July 19 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Judges 14:1-4

¹And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.
²And 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.
³Then 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.
⁴But 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.

Devotional

According to the brief account of this incident, Samson became infatuated with a woman whom he did not even know. Although he realized that God wants His people to marry within the faith, he wanted this heathen woman for himself.

From the brief account, also, it appears that Samson had little desire to honor his parents. They would have opposed the marriage. But he went against the will of God and of his parents, and further showed his disregard for his father and mother by ordering them very abruptly to go and get her for him!

Samson was guilty before God on two counts: marrying outside the faith, and dishonoring his parents. Nothing that occurred later on excuses this action of Samson. No rationalizing can discount this sin.

But God's secret will is unfathomable. And it was running under all that happened, just as it was in the devilish betrayal of our Lord by Judas. And God even here was paving the way for the downfall of the Philistines, enemies of God and of His people; just as He was, in the case of Judas, fulfilling His plan for Satan to be cast out!

We cannot know God's secret will. When, after an interval of time, it becomes clear that He has been working mysteriously, we are amazed. But His revealed will, his command set forth so clearly in His Word, is not mysterious. And this is what should concern us. Obedience to His revealed will is what He requires of His people. This undoubtedly includes the matter of marriage within the faith.

Sometimes a young person in sinful rebellion marries outside the faith, as did Samson. And sometimes in such marriages the unbelieving partner comes to the Lord! This we must recognize as an act of God's grace in the face of sin! His grace does not justify the sin, it overrules it. So we must never completely despair in the face of a mixed marriage, whether it is our own or that of our child. God is able. And God is very gracious.