  Five words that can change my attitude and the course of my day.  Why didn't I think of this before?!

Judges 14

There are warning signs everywhere you go in life. There are signs along the roadway that point to dangers that lie ahead. There are warning signs that our bodies give us from time to time.  There are warning signs that our minds send out when there is a problem. And there are spiritual warning signs. When we ignore these warning signs, we should know that we are headed for danger.

In Judges 14, Samson manifests all the signs of a man who is headed for trouble in his life. Yet, he ignored every one of those signs and traveled ever farther down a road that would lead to dishonor, defeat and death. As Samson took these first steps down the road to ruin, he had no idea where his path would ultimately lead him. He had no idea how bad things would be at the end of the way. Had he heeded the signs, Samson could have avoided many of the problems he faced later in life.

I want to talk about the signs that should have stopped Samson in his tracks and sent him in a new direction. The desires that gripped Samson’s heart, and that motivated his life, should have raised warning flags that problems were just around the corner.

Lust
Samson’s life can be summed up in the events surrounding three women. Those women were “the woman of Timnath”(Jud. 14:1-4); “the harlot of Gath” (Jud. 16:1-3); and “Delilah” (Jud. 16:4-20).

In chapter 14:1-3  He tells his parents that he has been to Timnath. Timnath was a village that belonged to the tribe of Dan. Apparently, it was occupied by the Philistines. On his trip to Timnath, Samson “saw” a Philistine woman. She captured his eye, and he tells his parents to get her for him to be his wife.

There are two statements made by Samson that stand out. These two statements give us a glimpse into his heart. He says “get her for me” and “she pleased me well”. Samson’s focus is on what he thinks, feels and wants. Notice that he went to Timnath and “saw a woman”. When he saw her, he wanted her, and nothing would prevent him from having her. Not the objections of his parents; not what anyone else thought about the issue; not what was in the best interest of the nation of Israel; and not even what God said would stop Samson from having his own way in this matter.

 It was against God’s will for an Israelite to marry a Philistine (Ex. 34:16; Deut. 7:3; Josh. 23:12). Desires that stood in opposition to the will of God should have raised a warning flag to Samson.

Disrespect
verse 3 - When Samson’s parents hear what he wants to do, they immediately warn against following this course of action. They know that what Samson had planned is not the Lord’s will, and they try to change his mind by encouraging him to marry a good Israelite girl.

Despite the pleas from his parents, Samson is settled in his heart. Samson doesn’t care what his parents think. He doesn’t care about what God thinks. He doesn’t care about what’s right or wrong. All he cares about is what he thinks, what he wants and what he feels. All he cares about is pleasing himself. So, he disrespects his parent’s wishes and he disrespects God will. This should have been a warning sign to Samson.

Disobedience
As a Nazarite there are certain rules that Samson was to live by. A couple of things raised some questions for me:

verse 5 - Samson is attacked in a vineyard. What is a Nazarite doing in a vineyard? According to Num. 6:3-4, he could not eat anything that came from a vine. He could not drink wine. He had no business being around a vineyard.

verses 8-9 - Samson placed his Nazarite vow in jeopardy just by being near a dead body (Num. 6:6). Samson was so full of his own will and so filled with his own ways that the things of God held no power over him. When Samson touched that dead lion, he violated his vow to the Lord (Num. 6:9-12). He was supposed to go to the priest and offer sacrifices. He was supposed to shave his head. He was supposed to begin again as a Nazarite, because his sin destroyed everything in his life up to that point (Num. 6:12). The price should have been forfeiture of all he had worked for.

Deception
verse 9 -The story gets worse! Samson is so filled with pride, that he never considers the consequences of his actions. By eating the honey from the lion, he defiled himself. By giving it to his parents, he caused them to be defiled as well (Num. 19:11-13). He deceived his parents and caused them problems too!


verses 6, 9 -  Samson hid his sin because he did not want his parents to know that he had defiled himself. Had they known, they would have demanded that he fulfill the requirements of the Law of God. He hid his sins because he didn’t want others to think less of him. He knew that he wasn’t right with God.

Evil desires, open disrespect for authority, disobedience to God’s will and deception, that is a lot of warning signs!  Imagine for a moment how Samson’s life would have been different if he had recognized the warning signs and turned his life toward God. Sadly, Samson will continue down his path of destruction and a tragic ending.

After studying this story, I realized what a great opportunity we have to reflect on our own desires and behaviors when we learn about Samson.  It makes sense that the Lord would include this story as a teaching moment for us.  It is a great reminder that we need to evaluate ourselves and get back on track if we have fallen off.  I see some pondering in my future today!