ESV Chronological Plan, Day 89 | Judges 14-16

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Judges 14:1-16:31

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Put emotions in their proper place. Throughout the account of Samson, we see someone who is passionate and fiery, who goes with the flow and does what he feels in the moment--a description that these days, we find troubling when applied to a man, and empowering when applied to a woman. But the truth is that for both men and women, for all Christians alike, Samson's story is a cautionary tale. The person who reacts out of hot anger, falls madly in love at first sight, satisfies their urges whenever they have them, reveals sensitive information to get people off his back, shoves people away and becomes bitter when they don't respond to him afterwards, wanders the land without commitments like a free spirit, and likes to blow off steam by picking a good fight--these are all character traits of Samson's, and all of them are negative things that need to be avoided. Emotions are God-given parts of our humanity that deserve to be acknowledged in their proper place. But we don't live out of our emotions. We live out of what God has revealed to us, what he's shown us, and what we know to be right. Then we lean into the way of life that we have chosen, with all of our emotions and passion and excitement. We can celebrate, laugh, love, and wonder better than Samson could ever dream of! But we don't lead ourselves out of our eyes, our stomache, or our hearts--we follow God first, and then we let all those other things come in afterwards.

DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? IN OUR ATTITUDES we might respond to this reading by being a little more reflective, choosing not to say or do what we feel in the moment, but first seeking the Lord. However, emotions are a big part of who we are. Once we know the direction that God is pointing us in, we should enjoy that with all the emotion and passion that God has given us.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US TO GOD?

Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or to something else in your Bible reading time, take a few moments before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God. If you need a format for prayer, both the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication), CALL (Confess, Ask, Love, Listen), and PRAY (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield) methods are helpful ways to stay consistent.

-Sean