August 9th, 2020

The story of Samson is strange: he has amazing strength, and is used by God, but is also often foolish and led around by his own desires. How do we make sense of the stories the Bible tells about Samson and what are we supposed to learn from them? When see ourselves in Samson, and reckon with the deliverance he brought, we learn to look to Jesus for something better, and find how God's grace reached into places we might not expect.

Application Questions:

1. How have you seen yourself be your own worst enemy? How have you seen yourself make peace with sins that enslave you?

2. Highlight similarities and differences between Samson's story and Jesus' story. How does that teach you about the kind of savior you need? How does that compare to the way you normally think about being "saved" from the problems you have?

3. Do you feel like God puts up with you or do you feel like he enjoys caring for you? How does the story of Samson and the story of Jesus show you his heart for his people even when they are turned around? What would change about your life if you understood that God enjoys caring for you even when you fail?