The Elbert County tribune., 1915-01-29

The story of Samson buiks 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
seven years course we suggest. In
outline, Samson's entire life.
|. 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 u3:3) is accepted
by Manoah and his wife (13:6. y.
They express a desire to be able to
measure up to the responsibility
suggestion to parents. There is also
hint of the dual responsibility of par
ents in the words, teach u.s." (See
Eph. 6:4; 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
Nazarite she must keep herself from
all things unclean ". IA; II Cor. 6:
ID, even as Mary, the mother OF
Jesus (Luke 1889. 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 Is Or. W seems to indi
cate that this was another premani
festation of our Lord Jesus.
II. SamuePs Power. Every race has
its superman, and usually 1t 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 a harp, as If Samson's heart
was open to God as harp is open tc
human touch. "Samson's power was
the result of a faith that was open
to the infinite storehouse of the dt
vine dynamic" Such spiritual power
| is within the reach of every man
Samson ("sunny'') was full of laugh
did the big things God gave him to dc
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 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
(3:14; 16:17; 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. 1t was that
which broke The contact between him
and God. Samson's birth in godly
home, his knowlege of his relation to
God and the experience of Gods power
| did not keep him from an ignoble
failure.
| w. 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 overthrown Jehovahs 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 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 boy near by. Let
me feel of the two pillars" those upon
which the main walls rested and
which were within a mans reach.
Then it was that he was able to grip
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
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
formation throughout our land we
have seen the work of temperance ad-
vancing nightly Samson's exploit
with the lion is temperance sermon
In parable 14:5. 6; Prov. 2O:D. The