Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
It’s easy to read the story of Samson as a historical story without applying it to our lives, but there is more for us to learn than we can accomplish here.
Samson never organized the army of Israel and went to war like all the other judges, nor were any of his battles over the liberation of any of the Israelite territory. He fought alone and for personal reasons, not national ideals. Perhaps that's because his biggest battle wasn’t against the Philistines. His biggest battle was with himself. The same is true of you and me.
We mentioned before that the quality of character of the judges declines throughout the book, and now we see the last of the judges described.
God uses flawed people because flawed people are all that exist, and Samson was a man full of character flaws. God’s word doesn’t justify or excuse his sinful life, and neither should we. His life no doubt grieved God, and yet God still used him.
Paul warned that Israel’s failures were written “as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did.” (1 Corinthians 10:6) Samson’s story is one of those examples for sure.
A study of Judges 16 15-31 based on “Explore the Bible: Summer 2026” from Lifeway. This is the fourth and final lesson from Judges prepared by Gary Stieber for Houston's First Baptist Church.
To learn about a relationship with Jesus Christ, contact us:
houstonsfirst.org/about/discover-christ
Prior lessons in Judges
Judges 2:11-23 youtu.be/qFccwrSypxc
Judges 6:1-16 youtu.be/84V36PP64OE
Judges 7:1-23 youtu.be/jLTA0U9P2GQ
Our YouTube Bible Study Playlist:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXdSpiRu_4_ScfVxAx91-GlwVRK0opCvI
If you follow the Explore the Bible study schedule, we give away our study materials free of charge. We publish every week, 7-10 days before the lesson’s scheduled date. If you would like to access the complete study notes and PowerPoint presentation for your use as needed, click the link below and provide the email address to which you would like to be notified. Each week, we’ll send you the link to the church website where you can download the materials.
Sign up here:
form.jotform.com/211116902364144
It’s easy to read the story of Samson as a historical story without applying it to our lives, but there is more for us to learn than we can accomplish here.
Samson never organized the army of Israel and went to war like all the other judges, nor were any of his battles over the liberation of any of the Israelite territory. He fought alone and for personal reasons, not national ideals. Perhaps that's because his biggest battle wasn’t against the Philistines. His biggest battle was with himself. The same is true of you and me.
We mentioned before that the quality of character of the judges declines throughout the book, and now we see the last of the judges described.
God uses flawed people because flawed people are all that exist, and Samson was a man full of character flaws. God’s word doesn’t justify or excuse his sinful life, and neither should we. His life no doubt grieved God, and yet God still used him.
Paul warned that Israel’s failures were written “as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did.” (1 Corinthians 10:6) Samson’s story is one of those examples for sure.
A study of Judges 16 15-31 based on “Explore the Bible: Summer 2026” from Lifeway. This is the fourth and final lesson from Judges prepared by Gary Stieber for Houston's First Baptist Church.
To learn about a relationship with Jesus Christ, contact us:
houstonsfirst.org/about/discover-christ
Prior lessons in Judges
Judges 2:11-23 youtu.be/qFccwrSypxc
Judges 6:1-16 youtu.be/84V36PP64OE
Judges 7:1-23 youtu.be/jLTA0U9P2GQ
Our YouTube Bible Study Playlist:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXdSpiRu_4_ScfVxAx91-GlwVRK0opCvI
If you follow the Explore the Bible study schedule, we give away our study materials free of charge. We publish every week, 7-10 days before the lesson’s scheduled date. If you would like to access the complete study notes and PowerPoint presentation for your use as needed, click the link below and provide the email address to which you would like to be notified. Each week, we’ll send you the link to the church website where you can download the materials.
Sign up here:
form.jotform.com/211116902364144
