Read Judges 14-16

Wasted Potential

It is all too common in the sports world to hear of an athlete with great potential, yet his career fails to live up to the hype. I remember one such pitcher drafted by the New York Yankees, whose career was derailed by a physical altercation. There was also a highly touted outfielder for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays who got mixed up in drugs, and while he was able to table those temptations for a time and play well at the big-league level, eventually succumbed again. Neither of these individuals truly lived up to their potential largely because of unwise decisions.

Similarly, Samson had what seemed like unlimited potential. Inspiration says that Samson “grew, and the Lord blessed him” (Judges 13:24). We are told of Samson’s impressive strength. We are told of his confrontation with a young lion, “and he tore the lion apart as one would have torn apart a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand” (Judges 14:6). He then foolishly challenged the Philistines with a riddle, which was explained to them by his wife. Since they learned the explanation, he owed them “thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing” (Judges 14:12). To pay, “he went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty of their men, took their apparel, and gave the changes of clothing to those who had explained the riddle” (Judges 14:19).

Time after time, Samson shows great physical strength but great emotional weakness. He lacked self-control. He gave into carnal lust. He abused the blessings God had given him. Yet, he is listed among the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11:32.

It was in Samson’s final hour that we see his faith. The Philistines, the great enemies of the people of God, had deceived Samson into telling the secret of his strength. They cut his hair, bound him, and used him as a grinder in the prison. They rejoiced and gave praise to their god Dagon for delivering the strong man into their hands.

Samson called out to the Lord one last time for deliverance. Despite all the foolishness and wasted potential of his life, at the end he was counted faithful. May we resolve not to wait until the end of our lives to do what is right. Fulfill your potential in Christ!

Read Judges 13

Teach Us!

How do you respond to the commands of God when you read them in the inspired record? We do not receive direct communication from Him as Manoah’s wife did in this instance, but the words which were given by inspiration are just as binding on us as were the words given directly to men in the Scriptures.

When his wife related to Manoah the things that she heard from the Angel of the Lord, he went to God in prayer. “O my Lord, please let the Man of God whom You sent come to us again and teach us what we shall do for the child who will be born” (Judges 13:8). What a noble request made with a non-doubting, faithful heart! “Teach us!” Do we have that same attitude as we read the Scriptures?

God has told us to do certain things and to avoid other things. Do we pray that we might be taught how to obey more effectively? Jesus commanded His apostles, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). How? What is the most effective way to evangelize? Shall we knock on doors, write letters, purchase time on the television, livestream on Facebook?

All of these have varying levels of success, partly depending on the community in which one lives. What works in New York may not be effective in rural Kentucky, and vice versa. Thus we, must use the intelligence and common sense with which God blesses us to make some decisions based on our environment.

Maybe you are not to the point that you are ready to evangelize because there are things that would hinder your own personal influence. Are you willing to be taught to be better? Peter told the Jews on Pentecost, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). Do you know what the words “repent” and “be baptized” mean? Have you looked them up in the dictionary, read articles about these subjects, investigated the religious beliefs and practices of the congregation where you attend?

Whatever the topic may be—repentance, baptism, or evangelism—have the same attitude as the father of Samson, who prayed to God, “Teach us!”

Read Judges 11:29-40

Be Careful Little Mouth What You Say

Jephthah was one of the heroes of faith listed in Hebrews 11. Without exposition into the reason of his inclusion, the Hebrews writer simply said, “And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah…” (Hebrews 11:32). Of these judges and other Biblical figures, inspiration says that they had “obtained a good testimony through faith” (Hebrews 11:39). Does this mean they were perfect? An examination of the Biblical record shows just the opposite!

Without thinking through the implications, Jephthah made a rash vow to God. “If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands, then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, shall surely by the Lord’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering” (Judges 11:30-31).

Indeed, God used Jephthah to conquer the people of Ammon. And what came out of Jephthah’s house to meet him upon his return home? “When Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, there was his daughter, coming out to meet him with timbrels and dancing; and she was his only child. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter” (Judges 11:34).

What a sad state of affairs! Jephthah had promised to offer her to the Lord, not knowing she would be the one to meet him! Commentators are divided over the issue of whether he actually offered her as a burnt offering or simply dedicated her to the service of the Lord. For an explanation of the latter understanding, read James Burton Coffman’s thoughts on the matter in his commentary on the book of Judges.

The point is this: Jephthah realized he needed to follow through with his vow. “For I have given my word to the Lord, and I cannot go back on it” (Judges 11:35). When one says they will do something, whether a promise or not, they should follow through with it even if it is not to their benefit.

The writer of Ecclesiastes says it best: “When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; for He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed—better not to vow than to vow and not pay” (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5).

Read Judges 11:1-11

God Sees Worth in the World’s “Worthless”

It is often difficult to escape your past, even when you had no real control over it. The writers of the book of Judges says that Jephthah “was a mighty man of valor, but he was the son of a harlot” (Judges 11:1). Because of this, he was rejected by his father’s legitimate sons. Even though he was cast out by his own family, though, Jephthah found companionship with other “worthless men” (Judges 11:3). The New International Version uses the phrase “a gang of scoundrels” to describe this group.

The New King James Version says that this group “went out raiding with” Jephthah (Judges 11:3), but James Burton Coffman opines, “More than likely, he, like David, protected settlements from marauders.” The ensuing events lends some credence to Coffman’s view.

Faced with war against Ammon, the elders of Gilead begged for Jephthah’s assistance. The man that they once viewed as worthless, they now saw as their deliverer. His response to their plea is understandable, considering their former mistreatment of him. “If you take me back home to fight against the people of Ammon, and the Lord delivers them to me, shall I be your head?” (Judges 11:9). An agreement was struck between Jephthah and the elders of Gilead, and he went to work against Ammon.

Have you ever felt worthless? Felt like an outcast among your friends and family? Maybe you fell into sin, then repented, but it can be difficult to reestablish trust with those who were once close to you. God can still use you.

The apostle Paul lists several types of sinners that will not be saved as long as they continue in their sin. “Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). If you are involved in these activities, you cannot be saved—but if you repent, turn your life away from sinful behaviors and toward a godly lifestyle, God will forgive you! Paul continues, “And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11).

The world may see you as worthless, but God will count you worthy of His forgiveness if you seek Him and obey Him!

Read Judges 7

Courage, Wisdom, and Obedience

Gideon is assured victory against the enemy and has thirty-two thousand men standing behind him. God says, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me’” (Judges 7:2). In order to reduce the size of the army, God tells Gideon to send the fearful away. When this announcement was made, twenty-two thousand men left the ranks.

God says of the ten thousand remaining soldiers, “The people are still too many” (Judges 7:4). He devises another test: those who drink water by putting their hand to their mouth would remain, and those who got down on their knees to drink would be sent home. Only three hundred men passed this test, showing the wisdom of being alert at all times. Gideon’s army of three hundred was then divided into three companies; they were told to blow their trumpets and break their pitchers, and they obeyed.

These are three things that are still required in the Lord’s army today: courage, wisdom, and obedience!

We need courage to stand up against the enemies of truth, those who want to tear our faith down and gain followers for themselves. Paul warned the Ephesian elders that there would be some people like that: “For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves” (Acts 20:29-30).

We need wisdom to be alert for Satan’s schemes. Peter wrote, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). It is a war, and Satan doesn’t play fair. Be aware of his tricks.

We need obedience because Jesus is the One with all authority. We cannot devise our own plan of salvation; we must follow His! We cannot make up our own rules for worship or service; we must submit to what He has revealed. Are you enlisted in His army? Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? Have you been immersed for the remission of sins? (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38, 41, 47).

Read Judges 6:33-40

How Many Signs Do You Need?

God had already consumed the meat and unleavened bread that Gideon set on the rock before departing (Judges 6:19-22), and had providentially protected him through the defense of his father from the anger of the men of the city after the destruction of the altar of Baal and the wooden image beside it (Judges 6:28-32). What more did Gideon need?

Gideon brought together the Abiezrites and called men from Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali to join him in the fight against the Midianites and Amalekites. Yet, he still requested another sign from God. He laid a fleece of wool out on the threshing floor, and asked God to make it wet with dew overnight but keep the ground all around it dry. God did what Gideon asked.

It still wasn’t enough. Gideon repeated the request but reversed the specifications. Keep the fleece dry but let the ground all around it be wet. And again, God did what Gideon asked. This time, though, Gideon was satisfied with what God accomplished. There is no inspired record of any lingering doubt in Gideon’s mind.

Do we ask for too many signs today? What happened when the people of the first century asked Jesus for signs? He had performed many miracles, but they still wanted to see more. “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You,” said a group of scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 12:38). Jesus responded, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah” (Matthew 12:39).

The Lord continued working miracles, but not at their behest. He did what He needed to do to accomplish the Father’s will. He did what He needed to do to convince those who were truly seeking the truth. He did what He needed to do to confirm His trustworthiness, just as the apostles later did (Mark 16:17-20).

Friends, stop looking for signs. God has given us all the proof that we need in the inspired Scriptures. Turn to His Word, learn His will, and obey His commands.