Samson, Israel’s Most Unique Judge

Transcript

GRS 2-55
2/4/2007
Samson, Israel’s Most Unique Judge
Judges 13-14
Gil Rugh

We’re studying the time of the Judges together and so if you turn your Bibles to Judges Chapter 13. Judges Chapter 13, we come perhaps to the most familiar of the people in the Book of Judges, familiar because from childhood, if you are raised in the church, you are probably told the story of Samson and Samson is along with Gideon. The two major figures in the Book of Judges, more time given and space given to Samson and Gideon than any other figures in the Book. Chapters 13, 14, 15, and 16 will be about Samson. Samson is the last judge dealt within the Book. There will be other individuals that come to the four in the Book of Judges, but they are not judges in Israel.

They relate to certain situations that took place, that show you something of the deteriorated spiritual condition of the nation during this time. But Samson is the last of the Judges considered. He is not the last judge. When we get to the Book of First Samuel and the opening Chapters you have Samuel, who among other capacities also serves as judge in Israel. Samson is probably, not just probably, but he is the most unique I believe of all the judges. He never commanded an army or a military force as he exercised his judgeship. He never had anyone joined him and helped in the battles with the enemies.

His work of defending Israel, defeating the Philistines were accomplished by his own feats of strength and personal axe of valor. By his actions he was able to keep the Philistines off guard, to keep them from being able assert their power and authority and a binding kind of way over Israel. But he does not really deliver Israel from the rule of the Philistines. Really what he does is weaken the rule of the Philistines and give Israel, if you will, some breathing space. But it will not be until the time of Samuel that the Philistines suffered defeat and even then it will not be a final defeat. In First Samuel, Chapter 7, verse 10 to 14, we’re told unto Samuel, Samuel’s leadership, the Philistines are defeated but they're not finally crushed until the time of David. And in Second Samuel Chapter 5, you have David's final defeating of the Philistines, breaking of their power.

The birth of Samson is the subjective Chapter 13 as miraculous. We see the Lord intervening during this time of spiritual decay in Israel’s history and he intervenes in remarkable ways. The pre-incarnate Christ is going to make another appearance. And he is personally going to speak to the parents of Samson, to tell them about his birth and God's plan for him before he is conceived. God makes known what he has planned for Samson and role that he is going to fulfill. You will note how Chapter 13 of Judges opens up, now the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord so that the Lord gave them into the hands of Philistines for 40 years.

This is the seventh time of apostasy recorded in the Book of Judges in that cycle. Go back to Chapter 3, let me just focus your attention as a reminder. Judges Chapter 3, verse 5, the sons of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, and all the various peoples of the land. Verse 6, they took their daughters for themselves as wives, gave their own daughters to their sons, served their gods. Keep that in mind, it's going to be part of Samson’s problem. Verse 7, the sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, forgot the Lord their God, served Baals in the Asheroth.

Then the anger of the Lord was kindred against them, he sold them into the hands of Cushan-rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia. So you see that Israel sinned, they're sold into bondage that was the first emphasis on that. Down in Chapter 3, verse 12; now the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord. The Lord strengthened Eglon, king of Moab, against Israel because they had done evil in the sight of the Lord. Verse 14, the sons of Israel served Eglon 18 years. Down in Chapter 4, verse 1, and you’re aware in the midst of this there is deliverance provided for Israel and I’m just reading you the time of apostasy again. Chapter 4 opens up; then the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord after Ehud died, and the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan. And so you have the cycle goes on.

Chapter 6, verse 1; then the sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, the Lord delivered them into the hands of Midian for seven years. Chapter 8, verse 33; then it came about as soon as Gideon was dead, the sons of Israel played hardly with Baals, and made Baal-berith their god. And cycle continues, Chapter 10, verse 6; then the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, served Baals and Asheroth, and the gods of the land, they forsook the Lord, didn’t serve him. So the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, he sold them into the hands of Philistines and to the hands of the sons of Ammon.

Now we come to Chapter 13, verse 1; the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord; he gave them into the hands of the Philistines 40 years. So the repeated cycle, seven of them particularly marked out in the Book of Judges as we have noted. The domination by the Philistines is long-term and we’ve noted it won’t be ended with the Judgeship of Samson and it’ll take till Samuel to really defeat the Philistines and then to the time of David, they ultimately crushed them and bring an end to their power over Israel. They’re going to be in bondage 40 years.

Samson is going to be the Judge Deliverer of the Israel for 20 years. So it’d be the last half of that 40 year period, really that Samson Judgeship, we’ll give some semblance of freedom from that power of the Philistines. Verses 2 to 7 talk about the situation of Samson’s birth. And again interesting how God prepares the way and what takes place. Situation here is similar to what we’ve seen in other situations. We have a husband and a wife and the wife is barren and has no children. Verse 2, certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah, his wife was barren, and had born no children.

And this situation we’re told anything about their spiritual life, no details, you come to verse 3, then the angel of the Lord appeared to the women and said to her, remember the angel of the Lord is the Pre-incarnate Christ and he directly appears on earth as the messenger of the Lord, the angel of the Lord. He’s not an angel with his nature but he is the angel of the Lord and sent, he is the messenger of the Lord and will be recognized as such in the context here. The angel of Lord appears to tell the wife of Manoah, of what is about to take place in her life. The angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, and four things he tells her. First, you’re going to have a son. Behold now, you are barren, have bore no children but you shall conceive, and give birth to a son.

Secondly, she is to abstain from wine, intoxicating drink, and anything unclean, verse 4. Now therefore be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing. Those things would be Mosaic Law marked out as unclean, the filing and thus not eligible for the children of Israel to eat. Third thing she is told, her son will be a Nazirite, and he’ll be a unique Nazirite for he will be Nazirite from the womb. In fact he will be a Nazirite from the time he is conceived and that’s why she is not to eat any strong drink, drink any strong drink, or eat unclean thing because he is devoted to the Lord from conception, interesting situation.

Behold, you shall conceiving, give birth to a son, no razor shall come upon his head: for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb: he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines. Fourth thing about her son is he would begin to deliver Israel from the Philistines. Now note, it doesn’t say he will deliver them, he will begin to deliver them. But he won’t finally accomplish that, as it mentioned. Samuel has to come into the picture for there to be a significant defeat of the Philistines that will happen in First Samuel 7. Being a Nazirite, it says in verse 5, he will be a Nazirite to God from the womb. The word Nazirite comes from a Hebrew word which means one who has separated or consecrated.

He will be a Nazirite to God when consecrated or separated, set apart for God from the womb. Now in Numbers, Chapter 6, I won’t go back there now, but in Numbers Chapter 6, the first 21 verses of that Chapter give instructions regarding Nazirite vows and a man or a woman could take a Nazirite vow. And so there you have this adult man or woman taking a Nazirite vow and during the time of that vow, they weren’t cut their hair, they weren’t drink strong drink; they didn’t touch a dead body or anything like that. So they were being separated off for a time for a special vow. The three requirements, abstain from all products with the wine and intoxicating drinks. So he couldn’t grape juice, we couldn’t drink wine, any product of the wine. The grapes, so whether it was fermented or non-fermented. That was the Nazirite during the time of their vow they had to abstain from that.

Their hair was not to be cut during the time of the vow. And number three, there could be no contact with the dead body. You’ve back and read numbers Chapter 6, if it happened you were standing there and somebody next to you had heart attack and fell over and touched you, then there were certain things you have to follow through on and to do because your vow had been broken because of the contact with the dead body. So during this time there was not to be any contact with the dead body. You know that, difference with Samson, in Numbers Chapter 6, the vow was taken by an individual for himself for a limited duration, this wasn’t lifetime, but committed himself with the Nazirite vow for a certain period of time and Samson had nothing to say about he is being a Nazirite.

God marked him out from the time of his conception and his Nazirite vow was lifetime. So he is Nazirite but he is a unique Nazirite. So don’t you read Numbers 6 about the vow of the Nazirite, you see Samson is in his own class even though God says it is a Nazirite. But he is a lifetime Nazirite and that is from conception. So his mother is not to part take of the food or the wine for example because now, from conceptions, Samson’s in her womb and so he is already a Nazirite, set apart from god, for god. And so she has observe these things not because she is a Nazirite but because the child she is carrying is viewed by God as a Nazirite while he is even in his womb, when he is separated for himself you see the sovereign authority of God clearly set down.

These days of Philistine domination of Israel are days of compromise, conformity to the world. Samson is the standout and separated and marked out from the world to be a special servant of the Lord in this time and that makes some of the things in Samson’s life especially disappointing. You’ll see that as we move along. The emphasis here in verse 5, and again in verse 7; verse 5, he will be a Nazirite to god. The end of verse 7, the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death. He is separated its trust, he is separated to God for God’s service and God’s purposes.

Now, what is happened is the angel of the Lord appeared to the wife of Manoah who would be the mother of Samson but Manoah is not there. So she comes and tells her husband, verse 6, a man of God came to me, his appearance was like the appearance of the angel of God, very awesome. I didn’t ask him where he came from and he didn’t tell me his name, I mean, she was know this person and as far as she knows at this point, he was perhaps a prophet of god. He was an awesome person and she is struck by his appearance in a manner but she refers to him as a man of God and he is brought a prophecy to me.

And so verse 7, she tells him, her husband Manoah, what the angel of the Lord told her. Well, then in verses 8 to 14, Manoah asked the Lord to send the man back that spoke to his wife so that he could get more information and the Lord does that. So verse 8, Manoah entreated the Lord, and said, O Lord, please let the man of God whom you have sent come to us again that he may teach us what to do for the boy who is to be born. In this context, Manoah is approaching just like we have a prophet and he accepts what his wife is said and heard from this man is true and from the Lord, a demonstration of significant faith here on both the part of Manoah’s wife and now Manoah, I mean, she is a barren woman.

And now have the stranger come out of nowhere, so to speak, no one they know, doesn’t know where he came from, doesn’t even know his name and he comes and says you’re going to have a child, and this is what the child would be like, and here’s what you’ve to do and she believes it, tells her husband and he believes. So he goes to Lord and say would please send that man back so he can give us more information. So there’s significant faith, when I talk a lot about the family, Manoah and his wife, spiritually but they do demonstrate faith here in trusting the Lord because, a miracle here.

Even this boy wasn’t that just the fact that now his wife is going to have a child, let no one everything else such been said about this child. It’s a remarkable event. So in verse 9, God listen to the voice of Manoah, the angel of God came to the women as she was sitting in the field, Manoah, her husband was not with her, interesting how the Lord chooses to do this. He comes back when no man is not around and speaks to the woman again. Now the woman ran quickly and told her husband, behold, the man who came the other day is appeared to me. Manoah gets up and runs with his wife, they came to the man and Manoah speaks, are you the man that spoke to the woman and the angel of the Lord says, I am.

Now note how Manoah picks this up, not like, I can’t believe what you said is true. What you said couldn’t happen, you understand my wife is barren, none of that’s in the conversation. He just says in verse 12, Manoah said, now when your words come to pass, there’s something about this person. Remember Manoah’s wife said in verse 6, his appearance was like the appearance of the angel of God, very awesome. And there’s something that Manoah is struck with the person that is before that there no doubt in his mind about the truthfulness what he said. So when you’ve said and the miracle takes place, my barren wife has a son, what would we do with the boy? What kind of a life should he have? What’s to be his vocation?

Well, the angel of the Lord said, let the woman pay attention to all I said. She should not eat anything that comes from the wine or drink strong drink nor eat anything unclean, better observe all that I commanded. First responsibility is she needs to do what I told her because this is key for the boy because, again, he will be a Nazirite from his conception. Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, verse 15, now note, she didn’t – there is no any additional information given here. Repeat, do what I told her and naturally the follow through that why she can’t take part of these things and do these things is because he will be a Nazirite. So it’s just reiterating there’s not a lot of additional information here about his life, what he’s to do and that other than you’ll be a Nazirite.

Verse 15, Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, please let us detain you so that we may prepare a young goat for you. The angel of the Lord said to Manoah, though you detain me, I will not eat your food but if you prepare a burnt offering, offer it to the Lord. For Manoah did not know that he was the angel of the Lord. At this point, he thinks in the presence perhaps of a prophet. He wants to provide a meal to honor the prophet but the angel of the Lord says, no, I won’t eat with you but if you want to offer a burnt offering, you could offer that to the Lord. In other words, he says over him, this is the message from the Lord and you can honor the Lord if you choose with the burnt offering. And if you want to do something but providing a meal for me, no, I won’t share in that with you.

So Manoah did not know, the end of verse 16, there was the angel of the Lord; Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, what is your name so that when your verse comes to pass we may honor you. Now you have asking for some personal information in light of this, as a prophet, I mean, he would be expected, he would be rewarded, you would honor him by providing for his physical needs with the meal and so on. He’s turned that down and told you can offer a burning offer unto the Lord if you want. Well, we can honor you with the meal, what is your name so that we can give you credit as the prophet, whose prophecy came true when all these things happen.

And the angel of the Lord, verse 18, says to him, why do you ask you my name, seeing it is wonderful? A remarkable statement and you have to remind yourself, here is a man living at his time of spiritual deterioration in Israel and the son of God is standing before him talking to him, he doesn’t know that it is the second person of the Trinity at this point but here is his conversation going on and when you ask the name, that also is to reveal something of the person and his character. And so now the angel of the Lord begins to reveal something, why would you ask my name, it is beyond your comprehension, it’s what he said. It’s wonderful, it’s incomprehensible, it’s beyond your understanding who I am, you’re not able to understand the mystery of the God who stands before you in the wonder of this person.

This word is used in Isaiah 9:6, a child will be born, a son will be given: and his name will be the mighty God, Wonderful Counselor, the word “wonderful,” again the one who is incomprehensible. Keep a marker there and just go over to Psalm 139 and see something of the significance of this name Wonderful. Psalm139; the Psalm must here writes, O Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up, you understand my thought afar; you scrutinize my path, my lying down and our intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, the O Lord, you know it all. You’ve enclosed me behind and before, and laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it’s too high, I can’t attain it.

How do you grasp the wonder of God and his knowledge? He knows every detail about me. You know when I sit down, you know when I get up, you know my thoughts before I have them. You scrutinize my path, my lying down, you’re in a clear acquaint with all my ways even before there’s a word on my tongue, not just my thoughts, you know them from a far or they come into my mind. You know my verse before I say them, I mean, such knowledge is too wonderful. You see, I can’t even enter into that, it’s beyond my comprehension, that’s the point. Back here, my name is Wonderful, as far beyond what you’re finite mind in able to grasp or understand.

So Manoah took the young goat with the green offering and offered around the rock to the Lord. So here you have what’s been going on. He has prepared what is necessary for the burnt offering. So now, he’s going to offer it to the Lord. So he places around the rock and he’s prepared to offer it. He performed wonders while Manoah and his wife looked on. So now the one whose name is Wonderful performs wonders and those things are beyond what the normal mind could expect or even comprehend. And what he does in verse 20; for it came about when the flame went up from the altar toward heaven that the Lord, angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar.

Remarkable, the angel of the Lord that burnt offering the flame is burning it up and here this one that they talk was a prophet just ascends in that flame up to heaven. And Manoah and his wife saw this and fell on their faces to the ground. Now the angel of the Lord did not appear to Manoah or his wife again. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of the Lord. And note verse 22; Manoah said to his wife, we will surely die for we have seen God. So they do have an understanding here, the angel of the Lord is the visible manifestation of the living god. And no one can see God in lives, so we must be going to die. Exodus 33:20, because you can’t see God live. Here we’ve seen god, we’re going to die.

We will surely die, we’ve seen god. Back up to Judges 6, very similar case with Gideon, remember. In Judges Chapter 6, verse 22; Gideon saw he was the angel of the Lord, he said, alas, O God for now I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face. The Lord said to him, peace to you do not fear, you shall not die. And what is happened just prior to that? The angel of the Lord, verse 21, verse 20, told him to put the meat, the unleavened bread, put them on the rock, pour out the broth. Then he touched the offering here with his staff, fire comes out of the rock, consumes the meat, the unleavened bread and the angel of the Lord vanishes from his sight, then Gideon realize as he has seen God and his immediate thought is I’m dead because that you won’t die. So very similar in that kind of situation – in that situation to what is happening to Manoah and his wife.

Back in Chapter 13, verse 24; his wife tells him, she seems to be the one with a little more spiritual depth here, she says, look, we’re not going to die. Verse 23; the Lord wouldn’t have accepted our offering, he wouldn’t have shown us all these things, he wouldn’t have told us these things if he intended to kill us, how’s this word going to come true if he kills us. You know sometimes you just have to stop and think, what the word is that. Verse 24, the woman gave birth to a son, named him Samson, the child grew up and the Lord blessed him. And the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him.

Samson is a man blessed and empowered by the Holy Spirit of God and this blessing of God and the Holy Spirit stirring him will take the form in Samson’s case of giving him massive supernatural physical strength so that he can do mighty acts of valor in defeating the Philistines. That’ the form that the empowering of the spirit will take here, I mean, he’s going to pick up jaw bone of an ass that skeleton portion, the skeleton left, and when he is Dan of killed a thousand Philistine soldiers what that is his only weapon, I mean, he was a remarkable man, be able to carry away the whole huge city gates on his back and walk up the hill with him, I mean, just remarkable. So this supernatural strength comes from the Lord to enable him to deliver Israel.

We come to Chapter 14. Samson’s grown up. So he take it when the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him now, he is a young adult. We’re told him, verse 24, he grew up like the way the scripture just condenses things. We’re not taught about what he understood about his birth. We know he knew he was a Nazirite and because of things that happened later. But now the spirit of Lord comes up on him, the Lord is ready to do with him what he is prepared him for from the fore birth. Chapter 14, we see something of the situation going on in Samson’s life. We get some insight into the situation in Israel and its relationship with the Philistines here.

The Philistines are ruling over Israel, down the end of verse 4 now, at that time the Philistines are ruling over Israel but there’s freedom of movement in Israel between their cities and even going to and fro from Philistine cities. So it’s not tight bondage. The Philistines are ruling but Jews like Samson have the ability to come and go from city to city even to go to Philistine cities and things like that. So they’re not even imprisoned in the sense of made slaves but they are under the authority of the Philistines and the Philistines naturally are using them to their advantage.

You’ll also see something in Chapter 14 of the weakness of the Samson that will ultimately bring about his destruction. He has a weakness for Philistine women and that will ultimately lead to his destruction as you’re familiar with the story. Chapter 14 opens up. Then Samson went down to Timnah, saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines. He came back, told his father, mother, I saw a woman in Timnah. He just gone over to city there and sees a Philistine woman and says get her for me as a wife, I like her. That’s about four miles from Samson’s hometown, gone over to Timnah. The parents are responsible to arrange the marriage as you’re aware.

So Samson tells his parents what he wants here that he wants a Philistine women for a wife. His parents say, verse 3, his father and mother said to him, is there never a woman among the daughters of your relatives or among all our people that you go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines? This is in direct conflict with what God had told his people. Just go to Deuteronomy Chapter 7, I know you’re familiar with the one but I want you to see where God said it, among other places we just go to one place. Deuteronomy 7, verse 3, furthermore you shall not intermarry with them, you shall not give your daughters to their sons nor you shall take their daughters for your sons.

And that’s in the context that Chapter opened up at Chapter 7; when the Lord you God brings you into the land where your enemy to possess it, you have all these people, you don’t intermarry with. So back in Chapter 14 of Judges, verse 3; then say his parents, look for a wife among our family within our tribe at least an Israelite woman. Samson’s response get her for me, she looks good to me. This is sort of sad to see this already. We haven’t had anything good about Samson to this point, we don’t know anything him except he grew up. Now the Spirit of the Lord begins to stir him, the next thing you know he is going after a Philistine wife for a wife. Three things I noted to characterize Samson in this situation.

Number one, disregard for the word of God, we just read it, the law. Secondly, a disregard for his parent’s advice, and thirdly, sadly, selfish concern for his own fleshly satisfaction. She’s appealing to me, I like her, she looks good. However, verse 4, his father and mother did not know that it was of the Lord, for he was seeking an occasion against the Philistines: now at that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel. So it’s an insight here. To tell you, the Philistines are the ones ruling over Israel. Israel’s come in this objection to the Philistines. Now the Lord is ready to stir a Deliverer.

The fact that this was of the Lord, does not mean it was the Lord moving Samson to disobey the word of God rather God was using Samson’s own sinful rebellion, sinful desires to accomplish his purposes. So we want to be careful here. It was of the Lord and the Samson – God is in control and remember, God even uses the sinful acts of man for the accomplishing of his purposes. Look over in First Kings, Chapter 12. And you turn in, remember we read in Psalm1 39 that always such knowledge is too wonderful for me, the Lord knows my thoughts before they come into my mind, knows the words I speak before they’re on my tongue. He knows everything I do, everything I think, everything I’m going to say.

This, God is offered and he is even sovereignly going to use Samson’s selfish sin for rebellion for the accomplishing of his work in delivering Israel. In First Kings Chapter 12, verse 15; and this has to do with the son of Solomon, Rehoboam and the splitting of the kingdom but we’re just in verse 15. So the king did not listen to the people for it was a turn of events from the Lord that he might establish his word which the Lord spoke through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. You see here, even Rehoboam’s stupidity and sinful rejection of the advice of his more mature advisors is under the control of the Lord, he’s not making Rehoboam do what he doesn’t want to do but he is using Rehoboam’s own sinful selfish desires for the accomplishing of his purposes.

So you come back to Chapter 14, verse 5; Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother came as far as the vineyards of Timnah, behold, a young lion. So they’re on their way down to Timnah we’re going to have the marriage and the weeklong celebration and so on. Samson’s going down, as they’re traveling along Samson may be goes off the road, cutting through the vineyards, his parents, maybe others travels along and as he is going through the vineyards, in that region a young lion came roaring toward him. Verse 6, the Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily. You’ve to underline that.

And in verse 25 of Chapter 13, the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him. Now the spirit of the Lord came up on him mightily and you see what happens here. It gives supernatural strength and he takes this young lion, meaning here you have a lion in the fullness of its strength, you just don’t have some aged, toothless lion on his way out who couldn’t attack any decent pray, you have a young lion here in the fullness of its strength and Samson just takes this lion’s legs and tears them in two like he would have go. Nothing, I mean, that’s a quite an act of strength, I mean, you see here you got to confront a lion, you know, you won’t have a weapon, bare handed. A lion come as easy prey; Samson just tears him in two. Why the Spirit of the Lord came up on him mightily.

You might just note down in Chapter 14, verse 19; then the Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily. Chapter 15, verse 14, second statement; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily. You know these times; the Spirit of Lord comes upon him for specific purpose to empower him for a special act and his role as a Deliverer of Israel. So he didn’t tell his parents what it happened. So that’s why say evidently separated along a way down as they’re going to Timnah, over to Timnah and they don’t know what’s happen. You think, man, I’ll be running home and running over and calling everybody, come, say, look I did this to this lion, look at this, not Samson. He doesn’t say anything. Verse 7, so he went down and talked to the woman and she looked good to Samson.

You know this emphasis on Samson likes what he sees; it appeals the lust of the eyes here. It doesn’t matter, this is a Philistine woman, don’t intermarry with these. And his parents have succumbed and to his wishes and when he went down, talked to the woman, she looked good to Samson, he return later to take her. Turn the side look at the carcass, so the arrangements have been made. Now come down for the formal ceremony and as he walking along he goes to look at the carcass of the lion that he killed. And behold, there was a swarm of bees and honey were in the body of the lion. So he just scoops out the honey and begins to walk on his way and as he goes he meets, goes over to his parents and they don’t know that he got this out of the carcass of lion and he gives some of the honey to them and they eat and go on down to the feast for the marriage.

Now let me just say something about taking the honey out of the carcass. This is a bad thing, this is defiling thing, some would say it would be a violation of his Nazirite vow because he’s touched the dead body. But it seems in the vow of the Nazirite, back in numbers 6, it is a physical body, a human being whose body is defiling, not the dead body of an animal. Back in Leviticus 21, verse 11; the priest in Israel had a similar restriction on them, they wouldn’t have contact with the dead body but if we’re referring to a dead body of human being because the priest in Israel were doing sacrifices all the time.

So they had continual contact with the bodies of animals but that wasn’t defiling but the head contact with a human body was defiling. So what seem here that having contact or eating honey from the carcass of the lion does not a defiling act because this is not a human body and that would be the restriction on the Nazirite, but it will the prepare the way for the riddle that he is going to tell that we’ll bring about one of his actions against the Philistines. So verse 10 is, father went down to the women, Samson made a feast there, the young men customarily did this. It’s a seven day long feast, celebrating this marriage and then on the seventh day the bride and groom go into the tent consummate the marriage. And that’s brings it to its final step.

You go down there and there are 30 young men provided from the Philistines to be the attendance if you will for Samson provided by the bride’s family for him as part of the procedure. Verse 11, when they saw him, they brought him thirty companions to be with him. So obviously these are close friends of Samson but they’re provided by the bride’s family and so these are Philistine men and this will create some of the problem. Samson proposes the challenge. Verse 12, let me propound a riddle to you, if you indeed tell to me within the seven days of the feast, find it out, then I’ll give you 30 linen raps and 30 changes of clothes. Now the linen raps are the garments wear enclose to the skin and then you have the clothes, we’re now over.

In debacle times everybody didn’t have walking closets, now the clothes, because remember these are hand mad items and so on. So this is quite an expensive undertaking here. You have to come up with each of these 30 men this complete change of clothes, that’s a costly thing for them. Well then, Samson said, if you can figure out my riddle, I’ll give you 30 changes of clothes, if you can’t you 30 men each will give me one that I’ll get 30. They said okay, tell us your riddle. He really don’t have any choice in the situations. So he said out of the eater came something to eat, out of the strong came something sweet. Now we’ve read the previous verse, we know the answer to the riddle but they didn’t know, they can’t figure it out.

After three days they’re getting nervous. So the fourth day, they said to Samson’s wife and she’s considered his wife because the commitment has been made, they marriage hasn’t been unconsummated but you’re in the process with the ceremony. This is his wife. Entice your husband, so that you will tell us the riddle or we will burn you and your father’s house with fire. Have invited us to impoverish us? Is this not so? I mean it’s a serious matter. They’re not just going there and say come on, see we can tell her, I say, here. If you don’t find out, we’re going to burn you and your family to death. What do you have to do? Drive us the poverty here. I mean, if we get invited to a marriage feast, and we’re going to end up poverty stricken. That’s not going to happen because we’re going to burn you and your whole family to death if you don’t find out the answer to this riddle. So Samson’s wife wept before him, you only hate me, you do not love me. Some things never change.

You have propounded a riddle to the sons of my people and that have not told to me. He said I haven’t even told my parents. So should I tell you, however she wept before him seven days while their feast lasted. So through every day, you got your bride here, balling, you don’t love me, you don’t love me. On the seventh day he told her because she pressed him so hard and she runs and tells the riddle to her people. Note that, to her people. He’s a Philistine, these are her people, all them here, you see, with the non-Philistine now marrying into the Philistines. So the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down. Well, what is sweeter than honey and what is stronger than a lion?

And that well-known response of Samson, if you had not plowed with my heifer, you would have not found out my riddle. He knows what happened. You got to my wife and my wife got to me. All right, so you have the answers. So what is Samson do? I’ll pay up. The Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him. You see here God is in charge. What’s Samson’s going to do with this terrible act of rage. He goes down to Ashkelon. Ashkelon, remember, familiar with the name of that city, one of the five major Philistine cities and he kills 30 men, took theirs foil and gave the changes of clothes to those who took the riddle and told the riddle.

His anger burnt, he went to his father’s house, but Samson’s wife was given to his companion who had been his friend like the best man ends up with the bride here. Now, note, the Spirit of Lord came upon him because, remember, the Philistines, God is ready to bring judgment on them. It don’t an act of murder. It will be like Gideon going out and killing the Midianites. These are the enemies of Israel, the enemies of god. Samson is acting in this case on God’s behalf and as this Spirit of God when enables in him, empowers him to kill 30 Philistines. And he strips off their clothes and then takes the clothes back and pays up the debt, here’s your 30 garments and he is enraged and he just leaves, he goes back home.

He doesn’t staying finish out, the feast doesn’t consummate to relationship with his wife but she is considered his wife, keep that in mind. But the father, this is a disgrace for the bride. She’s left standing at the altar as we would say it today. So the father gives her to the best man. It’s important because he’s going to create another occasion for Samson to be empowered by the spirit and there’s going to be destruction and mayhem and so on. Sort to say it, and we know the Spirit of God using Samson to bring about deliverance for Israel but there’s not much that you would like to see and yet interesting look keep in mind this, Samson will turn up in the men and women of faith in Hebrews Chapter 11.

so there’s things about Samson, we are disappointed in but he is a man who trusts God and there’s not a lot said about, some of that later we get a little bit more but he is a man God is using and he will be marked as a man of faith when we get to the Hebrews 11. Let me just summarize something of it come out of these two Chapters and then we’ll be done. I’ve noted a number of points; I’ll just mention them to you. Some important lessons from this much of Samson’s life. Number one, God does expect his people to separate. There’s something indicated in the act of the Nazirite here and not everybody in Israel which required to be a Nazirite.

The people of God were to be a separate people for him but in this context of the Nazirite vow, there’s a special emphasis in recognition of that. In the setting side of Samson is the marked him out the special person for God’s service and then marked him out as different during this time, marked off from normal things and that serves a special purpose. Now I think of Second Corinthians Chapter 6, the closing verses of that Chapter where quoting from the Old Testament come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord, touch not the unclean thing. That was god’s plan for Israel. The Nazirite vow just more sharply focused that. And a reminder that you are special people and these occasions provide a special emphasis for that that will always be the case for us.

Our goal is not to see how much like the world we can be, it’s not just to make ourselves look strange and different. Just to be with God is called is to be. Number two, the fullness of God’s character can’t be grasped finite minds. We never should have a casual familiarity with our god; we have an intimacy with our God but not that casual familiarity. He is God; he is the one who is wonderful. This is awesome that we have that relationship of intimacy that he dwells in us that we come with confidence before his throne to receive whatever we need, the throne of grace, and but there must always be that sense O and reverence for him even is manifest by Manoah and his wife when they realize they’ve been in the presence of God himself.

Third thing about Samson is the lust of the eyes and fleshly desires turn us away from God. You know, all that is in the world John wrote in his First Epistle, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life going to be careful. Then we’re not let us stray by these things, fleshly desires that only lead us into conflict with our God and ultimate sorrow. Point four, failure to heed the word of God saws seed of in our lives. It is easy to see in a man like Samson because we read in a confine step – setting, the beginning and the end. They say shake your head in such too bad.

All that potential, all that opportunity, why would he dabble in these things. You know when he is dabbling in these things, they’re giving him pleasure. She looks good to me. I’ve to minimize. There is joy and pleasure and satisfaction in sin, the problem is at the end is always ugly. Failure to hear the word of God, sows the seed of ruin in our lives. With this, number five, I’ve noted the rejection of the advice of godly parents is an indication of fleshly living and rebellion against the scripture. I don’t believe parents are responsible for their adult children. I don’t take the blame from my kids at this stage.

They’re grown up but nonetheless children need to be aware, young adult need to be aware. Here is Samson coming of admirable age, he should pay attention to the advice of godly parents. Your parents that have been privileged to speak face to face with the pre-incarnate Christ, be told of god’s plan for him, to remind him of the scripture, but he doesn’t heat.

Number six, and there’s a reminder. The all of a supernatural power does not a sure godly living. Samson had great power but didn’t get godly life. Sometimes we’re diluted by sin because we continue to use of God. Now we didn’t think our sin mustn’t be so bad, I mean, we see preachers, they’ve been preaching to find out there been in sin for years, grossing morality and things like that and we suck at this be, which you know what happens. It gets masked because, I’m sure, in their thinking that God using me. I mean, look what’s happening, look at the lives that have been impacted. There’s a danger for all of us. We think we’ll you know it’s not so bad. And the Lord still seem to be using me so my sin mustn’t be that serious and that’s how people get Lord further along, further along.

We sometimes look and say how could they do that, very easily, it’s not so far from what we can understand. It is sad but it’s not that understandable because we’ll find ourselves drawn to things that we know around, I mean, just in the little things. I treat my wife the way I should, my husband the way I should. So I function the way I well know but that’s not a big thing like this. No, but those little things have a way of eroding our character and leading us into things. So the fact is Samson, the spirit of Lord’s coming and finding him and he’s being used doesn’t change fact that those seeds destruction and areas of rebellion that have been sown in his life and they will end humanly speaking with the premature destruction of his life at an end of his ministry as a Judge.

And point seven goes with that. God’s blessing does not indicate god’s approval of unbiblical conduct. So I could have put those two together. Supernatural power does not a sure godly living, I mean, God provides the power to Samson but it’s not carried over in the way he lives and God’s blessing doesn’t indicate his approval of our conduct. God sometimes uses strange people and that’s true through scriptures. Well, I’m amazed the God would use it. We saw God used Devil, and again some mighty prophecies but he was not a godly man. Number eight, alliances with the world never work. The sons of God, the God’s children and the Devil’s children have nothing in common. Years ago, I was on a – in an interview program with a liberal pastor.

During the interview, he kept trying to make out like that we were had so much in common. Finally at towards the end of the program I said, you know, I want something to be very clear here before we go off the air, so and so and I have nothing in common theologically. We are model enemies when it comes to the things of God because just cannot blur these distinctions, the alliances with the world never work. Samson, perhaps the strongest man who ever lived, when the Spirit of God came upon him, a man uniquely used of God for 20 years but you just cannot make alliances with the world, little thing. You know, I’m Samson, I can tear a young lion in pieces.

What’s this your frail, good looking women going to do to me, I mean, not a big deal. I mean, maybe it’s not the best thing to do but there’s nothing at risk here, I mean, I could tear her into a hundred pieces. It’s just not a big deal but she’s – I’d say she’s going to be in Israel, right. We’ve read the last Chapter of Samson’s life and it’s sad. It’s did not a big thing. You’re Samson the Spirit of Lord come upon him and he’s going to take a woman to bring him to nothing because of what, you can’t make alliances with the world. God says come out from among them and be it separate, says the Lord, that’s not the unclean thing. I mean, you belong to me, you’ll live like you belong to me, your mind not your own. So at this point, there’re remarkable things about Samson but we see things in his life that don’t belong there.

So why would you even dabble in that. It isn’t interesting when you look at someone else’s saying you can always say, why would they get involved that, why were they do that. How is somebody else’s sin that has no excuse but on our own life we say, well, I don’t think that’s bad. Why don’t think? I’m sure we’ve talked to Samson, it’s no big thing, just a woman alike but God still using me, God’s powers still comes on me but you’re on the road to destruction, let’s play together. Thank you, Lord for Samson. Lord, something we don’t understand is seen to make no sense. They were remind of your offer, you used him, used me be an Israel rebellion to accomplish your purposes but how say it you would fail to realize the fullness of the blessing that might have been his for the life of obedience. We rejoice which use him even with his weaknesses and failures that he is considered as a man of faith, obviously he was a man who trusted you and because he trusted you, he did great things.

He was also a man who tolerated things in his life that brought about his ruin where that we will be careful to be a person. People that are trusting you, drawing up on your power, being reminded you can accomplish in and through us all you intend to and in all of this we need to be very careful to walk faithfully with you. Not tolerate those things that would be contrite your will, not attempt to make compromises that we think would be acceptable. I pray that would be true of the sin and the weakness before us. We pray in Christ’s name, amen.