Scripture:
Judges 13
& 16
Quick
Summary:
Samson had everything going for him. God promised his mom that he would
begin to defeat the Philistines for Israel before he was even born. He came
from a great family, he was strong and popular. But Samson chose to date a girl
who was friends with the Philistines. She talked Samson into telling her the
secret of his strength. Then while he slept, she helped the Philistines cut off
his hair, and the spirit of God left him. He was imprisoned and tortured. He
was brought out for entertainment. He grabbed the pillars and when the building
collapsed he killed over 3,000 Philistines, dying with them.
The Point:
Samson wasted his potential by allowing
himself to be influenced by the enemy. Like Samson, we chose who we allow to
influence us.
Questions
for Family Time:
1. Who was the
judge? What made him special?
a. Samson
was strong and promised to begin defeating the Philistines.
2. What did
Samson do wrong?
a. He chose to hang out with people
who didn’t want what was best for him, like Delilah.
3. What did Delilah do?
a. Delilah got
Samson to tell her the secret to his strength (his hair) and then told the
Samson’s enemies the secret for money.
3. Who
influences you?
a.
(Our project should have them thinking about influences in their
life.
Deeper:
Every time I hear the story of Samson, I imagine that scene in Star Wars
when Darth Vader joins the dark side. His teacher, Obiwan Kenobi, yells at him,
“You were the Chosen One! It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join
them…bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness.”
Samson
was kind of the Darth Vader of the Judges. He had everything going for him. Promised
to greatness before his birth, his parents did everything right. He is the
only judge we read about who is not described or known chiefly for their
faults. Instead, he is known for his strength, for the spirit of God that rested on him. He is perfect.
But
just like Darth Vader, he disappoints us. He chooses to ignore the influence of
his parents and his Israelite community, and instead chooses to associate with the
enemy. Delilah wasn’t his first girl outside of Israel, but she would be his
last. She would “wear him down” until finally he gave his secrets to her…and to
his enemies.
Samson
would suffer the consequences of his choices. Imprisoned. Tortured. Displayed.
Only in his death would he fulfill the promise from his birth. I guess he has
that in common with Darth Vader too.
Our
kids will be talking about who we allow to influence us this week. I encourage
my kids to be friends to all kinds of kids from all kinds of backgrounds. With
some of those friendships, I remind them that they are the ones who should be
influencing. They should be leading the group to do what is right.
As
a parent, though, I look at Samson a little differently. Samson reminds me that
even though I may do everything right, my kid is going to grow up to make their
own decisions. A parent can do everything right, and their child may still fall
short of what we hoped for them. That actually brings me a lot of peace. We
have been entrusted with these lives, and it can be overwhelming. Samson’s
story reminds me that I do not hold their fate. God reminds me that while I can
try to make them perfect, that may not be what God really wants. And it may not
be what I want, not really. God reminds me that the imperfect, the humble, the
incomplete are often his choice for leaders. God reminds me that he holds them
even when they fall short. He reminds me that he can use them even if I give
them to him broken.
Personal
Reflection:
How have you tried to make your kid
perfect? How has God stopped you? How has God shown you how amazing your
imperfect kid is?
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