He Was Sore Athirst, and Called on the Lord, and Said
Even after great triumphs, we can feel weak and struggle with small difficulties, but God promises to deliver us and lead us to spiritual growth and maturity.
C.H. Spurgeon emphasizes the struggles of God's people, using Samson's thirst as a metaphor for the challenges that can feel overwhelming even after great victories. He illustrates how, despite past triumphs, believers often find themselves feeling weak and in need of God's help in seemingly small matters. Spurgeon reminds us that it is common for God's people to experience humility after significant deliverance, as seen in the lives of biblical figures like Jacob and David. He encourages believers to trust in God's faithfulness, assuring them that their present difficulties will not lead to defeat. Ultimately, Spurgeon reassures the faithful that God will provide refreshment and deliverance in times of need.
Text
Samson was thirsty and ready to die. The difficulty was totally different from any which the hero had met before. Merely to get thirst assuaged is nothing like so great a matter as to be delivered from a thousand Philistines! but when the thirst was upon him, Samson felt that little present difficulty more weighty than the great past difficulty out of which he had so specially been delivered. It is very usual for God's people, when they have enjoyed a great deliverance, to find a little trouble too much for them.
Samson slays a thousand Philistines, and piles them up in heaps, and then faints for a little water! Jacob wrestles with God at Peniel, and overcomes Omnipotence itself, and then goes "halting on his thigh!" Strange that there must be a shrinking of the sinew whenever we win the day. As if the Lord must teach us our littleness, our nothingness, in order to keep us within bounds. Samson boasted right loudly when he said, "I have slain a thousand men." His boastful throat soon grew hoarse with thirst, and he betook himself to prayer.
God has many ways of humbling His people. Dear child of God, if after great mercy you are laid very low, your case is not an unusual one. When David had mounted the throne of Israel, he said, "I am this day weak, though anointed king." You must expect to feel weakest when you are enjoying your greatest triumph. If God has wrought for you great deliverances in the past, your present difficulty is only like Samson's thirst, and the Lord will not let you faint, nor suffer the daughter of the uncircumcised to triumph over you.
The road of sorrow is the road to heaven, but there are wells of refreshing water all along the route. So, tried brother, cheer your heart with Samson's words, and rest assured that God will deliver you ere long.
Sermon Outline
- The Difficulty of the Present Moment
- God's Ways of Humbling His People
- The Road to Heaven
- Sorrow as a means of growth and deliverance
- God's promise to deliver His people in times of need
Key Quotes
“It is very usual for God's people, when they have enjoyed a great deliverance, to find a little trouble too much for them.” — C.H. Spurgeon
“The road of sorrow is the road to heaven, but there are wells of refreshing water all along the route.” — C.H. Spurgeon
Application Points
- Recognize your need for humility and dependence on God, even after great deliverances.
- Trust in God's promise to deliver you in times of need.
- Find comfort and reassurance in God's past deliverances and in the promise of future deliverance.