June 17 - HEROES: Samson

Our new message series HEROES looks at Bible characters between the time of Moses and the time of King David. Today's "hero" is Samson, and we read about his exploits in Judges 13-16.

Samson's parents had been childless, so his mother made a vow, dedicating him to the Lord. The Lord had a special plan for Samson:

JUDGES 13:24-25. The Lord blessed him as he grew up. And...the Spirit of the Lord began to take hold of him.

He was known for incredible strength. Chapter 14 tells about a time when he was attacked by a lion:

JUDGES 14:6. The Spirit of the Lord powerfully took control of him, and he ripped the lion’s jaws apart with his bare hands.

Another time his arms were bound with ropes, but the ropes were no match for his strength:

JUDGES 15:14-15. The Spirit of the Lord powerfully took control of Samson, and he snapped the ropes on his arms as if they were burnt strands of flax, and they fell from his wrists. Then he picked up a donkey’s jawbone that was lying on the ground and killed a thousand Philistines with it.

Samson had his ups and downs in the romance department. He lost his fiance to his supposed "best man." He had a relationship with a prostitute. Then his adventures with his wife Delilah led to his downfall.

Read the story in chapter 16 of Judges.

Unfortunately, what we really remember about Samson is his weakness. Three things in particular stand out:

1 - His unhealthy relationships. Not only did his relationships with women leave much to be desired, we also never read about a true friendship.

2 - His obsession with revenge. Compare Samson's behaviors to this Bible verse:

ROMANS 12:19. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God;* for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’

3 - His lack of self-control.

Samson's problem was that he had strength, without self-control. That is one of the saddest things in the world. It is particularly an issue for many men - God has given them great strength, but without self-control, that strength becomes misguided.

The Bible tells us that self-control is among the fruit of the Spirit.

GALATIANS 5:22-23. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Immediately before that passage in Galatians 5 we read about the acts of the sinful nature (think about these in light of what we know about Samson): sexual immorality, impurity ...jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition...and envy.

Real men – and women for that matter – learn to temper their God-given strength with God-given character, and God-given self-control.

I read about a pastor that contrasted Samson and David. Both were strong men. Both had their flaws. But they were vastly different. Samson operated by reflex. David learned to reflect. Samson had the highest body count. He was responsible for the death of thousands. But what a sad life he had.

Think about Jesus praying the garden as he faced the possibility of crucifixion – “not my will, but thine be done” – he could have called ten thousand angels to swarm his enemies – but instead he chose the hard road of obedience – now that’s a real man for you.

June 10 - HEROES: Joshua

The series HEROES focuses on the period between the time of Moses and King David. We begin by looking at the story of Joshua.

The book of Joshua begins where Deuteronomy leaves off, with the death of Moses, and the story of Joshua. There are three key sections in the book.

1 – ENTERING THE PROMISED LAND

Moses had prepared Joshua for what would be required of him. Chapter 1 is a reminder of the Lord’s instructions to Joshua.

JOSHUA 1:7, 9. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to act in accordance with all the law that my servant Moses commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, so that you may be successful wherever you go....I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Three times Joshua receives the advice - “Be strong and courageous.” If God tells you something three times, pay attention!

God didn't want the people to veer left, or to veer right. He asked total obedience from Joshua, and he went on to ask the same of the people.

Read here about the story of crossing the Jordan River. They were instructed to put their foot in the water, and when they do, the waters recede, and they are able to cross. Joshua then leads them to set up twelve stones that they had taken out of the river.

JOSHUA 4:21-22. When your children ask their parents in time to come, “What do these stones mean?” then you shall let your children know, “Israel crossed over the Jordan here on dry ground.”

They created a marker to help them remember.

2 – CONQUEST OF THE PROMISED LAND

Just because they had crossed the river didn’t mean everything was finished. Chapter 6 tells the story of the conquest of the city of Jericho...when the walls came a tumbling down.

Joshua was instructed by God to perform the conquest in a certain way – circle the city for six days, then on the seventh day, then blow the trumpets and charge the city. Again Joshua was obedient, but in this case, the people were disobedient...they failed to completely follow God’s instructions and the consequences were severe.

3 – DANGERS IN THE PROMISED LAND

One would think the hardest work was behind them, and in one sense it was....they had entered the Promised Land...they had conquered the Promised Land...they were ready to settle down. But before they could do so, Joshua had a warning from God.

The big danger would be losing their uniqueness. Intermarriage. The people would forget their distinctiveness. Joshua challenged the people to decide who they would worship.

JOSHUA 24:14-15. Fear the Lord, serve him in sincerity and in truth....And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve....But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

For Christians, the stories of the Promised Land have always meant a lot – not just as history – but as a connection to our story as well. The Promised Land represents the power of hope...deliverance and freedom...new life in Jesus Christ...life in heaven at one with the Lord.

• What lessons do you learn from this old, old story?

• When have you experienced life as wilderness, lasting a long, long time?

• When have you experienced life as a crossing, where you had to step out and stick your foot in the water?

• When have you had to fight battles? (Remember - the Bible reminds us that most of the battles we fight are not battles of flesh and blood - see this passage.)

• When have you been overconfident, thinking that the battle was over, and missed the dangers around you?