My new favorite form of sermon preparation is soliciting help from my friends on facebook. Last Monday I asked if there was anything redeeming about Samson. Danny McNeal, a college club brother of mine, wrote, "No man is completely worthless. He can always be used as a bad example." It appears I followed his advise in this morning's sermon. Although Samson is included in a list of people with great faith in the NT book of Hebrews (11:32) it's difficult to find much faith in his story. My hunch is that the author is thinking about when Samson asked God to give him his strength back so that he might have one final shot at hurting the Philistines. Samson certainly demonstrated faith by trusting that only by God answering his prayer would he be able to destroy Israel's enemies; however the OT portrayal of Samson does not seem to indicate (at least in my mind) that he's completely repented and changed his ways. Rather, it seems that after his foolishness and wild living have come to their horrible end, his only hope of getting his final revenge is by turning to God for strength. God supplied what was needed because it accomplished His purposes - something Samson, it seems, has never spent much time considering.
1 comment:
I think Samson is somewhat of an American ideal, very similar to the people we normally look up to. He was a Maverick who conquered armies, had career success, and got the girls. To the people around him, he seemed like a great role model, full of independence, ambition, strength, and passion. His heart was the problem.
To kind of contrast the sort of man Samson was, I picture Abraham. I think of an old man with his old wife, sitting around, maybe in a rocking chair on the front porch, not really doing anything. And yet, we paint Abraham with a much more faithful brush than we do Samson. Samson must have had some kind faith, after all he was definitely confident he could defeat his foes around him.
I think the problem is, his faith lied in himself. It seems it is only in his final pillar-push-down show does he put his faith in God.
It makes you wonder..what would these men's lives looked like if they had placed their faith in God from the start. His will being the end, and His strength being the means.
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