This is the 8th and final lesson from the short series focusing on what Israel’s earliest leaders, the judges, have to teach us. Today’s leadership lesson is the second from one of Israel’s more well-known judges, Samson . . .
If anything could be said of Samson’s interactions with the Philistines, it can be said that most of it was motivated by self-interest!
For example, Samson married a philistine woman. Thirty men were appointed to him for the wedding, and Samson decided to play a trick on them. He told them a riddle that they would never be able to guess, and demanded that if they haven’t solved the riddle by the end of the wedding party in seven days, they must each give him a suit of fine clothing! These men knew they have been tricked and set out to get the answer from the riddle from Samson’s bride, even threatening to kill her and her household if she didn’t find out. When she begged Samson for the answer, he gave it to her. Then she told the 30 men, they told Samson, and Samson lost his cool: “He went down to Ashkelon, struck down thirty of their men, stripped them of their belongings and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle.” (Jdg 14:18-19)
Thirty philistines killed because Samson got mad that his groomsmen had guessed his riddle! Self interest? Couldn’t be more clear!
But Samson’s rage hadn’t yet played itself out. He was still SO furious that he left his wife and went back home (“Burning with anger, he went up to his father’s house.” Vs. 19)! When he had cooled off enough, he went back to demand his bride, only to find that she had been given to another! (“But her father would not let him go in. ‘I was so sure you thoroughly hated her,’ he said, ‘that I gave her to your friend . . .'” Judges 15:2). Samson’s reaction? “This time I have a right to get even with the Philistines; I will really harm them” (Jdg 15:3). And he proceeded to go out and catch 300 foxes to ravage the philistine crops! Jdg 15:4-5: “So he went out and caught three hundred foxes and tied them tail to tail in pairs. He then fastened a torch to every pair of tails, lit the torches and let the foxes loose in the standing grain of the Philistines. He burned up the shocks and standing grain, together with the vineyards and olive groves.”
But anger breeds anger, and the philistines retaliated by burning Samson’s wife and her father.
Samson’s reaction? He struck back again! “‘Since you’ve acted like this,’ said Samson, ‘I won’t stop until I get my revenge on you.’ He attacked them viciously and slaughtered many of them.” (Jdg 15:7-8)
So what are we to learn from this? That when we react out of anger and self-interest, we get our way?
Well, maybe not, for this isn’t in keeping with what the rest of the Bible teaches. What I find interesting, however, is that despite the selfish motivation Samson demonstrated, God was STILL able to use him in a mighty way to accomplish HIS purposes!
The story of Samson teaches us that God CAN and DOES use us to accomplish His work, no matter what our motivation might be!
This kind of motivation wasn’t just unique to Samson’s day. Paul also spoke of people, preachers and evangelists, who served God for the wrong reasons. Paul said, “It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry . . . [they] preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains.” (Php 1:15-17).
And sadly, this even happens in our day and age. Not everyone who is in leadership positions has a heart that is right for the Lord. Many are motivated by self-interest, by the love of money, by the love of power and prestige. What should we do about it?
Paul tells us what to do. He says, “But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, WHETHER FROM FALSE MOTIVES OR TRUE, Christ IS PREACHED. And because of this I rejoice.” (Php 1:18)
Despite the motivation of those who are in the Lord’s work for the wrong reasons, God can still use them! In Samson’s day, God used Samson’s self-interest and anger to punish a people who were hurting Israel; in Paul’s day, God used those who preached out of false motives to spread the Good news of Christ; and in our day, the Spirit of God continues to work through those, even when they hearts aren’t 100% correct, to spread the gospel!
So what leadership lesson does this story have for us? Just this: God doesn’t need perfect humans. He only needs willing humans! Let’s stop criticizing those we see on T.V. or hear about who are preaching Christ for the wrong reason. Let’s stop worrying about whether or not we have what it takes to be a leader. Instead, step out in leadership ourselves and preach Him as well!
In His love,
Lyn
Lyn Chaffart, Moderator, The Nugget, Scriptural Nuggets ( www.scripturalnuggets.org ), Answers2Prayer Ministries, www.Answers2Prayer.org
(To access the entire “Lessons in Leadership” mini-series, please click here.)