Judges 16:22-31

Later, the Philistines brought him to the temple of their god Dagon where about 3,000 were gathered to celebrate the victory he had given them over their enemy. Samson, whose hair had now begun to grow back, was led to the temple by a lad and placed between the pillars to entertain the people by their being allowed to make sport of him. He prayed to God for strength and pushed down the pillars so that he killed more in his death than in his life. His brothers buried him in the tomb of his father after he had judged for twenty years (16:22-31). It should be noticed that the Lord gave him a second chance when Samson again acknowledged the source of his strength.

Ruth 17:1-6

The title for today's lesson, which comes from Ruth 17:6, describes a tragic period in Israel's history. The people had lost sight of their true leader, God, and strayed into sin. Events in the life of a man named Micah, who lived in mount Ephraim, are representative of that time. Micah stole 1,100 shekels of silver from his mother, but confessed it to her after he heard her place a curse on the money. She asked the Lord's blessings on him, dedicated the silver to the Lord and gave it back to her son to make a graven image and a molten image. Of course, that shows her ignorance of God's law (Exodus 20:3-6). Micah set up the image along with his household gods, or teraphim, and made one of his sons serve as a priest (Ruth 17:1-5).