Friday, October 6, 2006
Judges 14:5-6 Samson went down to Timnah together with his father and mother. As they approached the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young lion came roaring toward him. The Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he told neither his father nor his mother what he had done.
STRENGTH IN THE LORD
Samson is well known as the strongest man who ever lived. His feats of strength recorded for us in the Bible are simply amazing. He once put to death 1,000 men with the jawbone of a donkey. At the end of his life, he pulled down the pillars of a temple, causing the whole building to collapse.
But Samson was not strong because of his own self-discipline and effort. He was strong because he was connected to the LORD. When a young lion came roaring toward him we are told that "the Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power." When he separated himself from the LORD, Samson was not a strong man at all. (He found that out later in his life.)
Our strength is in the LORD too. The things we have been able to accomplish or gain have not come about because we are so strong, but because our God is so strong. Because of Him we have the strength to breathe, to walk, and to live.
The LORD further gives us the strength to face not just the battles of this earthly life, but also the more important warfare against the enemies of our souls. Through the good news of Christ's cross, the forgiveness of our sins, and the assurance of a glorious future in heaven, our hearts are strengthened to lift the shield of faith and to wield the sword of the Spirit, the word of God. In the LORD we can tear apart the devil himself as easily as Samson tore the young lion.
