Judges Part 3: SamsonSample

God’s Mystery Box

One thing I told our five children as they were growing up was that, as they learned the Bible, they needed to have a “mystery box.” I explained that there will be things in the Bible that are true but not easy to understand. Even Peter, who wrote two books of the Bible and was trained by Jesus, said that Paul’s letters were “hard to understand.”

Just because something in the Bible is hard to understand does not mean it is wrong. When we reach those points in our Bible study, we need to be humble enough to put those parts of the Bible in the “mystery box.” Practically, this means that, despite praying and studying, we don’t yet know how to interpret and understand what God has said. Later in life, as we grow and mature, there will be issues in the mystery box that we eventually come to understand. Other issues will remain in the mystery box until we get to Heaven and Jesus explains to us what we did not understand in this life.

One issue that most Christians have in their mystery box is the simultaneous truths that God is sovereign and that human beings make choices for which we are morally responsible. This tension is on full display throughout the life of Samson, including when he sins and seeks to marry a demonic Philistine, but God uses it to help him war against them. He is repeatedly guilty of sexual sin, getting into fights, killing men, and violating every term of the Nazirite vow God placed on his life. God never told Samson to commit any of these sins, and the man is fully responsible for his wrongdoing.

However, despite Samson’s sin, God uses him for His divine purposes. God is bigger and stronger than Samson, and the man’s bad cannot outdo God’s good. God uses Samson – including his faults, flaws, and failures – to battle the Philistine enemies, kill some bad guys, and rule Israel as a judge.

Samson’s life is a case study example of two of the most legendary Scriptures on divine sovereignty and human responsibility:

●Romans 8:28: “...we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

●Genesis 50:20: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”

The fact that God can save and use someone as flawed as Samson should encourage us. In the end, God is very gracious. In Samson’s life, and our own, God does not command or condone sin, but He does control the outcome because He is sovereign and good. This should encourage us; even when we have done wrong, God can and will do right and use even our bad for His good.

What are some things in the mystery box that you would like to ask Jesus when you get to Heaven?