QT 13 Feb 13, Change doesn't happen in nations, but in individuals

Judges 15:15-20 (NIV) Finding a fresh jawbone of a donkey, he grabbed it and struck down a thousand men.

16 Then Samson said,

"With a donkey's jawbone

I have made donkeys of them.

With a donkey's jawbone

I have killed a thousand men."

17 When he finished speaking, he threw away the jawbone; and the place was called Ramath Lehi.

18 Because he was very thirsty, he cried out to the Lord, "You have given your servant this great victory. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?" 19 Then God opened up the hollow place in Lehi, and water came out of it. When Samson drank, his strength returned and he revived. So the spring was called En Hakkore, and it is still there in Lehi.

20 Samson led Israel for twenty years in the days of the Philistines.

NOTE: At this point in the book of Judges, it is very hard to distinguish Israel from the nations around them. Samson's life is controlled by his appetites, just like the world, whether it be sex or thirst or power (in the form of violence). The only distinguishing characteristic, referred to here, is circumcision. But that is hardly anything to be proud of or that might draw someone toward faith in the unseen God. And yet God is gracious to his people and continues to provide for them. And Samson, of all people, leads Israel for 20 years. Why does God choose Samson? He picks him before he is born. He is a Nazarite. His hair has never been cut and he has never drank strong drink. I find the latter hard to believe, but there is no verse to contradict. God picked someone, before they were born, to save his people. Even born with a purpose and a special calling, Samson is hardly a man after God's heart. His parents show more faith than most but it does not seem to make much of a difference in Samson's choices. Possibly, the picture presented, is that even a divinely raised and called man cannot change Israel or stop its slide in sin. Ultimately, the people as a whole must want change, and it has to start in individuals. Revival starts first with a person and then moves on to capture nations. But if we are not willing to repent of our sins, no true change will occur. And that is where most nations are today. They want change but they don't want to give up their sins. They want God, just as long as they can continue to live their life like they please. Samson is our hero, a man set aside by God, who lives life as he chooses. But ultimately he is a failure and it isn't until the end of his short life that he repents of his sins.