God shows us through Samson's fleshly nature that revenge solves nothing, and can create a vicious cycle of vengeance.
Samson gambles with unscrupulous characters using a riddle. The result is violence and animosity that will follow Samson his entire life.
This passage tells of the translation of Elijah to heaven, but the real story is about Elisha. He is determined to follow his master to the end and he desires a double portion of Elijah’s blessing. We see that he gets the blessing and begins to perform some of the miracles for which he is known.
What was miraculous about the birth of Samson? Who else in scripture may have had a lifelong Nazarite vow?
Did Jephthah sacrifice his daughter? In what ways are things getting worse for Israel? Why?
