Judges Chapter 7 Gideon and the Power of Weakness Part 2 Strange Weapons of War! Judges 7: 16-22 He divided the 300 men into three companies, and he put trumpets and empty pitchers into the hands of all of them, with torches inside the pitchers. 17 He said to them, "Look at me and do likewise. And behold, when I come to the outskirts of the camp, do as I do. 18 "When I and all who are with me blow the trumpet, then you also blow the trumpets all around the camp and say, 'For the LORD and for Gideon.'" 19 So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just posted the watch; and they blew the trumpets and smashed the pitchers that were in their hands. 20 When the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers, they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing, and cried, "A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!" 21 Each stood in his place around the camp; and all the army ran, crying out as they fled. 22 When they blew 300 trumpets, the LORD set the sword of one against another even throughout the whole army; and the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the edge of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath.

Judges Chapter 7 Gideon and the Power of Weakness Part 2 Strange Weapons of War! What do you think about the selection of weapons? By nature they don’t seem deadly Trumpets tend to be intimidating and confusing The light is used to further confuse the enemy while aiding the Israelites. Take away points for us: Christians overcome oppression by faith in God Sometimes God uses unique tools including us for his purpose We need to be the light that helps defeat the enemy Next week: Judges 13

Judges Chapter 13 Samson the Nazirite Judges 13: 1-5 1 Now the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, so that the LORD gave them into the hands of the Philistines forty years. 2 There was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren and had borne no children. 3 Then the angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, "Behold now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and give birth to a son. 4 "Now therefore, be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing. 5 "For behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son, and no razor shall come upon his head, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines."

Judges Chapter 13 Samson the Nazirite The announcement of a deliverer! How many cycles of sin does this make for Israel? 7 How long is the period of captivity? 40 years What is significant about this period of captivity? What is significant about Samson being a Nazirite? Is there an application for us today?

Judges Chapter 13 Samson the Nazirite Israel’s light has come… Judges 13: 24-25 24 Then the woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson; and the child grew up and the LORD blessed him. 25 And the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him in Mahaneh- dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol. Samson translates… “like the sun” or “little sun” What is significant about his name translation How do you think the parents felt about the birth of the child?

Judges Chapter 13 Samson the Nazirite The slippery slope… Judges 14:1-3 1 Then Samson went down to Timnah and saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines. 2 So he came back and told his father and mother, "I saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife." 3 Then his father and his mother said to him, "Is there no woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?" But Samson said to his father, "Get her for me, for she looks good to me."

Judges Chapter 13 Samson the Nazirite The slippery slope… What age do you think Samson is here in this passage? What do you think about his parents being concerned about his choice of a woman? Is there a lesson for us here? What do you think about Samson compromising his teaching about the Philistines?

Judges Chapter 13 Samson the Nazirite Blessed with strength, yet more compromise… Judges 14:5-9 5 Then Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother, and came as far as the vineyards of Timnah; and behold, a young lion came roaring toward him. 6 The Spirit of the LORD came upon him mightily, so that he tore him as one tears a young goat though he had nothing in his hand; but he did not tell his father or mother what he had done. 7 So he went down and talked to the woman; and she looked good to Samson. 8 When he returned later to take her, he turned aside to look at the carcass of the lion; and behold, a swarm of bees and honey were in the body of the lion. 9 So he scraped the honey into his hands and went on, eating as he went. When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them and they ate it; but he did not tell them that he had scraped the honey out of the body of the lion.

Judges Chapter 13 Samson the Nazirite Blessed with strength, yet more compromise… What is significant about Samson killing the lion? Helped by the power of God Any other scripture where a person kills a beast with the power of God? Satan goes about like a roaring lion to devour Christians What do you make of Samson breaking his Nazirite vow by touching the dead lion? What do you make of Samson not disclosing to his parents where the honey came from?

Judges Chapter 13 Samson the Nazirite The downward slide… Judges 14:10-14 10 Then his father went down to the woman; and Samson made a feast there, for the young men customarily did this. 11 When they saw him, they brought thirty companions to be with him. 12 Then Samson said to them, "Let me now propound a riddle to you; if you will indeed tell it to me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen wraps and thirty changes of clothes. 13 "But if you are unable to tell me, then you shall give me thirty linen wraps and thirty changes of clothes." And they said to him, "Propound your riddle, that we may hear it." 14 So he said to them, "Out of the eater came something to eat, and out of the strong came something sweet.“ But they could not tell the riddle in three days

Judges Chapter 13 Samson the Nazirite The downward slide… What is significant about the 30 companions that Samson was given? How does this further complicate God’s plan? 1 Corinthians 15: 33 Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals."

Judges Chapter 13 Samson the Nazirite The downward slide… Judges 14:15-20 15 Then it came about on the fourth day that they said to Samson's wife, "Entice your husband, so that he will tell us the riddle, or we will burn you and your father's house with fire. Have you invited us to impoverish us? Is this not so?" 16 Samson's wife wept before him and said, "You only hate me, and you do not love me; you have propounded a riddle to the sons of my people, and have not told it to me." And he said to her, "Behold, I have not told it to my father or mother; so should I tell you?" 17 However she wept before him seven days while their feast lasted. And on the seventh day he told her because she pressed him so hard. She then told the riddle to the sons of her people. 18 So the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, “what is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion?“ and he said to them, "If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have found out my riddle." 19 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon him mightily, and he went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty of them and took their spoil and gave the changes of clothes to those who told the riddle. And his anger burned, and he went up to his father's house. 20 But Samson's wife was given to his companion who had been his friend.

Judges Chapter 13 Samson the Nazirite The downward slide… What are your thoughts about the seven days crying of the bride to be? Is she totally to blame for the situation that Samson finds himself in? Can we learn from this situation? Don’t align with the enemy Next week Judges 16