3. THE BOOK OF JUDGES. SAMSON FLAWED..but..USEABLE

You do not have to be perfect for God to use you to fulfil his purposes.OUR SETTING.THE PHILISTINES Judges chapters 3:3. 10:7.
T

This warlike race of sea people was of Greek ancestry, and they had settled in the South
Western coastal areas of Israel about 1,200 BC.
From then on, Philistia was Israel’s natural enemy, and it increasingly threatened its national existence.
Israel’s Kingship developed partly in response to the Philistine challenge.The tribe of Dan attempted to settle in this area but did not drive the Philistines out; instead, they submitted to their dominance.This city of Zorah is where Samson was born and lived.Manoah (from the tribe of Dan ) and his wife were unable to have children. Then an Angel of the Lord came to speak to his wife to announce that she would become pregnant and have a boy. He said to her, “Your son will be raised a Nazarite and deliver Israel from the Philistines.”A NAZARITE.A Nazarite was a person who was entirely
consecrated to God. He was untouched by a razor or scissors; his hair grew extremely long from birth. He stood out in a crowd.People would comment, “That man is a man of God.”
“A Nazarite. Set Apart.”His hair is the central theme of his story. However, Samson possessed little wisdom and even less spiritual discernment, despite being gifted with physical, supernatural strength.His whole life was a mixture of miracles and mistakes, as he was easily overcome by temptation, enticed and led astray.Samson was reckless; he did not follow God’s instructions and was extremely casual about them.SAMSON’S DISOBEDIENCE.HE PERSUED A FORBIDDEN MARRIAGE!HE TOUCHED DEAD BODIES!HE WAS PRONE TO ANGER AND VIOLENCE!HE SLEPT WITH A PROSTITUTE!HE COULD NOT CONTROL HIS PASSIONS.HE WAS DRAWN TO IMMORAL AND DANGEROUS WOMEN.HE REVEALED THE SECRET OF HIS STRENGTH, WHICH CAUSED HIM TO
LOSE IT!Yet we are told that, “GOD WAS AT WORK IN ALL THESE THINGS.” Samson’s downfall became God’s opportunity to deliver His people, Israel (Judges 14:4).Samson’s cavalier approach to life is a fascinating study of one of the great mysteries of the Divine-Human relationship: how a Holy God accomplishes His Will through flawed people (and isn’t that good news?)His dealings with a rebellious Israel were the same as His compassion toward Samson’s mistakes, and ..”He is the same YESTERDAY, TODAY, AND FOREVER!!”
Although Samson “did what was right in his own eyes” rather than obeying God’s command, God kept His Promises to Israel.You may be wondering. Why does God even choose people like Samson, when there are more faithful men available?This is a wonderful thing that God does not revoke His gifts when His people fail.
You may think ..
Maybe the whole Philistine army would have been subdued once and for all if God had chosen someone else?Yet, we see that they became overwhelmingly strong again in the days of King Saul and David.You may have been fighting against doing the will of God and abusing His promises, forfeiting God’s blessings all your life, but that does not stop God from fulfilling His plans and His ultimate purposes for mankind.Allow the Holy Spirit to change your thinking from selfish to selfless, from evil to good, from earthly to Heavenly.You may possess a great gift from God, but your character stinks! Allow the Holy Spirit to work on your character.One of the most frequent prayers my husband would pray was..”Lord, make me like Jesus.”Christians love to try to change each other according to their own set of standards, which is done through all kinds of negativity of speech and innuendo.Let’s pray instead,LORD, PLEASE CHANGE ME!!How can I change my hard heart?Don’t compare yourself with others.Repent of Pride.Forgive those who offend you, or your heart will be hardened with bitterness and resentment.Follow God’s standards revealed in His Word.Yield yourself to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to convict you of the areas that need changing.Find a godly Mentor and be teachable.Finally, draw close to God, and He will draw close to you… Then reach out to encourage those whom God sends across your path.Amen.