Gut Check
Gut Check
Judges 14:1-3
Samson went down to Timnah, and at Timnah he saw one of the daughters of the Philistines. Then he came up and told his father and mother, “… Now get her for me as my wife.” But his father and mother said to him, “Is there not a woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you must go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she is right in my eyes.”
We’re only a few lines into the introduction to Samson’s biography and already the biblical author gives us a hint at the dichotomous nature of this peculiar judge. Samson is the quintessential anti-hero if such a thing exists. He’s a consecrated man on the outside—circumcised, with long, uncut hair, following a strict dietary regimen, a Nazarite of Nazarites—but totally unconsecrated on the inside. A guy who from birth has been physically marked by a sacred and divine prestige, a man meticulously prepared by his parents for the way of the LORD, yet he does whatever seems right in his own eyes just like the godless men of earth. He’s God’s man for these dark days, but right now at least, he’s far from a godly man. Can’t you hear the disappointment in mom and dad’s voices here? Surely, they expected more spiritual fruit from their son by this point. The apple seems to have fallen far from the tree in this case.
Friend, are there voices of wise, godly counselors in your life right now graciously offering a word of caution? Is there a business deal on the table that will double your income but will also require you to remain quiet about your faith and perhaps make you party to ungodly priorities? Is there a sporting opportunity for your kids that will cause you to miss out on local church ministry every weekend? Is there a long-term friendship that continues to lead you further away from the LORD, and you’re becoming one person on Sunday morning and a different person Monday through Saturday? Have you become desensitized to profanity and pornography, but the medium is some award-winning mini-series or a bestselling novel or a funny podcast, so you rationalize it?
Go with God today, not your gut. Deliberate hard, pray harder, and take into consideration the wisdom of godly counselors.