This is the story of Samson from the Bible, the guy with long hair and really big muscles. The story of Samson is a story about good guys and bad guys, but it’s mainly about self-control.
The good guys in the story are the “Israelites”. The bad guys are the “Philistines”. They were always beating up the good guys. So God sent Samson. Here’s what God’s angel said to Samson’s mom:
Judges 13:5 “For he will be dedicated to God from birth. He will begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines.”
God had a special purpose for Samson’s life.
God promised to make Samson a warrior.
In return, Samson made a promise to God. He actually promised three things.
Samson promised God not to touch dirty things, not to drink alcohol. and never cut his hair.
Now, God kept his promise. He made Samson really strong – like really, really strong. Stronger than my dad or your dad. He gave Samson that power so he could rescue his people from the Philistines. But Samson wasn’t good at keeping his promises. Even though he was strong and special, he made a lot of bad choices. He broke every one of the promises he made to God. And do you know why he broke those promises? You got it. Self-control. He didn’t have it,
Self-control is the ability to make good choices.
Even when you’re tempted not to.
- Like not getting mad when you lose a game.
- Or like not watching a movie that you know isn’t right.
Samson was tempted by a pretty girl named Delilah, and he told her the secret of his strength. He told her that he would be weak if he broke his promise to God and got a haircut. So here’s what happened:
Judges 16:19 Delilah lulled Samson to sleep with his head in her lap, and then she called in a man to shave off the seven locks of his hair. In this way she began to bring him down, and his strength left him.
Now kids, THIS STORY IS NOT ABOUT HAIR. So don’t grow out your hair like a greasy rock star.
The story of Samson is about self control and keeping your promises.
It doesn’t matter how cool or smart or strong you are – or even what your hair looks like. If you don’t have self-control, you’re headed for trouble. Here’s what the Bible says, it’s our memory verse for this lesson:
1 Timothy 4:8 Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better…
Self-control takes training. Training for godliness takes practice. Training for godliness means doing things that encourage you to go God’s way. Things like reading your Bible, obeying what it says, and listening to the Holy Spirit, you know, that tug in your heart that tells you which way to go. This kind of training will help you to make the right choices.
And when you mess up, you have to admit it and keep trying. And the good news is that God promises to help you, just like he helped Samson. Because at the end of the story, Samson’s strength came back. And he rescued the good guys from the bad guys.
