In short
Like that title isn’t long enough already.
The point is, you’re going to see this a lot in the book of Judges. Someone is chosen by the LORD to bring victory, and he does, but he also does some things that leave you thinking, “Was that okay for him to do that?” (Typically: no it wasn’t.) And the Bible may not say anything to let you know if it was good, bad or indifferent.
Why it is important
Seven times* in Judges, you see the phrase, “And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD.”
But If you are waiting for the Bible to say, “And what SAMSON did was evil in the sight of the LORD,” you won’t find it in the book of Judges. The book records what happened and typically makes no commentary on the judges themselves.
I used to assume that since the Bible didn’t at that moment condemn the action, and the person doing it is a famous hero of the Bible, then I guess God was okay with what he did. But that’s not a valid conclusion.
Examples
Gideon
- Called by the LORD: Judges 6:14
- Victorious: Judges 7:19-24
- Questionable moment: Gideon won’t trust God unless it’s on Gideon’s terms (Judges 6:36-40
Samson
- Called by the LORD: Judges 13:15
- Victorious: Judges 15:15
- Questionable moment: like this guy’s whole life. Ate honey from a dead animal (Jdg 14:8-9). Slept with a prostitute (Jdg 16:1). Lied (Jdg 16:7, 11). Committed suicide (Jdg 16:30).
And then there’s Jephthah’s really stupid vow (Jdg 11:30-40). He killed his own daughter, even when the law had a way to go back on a rash vow (Lev 5:4-6).
Or the Israelites’ solution to nearly wiping out the tribe of Benjamin (Jdg 21). They kidnap innocent women, seemingly hundreds of them.
Theology and doctrine
The idea I am getting at is that reading the Bible requires discernment.
When I reread the title of this lesson today, I realized it sounds like something else, that the Bible doesn’t give you a direct answer to all of life’s questions. And I suppose that could be the application of all of this. The Bible does give us all the answers. But maybe it’s not as plain as we think we would like.
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work,” 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
Footnote
* Judges 2:11, 3:7, 3:11, 4:1, 6:1, 10:6, 13:1. To be fair, four of those times, it adds “again” in the middle.
No responses yet