CENTRAL THOUGHT
Perfect accomplishment only comes through full obedience to God.
HYMN: When we walk with the Lord
TEXT: JUDGES 13:1-25, 1 CORIN. 10:11-14
INTRODUCTION:
To take heed is to pay careful attention to somebody’s advice or warning. To listen to and obey or take to instructions given to someone either as a sign of respect to the one advising, or a safeguard or corrective measure to the one advised.
We are no doubt in perilous times. The love of many is waxing cold. The Holy Scriptures are able to save, secure and preserve us unto the day of Christ’s appearing, even as the Lord Jesus prayed in John 17:17. Sanctify them by the truth, they word is the truth. It therefore pays to take heed to biblical counsel and truth, lest we fall away.
In this lesson, we would examine the life of Samson which did not end well because he did not take heed to Godly counsel. Nobody is infallible hence every believer should “take heed lest he fall” 1 Cor. 10:12.
LESSON OBJECTIVES:
To understand the following:
1.) Who the man Samson was.
2.) How he lived his life and the extent of his successes and failure.
3.) The factors which led to his successes/failure.
4.) Possible warnings and encouragements from his lifestyle if any.
BIBLE TRUTH:
QUESTION 1.) WHO WAS SAMSON?
JUDGES 13:1-5
Samson was a child of promise, the son of Manoah from Zorah and of the family of the Danites. Samson was made a Nazarite from the womb, as a boy set apart to God from birth who would drink no wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing. No razor was to come upon his head while his God-ordained mission was to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines (Judges 13:4-5).
QUESTION 2.) WHAT PARALLEL CAN BELIEVERS DRAW FROM THE LORD’S INSTRUCTIONS ABOUT SAMSONS LIFE?
God has called us out of darkness and bestowed on us the duty of bringing men back to Himself.
When we come out of sin and cleave to God in righteousness, He receives us, gives us all we need and expects us to bring forth our kinds for Him, with the much He endowed us with.
We are saved to serve. Serving Him is not only in area of praying, parting with our belongings for Him, but also in laboring for Him in his vineyard and bringing sinners to Him for salvation.
This is only achievable by faith through our godly living and labor of love. As Samson was meant to save or deliver the Israelites from the bondage of the Philistines, so the present-day believers are supposed to be spiritually minded and busy recusing the unsaved from the sinful enslavement by satan.
QUESTION 3.) DISCUSS HOW THE FOLLOWING LED TO SAMSON’S FALL AND THE POSSIBLE LESSONS FOR US.
God expressly warns those who think that they are strong in the Lord to take heed or else they fall (1 Cor. 10:12). We should therefore, be careful watching in prayers and righteousness as we walk daily.
Some of the factors that led to Samson’s fall include these:
1.) LUST (JUDGES 14:1-2, GEN. 3:6, 24:3, 28:1, DEUT. 7:3, JOSH. 23:12, EZRA 9:12, NEH. 13:25
God commanded that believers should not marry unbelievers. Samson was carried away by his fleshly desire that he ignored this injunction. Not long after his wrong choice he discovered the fact that, no unconverted person is good enough. We must not lust after their cosmetic beauty, respect, or humility. Their ways cannot endure long. One evil discovered in them, can negate all the good qualities we tend to have seen and can be very poisonous and devastating to mankind.
2.) DISOBEDIENCE (JUDGES 14:3)
Even when Samson’s parents counseled him in line with godly marriage injunction, against taking a Philistine (unbeliever) to wife, as a Nazarite, he refused to retrieve his steps. He rather became neck deep, not minding the bible teachings and his parents’ disagreement. In desperation, he married contrary to God’s perfect will, simply because Delilah pleased him much (Judges 16:1).
3.) CARELESSNESS (JUDGES 14:8-9)
As believers, a very little unguided moment could negate all we have lived for. We must therefore guide the thoughts we harbor in our hearts as it is the battle-field against our faith. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. If we listen to God and obey, He will always make a way of escape for us to remain standing in faith. Samson lived a careless life, not minding who he was. Once he found himself on Delilah’s laps, anything was good enough for him.
4.) UNCONTROLLED APPETITE/HABIT (JUDGES 16:1-3)
Believers must endeavor to harness their urge by crucifying their flesh. Our flesh must be rebuked as is necessary, in order that we might not do what he ought not to, for any reason. When one does anything often, it becomes a habit and difficult to stop. Samson was caught in the web of lusting after women. (Judges 14:1-3, 16:1-5). Flirting caused troubles in the past and is even more devastating in these days of various diseases that go with high risk sexual behaviors. Families are broken, wars are fought, people poisoned, and pledges overlooked intentionally. Child of God, beware and do not fall prey to these fleeting fleshly pleasures.
5.) DECEPTION (JUDGES 16:4-6)
Samson was deceived by Delilah’s cosmetic love. He was blinded by fleshly lust that he fell into the trap. Samson thought that he had found a beautiful lover and succor. Little did he know that Delilah was a poison which later took his life. Believers should be guided by the word of God and rely on the Holy Spirit for a godly relationship. Anything or process contrary to the Bible procedure is not of God and should be avoided in all its ramifications. It is a deception of the devil. It is better to obey God rather than our fleshly lust, for disobedience leads to destruction.
QUESTION 4.) WHAT LESSONS DO WE LEARN FROM SAMSON’S LIFE?
• Any believer can fall.
• We should take heed to the word of God. It should guide and guard us always.
• We must obey the leading of the Holy Ghost always.
• All clearly defined instructions in God’s word must be applied to our daily living.
• Disobedience to God causes humiliation and may lead to eternal damnation.
• The devil is still setting his traps today using various media. We must hold fast to the word of God, adhere to Godly counsels, and listen to the Holy Ghost for earthly success.
• The same strategies the devil used to deceive Eve- the lust of the eyes, the fleshly lust and pride of life are still real today, and perhaps more sophisticated.
• We must be “ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord”.
1 Corin. 15:58.
• It should be realized that achievements as believers are not measured by earthly things. The life of man does not consist of the abundance of things which he possesses (Luke 12:15).
• Satan is still moving about like a roaring seeking whom he may devour (1 Pet. 5:8). If anyone allows him, he takes him off the righteous life to hell at the end. We need to be sober and vigilant therefore, to overcome or escape from him.
• We ought to live and do all things as believers by faith. Anything done outside faith is by sight and could ruin one’s life.
• God must be in all our daily living on earth.
• We should be very prayerful (1 Thes. 5:17).
• We must not be forsaking the assembling of ourselves as the manner of some are (Heb. 10:25).
DAILY LIVING APPLICATION
We have been reminded that it’s not all that glitters that is gold. The devil is not relenting in his bid to lead many astray. But if we listen to the bidding of our loving Master, we will always arrive at the shore of bliss rejoicing in victory having overcome the deceits and traps of the devil.
God does not leave us without a way of escape from the devil’s strategies. If we obey Him completely, we will testify.
We must not allow the fleeting pleasures of sin cheaply offered by the devil through sex, position, wealth, fame, title, experience, ego etc. lead us astray. The sufferings of the present world cannot be compared with the glory that shall be revealed to us through Jesus Christ in the Kingdom to come (Rom. 8:18).
We should therefore always look beyond this earth in all our activities. If Samson could fall, what will you say of the weak and careless ones? We must avoid the same pitfalls today.
MEMORY VERSE
1 COR. 10:12
“Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall”.
DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE
MONDAY: BE NOT IGNORANT OF HIS DEVICES, WATCH AND PRAY.
2 Corin. 2:11, Matt. 21:41, Lk. 22:40,46
TUESDAY: FOCUS ON CHRIST TO OVERCOME THE FLESH AND MAKE HEAVEN.
Col. 3:1-5
WEDNESDAY: LET NO MAN DECEIVE YOU.
Col. 2:18-19, Prov. 1:10, 15, Gal. 6:7-8
THURSDAY: KEEP GOD’S WORD TO AVOID SIN.
Psalm 119:11, Josh. 1:8, John 5:39
FRIDAY: LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART.
Deut. 6:5, John 15:15
SATURDAY: WE MUST NOT MARRY AN UNBELIEVER, BEAUTY COULD BE DECEITFUL
2 Cor. 6:14, Judges 16:4-6