Hello Everyone,

This week we are looking at the story of one of the most amazing people in history. And we will see how

he paid a High Cost for Low Living. Samson.

When you have time read Judges 13-16.

You know some people are born to privilege, with many advantages, and can't seem to succeed, and then others are the opposite, born to nothing, and rise above it all to great success.

Samson was one of those born to nothing as far as the world was concern.
He was born at a special time in Israel's history. 7 times this nation had rebelled into apostasy. This time it is the Philistines which God used to punish and oppress Israel for 40 years. They were their worst enemy.

Samson means "sunshine". And in the darkest days of his nation's history, sunshine came into the world.

He was a Nazarite, which means different, separated, or set aside. He was to have no wine or fruit of the vine. He couldn't come near or touch a dead body, whether animal or human. And he couldn't cut his hair.

Samson had been given great strength from the Lord.

On one occasion he slew 1,000 Philistines with just the jawbone of a donkey. On another, he carried the gates of the city up a hill on his shoulders. Then there was the time he was confronted by a wild lion, and destroyed it with his bare hands.

What did he look like? Muscles? No. Probably just average. How do we know? Because Delilah asked him the secret of his strength. It wasn't obvious...It was a supernatural strength.

Judges 14:5-6, 15:14-15 In each case the 'Spirit of the Lord came upon him'.
⁵ Samson went down to Timnah together with his father and mother. As they approached the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young lion came roaring toward him. ⁶ The Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he told neither his father nor his mother what he had done.

¹⁴ As he approached Lehi, the Philistines came toward him shouting. The Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax, and the bindings dropped from his hands. ¹⁵ Finding a fresh jawbone of a donkey, he grabbed it and struck down a thousand men.

Many think that Samson’s hair was the source of his strength. But his fall was not just a hair cut but many steps downward. We will see some of them this week.

Oh How HE Loves Us!

Pastor Phil