sore athirst

"And he was sore athirst, and called on the Lord, and said, Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant: and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?" (Judges 15:18, KJV)

In the Bible, the seventh book from the front is called Judges. There is a story in chapter fifteen about Samson who judged Israel for 20 years. You probably have heard about the whole "Samson and Delilah" incident (Judges 16). With God's help, Samson actually ripped a jawbone out of a donkey and killed 1000 men who were enemies of God. In all that God did for Samson, the only thing Samson could think about was how thirsty he was. I like the King James rendition which says "sore athirst." But in Eugene Peterson's The Message Judges 15:18 reads,

"Now he was suddenly very thirsty. He called out to God, 'You have given your servant this great victory. Are you going to abandon me to die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?'"

I woke up this morning able to get out of bed.
"Thank you God for my health and ability to leave the house?" Nope.
"I hope I am not late for class!"

My children are healthy, laughing and playing in the living room.
"Thank you God for my beautiful children and the blessing of getting to hear them playing?" Nope.
"Jackson, I told you not to...!"

I stuffed myself on spaghetti for dinner tonight.
"Thank you God that I still have a job and get payed?" Nope.
"Did you eat the last brownie?!"

Samson had just won a great victory over a bad people.

However, in a moment of self-focus, Samson called out to God for deliverance once again. And you know what? God "opened up the hollow place in Lehi, and water came out of it. When Samson drank, his strength returned and he revived." (Judges 15:19, NIV).

It is easy for me to judge Samson (no pun intended) on his character flaws and his disregard for the One from whom all of his successes came. But I, too, have been sore athirst. I have found myself calling out to God once again for deliverance, taking advantage of His loving nature. And you know what? Time and time again he has sent me relief. He has returned my strength and revived me. It may not be what I expect nor when I expect it. But I have found Him faithful and just. That makes me want to be a better person. I want to honor Him.

Cheers!