Judges 16:27-31 – Lessons Learned Part III

²⁷ Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport.

²⁸ And Samson called unto the Lord, and said, O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.

²⁹ And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left.

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.

³¹ Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the buryingplace of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years.

 

As we look back on some well learned lessons from Judges and Ruth. Today, we are looking at the moral at the end of Samson’s story: finish well. The Bible remembers Samson in Hebrews chapter 11 as a man of faith. When one looks at Samson’s life, however, he lived a very self-focused life, not one of faith. Samson’s end, however, is an example of great faith! Samson, the hero of Israel, was now the party entertainment for his enemies, the Philistines. Samson, who had lost his strength by now, asks God for one final request. Samson put himself between the two load bearing pillars of the house and asked God one last time for his strength, which God granted! Then, Samson brought down the house… literally!

Samson, for a good deal of his life, lived for himself. In the end, however, he finished strong and defeated Israel’s enemy! Although Samson’s life is not a very good example to follow, he ended his life on a strong note. We need to strive to finish strong in everything we do. If it’s your school work, make sure you finish strong! If it’s your ministry at church, finish strong! If it’s your job, finish strong! Even with life, we need to finish strong! Whatever you do, do not not quit right before the end. Don’t quit and finish strong!

Life Step: Think about it…

How did Samson finish strong?

In what ways can you finish strong in something?

What keeps us from having a strong finish?