Participants: Kelly Mowrer
Series Code: HWAL
Program Code: HWAL000517
00:15 Hi, and welcome to HIS WORDS ARE LIFE.
00:17 I'm Kelly Mowrer, and thank you for coming apart with me today, 00:21 to read the word of God in the book of Judges, which covers 00:24 stories from the period of God's people, Israel, 00:27 and they were ruled over by various judges. 00:29 We're in the story of Samson. Before we start, reading 00:32 Let's pray together. Dear Lord, please be with us as we hear 00:37 your word right now and may we learn from the story 00:42 that you have preserved from us to obey your better, 00:45 to love you more, and to know your heart. Please live with us, 00:49 teach us, be our God always. Thank you for loving us, 00:53 and we love you so much Amen. 00:54 We're reading the story of Samson. Samson was born 00:59 a Nazarite and was to leave his hair uncut and not touch 01:02 strong wine or drink for his entire life. And he has decided 01:06 to marry a Philistine woman and at their wedding feast 01:10 he gathered some of her people together and proposes a riddle 01:13 to them. He said, If you can figure this riddle out, 01:16 during the days of this feast, then I will pay you 30 changes 01:20 of garments and 30 sheets. But if you can't figure it out, 01:22 then you will give me the same. And we're going to pick up the 01:25 story in Judges, chapter 14, verse 14 as he tells them 01:29 the riddle. And he said unto them, 01:33 Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong, 01:38 came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days 01:43 expound the riddle. And it came to pass on the seventh day, 01:48 that they said unto Samson's wife, Entice thy husband, 01:51 that he may declare unto us the riddled, lest we burn thee 01:54 and thy father's house with fire: Have ye called us to take 01:58 that we have? is it not so? And Samson's wife wept 02:03 before him and said, Thou dost but hate me, and lovest me not: 02:08 thou hast put forth a riddle unto the children of my people, 02:11 and hath not told it me. And he said unto her, Behold, 02:15 I have not told it my father nor my mother, 02:17 and shall I tell it thee? And she wept before him the 7 days, 02:22 while their feast lasted: and it came to pass on the 7th day, 02:27 that he told her, because she lay sore upon him: 02:29 and she told the riddle to the children of her people. 02:33 And the men of the city said unto him on the 7th day 02:37 before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? 02:41 and what is stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, 02:46 If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out 02:50 my riddle. And the spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he 02:55 went down to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them, 02:58 and took their spoil, and gave change of garments unto them 03:02 which expounded the riddle. And his anger was kindled, 03:06 and he went up to his father's house. 03:08 But Samson's wife was given to his companion, 03:12 whom he had used as his friend. 03:15 Continuing the story of Samson in Judges, chapter fifteen, 03:18 and this is the King James Version. 03:20 But it came to pass within a while after, in the time of 03:26 wheat harvest, that Samson visited his wife with a kid; 03:29 and he said, I will go in to my wife into the chamber. 03:33 But her father would suffer him to go in. And her father said, 03:38 I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her; 03:41 therefore I gave her to thy companion: is not her younger 03:46 sister fairer than she? Take her I pray thee, instead of her. And 03:50 Samson said concerning them, Now shall I be more blameless 03:56 than the Philistines, though I do them a displeasure. 03:59 And Samson went and caught 300 foxes, and took firebrands, 04:04 and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst 04:07 between two tails. And when he had set the brands on fire, 04:11 he let them go into the standing corn of the Philistines, 04:15 and burnt up both the shocks, and also the standing corn, 04:20 with the vineyards and the olives. 04:22 Then the Philistines said, Who hath done this? 04:26 And they answered, Samson, the son in law of the Timnite, 04:30 because he had taken his wife, and given her to his companion. 04:33 And the Philistines came up, and burnt her and her father 04:37 with fire. And Samson said unto them, Though ye have done this, 04:42 yet will I be avenged of you, and after that I will cease. 04:46 And he smote them hip and thigh with a great slaughter: 04:51 And he went down and dwelt in the top of the rock Etam. 04:55 Then the Philistines went up, and pitched in Judah, 04:58 and spread themselves in Lehi. And the men of Judah said, 05:03 Why are ye come up against us? And they answered, To bind 05:07 Samson are we come up, to do to him as he hath done to us. 05:11 Then 3,000 men of Judah went to the top of the rock Etam, 05:16 and said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the Philistines 05:20 are rulers over us? what is this that thou hast done unto us? 05:24 And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so have I done 05:28 unto them. And they said unto him, We are come down to bind 05:33 thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines 05:36 and Samson said unto them, Swear unto me, that ye will not 05:41 fall upon me yourselves. And they spake unto him, saying, 05:45 No; but we will bind thee fast, and deliver thee into their hand 05:50 but surely we will not kill thee. And they bound him with 05:53 two new cords, and brought him up from the rock. 05:55 And when he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted against 05:59 him, and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, 06:04 and the cords that were upon his arms became as flax 06:08 that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed 06:11 from off his hands. And he found a new jawbone of an ass, 06:16 and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew 1,000 men 06:20 therewith. And Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass, 06:24 heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a 06:29 thousand men. And it came to pass, when he had made and end 06:33 of speaking, that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand, 06:36 and called that place Ramath-lehi. 06:40 And he was sore athirst, and called on the Lord, and said, 06:44 Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand 06:47 of thy servant: and now shall I die for thirst, 06:50 and fall unto the hands of the uncircumcised? 06:52 But God clave an hollow place that was in the jaw, and 06:57 there came water thereout; and when he had drunk, 07:02 his spirit came again, and he was revived: wherefore 07:06 he called the name thereof Enhakkore, which is in Lehi 07:10 unto this day. And he judged Israel in the days 07:14 of the Philistines twenty years. 07:16 Continuing in Judges, chapter sixteen, 07:19 and this is the King James Version. 07:20 Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, 07:26 and went in unto her. And it was told the Gazites, saying, 07:31 Samson is come hither. And they compassed him in, and laid wait 07:35 for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet 07:38 all the night, saying, In the morning when it is day, 07:41 we shall kill him. And Samson lay till midnight, and arose 07:46 at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the 07:50 two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and 07:54 put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top 07:58 of an hill that is before Hebron. And it came to pass 08:01 afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, 08:05 whose name was Delilah. And the Lords of the Philistines 08:10 came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, 08:13 and see wherein his great strength lieth, 08:17 and by what means we may prevail against him, 08:19 that we may bind him to afflict him; and we will give thee 08:23 every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver. 08:27 And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein 08:31 thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest 08:34 be bound to afflict thee. And Samson said unto her, 08:38 If they bind me with 7 green withs that were never dried, 08:42 then shall I be weak, and be as another man. 08:45 Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her 08:48 seven green withs which had not been dried, and she bound him 08:53 with them. Now there were men lying in wait, abiding with her 08:57 in the chamber. And she said unto him, 09:00 The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he brake the withs, 09:04 as a thread of tow is broken when it toucheth the fire. 09:08 So his strength was not known. And Delilah said unto Samson, 09:13 Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, 09:18 I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound. 09:20 And he said unto her, If they bind me fast with new ropes 09:25 that never were occupied, then shall I be weak, and 09:29 be as another man. Delilah therefore took new ropes, 09:34 and bound him therewith, and said unto him, The Philistines 09:38 be upon thee, Samson. And there were liers in wait abiding in 09:43 the chamber. And he brake them from off his arms like a thread. 09:48 And Delilah said unto Samson, Hitherto thou hast mocked me, 09:53 and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest 09:57 be bound. And he said unto her, If thou weavest the 7 locks 10:01 of my head with the web. And she fastened it with the pin, 10:07 and said unto him, the Philistines be upon thee, Samson 10:10 And he awaked out of his sleep and went away with the pin 10:15 of the beam, and with the web. And she said unto him, 10:19 How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? 10:24 thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me 10:27 wherein thy great strength lieth. And it came to pass, 10:31 when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, 10:36 so that his soul was vexed unto death; that he told her 10:41 all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor 10:47 upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God 10:51 from my mother's womb: if I be shaven, then my strength 10:55 will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like 10:59 any other man. And when Delilah saw that he had told her 11:05 all his heart, she sent and called for the lords 11:09 of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath shewed 11:12 me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up 11:16 unto her, and brought money in their hand. And 11:20 she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, 11:25 and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; 11:29 and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him. 11:34 And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. 11:38 And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at 11:42 other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not 11:47 that the Lord was departed from him. But the Philistines took 11:52 him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, 11:56 and bound him with fetters of brass; 11:58 and he did grind in the prison house. 12:01 Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again 12:05 after he was shaven. Then the lords of the Philistines 12:09 gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice 12:13 unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, our god 12:16 hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand. 12:19 And when the people saw him, they praised their god: 12:22 for they said, Our god hath delivered into our hands 12:25 our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, which slew many 12:29 of us. And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, 12:33 that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. 12:37 And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and 12:41 he made them sport: and they set him between the pillars. 12:44 And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, 12:48 Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house 12:52 standeth, that I may lean upon them. Now the house was full 12:57 of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines 12:59 were there; and there were upon the roof about 3,000 men and 13:03 women, that beheld while Samson made sport. And Samson called 13:08 unto the Lord, and said, O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, 13:13 and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, 13:18 that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines 13:22 for my two eyes. And Samson took hold of the two middle 13:26 pillars upon which the house stood, 13:28 and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, 13:31 and of the other with his left. And Samson said, Let me die 13:35 with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might 13:39 and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people 13:43 that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death 13:47 were more than they which he slew in his life. 13:49 Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, 13:53 and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between 13:56 Zorah and Eshtaol in the burying place of Manoah 13:59 his father. And he judged Israel twenty years. 14:02 Thank you for being with me today to read the word of God 14:07 together. And in the story of Samson's life, may we find 14:10 again, a renewed encouragement to seek God to keep us obedient 14:16 to his word, to keep us set apart for Him; 14:18 so that he may be glorified through us, only in his strength 14:24 will we receive all that we need to serve him 14:26 and to serve each other better. So until then, may God keep us 14:29 all, and thank you for joining with me. Goodbye. |
Revised 2014-12-17