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MAJOR ERRORS IN THE LIFE OF SAMSON

INTRODUCTION

It was a party to end all parties. The main entertainment was a tragic comic display.

They called out a blind hulk of a man and forced him to be the brunt of their drunken fun.

This was not just any old slave, this was their former enemy. His name was Samson.

In the midst of all this, Samson did something he had done little of the rest of his life. He prayed.

In that simple prayer he asked God to let him have the last laugh on his enemies. God allowed him to have the answer to his prayer.

What brought Samson to this terrible, desperate place? It was a series of errors in his life.

Samson had more potential than anyone in the Old Testament with the possible exception of Moses, yet he failed miserably.

As I read the book of Judges I find that He is the most worthless of the Judges.

The excitement of all his adventures does not cover up the tragedy of a wasted life.

What were these series of errors that brought Samson to a tragic end:

I.         SAMSON IGNORED HIS GODLY HERITAGE.

            YOU CAN’T IGNORE A GODLY HERITAGE WITHOUT CONSEQUENCES.

            A.        Samson Came From A Praying Family And Was An Answer To Prayer.

                        (Judges 13:2)

            B.        Samson’s Parents Had Taken A Special Vow For Him To Be Pure And Serve God But He Did Not Seem

                        To Appreciate The Significance Of This.

                        (Judges 13:4-5)

1.        God Had A Special Purpose For Him--He Was To Be Holy To The Lord.

                                    He was separated to God under a Nazarite vow.

                                    Numbers 6:8–“All the days of his separation he is holy unto the Lord.”

2.        God Had A Special Plan For Him--He Was To Be A Deliverer For Israel.

            C.        Samson Had The Blessings Of God On His Life But Strayed From Those Blessings To His Demise. (Judges 13:24-25)

            D.        Today, Many Also Ignore Their Heritage--Some Even Despising It!

                        1.         The Privilege Of Being Born In America Is A Heritage.

                                    Jeremiah 2:7–"And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof;

                                    but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination."

                        2.         The Privilege Of Being Born In A Christian Family Is A Heritage.

3.          The Privilege Of Being Born Again In And Being In A Bible Believing Baptist Church.

                                    Psalm 61:5–"thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name."

 I.         SAMSON IGNORED HIS GODLY HERITAGE. 

II.       SAMSON DID NOT CONTROL HIS ANGER.

            YOU CAN’T UNLEASH YOUR RAGE UNCONTROLLED WITHOUT CONSEQUENCES.

            Ephesians 5:26– “Be ye angry and sin not.”

            In other words it is OK to be angry as long as we control our anger to the point that we keep from sinning in our anger.

            Proverbs 14:17-- "He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly."

Ecclessiastes 7:9–"Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools."

            There is a saying that goes like this , “What Goes Around Comes Around.”

            A.        Samson Had An Anger That Was Frequently Out Of Control.

                        He was a man bent on revenge.

            B.        Samson Seemed To Enjoy Giving Full Reign To This Anger.

            C.        In Spite Of His Victories, Samson’s Anger Led Him To Many Sins.

                        Proverbs 29:22–"An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression."

 III.      SAMSON VIOLATED HIS VOWS.

            YOU CAN’T VIOLATE YOUR VOWS WITHOUT CONSEQUENCES.

            His Nazarite Vow Required That-- He abstain from anything from the vine, No razor was to come upon his head, He was not to

            come at any dead body.

            He Thought Nothing Of Violating His Nazarite Vow. (Numbers 14:6-9)

            A “vow” is a promise positively, to do or give something to God.

            A.        Samson Broke His Promise To Stay Pure.

            B.        Samson Broke His Promise To Keep Ceremonially Clean.

            C.        Samson Broke His Promise To Keep His Symbolic Hair Long.

            D.        Promises Mean Virtually Nothing Today.

                        1.         In The Secular World Many Times Promises Mean Nothing.

                                    Bankruptcies abound, Divorces abound, Legal Battles Abound.

                        2.         Sadly, In The Religious World, Many Times Promises Mean Nothing.

Divorce rates are as high (or some say higher) for those professing Christianity.

                                    People walk away from their religious vows.

I.         SAMSON IGNORED HIS GODLY HERITAGE. 

II.        SAMSON DID NOT CONTROL HIS ANGER.

III.       SAMSON VIOLATED HIS VOWS.

IV.      SAMSON INDULGED HIS FLESHLY PASSIONS.

            YOU CAN’T INDULGE YOUR FLESHLY PASSIONS WITHOUT CONSEQUENCES.

            A.        Samson’s Passions Caused Him To Marry Poorly. (Judges 14:2-3)

            B.        Samson’s Passions Led Him To Seek The Services Of A Prostitute.

                        (Judges 16:1)

            C.        Samson’s Passions Led Him To His Betrayal By Delilah. (Judges 16:15ff)

                        The love of a woman became more important to him than his vow to God.

            D.        Sexuality Is A Powerful Urge That God Intended To Be Used Within The

                        Confines Of A Monogamous Marital Relationship.

                        All of us have heard the notion of “Safe Sex” proclaimed by the media. Is there any such thing? Some seem to

                        suggest that if you could remove the specter of AIDS, STD’s, or unwanted pregnancy, it would be all right for people                         to have as much sex as they wished. Sex involves more than physical  consequences. Sex was given by God and is

                        too powerful and intimate to be shared indiscriminately.

            E.        Many People Have Found That Failure To Control This Urge Leads To Physical, Emotional And Spiritual Problems.

   V.      HE ALSO MADE ONE CORRECT ASSESSMENT IN HIS LIFE.

            HE KNEW THAT GOD COULD USE HIM IN SPITE OF HIS FAILINGS.

            A.        Samson Believed God Could Use Whatever Time He Had Left, And He Was Right.

                        Make no mistake about it, Samson shortened his life by the life that he lived,  however God was able to use him this one last

                        time at the end of his life.

            B.        Samson Believed God Could Use Him No Matter How He Had Failed Before,  And He Was Right.

CONCLUSION

Avoid the mistakes of Samson. He learned the hard way, but you can learn from his example, and that’s a lot less painful. But never forget, if you do fail, that God is a God of mercy and grace. Enjoy His grace when you need it, but don’t learn your lessons the hard way.

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NOTICE:   THESE SERMONS ARE FREE TO BE USED BUT ARE NOT TO BE SOLD!