Samson is a Stragdy Hero

 Judges 16:15-31

With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was sick to death of it.

When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines, “Come back once more; he has told me everything.” So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands.

Then she called, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him.

Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.” Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other, Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived.

Samson is a Stragdy Hero!

The Philistines put out Samson's eyes and set him the task of a beast, turning the mill in his prison at Gaza.

Why?

Samson could not get out from the self-desire to the woman Delilah, even three times Delilah invited Philistine came to catch him. But Samson did not sense this dangerous woman. Samson has died in his own desire for sex.

Finally, Samson second time prayed to the Lord to give him the strength to revenge he lost his eyes. Our God is listing to our prayer when we turn to Him.

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耐不住那女人的煩擾，說明了密祕，結果很慘！

之前參孫犯了拿細耳的規定。力量都還在，都還是行為上的放棄權利。但是頭髮沒有放棄的問題，與行事為人比較沒有關係。連外表的規定都放棄了，就不能誰說敬虔的。神看內心，不看外表，外表可以說遵行神話語的基本。連基本上的外表都沒有使到，遑論內心了。

守安息日，放下工作、敬拜主是最基本的行為，連這些最基本的都不能做到，其他不用談了。

拿細耳人放下權利，連吃葡萄等都放棄。人必須死才能有新的生命生出來。

參孫經歷失敗、苦難後再次求告神，看見他離了主什麼都不能做。被擄後反而是真實的做拿細耳人，放下自己生命，情願死的時候，神重新賜給他力量。

士師記到參孫幾乎就結束了。 人有身份卻在意這個身份，與這個世俗混雜，參孫有拿細耳人身份，卻找三個外邦女子。不和知分別為聖。參孫一生將當時以色列的問題都顯明。人的生命從死而來，能力的成長從死開始。能力不是從頭髮而來，不是從外表而來。能力從聖潔的生活而來，願意遵行主的吩咐話語而來，願意放下自己不再順從私慾而來。林後4:7 寶貝即聖靈

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How?

Praise to the Lord with faith for God loves us!

Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued

 Judges 16:1-14

One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute. He went in to spend the night with her.

Sometime later, he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah. The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, “See if you can lure him into showing you the secret of his great strength and how we can overpower him so we may tie him up and subdue him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.”

So Delilah said to Samson, “Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued.”

Delilah then said to Samson, “All this time you have been making a fool of me and lying to me. Tell me how you can be tied.”

Again she called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” He awoke from his sleep and pulled up the pin and the loom, with the fabric.

Samson being among the few who remained in the territory the tribe was originally given. The Philistines were advancing by infiltration rather than outright war. Samson, by marrying a Philistine woman, seems to go along with this. But his subsequent exploits bring the danger into the open and the enmity to ahead.

Why?

Samson put himself in danger for he fell in love with a Philistine woman.

Samson hasn't mission of the Lord but with his feeling and do what he wants to do.

Three times Delilah said to Samson, the Philistines are upon you, but all of these are the woman Delilah wants to kill him. But Samson doesn't sense this danger has come upon him.  The most dangerous is this woman. But Samson loves her.

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參孫敗在女人手上，也是敗在自己的私慾！

參孫大有能力，卻不能控制自己的情慾。表面有能力，內心卻是軟弱無法約束自己的私慾。

我們重視人的能力，但是更重要是否有神聖潔的能力?

為什麼參孫總是親近非利士女人?因為社會上與非利士人也是接觸密切。

參孫連續三次輕看敵人，當他對於大利拉催到煩，表示他無法勝過了，最重要是他無法勝過私慾，罪惡。每個人都無法勝過。不要有侍無恐！貪財、貪心，私慾是人很難勝過的。

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How?

Sometimes we love something is dangerous to us, but we might keep loving it and induces damage to us.

I merely did to them what they did to me

 Judges 15:1-20

Then three thousand men from Judah went down to the cave in the rock of Etam and said to Samson, “Don’t you realize that the Philistines are rulers over us? What have you done to us?” He answered, “I merely did to them what they did to me.” They said to him, “We’ve come to tie you up and hand you over to the Philistines.”

As he approached Lehi, the Philistines came toward him shouting. The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax, and the bindings dropped from his hands. Finding a fresh jawbone of a donkey, he grabbed it and struck down a thousand men.

Then God opened up the hollow place in Lehi, and water came out of it. When Samson drank, his strength returned and he revived. So the spring was called En Hakkore, and it is still there in Lehi.

Samson led Israel for twenty years in the days of the Philistines.

Samson's was a one-man war, unlike the campaigns of other judges. Even his own people sided against him. But the Philistines were pushing inland they would be a major threat to Israel until David finally dealt with them.

Why?

Even the people of Juda don't fight for them to Philistine. Samson is a one-man judge.

For the Spirit of the Lord came on Samson, so he has powerfully strength to struck down a thousand men.

One man the power is not compared with the whole army of Israelites. Israelite is customed to be ruled by Philistines. This is a more severe problem for Israelite.

Samson did this is not for the Lord or for Israelite but for his feeling and judgment. But God uses his way to defeat the Philistine and protect the Israelites.

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參孫行事完全憑著自己的喜好為原則。完全不像拿細耳人員服事。因為私人恩怨與非利士人對立。完全不是以服事的心來做事。不像其他士師心中帶著使用使命。

以色列人知道他們被轄他們，卻不要去惹非利士，完全沒有想到要起來對抗。我們如何看自己私慾的轄制，情緒的控制，罪惡的誘惑。我們不可能和罪惡、私慾和平相處。被影響愈來愈深。敵人是這個世界，世界的價值觀。

猶大人居然幫助非利士人抓參孫。我們一直在抗拒神，但是聖靈常常在感動我們。許多人還在黑暗那邊做事。求主感動那些未信主人的心。

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How?

God may turn the worse man and event to God's way and works.

Then the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him

 Judges 14:10-20

If you can’t tell me the answer, you must give me thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.”

 On the fourth day, they said to Samson’s wife, “Coax your husband into explaining the riddle for us, or we will burn you and your father’s household to death. Did you invite us here to steal our property?”

Then Samson’s wife threw herself on him, sobbing, “You hate me! You don’t really love me. You’ve given my people a riddle, but you haven’t told me the answer.”

Then the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him. He went down to Ashkelon, struck down thirty of their men, stripped them of everything and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. Burning with anger, he returned to his father’s home.

Why?

Samson has the power to overcome his enemy but could not defeat his wife's sobbing. And it is the reason he could strike down 30  Philistine men.

The weak of Samson is to do what he likes but does not follow the way of the Lord.

The power of Samson comes upon the Spirit of the Lord.

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參孫本來想占這30人的便宜，但是後來殺死30個非利士人，成就神的作為。

其實這裏沒有以色列人呼求神救他們脫離非利士人手中，表示以色列人與非利士人關係不錯，不覺得被壓迫。參孫所行的本意是不好的事，都是參孫的錯誤，卻造成了神所要的結果。讓非利士人與以色列人對立與衝突。神造成的好處1

參孫發怒上父家了。參孫自己信仰都不好，如果與這女子結婚，他的景況可能更遭。神使用了參孫的私慾要娶外邦女子，連續3個錯誤，阻止參孫繼續犯錯。成就神旨意。運惡事都可以成就神的旨意，更何況我們這信主的人。如本來外邦人在福音沒有份，因猶太人的不信反而讓外邦人信主，反過來讓猶太人回歸神。萬事都在神的手中。

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How?

The right way to following the word of the Lord is to give up our own way, our selfishness.

This was from the Lord, who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines

 Judges 14:1-9

Samson went down to Timnah and saw there a young Philistine woman. When he returned, he said to his father and mother, “I have seen a Philistine woman in Timnah; now get her for me as my wife.”

But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me. She’s the right one for me.” (His parents did not know that this was from the Lord, who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines; for at that time they were ruling over Israel.)

The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he told neither his father nor his mother what he had done.

He scooped out the honey with his hands and ate as he went along. When he rejoined his parents, he gave them some, and they too ate it. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion’s carcass.

Samson, he treats it with a casualness amounting to contempt.

Why?

No matter what we have done, if we are in God's hands, even we did something wrong it could be under God's plan. But too much contempt with the way of the Lord may cause some tragedy.

The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him so that he tore the lion with his bare hands. This is the special power that came from the Lord.

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參孫看上外邦女子。只問自己喜歡，相當於人的罪性，執意和非利士人結婚。這件事也在神的掌管中。縱使人偏行己路，神仍然可以改為神的心意。

參孫魯莽做事，不管他的身份。犯了拿細耳人規矩。原則還是自己是否喜歡，是否需要，對我有好處的我就做。參孫就是我們人的寫照，順從自己的情慾做事。

今天有些事情，可能不如人意。這事是出於耶和華。我們祈求是照我們的心意，還是照神的心意成就?我們要祈求的是我們是否偏行己路?要照著神的旨意行。以免神的旨意成就了，我們卻被棄絕了。

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How?

Obey the commands of the Lord is much better than contempt the laws. It is a blessing to us.

The boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb

 Judge 13:1-25

Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, so the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years.

The angel of the Lord appeared to her and said, “You are barren and childless, but you are going to become pregnant and give birth to a son. Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean. You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”

She must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, nor drink any wine or other fermented drink nor eat anything unclean. She must do everything I have commanded her.” Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, “We would like you to stay until we prepare a young goat for you.”

The angel of the Lord replied, “Even though you detain me, I will not eat any of your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, offer it to the Lord.”

He replied, “Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding(is wonderful)."

The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson. He grew and the Lord blessed him, and the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him while he was in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

The champion against the enemy in the west is set apart for the task from the moment of his conception. For Samson, the Nazirite vow was lifelong.

Why?

The Lord always cares about his people, so 40 years later God let Samson came to rescue the Israelites from the hands of the Philistines.

Samsom is under the rule of Nazirite, who is dedicated to God from the womb, it is a whole life vow.

The Lord shows before the man and told them how to pregnant.

Give an offering to the Lord is from our daily lives to honor the name of the Lord!

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講參孫的出生。參孫的父母都是敬畏神的，在當時是少數以色列人。普遍是不相信神的人。和現在一樣，與利益有關神，短視近利，利益掛帥！小孩只求讀書，直到孩子的品格出現問題才來緊張。當時人拜巴力，因為可以豐收。

我們要思想這些故事，和我們有什麼關係?為什麼說這些話?從現在觀點來看，好不容易生出來，應該好好教，讀好學校。如今卻要他獻給神，當拿細耳人，而且還沒有出生就獻給神。這小孩未來可能當醫生，當財團主人，如果說要他去當傳道人。我們是否願意?一個敬畏神的人看重孩子他們與神的關係，而不是社會地位。

馬挪亞是隨時款待人的人，付出代價款待神的使者。獻山羊羔燔祭、素祭。奉獻是現在式，不是等到將來有錢才奉獻。如果現在不學習奉獻，以後更難。

馬挪亞願意和神建立關係，認識神的。名字代表特質、性格、作為、心意、命名者的期待。即願意多認識神的本質、性格。神是奇妙的Wonderful是無法用文字說明的，是超越一切的，難以理解的。我們都期待與神相遇，但是經歷以外更重要是認識神的特質。

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How?

When my life is changed to new through Jesus Christ, I have to live out the honor of the Lord in my daily life.

Forty-two thousand Ephraimites were killed at that time.

 Judges 12:1-7

The Ephraimite forces were called out, and they crossed over to Zaphon. They said to Jephthah, “Why did you go to fight the Ammonites without calling us to go with you? We’re going to burn down your house over your head.”

 Jephthah answered, “I and my people were engaged in a great struggle with the Ammonites, and although I called, you didn’t save me out of their hands. When I saw that you wouldn’t help, I took my life in my hands and crossed over to fight the Ammonites, and the Lord gave me the victory over them. Now why have you come up today to fight me?

Jephthah then called together the men of Gilead and fought against Ephraim. The Gileadites struck them down because the Ephraimites had said, “You Gileadites are renegades from Ephraim and Manasseh.”

The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Ephraim, they seized him and killed him at the fords of the Jordan. Forty-two thousand Ephraimites were killed at that time.

Why?

This is a war among Israelites, Ephraimite didn't respect their brother Gileadites, they did not help their people to defeat Ammonites. And said bad words to them.

Ephraimites were killed forty-two thousand men, it is a huge fall to Ephraimites. 

When people of Israelite away from the Lord, there were much chaos and trouble.

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假消息，謠言當我們心中有成見時，很容易造成誤解！

以法蓮不但沒有幫忙還反咬一口。以前大家一致對外，但是以法蓮接觸按兵不動，這次怕受責難，因此先指控別人的錯誤，事情沒有做好，都是別人的問題。

耶弗他打勝仗，要做王。以法蓮自認為大，因此找出兵的藉口，想要消耶弗他的氣勢。耶弗他以服事來得到權柄。以法蓮以為知道真相的人不多，想反咬一口，控告別人來掩飾自己的錯誤。如果大家知道實情，這樣的指控是不會成立的。如果今天我們聽到一些謠言，我們是否跟著搖旗哪喊，還是查明事實。我們要小心。

神的靈降在耶弗他身上，要他服事人。不是用神的恩典坐大自己，想統治別人。神阻擋驕傲的人，如以法蓮人，想做王最後還死了42000人。求幫助我們更謙卑下來！

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How?

God is my way and my shepherd, obey God's command and follow His decree. Nothing can compare with the Lord in the world.