Gaming Can Be Deadly

GAMING CAN BE DEADLY

Children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord.

The Lord delivered them into the hands of the Philistines.

The Lord appeared to Manoah and his wife and announced that they would have a son.

Judges 13:24

24 And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.

25 And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.

14:1 And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.

2 And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife.

3 Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.

4 But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.

5 Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared against him.

6 And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.

In this chapter and in 15, because of a stupid game and bad decisions, Samson lost his wife and father-in-law. They were murdered by the Philistines.

In chapter 16 Samson messes around with a harlot for a while, then later falls in love with Delilah.

We find him still playing games but this time it’s with Delilah about his strength.

1. Bind me with green withs.

2. Bind me with new ropes.

3. Weave the seven locks my hair.

4. He gives in and tells her the truth about his hair, that no razor has ever came to his hair.

16:19 And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.

20 And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him.

21 But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.

They brought him to the coliseum to make sport of him.

16:28 And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.

29 And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left.

30 And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.

There is a lot that could be said about Samson.

He was a special ordered by the Lord. (Angel announcing his birth. God had a special work for him to do.)

He was strong.

He was a warrior and a deliverer.

He was crafty in the way he dealt with the Philistines.

Judg 13:5-6

5 For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

I wonder if he was able to accomplish all that God wanted him to? I don’t think so.

You can’t be effective and powerful with rebellion and moral failure in your life.

But he was also rebellious, a fornicator, and very prideful.

We could preach about all his sins

But his worst sin was that he took the power of God, working in his life for granted. "I’ll go out and shake myself." He neglected to nurture it and he lost it without even knowing it. Inexcusable!!!