Okay, this week in Hebrews 11, I’m studying Samson. This dude was crazy. I really encourage you to read Judges 13, 14, 15, and 16. It’s really an entertaining story.
Firstly, he’s a nazarite which are guys that didn’t shave their heads and were completely devoted to God. He was BORN one. That’s pretty cool. An angel came to his mom and told her to not eat any unclean food because she was gonna have a son. When she was telling her husband she said this, ‘A man of God came to me. He looked like an angel of God, very awesome.” Totally. Anyway, Samson grew up and the Lord blessed him and the SPIRIT OF THE LORD began to stir in him.

Secondly, on the way to meet his wife, whom he had already talked to and “he liked her” (it’s there Judges 14:7), a lion came towards him. The SPIRIT OF THE LORD came upon him and he ripped, are you hearing this, ripped the lion apart with his hands. Later, on his way to marry his wife, he saw the lion carcass and he ate some honey out of it. I’m not quite sure of the signifigance of this, so if you know, tell me please. Let’s see, he tells a riddle to the bride’s family. If they get it right, they get new clothes, if not, then he gets new clothes. They get angry. I guess it’s kinda taboo to ask your in laws to solve a riddle so you can get a new pair of pants. Let’s see. She wiggles the answer out of him and tells her family. He gets angry and kills some people, her dad takes her and gives her to some friend that had been in the wedding (shady, very shady). He gets even more angry and kills some more Phillistines by lighting some foxes on fire and then letting them burn the Phillistine fields. I guess he’d do anything in the name of his “foxy” lady (hehe). You know, your basic, run of the mill chick flick love story (whatever.).

Then he goes home. His friends come to him and tell him that the Phillistines are there to get him and they tie him up with new ropes. The the SPRIT OF THE LORD came upon him in power and the ropes fell off. He picked up a fresh donkey jawbone and kills a hundred men. (Okay, first of all, who picks up a jawbone, especially a fresh one. What does that mean anyway? I hope he washed his hands afterwards. I guess God can lead us to do some pretty weird and disgusting things.) Then, after he’s killed all these guys with a donkey mandible, he cries out to the Lord cause he’s thirsty. I bet God sent him Gatorade from that spring. It has electrolytes so it must be better than water, right?

Point: Samson had the power of the SPIRIT OF GOD with him. He did things because God enabled him to. We should live like that: empowered and motivated by the Spirit. Try to rip apart a lion and kill someone with a jawbone by yourself. Make sure you wash your hands.