The Red Cloud chief., 1915-01-28

LESSON T~EXT-Judgcs l3:8-16, 2-25.
GOLDEN TEXT-Beware. I pray thee,
and drink no wine nor strong drink
Judges 1874. .
The story Of Samson bulks large In
the book of Judges and in the interest
and imagination Of all men ever since
ais day. This being the only lesson in
. seven years course we suggest, in
outline. Samson's entire life.
4. Samson's Parents. God chooses
a humble man and woman, folk Of piety
and prayer. to bring forth and rear
this great deliverer. The angels most
improbable promise $3.50 is accepted
by Manoah and his wife (13:6. y.
They express a desire to be able to
up to the responsibilities
to parents. There Is also a
hint Of the dual responsibility Of par.
ents in the words, teach US" (See
Eph. ga; Jas. 1:5.7.) 1t was reason
able to believe that the one who
brought the promise could also tell
them how to train and nurture the
child. God honored the mothers pray
er and she shares her experience with
the father ". 81. AS the mother Of a
Nazarite she must keep herself from
all things unclean ". IA; ii Cor. g.:
~, even as Mary. the mother Of
Jesus duke 1881. The experience Of
the sacrifice, the worship OF Manoah
and his wife and the fact Of Sam!
sons birth completes the record OF
chapter 10. Manoah could not worship
the angel, but could show him hospi.
tally. Verse IS Or. W. seems to indt
cate that this was another premant
~festation OF our Lord Jesus.
u. Samuei's Power Every race has
its superman, and usually it is n OF
physical strength. That Samson haG
no physical evidence OF his superior
strength is evident from the fact that
Delilah asked to know his secret. MOI
was his strength in his hair. else there
was no need that the Spirit of
Jehovah" should come upon him. The
secret OF his power Is indicated In
1925. The word move" suggests to
play upon a harp, as IL Samson's heart
was open to God as a harp Is open to
human touch. "Samson's power was
the result Of a faith that was open
to the infinite s%torehouse of the di.
vine dynamic" Such spiritual power
Is within the reach of every man.
Samson (~"sunny") was full Of laugh.
ter: not the comic. but the joyous. He
did the big things God gave him to do
and was filed with gladness. But
Samson came under the spell Of an
evil woman and all Of this true laugh
ter and glad joyousness left his soul
III. samson's impurity. A woman
can make or mar the man with whom
she associates. AS a Nazarite, Samson
was dedicated unto God, must not al
low q razor to touch his head, was not
to touch anything unclean, nor drink
intoxicating liquor. This vow was
usually for a short period. Samuel and
John the Baptizer are other Naza
rites recorded In Scripture. and are
said to have been such from birth
OLA; 1917; Luke 1:15). Samson's
strength burned out when he lay his
head in a harlot's lap and the laughter
went out of his soul. It was that
which broke the contact between him
and God. Samson's birth in a godly
home. his knowledge of his relation to
God and the experience of Gods power
did not keep him from an ignoble
failure.
". Samson's imprisonment. We fint
him after his excuses grinding in the
Philistine prison. where he perhaps
overheard praises being sung to Dagger
who had overthrow Jehovah's Judge
It Is never safe to play with tempta
ton though conscious Of our owl
strength; then 1t Is we are most APP
to fall Il Cor. 1919. One act ant
the gay hero is grinding in a prison
house. Directly a man goes into i'm
purity, whether in act or thought, HI
loses the power that formerly moved
men or worked wonders. Year afteI
year Samson plodded his round Of en-
forced toll. a type Of the force ant
power of intemperance and other i'm
pure habits.
Finally, when their hearts wer'
merry" (16:25), he is brought out t
make sport. During n of his resting
periods he said to a boy near by, lie
me feel of the two pillars" those upol
which the main walls rested ant
which were within a mans reach
Then 1t was that he was able to gril
the mysterious power Of the unseel
(16:30). Was Samson a suicide? No
He accepted death as the inevitably
consequence of his act of duty Use
Heb. 11:32).
The growth Of his hair was only
token of that conservation which h
had surrendered when he failed I
withstand the wiles of Delilah.
The Temperance Teaching of thi
lesson Is all too plain. 1t must begi
In the home and continue Throughout
all Of life. AS we have scattered II
formation throughout our land W
have seen the work Of temperance az
vancing nightly. Samson's explo'
with the lion is a temperance sermo
~. On Th