You Just Might be a Redneck

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!”