It is incredible that all along in this narrative, God was at work. And he was at work not in spite of Samson’s son, but even through Samson’s sin. Nothing happened by chance. Samson’s attraction to the Timnite woman did not hamstring God’s plan for Samson, Israel, and the Philistines. That situation, and all that followed, were in a profound sense part of God’s plan. Because he wanted to stir up enmity between Israel and the Philistines. God works in mysterious ways his wonders to perform.
Now let us be careful here. God is never the author of sin. He is not responsible for Samson’s sins. Not for ours either. James 1:13 says that God does not tempt anyone. So it is not that God made Samson sin in order to save the nation. God was simply turning Samson over to himself. Or, to put it differently, God at times removes the restraints that he has put around our hearts, and lets us pursue evil unhindered. And, sin has consequences, because God hates sin. But God let Samson repeatedly fall in order to accomplish good, for both Samson and Israel. Strikingly, the Lord’s plan for your good, for your growth, can involve sin—your own or another’s.
Yet it can be very hard to make sense of that when you are in the thick of things. Just think of the hurt, anxiety, and frustration of parents who have stood in the sandals of Manoah and his wife. Parents who watch their children willfully turn from the ways of the Lord and resent the guidance and admonitions that the parents give. And it is easy enough for a parent to despair and feel as if nothing good will come of the situation. And yet, that is precisely when the Lord is carrying out his secret work. He may be seeking an occasion to…humble the parents and others around them, to pull them to trust in him, the one who alone is able to work wonders through or in spite of sin. Even when you face the most devastating disappointments, do not forget Judges 14:4. For with God almighty there is hope in what looks to be the most hopeless situations. God works all things out, including our own evil and sinful works and motives, to fulfill his purpose. The secret things of the Lord may turn out to be our blessing.
Remember the greatest and most wonderful example of God at work to use evil, sin for good is in the life of his only begotten Son. When Peter preached his first sermon in Jerusalem on Pentecost Sunday, he condemned the Jews for crucifying Jesus, saying, You crucified and killed [him] by the hands of lawless men.
But he said that in this crime committed against our Lord, Jesus was delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God
(Acts 2:23). The Jews and Romans did not know that their sin and rejection of the Christ were part of God’s eternal decree. This is why Peter said in his next sermon, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled
(Acts 3:17–21). God did not coerce these people; he gave them over and sovereignly used them and their sins for triumph over evil.
4 His father and mother did not know that it was from the LORD, for he was seeking an opportunity against the Philistines. At that time the Philistines ruled over Israel.