Make Your Mark: Getting Right What Samson Got Wrong

by Brad Gray

Your decisions matter. You've been created to live a great story and leave a dent in this universe.

Wrestling with our calling in life is a fundamental struggle for just about everyone. Who are we supposed to be? How are we supposed to live? What are we supposed to do? These are all questions many of us grapple with.

Surprisingly, the Samson narrative is one of the most instructive stories for helping us answer these questions. Often touted as a story about muscles, testosterone, and seduction, there is so much more to this ancient account. Employing all the best tools for interpreting the Bible today, Brad Gray unpacks the Samson story anew, giving us fresh insights into the universal callings of those desiring to live out God's fullest design for life. Perfect for personal and small group study, Make Your Mark will reignite your sense of purpose and stretch your faith so you can find the next step on the journey towards your calling.

With passion, humor, and skill, Brad shows us how we can get right what Samson got wrong in order to flourish in our humanity, to make the most of the lives we've been given, and to leave a positive mark on our world.

It's time to make your mark! Learn more and find a FREE Discussion Guide at www.WalkingTheText.com.

Genres: Faith, Christian

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Brad Gray is the president and CEO of Walking The Text, a nonprofit organization that creates digital media resources and study trips to Bible lands to help people understand the Bible in its original context. Brad is the cocreator and host of The Lord’s Prayer film and The Sacred Thread series, as well as the author of Make Your Mark: Getting Right What Samson Got Wrong. He has lived and traveled extensively in the Middle East and has been leading study trips since 2010. Brad is also a national speaker, communication specialist, ordained minister, and former teaching pastor with over a decade of serving in the local church. He has a business management degree from Cornerstone University (Grand Rapids, Michigan), a master of divinity from Western Theological Seminary (Holland, Michigan), and a graduate certificate from Jerusalem University College (Jerusalem, Israel). Brad and his wife, Shallon, live with their four children in the greater Nashville area.

Reviews

[Marty Solomon · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a real pleasure to read a work by someone who has had the same teachers as myself. It's always neat to see how how somebody takes that same material and packages it. I would say two things about this great read:

First, it is a great in-depth look at the story of Samson. While the writing is not to heady or scholarly to understand, it is very in depth. Covering everything from Hebrew linguistic details to background context to geography, you'll find yourself peeling the story of Samson apart to levels you would have never imagine existed.

Second, the book isn't just about the story of Samson; the story of Samson provides the template to talk about a very healthy and holistic understanding of our walks with God. Gray will touch on everything from forgiveness to design to mission to failure. The book is a great read for anyone interested in Samson or just looking for the next read that will help enrich your walk with God.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great look at an Old Testament story. If you thought Samson was just a really strong guy who happens to get a few chapters written about him in Judges, and not much more than that, this is a very enlightening book. Gray dives really deep into how many mistakes Samson made, how he outright didn't live the life God called him to live, and how God used it anyway to advance His purposes.

[Kim Hampton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway. The author took the story of Samson, which on the surface seems like it's about a strong guy who whips people with a donkey's jawbone, gets his hair cut off and commits suicide by pulling a temple down on him and his enemies, and dug below the surface to reveal the rest of the story. Using the original Hebrew to make points, Brad Gray also discusses the culture of the time period, and how that would affect the events in the story. I loved this book, and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in Biblical studies, or in knowing more about a key character in the Bible.

[Charles Krouse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started off really strong, but wandered toward the middle and end. The beginning of the book provides an excellent introduction to the story of Samson. There is insightful information about the Samson’s mother, the requirements of being a Nazarite, and what the Bible means when it says that the “spirit of the Lord" visited Samson.

Unfortunately, after the first two chapters, the book’s content precipitously declines. The author observes that Samson did not forgive, Samson was not humble, and Samson was not surrounded by a community and friends. Although accurate observations, the author veers into tangential, extended sermons about each of these topics. For example, after he argues that Samson was not humble, it’s like he copied and pasted two or three sermons about humility into the book. There are pages and pages of content that have nothing to do about Samson but appear to be copy/paste sermons about a general topic.

I would say that this book is worth reading, because it does provide several interesting observations about Samson. Aside from the extended sermons, which I recommend skipping, the Samson content is excellent.

[Andy · Rating 2 out of 5]

consensus was this would have made a good pamphlet. Very repetitive. There were good points, however many were not really tied to Samson or Judges or Israel.
It was awakening to all of us in a sense that Samson was a despicable character versus how he is talked about in childrens bibles and sunday school. To read/re-read Judges 13-16 a handful of times was good and we also learned there is literally nothing outside of these 4 chapters in scripture plus the ambiguous name drop by Paul in Hebrews that talks about Samson.

[Matt · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author makes distorted claims throughout the book, but completely goes off the rails towards the end. It was as if he had a theory initially and then tried to make the story of Samson fit. This gets really ugly in the last few chapters. Everything he states before completely falls apart. I wish I could give this a 0.

[Jacob Gambill · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the detailed study of the story of Sampson. The problem is simply that this only spans a handful of chapters in the Bible. The book felt to be very drawn out because of this. Still, and educational read with lessons to be learned.

[Julia Wellham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to follow and I appreciated his insights, particularly about forgiveness. Definitely changes the way I look at the story of Samson.

[Abbey · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Abbie Chamberlain · Rating 3 out of 5]

FYS 2015, Prof Schoonveld

[PeaceCloud · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful Book!! Makes you think about life in a different way.

[Philip Christman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of Samson in the Bible has troubled me for many years. Gray's approach makes a great deal of sense, and the message of the book is a good one.The linguistic and historical background is helpful. Besides, Gray lives in my home town;how much better can you get? Highly recommended.

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such an enjoyable and informative read. Samson is a captivating character from the Bible, and his hubris has a way of frustrating the reader. But what Gray does here is help us realize that he's no different than us, and how we can live into our destiny the best way possible.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved this insight on Samson! always wondered about him! you get to choose what you do or not do with God's gifts. He gets the glory.