Even A Caveman
I don’t get the Book of Judges. It’s just a bunch of misfits who lead Israel in a time when everyone was just doing what was right in their own eyes. (Sort of like the world today) But most of these judges are just random. Like you have Jair who all it says about him is that he had 30 sons who rode 30 donkeys. Then later you have Abdon who breaks that record with 40 sons and 30 grandsons who ride 70 donkeys. Sort of like a poor man’s Mongolian Horde.
And there’s no way to understand Jephthah and how we followed through on his stupid vow to sacrifice the first thing that came out of his house. Like couldn’t he have said: ‘the barn’? What was he expecting to come of his house to greet him? Or how bout when he saw his daughter saying: ’I was just kidding?’ I think God would have understood.
But the king of weird in Judges is Samson. You read his story and you cringe for his parents. Bless little Zorah and Manoah. They finally have a kid and he is a loose cannon.
Dude is a caveman. He goes off and kills men just to settle a bet. He lights the tails of foxes on fire. He’s crazy. He’s a caveman. In fact he even lived in a cave once. I am certain the seven braids of his hair looked like a mullet. And if his hair was his strength, women were definitely his weakness. If he was around today he might make the Power Team (if that’s still around) but there is no way on earth anyone would ever entrust him to leadership. He’s got every HR red flag in the book.
And yet…
God uses him. He even uses the stupid things Samson does for His glory and purpose. I looked at my own life and say “God can’t use me.” Especially when I do something stupid… which is often. Or I analyze and evaluate others and say “God can’t use them.” They are not worthy. But God can. Maybe you wouldn’t put a Samson up front or in charge of the youth. But God can use anyone… even a caveman. He used Samson. Then in the NT, Jesus takes out a recently clothed man who demon-possessed and hanging out the tombs and sends him on a home-town mission. No seminary training nor even simple training of some how-to’s.
God uses the foolish things to confound the wise and the weak things to shame the strong. His power is made perfect in weakness.
The grandeur of God is displayed as His glory shines through broken clay pots.
