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Samson’s Downfall · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee,
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  Speaker 1: wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be
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  Speaker 1: bound to afflict thee. Judges 16.6 Dear God, as the
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  Speaker 1: story of Samson rings in my ears, it helps me
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  Speaker 1: to learn the valuable lessons that lie within the words
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  Speaker 1: of Judges 16. Through Samson I too realize that the
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  Speaker 1: strength of my abilities and the power of my moving
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  Speaker 1: on my behalf only come from my obedience to you
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  Speaker 1: and your word. I come against any thinking or behavior
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  Speaker 1: that would have me rely on my own understanding, causing
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  Speaker 1: me to believe that I can accomplish great things apart
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  Speaker 1: from you, Lord. I choose to walk in the truth
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  Speaker 1: that I am simply because you are. As I continue
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  Speaker 1: on my journey to fulfillment and purpose, I will become
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  Speaker 1: self-correcting and aware of the moments I step off the path.
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  Speaker 1: Through your help, Holy Spirit, I declare that I live
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  Speaker 1: and stay in alignment. I will not sacrifice my anointing
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  Speaker 1: for the simple comforts and pleasures that can lead to
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  Speaker 1: my downfall. I am locked in. and ready to finish
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  Speaker 1: the race of purpose before me. In Jesus' name.
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  Speaker 2: Amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for praying with me today. Continue listening for
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  Speaker 1: an incredible Bible story brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: Samson's Downfall In our last story, we saw Samson's strength
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  Speaker 2: and pettiness on display. He developed a rivalry with the
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  Speaker 2: Philistines over his wife, and out of anger and revenge,
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  Speaker 2: he burned their crops and slaughtered 1,000 of their men
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  Speaker 2: with the jawbone of a donkey. God used Samson's strength
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  Speaker 2: and foolishness as a weapon against the enemies of Israel.
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  Speaker 2: Now we see Samson's descent into his own sin. His
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  Speaker 2: foolishness abounds, and he finds himself captive to a witch
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  Speaker 2: in the armies of the Philistines, as inspired by the
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  Speaker 2: book of Judges.
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  Speaker 3: We're so glad you joined us on the Bible in
• 2:36
  Speaker 3: a Year podcast today. The Bible in a Year podcast
• 2:39
  Speaker 3: is an outreach of PowerPoint Ministries and can only come
• 2:43
  Speaker 3: to you each week through the support of listeners just
• 2:46
  Speaker 3: like you. Your support today is so important. that we
• 2:49
  Speaker 3: want to thank you for your gift by giving you
• 2:51
  Speaker 3: a copy of my book called The Jesus Book. It
• 2:54
  Speaker 3: is a powerful guide that shows how every book of
• 2:57
  Speaker 3: the Bible points to Jesus and how his living word,
• 3:00
  Speaker 3: the truth of God's word, will transform your life. So
• 3:04
  Speaker 3: to get a copy of The Jesus Book, simply go
• 3:07
  Speaker 3: to jackgram.org slash Jesus. That's jackgram.org slash Jesus. And thank
• 3:15
  Speaker 3: you for your support. In our last episode, we saw
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  Speaker 3: how Samson used his strength both to exact his own
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  Speaker 3: revenge and as a tool in God's hand to push
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  Speaker 3: back the oppressive Philistines. His anger and quick temper left
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  Speaker 3: a trail of destruction and death across the region, but
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  Speaker 3: God used even Samson's failures to weaken Israel's enemy. Ultimately,
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  Speaker 3: Samson was filled with God's Spirit and righteously defended his
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  Speaker 3: fellow Israelites, leading to him being judged over the people
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  Speaker 3: for 20 years. But tragically, Samson's lust, disobedience, and foolishness resurface,
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  Speaker 3: and rather simply compromising with danger, he plunges headlong into sin.
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  Speaker 3: Entangled with an evil woman, his strength will be no
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  Speaker 3: match for her hold on his mind. It is a
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  Speaker 3: tragic tale of unchecked sin. But still, God will use
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  Speaker 3: Samson to ultimately win a victory over the Philistines. So
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  Speaker 3: listen to today's reading.
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  Speaker 2: It was dark. and the city of Gaza had fallen asleep.
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  Speaker 2: The only lights came from the dim candles illuminating the
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  Speaker 2: small room where Samson and the prostitute lay. Their shadows
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  Speaker 2: moved against the walls as they moved to one another's bodies.
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  Speaker 2: Throughout the night, Samson drowned out his sorrows and insecurities
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  Speaker 2: in the sheets of the prostitute woman. The Gazites had
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  Speaker 2: caught word that Samson was staying in the city. They
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  Speaker 2: surrounded the prostitute's home and set up an ambush at
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  Speaker 2: the gate of the city in case he escaped. They
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  Speaker 2: kept quiet, planning their attack for when dawn broke. They slept,
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  Speaker 2: not knowing that Samson escaped out the window at midnight. Stealthily,
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  Speaker 2: Samson moved through the alleys of the city towards the
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  Speaker 2: front entrance. Samson stood in front.
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  Speaker 1: Of the gate.
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  Speaker 2: The gate was looming over Samson, four times his size
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  Speaker 2: and made of pure steel. The gate stood as a
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  Speaker 2: barrier between him and freedom. Samson gripped the steel beams
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  Speaker 2: of the gate and began pulling. Samson's arms were hard
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  Speaker 2: as stone, and his legs were planted firmly in the
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  Speaker 2: ground for support. Slowly, the steel began to rip off
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  Speaker 2: its hinges, and the gate lifted from its foundation. Samson
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  Speaker 2: rose the gate above his head and began to walk
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  Speaker 2: out of the city. With the strength of an elephant
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  Speaker 2: and the stealth of a cat, Samson stole Gaza's main
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  Speaker 2: form of protection and escaped into the mountains. Meanwhile, the
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  Speaker 2: Philistines were planning their attack against Samson. The lords of
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  Speaker 2: the Philistines plotted and schemed as to how they would
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  Speaker 2: topple the mighty man of God. Clearly, no army, large
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  Speaker 2: or small, could come up against him, and they knew
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  Speaker 2: no other way to bring him to his knees. They did, however,
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  Speaker 2: know of one weakness Samson had, a weakness for beautiful
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  Speaker 2: women They sent for a woman named Delilah and paid
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  Speaker 2: her 1,100 pieces of silver to seduce him. She came
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  Speaker 2: to Samson with smooth lips and a sharp tongue. She
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  Speaker 2: stroked his hair and kissed his neck. Samson, in an instant,
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  Speaker 2: fell deeply in love with Delilah. Her seductive voice and
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  Speaker 2: clever words lured Samson into a daze of passion and vulnerability.
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  Speaker 2: She whispered in Samson's ear, Where does your strength Truly lie,
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  Speaker 2: she leaned against him. Samson could smell her hair. She
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  Speaker 2: was intoxicating to him. How would anyone be able to
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  Speaker 2: capture you? Samson was enraptured by her, but still in
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  Speaker 2: his right mind to toy with her. Samson answered her
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  Speaker 2: and said, The secret is seven fresh bowstrings that have
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  Speaker 2: not been dried. Once they bind me, I become weak
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  Speaker 2: like any other man. So Delilah playfully bound Samson up
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  Speaker 2: while the Philistines lay in secret, waiting to ambush him.
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  Speaker 2: Then Delilah tested the strings and yelled, Quick, Samson! The
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  Speaker 2: Philistines are coming! And in an instant Samson broke through
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  Speaker 2: the strings ready for battle. So the secrets of Samson's
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  Speaker 2: strength were still a mystery. Delilah was upset with Samson,
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  Speaker 2: but Samson continued to toy with her. Three times she
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  Speaker 2: bound him, and three times he escaped. for he thought
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  Speaker 2: they were playing as lovers do. But Delilah only loved
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  Speaker 2: one thing, silver, and she would not receive it unless
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  Speaker 2: Samson was captured. Delilah wept in front of him, saying,
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  Speaker 2: How could you tell me you love me when your
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  Speaker 2: heart does not trust me? She cried, yelled, and pressed
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  Speaker 2: up against him and begged. Day after day she wore
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  Speaker 2: him down. And Samson became vexed beyond all reason. All
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  Speaker 2: of Samson's inhibitions melted like candle wax against Delilah's flame.
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  Speaker 2: So he told her the source of his strength. I
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  Speaker 2: am a Nazarite by birth. A razor has never shaved
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  Speaker 2: my head, and if it did, my strength would leave me.
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  Speaker 2: Delilah was satisfied. In the secrecy of night, she had
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  Speaker 2: Samson rest on her lap. She stroked his hair as
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  Speaker 2: Samson fell into a deep sleep. Delilah smiled as she
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  Speaker 2: looked at Samson, although she did not smile out of
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  Speaker 2: affection or love for him. No, she smiled because the
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  Speaker 2: Philistines were waiting just beyond the walls of her bedroom
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  Speaker 2: with her silver. She nodded towards the door and a
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  Speaker 2: man approached Samson with a blade in his hand. Together
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  Speaker 2: they shaved off seven locks of hair from his head.
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  Speaker 2: She tormented him, whispering lies and curses into his ears.
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  Speaker 2: Then with a loud shriek she yelled, Samson, the Philistines
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  Speaker 2: are here. The Philistines sprung onto Samson and tackled him
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  Speaker 2: off the bed, onto the floor. Samson struggled, waiting for
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  Speaker 2: a burst of strength to send the men flying through
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  Speaker 2: the wall, but he had no strength. You see, Samson's
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  Speaker 2: strength was not in his hair, but in the favor
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  Speaker 2: of God. Samson had spent most of his adult life
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  Speaker 2: straying from God, and he had now broken his last vow.
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  Speaker 2: The Philistines bound him and pulled his head back. The
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  Speaker 2: Philistine lords looked down at Samson with cackles. Samson looked
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  Speaker 2: behind them as Delilah counted her silver. Tears streamed down
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  Speaker 2: his face as he pulled and kicked in futility. Samson
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  Speaker 2: looked at one of the men standing above him. He
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  Speaker 2: turned to the fireplace and pulled out an iron rod.
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  Speaker 2: Its tip was orange from the flame. He slowly approached
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  Speaker 2: Samson and drove the tip of the rod into his eyes.
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  Speaker 2: Samson wailed in pain and his screams woke up the
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  Speaker 2: entire city. The men drug him out of the house
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  Speaker 2: and shackled him to the wall.
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  Speaker 1: Of the.
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  Speaker 2: Weakness was new to him, and he yelled in pain
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  Speaker 2: through the night. The lords of the Philistines gathered together
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  Speaker 2: at the temple to make sacrifices to their gods, Dagon. Together,
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  Speaker 2: three thousand Philistines gathered to celebrate the capture of Samson.
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  Speaker 2: They drank, danced, and reveled in victory. The fire raged
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  Speaker 2: in the center of the large hall, and Samson could
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  Speaker 2: hear the snickering of Philistines passing by him. The Philistines
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  Speaker 2: called for Samson to be chained in the middle of
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  Speaker 2: the great hall to entertain the guests. Their hearts were
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  Speaker 2: merry and drunk, and they laughed at Samson and threw
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  Speaker 2: things at him as he was being brought to the
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  Speaker 2: center of the temple. They chained him between two pillars
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  Speaker 2: that held up the temple roof, and all three thousand
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  Speaker 2: men and women mocked him. The music grew louder, and
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  Speaker 2: they worshipped Dagon into the middle of the night. Samson
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  Speaker 2: was lost in his thoughts. He was supposed to be
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  Speaker 2: the deliverer of Israel, and here he stood blind and bound.
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  Speaker 2: It was not the Philistines that trapped him there, but
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  Speaker 2: his own pride and lack of obedience to God. Samson
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  Speaker 2: raised his head to heaven, unable to see. He took
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  Speaker 2: a deep breath.' Oh, Lord!' he shouted.' Remember me and
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  Speaker 2: strengthen me, just this once!' And then Samson began to
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  Speaker 2: pull on his chains that were attached to the two pillars.
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  Speaker 2: The Philistines noticed and laughed. Samson continued, and small cracks
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  Speaker 2: began to form around the foundation of the pillars. Samson
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  Speaker 2: screamed as he tore at the pillars. The Philistines' smiles
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  Speaker 2: began to fade, and Samson whispered to himself, Let me
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  Speaker 2: die with the Philistines. and in that moment he bowed
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  Speaker 2: with all his strength and pulled the pillars apart. The
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  Speaker 2: entire temple floor fell from the sky, and the walls
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  Speaker 2: toppled on top of all 3,000 Philistines below. Flames erupted
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  Speaker 2: from the center of the temple as stones crushed the
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  Speaker 2: backs of God's enemies. A cloud of smoke covered the wreckage.
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  Speaker 2: Dawn had broke, and the sunrise peaked above the hills.
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  Speaker 2: In the middle of the wreckage... Among the bodies of
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  Speaker 2: the Philistines lay Samson's dead body. In that moment, Samson
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  Speaker 2: accomplished more in death than he ever could during his life.
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  Speaker 2: The strongest hero Israel had ever known experienced more victory
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  Speaker 2: in sacrifice than he did selfishness. The story of courageous
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  Speaker 2: self-sacrifice would be perfected later on in another hero God sent.
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  Speaker 2: His sacrifice would topple the greatest enemy of them all.
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  Speaker 3: Our reading begins with Samson giving in to the cravings
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  Speaker 3: of his flesh. This Nazarite man, born with such promise
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  Speaker 3: and set apart for God, was anything but holy and
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  Speaker 3: separated as he wandered into Gaza. Samson made arrangements with
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  Speaker 3: a prostitute and took her to bed to satisfy his lust.
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  Speaker 3: His sin was not hidden either because word got out
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  Speaker 3: about the Hebrew strongman and hero in the Philistine city.
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  Speaker 3: It was the chance they'd been waiting for to defeat
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  Speaker 3: the one man that stood between them in total dominance
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  Speaker 3: over Israel. But Samson snuck out under the cover of night,
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  Speaker 3: taking with him the whole city gate, which he ripped
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  Speaker 3: from the ground. The Philistines' attempt to defeat Samson had
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  Speaker 3: been thwarted again. But it wouldn't take long before an
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  Speaker 3: even better opportunity arose for the Philistines. Samson became enamored
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  Speaker 3: with another Philistine woman named Delilah, and she was troubled
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  Speaker 3: with a capital T. Delilah captivated Samson and the leaders
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  Speaker 3: of the Philistines saw their chance to pounce. They summoned
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  Speaker 3: Delilah and paid her to seduce Samson and get him
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  Speaker 3: to give up the secret to his strength. They knew
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  Speaker 3: that without his might, Samson was just another man, easily defeated.
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  Speaker 3: Delilah happily obliged, her eyes on a prize of silver,
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  Speaker 3: a payoff. So she asked him how he could be defeated.
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  Speaker 3: How could he be subdued? What is the source of
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  Speaker 3: his strength? Now, Samson was not completely stupid. He wouldn't
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  Speaker 3: give up his secret easily, but he could still have
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  Speaker 3: some fun. And we see how clever Samson can be,
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  Speaker 3: and he no doubt knows it, pridefully thinking nobody can
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  Speaker 3: get the better of him. No wonder the Bible tells
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  Speaker 3: us that pride comes before a fall. Three times he
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  Speaker 3: gives her a wrong answer, and each time she tries
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  Speaker 3: and fails to subdue him. Finally, she tells him if
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  Speaker 3: he loves her, he will tell her his secret. Tragically,
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  Speaker 3: Samson reveals that his head must never be shaved. That
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  Speaker 3: very night his head was shaved, and with the breaking
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  Speaker 3: of the Nazarite vows, God's favor departed along with his strength.
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  Speaker 3: For the first time ever, he was powerless, but not
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  Speaker 3: because of his hair. but because of his broken relationship
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  Speaker 3: with God. The Philistines bound Samson, mocked him, and gouged
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  Speaker 3: out his eyes. Blind and bound, Samson was imprisoned and
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  Speaker 3: made to turn at a millstone over and over. Here
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  Speaker 3: we see the blinding and the grinding power of sin.
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  Speaker 3: He could hear his captors worshiping their god, Dagon. Not
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  Speaker 3: only were they mocking Samson, but mocking the God who
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  Speaker 3: gave him his strength. Samson's physical blindness and bondage were
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  Speaker 3: a direct consequence of his spiritual blindness and bondage to
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  Speaker 3: sin that had put him in this terrible place. And
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  Speaker 3: as he turned the mill, Samson must have talked to
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  Speaker 3: God and seek forgiveness for his sin. His hair began
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  Speaker 3: to grow back. It became, again, an outward sign of
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  Speaker 3: an inner renewal of his faith in God. So when
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  Speaker 3: Samson is paraded into the center of the temple to
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  Speaker 3: be mocked, He asks to lean on the columns, and
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  Speaker 3: then he cries out to God in Judges 16, 28,
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  Speaker 3: O Lord God, please remember me, and please strengthen me
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  Speaker 3: only this once, O God, that I may be avenged
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  Speaker 3: on the Philistines for my two eyes. He prays for
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  Speaker 3: one more opportunity to glorify God. God fills Samson once
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  Speaker 3: more with superhuman strength, and he pulled down the pillars,
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  Speaker 3: destroying the pagan temple and killing 3,000 Philistines. Samson sacrificed
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  Speaker 3: his own life to defeat the enemy. It is a
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  Speaker 3: powerful story of renewed faith and repentance. And no matter
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  Speaker 3: how far we may have fallen, God will pick us
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  Speaker 3: up if we trust in him and once again find
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  Speaker 3: our strength to go forward. Dear Lord, we thank you
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  Speaker 3: for your forgiveness. We know like Samson, we have failed
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  Speaker 3: you many times. But we also know that when we
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  Speaker 3: trust in you, and revive our hearts in you. Through
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  Speaker 3: repentance and faith, we can be restored. God, restore our
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  Speaker 3: hearts in you, and may we repent of every sin
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  Speaker 3: that we may stand strongly for you. In Jesus' name, amen.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
• 17:32
  Speaker 3: And before we go, I wanted to let you know
• 17:34
  Speaker 3: that the Bible in a Year podcast is an outreach
• 17:37
  Speaker 3: of PowerPoint Ministries and can only come to you each
• 17:41
  Speaker 3: week through the support of listeners like like you. Your
• 17:45
  Speaker 3: support today is so important that we want to thank
• 17:48
  Speaker 3: you for your gift by giving you a copy of
• 17:50
  Speaker 3: my book called The Jesus Book. This book is a
• 17:53
  Speaker 3: powerful guide that shows how every book in the Bible
• 17:56
  Speaker 3: points to Christ and how you can better read and
• 17:59
  Speaker 3: understand the Bible and how God's word transforms our lives.
• 18:04
  Speaker 3: So to get your copy of The Jesus Book, simply
• 18:07
  Speaker 3: go to jackgram.org slash Jesus. That's jackgram.org slash Jesus. And
• 18:13
  Speaker 3: thank you for your support.