1. Leading God’s People God’s Way
Lesson 8 – The Law of Solid Ground

2. Trust is the Foundation of Leadership
The Law of Solid Ground
Trust is the Foundation of Leadership

3. 1 Samuel 12:2-3
“2…As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have been your leader from my youth until this day. 3Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the LORD and his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes? If I have done any of these, I will make it right.”

4. Discussion (in groups of 3 or 4)
Samuel had led Israel for many years. In all his years as leader he had never wronged anyone. Do you think it was easy for the people to trust him as a leader? Why, or why not?
Have you ever observed a leader who said one thing but did another? Were you able to trust that leader? Give a reason for your answer.

5. Our Story in History Joshua Solomon
Saul dies. David becomes the second king of Israel c BC
Samson dies. Saul becomes the first king of Israel c BC
Samson
1100
1075
1050
1025
1000
Samson becomes a judge and delivers Israel from the Philistines c BC
Samson judged Israel for 20 years
c. = circa (about)

6. Scriptures to Read
Judges 13:1-25
Judges 14:1-20
Judges 15:1-20
Judges 16:1-31

7. Samson is Born
DAN
Timnah
Eshtaol
Zorah
Etam
Valley of Sorek
Ashkelon
JUDAH
PHILISTIA
Hebron
Gaza
Samson’s father Manoah was from the town of Zorah in Dan. An angel of the Lord appeared to her to tell her she would have a son. Samson was born an grew up between Zorah and Eshtaol.

8. Samson Finds a Wife
When Samson was a young man he went to the town of Timnah and fell in love with a beautiful Philistine girl.
DAN
Timnah
Eshtaol
Zorah
Etam
Valley of Sorek
Ashkelon
JUDAH
PHILISTIA
Hebron
Gaza

9. Samson Finds a Wife
Samson went back home to his parents and told them to get the Philistine girl for him as a wife. They do not like the idea of him marrying a Philistine woman.
DAN
Timnah
Eshtaol
Zorah
Etam
Valley of Sorek
Ashkelon
JUDAH
PHILISTIA
Hebron
Gaza

10. Samson Finds a Wife
Eventually Samson convinces his parents and they go to Timnah to seek the girl’s hand in marriage.
On the way there, Samson kills a young lion with his bare hands.
DAN
Timnah
Eshtaol
Zorah
Etam
Valley of Sorek
Ashkelon
JUDAH
PHILISTIA
Hebron
Gaza

11. Samson Finds a Wife
Samson and his parents return home to prepare for the marriage.
DAN
Timnah
Eshtaol
Zorah
Etam
Valley of Sorek
Ashkelon
JUDAH
PHILISTIA
Hebron
Gaza

12. Samson Finds a Wife
Samson and his parents return to Timnah for the wedding. On the way Samson visits the carcass of the lion he killed and finds honey. He brings some honey to his parents.
DAN
Timnah
Eshtaol
Zorah
Etam
Valley of Sorek
Ashkelon
JUDAH
PHILISTIA
Gaza

13. Samson Finds a Wife
DAN
Timnah
Eshtaol
Zorah
Etam
Valley of Sorek
Ashkelon
Furious at being tricked into revealing the answer to his riddle, Samson storms off to the Philistine city of Ashkelon. There he killed 30 Philistines, took their possessions and gave their clothing to the men who had answered the riddle.
JUDAH
PHILISTIA
Gaza

14. Samson Finds a Wife
DAN
Timnah
Eshtaol
Zorah
Etam
Valley of Sorek
Ashkelon
JUDAH
PHILISTIA
Instead of returning to Timnah to his new wife, Samson went home to his father’s house. When he did not return, his wife was given to another man.
Hebron
Gaza

15. Discussion (in groups of 3 or 4)
Think about the circumstances of Samson’s birth. What are some of the things you can see that should have helped Samson to be a great leader?
We have seen some character flaws in Samson’s life already – broken vows, lack of communication, keeping secrets, impulsiveness, anger, moodiness. Do you think strong character is important for a leader to build trust with his follower? Why or why not?

16. Samson Goes to Visit His Wife
DAN
Samson decides to go and visit his wife, only to find out she has been given to another man. He is so mad that he ties torches to the tails of foxes and then lets them loose in the Philistine fields. Their whole harvest is burned up.
Timnah
Eshtaol
Zorah
Etam
Valley of Sorek
Ashkelon
JUDAH
PHILISTIA
Hebron
Gaza

17. Samson Goes to Visit His Wife
DAN
The Philistines respond by burning Samson’s wife and her father to death. This makes Samson mad again and he attacks the Philistines and slaughters many of them.
Timnah
Eshtaol
Zorah
Etam
Valley of Sorek
Ashkelon
JUDAH
PHILISTIA
Hebron
Gaza

18. Samson Goes to Visit His Wife
Samson goes to stay in a cave at the rock of Etam in Judah.
DAN
Timnah
Eshtaol
Zorah
Etam
Valley of Sorek
Ashkelon
JUDAH
PHILISTIA
Hebron
Gaza

19. The Men of Judah Hand Samson Over
DAN
Timnah
Eshtaol
Zorah
Etam
Valley of Sorek
Ashkelon
JUDAH
PHILISTIA
Hebron
Gaza
The men of Judah come out to meet the Philistines and see what they want. The Philistines tell them they have come to get Samson.
The Philistines move into Judah and set up camp.

20. The Men of Judah Hand Samson Over
DAN
Timnah
Eshtaol
Zorah
Etam
Valley of Sorek
Ashkelon
JUDAH
PHILISTIA
Hebron
The men of Judah go to Etam to find Samson
Gaza

21. The Men of Judah Hand Samson Over
DAN
Timnah
Eshtaol
Zorah
Etam
Valley of Sorek
Ashkelon
JUDAH
PHILISTIA
Samson allows the men of Judah to bind him and take him to the Philistines.
Hebron
Gaza

22. The Men of Judah Hand Samson Over
DAN
Timnah
Eshtaol
Zorah
Etam
Valley of Sorek
Ashkelon
JUDAH
PHILISTIA
Hebron
Gaza
The Philistines ran towards Samson shouting. The Spirit of the Lord came on Samson and he killed 1000 Philistines with a donkey’s jawbone. Afterwards the Lord provided water to quench his thirst.

23. Samson’s Goes to Gaza
DAN
Timnah
Eshtaol
Zorah
Etam
Valley of Sorek
Ashkelon
JUDAH
PHILISTIA
Hebron
Gaza
Samson goes to Gaza and sleeps with a prostitute. The men of Gaza find out he is there and plot to kill him in the morning.

24. Samson’s Goes to Gaza
DAN
Timnah
Eshtaol
Zorah
Etam
Valley of Sorek
Ashkelon
JUDAH
PHILISTIA
Hebron
Gaza
Samson decides to leave in the middle of the night. He finds the gates closed and locked, so he rips them out of the wall and carries them to the top of the hill that looks towards Hebron.

25. Samson’s Last days
DAN
Timnah
Eshtaol
Zorah
Etam
Valley of Sorek
Ashkelon
JUDAH
PHILISTIA
Hebron
Gaza
Samson fell in love with a Philistine woman from the Valley of Sorek named Delilah. The Philistine rulers offer her silver to find out the secret of Samson’s strength.

26. Samson’s Last days
DAN
Timnah
Eshtaol
Zorah
Etam
Valley of Sorek
Ashkelon
JUDAH
PHILISTIA
Hebron
Gaza
Samson finally gave in and told Delilah the secret of his strength. She betrayed him and the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes. Then they took him to Gaza and put him in prison.

27. Samson’s Last days
DAN
Timnah
Eshtaol
Zorah
Etam
Valley of Sorek
Ashkelon
JUDAH
PHILISTIA
Hebron
Gaza
The Philistines had a great feast to their god Dagon to celebrate their victory over Samson. They brought him out of prison to entertain them. Samson pushed down the pillars holding the temple and killed all the rulers of the Philistines and over 3000 people that were there.

28. Samson’s Last days
DAN
Timnah
Eshtaol
Zorah
Etam
Valley of Sorek
Ashkelon
JUDAH
PHILISTIA
Hebron
Gaza
Samson’s brothers and his father’s whole house came too get his body. They brought it back to Zorah and buried him in the tomb of his father Manoah.

29. Discussion (in groups of 3 or 4)
Samson continued to display questionable character – lying, uncontrolled anger, sulking, impulsiveness. Why do you think it is essential for a leader to shoe good character to build trust and credibility?
Think about your own life. Do you have any of the bad character traits that Samson had? What must you do to change those things in your life?

30. What Do We Learn From Samson?
Trust is formed by a leader’s character and credibility.
There are always signs when a leader is not on solid ground.
If a leader loses touch with God and his people, he loses his teachability.
Sin always has great consequences for both the leader and the people.

31. Trust is formed by a leader’s character and credibility
It’s more important how you finish in life than how you start. This is illustrated in Samson’s life:
Birth foretold by angel of the Lord
Divine destiny and purpose
Many great victories
But in the end he was weak, blind, and enslaved

32. There are always signs when a leader is not on solid ground
Leadership failure does not happen overnight. There are always warning signs, such as:
Failing to deal with glaring character weaknesses
Counting on deception to safeguard themselves
Acting impulsively

33. There are always signs when a leader is not on solid ground
Leadership failure does not happen overnight. There are always warning signs, such as:
Misusing their God-given gifts
Being overcome because of an area of weakness

34. Discussion (in groups of 3 or 4)
Think about what other people have said to you or about you concerning your leadership. Do your people consider you trustworthy?
Consider the five warning signs that indicate a leader in trouble. Are any of these signs of trouble present in your life?

35. If a leader loses touch with God and his people, he loses his teachability
Samson never learned from his mistakes. He became unteachable. A leader who is unteachable…
Leans on their own strength and understanding
Fails to learn from their mistakes
Reacts instead of leads
Is easily defeated

36. Sin always has great consequences for both the leader and the people
No leader can embrace sin and continue to lead the people effectively. Sin will always…
Take you farther than you wanted to go
Keep you longer than you wanted to stay
Cost you more than you were willing to pay

37. Discussion (in groups of 3 or 4)
Samson lost touch with God and the people. He never learned from his mistakes and became unteachable. How well are you staying connected to God and your people?
Sin played a major part in the downfall of Samson. What sin is undermining your leadership? What are you going to do about it?

38. Homework – Scriptures to Read
Judges 4:1-24
Judges 5:1-31