The Problem with Pride
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And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the Lord was departed from him.
Introduction
Introduction
Introduction
Introduction
As you read the story of the life of Samson it can stir a variety of thoughts in our mind. On one hand he was mightily used of God and on the other hand he was defeated by his pride and suffered greatly. Some have said that his life is a condensed commentary on the history of Israel. This would not be a far fetched comparison considering his ups and downs.
One important aspect of Samsons life was that he was consecrated to God through a vow referred to as a “Nazarite Vow”.
The Nazarite Vow
The Nazarite vow was a unique way to separate and consecrate oneself to the Lord for a particular time and purpose. There is some evidence that this vow was a lifelong commitment but could have been also used for temporary periods of special dedication (
For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no rasor 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.
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. 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. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son. Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing: For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no rasor 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.
Judges 13
I. The Promise of Samson
I. The Promise of Samson
“…Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt concieve, and bear a son.”
To this point Samson’s parents had no children so this would have been a special blessing and joy
To this point Samson’s parents had no children so this would have been a special blessing and joy
This promise has similar charicteristics to the promise of Christ and his coming to redeem man
His birth was announced by an angel
He had an appointed purpose/ a special call
II. The Purpose of Samson
II. The Purpose of Samson
“…and he shall begin to deliver the Israel out of the hand of the Philistines”
Israel was in a period of turmoil and lack of fellowship with God due to their sin and were in need of deliverance
Samson had a unique call on his life from the very beginning - God has purpose for his creation
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever,
The thoughts of his heart to all generations.
Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done,
And thy thoughts which are to us-ward:
They cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee:
If I would declare and speak of them,
They are more than can be numbered.
With such an important call comes great responsibility
A. His purpose was significant
A. His purpose was significant
“…shall begin to deliver Israel”
B. His purpose was sanctified
B. His purpose was sanctified
For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no rasor 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.
We have looked at the promise of Samson and the purpose of Samson… finally we will focus on the pride of Samson:
III. The Pride of Samson
III. The Pride of Samson
The pride in Samson’s life had a detrimental effect on his purpose. If we are not careful the same can happen in our life. Pride is a dangereous problem and one of the most damaging of all sins that affect Adams fallen race.
We should never forget that God Hates pride!
These six things doth the Lord hate:
Yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
A proud look, a lying tongue,
And hands that shed innocent blood,
A. The decline that led to pride
A. The decline that led to pride
i. Demanding a Philistine wife/lacking submission to his parents ()
ii. Taking honey out of the carcass of the dead lion ()
iii. The wedding feast where he probably drank wine/ the Hebrew word used for fest suggests this ()
sin is always progressive in nature
it does not take long for seemingly small decisions to become serious problems in our life
Samson had a vow on his life and he was fully aware of the particulars of that vow
1. The abstance of wine -
2. The abstanance of dead bodies -
3. The abstinance of the razor -
iv. His final blow as he revealed the source of his strength to Delilah ()
B. The deception that charicterized pride
B. The deception that charicterized pride
And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the Lord was departed from him.
At this point Samson thought he had gotten away with his disobedience and he was blinded by his pride
Appllication: How many times have we been operating without the Lord and we were unaware that He was not leading us? We are all in danger of being deceived:
For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
C. The destruction that was the result his pride
C. The destruction that was the result his pride
But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.
There is always and end of our disobedience and pride
Consider these warnings from Scripture:
Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Conclusion
Conclusion
What conclusions can we draw from this lesson on Samson’s life?
What conclusions can we draw from this lesson on Samson’s life?
Samson’s life is a serious lesson in what can happen in the life of one who is consumed with pride. We are not much different than Samson. Although an angel may not have announced our birth and it is certainly true that we were not given the task of delivering our nation from it’s decline into pagan idolitry, our lives are no less significant.
For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.
Every interaction and moment of our lives have purpose and meaning and pride will certainly destroy these purposes.
Every interaction and moment of our lives have purpose and meaning and pride can have serious detremental effects.
What can we do to midigate this from happening in our own life?
What can we do to midigate this from happening in our own life?
Conclusion
Remember the Lord’s hatred for pride ()
Do not confuse the current blessing of the Lord for his complete approval of your life - God is longsuffering and merciful
Small compromises over time will eventually lead to great disaster
Final Thought - God gives grace to those who stay humble
Final Thought - God gives grace to those who stay humble
Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.