Controlled by God: Lessons from David and Samson

The question of a tombstone presses the whole matter into one simple thought: what would God say about a life? Acts 13:22 gives David that remarkable testimony, “a man after mine own heart,” because David would “fulfill all my will.” David’s life, at its best, shows a man controlled by God, not just a man with courage, gifts, or reputation.

First Samuel 24 places David in the cave at Engedi, with Saul alone and vulnerable. The normal thing, according to David’s men, would have been to take the opportunity and kill the enemy. David’s conscience, however, smote him even for cutting Saul’s robe, because Saul was still “the Lord’s anointed.” The cave shows that God’s will must rule over what culture calls normal, especially when retaliation feels justified and revenge looks easy.

Second Samuel 1 shows David after Saul’s death. Saul had chased him for years, lied to him, threatened his family, killed his friends, and tried to destroy him. Yet David wrote a song to honor Saul and made sure the people remembered what was good. David’s lament shows that emotions and feelings cannot be trusted as the master of a Christian life. Feelings may be real, but they must not be in control.

Second Samuel 12 shows David after his terrible sin with Bathsheba and Uriah. The death of the child could have driven David deeper into sin, despair, or bitterness against God. Instead, David arose, washed, went into the house of the Lord, and worshiped. The past had a place, but the past did not have the throne. Repentance meant turning back to God rather than letting failure control the next decision.

Judges 13 then brings Samson into view as a miracle child, set apart from the womb as a Nazarite unto God. Numbers 6 shows the three marks of that separation: no wine, no dead bodies, and no razor. Samson’s strength was not merely a hair issue. His unraveling began long before Delilah cut the final thread.

The lion’s carcass, the drinking party, and Delilah’s scissors form the “three strikes” of Samson’s compromise. Judges 16:20 gives the chilling line: “he wist not that the Lord was departed from him.” God’s departure was not dramatic; it was the quiet conclusion to a long unraveling. Samson did not lose his strength all at once. He handed it away piece by piece, in private places, while standing too close to the line. James 1 warns that lust draws, entices, conceives, and brings forth death. Matthew 26 calls the Christian to watch and pray, and Psalm 1 calls for careful company and deep meditation on God’s word, like a cow chewing the cud, returning again and again until the soul draws nourishment.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. God must control every decision David’s testimony in Acts 13 was not built on being impressive, talented, or well known. God called him a man after His own heart because David would fulfill God’s will. A life controlled by God is seen in obedience when another path looks easier, faster, or more natural. [22:32]
• 2. Revenge is not Christian strength The cave at Engedi looked like the perfect moment for David to end his trouble. David’s men called it opportunity, but David’s conscience recognized danger. God’s people must not baptize revenge just because circumstances make it possible. [26:32]
• 3. Feelings make poor masters David had every emotional reason to celebrate Saul’s death, but Second Samuel shows him lamenting instead. The Christian life does not deny hurt, betrayal, or grief, but neither does it let those feelings sit on the throne. Love and loyalty can be most clearly seen when emotions argue the opposite. [31:09]
• 4. Compromise usually unravels quietly Samson’s fall did not begin with Delilah’s scissors. It began in vineyards, with dead things, and in places that seemed harmless enough at the time. The most dangerous spiritual losses are often private, gradual, and unnoticed until strength is already gone. [58:42]
• 5. God’s word needs steady meditation Psalm 1 does not describe a quick glance at Scripture, but a life that keeps returning to it. Meditation is like chewing the cud, bringing the same truth back again until the soul draws strength from it. Temptation is resisted not by vague intentions, but by watched steps, prayerful dependence, and Scripture that has been deeply taken in.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [20:15] - Ministry Introduction And Thanks
• [21:09] - What Would God Say?
• [22:32] - David, A Man After God’s Heart
• [23:56] - David In The Cave With Saul
• [27:04] - Not Controlled By The Normal Thing
• [29:48] - David Honors Saul After Death
• [33:25] - David Turns Back After Sin
• [37:23] - Letting God Take Control
• [45:42] - Introduction To Samson
• [50:07] - Samson And The Nazarite Vow
• [53:11] - Strike One, The Lion’s Carcass
• [55:51] - Strike Two, The Drinking Party
• [57:29] - Strike Three, Delilah’s Scissors
• [60:47] - Watching, Praying, And Meditating

Bible Reading

Acts 13:22
“And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’” [22:32]

1 Samuel 24
“It came to pass, when Saul had returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, ‘Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.’ Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats. And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet: and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave. And the men of David said unto him, ‘Behold the day of which the LORD said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee.’ Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul’s robe privily. And it came to pass afterward, that David’s heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul’s skirt. And he said unto his men, ‘The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD’s anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD.’ So David stayed his servants with these words, and suffered them not to rise against Saul. But Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way.” [23:56]

2 Samuel 12:19-20
“But when David saw that his servants whispered together, David perceived that the child was dead. And David said unto his servants, ‘Is the child dead?’ And they said, ‘He is dead.’ Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the LORD, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat.” [33:25]

2 Samuel 1:17
“And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son:” [29:48]

Judges 16:20
“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.” [58:42]

James 1:14-15
“But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”

Psalm 1:1-2
“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.”

Matthew 26:41
“Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Observation questions

1. In Acts 13:22, what reason is given for David being called a man after God’s heart? [22:32]
2. In 1 Samuel 24, what did David’s men want him to do in the cave, and what did David actually do instead? [26:32]
3. In 2 Samuel 1:17, what was David’s response when he heard of Saul’s death? [31:09]
4. In Judges 16:20, what is striking about Samson’s condition when the Philistines came upon him? [58:42]

Interpretation questions

1. Acts 13:22 connects being “after” God’s heart with doing God’s will. What does that suggest about how God measures a life? Is the main issue ability, reputation, or obedience? [23:00]
2. In the cave at Engedi, revenge looked reasonable and even easy. Why is it important that David’s conscience troubled him before he ever harmed Saul? What does that show about the kind of heart God was shaping in him? [27:04]
3. David lamented Saul instead of celebrating his death. What does that reveal about the danger of letting feelings rule a person’s choices, especially after being deeply wronged? [33:08]
4. Samson did not lose his strength all at once. How does that help explain the way temptation usually works in ordinary Christian life? Why are small compromises often more dangerous than they first appear? [59:33]

Application questions

1. There are moments when the “normal thing” feels natural—getting even, saying the sharp word back, or justifying revenge because someone started it. Where is that pressure strongest right now, and what would it look like to let God rule that situation instead? [28:38]
2. Feelings are real, but they make poor masters. Is there a hurt, frustration, or resentment that has been quietly steering decisions lately? How can that be recognized before it settles onto the throne? [33:08]
3. The past has a place, but it must not have the throne. Is there a past sin, failure, loss, or wound that still tends to control present choices? What would turning back to God in that area actually look like this week? [35:55]
4. Samson’s unraveling began in private places, long before the final collapse. What might be a “vineyard moment” right now—some place, habit, friendship, or pattern that seems small but is drawing the heart too close to the line? [59:52]
5. Jesus says, “Watch and pray.” What are some practical ways to build that into an ordinary day before temptation grows strong? [01:01:13]
6. Psalm 1 ties spiritual strength to careful company. Are there relationships that are helping obedience to God, and are there others that are quietly weakening it? How should wisdom shape those relationships? [01:01:58]
7. Meditation on God’s word is more than a quick glance; it is returning to truth again and again. What would it look like to “chew the cud” on Scripture this week in a simple, realistic way? [01:03:12]