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This morning we're continuing 
our sermon series in the book of

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Judges. 
I want to make a few comments 

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before I dig into the sermon 
itself. 

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Many people's lives end far 
different than what God intended

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or planned for them. 
God never intends for anyone's 

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life to fail or miss the mark 
that He has for that individual.

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God intends for people to 
fulfill their purpose for which 

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He creates them. 
But we know so many people fail.

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Some of the greatest causes of 
failure in life come not through

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circumstances that people face 
and the challenges they meet, 

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but more so through the response
they give to the circumstances 

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they meet. 
There are many people who go 

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through life and in the end they
ask what went wrong? 

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Why is my life not what it could
have been? 

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And they they, they end their 
life it with if only, if only. 

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Our sermon title of this morning
is If you are a Christian, Pause

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and we'll answer that later this
morning. 

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If you're a Christian, are you 
living to your potential? 

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Is your path a life on the path 
to success or to failure? 

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I don't mean money and 
reputation, those things to 

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where you won't have regrets 
when you die. 

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If you're a Christian, are you 
living up to your potential? 

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Again, as I said, we're 
continuing our sermon series in 

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the book of Judges and this 
morning we're look at one man 

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named Samson. 
Before his birth, he was already

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chosen by God to be a man who 
would deliver God's people from 

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the oppression of the 
Philistines. 

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They had so many times failed 
and faltered and turned away 

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from God. 
And we're living like the 

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cultures around them. 
And again, this happened again 

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in Judges 13, verse one. 
And I'll just, we'll just work 

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our way through three chapters 
of the book of Judges this 

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morning. 
Verse one again, the children of

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Israel did evil in the sight of 
the Lord, and the Lord delivered

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them into the hand of the 
Philistines. 

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For 40 years. 
I did a bit of work trying to 

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search and this is the longest 
oppression yet. 

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There were different seasons of 
oppression from the different 

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nations around them. 
And this time it's the 

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Philistines who are oppressing 
them for 40 years. 

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And each time before they 
repented, they looked inward. 

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OK, we've sinned. 
We've we've denied God, we've 

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gone after idols and they cried 
to the Lord. 

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Please save us. 
The repentant went back to 

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worshipping God, but not this 
time. 

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We don't find it in this portion
of the book of Judges that the 

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people had a repentant heart and
that the turn back to God after 

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all that went on. 
We don't find it. 

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See, there are people who would 
rather live a debased effortless

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life than a challenging, good, 
hard life. 

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There are people who would 
rather base live a debased 

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effortless life than a 
challenging, hard but good life.

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It's sad when people or people 
groups live below what God 

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intends for them when they live 
below of what could be in worse 

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yet they're OK with it and they 
don't even want to change. 

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And we find that in the book of 
Judges this morning. 

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Let me ask us this morning, are 
we living to our potential or 

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just OK? 
We're good enough. 

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God's not OK with good enough. 
Of course we will miss the mark 

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and fail, but there's grace. 
But what's our striving headed 

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toward? 
There's stories in the New 

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Testament where Jesus tells us 
in his teachings that God 

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expects us to be faithful with 
what he's blessed us with and we

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will be held to account how we 
managed our lives, what we did 

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with the talents and skill sets 
God gave us. 

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In our story this morning in the
night of Samson, we find out he 

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was a man who was dedicated to 
God for certain types of 

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service, but he did it very 
poorly and he caused himself and

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others much unnecessary pain and
suffering. 

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The story begins with God 
sending an Angel to a couple in 

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Israel from the tribe of Dan. 
And this couple was childless 

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and the man's name was Manoah 
and his wife's name is not 

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mentioned. 
The Angel of the Lord came to 

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this woman and said you'll have 
a son. 

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But these are the conditions for
this son. 

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He's not to ever drink wine or 
eat fruit of the vine. 

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In other words, grapes don't eat
anything unclean. 

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And under Jewish law, there was 
a list of animals he was not 

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allowed to eat of that types of 
meat. 

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And the Angel told her that here
her son would be a Nazarite. 

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A Nazarite was a person 
specially dedicated to God. 

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He couldn't cut his hair, not 
drink wine or eat grapes, be in 

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contact with unclean stuff and 
so on. 

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In this case, this would be a 
boy and he was going to begin to

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deliver his people from their 
oppression from the Philistines.

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That's in a nutshell the story 
of chapter 13. 

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We find out, however, that this 
boy Samson did not turn out to 

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be the ideal deliverer that he 
could have or should have been. 

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He had serious flaws. 
I mentioned in some of our 

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earlier sermons in the series 
and judges that God uses flawed 

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people, and he does. 
God uses flawed people, but he's

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not pleased with the flaws. 
They're never his will and we 

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should never OK, It's OK. 
No, not that, but Samson was a 

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very flawed man. 
So beginning in chapter 14 verse

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one, we read, let's turn there 
14 verse one. 

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Now Samson, he's grown now went 
down to Timna, Philistine 

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territory and saw a woman in 
Timna of the daughters of the 

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Philistines. 
So he went up and told his 

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father and mother saying I have 
seen a woman in Timna of the 

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daughters of the Philistines. 
Now there, forget her for me as 

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a wife. 
He's an opinionated, self 

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focused man here. 
Verse 3 Then his father and 

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mother said to him, is there no 
woman among the daughters of 

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your brethren or among all my 
people that you must go and get 

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away from the uncircumcised 
Philistines? 

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There was godliness in Israel. 
They were not totally oblivious 

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and blind can keep going. 
Verse 3 And Samson said to his 

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father, get her for me, for she 
pleases me. 

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Well, he's selfish, verse 4. 
But his father and mother did 

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not know that it was of the Lord
that he was seeking an occasion 

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to move against the Philistines.
For at that time the Philistines

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had dominion over Israel. 
So let's pause there. 

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Samson was born, had grown up, 
and engaged in Philistine 

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culture. 
It's just safe to assume that he

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was what we would say, a product
of his time and his culture. 

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For many decades now, the people
of Israel had lived in violation

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of God's commands. 
Many decades now, they were 

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under Philistine rule. 
And we can only imagine how 

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these two cultures, the dominant
Philistine culture, was 

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infiltrating, saturating the 
Israelite culture. 

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They intermingled. 
And no doubt intermarriage was 

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not off the table either. 
So here's Samson, well-rounded 

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we could say, in Philistine 
culture. 

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He goes to Temna, sees a 
Philistine woman and wants her, 

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and his parents put the brakes 
on protest. 

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This is against the law, and of 
course it was against the law. 

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The law of God forbid a person 
to marry outside Israelite 

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community. 
Strict exceptions in case a 

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Jewish man wanted to marry a 
heathen or Pagan woman. 

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There were some exceptions, but 
Samson wasn't meeting any of one

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of those. 
Samson saw the woman, wanted 

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her, and then his father gets 
involved. 

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Of course, the parents had to 
get involved in marriage in 

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those days, but it says in verse
four it was of the Lord. 

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Now, how do we make sense out of
this? 

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God was seeking to break the 
oppression of the Philistines 

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over Israel. 
But but why this way? 

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We must be careful how we 
understand a passage such as 

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this. 
I've said this before going 

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through the book of Judges, that
it is a descriptive book, not 

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prescriptive. 
It doesn't tell us what's going 

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on as good or that it is the 
best thing that could happen. 

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It tells us what happened, but 
doesn't tell us to follow that. 

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We cannot conclude that all the 
things that people did were 

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things God wants us to do in our
time. 

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As I said before, we can assume 
Samson was a product of his 

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time, even though he wasn't 
Nazarite. 

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In this case, God was using 
Samson where he was the 

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personality, he had the 
character traits he had to get 

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him to do some of the things God
wanted to do. 

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And this is scary. 
I want to explain something. 

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When God's people become 
immersed and saturated with the 

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culture of of their time, it's a
dangerous thing. 

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That does not, however, stop God
from being God. 

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He still moves forward to work 
His will by using their people, 

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those people in their contexts, 
for His purposes. 

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That's a very dangerous thing 
for us because we might suffer 

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from that as Samson would. 
God can use a person either in a

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humble, surrendered commitment 
to him, or he can use that same 

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person in a rebellious, 
arrogant, prideful context. 

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However the person chooses to be
and in that way God will use 

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that person. 
And Samson, a poor character, 

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immature, selfish man. 
He was not the mature, self 

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disciplined deliverer that God 
had intended him to be. 

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He was far from it. 
We must realize when we follow 

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sinful, selfish desires, that 
does not limit God. 

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And God may well decide to use 
us in those selfish, sinful 

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environments to bring about His 
will. 

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And that is going to be very 
messy. 

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In Samson's case, God was using 
him as he was to begin the 

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process, to break the 
oppression. 

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And in the process, Samson 
hopefully will learn a lesson or

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two as well. 
So God used Samson's selfish 

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desires, his selfish character, 
to bring about his own will. 

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It says in verse 5 S, Samson 
went down to Timna with his 

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father and mother and came to 
the vineyards of Timna 

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Vineyards. 
What was, what did you just say 

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about vines and grapes and wine?
Why is he there? 

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What's he doing there? 
He had no business going into 

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the vineyards. 
Doesn't tell us he ate grapes or

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drank wine. 
Doesn't tell us that he did 

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that. 
But he shouldn't be near it. 

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He shouldn't be doing this. 
This is a red flag. 

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Let's continue reading verse 5. 
Now to his surprise, meaning 

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Samson's surprise, a young lion 
came roaring against him, and 

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the spirit of the Lord came 
mightily upon him, and he tore 

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the lion apart as one would have
torn apart a young goat, though 

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he had nothing in his hand. 
But he did not tell his father 

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or his mother what he had done. 
So his mother and father are not

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with him when this happens. 
Near the vineyards of Timna. 

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Shouldn't have been there to 
begin with, perhaps, but God 

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still gave him the abilities 
that he had intended for him. 

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One was to be a strong man. 
And this lion comes and attacks 

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him. 
He grabs the lion with his bare 

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hands, rips him apart, and God 
protects him. 

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Let's continue on verse 7. 
Then he went down and talked to 

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the woman, and she pleased 
Samson well. 

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Both verse 3 and verse 7 we read
that she pleased him well. 

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From a human standpoint, this 
was all about Samson's desires, 

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his personal desires. 
God was going to guide them, but

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it was Samson and he was at 
fault. 

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He was not thinking, but I'm 
going to do God's will with 

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this. 
That was not even crossing his 

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mind. 
He was going to do his will with

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this, but God was going to steer
this. 

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I sometimes compare these events
to like to a game of chess. 

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All the selfish moves a person 
can make, God's going to in the 

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end, call it checkmate. 
Let's continue reading the 

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arrangements no doubt had been 
made. 

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It was time now for the wedding.
Verse 8. 

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After some time when he returned
to get her, he turned aside to 

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see the carcass of the lion and 
behold a swarm of bees and 

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honey. 
We're in the carcass of the 

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lion. 
He took some of it in his hands 

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and went along eating. 
When he came to his father and 

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mother, he gave some to them. 
They also ate, but he did not 

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tell them that he had taken the 
honey out of the carcass of a 

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lion. 
They would have never eaten had 

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he told him that. 
He did not care. 

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He was a Nazarite. 
He, of all people, should have 

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never dipped his hand into the 
carcass of a lion and grabbed 

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some honey. 
Again, totally violating his 

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Nazarite dedication, completely 
against the law. 

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He had no qualms about anything.
It seems he did as he pleased, 

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regardless of him being a 
Nazarite. 

226
00:13:09,120 --> 00:13:10,840
His mother and father eat of the
honey too. 

227
00:13:10,960 --> 00:13:12,440
Had they known, they would have 
said no. 

228
00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:16,680
Let's keep reading verse 10. 
So his father went down to the 

229
00:13:16,680 --> 00:13:21,800
woman, and Samson gave a feast 
there for young men used to do 

230
00:13:21,800 --> 00:13:23,880
so. 
And it happened when they saw 

231
00:13:23,880 --> 00:13:26,480
him that they brought some 30 
companions with him. 

232
00:13:26,640 --> 00:13:28,480
Now this is a recipe for 
trouble. 

233
00:13:28,600 --> 00:13:33,440
Here's a Philistine woman with 
her family, a Jewish man with 

234
00:13:33,440 --> 00:13:37,960
his family, and he's now the 
dedicated deliverer who's going 

235
00:13:37,960 --> 00:13:39,960
to help free the people of 
Israel from Palestine 

236
00:13:39,960 --> 00:13:45,800
oppression. 
And they're having a wedding and

237
00:13:45,800 --> 00:13:50,160
they bring 30 companions. 
We're not told why 30. 

238
00:13:50,280 --> 00:13:52,720
Different commentators have 
different ideas, what it could 

239
00:13:52,720 --> 00:13:54,360
have meant. 
But was it for safety? 

240
00:13:54,560 --> 00:13:58,920
Nobody knew about Samson yet. 
What kind of man he was, Nobody 

241
00:13:58,920 --> 00:14:00,640
knew yet, but they would find 
out soon. 

242
00:14:01,600 --> 00:14:04,720
Verse 12 Then Samson said to 
them, meaning these, these guys,

243
00:14:05,040 --> 00:14:08,400
let me pose a Riddle to you. 
If you can correctly solve and 

244
00:14:08,400 --> 00:14:12,320
explain it to me within the 
seven days of the feast, then I 

245
00:14:12,320 --> 00:14:15,240
will give you 30 linen garments 
and 30 changes of clothing. 

246
00:14:15,240 --> 00:14:18,280
That's sixty articles. 
But if you cannot explain it to 

247
00:14:18,280 --> 00:14:22,280
me, then you shall give me 30 
linen garments and 30 changes of

248
00:14:22,280 --> 00:14:25,600
clothing. 
Now just to note, they didn't 

249
00:14:25,600 --> 00:14:27,560
have mass production of clothing
like we do today. 

250
00:14:27,560 --> 00:14:32,360
Clothing was made laboriously, 
painstakingly by hand, cost a 

251
00:14:32,360 --> 00:14:35,440
lot of money. 
So they say, pose your Riddle 

252
00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:38,440
that we may hear it. 
Verse 14 he said to them, Out of

253
00:14:38,440 --> 00:14:41,640
the eater came something to eat,
out of the strong came something

254
00:14:41,640 --> 00:14:45,280
sweet. 
Now for three days they could 

255
00:14:45,280 --> 00:14:47,240
not explain the Riddle. 
But why would Samsung do 

256
00:14:47,240 --> 00:14:49,760
something like that? 
There was a certain level, there

257
00:14:49,760 --> 00:14:52,240
was maybe traditional custom, 
some say that it was they would 

258
00:14:52,240 --> 00:14:54,840
do riddles like that. 
But Samsung gave them a Riddle 

259
00:14:54,840 --> 00:14:59,200
they could not possibly answer. 
And he knew that for the 

260
00:14:59,200 --> 00:15:02,880
information they had, there was 
no way that they could possibly 

261
00:15:03,080 --> 00:15:08,800
get the Riddle and explain it. 
Samsung knew, but the Riddle 

262
00:15:08,800 --> 00:15:12,400
itself was not the biggest 
problem, even if they lost, it 

263
00:15:12,400 --> 00:15:15,720
was what it was tied to. 
If they couldn't answer the 

264
00:15:15,720 --> 00:15:19,200
Riddle, they would owe Samson 30
linen garments and 30 changes of

265
00:15:19,200 --> 00:15:21,000
clothing. 
And again, that was worth a lot 

266
00:15:21,000 --> 00:15:23,920
of money. 
And again, they couldn't 

267
00:15:23,920 --> 00:15:25,240
possibly know. 
But they didn't know that they 

268
00:15:25,240 --> 00:15:28,280
couldn't know. 
They just wanted to make sure 

269
00:15:28,280 --> 00:15:32,320
that they would not have to buy 
clothing for Samson. 

270
00:15:32,720 --> 00:15:38,320
Well, the week goes on and 
they're clueless and they're 

271
00:15:38,320 --> 00:15:41,000
getting desperate. 
Let's just keep in mind here, 

272
00:15:41,000 --> 00:15:44,560
this is the wedding week and 
it's between two cultures, 

273
00:15:44,560 --> 00:15:46,200
Philistine culture and Israeli 
culture. 

274
00:15:46,320 --> 00:15:52,800
It's not a good idea. 
The week goes by and they can't 

275
00:15:52,800 --> 00:15:55,000
get the answer and they don't 
want to pay. 

276
00:15:55,680 --> 00:15:59,320
Let's read verse 15. 
But it came to pass on the 7th 

277
00:15:59,320 --> 00:16:01,560
day that they said to Samson's 
wife. 

278
00:16:01,560 --> 00:16:05,920
Now they're cowards. 
They said entice your husband 

279
00:16:06,480 --> 00:16:10,040
that he may explain the Riddle 
to us or else we will burn you 

280
00:16:10,040 --> 00:16:11,640
and your father's house with 
fire. 

281
00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:13,920
Have you invited us in order to 
take what's ours? 

282
00:16:13,920 --> 00:16:16,240
Is that not so? 
There it is. 

283
00:16:17,680 --> 00:16:19,400
These Philistine men are 
embarrassed. 

284
00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:23,640
They're angry, humiliated, and 
they don't know the answer. 

285
00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:30,320
So they go to his new wife, 
which is their fellow cultural 

286
00:16:31,400 --> 00:16:35,880
member, and they get her to do 
The Dirty work, work on Samson 

287
00:16:35,880 --> 00:16:39,360
and Tyson. 
The last day she gets the sad 

288
00:16:39,360 --> 00:16:42,080
part. 
She has to go to Samson now and 

289
00:16:42,080 --> 00:16:43,360
start working with her new 
husband. 

290
00:16:44,480 --> 00:16:47,080
It seems to me it would have 
been wiser if she had told 

291
00:16:47,080 --> 00:16:48,800
Samson, hey, my family's after 
me. 

292
00:16:48,800 --> 00:16:50,040
They're going to kill me and my 
dad. 

293
00:16:50,040 --> 00:16:53,680
If you don't tell us the Riddle,
wonder what Samson would have 

294
00:16:53,680 --> 00:16:55,680
done. 
It may have turned out 

295
00:16:55,680 --> 00:17:00,800
different, but what she does is 
let's listen. 

296
00:17:00,840 --> 00:17:03,240
Verse 16. 
Then Samson's wife wept on him 

297
00:17:03,240 --> 00:17:05,640
and said, you only hate me. 
You do not love me. 

298
00:17:05,640 --> 00:17:07,880
You've posed a Riddle to the 
sons of my people, you, but you 

299
00:17:07,880 --> 00:17:12,640
have not explained it to me. 
This is the wedding week, the 

300
00:17:12,640 --> 00:17:15,680
close of it. 
What kind of marriage will this 

301
00:17:15,680 --> 00:17:17,880
turn out to be? 
Well, it won't be a marriage. 

302
00:17:18,640 --> 00:17:22,839
Do we see how Samson is step by 
step, just inflicting struggles 

303
00:17:22,839 --> 00:17:28,600
on himself with these things? 
He's living so far below what 

304
00:17:28,600 --> 00:17:32,320
could have been if he only early
on had focused solely on God's 

305
00:17:32,320 --> 00:17:38,040
purposes for his life. 
What if if Samson as a young boy

306
00:17:38,040 --> 00:17:41,800
had decided I'm only going to do
the things in the book of the 

307
00:17:41,800 --> 00:17:47,200
law, I'm only going to do things
that please Jehovah God, He 

308
00:17:47,200 --> 00:17:48,800
would have had a very different 
life. 

309
00:17:49,960 --> 00:17:52,960
He responds to his new wife and 
says, look, I've not explained 

310
00:17:52,960 --> 00:17:55,920
it to my father or my mother, so
should I explain it to you? 

311
00:17:56,560 --> 00:18:00,480
He stays resolute. 
He wasn't giving out the secret,

312
00:18:00,840 --> 00:18:04,760
but toward the end of verse 7 
says now she had wept on him the

313
00:18:04,760 --> 00:18:07,880
seven days while their feast 
lasted, and it happened on the 

314
00:18:07,880 --> 00:18:12,120
7th day that he told her because
she pressed him so much. 

315
00:18:12,360 --> 00:18:15,280
Then she explained the Riddle to
the sons of her people. 

316
00:18:15,920 --> 00:18:20,360
You know, Samson had a lot of 
muscle, big biceps, strong back,

317
00:18:20,520 --> 00:18:25,600
big big strong legs. 
No character, no stamina. 

318
00:18:26,760 --> 00:18:29,480
He was weakest where it mattered
most. 

319
00:18:32,280 --> 00:18:38,160
So she goes and tells her family
her Ken what Samson said. 

320
00:18:39,560 --> 00:18:41,000
He explained the Riddle. 
Here it is. 

321
00:18:41,960 --> 00:18:45,960
So the men of the city on the 
7th day say to him before the 

322
00:18:45,960 --> 00:18:47,640
sun goes down, what's sweeter 
than honey? 

323
00:18:48,280 --> 00:18:53,360
What's stronger than a lion? 
All arrogant, Proud was not the 

324
00:18:53,360 --> 00:18:55,000
first time. 
Now Samson had showed his 

325
00:18:55,000 --> 00:18:57,720
weakness. 
He wasn't strong when he 

326
00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:02,040
violated his Nazarite calling. 
He had shown weakness when he 

327
00:19:02,040 --> 00:19:06,600
chose the wrong life partner. 
Now he shows weakness and able 

328
00:19:06,600 --> 00:19:09,480
to control himself. 
He divulged information which he

329
00:19:09,480 --> 00:19:13,280
shouldn't have shared. 
Next we see another sign of 

330
00:19:13,280 --> 00:19:16,480
weakness. 
He loses his temper, it said, 

331
00:19:16,560 --> 00:19:19,600
and it says to, he said to them,
verse 18, if you had not plowed 

332
00:19:19,600 --> 00:19:21,760
with my heifer, you wouldn't 
have solved my Riddle. 

333
00:19:21,920 --> 00:19:27,440
He called his wife a heifer. 
He's mad, but God true to his 

334
00:19:27,440 --> 00:19:31,400
promise, he does not intervene 
and he does not stop him. 

335
00:19:31,400 --> 00:19:35,040
He's he channels this to cause 
the break to happen. 

336
00:19:35,240 --> 00:19:37,520
Verse 19 This is strange, but 
it's the story. 

337
00:19:37,880 --> 00:19:41,040
Then the spirit of the Lord came
mightily upon him mightily and 

338
00:19:41,040 --> 00:19:43,000
he went down to Ashkelon. 
That's far away from where he 

339
00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:46,600
was and killed 30 of their men 
took their apparel, gave the 

340
00:19:46,600 --> 00:19:48,760
changes of clothing to those who
had explained the Riddle. 

341
00:19:49,000 --> 00:19:52,400
So his anger was roused and went
back to his father's house and 

342
00:19:52,400 --> 00:19:55,920
Samson's wife was given to his 
companion who had been his best 

343
00:19:55,920 --> 00:19:57,000
man. 
He kept his word. 

344
00:19:57,800 --> 00:19:59,040
He was going to give them the 
clothing. 

345
00:19:59,040 --> 00:20:00,920
He kept his word, but at what 
cost? 

346
00:20:03,040 --> 00:20:05,800
Escalon was far away, so news 
wouldn't travel quickly that 

347
00:20:05,800 --> 00:20:09,840
what he had done. 
Things were getting really 

348
00:20:09,840 --> 00:20:15,320
messy. 
The events in these chapters are

349
00:20:15,320 --> 00:20:18,360
pretty much a picture what 
society today has become. 

350
00:20:19,520 --> 00:20:21,640
Right is not right, wrong is not
only depends. 

351
00:20:21,640 --> 00:20:24,240
However, if in this case then 
it's OK, in that case it's OK. 

352
00:20:24,240 --> 00:20:26,960
And so on. 
Samson lived up and messed up 

353
00:20:26,960 --> 00:20:29,640
times. 
Now he's mad at his wife. 

354
00:20:30,280 --> 00:20:34,840
It says he goes home. 
Well, let's continue reading now

355
00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:39,480
in chapter 15, he's cooled off 
by now. 

356
00:20:39,840 --> 00:20:42,920
He wants to visit his wife. 
Verse 1, chapter 15, after a 

357
00:20:42,920 --> 00:20:45,160
while in the time of wheat 
harvest, that's important here, 

358
00:20:45,640 --> 00:20:47,400
wheat is ripe, They're 
harvesting it. 

359
00:20:47,640 --> 00:20:50,240
It happened that Samson visited 
his wife with a young goat. 

360
00:20:50,280 --> 00:20:52,840
She has a change of mind. 
And he said, let me go into my 

361
00:20:52,840 --> 00:20:55,720
wife, into her room, that her 
father would, but her father 

362
00:20:55,720 --> 00:20:58,720
would not permit him to go. 
In verse 2, her father said, I 

363
00:20:58,720 --> 00:21:01,320
really thought that you 
thoroughly hated her. 

364
00:21:01,640 --> 00:21:04,520
Therefore, I gave her to your 
young, to your companion. 

365
00:21:04,720 --> 00:21:06,920
One of the guys is not her 
younger sister. 

366
00:21:06,920 --> 00:21:09,000
Better than she. 
Please take her instead. 

367
00:21:10,080 --> 00:21:15,160
It's just like Samson can't win,
but it's his own fleshly desires

368
00:21:15,160 --> 00:21:19,840
that get him into this mess. 
Everywhere he turns seems he's 

369
00:21:19,840 --> 00:21:24,040
get dealt a bad card. 
We don't know the full details. 

370
00:21:24,680 --> 00:21:27,320
It may have been that Samson's 
father-in-law did not want his 

371
00:21:27,320 --> 00:21:29,560
daughter to be have anything to 
do with Samson. 

372
00:21:29,760 --> 00:21:32,400
After what she'd been through, 
the death threats and all, 

373
00:21:33,080 --> 00:21:37,400
Samson was bad news. 
The marriage had failed before 

374
00:21:37,400 --> 00:21:41,360
it even began. 
She was free of Samson and 

375
00:21:41,360 --> 00:21:45,520
Samson now wanted her back and 
again he had a temper. 

376
00:21:46,280 --> 00:21:50,360
Now his father-in-law has given 
his wife away to one of his 

377
00:21:50,360 --> 00:21:52,560
companions and he says take your
sister. 

378
00:21:54,040 --> 00:21:55,640
Then verse 3 Now things get 
ugly. 

379
00:21:55,800 --> 00:21:59,120
Samson said to him, this time I 
shall be blameless regarding the

380
00:21:59,120 --> 00:22:02,400
Philistines if I harm them. 
Then Samson went and caught 300 

381
00:22:02,400 --> 00:22:07,320
foxes, took torches, turn the 
Fox's tail to tail, put a torch 

382
00:22:07,320 --> 00:22:10,040
between each pair of tails. 
When he had set the torches on 

383
00:22:10,040 --> 00:22:12,320
fire, he let the fox go into the
standing grain of the 

384
00:22:12,320 --> 00:22:14,600
Philistines and burned up the 
shocks and the standing grain, 

385
00:22:14,600 --> 00:22:16,280
as well as the vineyards and 
olive Groves. 

386
00:22:16,760 --> 00:22:20,280
It's time of harvest, remember? 
Commentators say these would not

387
00:22:20,280 --> 00:22:21,800
have been foxes like we know 
foxes. 

388
00:22:21,800 --> 00:22:24,320
They would have probably been 
jackals because they Rove in in 

389
00:22:24,320 --> 00:22:28,400
packs and it would have been 
more easily to to to capture 

390
00:22:28,400 --> 00:22:31,320
them and tie them together. 
Samson's plan worked. 

391
00:22:32,080 --> 00:22:35,760
He caused a lot of damage. 
People's crops, their incomes 

392
00:22:35,760 --> 00:22:38,920
for the year were destroyed. 
Samson was not just mad at his 

393
00:22:38,920 --> 00:22:40,880
father-in-law and his wife. 
What happened there? 

394
00:22:40,880 --> 00:22:42,800
He's mad at the whole Philistine
peoples. 

395
00:22:43,760 --> 00:22:45,560
He's wreaking havoc now and it's
working. 

396
00:22:48,120 --> 00:22:51,200
And God was using this to break 
the bond of oppression. 

397
00:22:51,800 --> 00:22:55,120
The whole thing is just a mess. 
Does that remind us a bit of 

398
00:22:55,120 --> 00:22:57,520
some problems in our world 
today, in our communities? 

399
00:22:58,440 --> 00:23:01,600
People get themselves so tangled
up in such messy situations. 

400
00:23:01,600 --> 00:23:04,320
There's no clean way out. 
That's what's happening. 

401
00:23:05,000 --> 00:23:06,200
Well, let's continue with the 
story. 

402
00:23:06,840 --> 00:23:10,400
God chooses to work through 
these sinful mazes of tangled 

403
00:23:10,400 --> 00:23:11,720
events that we can't make sense 
of. 

404
00:23:14,200 --> 00:23:15,920
The Philistines have now lost 
their crops. 

405
00:23:16,480 --> 00:23:18,840
They rise up in earnest. 
They want to get to the bottom 

406
00:23:18,840 --> 00:23:20,680
of this. 
Verse 6. 

407
00:23:21,080 --> 00:23:23,160
Then the Philistines said, who 
has done this? 

408
00:23:23,960 --> 00:23:26,400
And they answered Samson, the 
son-in-law of the tin knight, 

409
00:23:27,240 --> 00:23:29,600
because he's taking his wife and
giving her to his companion. 

410
00:23:30,280 --> 00:23:34,320
So the Philistines came up and 
burned her and her father with 

411
00:23:34,320 --> 00:23:37,000
fire. 
The death sentence that she got 

412
00:23:37,000 --> 00:23:40,320
from the companions before. 
Now the Philistines carry out on

413
00:23:40,320 --> 00:23:42,760
her the threat at the wedding 
celebration. 

414
00:23:42,760 --> 00:23:46,800
Remember, if they didn't get the
answer to the Riddle, they'd 

415
00:23:46,800 --> 00:23:51,240
kill her, burn her with fire. 
Now she gets burnt with fire. 

416
00:23:51,960 --> 00:23:54,080
The very death she tried to 
avoid was now on. 

417
00:23:54,640 --> 00:23:57,400
What's happened, happened now, 
poor woman, poor dad. 

418
00:23:59,240 --> 00:24:04,320
Samson was angry. 
Well, now his wife is dead, 

419
00:24:05,040 --> 00:24:07,680
father-in-law is dead. 
Samson is angry again. 

420
00:24:07,840 --> 00:24:10,120
Verse 7. 
Samson said to them, Since you 

421
00:24:10,120 --> 00:24:13,200
would do such a thing as this, I
will surely take revenge on you,

422
00:24:13,200 --> 00:24:16,720
and after that I will cease. 
So he attacked them hip and 

423
00:24:16,720 --> 00:24:19,800
thigh with a great slaughter. 
Then he went down and dwelt in 

424
00:24:19,800 --> 00:24:22,920
the cleft of the rock of Edom. 
And true to his word, he took 

425
00:24:22,920 --> 00:24:24,960
revenge. 
He killed many of them. 

426
00:24:24,960 --> 00:24:26,520
He went and lived by himself 
after that. 

427
00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:30,800
Do we believe that Samson 
literally had any intention 

428
00:24:30,800 --> 00:24:32,800
here? 
I'm going to read, read rescue 

429
00:24:32,800 --> 00:24:34,600
Israel from the oppression of 
the Philistines. 

430
00:24:34,800 --> 00:24:39,080
I think he was so immersed and 
saturated with self that he was 

431
00:24:39,080 --> 00:24:41,000
this is this doesn't even cross 
his mind. 

432
00:24:41,560 --> 00:24:42,760
At least from the reading of the
story. 

433
00:24:42,760 --> 00:24:46,920
We can't find it. 
But this is not the end. 

434
00:24:47,880 --> 00:24:50,040
What had happened till now was 
more of a warm up. 

435
00:24:51,040 --> 00:24:54,840
Now things get going. 
Let's just say here James the 

436
00:24:54,840 --> 00:24:58,040
possum in the book of James 
writes the right the anger of a 

437
00:24:58,040 --> 00:25:00,240
man does not work the 
righteousness of God. 

438
00:25:00,240 --> 00:25:04,920
And is it ever true again? 
How much better if Samson 

439
00:25:04,920 --> 00:25:07,560
initially had when he was young,
just decided he would follow the

440
00:25:07,560 --> 00:25:10,800
path of the 10 commandments, 
followed Jehovah God, live out 

441
00:25:10,800 --> 00:25:15,160
his life as a Nazarite and work 
for justice in a godly way. 

442
00:25:15,160 --> 00:25:19,200
Instead, he does work for 
justice, but in a very bad and 

443
00:25:19,200 --> 00:25:24,880
sinful way. 
In chapter 15, now we find the 

444
00:25:24,880 --> 00:25:27,680
Philistines gather and then make
it ready for war. 

445
00:25:28,120 --> 00:25:30,000
They gather their army and come 
out against Judah. 

446
00:25:30,120 --> 00:25:32,880
They were already the top dog. 
They were already in power. 

447
00:25:33,040 --> 00:25:35,200
They were already oppressing the
Hebrews, the Jews. 

448
00:25:35,440 --> 00:25:37,360
But now, now we're going to find
out what's going on. 

449
00:25:37,360 --> 00:25:38,680
Now we're going to get to the 
bottom of this. 

450
00:25:38,680 --> 00:25:40,800
Now it was war. 
Well, the men of Judah are 

451
00:25:40,800 --> 00:25:43,680
afraid the Philistines are 
coming for war. 

452
00:25:43,880 --> 00:25:46,360
They asked, what's the matter? 
Why are you coming out for war? 

453
00:25:46,360 --> 00:25:49,200
We don't want war, they say. 
We want Samson to deliver him to

454
00:25:49,200 --> 00:25:52,560
us. 
Well, then the men of Judah, 

455
00:25:52,720 --> 00:25:55,880
they go to where Samson is 
hiding in the in the in the rock

456
00:25:56,120 --> 00:25:59,000
where Samson lives and they 
rebuke him and says, don't you 

457
00:25:59,000 --> 00:26:00,880
know that the Philistines are 
ruling over us? 

458
00:26:00,880 --> 00:26:05,200
What are you doing? 
They don't see what's happening.

459
00:26:05,560 --> 00:26:11,280
Let's read Judges 15 verse 11. 
Then 3000 men of Judah went down

460
00:26:11,280 --> 00:26:14,000
to the cleft of the rock of Etom
and said to Samson, do you not 

461
00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:15,640
know that the Philistines rule 
over us? 

462
00:26:15,800 --> 00:26:18,520
What is this you've done to us? 
And he said to them, as they've 

463
00:26:18,520 --> 00:26:20,280
did, as they did to me, so I've 
done to them. 

464
00:26:21,560 --> 00:26:25,600
You see the self there all about
himself, only focusing on 

465
00:26:25,600 --> 00:26:29,240
himself, his personal situation.
He's not considering the nation 

466
00:26:29,240 --> 00:26:31,640
of Israel or the fact he was 
dedicated to relieve them of 

467
00:26:31,640 --> 00:26:33,120
oppression or that he's a 
Nazarite. 

468
00:26:34,520 --> 00:26:37,360
I said this was messier. 
It just got messier. 

469
00:26:38,320 --> 00:26:41,120
Did men of Judah don't want 
Samson messing with the 

470
00:26:41,120 --> 00:26:43,520
Philistines. 
We're under their rule. 

471
00:26:43,520 --> 00:26:46,840
Remember? 
They come now to deliver Samson 

472
00:26:46,840 --> 00:26:49,720
to the Philistines, to get rid 
of the issues between them. 

473
00:26:49,840 --> 00:26:52,880
They want to placate them. 
Samson asked for a favor. 

474
00:26:52,880 --> 00:26:55,880
He says, please promise me you 
won't kill me, just bind me, and

475
00:26:55,880 --> 00:26:58,680
then that's OK. 
They bind him with new ropes, 

476
00:26:58,840 --> 00:27:01,040
bring him to the Philistines, 
and when the Philistines see 

477
00:27:01,040 --> 00:27:03,440
him, they shout for joy. 
They have their captive. 

478
00:27:03,640 --> 00:27:06,600
But then again, as in times 
past, God's Spirit comes 

479
00:27:06,600 --> 00:27:09,280
mightily upon Samson. 
He breaks the ropes that bound 

480
00:27:09,280 --> 00:27:12,920
him and he finds a job, one of a
donkey, a dead donkey, dead 

481
00:27:12,920 --> 00:27:15,560
animals again and killed 1000 
men with it. 

482
00:27:18,560 --> 00:27:21,000
Samson is a Nazarite. 
You probably not of handling 

483
00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:23,600
dead animal bones either. 
Doesn't specifically say that, 

484
00:27:23,600 --> 00:27:26,320
but he seemingly doesn't care 
about his calling. 

485
00:27:28,080 --> 00:27:31,640
The Philistines learned Samson 
was not a man to be messed with 

486
00:27:32,120 --> 00:27:34,280
in that sense. 
Samson's calling was being 

487
00:27:34,280 --> 00:27:36,160
worked out. 
God was doing that, but not with

488
00:27:36,160 --> 00:27:38,360
the blessing even of his own 
people. 

489
00:27:39,480 --> 00:27:43,440
Then they come to chapter 16 and
here he comes to his fall. 

490
00:27:44,120 --> 00:27:48,080
We find in the early part of 
chapter 16, he goes to Gaza. 

491
00:27:48,520 --> 00:27:50,000
That was a Philistine city back 
then. 

492
00:27:50,840 --> 00:27:53,000
This was a city deep in 
Philistine territory. 

493
00:27:53,040 --> 00:27:57,000
He wanted to see a harlot. 
What's a Nazarite Jew doing with

494
00:27:57,000 --> 00:27:59,440
a Philistine harlot? 
Do the math. 

495
00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:01,600
This is the second woman he gets
involved with. 

496
00:28:02,640 --> 00:28:05,640
Well, they know he's there. 
They they locked the gates. 

497
00:28:06,120 --> 00:28:07,880
Wait till want to wait till 
morning to get him. 

498
00:28:08,440 --> 00:28:12,000
But Samson suspects something, 
knows something is up. 

499
00:28:12,280 --> 00:28:14,800
He lays low till midnight, then 
goes and pulls out the city 

500
00:28:14,800 --> 00:28:16,720
gates by the post, and 
everything carries him off to a 

501
00:28:16,720 --> 00:28:19,600
hill, hilltop, somewhere else, 
and he's free. 

502
00:28:22,560 --> 00:28:24,960
Then in chapter 16, verse 4, 
let's continue reading there. 

503
00:28:25,600 --> 00:28:28,840
Afterward it happened that he 
loved a woman named Delilah, 

504
00:28:29,480 --> 00:28:32,440
whose name was Delilah, again, a
Philistine woman. 

505
00:28:33,080 --> 00:28:37,440
This is woman #3 in his life, 
not much success, has he? 

506
00:28:38,160 --> 00:28:40,360
The first was his wife, the 
second a prostitute. 

507
00:28:40,960 --> 00:28:43,600
Now his third wife, this is 
wife, is Delilah. 

508
00:28:43,840 --> 00:28:46,480
Think of it all the woman he's 
drawn to himself, all are Pagan 

509
00:28:46,480 --> 00:28:49,200
women, not good for a man of his
calling. 

510
00:28:50,040 --> 00:28:53,120
But the Philistine Lords, they 
come up in verse 5, it says, and

511
00:28:53,120 --> 00:28:56,800
the Lords of the Philistines 
came up to her, Delilah, and 

512
00:28:56,800 --> 00:28:59,600
said to her, entice him and find
out where his great strength 

513
00:28:59,600 --> 00:29:03,120
lies and by what means we may 
overpower him, that we may bind 

514
00:29:03,120 --> 00:29:05,280
him to afflict him. 
And every one of us will give 

515
00:29:05,280 --> 00:29:09,440
you 1100 pieces of silver. 
That's wealth, that's immense 

516
00:29:09,440 --> 00:29:12,440
wealth. 
And they didn't say so we can 

517
00:29:12,440 --> 00:29:13,880
kill him, that we may afflict 
him. 

518
00:29:13,880 --> 00:29:17,800
They're going to have their fun 
with him again. 

519
00:29:17,800 --> 00:29:19,680
Samson connects with Philistine 
woman. 

520
00:29:19,880 --> 00:29:22,480
It didn't work before, why would
it work now? 

521
00:29:23,840 --> 00:29:26,640
Such is the nature of self 
focused living. 

522
00:29:28,520 --> 00:29:31,160
And here come these Philistines 
offering immense wealth to his 

523
00:29:31,160 --> 00:29:33,560
woman, to his wife, if she's 
going to get him. 

524
00:29:34,000 --> 00:29:36,480
And you know what she tries. 
How do you how do you have this 

525
00:29:36,480 --> 00:29:39,600
great strength? 
Three different times she tries.

526
00:29:39,760 --> 00:29:41,800
Three different times she tells 
her lies. 

527
00:29:42,120 --> 00:29:46,560
He walks away every time. 
But on the fourth try, she's 

528
00:29:46,560 --> 00:29:49,840
desperate and he's tired. 
And guess what? 

529
00:29:49,840 --> 00:29:54,720
His weak character again comes 
to the surface in a moment of 

530
00:29:54,720 --> 00:29:56,560
weakness, which he seemed to 
have many of. 

531
00:29:57,440 --> 00:30:02,200
He tells her all If you cut my 
hair, I'm a Nazarite. 

532
00:30:02,200 --> 00:30:05,640
If you cut my hair, I'll be weak
like any other man. 

533
00:30:05,640 --> 00:30:09,040
My strength will leave me. 
Well, she gets him to sleep. 

534
00:30:09,720 --> 00:30:11,680
Get somebody to cut off his hair
while he's sleeping. 

535
00:30:12,160 --> 00:30:15,440
He wakes up thinking arrogantly,
I'll walk away as I did before, 

536
00:30:15,440 --> 00:30:18,520
not knowing This compromise was 
one too many. 

537
00:30:19,120 --> 00:30:22,480
God had removed his strength 
from him, and his compromise 

538
00:30:22,760 --> 00:30:25,360
ended his strength. 
It tells us further. 

539
00:30:25,360 --> 00:30:29,040
The Philistines took him, gouged
out both his eyes, bound him up,

540
00:30:29,040 --> 00:30:31,680
put him in prison and made him 
grind grain in prison. 

541
00:30:32,320 --> 00:30:35,280
They had plans with him. 
They had achieved their 

542
00:30:35,280 --> 00:30:37,520
objective. 
Finally they gotten what they 

543
00:30:37,520 --> 00:30:39,920
wanted. 
It goes on to tell us they 

544
00:30:39,920 --> 00:30:42,680
wanted to celebrate and they 
wanted to humiliate him. 

545
00:30:43,240 --> 00:30:47,440
They gathered in a great temple,
a great building and this 

546
00:30:47,440 --> 00:30:51,320
building rested on 2 pillars and
Samson was brought out to 

547
00:30:51,320 --> 00:30:54,520
entertain them. 
And then this lad is leading his

548
00:30:54,520 --> 00:30:58,280
blind Samson and Samson tells 
him and says please put me where

549
00:30:58,280 --> 00:31:00,640
the pillars are. 
I want to feel the pillars. 

550
00:31:01,080 --> 00:31:05,160
The boy does that. 
Then we have one final prayer by

551
00:31:05,160 --> 00:31:08,600
Samson, verse 28. 
Then Samson called to the Lord 

552
00:31:08,600 --> 00:31:12,440
saying, Oh Lord God, Remember 
Me, I pray, strengthen me, I 

553
00:31:12,440 --> 00:31:15,760
pray just this once. 
Oh God, that was one I made with

554
00:31:15,760 --> 00:31:17,400
one blow. 
Take vengeance on the 

555
00:31:17,400 --> 00:31:20,960
Philistines for my two eyes. 
What a prayer. 

556
00:31:25,160 --> 00:31:29,880
This is selfish. 
He's not thinking of God, he's 

557
00:31:29,880 --> 00:31:32,120
thinking of himself. 
He knows God, he believes in 

558
00:31:32,120 --> 00:31:38,360
God, has a faith in God, it says
Samson. 

559
00:31:38,360 --> 00:31:41,160
Then verse 29, Samson took hold 
of the two middle pillars which 

560
00:31:41,160 --> 00:31:43,760
were supported the temple, and 
he braced himself against them, 

561
00:31:43,760 --> 00:31:45,960
and one on his right, the other 
on his left. 

562
00:31:46,680 --> 00:31:49,960
Then Samson said this is his 
final sentence, let me die with 

563
00:31:49,960 --> 00:31:52,280
the Philistines. 
Then he pushed with all his 

564
00:31:52,280 --> 00:31:54,920
might, and the temple fell on 
the Lords and all the people who

565
00:31:54,920 --> 00:31:56,920
were in it. 
So the dead that he killed on 

566
00:31:56,920 --> 00:31:59,760
his death were more than he 
killed in his life. 

567
00:32:01,360 --> 00:32:03,760
And his brothers and all his 
father's household came down and

568
00:32:03,760 --> 00:32:06,600
took him and brought him up and 
buried him between Zorah and 

569
00:32:06,600 --> 00:32:09,640
Ashtal in the temp, in the tomb 
of his father Manoah. 

570
00:32:10,000 --> 00:32:16,400
He had judged Israel 20 years. 
What a tragic end. 

571
00:32:17,280 --> 00:32:20,840
This is one of the most saddest 
stories in Scripture. 

572
00:32:21,720 --> 00:32:24,840
One of the most tragic endings 
of a man in the Bible who's in 

573
00:32:24,840 --> 00:32:29,040
the Hebrew Hall of Fame. 
What a tragic ending. 

574
00:32:29,400 --> 00:32:32,280
What does this teach us? 
Samson was a man of faith. 

575
00:32:32,280 --> 00:32:36,160
Hebrews 11 verse 32. 
But we can say with certainty 

576
00:32:36,160 --> 00:32:39,560
God never intended when he was 
born to have this selfish streak

577
00:32:39,560 --> 00:32:45,040
in him, this arrogance and this 
weakness and these habits of 

578
00:32:45,040 --> 00:32:48,360
compromise. 
His failures, however, did not 

579
00:32:48,360 --> 00:32:50,320
stop God from using him for His 
purpose. 

580
00:32:50,320 --> 00:32:55,160
God did use him, but not in the 
ways he could have had Samson 

581
00:32:55,160 --> 00:32:58,480
been focused more on God. 
Samson selfishly wanted for 

582
00:32:58,480 --> 00:33:02,240
himself what he wanted, a very 
flawed judge. 

583
00:33:03,680 --> 00:33:07,320
Yes, to some extent he broke the
yoke of oppression that the 

584
00:33:07,320 --> 00:33:10,760
Philistines had inflicted over 
the people of Israel, but he did

585
00:33:10,760 --> 00:33:15,080
not finish it. 
His life ended at his own hands 

586
00:33:15,560 --> 00:33:18,840
and the sad as it was, he prayed
for vengeance. 

587
00:33:18,840 --> 00:33:22,040
Even his last words were 
vengeance on his enemies. 

588
00:33:23,240 --> 00:33:26,960
Let me just remind us, this is a
descriptive passage, not 

589
00:33:26,960 --> 00:33:28,520
prescriptive. 
Go and do likewise. 

590
00:33:28,520 --> 00:33:31,920
It's not what it says. 
And the New Testament were under

591
00:33:31,920 --> 00:33:35,160
the New Covenant. 
Now Samson lived his life is not

592
00:33:35,160 --> 00:33:36,920
how God's calling us to live our
lives. 

593
00:33:36,920 --> 00:33:39,560
And he did not call Samson to 
live his life that way either. 

594
00:33:39,720 --> 00:33:43,480
Samson chose how to live in the 
culture in which he was. 

595
00:33:44,160 --> 00:33:48,080
He was a weak man in many ways, 
physically very strong, but 

596
00:33:48,080 --> 00:33:52,320
weakened character. 
Is that not a sign of our times?

597
00:33:54,000 --> 00:33:58,120
How many men in the world today 
have immense financial power, 

598
00:33:58,800 --> 00:34:05,360
immense political leverage, 
immense reputational power, but 

599
00:34:05,360 --> 00:34:10,239
no moral strength? 
It's a description of our times.

600
00:34:12,040 --> 00:34:20,159
We know from the story that 
Samson didn't hold to what he 

601
00:34:20,159 --> 00:34:23,360
was dedicated to. 
OK, let's not worry about Samson

602
00:34:23,360 --> 00:34:24,760
now. 
Let's worry about ourselves. 

603
00:34:25,560 --> 00:34:29,760
Do we hold to what we commit to,
what we dedicate ourselves to 

604
00:34:29,760 --> 00:34:34,840
when we say we'll follow Jesus? 
Or do we make Samson think of 

605
00:34:34,840 --> 00:34:39,440
ourselves? 
Mostly he died with the 

606
00:34:39,480 --> 00:34:43,639
Philistines. 
What was was not what could have

607
00:34:43,639 --> 00:34:46,000
been. 
I know there are people in the 

608
00:34:46,000 --> 00:34:48,400
world today, and even 
theologians and commentators. 

609
00:34:48,400 --> 00:34:50,960
Different faith traditions. 
Oh, God ordained it. 

610
00:34:51,120 --> 00:34:56,320
No, God never ordains evil. 
It's never God's will, so to 

611
00:34:56,320 --> 00:34:58,720
speak. 
He will walk along with it. 

612
00:34:58,840 --> 00:35:03,120
He will go along with it because
we're free, moral human agents. 

613
00:35:03,760 --> 00:35:05,880
We get to decide what we want to
do. 

614
00:35:05,880 --> 00:35:09,800
It's a frightening reality. 
And we will all answer to God 

615
00:35:09,800 --> 00:35:12,360
how we responded to the call 
that he gives us. 

616
00:35:12,760 --> 00:35:15,840
And if we decide to disobey, he 
may stop us, may not. 

617
00:35:15,840 --> 00:35:18,600
We don't know. 
And it's hard for us when he 

618
00:35:18,600 --> 00:35:22,800
allows us to sin. 
He still works in us, still 

619
00:35:22,800 --> 00:35:27,520
calls us to to except his grace.
He wants to work in us. 

620
00:35:27,520 --> 00:35:30,600
If we choose to go the 
rebellious way, it does not stop

621
00:35:30,600 --> 00:35:33,840
him from still using us. 
But look at Samson. 

622
00:35:35,600 --> 00:35:37,080
I titled our sermon this 
morning. 

623
00:35:37,920 --> 00:35:41,000
If you're a Christian, do you 
live up to your potential? 

624
00:35:43,240 --> 00:35:46,600
Let me ask, if you're a 
Christian, what's the trajectory

625
00:35:46,600 --> 00:35:51,120
of your life? 
And if you're a Christian, are 

626
00:35:51,120 --> 00:35:56,480
you OK with where you're headed?
Then lastly, if you're a 

627
00:35:56,480 --> 00:35:58,720
Christian and your life would be
written out and given to the 

628
00:35:58,720 --> 00:36:01,600
world to read, would you be OK 
with the way the story would 

629
00:36:01,600 --> 00:36:05,600
read, what it would tell? 
We read in Paul's letters to the

630
00:36:05,600 --> 00:36:08,880
Corinthians that we what we do 
in this life will be evaluated 

631
00:36:08,880 --> 00:36:12,040
on judgment Day, and depending 
on how we've used our talents 

632
00:36:12,040 --> 00:36:15,520
and lived out our lives, there 
will be rewards or losses. 

633
00:36:17,240 --> 00:36:20,560
Samson's life fell far short in 
his life. 

634
00:36:20,560 --> 00:36:23,360
He had an awful lot with Paul 
called wood, hay, stubble and 

635
00:36:23,360 --> 00:36:26,880
straw, but God still use in 
spite of his weakness. 

636
00:36:26,880 --> 00:36:31,200
But Samson lost out. 
He lived selfishly, self 

637
00:36:31,200 --> 00:36:34,640
focused, lack of moral 
self-discipline with anger and 

638
00:36:34,640 --> 00:36:38,040
vengeance in his life. 
Maybe you wonder this morning, 

639
00:36:38,040 --> 00:36:40,240
why are stories like this even 
in the Bible? 

640
00:36:41,320 --> 00:36:42,920
Again, it's not a prescriptive 
book. 

641
00:36:42,920 --> 00:36:45,120
It's a book that's written to 
tell us what happened, that we 

642
00:36:45,120 --> 00:36:47,760
can learn from it. 
You and I can learn from this. 

643
00:36:47,840 --> 00:36:51,920
We have choices. 
God will honor our choices each 

644
00:36:51,920 --> 00:36:55,200
and every day. 
We make choices for us today, 

645
00:36:55,480 --> 00:36:59,600
there is a better way. 
Jesus calls us to give our lives

646
00:36:59,600 --> 00:37:02,840
in repentance and surrender to 
Him, and He sends us his Spirit 

647
00:37:02,840 --> 00:37:05,120
to transform our lives into a 
new creation. 

648
00:37:05,120 --> 00:37:07,840
And we can walk in faith with 
our Lord Jesus. 

649
00:37:08,080 --> 00:37:12,000
We do not have to live a life 
that ends below what God intends

650
00:37:12,000 --> 00:37:14,120
for us. 
So may we live to surrender our 

651
00:37:14,120 --> 00:37:17,720
lives to Christ and be 
transformed into His image. 

652
00:37:17,800 --> 00:37:21,000
Let us pray. 
Thank you, Lord, for your grace 

653
00:37:21,000 --> 00:37:23,360
to us. 
Thank you for the story of 

654
00:37:23,360 --> 00:37:26,920
Samson, even though there's so 
much in that story that clearly 

655
00:37:26,920 --> 00:37:29,960
was not your will. 
It's a reminder what sin does 

656
00:37:30,320 --> 00:37:33,280
when we allow into our lives. 
We pray, Lord, that we'll be 

657
00:37:33,280 --> 00:37:35,880
faithful to you. 
We will not allow sin control in

658
00:37:35,880 --> 00:37:40,240
our lives or we pray that we'll 
be humble, surrender our lives 

659
00:37:40,240 --> 00:37:44,000
to you, commit to welcome with 
you, follow me with you and 

660
00:37:44,000 --> 00:37:46,040
serving you. 
Thank you Lord Jesus, Amen.