LifePoint Lebanon

Judges 14

Samson was an incredibly strong man with a dangerously weak will.

Three attitudes that make strong men weak:

Lust: 'I want it!'

Entitlement: 'I deserve it.'

Pride: 'I can handle it.'

Samson was emotion driven, not Spirit led.

'Hey, I'm going to tell you a little riddle.'

'Let's put a little wager on it!'

'I'll bet you thirty pieces of linen and 30 pieces of clothing that I can win this and you'll lose,'

'I'll give you seven days to figure this out!'

Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet.

..."What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?"

"If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have solved my riddle."

1. There is anger.

Samson went down to Ashkelon, struck down thirty of their men, stripped them of their belongings and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle.

Burning with anger, he went up to his father's house.

And Samson's wife was given to the friend who had attended him at his wedding.

2. Samson was filled with pride.

Finding a fresh jawbone of a donkey, he grabbed it and struck down a thousand men.

'With a donkey's jawbone I have made a donkey of them. With a donkey's jawbone...'

'....I have killed a thousand men.'

Why is it that so many of us men battle with pride?

Pride is always born out of our insecurities.

Most men want to be the main character in the story. We want it to be about us, we want to win.

When we understand that God is the main character in the story, then we won't be tempted to be driven by our emotions, but we want to be led by the Spirit.

Men, if you let your need drive you to God, God will meet your deepest need.

Because he was very thirsty, he cried out to the Lord..

"...You have given your servant this great victory. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?"

Then God opened up the hollow place in Lehi...,

...water came out of it. When Samson drank,...

...his strength returned and he revived.