Samson was so angry with his father-in-law for giving his wife to a friend who attended the wedding that he burnt the shocks and grains of the Philistines. The Philistines was angry and sought to punish Samson after killing his father-in-law and wife. This gave Samson the "right" that he was looking for to act against the Philistines and he killed many of them.
When the Philistines approached Judah, the men of Judah was afraid as they deem the Philistines as their rulers. They appeased them by bounding and handing Samson over to the Philistines. But the power of the Lord came upon Samson and he killed a thousand of them.
Samson then met Delilah and fell in love with this prostitute. She was in cahoot with the Philistines and sought to find out Samson's secret and eventually did. The spirit of the Lord left Samson after his secret was told and he was captured and brought to the Philistine court. As the court was enjoying the humiliation of Samson, he sought the strength of the Lord once more so that he can take revenge on the Philistines. That he did and the bible records that Samson killed many more with his death than when he was alive.
Major Verses
15:9-12 - Instead of protecting Samson from the Philistines, the men of Judah were so fearful that they agreed to deliver Samson to the enemy.
What I learn
We need to stand firm in our integrity and belief and faith in God when the situation requires us to do so. To do so, we need to seek God's wisdom to determine if what we are standing for is according to his will.
15:16 - Samson proudly claimed that it was he was had killed the enemy. He did not acknowledge that it was the Spirit of the Lord that gave him the power and strength (v14).
What I learn
We must be careful not to allow pride to cause us to take credit for what God has done through us. Let's always remember that apart from Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5) and so we must always acknowledge God in our life.
15:18-19 - After a great victory, Samson fell into self pity and asked " Must I now died of thirst?.." God created a spring just for him and he was recharged after drinking from it.
What I learn
We can be spiritually, mentally and physically exhausted after a major victory. Like Samson, our attitude can declined rapidly. If not careful, severe depression can often follow great achievements. During such time of vulnerability, avoid the temptation to think that God owes us for doing His work. Instead, remember that it was His strength that gave us the victory in the first place. Focus on God instead of us and we will be able to be recharged in His goodness.
16:15 - 17 - Samson was deceived by Delilah only because he wanted to believe her lies. Samson fell into the traps of his lust for Delilah and the Spirit of the Lord left him.
What I learn
Temptations satisfy our lust; lust for wealth, power, sex and everything pleasurable. We must be careful to follow the instructions to seek God's help to resist such temptations. We may choose to be close to God or to go our own way, but like what Samson had to experience, there are consequences resulting from our choice.
16:28-30 - Despite Samson's past, God still answer his prayers and allowed Samson the strength to destroy the temple and the Philistines. While God hated the sin, He still loved a repentant Samson.
What I learn
One of the effects of sin in our lives is to keep us from feeling like praying. Do not believe Satan's lie that God will not hear our prayers when we had fallen into sin. The fact is that our moral behavior is not a condition for prayer. God hears us all the time when we pray because He loves us. Every situation can be salvaged if we are willing to turn again to Him.
Summary
As long as Samson had the Lord's spirit upon him, he had the power and strength to do God's work. While he had times of straying away from God and did not acknowledge that his power came from Him, God was still ready to listen to him pray. If God heard Samson's final prayer despite his failings, God will surely hear us if we are humble enough to ask Him help. Remember, our moral behavior is NOT a condition for praying to God, and least of all, for Him answering us. He loves us!
Up next...
Moving on to learn about Micah's error...
amazing stuff thanx :)
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