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Samson - A Man of God or Not?
by Pastor Ronald Boelte
Samson whose personal name means "of the sun" is often looked
at as a great Bible hero. This week we will look at this man of great
strength a little closer to see who he really is and if he followed God's
mission for his life.
He is the son of Manoah from the tribe of Dan. He is a legendary hero of
the people during his time, and he often did battle against the
Philistines who are in control of Israel at the time. Before his
conception he was dedicated by his parents to be a lifelong Nazirite. This
rite included many different things, but the main ones were that they
should never cut their hair and they were not to drink wine or strong
drink as part of their dedication to God.
Samson was the last of the major judges over Israel, and he lived during a
very troubled time for the nation. The people of Israel have again taken
up the gods of the people that lived around them. It seems that the people
of Israel just don't learn from their mistakes.
Samson's legendary strength did not come from his long hair. Rather, it
came through the "Spirit of the Lord" who would "come upon
" him to enable him to perform amazing feats of physical strength
(Judges 14:6,19; 15:14). As we read his story this week, look to see how
Samson was often careless with his vow with little or no self control, and
yet God was still with him. If only he would have learned from his
mistakes. How much more could he have done for God! He is listed as one of
the great heroes of the Bible, not because of his strength and actions for
Israel, but because God was with him and in his dying act he demonstrated
his faith in God.
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