Gideon and Samson

Judges
"And the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord." God recounts all He has done for them but they do not listen to Him.
The book of Judges is dark and depressing. Even the judges themselves are disappointing. Gideon and Samson get the most attention. Gideon desires a sign from God and God gives him one, then narrows down his army and has him follow battle plans that truly require him to trust in God to act on Israel's behalf. Again, after it's all over, Gideon still seems eager for the tangible, producing a commemorative ephod that becomes an object for idol worship. He can't seem to quite come to grips with the reality of the God he can't see.
Samson's wrath- and lust-driven life is one God uses to defeat the Philistines but it also defeats Samson. Being emotion-driven has its benefits and pitfalls.
Do we fall into the trap of feeling a need for evidence and worshipping that evidence rather than God or following our emotions rather than having them subject to unchanging truth? God is still God when life is hard, when the pathway is unclear; only He satisfies and can be trusted in that difficulty. Oh to do what's right in His eyes--always.