Bible Stories Like Grandma Told 'Em
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STRENGTH OF SAMSON, Part I of 3 JUDGES 13-14
“Don’t be sad. The joy of the Lord will make you strong.” (Nehemiah 8:10) Do you like to hunt? I’m talking about going hunting in the woods for deer, or wild turkey, or maybe even a bobcat. Today we hear about a young man who had to fight an animal with his bare hands. His name is Samson.
Years ago Manoah and his wife lived their whole life believing in God. They always did what God’s law said to do. They wanted children, but for some reason were never fortunate enough to have any. One day God blessed this couple with a baby boy.
An angel of the Lord approached Manoah’s wife as she was working in the field. He told her she would have a child and he gave special instructions to her, “You must never cut his hair because he will be a Nazarite to God. And you are not to eat or drink anything that grows from a vine.” A Nazarite was a Jewish person who promised to serve God by following special rules. The angel continued, “He will be given to God from birth. He will begin the work of saving Israel from the power of the Philistines.”
When Manoah’s wife told her husband he was going to be a daddy, he was very happy. It wasn’t long before Manoah was holding baby Samson in his arms and singing lullabies to him. As Samson grew into manhood, the Lord blessed him and gave great physical strength to him.
One day Samson told his mother and father, “There’s a Philistine girl I saw while I was in town and I want to marry her.”
“Surely you can find a girl from Israel to marry,” his parents argued.
Samson replied, “This Philistine girl is the one I want to marry. I need you to go meet her.” Samson’s parents wanted Samson to marry an Israelite like him not a Philistine. But they wanted their son to be happy so they went to town with Samson to meet her. They didn’t know this was part of God’s plan for Samson to overpower the Philistines.
As Samson was walking on the well traveled road by himself, he heard a loud ROAR! And again, ROAR! Quickly, he turned around to see what it was. A young lion came running at Samson! At that very moment, God gave Samson great power. He tore the lion apart with his bare hands as if the lion were a stuffed toy.
“I’m not going tell anyone about this,” Samson said to himself. He knew from his Nazarite vow to God that he was not to touch the body of a dead animal. He continued into town and found the Philistine girl whom he loved.
“I want to marry you,” Samson told the young girl. “I will come back for you in a few days. Be ready to come home with me so we can prepare for a wedding.”
“I’ll be ready, Samson,” his girlfriend replied excitedly. “Now, go. I have a lot of work to do to get ready for my wedding.”
Several days later, on his way back to town to get his girlfriend, Samson‘s parents walked as far as the vineyard then waited as Samson continued alone.
When he came to the place he had killed the lion, he stopped to examine it. A swarm of bees had made a honeycomb in the bones of the dead lion. Samson dipped some of the honey out of the carcass with his hand. It tasted sweet.
When he returned to his parents, he gave them some of the honey to try. Samson didn’t tell them he had taken the honey from the body of the dead lion. He knew because of his vow, he was not to touch anything from a dead animal. All three continued on to the city to get Samson’s girlfriend. In those days, the custom was for the bridegroom to have a party for his guests. Samson began preparing for his wedding celebration. Thirty Philistine men were among those invited. He was going to have some fun at this party.
I wonder if anything will happen to Samson because he keeps disobeying God’s special rules. Visual Centerpiece/Activity
A picture of a strong young man with long hair and/or a jar of honey (Let kids draw a lion’s head with his mouth roaring. Have them glue plastic eyes on the lion. Plastic eyes can be found in the craft section of a store. Cut 10 - 2” strips of brown yarn for each child for them to glue to the lion’s head for its mane)
Samson’s “Can’t Leave Alone” Bars
1 pkg white cake mix (regular size) 1-14oz can sweetened condensed milk 2 eggs 1 cup (6oz) semisweet chocolate chips 1/3 cup canola oil ¼ cup butter, cubed
In large bowl, combine cake mix, eggs and oil. Press two-thirds of the mixture into a greased 13x9 baking pan. Set remaining cake mixture aside. In microwave safe bowl, combine the milk, chocolate chips and butter. Microwave, uncovered, until chips and butter are melted; stir until smooth. Pour over crust. Drop teaspoonfuls of remaining cake mixture over top. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes; until lightly browned. Cool before cutting. (This recipe used an 1100-watt microwave)
1. What was the Nazarite vow? (To be dedicated to God; set apart for God)
2. What was God’s plan for Samson? (To save Israel from the power of the Philistines)
3. How did Samson get so strong? (The Spirit of the Lord came upon him/God gave it to him)
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About the Book
“Okay, kids, time for devotions. Sit down and listen…” NOT!
Bible Stories Like Grandma Told ‘Em is a hands on devotional which keeps the children active with activities like:
–Coins to find
–Animal sounds needed
–Riddles to answer
–Crafts to reinforce spiritual take-away
–Recipes that help tell the story
–Visual aids to peak curiosity
Each story will leave them begging for more!
In addition to Bible Stories Like Grandma Told ‘Em, Ruth has written two books. A devotional, What If and memoirs of a caregiver, Up with the Good, Down with the Bad.
Motivating and inspiring others is the underlying theme that keeps Ruth excited about writing. She is a member of the American Christian Writers Group in the Ozarks.
About the Author
Ruth Perry and her husband, Dale, live in Lebanon, Missouri. They enjoy a combined family of six children, seventeen grandchildren and several great grandchildren. She’s been working with children for over forty years and says it never grows old.