The Young Samson
W.F. Adeney Judges 13:24, 25 And the woman bore a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.… I. His NAME. Samson - the sun. This was a great name, full of inspiring significance. It is well to have a good name, one which is a constant appeal to a man to be worthy of it, and to live up to its meaning. II. HIS GROWTH. Samson the hero was first a child at the mercy of the weakest. The grandest river springs from a little streamlet. The noblest man enters life, as the meanest does, in helpless infancy. So the spiritual life of the saint, the martyr, the apostle is seen first in him as in a babe in Christ. It is therefore no dishonour to have a small beginning, but it is a dishonour to remain small. The one question is, Do we grow mentally, spiritually, in knowledge, in holiness, in power? There is more to be expected of the minute growing seed than of the dead stump, which is at first vastly larger. Better be a growing child of the Lord than a dwarf adult Christian man. III. HIS BLESSING. "The Lord blessed him." We are not told how; this matters not. Perhaps he did not recognise the blessing. God blesses us silently, with no formal benediction, and perhaps in ways which to us seem hard and injurious. Still better than health, riches, pleasure is the fact God does give a man the thing that is for his highest good, which is what we mean by "a blessing." IV. HIS INSPIRATION. "The Spirit of the Lord began to move him." 1. Samson's heroic strength was an inspiration of God, not a mere brute muscular force. We see how in great crises men are nerved to do what is beyond their power in ordinary life. The abnormal strength of insanity is an instance of the same principle, applied in circumstances of disease. 2. Inspiration assumes various forms. To Samson it brought neither the grace of purity nor the gift of prophecy; but it gave him the special gifts which he needed for his special work. He would have been a nobler man if he had sought the Spirit of God also to help him in more spiritual ways. Samson had a supernatural gift of the Spirit with little of its ordinary grace of holiness. It is better to have this grace first, though, if God will, we may receive the gift also. V. HIS IMPERFECT POSSESSION BY THE SPIRIT. He was moved at times. 1. God's special gifts are limited to occasion. There is an economy of Divine power. When we need extraordinary grace he will give this, but only then. 2. The receipt of spiritual gifts depends on the condition of our spirit. Samson was only rightly disposed to receive the Spirit at intervals. Our spiritual life fluctuates; we are not long at our best. 3. We are only moved when we respond. God may have visited Samson more often than Samson profited by his visit. We can resist the Spirit. We are helped only when we willingly yield to it. - A. Parallel Verses KJV: And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him. WEB: The woman bore a son, and named him Samson: and the child grew, and Yahweh blessed him.