Introduction: Have you or your children made
some bad decisions in marriage? Have you wondered if
the way you raised your children contributed to
problems in their marriages? Is "anger management" a
problem in your marriage? This week we look at early
life of Sampson and his "marriage" to discover how
God can work through our bad decisions. Let's dive
right into our story!
1.
The Promise
1.
Read
Judges 13:2-5. Imagine the excitement of
Manoah's wife! What does God ask her to do and why?
(He tells her that she must raise her coming son as
a Nazirite because he "will begin the deliverance of
Israel from the hands of the Philistines.")
1.
How proud would you be if an angel said this about
your son?
2.
If the son is to be raised as a Nazirite, why does
this involve Mom not drinking alcohol or eating
anything unclean? She is not the one taking the vow!
(This is a strong argument against abortion. God
considers this son a Nazirite from the moment of
conception. He tells the mother not to drink or eat
anything inconsistent with the Nazirite vow so she
will not be passing it along to her newly conceived
child.)
2.
Read
Judges 13:6. Why didn't the wife ask the angel
for his credentials? (I'll bet you understand. She
was overwhelmed by the moment. She is wishing she
had asked to bolster the credibility of her story.)
3.
Read
Judges 13:7-8. What did these parents want to
know?
1.
What instructions had the wife been given about how
to bring up their son? (
Judges 13:5 - don't cut his hair - as part of
the Nazirite vow. For more information about taking
the Nazirite vow read
Numbers 6:1-21. The instructions were a little
thin.)
4.
Read
Judges 13:9-14. What grade would you give the
angel's answer?
1.
Is there more here than meets the eye? Can we
conclude from this apparently non-responsive answer
that the righteousness of the mother is incredibly
important in the raising of righteous children?
(Consider in this regard the angel's conversation
with Mary:
Luke 1:28-33.)
2.
How qualified do these parents feel to raise a
special child?
1.
How qualified do you think they are? (They have the
right attitude: they want to do it right!)
2.
The Son and His Wife
1.
Read
Judges 13:24-14:2. How would you react if you
were Sampson's parents? (He is supposed to be "set
apart to God," he is supposed to deliver "Israel
from the hands of the Philistines." He is not
supposed to be taking the hand of a Philistine in
marriage!)
1.
Is this how arranged marriages are supposed to work?
(Marriages were supposed to be negotiated by the
parents. But, I feel confident that it was the
parents who generally made the "executive decision,"
not the child.)
2.
What kind of picture are we getting of Sampson? (A
mixed picture. The Holy Spirit is working in him. At
the same time, he improperly treats his parents and
his mission in life.)
3.
What do you think about Sampson's judgment about
women? (The text says he merely "saw" her - this
seems totally based on her appearance.)
2.
Read
Judges 14:3. Was this marriage acceptable to
Sampson's parents? (Read
Deuteronomy 7:1-3. One commentary suggested,
based on this text, that it was not "unlawful" to
marry a Philistine. On the other hand,
Exodus 34:16 says not to give your son a wife
who will lead him to worship other gods. How could
Sampson deliver his people from a group that was
about to become part of the "family?")
3.
Read
Judges 14:4. How do you explain this "behind the
scenes" comment? Is it really God's will to violate
His rules about marriage? Would God select a spouse
just to create a fight? (This is an example of God
working with our bad decisions to further his cause.
Sampson should have been leading the fight to throw
off the yoke of the Philistines (
Judges 13:5). Instead, he is hanging around them
and ogling their women. God uses Sampson's poor
choices because to further His cause.)
4.
Read
Judges 14:5-7. What does this confirm about
Sampson's basis for picking this woman to be his
wife? (He had not even spoken with her before.)
1.
Who enabled Sampson to defeat the lion? ("The Spirit
of the Lord." This opens my eyes. For some reason, I
generally think that angels give us physical
protection and the Holy Spirit gives us
understanding of God's will. With this division of
duties, when I pray to God for help with legal
arguments, who should I ask for? This shows the Holy
Spirit is not limited to being the "Comforter," and
a "revealer." The third-person of the God-head is a
"lion-killer" too!)
5.
Read
Judges 14:8-9. This account tells us more than
meets the eye. Is this as simple as eating a candy
bar? (No! Remember, Sampson is supposed to be a
Nazirite and they (
Numbers 6:6) "must not go near a dead body."
This clearly shows that Sampson is very lax obeying
God.)
6.
Sampson, as the groom, fulfills his feast
obligations. The wedding week begins and Sampson
challenges his 30 Philistine companions. Read
Judges 14:12-14. Do you know the answer?
7.
Read
Judges 14:15-17. The Philistines are obviously
"nice people." Do you blame Sampson's new wife for
her actions? What would you have done if you were
Sampson's wife?
1.
The marriage starts out terribly. What is the root
cause of the problem in their marriage? (Marrying
someone outside of God's people.)
8.
Read
Judges 14:18-19. What does Sampson mean when he
says, "If you had not plowed with my heifer?" (They
used his wife unfairly to learn the answer to the
riddle.)
1.
Since Sampson realizes they have acted unfairly, why
does he pay them? (Perhaps he is still concerned
about the threat to his wife.)
2.
With whom is Sampson angry? (Most likely his wife.
If he were angry with the 30 guys, then he could
have killed them, instead of killing the Philistines
from Ashkelon.)
9.
Read
Judges 14:20. Sampson's parents were not wild
about this marriage. What attitude do the girl's
parents seem to have about it? (The father gives her
in marriage to one of the 30 Philistines to be his
wife!)
1.
Surely the father realizes that Sampson has been
treated unfairly by his daughter and the 30
Philistines. Why would he make the problem permanent
by marrying his daughter to someone else?
10.
Read
Judges 15:1-2. Why do you think the
"father-in-law" offers another daughter to Sampson?
11.
Read
Judges 15:3-5. Think about what has happened. Is
it "fair" for Sampson to attack the crops of the
Philistines? Who is really the source of his
grievance? (His "father-in-law.")
1.
Why would he attack the crops in this fashion? (I
think he has a perverted sense of "fun." PETA would
not be happy. Of course, neither were the
Philistines as we will see.)
12.
Read
Judges 15:6. Sampson might not have been able to
pinpoint the source of his problem, but the
Philistines could. What does this teach us about the
character of the Philistines and why God had decided
to execute judgment on them?
3.
Lost Opportunities
1.
Judges 15 records that Sampson retaliated, the
Philistines responded, and Sampson ended up killing
1,000 Philistines. Israel made Sampson its leader,
but he continued to be attracted to the wrong kind
of women. In the end, Sampson's weakness for women,
his failure to follow God's law, causes him to be
captured by the Philistines. Let's pick up the story
in
Judges 16:21. How has life ended up for Sampson?
1.
Why would they blind him? (No doubt to make him less
dangerous. Consider that the "lust of the eyes" has
led him to where he is now. He loses his eyes.)
1.
Read
Judges 16:23-30. Sampson ends up being a
"suicide warrior." He is more successful in death
than in life. What a lost opportunity! What would
you say was the central weakness in Sampson's life
which brought him to this low point?
2.
Friend, Sampson stands as an object lesson for being
faithful to God's commands when it comes to sexual
desires. Will you determine to follow God and not
end up like Sampson?
2.
Next week: Boaz and Ruth: Firm Foundations.
