Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from Judges 16:1-3.

“Now Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there, and went in to her.  When it was told to the Gazites, saying, “Samson has come here,” they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the gate of the city.  And they kept silent all night, saying, “Let us wait until the morning light, then we will kill him.”  Now Samson lay until midnight, and at midnight he arose and took hold of the doors of the city gate and the two posts and pulled them up along with the bars;  then he put them on his shoulders and carried them up to the top of the mountain which is opposite Hebron.”  Judges 16:1-3.  

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“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”  Philippians 4:13. 

And yet, we remember from Reformed Doctrine that faith is a gift of God.  God both gave the gift of amazing strength to Samson, and God also gave the gift of faith to Samson to believe that he could do miraculous acts of strength through the faith that God had given him, as Samson did in today’s Scripture.  

We should not trust our own faith through our own wisdom and our own will, so to speak, to somehow drum up whatever strength we want for whatever purpose we want.

In addition when we look at the context of Philippians 4:13, the immediate preceding verse, such strength is more of a strength to endure every circumstance. 

“I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity;  in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.”  Philippians 4:12.

The strength and the faith that God gave Samson was not to proudly show off, but to escape in a way that glorified God.  That may be part of the reason why the Scripture first humbled Samson by showing his moral weakness in verse 1 of today’s Scripture.  

“And what more shall I say?  For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.”  Hebrews 4:13.