Heroes? Samson
Judges 13:1-5
Again the Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord handed them over to the Philistines, who oppressed them for forty years.
In those days a man named Manoah from the tribe of Dan lived in the town of Zorah. His wife was unable to become pregnant, and they had no children. The angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah’s wife and said, “Even though you have been unable to have children, you will soon become pregnant and give birth to a son. So be careful; you must not drink wine or any other alcoholic drink nor eat any forbidden food. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and his hair must never be cut. For he will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. He will begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines.”
Many of us know the story of Samson. It falls within the pre-king history of the people of Israel, during the time of the judges. You remember the pattern that the people fell into: when they had a good leader, things were good and they had peace, but as soon as the leader died, they turned away from God and sinned. Then God would allow them to be overpowered by their enemies. Then finally they would cry out to the Lord, who would send deliverance in the form of another leader.
We see in Judges 13 the story of the birth of Samson. Many of you already know about Samson and his great strength. You might also know about his relationship with Delilah. But what you may not know is the rest of the story. I want to read Judges 13:1-3.
One day when Samson was in Timnah, one of the Philistine women caught his eye. When he returned home, he told his father and mother, “A young Philistine woman in Timnah caught my eye. I want to marry her. Get her for me.”
His father and mother objected. “Isn’t there even one woman in our tribe or among all the Israelites you could marry?” they asked. “Why must you go to the pagan Philistines to find a wife?”
But Samson told his father, “Get her for me! She looks good to me.”
Delilah was not Samson’s first conquest. He first went after a Philistine woman named Timnah. Proverbs 25:28 tells us that, “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.” In his relationships, Samson demonstrated that he had no self-control. He saw, he wanted, he got. He never listened to anyone’s counsel when it came to women.
Samson also ignored God’s command to stay apart from the Philistines —this wasn’t about the fact that they were foreigners; it was about the fact that they worshiped foreign gods! Timnah and Delilah had this in common; they did not worship God. Samson also violated his Nazirite vows by spending his time at drunken parties. Eating honey he found in a lion’s carcass was also against his Nazirite vows.
The issue is not with Samson’s specific sins. The issue is that Samson paralleled Israel. Just as Samson was tempted by foreign women, Israel was tempted by foreign gods. Just as Samson failed to live a holy life, so did Israel. It can be easy to point fingers at people who commit certain sins, but the reality is, all sin separates us from God.
Many of you know that Samson experienced the consequences of his unfaithful life. Delilah tricked him into telling the secret of his strength, and when he did, the Philistines shaved his hair. He was mocked, blinded and shackled and made to grind grain in the prison mill.
Now the lords of the Philistines gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to rejoice, and they said, “Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hand.” And when the people saw him, they praised their god. For they said, “Our god has given our enemy into our hand, the ravager of our country, who has killed many of us.” And when their hearts were merry, they said, “Call Samson, that he may entertain us.” So they called Samson out of the prison, and he entertained them. They made him stand between the pillars. And Samson said to the young man who held him by the hand, “Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, that I may lean against them.” Now the house was full of men and women. All the lords of the Philistines were there, and on the roof there were about 3,000 men and women, who looked on while Samson entertained.
Then Samson called to the Lord and said, “O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes.” And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other. And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.” Then he bowed with all his strength, and the house fell upon the lords and upon all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life. Then his brothers and all his family came down and took him and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had judged Israel twenty years. (Judges 16:23–31)
What does this all have to do with us?
We might think of Samson and his Nazirite vow as someone unusual, held to a higher standard, but God calls every Christian to live a holy life — 1 Peter 1:16 references Leviticus 11:44 where God tells his people, “Be holy, because I am holy.” Samson took a Nazirite vow. The word Nazirite means “to be separated” — which has the same meaning of the word “holy” or “sanctified.”
Samson did not live a holy, separated, or sanctified life. There are many people who live most of their lives for the Lord, but they fail to set apart their relationships. They go to church. They volunteer, even lead. But their lives are riddled with sin. Some are abusive. Gender-based violence is even a problem in our churches here in Zambia, as Christian husbands fail to live holy lives at home. Some young men are so desperate for a woman’s love and affection or so inflamed by lust that they will do anything to get this woman. In Samson’s case, he ignored the counsel of God and his parents. He had no self-control. He had no self-discipline.
Remember that you do not have to be perfect to accomplish God’s will. God calls us to be open, available, humble, and growing in spiritual maturity as evidenced by the Fruit of the Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. We are CHRISTIANS. We are not just Christians during church services. We are not just Christians when we are surrounded by our church mates. We are not just Christians when things are going according to plan and are very convenient for us. The life of a Christian is a life of overcoming. It is NOT a life of conforming. Any dead fish can swim down a river, but it takes a live and strong fish to go against the current. In the same way that it takes an active, zealous, and faithful Christian to go against the influence of this world and eventually be part of God’s Kingdom.
If we are going to live holy sanctified lives, we must ask ourselves these questions:
“When am I going to decide and give 100% of all my mind, heart, and strength to God?”
“What are the things that easily ensnare me and prevent me from surrendering my life to Him?”
“Whose counsel am I listening to?”
“How can I practice self-discipline? What areas in my life need discipline?”
When you’ve asked these questions, then it’s time to put into practice those answers that God gives you!
Again the Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord handed them over to the Philistines, who oppressed them for forty years.
In those days a man named Manoah from the tribe of Dan lived in the town of Zorah. His wife was unable to become pregnant, and they had no children. The angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah’s wife and said, “Even though you have been unable to have children, you will soon become pregnant and give birth to a son. So be careful; you must not drink wine or any other alcoholic drink nor eat any forbidden food. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and his hair must never be cut. For he will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. He will begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines.”
Many of us know the story of Samson. It falls within the pre-king history of the people of Israel, during the time of the judges. You remember the pattern that the people fell into: when they had a good leader, things were good and they had peace, but as soon as the leader died, they turned away from God and sinned. Then God would allow them to be overpowered by their enemies. Then finally they would cry out to the Lord, who would send deliverance in the form of another leader.
We see in Judges 13 the story of the birth of Samson. Many of you already know about Samson and his great strength. You might also know about his relationship with Delilah. But what you may not know is the rest of the story. I want to read Judges 13:1-3.
One day when Samson was in Timnah, one of the Philistine women caught his eye. When he returned home, he told his father and mother, “A young Philistine woman in Timnah caught my eye. I want to marry her. Get her for me.”
His father and mother objected. “Isn’t there even one woman in our tribe or among all the Israelites you could marry?” they asked. “Why must you go to the pagan Philistines to find a wife?”
But Samson told his father, “Get her for me! She looks good to me.”
Delilah was not Samson’s first conquest. He first went after a Philistine woman named Timnah. Proverbs 25:28 tells us that, “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.” In his relationships, Samson demonstrated that he had no self-control. He saw, he wanted, he got. He never listened to anyone’s counsel when it came to women.
Samson also ignored God’s command to stay apart from the Philistines —this wasn’t about the fact that they were foreigners; it was about the fact that they worshiped foreign gods! Timnah and Delilah had this in common; they did not worship God. Samson also violated his Nazirite vows by spending his time at drunken parties. Eating honey he found in a lion’s carcass was also against his Nazirite vows.
The issue is not with Samson’s specific sins. The issue is that Samson paralleled Israel. Just as Samson was tempted by foreign women, Israel was tempted by foreign gods. Just as Samson failed to live a holy life, so did Israel. It can be easy to point fingers at people who commit certain sins, but the reality is, all sin separates us from God.
Many of you know that Samson experienced the consequences of his unfaithful life. Delilah tricked him into telling the secret of his strength, and when he did, the Philistines shaved his hair. He was mocked, blinded and shackled and made to grind grain in the prison mill.
Now the lords of the Philistines gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to rejoice, and they said, “Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hand.” And when the people saw him, they praised their god. For they said, “Our god has given our enemy into our hand, the ravager of our country, who has killed many of us.” And when their hearts were merry, they said, “Call Samson, that he may entertain us.” So they called Samson out of the prison, and he entertained them. They made him stand between the pillars. And Samson said to the young man who held him by the hand, “Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, that I may lean against them.” Now the house was full of men and women. All the lords of the Philistines were there, and on the roof there were about 3,000 men and women, who looked on while Samson entertained.
Then Samson called to the Lord and said, “O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes.” And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other. And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.” Then he bowed with all his strength, and the house fell upon the lords and upon all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life. Then his brothers and all his family came down and took him and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had judged Israel twenty years. (Judges 16:23–31)
What does this all have to do with us?
We might think of Samson and his Nazirite vow as someone unusual, held to a higher standard, but God calls every Christian to live a holy life — 1 Peter 1:16 references Leviticus 11:44 where God tells his people, “Be holy, because I am holy.” Samson took a Nazirite vow. The word Nazirite means “to be separated” — which has the same meaning of the word “holy” or “sanctified.”
Samson did not live a holy, separated, or sanctified life. There are many people who live most of their lives for the Lord, but they fail to set apart their relationships. They go to church. They volunteer, even lead. But their lives are riddled with sin. Some are abusive. Gender-based violence is even a problem in our churches here in Zambia, as Christian husbands fail to live holy lives at home. Some young men are so desperate for a woman’s love and affection or so inflamed by lust that they will do anything to get this woman. In Samson’s case, he ignored the counsel of God and his parents. He had no self-control. He had no self-discipline.
Remember that you do not have to be perfect to accomplish God’s will. God calls us to be open, available, humble, and growing in spiritual maturity as evidenced by the Fruit of the Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. We are CHRISTIANS. We are not just Christians during church services. We are not just Christians when we are surrounded by our church mates. We are not just Christians when things are going according to plan and are very convenient for us. The life of a Christian is a life of overcoming. It is NOT a life of conforming. Any dead fish can swim down a river, but it takes a live and strong fish to go against the current. In the same way that it takes an active, zealous, and faithful Christian to go against the influence of this world and eventually be part of God’s Kingdom.
If we are going to live holy sanctified lives, we must ask ourselves these questions:
“When am I going to decide and give 100% of all my mind, heart, and strength to God?”
“What are the things that easily ensnare me and prevent me from surrendering my life to Him?”
“Whose counsel am I listening to?”
“How can I practice self-discipline? What areas in my life need discipline?”
When you’ve asked these questions, then it’s time to put into practice those answers that God gives you!
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