Dear Boys and Girls,
Do you think a dog named Samson would be a big, strong dog or a little, fluffy dog? I’ll give you a hint. Do you remember the Bible story of a man named Samson? Was he a strong man or a little, weak man? If you said, “STRONG man!” you are right. Now, what do you think about the dog named Samson? If you said, “He’s a STRONG dog!” you are right again. He is a very big, strong dog! Here’s what happened to Samson.
One summer day Gramma and I were sitting outside and enjoying God’s creation. Then the phone rang, and it was my turn to answer it. It was our daughter-in-law calling, and she was very excited.
“Dad, can you come over right away? Samson has a big thorn in his paw, and I’m afraid to pull it out!”
I said, “Call the vet!”
She answered, “I have called the vet, and the office is closed until tomorrow.” That was not good news.
“Okay, I will be right over.” (We live only five minutes away.) I told Gramma what the problem was, and she said, “Wow, be careful!”
I said, “Pray for me.” Samson weighs about 120 pounds, so I prayed while I was driving to their place that God would help me to help Samson. On the way, I was remembering a verse in the Bible: “A righteous man [is concerned for] the life of his [animal]” (Proverbs 12:1010A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel. (Proverbs 12:10)). In other words, if you have a pet, God expects you to take good care of it. So as I drove up to the house, I saw Samson on the front porch, just as if he were waiting for me to come.
I got out of the truck, walked over to him and began talking gently to him. He was sitting quietly with his sore paw lifted up as if to “shake-a-paw.” I gently ruffled his fur, talked to him and told him, “I’m here to help you, Samson.” He wagged his tail as if to say, “I’m glad to see you.” Then I told him, “You have to roll over on your back so I can see your sore paw.” When I saw the end of the thorn sticking out of his paw, I could only think, WOW!
While I was looking at the end of that thorn, my mind went back to Calvary. I was remembering where the Bible tells us that those cruel men made a crown of thorns and put it on the head of our Lord Jesus. Then they took a stick and hit that crown of thorns so that those thorns would dig into the head of our Lord Jesus Christ! What awful shame!—Man’s cruelty to “the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:2020I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)). And He gave Himself for you too.
Now I needed to face the task of pulling that thorn out of Samson’s paw as quickly as possible. I also must be very careful how I pull it out. I picked up my pliers and fastened them on the small end of the thorn that was showing. (All the while I was doing this, Samson never moved!) With my other hand, I held his paw steady, and then with one quick pull with my pliers, OUT CAME THE THORN! Then blood squirted out of the hole where the thorn had been! That blood squirting out would cleanse the deep wound so it would heal nicely.
Samson had never moved! Then he sat up and gave me a big lick, and I gave him a big hug! Then I looked at the thorn I was holding in my pliers—it was almost two inches long! Again, I thought about that crown of thorns that was placed on the head of our Lord Jesus Christ. Those thorns could have been that long or longer! And then there was that spear they jabbed into His side, and blood and water came out. It’s that blood from the side of the Lord Jesus that can cleanse sinners from their sins, if they will let Him.
Boys and girls, it’s been many years since the Lord Jesus’ blood has cleansed me from all my sins. Have you asked Him to wash away your sins? “The blood of Jesus Christ [God’s] Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:77But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)). Lots of love,
Grampa and Samson
P.S. This picture is of a thorn from the same Jerusalem thorn tree where Samson stepped on the one that went straight into his foot. Get a ruler and see if it measures as long as the one I pulled out of his foot.
ML-01/01/2017