SAMSON PART 3 Woman in Timnath: Judges 14:1 And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. 2 And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife. 3 Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well. 4 But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel. It is often difficult for the religious mind to understand this portion of scripture. The natural mind finds a dilemma between the facts that Israelites were not to marry foreigners while at the same time the Lord sought an occasion against the Philistines. They find this a contradiction of terms and rules laid down by God. This is the way most Christians think.  They think in religious terms following laws and commandments to the letter while missing a relationship with their Father. They strain at gnats and swallow camels and think they have a special place that allows them to manipulate the Holy Spirit. Matt. 24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. If we live by the law we have to do all of the law. The law is based on rules of conduct. But Christianity is based on relationship and behavior born from above into the lives of believers. Do you believe this? If what you are doing today is not conceived by the Holy Spirit and born out from Christ why are you doing it? Even if you could do all the law you would not avail yourself of a relationship with the Father nor would you be a partaker of his divine nature. You would have your own righteousness, not his righteousness. His righteousness is the most valuable possession you can have in heaven or earth. His righteousness confirms you are his son.  Gal. 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. Therefore this event gets at the very core of our life which is hidden in Christ, Jesus.  We were not brought into this world to have God serve us but we are brought forth to serve God. God sets his own agendas and uses us to carry out his will. Samson is an instrument that God pre-prepared in order to seek an occasion which God hath before ordained that [he] should walk in them. For this cause came we into the world and not for our own life though this may trouble our souls. We are often self centered enough to think that everything God does in the earth revolves around our lives. We think we are the recipient of all that God does. Often we see ordinary suffering as some great thing that God is doing in us, for us and to us. What person in this world does not receive some suffering that has nothing to do with God? We are misguided into thinking that certain hardships in life are the sum-total working of God in the earth. We are not the agenda, we are on the agenda but his will supercedes any suffering we think we are going through. I hear Mordecai’s word of admonition, and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? Perhaps we must see ourselves as instruments in God’s hand waiting to do what he wants and not what we think we want him to do. Does this trouble your soul, Esther? The realization that God can raise-up stones to do his will but remarkably uses us to carry out his purposes in the earth separate from our ideals and desires. John 12:27 Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. 28 Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. This is the case with Samson.  God uses him to do the bidding that he planned before Samson was born. Now Samson was preexistent in the mind and heart of God in that. . . the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son. Judges 13:3. Therefore God may use him as He sees fit even if it seems to violate our processes of thinking. Let us let Paul summarize this topic:  For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, Rom. 9:17-23 return Samson: