Western Kansas world., 1915-02-06
LESSON FOR JANUARY 81
THE BIRTH OF SAMSON.

THE BIRTH OF SAMSON.
LESSON TExT-Judges 13:s-1s. 24-2s
GOLDEN TExT-Beware, I pray thee.
and drink wine 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
his day. This being the only lesson in
a seven years course we suggest, in
outline, Samson's entire life
I. Samson's Parents God chooses
humble man and woman. folk of piety
and prayer, to bring forth and rear
this great deliverer. The angels most
improbable promise (13:3) is accepted
by Manoah and his wife (13:6, -.
They express a desire to be able to
measure up to the responsibilities
suggestion to parents There is also a
hint of the dual responsibility of par
ents in the words, teach u.s." (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 q
ANdLdAiN0 Su0 Au0ol hCCP ACA SCH AAOA
| all things unclean ". IA; II Cor. 6:
| I'D, even as Mary, the mother of
Jesus Ouke 1880. The experience of
the sacrifice, the worship of Manoah
and his wife and the fact of Sam
| sons birth completes the record of
| chapter 13. Manoah could not worship
the angel, but could show him hospi-
tality. Verse 1S (R- w seems to indi-
cate that this was another premani-
festation of our Lord Jesus.
N. Samuers Power. Every race has
| its superman, and usually it is one Of
physical strength. That Samson had
no physical evidence of his superior
strength is evident from the fact that
Delilah asked to know his secret Nor
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 harp. as if Samson's heart
was open to God as harp is open to
human touch. "Samsons power was
the result of faith that was open
to the infinite storehouse of the di
vine dynamic" Such spiritual power
is within the reach of every man
Samson ("sunny'O was full of laugh
ter; not the comic, but the joyous. He
did the big things God gave him to dc
and was filled with gladness. But
Samson came under the spell of al
evil woman and all of this true laugh
ter and glad joyousness left his soul
III. Samson's lmpurity. A woman
can make or mar the man with whom
she associates. AS a Nazarite, Samson
was dedicated unto God. must not al
low a razor to touch his head, was moi
to touch anything unclean, nor drinl
Intoxicating liquor. This vow was
usually for a short period Samuel anG
John the Baptizer are other Naza
rites recorded in Scripture. and are
said to have been such from birth
GA; 1917; Luke 1:15). Samson'f
strength burned out when he lay his
head in harlot's lap and the laughter
went out of his soul. 1t was tina,
which broke the contact between him
and God Samson's birth in a godly
home. his knowledge of his relation te
God and the experience of Gods power
did not keep him from an ignoble
failure.
~. Samson's Imprisonment. We find
him after his excesses grinding in the
Philistine prison, where he perhaps
overheard praises being sung to Dagon
who had oyerthrown Jehovah's Judge
It is never safe to play with tempta
| ton though conscious of our own
strength; then it is we are most apt
to fall Il Cor. 10:12). One act and
the gay hero is grinding in a prison
house. Directly a man goes into i'm
purity. whether in act or thought, he
loses the power that formerly moved
men or worked wonders. Year after
year Samson plodded his round of en-.
forced toll. a type of the force and
power of intemperance and other i'm.
pure habits
Finally. when their hearts were
merry" (16:25), he is brought out to
make sport During one of his resting
periods he said to a boy-near by, Let
me feel of the two pillars those upon
which the main walls rested and
which were within a mans reach.
the mysterious power of the unseen
(16:30)- Was Samson a suicide? No,
He accepted death as the Inevitable
consequence Of his act of duty (See
| Heb 11:32)-
The growth of his hair was only a
token of that conservation which he
had surrendered when he failed to
withstand the wiles of Delilah-
The Temperance Teaching of this
lesson is all too plain 1t must begin
in the home and continue throughout
all of life AS we have scattered in