Week 10: Judges 13-21; Ruth; 1 Samuel 1-15

The scriptures for this week contain tons of great stories and lessons, and I'm sad that I'm not going to be able to focus on more of them! The assignment I chose is all about Samson...not the sharpest tool in the shed, but most definitely the strongest! ;)


Samson's story is a tragedy - a story of incredible promised blessings and poor decisions. His mother was barren for a long time, and she and her husband were excited but very nervous when they found out they were going to be parents. They were worried about raising a child with so much promise and potential, and they wanted to do it right.

But God has allowed us to come to earth in order that we might learn to use our agency to choose good over evil, and even Samson was not denied the right to choose for himself. In Judges 13 - 16, we read about the little mistakes that Samson made, which in turn led to bigger mistakes. It seems he had a fairly strong desire to go looking for trouble - lusting after women, marrying outside of the covenant, acting out in anger, forgetting where his strength came from, and boasting.

Of course, not every decision that Samson made was a poor decision! And I believe that everyone makes bad decisions in life! It just so happens that those with the greatest potential for good also have the greatest potential for evil; and when they do make poor decisions, those decisions have a much more stark contrast to the good that they could have been. This doesn't excuse their actions, but I think we need to realize that everyone on the earth has the potential to be a great person and to follow the Lord with full purpose of heart. Those who choose to indulge in wicked and sinful practices must suffer the consequences. It's not right for us to judge them, because we don't know everything - we don't know their heart.

Samson was a Nazarite. What does that mean? (Judges 13:5; Numbers 6:1-9)

· A Nazarite takes a vow of separation from people and devotion to God

· Never drink wine or strong drink

· Never eat of the vine

· Never cut his hair

· Never be in the presence of a dead body

· If someone dies by his hand, he must follow the protocol for cleansing and then shave his head

I think the biggest way to avoid yielding to temptation is by avoiding temptation. Samson seemed to enjoy standing on the very edge (which is why he often stepped out of bounds). If he had been true and faithful to his covenants, he would never have been faced with the temptation of the beautiful Philistine woman that he wanted to marry (or the harlot, or Delilah…). He also seemed to be tempted by pride quite often (desiring to show off his wit and strength, especially to his enemies) – I think this is a good lesson for us. Humility is the antidote for pride. If we care more about what God thinks versus what other people think, then we will be less likely to succumb to temptations when they present themselves before us. Another lesson I learn from this story is that we should flee from temptation. Samson knew that Delilah was trying to destroy him – every time he told her “his secret” she attempted to use it against him! But he stayed with her anyway, listening to her pleading until it almost drove him mad! We should run away.