SAMSON & DELILAH SAMSON S REPENTANCE AND CRY TO GOD Theme : God answers prayer of confession and repentance To understand To understand that no matter that though what we do we must repent believers may go through difficult situations, God TEACHER PREPERATION: is in control. He Background is the provider, protector, Samson was dedicated sustainer to the Lord and at birth and was raised as Nazirite. Nazirites were to: redeemer. Abstain from wine, wine vinegar, grapes, raisins and other alcoholic beverages Refrain from cutting one s hair Not come into contact with dead bodies or graves, even of family members Ref Wikipedia Samson was a judge but also fought for the Israelites. He became a legend during his time with regard to his bravery and ability to destroy numerous of enemies. It is this man, who is larger than life, that is the central figure in today s story. Teacher should review following chapters for this lesson: INTRODUCTION ACTIVITY Discuss the following with the class : Do you pray to God? When we speak to God, do we earnestly repent for our sins? Do we just recite the same prayer or do we have a loving discussion?
SAMSON & DELILAH SAMSON S REPENTANCE AND CRY TO GOD Theme : God answers prayer of confession and repentance Judges 16:25-30 To understand that no matter what we do we must repent 25 And when their hearts were merry, they said, Call Samson, and let him entertain us. To So understand they called Samson out of the prison, and he performed for them. They made that him though stand between the pillars; 26 and Samson said to the attendant who held him believers by the hand, may Let go me feel the pillars on which the house rests, so that I may lean through against difficult them. 27 Now the house was full of men and women; all the lords of the situations, Philistines were God there, and on the roof there were about three thousand men and women, who looked on while Samson performed. is in control. He 28 is Then the Samson provider, called to the Lord and said, Lord God, remember me and strengthen protector, me only this once, O God, so that with this one act of revenge I may pay back sustainer the Philistines and for my two eyes. 29 And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on redeemer. which the house rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other. 30 Then Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. He strained with all his might; and the house fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So those he killed at his death were more than those he had killed during his life. GRADE 5 UNIT 2
Introduction Have you ever not listened to your parents and did what they asked you not to do? When your parents found out, were they happy with you? How did you feel? Did your parents still love you? Today we will learn about someone who was blessed by God with strength that was unmatched at the time. He did wrong things and eventually lost everything. God still loved him and used him one last time. Bible Exploration Samson, a judge over Israel, was known throughout the land as having incredible strength. He had fought and destroyed many of the Philistines, enemies of the Israelites. One day he fell in love with Delilah. Learning of this, the Philistines offered money to Delilah to determine the secret of his strength. She discovered that Samson was set apart for God and as such took a Nazirite vow at birth to never have cut his hair. Samson told Delilah that he would lose his strength if his hair was cut. Armed with that information, Delilah worked with the Philistines to cut his hair when he was asleep. The Philistines captured Samson and then gouged his eyes. They humiliated him and made him the center of attention. It is at this time that Samson prayed to God. With the help of a servant, Samson located the two central pillars of the temple. He humbled himself before God and asked for strength to get revenge on the Philistines. Then with a mighty push, Samson moved the supporting pillars causing the temple to come down on the Philistines and their rulers. In spite of Samson`s past, God still answered his prayer and destroyed the pagan temple and worshipers. God still loved him and was willing to hear Samson`s prayer of confession and repentance. God was able to use Samson one final time. One of the effects of sin in our lives is to keep us from feeling like praying. We do not have to be perfect to pray to God. We shouldn t let guilty feelings of our sin keep us from speaking to God. No matter how long you have been away from God, he is ready to hear from us and restore us to the right path. Every situation can be salvaged if we are willing to turn to Him. If God could still work in Samson`s situation, He can certainly make something worthwhile out of ours. Even though Samson was not right in the eyes of the Lord, the Lord still loved him. When Samson cried out to the Lord to forgive him, God heard him and looked beyond his past through grace. Grace is goodness and kindness from the Lord to a person who does not deserve it. God s grace is still available to those who repent and ask God Mrs. Priya Easaw, St. Peters MTC, NJ for forgiveness.
Activities Unscramble the following words from today s lesson: HLAILDE SILNPISIETH ERAGC IZINTREA Let s Review 1. What was Samson`s prayer to the Lord? 2. How did Samson destroy the people and the temple? 3. What happened to Samson in the end? Values For Life Samson repented and asked God forgiveness. We should never feel that we can not come to God. He is our father and He loves us. He is waiting with open arms but we must be honest with him and turn from our wicked ways. He loved us so much that He sent His only son to die on the cross for us. Faith In Action We should have one great ambition in life.it is to please God. God loves us. He saved us. So we should show everybody how great He is. Then they would want to know Him too.
Memory Verse Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. James 5:16 Closing Prayer God, we thank you for creating us. We continue to hurt you but yet you still love us. We are sorry and want you in our lives. We want to please you and live for you. Christ is all we need and we look to you for strength and protection. Amen.