Making Something Good Out Of Something Bad

God can take something evil and use it for his glory.

Does that seem strange to you? Well, it is strange, but we must remember that God works in ways that may seem to be strange to us. In the reading we heard from the Book of Judges a few minutes ago, we heard an example of how God takes something evil and uses it for his purposes.

Samson wanted to marry a Philistine girl. She looked good to him, and at the time the Book of Judges was written, the Israelites were doing what was good in their eyes and not what was good in God’s eyes. Samson’s parents were upset that he would break the Law of Moses, which barred the Israelites from marrying foreigners. Hiding the truth was a sign of disobedience. Samson didn’t tell his parents what happened at first because his actions violated the Laws of Moses.

Sometimes being involved with a nonbeliever means that the nonbeliever will pull us down spiritually. That’s not part of God’s plan for us. Any step away from God is a step down, but as I will explain, God uses evil things for his holy purposes.

How could Samson’s disobedience be “of the Lord?” God did not want Samson to marry the Philistine girl, but he used Samson’s disobedience for His glory. God is never responsible for evil acts, but he is so wise that he uses evil acts to accomplish his good purposes. God oversees our wicked actions. No sin happens that God does not deliberately allow. He is not the source of our sins, but sometimes he steers the sins that are already in our hearts so that we fulfill his plans and not ours.

God uses Samson’s evil actions for his own purposes. Many times in the Old Testament the Holy Spirit acted in individuals and gave them the power to serve God and his people. Samson depended on God’s power and strength, and we must also depend on God for power and strength. The Holy spirit gave Samson the power to kill the Philistines and honour the wager he made. In doing so, God showed the Philistines that he was their worst enemy.

Samson had a motive for vengeance against the Philistines. They solved his riddle by seducing his wife, and he had to pay them what he promised. So under the power of the Holy Spirit, he killed 30 Philistines (who were enemies of God) and stole what he needed to pay his debt.

We are wrong if we think that God works only in ways that we approve of. The Book of Judges argues that this belief is false. It, like the rest of the Bible, is a book about grace and undeserved mercy. God often uses people that we would not normally approve of to do his work in the world. When we look at Samson, our first impression is that he was a failure. God used Samson’s mistakes as the foundation for success, and he can do the same for us.