FORGIVENESS 1 - Revenge only makes things worse.

Forgiveness 1 - English file

Vergebung 1 - German file

Devotional Thoughts about Judges Chapters 14 and 15

Judges is a book of the Bible that horrifies readers with the extreme idolatry, de­bauchery and violence depicted in it. It’s yet harder to comprehend when we realize that it describes Israel, God’s chosen people who had His law and were living in the land He had graciously given them.

The key verse of Judges is actually given twice: in 17:6 and 21:25. The Israelites didn’t as yet have kings, but they all did what they thought was right. That sounds sensible and moral on the surface, but humans at their best are still sinful, reminding us of the verse in Isaiah 64 (verse 5 in German and verse 6 in English): our good­ness is comparable to filthy cloth. Israel’s history shows that a certain form of government doesn’t produce righteous people.

God chose Samson before his birth to break the Philistines’ hold on Israel. Samson ignored instructions to set himself apart for God and often used the superhuman strength given him for his own desires. God fulfilled His plan through Samson and in spite of him, and He let him reap consequences from his disobedience.

Samson’s examples of revenge show the addiction of always paying back with a higher offence. Lord, please give me the wisdom to forgive others and not even begin the cycle of revenge.

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