Judges 13-Sampson
Read Judges 13:1-5
Today’s Truth
With the beginning of the final cycle, we are told that, as usual, “the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord,” with the familiar result that God gives them over to their enemies, in this case the Philistines (13:1). The writer is making the point that many of the things the Israelites did were not evil “in their eyes.” In other words, by their perception, most or all of their behavior was perfectly acceptable. They did not go about thinking I know this is evil, but I am going to do it anyway. Yet “in God’s eyes,” the behavior was wicked.
This teaches us two truths about sin. First, the definition of sin. This term “the eyes of the Lord,” in contrast with our “own eyes,” teaches us that sin does not ultimately consist of violating our conscience or violating our personal standards or violating community standards, but rather consists of violating God’s will for us.
Second, these phrases show us the deception of sin. They remind us how easily self-deceived we are. The Israelites had psychological and cultural rationalizations and supports for their sin, so they were in a kind of “group denial.
Discussion Questions
- What was the spiritual condition of Israel at the beginning of Judges 13 (Judges 13:1)?
- Samson was set apart for God’s purpose even before birth. How does this encourage you about God’s unique plan for your life?
- Manoah feared after seeing the angel of the Lord, but his wife reassured him with wisdom. How do you handle moments of fear or uncertainty in your faith journey?
Application
We don’t know what those rationales were, but we must remember that the heart of their sin (and ours) is idolatry, and idols are not always bad things, but good things turned into ultimate hopes and goals. So the line between hard work and making an idol of work, or loving your family and making an idol of it, is a thin one. And an idol is by its nature deceitful. It tells us we are being sensible, careful and wise to work so hard—even that we are being unselfish—when in fact we have set it in God’s place in our hearts, and are thus doing evil in the only eyes in the universe that really count.
This should lead us to be very careful constantly to evaluate ourselves, through reflection on the Bible and through personal accountability to others. We are always finding ways to rationalize sins such as materialism or worry or bitterness or pride. They don’t look bad in “our eyes.” As the seventeenth-century Puritan writer, Thomas Brooks, put it: “Satan paints sin with virtue’s colors.”
