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{"id":1485,"date":"2012-11-08T06:05:25","date_gmt":"2012-11-08T11:05:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/holywrit\/?p=1485"},"modified":"2012-11-08T10:13:19","modified_gmt":"2012-11-08T15:13:19","slug":"judges-14-how-god-operates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/holywrit\/2012\/11\/judges-14-how-god-operates\/","title":{"rendered":"Judges 14: How God Operates"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

(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.)<\/em> -Judges 14:4<\/p>\n

Sometimes we think we have God figured out. We know how he works, when he works, and where he works. Yet Scripture reveals we truly understand only a fragment of how God really operates. As we are told, his ways are higher than our ways.<\/p>\n

Judges offers at least one interesting example in the life of Samson. First, he demands that his parents allow him to marry a non-Israelite, which was a no-no according to Jewish law. Second, we are told God was looking for an occasion to confront the Philistines. Third, we are told God\u2019s Spirit came upon Samson and empowered him to kill thirty people. Is this how God works?<\/p>\n

To be clear, we should not come away with radical interpretations that suggest we use violence to accomplish God\u2019s will. That\u2019s not the point I\u2019m making. The concern is that God used some strange events to do his will, including actions we would consider inhumane.<\/p>\n

Why? Sometimes we simply don\u2019t know what God is up to. In this account, the overall goal was to cause a conflict between Israel and the Philistines to restore God\u2019s people to freedom. So the story wasn\u2019t all bad. God had a plan.<\/p>\n

He still has plans, for you personally, your community, and the world. We don\u2019t always understand the things taking place around us, but they are never random or without meaning. Our goal must be to walk closely with God regardless of what takes place around us, trusting in the One who knows all to help when we don\u2019t know what to do.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s talk about it on Facebook<\/a>! Share your thoughts, pictures, or videos on handwriting Scripture.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

+++<\/p>\n

Dillon Burroughs<\/strong><\/a> is the author and coauthor of numerous books and is handwriting a copy of all 31,173 verses of the Bible at\u00a0HolyWritProject.com<\/a>. Find out more about Dillon at\u00a0 Facebook.com\/readdB<\/a> or\u00a0 readdB.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"