Lessons from Samson: Wandering Hearts and God's Grace
Summary
### Summary
In 1758, Robert Robinson, at the age of 22, wrote the hymn "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing," expressing both his joy in receiving God's grace and his struggle with a wandering heart. This theme of wandering is prevalent in the church, where many who once loved God sincerely have drifted away. Today, we explored why this happens by examining the life of Samson from the book of Judges. Samson, despite being chosen by God for a specific purpose, struggled with a wandering heart due to several human flaws.
First, Samson was too cocky to listen to advice. His arrogance led him to disregard his parents' counsel and pursue a Philistine woman, violating God's commands. This arrogance also led him to break his Nazarite vow by touching a dead lion's carcass to get honey. This act of self-indulgence and disregard for God's commands is a cautionary tale about the dangers of arrogance and self-reliance.
Second, Samson was too bitter to restrain his actions. When betrayed by his wife, he sought revenge rather than turning his hurt over to God. This bitterness led him to commit acts of vengeance that only escalated the cycle of violence and suffering. Bitterness, if not dealt with, can control and destroy us, leading us away from God's path.
Third, Samson was too overconfident to recognize danger. His overconfidence in his own strength and abilities led him to reveal the secret of his strength to Delilah, resulting in his capture and humiliation. This overconfidence blinded him to the reality that God's presence had left him, a tragic consequence of his self-reliance.
Despite his failures, Samson's story also offers a glimpse of God's grace. Even after his downfall, God allowed Samson's hair to grow back, symbolizing that God had not given up on him. This serves as a powerful reminder that no matter how far we wander, God's grace is always available to bring us back.
### Key Takeaways
1. Arrogance Leads to Spiritual Wandering: Samson's arrogance made him dismiss his parents' advice and pursue his desires, leading him to break his Nazarite vow. Arrogance can make us think we know better than God, leading us away from His truth and into spiritual wandering. We need humility to stay grounded in God's wisdom. [08:20]
2. Bitterness Can Control and Destroy Us: Samson's bitterness over his betrayal led him to seek revenge, escalating violence and suffering. Holding onto bitterness can control our actions and lead us away from God's path. We must turn our hurts over to God and allow Him to heal us, rather than letting bitterness dictate our actions. [24:45]
3. Overconfidence Blinds Us to Danger: Samson's overconfidence in his own strength led him to reveal his secret to Delilah, resulting in his capture. Overconfidence can make us blind to the dangers around us and lead us away from God's protection. We need to remain dependent on God and aware of our vulnerabilities. [34:53]
4. The Importance of Accountability: Samson lacked accountability, which contributed to his downfall. We all need people in our lives who will speak the truth to us in love, helping us recognize dangers and stay on God's path. Accountability helps us remain faithful and avoid the pitfalls of self-reliance. [38:11]
5. God's Grace is Always Available: Despite Samson's failures, God's grace was still available to him, symbolized by his hair growing back. No matter how far we wander, God's grace can bring us back and restore us. We must never think we are beyond God's redemption and should always seek His grace. [40:15]
### YouTube Chapters
[0:00] - Welcome
[01:56] - Introduction: Robert Robinson and Wandering Hearts
[03:42] - The Danger of a Wandering Heart
[05:22] - The Cycle of Israel's Faithfulness
[06:36] - Samson's Birth and Purpose
[08:20] - Samson's Arrogance and Disregard for Advice
[11:16] - The Time of the Judges: Pervasive Evil
[14:45] - The Nazarite Vow and Samson's Violations
[17:54] - The Dangers of Arrogance
[19:44] - The Need for Humility
[21:30] - Spiritual Complacency
[23:08] - Samson's Bitterness and Revenge
[26:27] - The Consequences of Bitterness
[28:05] - Dealing with Betrayal and Hurt
[29:40] - The Need for Self-Control
[31:28] - Self-Control as a Fruit of the Spirit
[33:17] - Samson's Overconfidence and Downfall
[36:26] - The Tragic Consequence of Self-Reliance
[38:11] - The Importance of Accountability
[40:15] - A Glimpse of God's Grace
[41:54] - Invitation to Return to God
[43:24] - Closing Prayer
Study Guide
### Bible Reading
- Judges 13:1-5
- Judges 14:1-9
- Judges 16:17-22
### Observation Questions
1. What specific vow was Samson under from birth, and what were its main components? (Judges 13:1-5)
2. How did Samson's arrogance manifest when he chose a Philistine woman as his wife? (Judges 14:1-9)
3. What was the consequence of Samson revealing the secret of his strength to Delilah? (Judges 16:17-22)
4. How did Samson's hair symbolize God's grace and his potential for redemption? (Judges 16:22)
### Interpretation Questions
1. How did Samson's arrogance lead him to break his Nazarite vow, and what does this teach us about the dangers of self-reliance? [08:20]
2. In what ways did Samson's bitterness over his betrayal lead to a cycle of violence and suffering? How can this be a warning for us today? [24:45]
3. How did Samson's overconfidence in his own strength blind him to the dangers around him, and what can we learn from his downfall? [34:53]
4. What role does accountability play in preventing spiritual wandering, and how can we implement it in our own lives? [38:11]
### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when arrogance led you to make a poor decision. How can you cultivate humility to avoid similar mistakes in the future? [08:20]
2. Have you ever held onto bitterness like Samson did? What steps can you take to turn your hurts over to God and seek His healing? [24:45]
3. Think of a situation where overconfidence led you to ignore potential dangers. How can you remain dependent on God and aware of your vulnerabilities? [34:53]
4. Do you have someone in your life who holds you accountable? If not, how can you find a trustworthy person to help you stay on God's path? [38:11]
5. Samson's hair growing back symbolizes God's grace and the opportunity for redemption. Is there an area in your life where you need to seek God's grace and start anew? [40:15]
6. How can you actively seek to avoid spiritual complacency and continually grow in your relationship with God? [21:30]
7. Identify one specific action you can take this week to demonstrate self-control, especially in a situation where you are prone to react emotionally. [31:28]
Devotional
Day 1: Humility Over Arrogance
Arrogance can lead us to believe that we know better than God, causing us to stray from His path. Samson's story is a powerful example of this. Despite being chosen by God for a specific purpose, Samson's arrogance led him to disregard his parents' advice and pursue his own desires, ultimately breaking his Nazarite vow. This act of self-indulgence and disregard for God's commands serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of arrogance and self-reliance. We must cultivate humility to stay grounded in God's wisdom and avoid the pitfalls of spiritual wandering. [08:20]
Proverbs 16:18-19 (ESV): "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud."
Reflection: Think of a recent situation where you acted out of arrogance. How could humility have changed the outcome? Ask God to help you approach similar situations with humility in the future.
Day 2: Healing Over Bitterness
Bitterness can control and destroy us, leading us away from God's path. Samson's bitterness over his betrayal led him to seek revenge, escalating violence and suffering. Holding onto bitterness can control our actions and lead us away from God's path. We must turn our hurts over to God and allow Him to heal us, rather than letting bitterness dictate our actions. By doing so, we can break the cycle of pain and find peace in God's healing presence. [24:45]
Ephesians 4:31-32 (ESV): "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."
Reflection: Think of someone who has hurt you deeply. How can you begin to turn your hurt over to God and seek His healing today?
Day 3: Dependence Over Overconfidence
Overconfidence in our own abilities can blind us to the dangers around us and lead us away from God's protection. Samson's overconfidence in his own strength led him to reveal the secret of his strength to Delilah, resulting in his capture and humiliation. This overconfidence blinded him to the reality that God's presence had left him, a tragic consequence of his self-reliance. We need to remain dependent on God and aware of our vulnerabilities to stay under His protection and guidance. [34:53]
1 Corinthians 10:12-13 (ESV): "Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."
Reflection: Identify an area in your life where you have been overconfident. How can you shift your focus to depend more on God in this area?
Day 4: The Power of Accountability
Accountability is crucial in helping us remain faithful and avoid the pitfalls of self-reliance. Samson lacked accountability, which contributed to his downfall. We all need people in our lives who will speak the truth to us in love, helping us recognize dangers and stay on God's path. Accountability helps us remain faithful and avoid the pitfalls of self-reliance. By surrounding ourselves with a community of believers, we can support each other in our spiritual journeys and grow stronger in our faith. [38:11]
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (ESV): "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!"
Reflection: Who in your life can you trust to hold you accountable in your spiritual journey? How can you invite them to speak truth into your life?
Day 5: Embracing God's Grace
No matter how far we wander, God's grace is always available to bring us back and restore us. Despite Samson's failures, God's grace was still available to him, symbolized by his hair growing back. This serves as a powerful reminder that no matter how far we wander, God's grace can bring us back and restore us. We must never think we are beyond God's redemption and should always seek His grace. Embracing God's grace allows us to experience His love and forgiveness, leading us to a renewed relationship with Him. [40:15]
Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV): "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."
Reflection: Reflect on a time when you felt far from God. How did you experience His grace in that situation? How can you seek His grace in your life today?
Quotes
### Quotes for Outreach
1. "You know, sadly, stories of wandering are far too common in the church. That far too often, we, as people who at one point said that we loved God, wander from God. Our hearts wander from Him. Far too often, there are people who at one time loved God very sincerely. Maybe even people who grew up in church from a very, very young age, who walked away from God, who walked away from their relationship with Jesus, who walked away from the church." [01:56] (43 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "We need humility. Proverbs chapter 16, verse 18 puts it very clearly. Pride, pride goes before destruction. A haughty spirit, an arrogant spirit goes before a fall. We need humility." [19:44] (17 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "We live in a free country. We live in the greatest nation in the world and we're thankful for our freedoms and we're thankful for those who defend our freedoms and yes you have the right to hold on to the bitterness you have a right to harbor the anger but just because you have the right doesn't mean that it's a good thing to do it." [29:40] (29 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "By God's grace, he is not done with you. He is not done with you. I don't care what you've done or what your past is or what people say about you or how much you think you are disqualified to follow God, to worship God, to serve God. I'm telling you, by God's grace, it's not too late. I'm telling you, by God's grace, it's not too late. I'm telling you, that God can still use you. He can." [41:54] (29 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
### Quotes for Members
1. "Why does wandering happen? Like, why do people who seemingly at one point love God, who are sincere followers of God, why do they so often wander from God and wander from the faith? You see, that is a very important question, because we too sometimes suffer from a wandering heart, if we're honest about it. That sometimes we are the ones who wander from God. And any single one of us, I mean any one of us, I'm including myself, is at danger of having a wandering heart." [03:42] (45 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "Arrogance can so easily lead us away from the truth of God. Because the more we start thinking Google knows everything, the less we start trusting the ultimate source of truth in God's word, which never changes. Because God knows everything. Arrogance can lead us into a journey and down a path of spiritual wandering. Arrogance is what causes some people to think that the Bible is outdated. That the Bible, that the word of God is not relevant to our culture in the 21st century." [17:54] (39 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "We need accountability from someone who will speak the truth to us in love who loves us enough to tell us maybe what we don't want to hear instead of what we do want to hear they will speak the truth in love you know one of the great things that's happened in our church in the past year is is what jay lewis has been leading our men's discipleship groups friends that's what that's all about right there it's about men holding each other accountable as they study the word of God and it's not just men who need that we all need that we need that accountability." [38:11] (44 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "In so many ways, the story of Samson is a story of sadness. It's a story of tragedy. In so many ways, his story is that of a life and a calling that was wasted. But I also want to end on a very encouraging note because in Samson's story, there's also a glimpse of God's grace. There's a glimpse of God's grace. We read it in verse 22 of Judges 16. It says, but his hair began to grow. I know you're thinking, what? What does he think? Because like most people overlook that verse and they think, why is that detail even in there? Like it's not a big deal. But I think that verse is a big deal." [40:15] (54 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "We need self-control and what's interesting of self-control is that it's mentioned in the letter to the Galatians in the New Testament as being one of the fruits of the spirit that's interesting because the fact that self-control is listed as a fruit of the spirit means that we can't really develop self-control on our own at least not in full measure anyway the fact that self-control is a fruit of the spirit means that it is something that god's holy spirit inside of us helps us to develop inside that that all we can really do is ask god to help us develop it as as his holy spirit works inside of us and helps us to become what we need to become what he desires us to be so that anger and bitterness and and emotional reactions don't destroy us." [31:28] (60 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
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