Title: Don't Give Up on Your Dreams
Judges (37) Never give up on your dreams (Judges 14:1-9)
<Please cover the means>
One day, Samson went down to Timnah, saw a Philistine woman there, and came up and asked his parents to let the Philistine woman be his wife (verses 1-2). When his parents asked, “Why do you want to marry a Philistine woman?” Samson forgot his position and mission and said to his father, like a gang of immature young men. “I like her, so bring her for me” (verse 3).
Why did Samson's parents oppose marriage to a Philistine woman? Because the Mosaic Law strictly forbade marriage to Gentiles. Moreover, Samson, being a Nazarite, would have been more opposed to marrying a foreign woman. But Samson insisted on the marriage according to the lust of the eyes and the lust of the flesh, without regard to faith.
At that time, Samson also had the purpose of seeking an opportunity to attack the Philistines through the woman (verse 4). However, it is never a blessing to use the bad means of ‘arranged marriage with a foreigner’ to achieve the good purpose of ‘the salvation of Israel’. In other words, good ends cannot justify bad means. Saints should try to achieve good ends through the best possible means. So, instead of trying to achieve the goal quickly regardless of the means, even if the goal is achieved slowly, we should choose the means and discriminate and try to succeed with the right means.
Biblical success is not simply about “being number one” but “something you have to do for others.” So you shouldn't pursue success that harms others. The most dangerous person is ‘a self-made person who does everything he can to become number one’. Right success is God's instrument. If the saints fail, God will not be pleased. The Bible is a success story. God wants the success of the saints. But I want to be successful right.
<Don't give up on your dreams>
As Samson refused to give up his marriage proposal, Samson's parents wanted to see the woman, so they went down to Timnah together. And when they came to the vineyard of Timnah, a young lion saw Samson and cried out (verse 5). At that time, in the strong presence of the Holy Spirit, Samson tore the lion like a young goat with his bare hands, but he did not tell his parents about it (verse 6). Then he went down to Timnah and had a pleasant conversation with the woman, and she caught Samson's eyes all the more (verse 7).
Shortly after, Samson went back to meet her, and the dead lion found swarms of bees and honey (verse 8). At that time, the lion's skin and bones must have dried up a considerable amount of time after the death of the lion. In other words, it was not long before Samson went back to Timnah to take her. After all, Samson's first trip down to Timnah with his parents may have been for an engagement, and a second, long later, would have been for a formal wedding.
At that time, Samson scooped the honey with his hand, ate it as he walked, and gave it to his parents, but he did not tell them that the honey had come from the body of a lion (verse 9). Why didn't Samson reveal the source of honey? Had it been obtained from the carcass of a lion, their parents would have considered it unclean and would not have disclosed it. Especially since Samson was a Nazarite who was forbidden to touch a dead body, it must have been even more hidden from his parents.
If you look at these scenes, you will see that there are many problems with Samson's character as a judge. At the same time, God's thoughts and human thoughts are very different, and we realize once again how amazing God's grace is. God also appointed Samson, who had a raw personality, as a judge of Israel and used it. I feel hope here. Therefore, even if your current appearance is lacking, do not lose the brilliant dream and vision of “I can be used wonderfully”.
A person's greatness depends on the dreams he has. People with big dreams and visions are big and precious people, people with low dreams are lowly people, and people without dreams are people without hope. The difference between the ordinary and the extraordinary is usually the difference between dreams. The people God wrote were not people with superior knowledge and wisdom, but people with unusual dreams and visions. When God wants to bless you, he first makes you have a dream, and when you do not give up on your dream, God blesses you according to that dream.
Genius is not giving up on your dreams. When dreams live, the soul lives, and when dreams die, the soul dies. If there is a dream, the old man is a young man; without a dream, the young man is an old man. There are no flashy dreams from the start. The more wonderful and precious the dream, the more trials and tribulations it takes to come true. Don't be discouraged though. Don't give up on your dreams even at the edge of a cliff, like Samson, never give up on your dreams even if you have many shortcomings.