~ By James Fire
A Five Part Series Examining the Lives of Samson, Samuel, Saul, Solomon and the Savior
The Scripture admonishes us as believers to “walk in
the Spirit” and by so doing, we will not “fulfill the lusts of the flesh” (GAL 5:16).
We want to walk in victory,
in the life that the Spirit gives to us, without stumbling, and falling into
sin.
This is not to say that we will ever – (while in these
corrupted bodies upon which the curse of sin remains until they too, like our
hearts, are redeemed at the coming of the LORD; ROM 8:23) – walk in sinless perfection, as is believed by some, but
that we are to grow in the knowledge and grace of our LORD and in holiness (2 PET 3:18; 2 COR 7:1).
Just as babes take their first steps, they tumble and
fall as they teeter, trying to gain a sense of balance and coordination but
grow and mature and finally walk effortlessly with assured confidence; we also
as saints, should mature spiritually until we walk with assured confidence in
Christ and His enabling Spirit.
Yet just as we adults may still stumble and fall
occasionally, so too we saints may do so. It should be the aim of every
disciple of Christ to establish safeguards and parameters, lessons and living
in such a way that promote a walk without stumbling.
In this study we will examine the lives of five men;
their challenges, struggles, weaknesses, their downfalls as well as their victories
and successes: Samson, who was a Judge of Israel; Samuel who was also a judge as well as a prophet of Israel; Saul, the first King of
Israel; Solomon, the second King of Israel from the tribe of Judah and finally
the LORD Jesus Christ the Messiah and Ultimate King of Judah – in whom there
was never any downfall, though He had met many challenges, and succeeded with
unequaled supremacy!
UPDATE: 9/25/2021
SHINE BRIGHT CHURCH HAD A MORE GOD/LESS ME Conference and the theme this year was "WALKING Without STUMBLING" based on these five character studies. Five different teachers for each of them.
SHINE BRIGHT CHURCH HAD A MORE GOD/LESS ME Conference and the theme this year was "WALKING Without STUMBLING" based on these five character studies. Five different teachers for each of them.
Facebook video for SAMSON, SAMUEL and SAUL can be watched here.
For Solomon and the Savior: The LORD Jesus Christ, a link has been provided for these two in the article addressing Solomon.
~ End of update.
From the days of Moses (the meekest man of all) and
Joshua (one of the most courageous, ingenious warriors of Israel), and their
strong leadership, the LORD led His people Israel through the wilderness,
having delivered them in the great EXODUS from Egypt, and into the land that He
promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
While Moses was disqualified from entering the
Promised Land due to a significant stumbling of his own (NUM 20:7-12), Joshua did in fact lead the Hebrew nation into Canaan
(along with Caleb: the only TWO people of the original generation that left
Egypt to enter there!). Joshua was not only the Supreme General of Israel’s
army, but also represented the first Judge or Deliverer over God’s people.
Israel had no earthly king at that time because the LORD Himself ruled over
Israel in the only legitimate Theocracy in all history.
Joshua’s last words to
the people of Israel were recorded in JOSH
24:14-33.
Joshua and all of his generation died, and the next
generation continued in battles against the Canaanites but didn’t drive them
out entirely. With some they made “leagues” (treaties) and allowed their pagan
altars to remain (JUDGES 2:1-5).
The
second generation then died off and it was in the third generation that the
people “knew not the LORD”! Their parents were negligent in teaching their
children the ways of the LORD and His Word, neither their history and heritage
with the LORD! See JUDGES 2:11-16.
Yet the LORD raised up judges when the people played the harlot and worshiped
the false gods of the Caananite nations around them, and they delivered Israel
from their distresses – that they brought upon themselves by their idolatry.
Judges (“Deliverers”) in Israel were such as Otheniel,
the son of Kenaz, who was Caleb’s younger brother (JUDGES 3:9). The Book of Judges mentions eleven other leaders who
judged Israel after Otheniel: Ehud (JUDGES
3), Shamgar (JUDGES 3,5),
Deborah (JUDGES 4, 5), Gideon (JUDGES 6,8), Tola and Jair (JUDGES 10), Jephthah (JUDGES 11,12), Ibzan, Elon and Abdon (JUDGES 12), and finally Samson (JUDGES 13). The First Book of Samuel
mentions Eli and Samuel (1 SAM 3),
as well as Joel and Abiah (two
sons of Samuel; 1 SAM 8). The First
Book of Chronicles mentions Kenaniah (1
CHRON 15:22-29) and his sons.
The story of Samson begins in JUDGES 13. We have completed a study on Samson, FROM The MIND Of FIRE, and you may read
the article here as PART One of this series:
The SAMSON SYNDROME
aka The DELILAH DILEMMA - click here to read this article in full. Below is the introduction to this article.
Introduction: HEBREWS 11 is often called 'the Hall of Faith', where all of the heroes of the faith, who themselves expressed strong faith in the LORD are mentioned. From Abel to Enoch to Noah, and Abraham ('the father of the faithful'), Isaac and Jacob, as well as Joseph, Moses and Joshua - and so many others.
We might think it strange therefore that in the midst of these, we have someone like Samnson - whose very name strikes a chord with us as someone who was an abject failure - and yet there he is, listed in HEB 11:32, just two names before King David (who certainly took that mis-step into The SIX LETHAL LEVELS of SIN with Bathsheeba, but whose character is otherwise mentioned by God Himself as "a man after my own heart" ACTS 13:22).
Samson was a Nazarite, as well as a Judge of Israel. What is a Nazarite? From GOT QUESTIONS we have the following:
"The Nazirites [were] individuals who voluntarily dedicated themselves to God . . . on the part of people whose desire is to yield themselves to God completely. By definition, the Hebrew word nazir, simply means “to be separated or consecrated.” The Nazirite vow, appears in NUM 6:1-21 . . .
In this five-part series we will examine the life of the prophet Samuel as PART Two.
Until then, may the LORD bless and keep us in JESUS HOLY, RIGHTEOUS, GLORIOUS NAME!
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