A GREAT MAN FALLS
“Jg 16:30 And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead that he slew at his death were more than they that he slew in his life.”
(ASV)
WHO WAS HE?
Jg 13:2 And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not.
Samson the Son of Manoah from the tribe of Dan from Zorah
Jg 13:5 For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.
(KJV)
A Nazarite (Separate from the World and Dedicated to God) / A Deliverer
Samson’s mother had been barren ,meaning His birth was supernatural ; implying he was sent by God for a specific assignment
Jg 13:6 Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God, very terrible: but I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name:
(KJV)
An Angel appeared to announce His Birth
Jg 13:9 And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came again unto the woman as she sat in the field: but Manoah her husband was not with her.
(KJV)
Twice
Jg 13:11 And Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said unto him, Art thou the man that spakest unto the woman? And he said, I am.
(KJV)
Because the being identifies himself as the Man, some bible scholars believe that this was Christ appearing to Manoah and his Wife
And Manoah refers to Him as God (Jg 13:22 And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.)
Jg 13:24 And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.
(KJV)
The Lord blessed Samson
Jg 13:25 And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol. {the camp…: Heb. Mahanehdan}
(KJV)
The Spirit of The Lord moved Him
WHAT HAPPENED?
HE DID GREAT AND MIGHTY THINGS
Jg 14:6 And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.
(KJV)
He killed a Lion
Jg 14:19 And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave change of garments unto them which expounded the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father’s house. {spoil: or, apparel}
(KJV)
He single handedly killed Thirty Philistines at Askelon ( a big city in philistine)
Jg 15:5 And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into the standing corn of the Philistines, and burnt up both the shocks, and also the standing corn, with the vineyards and olives.
(KJV)
He single handedly destroyed the food supplys and the wealth of the philistines
Jg 15:8 And he smote them hip and thigh with a great slaughter: and he went down and dwelt in the top of the rock Etam.
(KJV)
He killed a great number of the philistines who were the enemies of God’s people
Jg 15:15 And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew a thousand men therewith. {new: Heb. moist}
(KJV)
He killed one thousand philistines single handedly
Jg 15:20 And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.
(KJV)
He was leader and judge of Israel for 20 years
Jg 16:3 And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron. {bar…: Heb. with the bar}
(KJV)
Pulled out the gates of the entire city
Jg 16:30 And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life. {me: Heb. my soul}
(KJV)
He Killed three thousand Philistines with their leaders single handedly at his lowest moment.
WHEN DID THIS GREAT MAN APPEAR?
Jg 13:1 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years. {did evil…: Heb. added to commit, etc}
(KJV)
He appeared when the nation of Israel was under great oppression from their enemies for 40 years ; Samson was to be their delieverer
HOW DID THIS GREAT MAN FAIL?
Jg 14:1 And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.
(KJV)
Samson loved the daughters of the philistines
Timnath was the same place that Jacob’s daughter Dinah was defiled by the Canaanite prince ; it signifies a place of defilement
Timnath had been Judah’s territory, then Dan , then fallen to the philistine
Jg 14:3 Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well. {pleaseth…: Heb. is right in mine eyes}
(KJV)
He was more concerned about His personal pleasure and satisfaction other than obedience to the word of God.
De 7:3 Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.
(KJV)
He was disobedient to the voice of the parents
He lacked self- control
Jg 16:1 Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her. {harlot: Heb. a woman an harlot}
(KJV)
Samson was immoral
Jg 16:4 And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. {in…: or, by the brook}
(KJV)
Samson associated with the wrong people
Samson made bad decisions
WHY DID THIS GREAT MAN FAIL?
Although Samson was full of gifting, strength and talent ; He lacked Character to Sustain his greatness.
Giftings and talent push you to the top, but it is character that sustains you at the top
You cannot not climb beyond the limitations of your character
THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF A STRONG CHARACTER
Self- Discipline :- Discipline is doing what you must do inspite of how you feel. Successful people do not do things out of emotions , but are informed with the necessity of the task.
The great ancient philosopher Plato stated “ The first and best victory is to conquer self”.
A life of self- discipline will push you to great heights
You must first of all conquer yourself before you can conquer the world.
Honesty and Integrity :- This the aspect of being consistent in thoughts , feelings and actions. This being is truthful in what you think, say and do.
Our beliefs and Values :- Our beliefs and values are beacons and a guide in decision making which form our characters as principled individuals.
A sense of Identity :- Knowing who you are , helps you determine what you can or cannot do. It helps determine the boundaries of your life. A sense of identity enables you to establish emotional security which also drives what we do. Your identity motivates your actions. If you believe that you are not of value and worth, that you are a victim of your circumstances , you will have a distorted view of yourself and act negatively accordingly. The contrary is true, if you believe that you are of great value and worth, that you are the master of your destiny, you will have a victorious view of yourself and act positively accordingly.
THE ADVANTAGES OF A STRONG CHARACTER
A strong Character communicates dependability. – What you say and do should be consistent.
A strong Character communicates decisiveness – You stand by your decisions no matter the cost.
Character communicates leadership – People are influenced by strong character.
Character communicates establishment – Strong Character outlasts great gifts, strength and talent. Character wins the test of time.