Day 25:: Killing

Soundtrack: "Learning to Breathe" by Switchfoot

To be honest, I struggled with not comparing this story more with Columbine. I kept asking myself, "Since when does God say its okay for victims to kill others and then themselves...no matter what the reason?"

Was God interacting here, like it asked us to consider? Was he really supporting this out of His justice? And if so, why does Samson get to pick what he does and what happens? Why doesn't God challenge Him to forgive? Maybe He is simply letting Samson have his way...or maybe this is supposed to be a picture of God's justice on sinners and compassion for His followers at the same time. Either way, today was a struggle for me.

Yet, now that I think about it...maybe this is part of why Jesus had to come...to show how to live the unjust life with patience and virtue...to show how to forgive instead of find revenge...to ask God to be the God of justice on Judgment Day but find compassion while on Earth. I still find it sad that Samson wished for his own death. Painful, in fact. He was in pain, though, so much pain he wanted to DIE...because of these people, these horrible Philistines. And so, surprisingly, and in a funny way, I see this beautiful love story interspersed of how God loved Samson enough to "look on him again" and "give him the strength" to destroy these Pagan people. The Old Testament really is a place where I connect with our jealous God who doesn't put up with people who blatantly choose not to follow His ways.

Lord, look on me again and give me the strength to follow you all of my days.