Watchtower Study, Week of November 6-12, 2023, Lean on Jehovah, Just as Samson Did, Underlined Answers.

Watchtower Study, November 6-12, 2023, Lean on Jehovah, Just as Samson Did, Underlined Answers.

Yellow: Direct Response.

Dark Yellow: Additional Response.

Light Blue: Additional Points.

“Sovereign Lord Jehovah, please remember me. Oh, God, give me strength” (JUDGE 16:28).

1, 2. Why is it good for us to study the life of Samson?

WHAT is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear about Samson? Surely his extraordinary strength. It is true that he was a very strong man. But he made a mistake that cost him dearly. Despite everything, Jehovah focused on the great faith he demonstrated throughout his life and decided to include his example in the Bible so that we can learn from him.

2 Jehovah used Samson to accomplish impressive things for his people, Israel. Centuries after his death, Jehovah inspired the apostle Paul to include Samson’s name in a list of extraordinary examples of faith.​—Heb. 11:32-34. Samson relied on Jehovah even in the worst circumstances. In this article we are going to see that his example encourages us a lot and teaches us practical lessons.

SAMSON TRUSTED IN JEHOVAH

3. What mission did Samson receive?

3 When Samson was born, the Philistines dominated and oppressed the nation of Israel (Judg. 13:1). Because they were so cruel, they made the Israelites suffer a lot. Then Jehovah chose Samson to begin “saving Israel from the hands of the Philistines” (Judg. 13:5). What a difficult mission! Obviously, Samson had to rely on Jehovah.

4. How did Jehovah help Samson? (Judges 15:14-16).

4 Let's look at a time when Samson demonstrated his trust in Jehovah. It turns out that a large group of Philistine soldiers had gone to Lehi, which was probably in Judah, to catch Samson. The men of Judah were very afraid, so they decided to hand Samson over to their enemies. His own Israelite brothers tied him tightly with two new ropes and took him to the Philistines (Judg. 15:9-13). But “the spirit of the Lord filled him with power,” and Samson managed to free himself. Then he “found a donkey's jawbone that was still fresh,” he grabbed it… and killed 1,000 Philistines with it! (Read Judges 15:14-16).

5. How did Samson demonstrate his trust in Jehovah?

5 A donkey jaw?! Why did Samson use such a strange weapon? Because he knew that the important thing was to rely on Jehovah, not the weapon he used. This faithful man used what he had at hand to do Jehovah's will. And, because he relied on it, he was very successful.

ILLUSTRATION

Samson grabs the jawbone of a donkey as the Philistine army approaches. Samson trusted in Jehovah and was adaptable. He used what he had at hand to do God's will. (See paragraphs 4 and 5).

6. What is one lesson we can learn from the story of Samson?

6 Jehovah will also give us the strength to fulfill any responsibility assigned to us in his organization, even if it seems like an impossible task. His help can come to us in ways that leave us impressed. If you rely on Jehovah, you can be sure that he will help you do his will and give you strength, just as he did for Samson. (Prov. 16:3)

7. What example demonstrates the importance of seeking guidance from Jehovah?

7 Many brothers and sisters who collaborate on our construction projects have demonstrated their trust in Jehovah. In the past, the organization used to design and build most of the Kingdom Halls and other facilities. But in view of the growth of Jehovah's people, some changes had to be made. The responsible brothers sought guidance from Jehovah and tried new methods. For example, they began buying properties that were already built and renovating them. Robert, who has worked on many construction projects around the world in recent years, says: “At first, it was not easy for everyone to accept this new approach. It was something very different from what we had been doing for years. But the brothers were willing to adapt, and it was clear that Jehovah was blessing these changes.” This case demonstrates once again that Jehovah is guiding his people to do his will. From time to time we do well to ask ourselves: “Do I seek guidance from Jehovah and strive to always be adaptable?”

SAMSON TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THE HELP THAT JEHOVAH GAVE HIM

8. What did Samson do when he became very thirsty?

8 You may remember Samson's other exploits. For example, he fought and killed a lion himself, and then killed 30 men from the Philistine city of Ashkelon (Judges 14:5, 6, 19). Samson knew that it was impossible to achieve all this without the help of Jehovah. It became clear how much he relied on his God when after killing the 1,000 Philistines he became very thirsty. Instead of trying to find water on his own, he asked Jehovah for help.​—Judg. 15:18.

9. How did Jehovah respond to Samson's request? (Judges 15:19).

9 How did Jehovah respond to Samson's request? In a miraculous way he caused water to flow. When Samson drank, he “gained strength and revived” (read Judges 15:19) . This new natural source of water apparently still existed years later, when Jehovah inspired the prophet Samuel to write the book of Judges. Seeing this fountain may have reminded the Israelites that if they relied on Jehovah, he would help them through difficult times.

10. What should we do so that Jehovah can help us? (See also images).

10 Like Samson, we all need to turn to Jehovah. We need his help, no matter what abilities we have or what we have accomplished by serving him. We must be modest and admit that we will only do well if we lean on him. Samson regained his energy when he drank the water that Jehovah gave him. In the same way, we will be spiritually strong if we take advantage of all the help that Jehovah gives us (Matt. 11:28).

ILLUSTRATION

Samson grabs the jawbone of a donkey as the Philistine army approaches. Samson trusted in Jehovah and was adaptable. He used what he had at hand to do God's will. (See paragraphs 4 and 5). Samson takes water from a spring with his hands. Overlaid images: 1. A JW Broadcasting® program. 2. The Bible and several of our publications. 3. Brothers arriving at a Kingdom Hall. Samson regained his energy when he drank the water that Jehovah gave him. We must take advantage of all the help that Jehovah gives us to be spiritually strong. (See paragraph 10).

11. What should we do to make the most of Jehovah’s help, and what example did a couple set for us?

11 Let's look at the example of Alexei, a brother from Russia who is suffering from the intense persecution in that country. What has given you the strength to endure? He and his wife have had a good spiritual routine. Alexei said: “I try to follow a program of spiritual activities that includes studying the Bible and reading it daily. Additionally, every morning, my wife and I analyze the day’s text and pray to Jehovah together.” What is the lesson? Let us not rely on ourselves, but on Jehovah. To achieve this, we must strengthen our faith by studying the Bible, praying, going to meetings, and preaching. If we do all this, Jehovah will bless us generously and help us continue serving him. He gave Samson strength and he will give us strength too.

SAMSON DID NOT GIVE UP

12. What bad decision did Samson make, and why was it different from previous ones?

12 Samson was imperfect like us, so he sometimes made bad decisions. In fact, one decision had terrible consequences, because he did not take into account the mission that Jehovah had given him. When he had been a judge for some time, he “fell in love with a woman from the valley of Sorech named Delilah” (Judges 16:4). Before meeting Delilah, he wanted to marry a Philistine woman. But the Bible says that this union “came from Jehovah, who was looking for an opportunity to act against the Philistines.” Afterwards, Samson went to the Philistine city of Gaza and there he stayed in the house of a prostitute. On that occasion, Jehovah gave Samson strength to take down the city gates and thus weaken its defensive system (Judges 14: 1-4; 16: 1-3). But Delilah's case was different. She was probably an Israelite, so this relationship did not help him in his fight against the Philistines.

13. What did Delilah do to trap Samson?

13 The Philistines wanted Delilah to betray Samson. That's why they offered her a lot of money, and she accepted. But how did Samson not realize Delilah's intentions? Could it be that he was blind with love? In any case, Delilah pressed him again and again to reveal where her strength came from, and he ended up telling her her secret. Unfortunately, Samson got into a situation that caused him to lose his strength and the approval of Jehovah for a time (Judg. 16:16-20).

14. How did Samson end up trusting Delilah?

14 Samson trusted more in Delilah than in Jehovah, and paid dearly for it. The Philistines captured him and put out his eyes. Then they put him in a prison in Gaza—the city he had humiliated by removing its doors—and there they made him a slave to grind grain. Then the Philistines organized a party and made a sacrifice to the false god Dagon because they believed that he had delivered Samson into his hands. “They brought Samson out of prison to entertain them,” that is, to mock and humiliate him (Judges 16:21-25).

15. How did Samson show that he was leaning on Jehovah again? (Judges 16:28-30; see cover art.)

15 Samson made a serious mistake, but he did not give up. He wanted to continue fulfilling the mission that Jehovah had given him, that of fighting against the Philistines (read Judges 16: 28-30). So he begged Jehovah, “Let me take revenge on the Philistines.” God heard his prayer and restored his extraordinary strength. As a result, Samson killed more Philistines on that occasion than during his entire life.

ILLUSTRATION

Samson pushes two columns with all his strength, and the building collapses. Jehovah gave Samson strength to carry out his sentence against the Philistines. (See paragraph 15).

16. What do we learn from Samson?

16 Although Samson had to suffer the consequences of his mistake, he did not stop striving to do the will of Jehovah. So we too should not give up if we make a mistake and, as a result, need correction or lose a responsibility. Let us remember that Jehovah does not see us as a hopeless case (Ps. 103:8-10). Despite our mistakes, we can be very useful to him, just as Samson was.

17, 18. Why are you encouraged by Michael's example? (See also images).

17 Let's look at what happened to a young brother named Michael. He was a ministerial servant and a regular pioneer, and he was very busy serving Jehovah. He sadly made a mistake, and as a result he lost the responsibilities he had in the congregation. He relates: “Until that moment he was serving Jehovah to the fullest; he was going full steam ahead. But from one moment to the next I felt like I had crashed into a wall . I knew that Jehovah was not going to abandon me, but I wondered if one day my friendship with him could be as before or if I would serve the congregation as much as in the past again.”

18 Thank goodness Michael didn't give up! He says: “I focused on getting closer to Jehovah. What helped me was having the habit of praying to him from the heart, studying and meditating.” Over time, Michael regained his responsibilities in the congregation, and now he is an elder and a regular pioneer. He explains: “The support and encouragement I received, especially from the elders, helped me see that Jehovah still loved me. Again I can serve you with a good conscience. “This experience has taught me that Jehovah can forgive anyone who truly repents.” Like Michael, we can be sure that even if we have made a mistake, we will be useful to Jehovah and receive his blessings as long as we do everything we can to correct our behavior and continue to rely on him. (Ps. 86:5; Prov. 28:13).

ILLUSTRATION

Series of images: 1. A very sad brother with the Bible open at his side. 2. The brother talks to two old men. 3. He meditates on what he is reading on his tablet. 4. Listen carefully at a Kingdom Hall meeting. 5. Give a speech at a meeting. Samson probably felt very bad because of his mistake, but he did not give up. We should not give up either. (See paragraphs 17 and 18).

19. How has Samson's example strengthened you?

19 In this article we looked at just a few exciting events in Samson's life. Although he was imperfect and made a mistake with Delilah, he did not throw in the towel, but continued to serve Jehovah. And Jehovah did not give it up for lost; he used it again to achieve something incredible. He continued to see him as a man of great faith, and that is why he included him in the list of faithful servants found in chapter 11 of Hebrews. It encourages us a lot to know that our heavenly Father loves us and wants to give us strength, especially when we go through problems and need his help. Therefore, like Samson, let us ask Jehovah: “Please remember me. Oh God, give me strength” (Judges 16:28).

WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?

How do we show that we trust in Jehovah, just as Samson did?

The important thing was to rely on Jehovah, not the weapon he used.

Jehovah will also give us the strength to fulfill any responsibility assigned to us in his organization, even if it seems like an impossible task.

What help did Jehovah give Samson to continue fighting against the Philistines?

“The spirit of the Lord filled him with power,” and Samson managed to free himself. Then he “found a donkey's jawbone that was still fresh,” he grabbed it… and killed 1,000 Philistines with it!

In a miraculous way it caused water to flow. When Samson drank, he “gained strength and revived.”

What do we learn from what Samson did after making a mistake?

So we too should not give up if we make a mistake and, as a result, need correction or lose a responsibility.