The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1888-12-14
DEATH OF SAMSON.
LESSON xl, FOURTH QUARTER, IN
TGRNATIONAL SERIES, DEC. 10.


Commit verses--Goiden Text, job xxxiI,
documentary by Rev. ID. NJ. stearns.
Condensed from Lesson Helper Quarterly, by
llsherl
In all the Scriptures the great truth is kept
before us that il we would ENJOY peace and
have victory over all enemies it must be by
mind stayed upon God, and by an humble
walk with Him in cheerful and whole hearted
obedience. Another truth brought before
us over and over and over again is that God
often chooses the most unlikely instruments
with which to accomplish His purposes, that
no flesh may glory in HIS presence And
everywhere we are taught Gods readiness to
forgive and to restore to favor and useful
ness IN some measure when there is true
turning from sin to Him, either on the part
Of nation or an individual.
Gideon judged Israel forty years and was
succeeded by Abimelech, lola and Jair; then
they did evil again and were oppressed by
the Philistines and Ammonites eighteen
years; God then raised up Jephtha as their
deliverer and judge, and he was succeeded
by Ibzam, Elon and Abdon; then they did
evil again and were delivered into the hands
of the Philistines, who oppressed them forty
years; God then raised up Samson as de-
liverer and Judge, and his is the last rule re-
corded in the book Of Judges, the closing
chapters describing the condition of things
when every man did that which was right
in his own eyes" Chap. xvii, 8; xxi, 25)
q. 1.-THE Philistines took him, and put out
his eyes" Behold him, a prisoner, slave,
blind and helpless, and consider who he is
and what he had been. His birth was fore
told by the Lord, who appeared twice to his
mother and once to his father; he was
Nazarite to God from his birth, that is, one
who was fully separated unto the Lord, hav-
ing nothing to do with the vine, either as to
wine or grapes, and no razor was to come
upon his head (Num. vi, 1-S); as to his
mighty acts, he had rent a lion as he would
have rent kid, he had slain a thousand men
with the jawbone of an ass, when shut in a
city by those who wanted to kill him he arose
in the night and took the gates and the posts
them away to the top of hill, and many
other marvellous feats of superhuman
strength had he performed. but now his
power and glory have departed from him,
and he is in the power Of his enemies, a poor,
blind, helpless prisoner. What is the cause
of this terrible fall, and why this reproach
upon the Lord through His servanta for not
1xr &c Snt I,.< A.. q
the Lord is dishonored. Milton in his ''Sam-
son Agonistes' makes him say:
I e to God have brought
Dishonor, obloquy, and oped the mouths
or idiots and atheists, have brought scandal
To Israel, diffidence of God, and doubt
In feeble hearts, propense enough before
To waver or fall off and join with idols.
The cause was simply that Samson had de.
parted from his conservation and had given
his time14d attention to things which he
should bean separated from He saw
woman rhnath; he saw an harlot in GAIA;
he loved& woman in the valley of Sorek;
and thus, instead of making covenant with
his eyes Job xxi, y, he let his eyes lead
him into trouble, and now he has lost them.
g. "The hair of his head began to grow
again" Not that Samson's strength lay in
his hair, but in his conservation to God, of
which his locks were an outward token; and
as we see the outward evidence of his separa-
zion to God returning, have we not reason to
believe that in his heart there is true peni-
fence and sincere return to the God Of
Israel, who had so wonderfully called him,
but whom he had SO grievously slandered.
". "a great sacrifice unto Dagon, their
yod." Dagon is mentioned ten times in
Samuel v, ~, and once in / Chronicles K, III.
1t was the great national god of the Phils-
lines. The name signifies fish," and its
,orm is said to have been the face and hands
If man with the tail OF fish.
"a. "They praised their god" If Samson
had only praised the living and true God by
. whele hearted conservation to Him, then
;hese Gentiles had not had this occasion to
praise their god.
Our God hath delivered into our hands
,ur enemy" In this and the preceding verse
We find this statement, and they no dou> t
bought it true. Nebuchadnezzar probably
bought that he subdued Jehoiakim, but it is
written that ''the Lord gave Jehoiak IN into
lis hand" Dan. i, ~
20. "Call for Samson, that he may make
Is sport" A great company of uncircu,n-
iSSu hIiSoiIeo IidlsiuS anu WoISlllpluS
evils or demons, and servant OF the Great
Tod OF Israel in their midst making sport
or them. 1t is true he was not there of his
WI accord nor was it by any means to his
king; but ii he had not OF his own free will |
nd by his own choice departed from being |
onsecrated to God, he had never come to |
his most pitiful and disgraceful condition.
u. 1.-The house was full of men and |
1omen." Three thousand on the roof, but |
ow many thousands inside we are not told;
Il beholding while Samson makes sport
low few such gatherings are found to
'orship God; one in Brooklyn, one in Lon
on, few others here and there; but how
asy to gather the thousands if there is any
port in the service of Satan. Which way
oes your own heart tend mean, which
onpany do you honestly enjoy the most.
or know that there are Sunday school
,achcrs w-o enjoy the so called good time
etter than the house and service of God
2S Samson called unto the Lord" he
ocs not seem to have been raised up to lead
)rth an army, like Othneil, Deborah and
arak, Gideon or Jephthah, but rather by
IT'S OF personal valor to avenge Israel We
ow sec Lin III prayer, his last prayer, and
range as such prayer may seem to us, God
cswered it. We must see Sampson here on
re side of the Lord desiring the overthrow
the enemies of the Lord. Some one has
'GSested that he had better sight now than
,.orc he lost his eyes. 1t is not our natural
Chit, but the degree in which we sec God or
ie measure Of our faith which makes US to
lvo power in His service.