“In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” This is the somber last verse of the Book of Judges: not exactly the stuff of inspirational poster quotes! We need to look no further than Israel’s leaders to see the evidence, as we saw with Samson yesterday, he did what was right in his own eyes. Of note, the first thing the Philistines did to Samson after seizing him was gouge out his eyes (16:21)!
The root of our sight problem, that is to say the trust of our ourselves at the expense of our trust in God, is of course pride. Pride shows up repeatedly in Samson’s life. He resists the advice of his parents because his eyes know best. He kills 1,000 Philistines with a donkey’s jawbone and then memorializes the act by naming the place “Jawbone Hill”, pointing to his own exploits rather than the Lord’s provision (15:14-17). Understandably thirsty, he cries for help to the Lord. Prayer, by its very nature, is humbling, but not for Samson who asks incredulously: “shall I now die of thirst?” The Lord miraculously provides water to Samson and his spirit is revived. So what does he name this place – “the spring of him who called”, as if to say, “hey everyone, look what my prayer did! (15:18-20)” And we see pride in his relationship with Delilah as he repeatedly toys with her giving misinformation and trusting his strength will deliver him. Even in his sacrificial death, Samson’s prayer centres upon himself: “O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes. (16:28)”
Something to Understand:
Fundamental to the human condition is the pride-sourced inclination to underestimate God and overestimate ourselves. Pride will hinder our obedience to God and our service toward others. The only antidote to pride is the humility of Christ. “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:3-8)”