The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1902-11-27
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
tesson In the international Series
for November 30. tOoc-samson-
Temperance Lesson.
THE LESSON TEXT.


2S Then the lords OF the Philistlnes gath
cred them together for to offer great sac
rifice unto Dagon, their god. and, TO rejoice;
.or they said. Our god hath delivered Sam
son our enemy into our hand.
"a And when the people saw him, they
praised their god; for they said, Our god
hath delivered into our hands our enemy,
sro' the destroyer Of our country, which
slew many of us.
20 Ano' II came TO pass. when their hearts
were merry, that they said, Call for Sam
son, that he may make us sport. And
they called for Samson out Of the prison
house; and he made them sport; and, they
set him between the pillars.
10 And Samson said unto ths lad that
held him by the hand, Suffer me that may
feel the pillars whereupon the house stand
eth. that may lean upon them.
q. Now the house was full Of men ard
women; and ali the lorGs of the Philistines
We're there; ana thete were upon the roof
about three thousand men and women, that
behe!d while Samson made sport
y. And Samson called unto the Lord,
and said, o Lord God, remember me, pray
Thee. and strengthen Ut, .ray .hte. only
this once, . God. that | may be at once
avenged OF the Philist!res for my two eyes.
~ And Samson took hold of the two mid
die pillars upon which the house stood,
and on which It was borne up, OF the one
with his right hand and of the other with
his left
~ And samson said. Let me die with the
Philistines. And he bowed, himself with
all his might; and the house fell upon the
lords, and upon all the people that were
therein, So the dead which he slew at his
death were more than they which he slew
In his life.
81. Then his brethren and all the house
M lie fn, ha,.
brought him up, and buried him between
lorah and Eshtaol in the burying place of
Manoah, his father. And he judged Israel
twenty years.
GOLDEN TEXT.-He that Is slow to
anger Is better than the mighty, and
he that ruledh his spirit than he that
tnketh city.-PrOv. 1922.
OUTLINE OF SCRIPTURE SECTION.
The judgeship OF Jephthah Judges lO:G-l2:7
The judgeship OF Samson -. Judges 1916.
TIME-B. C. ll6l-ll20
PLACE-Gilead, Zorah, etc.
NOTES AND COMMENTS.
With all his marvellous strength
Samson was a weak man. He did not
rule his passions but was ruled by
them. He used his miraculous
strength to little account, whereas he
might have accomplished the deliver
ance Of Israel. No one can be regard
ed as strong who weakly yields to his
appetites.
The story of Jephthah should be
read for the light it throws on these
wild centuries Of border warfare that
preceded the establishment Of the
kingdom. Human sacrifices were not
unknown, as the VOW Of Jephthah and
the sacrifice of his daughter show.
The bravery of the girl and her touch
ing loyalty to her father help to
modify the horror Of the story.
The story of Samson is tragedy,
which, in its essential points, is being
repeated in the lives Of tempted men
and women to-day.
Samson's beginning was good. He
was the child of godly parents, and de-
voted from birth to the service of God
and His oppressed country. He was
carefully brought up, with the idea
that great mission was to be his.
1924 reads. "and the child grew, and
Jehovah blessed him"
Samson's possibilities were very
great. So far as natural endowment
and early training were concerned, he
was wonderfully fitted to be Israel's
delieverer, but, so far as we know, he
never seriously undertook the task.
Samson's weakness spoiled his
strength. That was the trouble. His
was, as it were, the power of giant in
the hands Of passionate boy.
1t matters not what his particular
temptation was He yielded to it, and
his life-story is a warning of the use
lessness of physical strength without
moral strength to back It up. 1t was
positive snare, for it led him to think
he was strong-strong enough to trife
with the Philistines az he trifed with
sin. He would have laughed at the
idea that the Philistines would ever
bore out his eyes-that they would
ever see him sitting on the floor in the
dark corner of dungeon cell, grind
ing at a hand mill like a poor, weak
woman. Was he not Samson, the
strongest man IN the country? And
so he trihed with temptation. He tried
to see how near he could come to the
edge of the precipiee without falling
over. Read 16:4-20 and see II that does
not describe It. 81 will 60 out as at
other times. and shake myself free"
he said, after he had finally given up
every vestige Of allegiance to princi-
plean religion, In breaking his Naza- |
rite vow; but It was too late. He
woke TO flnd himself deserted by the
strength in which he had trusted, be- |
trayed by the woma n who had tempt
ed him, and witho,t God, whom he had
forsalen. Our Lesson to-day
tells the tragic end, and At the same
time suggests sse Of the grandest Of
the gospel truths; when Samson, hu-
inflated and fallen, returned to God.
God returned to him, - he does 70
every repentant sinner.
10 It safe 10 trihe with temptati lion ?
10 II safe TO say, for instance. n will
drink just little, for can shake ny
self free any time I wiii?" Are We
surs We are 20 strong, after suf