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CORNERSTONECONNECTIONS
OCTOBER032015

quiet desperation

Scripture Story: Judges 16:16-30.

Commentary: Patriarchs and Prophets (or Beginning of the End),
chapter 54.

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Photo Thinkstock 2011

keytext
flashlight
In suffering and humiliation, a sport for the Philistines, Samson learned more of his own
weakness than he had ever known before; and his afflictions led him to repentance
(Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 566).

Then
to the
Lord,
After Samson
she had prayed
given him
a drink,
Sovereign Lord, remember me.
she said,God,
Ill draw
water me
for your
Please,
strengthen
just
once
more,
me have
with one
camels
too,and
untilletthey
finblow get revenge on the Philisished drinking
tines for my two eyes. . . . Then he
pushed with all his might, and down
(Genesis 24:19, NIV).
came the temple on the rulers and
all the people in it. Thus he killed
many more when he died than
while he lived.
(Judges 16:28-30, NIV)

what
do you think?

He awoke from his

sleep and thought, Ill go out
as before and shake myself free. But
he did not know that the Lord had left him.

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Agree or disagree:
The things in life worth living for are also the things worth dying for.
Share your response to this statement and why you agree or
disagree.
________________________________________
_______________________________________
______________________________________
_____________________________________

INTO
THE
WORD

With such nagging she

prodded him day after day until
he was sick to death of it.

did you

So he told her everything. No razor

has ever been used on my head, he
said, because I have been a Nazirite
dedicated to God from my mothers
womb. If my head were shaved, my
strength would leave me, and I would
become as weak as any other man.

know?

When Delilah saw that he had told

her everything, she sent word to
the rulers of the Philistines, Come
hats up with the
back once more; he has told me
everything. So the rulers of the
hair? Some ask,
Philistines returned with the silver
What is a Nazarite
in their hands. After putting him
Vow? The word Nazarite simply means to be
to sleep on her lap, she called
for someone to shave off the
separated or consecrated. This commitment
seven braids of his hair, and
meant that the individual (man or woman)
so began to subdue him.
would, for a set time: (1) Consume no wine, grape juice,
And his strength left him.

raisinsanything grape. (2)

let no razor cut their hair,
or (3) avoid being around or
touching anything dead. A New
Testament example might be
found in Romans 12:1: Offer
your bodies as living sacrifices,
holy and pleasing to God.

Then she called,

Samson, the Philistines are upon
you!

Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out

his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him
to grinding grain in the prison. But the hair
on his head began to grow again after it had
been shaved.
Now the rulers of the Philistines assembled
to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god
and to celebrate, saying, Our god has delivered Samson, our enemy, into our hands.
When the people saw him, they
praised their god, saying,
Our god has delivered our enemy into
our hands, the one who laid waste our
land and multiplied our slain.
While they were in high spirits, they
shouted, Bring out Samson to entertain us. So they called Samson out of
the prison, and he performed for them.
When they stood him among the pillars,
Samson said to the servant who held his
hand, Put me where I can feel the pillars
that support the temple, so that I may
lean against them. Now the temple was
crowded with men and women; all the
rulers of the Philistines were there, and
on the roof were about three thousand
men and women watching Samson perform. Then Samson prayed to the Lord,
Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please,
God, strengthen me just once more, and
let me with one blow get revenge on the
Philistines for my two eyes. Then Samson
reached toward the two central pillars on
which the temple stood. Bracing himself
against them, his right hand on the one and
his left hand on the other, Samson said,
Let me die with the Philistines! Then he
pushed with all his might, and down came
the temple on the rulers and all the people
in it. Thus he killed many more when he
died than while he lived.
(Judges 16:16-30, NIV)

OUT
OF THE
STORY

punch lines
But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in
weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that
Christs power may rest on me (2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV).

Read the storied life of Samson in Judges 13 to 16,

making notes where Samson could have made decisive
changes in the way he livedfor Gods glory or his own folly.
Underline the phrases that describe the choices Samson made
that contributed to his failure.

And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon,
Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the
prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered
justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths
of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped
the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to
strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed
foreign armies (Hebrews 11:32-34, NIV).

If Samsons strength is not really in his hair, why, then, is his strength
gone when he loses his hair? What is the source of Samsons power,
and how is it connected to his hair?

Samson committed suicide, yet he is counted among the faithful in the New
Testament (Hebrews 11). Can God save people even when their final act is
one of despair?

What words or phrases in this story reveal Gods continued mercy on

Samson?

What do you think are three valuable lessons this story

teaches?

How does the end of Samsons story teach

both sadness and hope?

Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.

So be earnest and repent (Revelation
3:19, NIV).

Let God weigh me in honest scales

and he will know that I am blamelessif
my steps have turned from the path, if my
heart has been led by my eyes, or if my
hands have been defiled, then may others
eat what I have sown, and may my crops
be uprooted (Job 31:6-8, NIV).

eyes
other

Most men lead lives of quiet

desperation and go to the grave
with the song still in them.Henry
David Thoreau, 19th-century American author.

Suicide sometimes proceeds from cowardice, but not always; for cowardice sometimes prevents it; since as many live because
they are afraid to die, as die because they are
afraid to live.Charles Colson, 20th-century Christian leader.

cornerstoneconnections

How does the Bible describe the effect Delilahs nagging had on Samson?
How is it that the little things in Samsons life seemed to affect the greater
outcome?

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but

painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest
of righteousness and peace for those who have
been trained by it (Hebrews 12:11, NIV).

makingitreal
Sabbath

cornerstoneconnections

s you respond to the What Do You Think?

section of this weeks lesson, read what
Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. What does
this passage say about true strength and how
we should relate to our weaknesses? How
do you see this passage relating to Samson?
Where does he seem strong and where do you
see his weaknesses? To what degree do you
think Samson learned what Paul was talking
about in 2 Corinthians 12?

Sunday

Tuesday

n this weeks Flashlight quote from Patriarchs and Prophets, Ellen White claims that
Samson learned more of his own weakness
than he had ever known before; and his
afflictions led him to repentance. Samson was
not only a mighty man of strengthhe was a
judge. In what areas of your life do you need to
have more strength? What areas of your life do
you need to feel a greater sense of your weakness? Whom do you know today that is in touch
with their strengths and weaknesses? How do
they negotiate through life successfully? What
lessons can you learn from their walk?

ead the previous chapters (Judges

1315) prior to reading the final event of
Samsons life given in the Into the Story section
of this weeks lesson. As you answer the study
questions in the Out of the Story part, what
questions did you find most relevant to you?
What does Samsons story show us about
living up to our potential and how easy it is to
get off track? About Gods grace and patience
even when we sin again and again? As you
read the end of Samsons story, do you sense
more triumph or tragedy?

Monday

In some ways his life is obscured by the

way he died. Knowing that even the most
respected/feared man on the planet may be
a very lonely person, how might you seek out
someone this week and offer your encouragement and prayers for their leadership?

You might think of someone who seems obviously strong to everyone else. You might also
think of someone who does not seem strong
but may feel weak and alone. Reach out to
them with kindness and words of encouragement and see how God fills your heart with joy.

Friday

R
Wednesday

amson had physical strength, but his

spiritual weakness got the best of him.
He could have accomplished much more had
he learned to control his passions and let
God lead.
Read the Punch Lines in this weeks lesson
and identify the passage that is speaking to you
today. Why does this Scripture seem to be so
relevant to you now? Continue to reflect on the
passages and cooperate with God to become
disciplined and open to His work in your life.

eflect on the people in your life who tend

to do things alone. Samson clearly had no
right-hand man. He had no colaborer or friend.
Many in the world today will lay their own
lives down because they face lifes challenges
alone. What might you do to keep those who
are living lives of quiet desperation before
your eyes?

Texts credited to NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International
Version. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.
Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide..

onsider the message of the Key Text in

this weeks lesson from Judges 16:2830. What evidences in this verse lead you
to better understand Samsons heart in the
final moments of his life? What comparison
can you make with Samson to the thief on
the cross who also said in his final moments,
Remember me?

this weeks reading*

Thursday

n this weeks lesson many questions

emerge about Samsons life and death.

Patriarchs and Prophets (or Beginning of the End), chapter 54.

*Beginning of the End is a special adaptation of Patriarchs and
Prophets, created for you by the Ellen G. White Estate and Pacific
Press. Get more information about it at www.cornerstoneconnec
tions.net/article/191/about-us/conflict-of-the-ages-com
panion-books#.URlhF1rBO9s. By following the weekly reading
plan, you will read at least one book of the Conflict of the Ages
Series each year.