Our unconstrained Lord - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Judges 14:1-4,

"Samson went down to Timnah and saw there a young Philistine woman.
When he returned, he said to his father and mother, 'I have seen a
Philistine woman in Timnah; now get her for me as my wife.' His father
and mother replied, 'Isn't there an acceptable woman among your
relatives or among all our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised
Philistines to get a wife?' But Samson said to his father, 'Get her
for me. She's the right one for me.' (His parents did not know that
this was from the Lord, who was seeking an occasion to confront the
Philistines; for at that time they were ruling over Israel.)"

In Exodus 20:12 we read the fifth commandment, "Honor your father and
your mother". Proverbs tells us things like, "Listen, my son, to your
father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching. They
will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck."
Proverbs 1:8-9. Listen to this one, "My son, keep your father's
commands and do not forsake your mother's teaching. Bind them upon
your heart forever; fasten them around your neck. When you walk, they
will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; when you
awake, they will speak to you. For these commands are a lamp, this
teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to
life, keeping you from the immoral woman, from the smooth tongue of
the wayward wife." Proverbs 6:20-24.

Samson was set aside for the Lord before he was born, "the boy is to
be a Nazirite, set apart to God from birth", Judges 13:5. As such he
was chosen specifically by the Lord for his purposes. Knowing things
ahead of time, the Lord raised Samson up to be one of Israel's
"deliverers" we read of in Judges. What catches my eye is that the
Lord intended Samson to take a direction with his parents that
contradicted the fifth commandment as well as the yet to be written
axioms in Proverbs, as well as many other Scriptures that speak to the
importance of following our parent's counsel.

Just when I think I have it all "figured out", I discover I really
don't know much. What is clear is that there is the "normative", that
which I should follow to live a life pleasing to the Lord, that which
he has spoken to. And, yet, there is the "non-normative", that which
the Lord is doing that may run contrary to the former. The Lord is not
constrained and does things in ways I may never understand. The beauty
of it is I really don't need to understand. What I read is that
Samson's insistence on a Philistine wife was "from the Lord" even
though it was not consistent with the fifth commandment and other
Scriptures relative to following parental counsel.

I think I feel more comfortable knowing God transcends my simple
understanding of things. As such, it is mine to accept, to embrace and
to use in my worship and adoration of him. How about you?

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com