“Lesson 25: Samson,” Primary 6: Old Testament, (1996),110

 Now everyone else, try to see if you can feel your own muscles.  How do muscles help us?  What happens when we exercise our muscles and what happens when we do not use them?  Exercise helps us develop strong muscles.

 Our spirits also need to grow stronger.  How can we become stronger spiritually?  By keeping our baptismal covenants, obeying our parents, praying, attending church, reading the scriptures, and so on.

 Why is it important to become spiritually strong?  So we can avoid temptation, be guided in our decisions by the Holy Ghost, and know good from evil.  We need to develop spiritual strength just as we need to develop physical strength.

 In this lesson we will learn about Samson.  He was a judge in Israel who could have been one of the greatest leaders in Israel if he had remained faithful to his vows with the Lord.

 The story of Samson shows he had great courage and physical strength.  Samson’s remarkable strength was a gift from God for the covenant Samson made.

 Gideon lived a good long life. But after he died, Israel turned away from God again.  Soon they were captured by the Philistines. Philistines worshipped false gods.

WWWWhy were the Philistines able to defeat the children of Israel? LLLLet’s read Judges 13:1  The Israelites had become spiritually weak.

 There was a man named Manoah whose wife was unable to have children.  An angel appeared to her and told her she would have a son. He would begin to deliver the Israelites from the Philistines.  The angel told her not to drink any wine or strong drink and not to eat anything unclean.

 She was told her son would be a Nazarite while still in her womb.  Nazarites made a covenant to separate themselves from the things of the world and become holy unto the Lord. As part of this covenant, each Nazarite made a vow not to drink alcoholic drinks or cut his hair (see Numbers 6:2–6, 8; “Nazarite” in the LDS Bible Dictionary [p. 737]).

WWWWhat message did an angel of the Lord give to Manoah’s wife? LLLLet’s read Judges 13:3–5 WWWWhat did the angel say her son would be called to do?

 Manoah’s wife went to her husband and told him what the angel had said to her.  Manoah prayed to God that the angel would come back to them to teach them how to raise the child.  The angel returned and told them to do exactly as she had previously been told.

 When Manoah heard what the angel told his wife, what did he do that showed he had spiritual strength? LLLLet’s read Judges 13:8 HHHHow can prayer help us develop greater spiritual strength?

JJudges 13:24: And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the Lord blessed him. WWWWhen Samson kept his covenants he was blessed with the ability to help his people, but when he broke his covenants he lost both his spiritual and physical strength.

 Samson grew up to be an incredibly strong man. He was called by the Lord to help free the Israelites from the Philistines.  The Lord made a covenant with Samson that as long as he obeyed the Lord, he would be physically strong.  Samson’s long hair (Judges 13:5) was a sign of this covenant.

 The angel had told his mother that her son “shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines” (Judges 13:5 ).  When he was a young man, he was attacked by a lion. He killed it with his bare hands.  He used the jawbone of a donkey to kill 1,000 Philistine soldiers.

 Samson was able to use his physical strength many times to protect himself and to fight against the Philistines.  Where did Samson get this physical strength? LLLLet’s read Judges 14:5–6; 15:13–14

 The Lord blessed Samson with physical strength to accomplish his mission.  When Samson kept his covenants and was strong spiritually, he was blessed with this physical strength.  How are we blessed when we keep our covenants and are spiritually strong?

 I have written a note to each of you about a strength I have noticed in each of you. Don’t read it until you are by yourself.  Heavenly Father needs us to use these strengths to serve him and to serve others. Enrichment Activity #4

 Without naming any names, these are some of the strengths Heavenly Father has blessed you with that I have noticed.  Mention other strengths you have observed in other class members.  Develop these and other strengths during the coming week. Enrichment Activity #4

 Samson served as a judge in Israel for twenty years.  He fell in love with a woman named Delilah. He didn’t know that the Philistines had offered her a lot of money to trick him to find out the secret to his strength.

 What did the Philistines offer Delilah if she would help them capture Samson?  Let’s read Judges 16:4–5  Why do you think people are sometimes tempted to do wrong for money?  How can we avoid being tempted by riches?

 Finally, after she told him he didn’t love her or he would share his secret, he told her that it was his vow to God.  Although she begged him, Samson wouldn’t tell her.  He never cut his hair or his strength would go.

 Delilah told the Philistines and while he slept, they cut his hair off.  Samson’s strength was gone.  The Philistines tied him up and blinded him.

WWWWhy did Samson finally give in and tell Delilah the secret of his strength? LLLLet’s read Judges 16:16 WWWWhy did Samson lose his strength? LLLLet’s read Judges 16:19–20 SSSSamson’s strength was not actually in his hair. His hair was a sign of his covenant with the Lord. When Samson broke his covenant by sinning, the Lord took away his physical strength. (See “Samson” in the LDS Bible Dictionary [p. 768].)

 Samson was taken to the prison house and forced to grind wheat at the prison’s mill.  He had been a man of great strength, but had broken his vows with the Lord. When he broke his vow, his strength left him.

 While Samson was in prison his hair began to grow again. Samson renewed his vows with the Lord.  The Philistines threw a big party where they showed off the captured Samson.  Samson prayed that the Lord would return his strength.

 Samson asked a boy there to guide him to the main columns of the building they were in so he could lean against them.  Samson pushed hard against them.  The roof fell in and everyone inside was killed including Samson.

WWWWhat did the Philistines do to Samson after they captured him? LLLLet’s read Judges 16:21 LLLLater, when they brought him out of prison for their own amusement and ridicule, what did Samson pray for? LLLLet’s read Judges 16:28

 Which kind of strength is more important, physical or spiritual?  Why?  It is good to be strong physically, but it is much more important to be strong spiritually.  Some people are unable to develop physical strength, but anyone who tries can develop spiritual strength by keeping covenants and obeying commandments.

 What happens when people become spiritually weak?  They give in to temptations, they sin, they lose the guidance of the Holy Ghost, and they lose the ability to fulfill their callings and bless others.

 How can we develop the spiritual strength we need to live the way Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ want us to live?

IIII’ll write your answers on the board. Enrichment Activity #1

 Now that you have a few ideas I want you to write “I can be stronger spiritually by:”  Then write down one or more “spiritual muscles” you would like to “exercise,” or ideas you would like to work on, during the coming week.  Put the paper where you will be able to see it often. Enrichment Activity #1

 Choose one of the ideas from the board and either act it out or draw it on the chalkboard.  The others will try to guess which idea it is! Enrichment Activity #2

 Samson made a covenant with the Lord but did not keep it.  What covenants did you make with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ when you were baptized? LLLLet’s read Mosiah 18:8–10 Enrichment Activity #3

 How does keeping these covenants help us be spiritually strong?  You will make covenants when you go to the temple. Making and keeping these covenants provides great spiritual strength in our lives.  Prepare now for this great blessing by keeping the covenants you have already made. Enrichment Activity #3

HHHHow were these people were spiritually strong? Enrichment Activity #5 Adam & EveNoahAbrahamRebekah JosephMosesJoshuaGideon

 Next, we have a special guest who will share an experience with us that helped develop spiritual strength. Enrichment Activity #6

TTTThe Lord needs valiant servants, To do his work in the latter day, Who follow the teachings of Jesus And serve his people in a loving way. I will be his servant And keep my cov’nants valiantly. I’ll stand for truth. I’ll stand for right. The Lord can depend on me. WWords and music: Vanja Y. Watkins, b © 1981 IRI Enrichment Activity #7

 I testify to you of the importance of developing spiritual strength and living so that we can someday return to be with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

 Images and clipart are from lds.org, sugardoodle.net, bing & google images and Microsoft Office. Hymn and lesson materials are from lds.org. The lesson and activities are from the Primary 6 Old Testament manual.  No copyrighted materials were knowingly used in this presentation. Please do not use this presentation for commercial use.