The Broken Wings Series

THE BROKEN WINGS

Luke 15:11-19.

"11 Then He said: “A certain man had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. 13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. 14 But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. 15 Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.

17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”

From The Mansions To The Pigsty

This is a story of a young man who asked for his share of inheritance from his father. The father granted his request and not long after, he went to a far country. The prodigal son left a prosperous house - a house which he did not face lack or shortage. When the son spent all he had, he faced a severe lack when a famine arose in the land he was living in. He got a job with a Gentile, he ended up feeding pigs, and finding he has the same desires as the pigs.

The son of a great man living in a mansion has now become a co-tenant with pigs in the pigsty. It was this problem that brought him back to his father.

Like many of us today who have wandered away from the Father. God lets us experience sicknesses, financial problems, trials, and challenges just to bring us closer to Himself. He uses these things not to punish us but to help us realize that without Him, we cannot stand alone and we cannot make it in this life.

Judges 16: 21-25.

"21 Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza. They bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison. 22 However, the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaven.

23 Now the lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice. And they said: “Our god has delivered into our hands Samson our enemy!”

24 When the people saw him, they praised their god; for they said:

“Our god has delivered into our hands our enemy,

The destroyer of our land,

And the one who multiplied our dead.”

25 So it happened, when their hearts were merry, that they said, “Call for Samson, that he may perform for us.” So they called for Samson from the prison, and he performed for them. And they stationed him between the pillars."

The Deliverer Who Became A Joke

Every time God's people wandered away and sinned. He permits the enemies to afflict them. Whenever they cry out, He sends deliverer to rescue them. One of the deliverers that God raised up was Samson.

Before he was born, the Angel of the Lord told his mother, "he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines” (Judges 13:5). As soon as Samson grew, “…the LORD blessed him. And the Spirit of the LORD began to move upon him…” (Judges 13:24-25).

Samson was a "superman" before superman was ever created in the comic world. He was stronger than any man before or after him. But, he violated God's command. He went down like an eagle whose wings were broken. Samson fell.

Delilah said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” So he awoke from his sleep, and said, “I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!” But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him” (Judges 16:20).

What a tragedy! Samson eagle's wings were broken. “Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza. They bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison” (Judges 16:21).

Here was a man born with glorious destiny, mission and assignment, to deliver a nation, his people, now doing the lowest, most degrading and hardest type of work.

Samson had not been born to be a grinder; he was born to be a deliverer! No wonder the Bible says, "I have seen servants on horses, While princes walk on the ground like servants." Ecclesiastes 10:7.