C.A.C SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON FOR MAY 3, 2020 Unit Two: THROUGH THE JUDGES, LESSON EIGHT / PART II
Read previous CAC Sunday School Manauals here
C.A.C SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON.
God in the Administration of Man.
Unit Two: THROUGH THE JUDGES.
LESSON EIGHT / PART II
May 3rd, 2020.
II. SAMSON, THE CARELESS JUDGE (Judges 13:1-25; 14:4,19,20; 16:1-31).
For any leader to be fruitful in one capacity or the other, he/she must be someone who waits on God and follows His dictates, completely (cf. Jos. 1:8).
A. HIS POWERFUL COMMISSIONING (13:1-25; 14:4).
And the Spirit of the Lord began to move upon him at Mahanah Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol (13:25).
i. 13:1ff: We see God in action, working out His eternal plan to remove the age-long barrenness of Manoah’s family, and give to His people a deliverer from their long-time oppressors. God’s eternal plan for man, including those who know Him and His enemies, is great (Jer. 29:11). Just align with Him.
ii. v. 7: Before Samson’s birth, God had given specific instructions concerning his life and ministry. You can’t do God’s work with your fail human equipment. Seek His face always, for directives.
iii. v. 24: God eventually fulfilled His promise. Gracious God! He also monitored Samson’s growth and development, and blessed him. Isn’t that what God has been doing for in, and with you? How appreciative have you been?
iv. v. 25: Right from his very early age, the anointing for exploits, through no other than the Spirit of the Lord had come upon Samson. We see this manifesting in subsequent chapters. God commissions and apportions gifts for service.
v. 14:4: They did not know that it was of the Lord. Is it not clear that God was in the background fulfilling His administrative purposes for His people through Samson, whether Samson or any other person knew it or not?
vi. Whatever man becomeanin life, he must understand that God is behind it all. The grace in our lives are given to us to profit God’s kingdom. Don’t use it to satisfy the flesh.
B. HIS MISTAKE IN LEADERSHIP (14:19,20; 16:1-31)
Now Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there, and went in to her (16:1)
i. Going by God’s attitude and actions in 14:4,19,20; 15:14-18, it is clear that God had purposed to use Samson to accomplish His own eternal purpose, and had made sufficient provisions for his success, although Samson wasn’t really cooperating.
ii. 14:19,20: Although, Samson was grossly disobedient to God and his parents (vv. 1-3; cf. 1:7), Yahweh’s anointing still functioned in him. That a man, leader inclusive, is demonstrating power gifts/anointing doesn’t signify his level of relationship with God, if such person has questionable character.
iii. 16:1: Should we say the way the Spirit of the Lord continually bailed Samson out, despite his misdemeanour, made him grow wings? That shouldn’t be. The more of grace we enjoy, the more humble and teachable we should be (cf. Rom. 6:1).
iv. vv. 2:27: God would not continue waiting indefinitely for the deliberately rebellious to repent. His mercy would reach its limit at the appointed time. Samson’s waywardness boxed him to the tightest corner. He paid dearly!
v. vv. 28-31: See God’s mercy in action. Just a trace of repentance occasioned by the humbling situation Samson had gone through, triggered God’s mercy that both avenged Samson and at the same time, liberated God’s people.
vi. Whosoever misuses the gift/grace of God in his life will pay dearly with his ministry and life. Learn from Samson.
LESSONS DERIVED
1. You are endowed with the Holy Spirit to profit God’s Kingdom; not for your personal/selfish and/ or sinful gain.
2. God’s justice cannot continue to tolerate the deliberate abuse of the anointing and position of authority. His strike leaves scars in its wake.
QUESTIONS
1. What is the attitude of God in those who try to, or wrangle their ways to leadership/administrative positions in the Church and the world?
2. What is the attitude of God to leaders /administrators who betray the trusts He reposes in them, in any way?
SUGGESTED ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
ANSWER TO QUESTION 1:
i. Refer to division I.
ii. God is not happy with them.
iii. God wants every man to wait on Him regarding matters of leadership.
iv. God punishes those who cut corners in the church and the world. The case of Ananias and Sapphira is still fresh (Acts 5). How God dealt with them because they sought human praise and promotion without doing the right thing cannot be overemphasised.
v. Those who try to wrangle their ways to leadership/administrative positions in the Church and the world, will reap whatsoever they have sown.
vi. The day of retribution is not negotiable; beware before it will be too late.
vii. This is also true of those who try to falsify their details — ages, certificates, years of service, etc. to attain to, or maintain positions in the church and public services. A research into the end of such people shows undesirable experiences towards the end of their services and lives.
viii. Even when Jacob collaborated with his mother to cut corners against Esau, did he go scot-free?
ix. Back to Abraham. Despite that he is the father of faith, did he escape the consequences of cutting corners with Hagar, though at the counsel of his own wife, Sarah?
x. God doesn’t spare those who cut corners to attain leadership positions in the church and the world. He has a way of dealing with them openly and secretly.
ANSWER TO QUESTION 2:
i. The “Answer To Question 1” above refers.
ii. They will not go scot-free from the punishment of God.
iii. God will deal with them because His holiness does not condone unrighteousness.
iv. God will replace them with other persons that are better than they. He had David as a better alternative for King Saul.
v. Betraying the trust God reposes in a man is like a culpable homicide. It is serious rebellion, and the best place for rebels, according to God’s holy Word is dry (parched) land (Deut. 28:23-24; Psa. 68:6; 107:34; 107:40; Mal. 1:3).
vi. When Samson betrayed the trust God reposed in him, God allowed him to be captured and tortured. That actually brought him to his senses. At last, he remembered to pray to God, again. But his end is less than desirable.
vii. Leaders or administrators, whether sacular or spiritual, who chose to betray the trust God and the people repose in them, at the end, get their lives, and career or ministries terminated, even when they are still living, or in the position. Saul had spiritually died years before he killed himself.
LIFE APPLICATION
A professor of leadership at the Fuller Seminary Dr. J. R. Clinton, concluded from a research of thousands of Christian leaders conducted some years ago that, 70 percent of leaders do not finish well. He identified the top three reasons for failing to finish well as being that they stop learning, their character wane, and they stop living by their convictions. One can easily fix Abimelech and Samson into this discovery. Abimelech had actually stopped learning and following God’s holy way, hence his character flaws that marked his undoing. Similarly, Samson stopped following God’s holiness making his character to wane as he stopped living by the conviction and commission God gave him. Both of them didn’t finish well. May we find the grace and help of God to avoid these flaws, so that we can finish well as leaders of God’s people in whatever regard God has put us to represent Him–home, school, church, business, office, community, etc.
CONCLUSION
We have seen how God intervened in the issue of Abimelech and people of Shechem, and repaid all of them in their own coins. This is a lesson to every Christian thy God is watching, and no one that cuts corners will go unpunished. We also discussed how samson, a man favoured by God, misused his God-given opportunities and ended his life in the camp of the enemies. So, let us be careful, because God will surely reward everyone according to whatever he/she does in life and ministry, most especially, in rebellion to those He places at our disposal
May we not fail. Amen.
DEVOTIONAL BIBLE READINGS FOR WEEK TWO
Mon. April 27: Don’t Fret for Evildoers’ Sake (Prov. 24:19,20)
Tue. April 28: Do You Know their End? (Prov. 24:21,22)
Wed. April 29: Don’t Justify Wicked People (Prov. 24:23-25).
Thur. April 30: Wicked Rulers won’t Last (Prov. 28:14-18).
Fri. May 1: Wicked Rulers are Thorns (Prov. 29:2-7)
Sat. May 2: Whatever Way You Lead, God Rewards (Prov. 29:12-16)