Module 11

Journey with the Judges

BOC School of Leadership (International Version)
Boi Manuel

Journey with the Judges (JJ) Graph 1

JJ Graph 1 is about our study with the remaining 45 years of Israel under the last four Judges.
They came from the tribe of Judah, Zebulon, Ephraim and, Dan.
“8
Now Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel after him. 9 He had thirty sons, and thirty
daughters whom he gave in marriage outside the family, and he brought in thirty daughters
from outside for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years. 10 Then Ibzan died and was buried in
Bethlehem.”
11 12
Now Elon the Zebulunite judged Israel after him; and he judged Israel ten years. Then Elon
the Zebulunite died and was buried at Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.
13
Now Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite judged Israel after him. 14 He had forty sons and
thirty grandsons who rode on seventy donkeys; and he judged Israel eight years. 15 Then Abdon
the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died and was buried at Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the
hill country of the Amalekites.

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 (Judges 12:8-15)

After long years of rest, the Israelites have found themselves digging their own grave
with their wicked idolatrous practice once again. Thus, God punishes them for 40 years
under the hands of the Philistines. This time the Lord will raise a Nazirite to deliver
them. His name is Samson. This is the detailed account.
“2
There was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was
Manoah; and his wife was barren ….. 3 Then the angel of the LORD appeared .. said to
her, “Behold … you shall conceive and give birth to a son. 4 .. therefore, be careful not to
drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing. 5 .. you shall conceive and give
birth to a son, and no razor shall come upon his head, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to
God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the
Philistines.”

The angel of the Lord gave Manoah specific instructions on how to raise Samson based on
Moses’ instruction in Numbers Chapter 6.

“…, ‘When a man or woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to dedicate
himself to the LORD,
3
1. he shall abstain from wine and strong drink; he shall drink no vinegar,
whether made from wine or strong drink, nor shall he drink any grape
juice nor eat fresh or dried grapes.
4
2. All the days of his separation he shall not eat anything that is produced
by the grape vine, from the seeds even to the skin.
5
3. ‘All the days of his vow of separation no razor shall pass over his head.
He shall be holy until the days are fulfilled for which he separated himself
to the LORD; he shall let the locks of hair on his head grow long.
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4. ‘All the days of his separation to the LORD he shall not go near to a dead
person.
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5. He shall not make himself unclean for his father or for his mother, for
his brother or for his sister, when they die, because his separation to God
is on his head.
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6. All the days of his separation he is holy to the LORD.” Numbers 6:1-8
“24
Then the woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson; and the child grew up and
the LORD blessed him. 25 And the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him in Mahaneh-dan, between
Zorah and Eshtaol. (Judges 13:1-25)

Samson’s Exploits

God does not approve intermarriage. He gave the Israelites strict guidelines against marrying
outside their circle of faith in Deuteronomy Chapter 7:1-6.

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 “…You shall make no covenant with them and show no favor to
them. 3 Furthermore, you shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give
your daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for your sons. 4 For they
will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods; then the anger of
the LORD will be kindled against you and He will quickly destroy you. 5 But thus you shall
do to them: you shall tear down their altars, and smash their sacred pillars, and hew
down their Asherim, and burn their graven images with fire. 6 For you are a holy people
to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own
possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. (Deuteronomy 7:1-6)

God commanded the Israelites to remain separated from their enemies. Yet, it is within this
context of intermarriage that the Lord will reveal Himself through Samson and defeat their
enemies.

14 Then Samson went down to Timnah and saw a woman in Timnah, one of the
daughters of the Philistines. 2 So he came back and told his father and mother, “I
saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore,
get her for me as a wife.” 3 Then his father and his mother said to him, “Is there
no woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people,
that you go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” But Samson
said to his father, “Get her for me, for she looks good to me.” 4 However, his
father and mother did not know that it was of the LORD, for He was seeking an
occasion against the Philistines. Now at that time the Philistines were ruling
over Israel.

As parents and Christian ministers this situation goes beyond our knowledge and control. So, it
is important to understand that each and every one of us play a significant role in fulfilling
God’s purpose and mission. We need to use our faith in God as our lens as we come alongside
our children and our flocks. We are only here for them for a while and release them to reach
their God-given potential. Samson’s parents wrestled with this idea for their only son to get out
of their beliefs and traditions. But they know since the beginning that Samson is different. The
Lord’s angel appeared to them and confirmed their son has an important mission. That is the
comfort they had. This too is the assurance we have for our dear ones. Let us do our best to
raise and bring our children and flocks in the knowledge of our Lord and release them.

Samson marrying a Philistine is difficult to grasp. Yet, it is within this seemingly unacceptable
courting process that Samson will conquer their enemy. Every detail in Samson’s “personal /
love life” became an unsuspecting ground for him to pursue Israel’s adversaries without their
knowledge.

The first unusual thing that he overcomes is the killing the lion on his journey to Timnah. On his
way back to his parents, bees have created a nest into the carcass of the lion where Samson
harvested honey and ate from it. He created this riddle to the Philistines through this
experience.

“Out of the eater came something to eat, And out of the strong came something sweet.”
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The Philistines threatened Samson’s wife for the answer. This is the Philistine way. They do not
accept defeat. They always find ways to get what they want at all costs.
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Then it came about on the fourth day that they said to Samson’s wife, “Entice your
husband, so that he will tell us the riddle, or we will burn you and your father’s house
with fire. Have you invited us to impoverish us? Is this not so?” 16 Samson’s wife wept
before him and said, “You only hate me, and you do not love me; you have
propounded a riddle to the sons of my people, and have not told it to me.” And he said
to her, “Behold, I have not told it to my father or mother; so should I tell
you?” 17 However she wept before him seven days while their feast lasted. And on the
seventh day he told her because she pressed him so hard. She then told the riddle to
the sons of her people. 18 So the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before
he sun went down.

“What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?”

And he said to them, “If you had not plowed with my heifer, You would not have found out my
riddle.”
19
Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon him mightily, and he went down to Ashkelon and killed
thirty of them and took their spoil and gave the changes of clothes to those who told the riddle.
And his anger burned, and he went up to his father’s house. 20 But Samson’s wife was given to
his companion who had been his friend.

Review: Samson’s first exploit started with his attraction toward a Philistine woman. He
pursued her. He killed a lion on his way to meet his wife. He saw bees created a hive into the
lion’s carcass on his trip back home. Samson ate honey and gave some to his parents. He
sponsored a customary feast and gave the Philistines a riddle from his experience. They cannot
answer his riddle so they threatened his wife. This angered Samson where the Spirit of the Lord
came upon him and slew thirty of them.

Journey with the Judges (JJ) Graph 2

JJ Graph 2 is about the many challenges in our walk of faith.

It is about our humble beginning and small stories being connected to God who is writing and
unfolding our life’s story. Everything is connected if we will submit our lives to God including
hopes and dreams, pains, and frustrations as well as our greatest fears.

Our failure to do so will draw us away from God. This is the challenge in the life of a nation
called to serve and honor God. Israel wants to create its own path and its own narrative apart
from Him.

However, time and again this nation eventually discovers and learns that their chosen path is
leading them deeper towards suffering and destruction.

Samson’s unique biblical narrative is about God writing his story to inspire us.

He is the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). The challenge for us is to fix our eyes
on God as we go through the storms of life.

The succeeding episodes in Samson’s life is a part of a bigger picture where God’s rules and
justice prevails. Here is another twist in Samson’s love story.

“15 But after a while, in the time of wheat harvest, Samson visited his wife with a young
goat, and said, “I will go in to my wife in her room.” But her father did not let him
enter. 2 Her father said, “I really thought that you hated her intensely; so I gave her to
your companion. Is not her younger sister more beautiful than she? Please let her be
yours instead.” 3 Samson then said to them, “This time I shall be blameless in regard to
the Philistines when I do them harm.” (Judges 15:1-3)

This incident escalated to an opportunity for Samson to inflict heavy damage to the Philistines.
“4
Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took torches, and turned the
foxes tail to tail and put one torch in the middle between two tails. 5 When he had set
fire to the torches, he released the foxes into the standing grain of the Philistines, thus
burning up both the shocks and the standing grain, along with the
vineyards and groves. 6 Then the Philistines said, “Who did this?” And they said,
“Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he took his wife and gave her to his
companion.” So the Philistines came up and burned her and her father with
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fire. Samson said to them, “Since you act like this, I will surely take revenge on you, but
after that I will quit.” 8 He struck them ruthlessly with a great slaughter; and he went
down and lived in the cleft of the rock of Etam. .” (Judges 15:4-8)

Samson is just going to visit his wife. But he discovered the crime of his father-in-law giving his
wife to another man. This is a very simple story. But not in the life of Israel as a nation. This

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situation has resulted in heavy damage within the Philistine camps without endangering the
lives of the Israelites.
Foxes are omnivorous, wily predators and scavengers. They are difficult to catch. Yet, in such a
short time Samson caught 300 of these animals, put torches on their tails, and burned the
Philistine’s fields, vineyards, and groves.

Samson did not blow the shofar to rally the Israelites to join him and fight the Philistines. His
300 foxes created chaos and disaster at the center of their enemies’ camps. In God’s
sovereign design, Samson’s intermarriage with a Philistine woman became a hidden platform
for him to accomplish what he is called to do. The Philistines suffered much without putting the
lives of other people at risk.

After flattening the Philistine’s farmlands through the fire, this intermarriage ended when the
Philistines burned his wife and his father-in-law. This development gave Samson a reason to
slaughter many of them.

However, this angered the Philistine leaders so much, so they went up and camped in
Judah, and spread out in Lehi. (Judges 15:9-9)

Their presence in Lehi has brought great fear among the Israelites living in that area. This is a
picture where the elders and leaders of Judah are so weary and frightened about the presence
of the Philistine soldiers in their land. They have no other recourse but for them to arrest
Samson and hand it to them.

There were 3,000 men of Judah who came to Samson at the rock of Etam. This is their
challenging conversation with Samson:

Men of Judah: “Why have you come up against us?” “Do you not know that the
Philistines are rulers over us? What then is this that you have done to us?”

Samson: “As they did to me, so I have done to them.”

Men of Judah: 12 They said to him, “We have come down to bind you so that we may
give you into the hands of the Philistines.”

Samson: “Swear to me that you will not kill me.”

Men of Judah: “No, but we will bind you fast and give you into their hands; yet surely
we will not kill you.” Then they bound him with two new ropes and brought him up from
the rock.
14
When he came to Lehi, the Philistines shouted as they met him. And the Spirit of
the LORD came upon him mightily so that the ropes that were on his arms were as flax
that is burned with fire, and his bonds dropped from his hands. 15 He found a fresh
jawbone of a donkey, so he reached out and took it and killed a thousand men with
it.” (Judges 15:9-15)

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Three thousand men of Judah arrested Samson and handed him to 1,000 Philistines waiting for
them in Lehi. These Philistine soldiers have no idea who Samson is, so they were shouting with
joy when they finally meet Samson.

There is no picture of how many men from Judah handed Samson to their commanding officer,
neither about the timing when Samson suddenly strike the Philistines with the donkey’s
jawbone. Nevertheless, we can assume that the men of Judah already left the Philistine camp
before striking them. Samson massacred the Philistines all by himself.

“ 16 Then Samson said, “With the jawbone of a donkey, Heaps upon heaps, With the
jawbone of a donkey I have killed a thousand men.” 17 When he had finished speaking,
he threw the jawbone from his hand; and he named that place Ramath-lehi. 18 Then he
became very thirsty, and he called to the LORD and said, “You have given this great
deliverance by the hand of Your servant, and now shall I die of thirst and fall into the
hands of the uncircumcised?” 19 But God split the hollow place that is in Lehi so that
water came out of it. When he drank, his strength returned and he revived. Therefore
he named it En-hakkore, which is in Lehi to this day. 20 So he judged Israel twenty
years in the days of the Philistines.” Judges 15:16-20

This is a long battle for Samson to single-handedly knockdown 1,000 men. He was totally
exhausted after this fierce battle. God rewarded him with water by splitting the hollow place.

Samson’s victory in Lehi was recognized by the elders and made him a judge for twenty years.
His extraordinary story defeating his enemies in a very unusual fashion catching 300 foxes and
burning the Philistine farmlands and annihilating a great number of Philistines led him to isolate
himself at the rock of Etam far from people. This separation enabled him to be physically
renewed before engaging in a greater battle.

The gathering of 3,000 men from Judah who came to arrest him at the rock of Etam is
nationwide news that spread around the whole country. Nevertheless, his arrest from the rock
of Etam finally led to him to defeat 1,000 Philistine soldiers. After this victory, the elders of
Israel officially recognize him as a judge to rule them.

The Philistines were subdued during Samson’s reign as a judge. However, we do not have a
biblical record that will give us a detailed account of what happened from the day. He was
enthroned as a judge until this final battle, again this is related to his personal life. As a Nazirite,
he is called to live a different kind of life… no drinking of alcohol, no unclean food to live a holy
life separated from others.

However, his “personal/love life” tells a different story?

“….
After this it came about that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was
Delilah. 5 The lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Entice him, and see
where his great strength lies and how we may overpower him that we may bind him to
afflict him. Then we will each give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.”

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 First Scene:

Delilah: “Please tell me where your great strength is and how you may be bound to
afflict you.”

Samson: “If they bind me with seven fresh cords that have not been dried, then I will
become weak and be like any other man.” 8 Then the lords of the Philistines brought up
to her seven fresh cords that had not been dried, and she bound him with them. 9 Now
she had men lying in wait in an inner room. And she said to him, “The Philistines are
upon you, Samson!” But he snapped the cords as a string of tow snaps when it touches
fire. So his strength was not discovered.

Second Scene

Delilah: “Behold, you have deceived me and told me lies; now please tell me how you
may be bound.”

Samson: “If they bind me tightly with new ropes which have not been used, then I will
become weak and be like any other man.” .. Delilah took new ropes and bound him with
them and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” For the men were lying in
wait in the inner room. But he snapped the ropes from his arms like a thread.

Third Scene

Delilah: “Up to now you have deceived me and told me lies; tell me how you may be
bound.”

Samson: “If you weave the seven locks of my hair with the web and fasten it with a pin,
then I will become weak and be like any other man.” 14 So while he slept, Delilah took
the seven locks of his hair and wove them into the web. And she fastened it with the pin
and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he awoke from his sleep
and pulled out the pin of the loom and the web.

Forth Scene

Delilah: “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have
deceived me these three times and have not told me where your great strength is.”
16
It came about when she pressed him daily with her words and urged him, that his
soul was annoyed to death. 17 So he told her all that was in his heart and said to her,
“A razor has never come on my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my
mother’s womb. If I am shaved, then my strength will leave me and I will become
weak and be like any other man.”
…
Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hands. 19 She
made him sleep on her knees, and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of

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 his hair. Then she began to afflict him, and his strength left him. … Then the Philistines seized
him and gouged out his eyes; and they brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze
chains, and he was a grinder in the prison.” Judges 16:1-21

Samson’s downfall has become a great window for the Philistines to assert their presence and
influence in Israel. They mocked the Israelites. Blinding Samson and chaining him as a grinder
in prison has given them controlling leverage. Keeping him alive and torturing him as their toy
has brought fear to the Israelites.
“22
However, the hair of his head began to grow again after it was shaved off.
23
Now the lords of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to
rejoice, for they said, “Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hands.” 24 When the
people saw him, they praised their god, for they said, “Our god has given our enemy into our
hands, Even the destroyer of our country, Who has slain many of us.”25 It so happened
when they were in high spirits, that they said, “Call for Samson, that he may amuse us.” So they
called for Samson from the prison, and he entertained them. And they made him stand between
the pillars. 26 Then Samson said to the boy who was holding his hand, “Let me feel the pillars on
which the house rests, that I may lean against them.” 27 Now the house was full of men and
women, and all the lords of the Philistines were there. And about 3,000 men and women were
on the roof looking on while Samson was amusing them.
28
Then Samson called to the LORD and said, “O Lord GOD, please remember me and please
strengthen me just this time, O God, that I may at once be avenged of the Philistines for my two
eyes.” 29 Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and braced himself
against them, the one with his right hand and the other with his left. 30 And Samson said, “Let
me die with the Philistines!” And he bent with all his might so that the house fell on the lords
and all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than
those whom he killed in his life.” Judges 16:22-30

Samson in the lowest moment of his life cried out to God and restored his strength. He
dedicated the remaining moment in his life to accomplish the last thing he is called for… to
deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines.

Blinded, chained, mocked… his hopeless condition has become a great entertainment for the
Philistines while the rest of Israelites have withdrawn themselves from him. Samson lived a
lonely isolated life as a Nazirite. He has been far from the people that he is called to save and
deliver.

That joyous day for the Philistines calling Samson as the climax of their great celebration is the
final moment for Samson to dedicate his life as a burnt offering to God. In his last breath,
Samson destroyed the Philistine god and idol Dagon together with his 3,000 followers.

Samson’s life is full of paradox.

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He is called to greatness but that path is to lead a life of separation from his own people and
deep into the life of the Philistines, Israel’s adversary.

His journey toward greatness is to violate the Israelites law on intermarriage.

The leader and elders of Israel have probably disdained and despised Samson in their hearts.
Marrying a Philistine woman and spending time with a prostitute is something that will not be
tolerated.

Nevertheless, intermarriage can be a reflection of their failure in leadership because Samson

may not be the only Israelite who is married to a Philistine woman. The Philistines ruled them
for 40 long years. They have established the temple of Dagon within their realm.
Samson’s calling to deliver Israel is vividly portrayed within the context of betrayal by the
people who are close to him… his wife, his father in law and even the men of Judah who
arrested him.

He is called to suffer emotionally, physically, and spiritually for the sake of Israel.

As a Nazirite, he is supposed to distance himself from the dead. But the pattern of his life
surrounds the sting death so that his own people may live.
31
Then his brothers and all his father’s household came down, took him, brought him up
and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. Thus he
had judged Israel twenty years. Judges 16:22-31

What were the elders and leaders of Israel thinking that day?

The leaders and elders did not call their people to mourn for Samson. They may be jubilant
because Dagon’s arena is gone along with 3,000 Philistines worshipping the idol.

It was a triumphant day for Israel except for Samson’s family.

Thousands of dead bodies are scattered in Dagon’s arena when his brothers and the members
of his father’s household came to retrieve his scarred body.

They have spent several hours removing the debris piece by piece before they were able to
retrieve his body. They were not allowed to visit Samson in prison. Their last memory of him
was the day that his long hair was gone. They still remember how the Philistines mocked and
humiliated Samson gouging out his eyes in public. Now, looking at his dead body with his long
hair widely spread out on the ground has given them a powerful message that the God of Israel
is an awesome powerful God.

They silently but honorably covered his lifeless body with white cloth brought his body and
buried him in the tomb of Manoah his father.

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One life that is paradoxically dedicated to serving God summarizes the life of a man who is
called to greatness through lifelong pain and suffering.

Contextualizing the life of Samson within Our Ministry Context

Our ministry is a network of like-minded and like-hearted leaders who has a specific calling to
fulfill the Great Commission through police and military ministry.

This is a paradox. It is just like an “intermarriage” moving deep into the enemies’ camp. But
this whole complex idea is simplified with singleness of purpose and calling. None of us had
the experience of meeting or encountering an angel to tell us what to do.

What we have is the Bible, the word of God telling us to go, bless our officers, our community,
and our nation. We are called to be God’s bearers of good news to bless our community in
partnership with our ministry partners. Just like Samson who is called to bless Israel by moving
deep into the enemy’s territory, we are called to bless this country by moving deeper to an
organization that has a built-in nationwide network and influence.

We have to totally change our definition of greatness and success in this ministry if we are
going to bless this nation. It is about knowing our calling and being sensitive to that single
purpose living our lives and becoming a broken vessel to reveal God’s glory.

None of us is worthy. It is all about Him.

Our officers have already made their pledge and oath to protect and serve this country. They
know what does it mean to suffer and die to bless others. Many of them are suffering as they
respond to call of duty away and separated from their families. They are constantly being
mocked and humiliated by the bias media.

How about us?

There is no easy answer to the complex challenges we are facing in this ministry as we fulfill our
heavenly calling. So, we might as well turn to God in prayer and ask Him for wisdom.

Let us join our hearts in prayer.

Dear heavenly Father,

Samson’s life is too profound for us to grasp, You have made him just like a broken vessel to
bless Israel. We are willing to submit to Your will Oh Lord, if it is Your will that You make our
lives to become broken vessels to reveal Your glory for our security forces and for our country.
May Your will be done in our lives and ministries that others may know You deeply. Hear our
prayers O Lord. Be honored and be magnified in every story that we have in this ministry.
This is our humble plea in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
Amen
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Summary

There are times when we are quick and guilty of judging people who do not fit our mold or way
of defining Christian leadership.

Will you allow Samson to become an elder, deacon or usher in your churches today?

Will we accept him to become a part of our officer-led program?

Samson will not qualify our standard of a church or present ministry leadership.

Our sense of self-righteousness makes us so blind because what we are just re-echoing the
teachings that have been downloaded to us by the modern-day Pharisees and Sadducees of our
time.

We will always fail to see God as the author and finisher of our lives until we are able to
connect every detail of our lives to the Storymaker. Let us allow God to hold the pen and write
the next chapter of our individual narrative and corporate stories. It is only within this spiritual
realm when we can learn to surrender our lives under the guidance of His Spirit, we can
appreciate the profound and mundane things in the Bible. Samson’s story is one of them.

There’ are “Samsons” in our world today who are perceived as sinful or “Blacksheep” within our
ministry milieu.

Let us be slow and careful not to judge our police officers or fellow pastors. Instead, let us pray
and bless them. God is the one writing their story one chapter at a time. He is not done with
them yet.

Samson’s story from the day his parents met the Lord’s angel until the day he died is all
integrated. He is called to fulfill his calling to deliver Israel under the Lord’s guidance, within
God’s context and within the realm of faith.

Some of us are maybe just starting to discover their calling in life or purpose in joining this
ministry.

There may be among us who are experiencing a difficult chapter in their lives and ministries.

There are also a few of us who are now in their last chapter in their lives and about to conclude
their spiritual journey.

All of these are interconnected … to the ones who have just make the first step, to the many
who are already deep in what they are doing, and to the few who are about to finish the
race.

Our lives are in God’s hands unfolding His wonderful inspiring story one stroke at a time.

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 Study Guide

Journey with the Judges

BOC School of Leadership (International Version)
Boi Manuel

1. What are the top five leadership principles that you have learned in this module that you
can apply in your ministry?

 One _____________________________________
 Two _____________________________________
 Three ____________________________________
 Four _____________________________________
 Five _____________________________________

2. In what way has this module ministered to as you are entering or going deeper into the
lives of our police & military officers?

3. How would you explain that the path toward greatness or success in this ministry is also
the path to experience multiple conflicts and suffering? Will your explanation inspire and
encourage others?

4. What is your working definition of allowing God to write your personal and ministry
story?

5. Samson’s glaring weakness has become an avenue for him to infiltrate Israel’s enemy
under the Lord’s orchestration. What is the leadership principle we can learn from this?

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6. The Muslims as well as the cults are targeting our flock to marry them or become their
lifetime partners. Intermarriage is a part of the Muslims Campaign. How can we best handle
this ongoing challenge?

7. The intermarriage of Christian soldiers or police officers marrying Muslims or unbelievers

is full of risks. How can we best address this in light of the reality that most of our young
officers are looking for lifetime partners during the first three years of their assignment
where many of them are assigned in Muslim areas?

8. God gave Samson a second chance but it is not without severe consequences. He was
blinded, chained in prison, mocked, humiliated, and became an entertainment to his
adversaries. How can we adopt this restoration process within our ministry?

9. What is your mental picture of seeing or allowing God writing the last chapter of your life
and ministry in relation to Samson’s last battle conquering Dagon’s arena and 3,000 of his
worshippers?

10. The elders and leaders of Israel did not mourn over the loss of a judge who has
tremendously conquered thousands of their enemies just by himself. Only his brothers and
all his father’s household came down to bury him. How can we improve our leadership base
and relationship with one another in this ministry base from this account?

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