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Have you ever been determined to do something, but obstacles kept getting in your way? How did you respond?
Samson, a one-man military leader, was determined to defeat his enemy, but obstacles kept getting in his way. God used his life-and death-to bring about deliverance from the Philistines. This helped preserve the Israelites as a distinct people.
Now, use your imagination, as we journey back through time to look at the Life Connection Story "Samson."
(Story adapted from Judges 13-16)
My name is Samson. I am excited to share with you how God worked in my life.
Years after God used Moses to deliver the Israelites from Egyptian slavery, God allowed the Philistines to rule over Israel for 40 years. During that time, my mother could not have children, but the angel of the Lord promised her a son. He said I would be a Nazirite (one given to God) from the womb to my death, and I would deliver my people from the Philistines. It's amazing that God is always working behind the scenes to accomplish His purpose-even when we don't understand.
The Lord blessed me, and the Spirit of the Lord came upon me with great power. One time when a lion came roaring towards me, I tore the lion apart with my bare hands. Another time, I killed 1,000 men with a donkey's jawbone. Many more times in my life the Spirit of the Lord gave me unusual power against the Philistines. And every time they saw the great power of the Lord in my life, they tried to trick me into telling them where my power came from.
Later in my life, I fell in love with a Philistine woman named Delilah. Each of the Philistine rulers promised Delilah eleven hundred pieces of silver if she could trick me into revealing where my great strength came from so they could capture me. So Delilah asked me where my strength came from, and I told her that if they used seven new bowstrings that had not been dried, then I would become weak and be like any other man. The rulers of the Philistines brought Delilah seven new bowstrings, and she tied me up when I was asleep. She had men hiding in another room, and then she said, "The Philistines are upon you!" I easily broke the bowstrings, and the secret of my strength was not discovered. Two more times she asked me to tell her the secret of my strength, but both times I easily got free.
Delilah wouldn't stop asking me about my secret, and finally I told her the truth. If someone shaved my head, then I would lose my strength. Delilah called for the Philistine rulers again. The money was more important to her than I was, so when I was asleep, one of the men shaved off the seven braids of my hair. When I awoke and saw the Philistines, I thought I would get free like the other times, but my strength had left me-my hair was gone. The Philistines captured me, gouged out my eyes, put me in prison, and made me grind grain like an ox.
The rulers of the Philistines praised their false god for giving me into their hands. Throughout my time in prison, they often paraded me out of the jail like a war trophy to entertain them. One time, they made me stand between the pillars that held up the temple, which was full of about three thousand men and women. The Philistine rulers were there too. By this time, my hair had grown back, so I prayed to the Lord God and asked Him to give me strength one more time. I asked Him to let me die with the Philistines. I grabbed the two middle pillars on which the temple rested, and I pushed as hard as I could with my right hand and my left hand. The whole temple collapsed. I killed more of our enemies at my death than I killed during my lifetime.
I had many failures, but the Lord still worked mightily through my life. Even though I didn't always act like a Nazirite, it didn't change the fact that I was given to God from the day I was born until the day I died. God fulfilled His purposes in my life and in my death.
Let's thank God for all He has done and for His great love for us. Pray these words of praise to Him:
God, thank You that in spite of my failures, You still want to work mightily through my life. Even though I may not always act like one given to God, once I'm Yours, my behavior can never change that fact. God, thank You that You will fulfill Your purposes in my life.
Use Judges 13-16 and the Life Connection Story. They will help you complete your Life Connection Response. Then do the Life Connection Activity.
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