Session One from the C&C Retreat '09 - Brent Aucoin

7.18.2009

Wow it's been a long time since I posted...here goes. Lord willing I will be starting up more regularly again.

Background...
    •    The person of Samson is the climax of the cycle failure of God's people in the book of Judges.
    •    The "climax" is one of a great tragedy in that Samson is clueless to his special calling even though God continues to give him opportunities to see what he s supposed to be.
    •    Instead, Samson is self absorbed with his sexual appetites and lusts.
    •    Samson whose name means "sun like" or "light" ironically ends up in the "dark" as he is blinded in the end as testimony to his spiritual blindness manifested through much of his life.
    •    Samson also represents the deterioration of the entire population of God's people at that time.
    •    Then, God's people, just like their "deliverer" Samson, were blind to their special calling of God to be god's light to the nations as a people -- even though God had constantly prodded them and had been gracious to them.


Judges 13
Manoah's wife did not tell her husband everything that the Angel of the Lord told her -- she did not tell him that Samson was to "begin to deliver Israel."

- Samson had a special calling and a special set of behaviors (he was a Nazirite from birth) but he did not know his purpose. What would I do if I didn't know my purpose when the day that I was to fulfill it comes?

Samson has no clue what his purpose is (Judges 14) but God is working every turn of the story for His purpose for Samson -- through Samson's desire for the Philistine woman God is going to begin to deliver Israel.

Samson's focus is always on pleasing himself. After every encounter with the Philistines, Samson always heads toward the woman -- his focus is wrong.

Samson and Delilah -- Samson gives into Delilah although he won't give in to the Lord's purpose for him.

Samson's strength was not in his hair -- his strength cam from the Lord, but the Lord left Samson when his hair was cut off.

What were the dangers of Samson not understanding and not living for his special purpose? What are the dangers of us not grasping our scripturally defined purpose?

With no purpose (or no understanding of purpose) my life could be just like a Saturday with no objective -- I will end up self absorbed and in defiance of God's plan for me.