Weekly Sunday Devotion Part II

This is a weekly guest devotion written by my mother Estelene.  Every Sunday she shares something new with us from God’s Word.

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If you missed last week’s devotion, please go back and read it first.  Shall we continue to learn more about the life of this person?  Please do not refer to the below scripture in your Bible.  I would like to see if you know who this story is about.  We will pick up where we left off last week.

“’You will conceive and give birth to a son. No razor may be used on his head, because the boy is to be a Nazirite, set apart to God from birth, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines.’” Judges 13:5

Time had passed and the male child grew up.  The Danites had difficulty conquering their territory that God had promised them, so they wandered throughout the land.  During the young man’s visits to their tribal army camp the Lord began to cause uneasiness in his heart.  This was part of his preparation to become a judge and a leader that would begin to deliver his people from the Philistines.

On one occasion he saw a young Philistine woman who he desired to take as his wife.  His parents did not approve because she was from an enemy nation and it was against God’s law.  But he insisted.  The Bible says that “this was from the Lord, who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines; for at that time they were ruling over Israel.”

He along with his father and mother traveled to Timnah where this young Philistine woman lived.  On their journey, a young lion began to attack this young man.  The Spirit of the Lord came upon him in mighty power, and he ripped that lion apart with his bare hands.  He kept this little secret to himself.  This makes me wonder where his parents were at that time.  Why didn’t anyone else witness this amazing defeat?

After a period of time, the young lion killer married the young Philistine woman.  He made a deal with thirty Philistine men that if they could give him the answer to his riddle, he would give them thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.  If they could not, then they would have to give him the same.  Of course they could not answer his riddle.  So they threatened his wife that either she would somehow get her husband to reveal to her the answer to the riddle or they would burn to death her and her father’s household.

At first her husband would not reveal the answer.  But after she cried and cried for days, he gave in.  Well, you can guess what she did.  She supplied the thirty men with the answer to the riddle.

Once the young Danite realized what had happened, he took revenge.  He went to another city, killed thirty Philistine men, took their clothes and gave them to the men who answered his riddle.  Can you see how this young man that God had blessed with great strength used his gift for personal gain?

In deed this infuriated the Philistines, so they did as they said they would.  They killed his wife and her father’s household.

Once again, the young lion killer took revenge.  “He attacked them viciously and slaughtered many of them.  Then he went down and stayed in a cave in the rock of Etam.” Judges 15:8.

The Philistines went to Judah and camped.  When the Israelites inquired as to why they had come to fight, they said they had come to take the young Danite as prisoner.  The Israelites didn’t need any more problems with the Philistines, so they tied up the young Danite with two new ropes and handed him over to them.

As the Philistines along with their prisoner approached the city of Lehi, the Philistines living there came running toward the young prisoner.  The Spirit of the Lord came upon him in great strength.  The two new ropes that bound him became like “charred flax” and fell off him.  He snatched up a jawbone of a donkey and murdered a thousand men.

That would make any man thirsty.  Being physically and emotionally exhausted, he cried out to God, “’You have given your servant this great victory.  Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?’”

It is said that after a great victory or accomplishment, a person will become a victim of depression.  That is what happened to this young Danite.  He had himself a little pity party.

How many times do you invite yourself to a pity party?  I must really enjoy those parties because I attend them quite often.

God in his great mercy supplied the great slayer with water that returned to him the strength needed for him to be revived.

I am so grateful for God’s great mercy.  He could turn a deaf ear to my whining.  Instead He gently shows me his love in a way that I need at that particular time in that particular situation.  When I am weak, He is strong.  When I am tired, He is my strength.  And so it was for this young Danite.

Have you guessed who this man is that has been given the gift of great strength?

We will conclude our study of the young Danite’s life next week.  We will cover his strengths, his weaknesses and his failures.  And may I say “The older you get, the wiser you become.”

May the Lord go with you this week.