SBS |  2nd Quarter of 2023  | CPAD – Adults – THEME: FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS – Overcoming Challenges and Problems with Examples from God's Word | Sunday Bible School | Lesson 06: Zealous Parents and Rebellious Children Slides prepared by Celso Napoleon

1. Zealous Parents and Rebellious Children
Lesson 6
May 07, 2023

2. GOLDEN TEXT
“Children, obey your parents in everything,
for this pleases the Lord.” (Cl 3.20)

3. PRACTICAL TRUTH
The way of raising
and educating has an
impact on our
children's behavior
in the world, but it
does not nullify the
individual
responsibility for
their choices.

4. DAILY READING
Monday - Cl 3.21; Eph 6.4 The role of parents in raising their children
Tuesday – 2Tm 3.16,17 The Bible as the foundation of children’s
education
Wednesday – 1Sm 15.22,23 Obedience as a virtue of children
Thursday – 2Co 12.14 The responsibility of parents towards their
children
Friday – 1Pe 5.8 We need to be sober and vigilant against the devil’s traps
Sabbath – Numbers 6:13-21 A description of the Naziriteship

5. BIBLE READING IN CLASS
Judges 13.1-7.24; 14.1-3
Judges 13
1 - And the children of Israel did again what was evil in the sight of
the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the
Philistines for forty years.
2 - And there was a man from Zorah, of the tribe of Dan, whose
name was Manoah; and his wife was barren and childless.
3 – And the Angel of the Lord appeared to this woman and said to
her: Behold, now she is barren and you have never conceived; but
you will conceive and have a son.

6. 4 – Now, therefore, be careful not to drink wine or strong drink,
nor to eat anything unclean.
5 – For behold, you will conceive and have a son, on whose head
no razor will pass; for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from
the womb, and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of
the Philistines.
6 – Then the woman went in and spoke to her husband, saying, A
man of God came to me, whose sight of an angel of God, very
terrible; and I didn't ask him where he was from, nor did he tell me
his name.
7 – But he said to me, Behold, you will conceive and have a son;
for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb until the
day of his death.

7. 24 - Afterwards, this woman had a son and called his name Samson;
and the child grew and the Lord blessed him.
Judges 14
1 - And Samson went down to Timna; and seeing in Timna a
woman of the daughters of the Philistines,
2 - he went up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I saw a
woman in Timna, of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore
take her to wife.
3. But his father and mother said unto him, Is there not a wife
among the daughters of thy brethren, nor among all my people, that
thou goest to take a wife of the Philistines, of those uncircumcised?
And Samson said to his father, Take this one from me, for she
pleases my eyes.

8. INTRODUCTION
The history of Samson's family takes place in a context of social
pressure, scarcity and suffering imposed by the Philistines on the
Israelites, around the eleventh century BC. Manoah's son was
born by God's design in the time of the judges, being the 12th
and last judge in Israel. Although he was born to fulfill a divine
design, in the defense of Israel, he had an irascible and rebellious
temper. You can see this throughout your personal life according
to the Bible. In the present lesson, we will see that Samson's
parents were zealous in his education, but their son became
rebellious. KEYWORD: INSTRUCTION

9. The Sacrifice of Manoah, by
Eustache Le Sueur, 1640-1650.

10. I - SANSON'S PARENTS
1- A spiritually deplorable situation. Chapter 13 of Judges
shows that “the children of Israel did what was evil in the
sight of the Lord” (v.1). Therefore, God delivered Israel into
the hand of the Philistines for 40 years (Judg. 13:1). It was a
context in which the people lived in the practice of sin,
where few families feared God and tried to keep his
commandments. However, there was a couple faithful to the
Eternal, who received a visit from the Angel of the Lord.

11. 2- The graced woman. The couple was formed by a man
named Manoah, from the tribe of Dan, and his wife, who was
barren (Judg. 13.2). It was to this woman that the Angel of the
Lord appeared, saying: “Behold, you are now barren, and have
never conceived; but you will conceive and have a son” (Judg.
13:3). Thus, the woman of Manoah appears in the scenario of
the book of Judges, chosen by the Lord to be the mother of the
“redeemer of Israel”. Her story is similar to that of Sara,
Rebeca and Ana, who had sterility reversed to generate lives that
would play an important role for the glory of God. Under
unwavering faith, Manoah's wife, due to God's gracious favor,
would bear a son who would free the Jewish people from the
yoke of the Philistines.

12. 3- Receiving divine guidance. The Angel of the
Lord gave very precise instructions regarding the child
that would be born. This is because Samson would be a
Nazarite from his mother's womb (Judg. 21). It was up
to his parents to teach and guide him as to the
requirements of the Naziriteship. Samson could not
drink wine or any other drink considered strong; he
could not eat anything considered unclean (Jz 13.4.); he
could not have his hair cut and, finally, he could not
touch a corpse or any other things that would represent
a breach of the Nazirite vow.

13. SYNOPSIS I
The Lord chose
Manoah and his wife to
be the parents of “the
redeemer of Israel”.
Brazilian landscape with Manoah's sacrifice,
by Frans Post, 1612–1680.

14. II - THE BIRTH OF SANSÃO AND HIS
FORMATION
1- The birth and development of Samson. As
promised, Samson was born of a barren woman. He
grew up under the Lord's blessing (Judges 13:24). So
much so, that the Holy Spirit directed him to the field of
Dan (Jz 13.25). There was no doubt that Samson's life
was under the sovereign will of God. She came from a
great miracle performed by the Most High in her
mother's life.

15. 2- Samson's family. The boy Samson, on the earthly
plane, was under the responsibility of his parents.
Although the biblical text does not provide many details
of the relationship between Samson's parents, we can
infer that Manoah and his wife had a married life of trust
and deep piety:
a) Manoah's wife shared directly with him about the
Angel;
b) Manoá prayed insistently asking for guidance on how
to raise the child;

16. c) the two were together and contemplated the vision
of the angel rising amid the flames of the altar (Jz
13.6,8,9,11,20).
In this regard, we can see that the relationship between
husband and wife has a direct impact on the
upbringing of children. Certainly, Samson grew up in a
home whose relationship was based on love,
fellowship and piety to God.

17. 3- The formation of Samson. By citing the
trajectory of faith of his parents, we can infer that
Manoah and his wife raised Samson according to the
guidelines received by the Angel of the Lord. In adult
life, we can see that Samson observed the Nazirite
protocol (Nm 6.1-7), progressively violating it later.
But his parents did their part, educating them
according to the divine direction they received. In
addition, they fulfilled the expected country roles for
that context.

18. Unfortunately, we will see that Samson had weakness
of character and did not honor the Nazirite vow to the
Lord. Which shows that there are zealous parents who
teach their children in the way they should go, but
unfortunately, sometimes, children choose the
opposite path. Therefore, from a certain age,
responsibility before God is individual (Ez 18.20; Rm
2.6). Also, for example, Cain and Abel had the same
background, but completely different behaviors (Gen
4.1-5).

19. SYNOPSIS II
Samson's parents were faithful to
the Lord's directions regarding
their son's upbringing and
Naziriteship.

20. III - SANSON'S CHARACTER WEAKNESS
1- Samson underestimated the power of the enemy.
Samson knew about the anointing that was on his life to
overcome his enemies. Once, he was surrounded by
more than a thousand armed Philistine soldiers, but
Samson killed them with the jawbone of a donkey (Jz
15.15,16). Among many feats, he found a lion in the
vineyards of Timna, which tore him like one who tears a
kid because the Spirit of the Lord came upon the judge
of Israel to kill this lion's son (Jdg 14.5,6).

21. Capital with Samson and an
Attendant Fighting a Lion,
Sculpture-Architectural, circa
1175–1200.
Metropolitan Museum of Art.

22. Thus, Samson got used to the victory over the
enemies until later he would be the victim of this
underestimation (Jz 16.18-22). Not by chance, the
apostle Peter warns the church about the Devil's
tricks: "Be sober, be vigilant, because the devil,
your adversary, walks around, roaring like a lion,
seeking whom he may devour" (1 Pe 5.8).
Unfortunately, many children underestimate the
circumstances surrounding their lives and ignore
their parents' experience.

23. 2 - Samson's presumption. Since the Spirit of the
Lord enabled him to perform great feats that the
common man could not, Samson did not realize that
he had a terrible enemy: his own ego. This led him to
underestimate the presence of God in his life. His
strength came from God, but he acted as if it came
from himself, and because of this he began to nullify
the glory of God.

24. His rebellious and presumptuous attitude led him
not to give the first place to the Lord, starting to
seek pleasure, idleness and lust (Jz 14.1; Jz 16.1). It
is very sad when children can no longer see the
Lord's benevolence. However, parents must
remain faithful to Him, being like lighthouses that
encourage rebellious children to reconcile with
God (Lc 15.11-32).

25. Samson and Delilah, by Antoon van Dyck, 1599–1641.

26. 3- Manipulating the power of God and playing with
sin. In Judges 16:16-18, the Bible describes how
Samson handled spiritual things. He entered into
dangerous territory, "playing" with the holy thing. He
got a false idea of the power of God. Deluded, he
thought he could live anyway, for he was certain that
divine power would not fail him. Generally, those who
play with spiritual things also start playing with sin (Jz
16.1). He defied his parents' advice to get involved with
a foreign woman (Judg. 16:4).

27. He allowed himself to be dominated by carnal and
fleeting passions. Unfortunately, some children of
our camps start to make the same choices as
Samson. In that case, parents must do what they
are expected to do: Educate their children in the
way of the Lord (Proverbs 22:6). However, know
that your children's choices will be entirely their
responsibility, either to justify them or to condemn
them (Ecclesiastes 11:9).

28. SYNOPSIS III
Samson's bad
choices revealed
more of his
character than
his upbringing.
Samson destroying the temple of Dagon in Samson and
Delilah, Paramount Pictures, 1949.

29. CONCLUSION
The present lesson was not intended to explore the entire
story of Samson, but to emphasize his divine calling, his
background, and his character deviation. We have seen that,
many times, parents are zealous in raising their children in the
way of the Lord, but unfortunately, when some of them
reach a certain age, they become rebellious against the Lord
and their parents. Our purpose is that parents continue to be
lighthouses that reveal to rebellious children how spiritually
misguided they are; praying always, that they return to the
path of justice of the Most High God.

30. REVIEWING THE CONTENT
1- What does chapter 13 of Judges show?
It shows that the children of Israel again did evil in the
eyes of the Lord, who delivered them into the hands of
the Philistines for 40 years.
2- Name at least two instructions given by the Angel
of the Lord to Samson's mother.
Samson could not drink wine; eating something
considered unclean or cutting your hair.

31. 3- According to the lesson, what can we infer from
the biblical text?
That Manoah and his wife raised Samson according to the
directions received by the Angel of the Lord.
4- What cannot we underestimate, according to the
lesson?
We cannot underestimate God's presence in our lives
because of our own ego.
5- According to the lesson, what happens to those
who play with spiritual things?
Generally, those who play with spiritual things also start
playing with sin (Jz 16.1).

32. Image References
• DYCK, A. van. Samson and Delilahtitle QS:P1476,en:"Samson and Delilah". [S. l.], 1628. oil on canvasmedium
QS:P186,Q296955;P186,Q12321255,P518,Q861259, height: 1,460 mm (57.48 in); width: 2,540 mm (100 in)dimensions
QS:P2048,1460U174789dimensions QS:P2049,2540U174789.Kunsthistorisches Museum. Disponível em:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anton_van_Dyck_-_Samson_and_Delilah_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg. Acesso em:
1 maio 2023.
• METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART. Capital with Samson and an Attendant Fighting a Lion. [S. l.], 1175.
Limestone, Overall: 19 3/4 x 20 1/4 x 16 5/8 in. (50.2 x 51.4 x 42.2 cm) weight: 428lb. (194.1kg).Metropolitan Museum of
Art. Disponível em:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Capital_with_Samson_and_an_Attendant_Fighting_a_Lion_MET_sf21-21-
2s1.jpg. Acesso em: 1 maio 2023.
• PARAMOUNT PICTURES. Samson destroying the temple of Dagon - Screenshot from the trailer for the film
Samson and Delilah(1949). [S. l.], 1949. Samson and Delilah 1959 reissue trailer. Disponível em:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Samson_destroying_the_temple_of_Dagon_in_Samson_and_Delilah_trailer_(1).jp
g. Acesso em: 1 maio 2023.
• POST, F. Brazilian landscape with Manoah’s sacrifice (Judges 13:20) label QS:Len,"Brazilian Landscape with
Manoah’s Sacrifice". [S. l.], 1648. oil on canvasmedium QS:P186,Q296955;P186,Q12321255,P518,Q861259, height: 193 cm
(75.9 in); width: 167 cm (65.7 in)dimensions QS:P2048,193U174728dimensions QS:P2049,167U174728.Museum Boijmans
Van Beuningen. Disponível em: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Frans_Post_-
_Brazilian_landscape_with_Manoah%27s_sacrifice.jpg. Acesso em: 1 maio 2023.
• SUEUR, E. L. The Sacrifice of Manoahlabel QS:Len,"The Sacrifice of Manoah". [S. l.], 1626. oil on canvas, height:
118 cm (46.4 in) ; width: 84 cm (33 in) dimensions QS:P2048,+118U174728dimensions QS:P2049,+84U174728.Musée des
Augustins. Disponível em: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eustache_Le_Sueur_-
_The_Sacrifice_of_Manoah,_1640-1650.jpg. Acesso em: 1 maio 2023.

33. Slides prepared by Celso Napoleon
SBS | 2nd Quarter of 2023 | CPAD – Adults –
THEME: FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS –
Overcoming Challenges and Problems with
Examples from God's Word | Sunday Bible
School | Lesson 06: Zealous Parents and
Rebellious Children