Samson…So Much Promise…So Little Fulfillment
Ok, I’m ready to get back in the saddle as far as blogging is concerned. I took four weeks away from it simply because I felt like I had nothing interesting to say…I felt a little “dry”. But now I’m itching to get back at it. For the most part, I think I will stick to amplifying some thoughts relating to our current sermon series on Buffalo Valley.
Today’s message was on Samson. Samson’s life picks up in Judges chapter 13. Samson was certainly a child of promise. His birth was announced by an angel and that in and of itself makes it pretty incredible. Samson was also a Nazirite from his mother’s womb; set apart for special and significant service for God. But there are four verses which “bother” me as I consider Samson’s life. They are the last two verses of chapter 13 and the first two verses of chapter 14. Here they are:
24 So the woman bore a son and called his name Samson; and the child grew, and the Lord blessed him. 25 And the Spirit of the Lord began to move upon him at Mahaneh Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol. 14 Now Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines. 2 So he went up and told his father and mother, saying, “I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife.”
We don’t know how old Samson is at this point. And we don’t know how much time elapses from verse 25 of chapter 13 and verse 1 of chapter 14 but right after we are told that the Spirit of the Lord begins to move upon Samson we see him committing a terrible sin by demanding a wife from the women of the Philistines. Samson knew not to do this. If you read the rest of the story you know that Samson fell far short of his potential as a leader in the nation of Israel. So much promise…so little fulfillment.
As I close, I would like each of us to spend a little time thinking about the idea of promise and fulfillment. If you follow Jesus Christ, you have been given the same Holy Spirit that Samson had. You have been given an incredible promise. Are you fulfilling that promise? Am I fulfilling that promise? None of us had an “angelic pronouncement” of our birth but we all have great promise. I hope you will join me in praying that God would use each of us to our full potential…and we would not get in His way of doing this.