Title Samson's Ceremony / Judges 16:23-31
Content - Samson's Ceremony - (Judges 16:23-31)
Currently, in Korea, the highest suicide rate occurs in the 40s and 30s, which are the most active age groups.
Of course, there must be a desperate reason in its own way, but 'Now my life is over. There is no reason or meaning to live anymore.
Today's text introduces a man who was once too successful.
He is a person who trembles at his name, even in neighboring countries, who have been victorious without knowing the word failure itself.
who is he That's Samson.
But one day, he was caught by his enemies by a single mistake and thrown into a situation where he had no hope any more.
Unable to bear it any longer, the enemies treated him as a plaything and placed a millstone in front of him.
The reason was obviously to induce suicide, and Samson must have been constantly tempted by the millstone in front of him.
You must have heard Satan's whispers. But surprisingly, he confronts and resists the temptation to commit suicide, Satan's crafty voice.
“The Philistines seized him, pulled out his eyes, and dragged him down to Gaza, bound with brass cords, and made him mill the mill in prison” (Judges 16:21).
What kind of pose is Samson in prison like? One hand (right hand) turns a millstone, and the other hand (left hand) touches the head countless times (22).
Posing with Samson in his pose reveals how he managed to control himself and overcome the temptation to commit suicide.
'Isn't the hair growing? This does not mean that God's grace has not left, and that my life is not over yet.
My present appearance is absurd, but surely there must be some meaning from God through this absurdity that I am holding on to now.'
This means that by encouraging themselves in this way, they resisted the temptation of suicide and Satan's bait.
From this point of view, Samson's victory actually began when he was stroking his head with one hand and turning the millstone with the other.
It started when he took a strange pose in that dark, hopeless and desperate situation inside the prison. That's why I don't call this Samson's pose, but a ceremony.
This is because the ceremony is a pose taken after scoring a goal and after winning.
Samson is doing his own unique 'ceremony of faith' in prison.
This means that he is thinking of only one person, God.
What is Faith? It is thinking of God.
Whatever the situation, think only of God. It is to humbly give thanks to God by thinking only of God, even in a smooth and good environment, even in a desperate, difficult and difficult situation.
'God works together to achieve good in the end, so there must be some deep will of God in this event.'
A person who thinks about God in this way is called a person of faith.
There is no other reason that Samson is proudly listed in the class of faith along with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses.
Has his life been sanctified and he obeyed his parents well? He is not loyal to his family, not loyal to his mission, nor has his life set an example for others.
Yet, there is only one reason why God shows him to us as a man of faith and a great advance in faith.
Even in such a desperate situation, he did not give up on life and thought of God. This is the reason why he is presented before us as a man of faith.
God never forsakes such a person of faith and does not disappoint under any circumstances.
"Samson cried out to the LORD, and said, "Remember me, Lord GOD, I beg you, please strengthen me this time, O God, so that the Philistines may avenge my two eyes at once." (Judges 16:28)
Here is one word that catches our eye. 'Think of me'.
It's a funny pose when seen by others, but Samson, who thought deeply about God in his heart during the ceremony of faith, cried out with his lips at the decisive moment.
The fact that his prayer was fulfilled, 'Think of me just once' means that God thought of him.
This means that when I think of God, God also thinks of me. It teaches us the truth that if God thinks only once, history will happen.
When God thought of Samson without eyes, Samson without strength, and Samson who was already useless and the object of contempt and ridicule by his enemies, a counter-electrode appeared.
“And he said, “I want to die with the Philistines.” And he bowed down with all his might, and immediately the house fell and fell over all the princes and all the people who were in it. 16:30)
God thought of him, so he was able to taste this miracle at the last moment.
Dear saints,
Do you think you are in a more miserable and hopeless situation than the Samson you see here with eyes pulled out, imprisoned, and ridiculed and ridiculed by others?
Do you contemplate suicide countless times because of business failure, a red flag for your health, betrayal, or being treated as subhuman?
Still, you must not give up on life. It's not yet time to give up.
God values those who do not give up on life and think of God in any circumstance. He does not ignore their prayers.
God also thinks of those who think about God, so no matter what lies ahead of you, don't be anxious about it, and cast all your anxieties on the Lord.
Create your own ceremony even in difficult and difficult situations.
And if you show the ceremony in front of God, God will surely do it according to your faith.
I pray that the grace of Jehovah Jireh will be with the saints who show their own ceremony before God by turning the millstone that must be turned until they are put on a pillar.