Based on the writings of Ellen White, here are the sermon highlights from the life of Samson. ### 1. A Divine Calling and a Privileged Start Samson's life began with great promise and a divine purpose. He was chosen by God from birth to "begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines" (PP 567.2). He was given every advantage for a successful life dedicated to God: "At the very outset of life he was surrounded with favorable conditions for physical strength, intellectual vigor, and moral purity" (PP 568.1). ### 2. The Secret of His Strength Samson's extraordinary physical power was not his own, but was directly linked to his commitment to his Nazarite vow, which symbolized his loyalty to God. His unshorn hair was the outward sign of this vow. "This was not, however, as Samson and his parents well knew, dependent upon his well-knit sinews, but upon his condition as a Nazarite, of which his unshorn hair was a symbol" (PP 562.2). ### 3. The Path to Failure: Compromise and Self-Pleasing Despite his calling, Samson's downfall came from compromising his principles and associating with idolaters. His first major misstep was choosing a wife from among the Philistines, against the counsel of his parents, saying only, “She pleaseth me well” (PP 562.2). This act of self-pleasing set a dangerous precedent. "But one wrong step prepares the way for another" (PP 564.3). His life became a warning against the dangers of unholy associations: "under the influence of wicked associates he let go that hold upon God which is man's only safeguard, and he was swept away by the tide of evil" (PP 568.1). ### 4. The Consequences of Sin: The Lord Departed Samson repeatedly toyed with temptation, trusting in his own strength rather than in God. After continually yielding to Delilah and finally betraying the secret of his vow, he faced the ultimate consequence. When his hair was cut and he was captured, "he knew that 'Jehovah was departed from him'" (PP 566.1). The change in his condition was stark and tragic: "What a change to him who had been the judge and champion of Israel!—now weak, blind, imprisoned, degraded to the most menial service!" (PP 566.2). ### 5. Repentance Through Suffering In his humiliation and affliction, Samson finally learned the lesson of dependence on God. His suffering brought about a change of heart. "In suffering and humiliation, a sport for the Philistines, Samson learned more of his own weakness than he had ever known before; and his afflictions led him to repentance" (PP 566.3). ### 6. A Final Act of Deliverance Though his life was marked by failure and unfaithfulness to his trust, God's purpose was ultimately fulfilled. In his final moments, Samson, with his strength returned, called upon God one last time and "was buried together beneath the ruins of Dagon's temple" (PP 567.1), destroying more of Israel's enemies in his death than he had in his life. His story serves as a powerful and somber lesson: "how dark and terrible the record of that life which might have been a praise to God and a glory to the nation! Had Samson been true to his divine calling, the purpose of God could have been accomplished in his honor and exaltation. But he yielded to temptation and proved untrue to his trust, and his mission was fulfilled in defeat, bondage, and death" (PP 567.2).