"And the angel of the Lord appeared unto the woman and said unto her, behold now thou art barren and bearest not, but thou shalt conceive and bear a son." Judges 13:3. Thus the mother of Sampson was able to conceive and bear a son, a joyful even t for every woman. But this wasn't to be just any son. He was to be a Nazarene, separate himself from the world, and become a servant to God. Sampson was given some unusual blessings to fulfil his mission, unusual strength and a deeply spiritual nature. The tragedy of this story is that Sampson used neither to serve God. He became a wilful sinful young man, killing and wreaking havoc wherever he went.
The covenant he embraced, he also broke by marrying outside the covenant, being immoral with a harlot, and allowing his hair to be cut. So while he was born to be a great man unto God, he used his free agency to destroy himself. In the end he was blinded, bound, enslaved, and mocked. But these trials humbled him to prayer. Forgiving him as God always will, He re-instated Sampson's super strength. We all know the rest of the story. A whole stadium of idol-worshippers were crushed to death, when Sampson pushed the pillars down.
Covenants if understood can be a source of comfort, guidance, strength, and commitment. My covenants help me to resist Satan's efforts to bind and blind me.
Self indulgence, immorality, revenge seeking, and covenant breaking were Sampson's downfall, when he had wonderful potential and was meant for greatness. Although he did fulfill the prophecy that he begin to deliver Israel from the Philistines, he did not receive the rewards and joy he could have experienced from it. God's purposes cannot be frustrated; all prophecies will come to pass. The question is will we participate as willing subjects and receive blessings for our obedient participation? Or will we merely be there and suffer along with the other sinners? How can we magnify our potential and rise to greatness? How can we choose to see beyond our own desires and willingly follow the will of God?
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Reading the scriptures and keeping this journal are my delight. I do not keep an online journal to preach to anyone but myself. I like this format, because I can add pictures and correct my writing easier. If you enjoy reading it, I am happy. If you feel offended, please, realize it is not my intention to offend but to teach myself. No negative comments will not be published.