You Just Might be a
Redneck by Dave Wilson
Judges 13-15
While reading this passage, I see lots of material for Jeff
Foxworthy and his redneck jokes and stand-up comedy. Samson goes to another
town in search of his wife, but his parents try to convince him to look among
his relatives first (because we all know
that a family reunion is a great place to find a date!). Later, on the way
to his wedding, he scoops out honey from a lion carcass to eat while he is
walking (I hope he didn’t drop some on his tuxedo). Soon, he discovers that his
nagging and manipulative new wife has given away the secret to his riddle,
which costs him a great deal. At this point, being the loving, kind and
sensitive man that he was, he refers to his bride as a “heifer”. Perhaps my favorite
story is when he catches 300 foxes, ties their tails together, lights them on
fire and sends them into the fields to destroy the crops of his neighbors (this was long before P.E.T.A. and the
A.S.P.C.A.) just because his father-in-law gave away his wife to a friend!
At this point, the story goes from ‘redneck’ all the way up to ‘hillbilly’.
Even before Delilah, Samson was a colorful character. Before
his birth, he was dedicated to the service of the Lord by his parents. Being a
Nazirite of God was a great honor and responsibility for both the boy and his
parents (John the Baptist was also a Nazirite who liked to eat honey). He was
not to touch anything unclean (like dead animals), cut his hair, nor drink the
‘fruit of the vine’. Throughout his life, the Lord’s presence was evident in
Samson’s life, even though he had moments of weakness. The Lord always answered
his prayers when he asked for deliverance. Our scriptures clearly state, time
and again, that “The Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power.” (Judges 14:6;
14:19; 15:14, etc)
Here are some questions for your day as you think about this
wild and crazy man of God. How are you like Samson? Have you been dedicated to
the Lord’s service in some specific and special way? Do you have a temper? And
if so, have you sought out positive ways of dealing with your weakness? Do you
make decisions based on the heat of the moment, or can you step back and
consider a wiser course of action? How do the decisions that you have to make
today affect the way others see God at work in your life? If you’re not careful
in your decisions, “you just might be a redneck!”
