elevate review June 11

we started a two-part look at the life of Sampson.

We started by looking at how strenuously his parents objected to his marriage proposal. Sampson wanted to marry a Philistine woman.
and what Samson wanted he got. All he had to do was tell his parents that this woman looked really good and he wanted her.

I propose that this little argument was a picture of Samson's life. He had been set apart by God from birth to be a ruler/deliver of Israel. His job was announced and determined by God. I believe that because of his parents desire not to mess things up they basically gave him anything he wanted throughout life. I think those in the cities and towns around Sansone as well as the nation of Israel in general also conceded in allowing Sampson to have whatever he wanted.

I understand why the parents objected. Since it was supposed to deliver them for the Philistines not intermarry into their culture and ultimately bring about more judgment from God.
(We saw in the earlier story line that the Philistines oppression of Israel was a result of God's judgment on Israel, because they chose to worship the Philistine idol instead of God)
but in the end they gave in, and my experience in life makes me want to imagine that the parents in general and the nation in general typically would give in to Sampson's desires.

On his way down to officially meet his fiancée Samson was attacked by a Lion.a story that many people became very familiar with Sunday school. This was the first great thing that Sampson did with his amazing strength. I have a few problems with that general description.
First of all Sampson was on his way to do something that was not pleasing to God.
(I'm not saying that intermarrying by race, color, or ethnic background is wrong or I'm pleasing to God)
Samson was on his way to both politically, religiously, and physically connect the nation of Israel with a nation that worshiped idols. This was something that as the leader of Israel guide would have not allowed.
On his way there Samson was attacked, and just at the moment that he needed to be strong, the Spirit of God Came upon Him. With the function of the Holy Spirit upon him he had the strength to tear the Lions head in two,, by ripping the jaws apart.
He then took the dead animal and dragged it into the woods where no one would see and he refused to tell anyone what happened. Specifically the Bible said he refused to disclose the story to his parents.

I believe that God sent the lion as a warning.
I think the Spirit of God is the only reason why Sansone had strength he was not some musclebound freak in the nation of Israel as many pictures that we see in Sunday schooldraw him up to be.
I believe the Spirit of God's empowerment was meant to show Samson what he could be if he chose to walk with God rather than make deals with God's enemy.
I believe The incident quiet both to his parents and to anyone else who heard about it, that God was looking to stop what he was trying to do.

I think Sampson's arrogance about being "needed by God" in order for God to accomplish whatever God was looking to do was first and foremost in his mind.
I think he used this opportunity to further deceive himself into believing that God would always protect them, and always allow him to do whatever he wanted. I think he thought God would be a lot like his parents and all the other members of God's nation of which he was the de facto and anointed leader.

When Sampson returned about a year later to get married to his fiancée, he couldn't help but run into the woods and see what had happened to the carcass. He saw that a hive of of bees had created something sweet and delicious within the skeletal structure of the loin.
He took chunks of the honeycomb and brought it to his parents. Samson would've used this opportunity to bless his parents and to further his self-deception that it was okay for him to touch a dead body(something God had commanded him not to do) because honey was such a commodity. It would've been seen as a blessing by his parents to have the opportunity to eat honey straight from the honeycomb.
I think he also would have used it to continue his self deception that it was okay for him to go through with the marriage because something ugly or nasty could have happened to the dead Lion but instead there was a honey, and in his mind this would've been a positive sign from God.

From this part of the story I take a couple basic lessons.
The Spirit of God will go upon you to accomplish God's plan regardless of what you may be doing.
It is not a good idea to think that getting away with something as a sign from God that it's okay for you to get away with it/and to do it.
Just because someone has a call on their life does not substitute the need for character development and for self-discipline. Development of Godly character is a priority in God's kingdom, and it takes precedent over following the call of God.