Samson - Picking Up The Pieces Series

Today – A message of Hope...Restoration...Coming Back...

About –

Regrets...Failure...Mistakes...

Not just 1 or 2 little ones –

LIFE of them...

OR Many Over & Over & Over...

PRAY

Today –

A Life in the Bible that in 1 – Not Only of Regrets or Failures...

A LIFE that was Literally From Conception On – Destined for Greatness

He was Sent for Greatness...Purpose...

A Life that Was Literally Ordered of the Lord...

Platter...

We will Not ONLY Look at FAILURE –

??? Life After Failure...

READ

I. Scripture

Judges 13:1-5, 24, 25

Again the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years. Now there was a certain man from Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren and had no children. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, "Indeed now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. Now therefore, please be careful not to drink wine or similar drink, and not to eat anything unclean. For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines." (24) So the woman bore a son and called his name Samson; and the child grew, and the Lord blessed him. And the Spirit of the Lord began to move upon him at Mahaneh Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.

Hebrews 11:32

What more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, & of Samson, Jephthah, & of David.

IT Should Give US ALL HOPE!

That SAMSON is in Heb. 11

AKA – Faith Hall of Fame

SETTING

Israel – Doing whatever was right in their own eyes...

Rebellious toward God...Disobedient...

Idolatry...Abandonment from God...

Being Over run by Other People – PHILISTINES...

Rather than Removing the Immoral Traits of the land – They Contract the Disease

The Book Describes a Cycle over 400 years of:

Apostasy...Oppression...Deliverance...

God used the Judges...

They Speak of a Judgment...a Right Living...Ruler...

There were 17 Judges mention in the OT (I Sam)

A few that Come to Mind –

Deborah...Barak...Gideon...Samson...

It was to this that Samson Was Born –

II. SAMSON

Let’s Talk About Samson

Samson – Was an Answer to Prayer 2x

1 – Parents were Childless

2 – Nation of Israel Needed Greatness

HIS NAME = Like the Sun.Zenith...Quasar...

Born:

As a Judge...

As a 1st Child

As an Answer to the Needs of the Times

Meant to Live a Life of & For God

NAZARITE = Devoted or separated one

Took an Oath to ABSTAIN from worldly Influences & CONSECRATE to God...

4 Commitments were Common to the Nazarite (3 Most Noted)

1 – To Abstain for All Intoxicating Drink & Grape Products

2 – To Not Cut the Hair

3 – To Avoid Contact with the dead

4 – To Refuse to eat Food Regarded as Unclean

The Vow Could be Taken BY Any Jew for a Period of Time to

COMMIT to God & Serve Him & Humanity

Typically 30 days...100 Days...

ONLY 3 in the Bible were thought or Known to be LIFE LONG Nazarites –

Samuel...John Baptist...SAMSON

Meaning that They were Born with the INTENT of Serving God their Entire LIFE = Priesthood...

AND Refraining from Worldly Influences...

Samson Had it Made

In many Respects

Parents were Godly...

Purpose was Revealed Clearly to Him...

Spiritual Heritage...

Path was Carved Out...

ALL he had to Do was WALK in it!

His Greatest Challenge = Ours –

Living Up to his Divine Potential...Calling...Expectations...

To Become the Person HE KNEW He was Supposed to be...

Unlike Many Here Today –

All HE had to Do was Keep His Nose Clean!

Many Here Have Went Into the World & Are Trying to Come Out

Remember the 4 Commitments

1 – To Abstain for All Intoxicating Drink & Grape Products

2 – To Not Cut the Hair

3 – To Avoid Contact with the dead

4 – To Refuse to eat Food Regarded as Unclean

STAY from the World & To GOD

With that in Mind – Let’s Document His Life Quickly

III. A Life of Failures

1 – He Sees a Woman he wants to Marry – a Woman he was not Supposed to Marry

"She pleased him well" = right in my eyes

I Don’t get it – "of the Lord"

2 – He kills a lion with his bare hands...

(He didn’t tell his parents)

3 – Honey form the Carcass

He fed some to his parents