Joel M Bradshaw

29God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. 30Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt.–1 Kings 4

17Then Manoah inquired of the angel of the Lord, “What is your name, so that we may honor you when your word comes true?”

18He replied, “Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding.” 19Then Manoah took a young goat, together with the grain offering, and sacrificed it on a rock to the Lord. And the Lord did an amazing thing while Manoah and his wife watched: 20As the flame blazed up from the altar toward heaven, the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame. Seeing this, Manoah and his wife fell with their faces to the ground. 21When the angel of the Lord did not show himself again to Manoah and his wife, Manoah realized that it was the angel of the Lord.

22“We are doomed to die!” he said to his wife. “We have seen God!”

23But his wife answered, “If the Lord had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and grain offering from our hands, nor shown us all these things or now told us this.”

24The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson. He grew and the Lord blessed him… (Judges 13:17-24)

1. Reading about Solomon this morning reminded me of Samson.
2. Samson’s parents had not one, but TWO miraculous appearances from God before Samson was born.
3. He seemed destined for a great life that honored God.
4. And while he did achieve fame, and God certainly used him, Samson lived a selfish, self-centered, narcissistic existence that didn’t care about God.
5. And even when he called on God at the very end, it was mostly about getting revenge for his eyes which had been blinded.
6. God also had equipped Solomon like he had no other. We are expecting a great, God-honoring king in Solomon. We will have to see how his story unfolds.
7. God uses our messes for His message. But we need to each take the things of God seriously and prioritize what He does. I know Samson was a horrible example for us. But his little faith still made the list in Hebrews 11. Trust that God uses our stories for His glory!–JMB