Samson, Finishing Well | Judges 13-16

What are you doing with your God-given talents and abilities?

How do you hope to finish some 10, 20 or 40 years from now?

Illustration:

I heard of the most brilliant man ever born. At 18 months of age he was reading the New York Times. At 3, his father taught him the Greek alphabet and read homer in Greek. At the same time he taught himself to read Latin. By age 6, he spoke 7 languages fluently. He was a great mathematician. At age 9, he passed Harvard entrance exam. He was deemed too young to enter and Harvard made him wait until he was 11. He graduated from at 16, while teaching there parttime. His IQ was between 250 and 300, compare Einstein’s IQ only being 200. William James Sidis was his name. You have never heard of this man’s name. A man so brilliant who could learn anything under the sun and master it. He died in 1944 at age 46. What was he doing at the end of his life? He was working as a clerk doing menial duties in New York. William Sidis had wasted his life, refusing to accept responsibilities, turning down great opportunities, big salaries finally to die unknown, unheard of.

Great Talent, Wonderful Opportunities, Tremendous Capabilities. Started Well, But Did Not Finish Strong.

In Christian life too, it is not only how you start the race that matters but also how you finish. Are you progressing in your Christian life? How will you and I finish?

HF: This morning we are going to look at Samson, who did not finish well. We are going to learn how not to be like Samson, instead to finish strongly.

Open your Bibles to Judges 13. Judges is the period in the time in Israel after Joshua, 350 years until the reign of King Saul. Israel would sin and God would deliver them through a Israelite fighter. God rose military leaders who rescued Israel during this time knows as the time of Judges. During these 350 years there were 14 judges. Samson is Judge #12.

Judges 13:1 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, so the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years.

That is how all the judges narratives start where Israelites do evil and thy are punished by God. Then a deliverer is raised by God. That is the usual pattern. But here you have some more details of that rescuer.

Judges 13:2-3 ²A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was childless, unable to give birth. ³The angel of the Lord appeared to her.

Here is the first of 4 women in Samson’s life. Women #1 = A Godly Mother.

Judges 13:2-3 ³The angel of the Lord appeared to her and said, “You are barren and childless, but you are going to become pregnant and give birth to a son. ⁴Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean. ⁵You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”

Nazirite means “to separate.” Being a Nazirite describes separation for God. This is usually voluntary and usually for a specific period of time. Such a separation means at least 4 things:

• No drinking alcohol.
• No eating unclean things.
• No contact with unclean things, especially dead bodies.
• No cutting of hair.

This was to symbolise the life of separation to holiness.

But there were several unusual things about Samson’s Nazarite commitment, even his mother had to abstain from alcohol or unclean foods. It was not voluntary for Samson, it was lifelong from the womb to the grave. Samson’s Nazarite call was a total dedication by YAHWEH to YAHWEH for his work.

One Master, One Commitment, One Dedication To God And To God Alone.

We are called by our divine master for one total commitment, to him and to him alone, like Samson.

The Boy Is Born.

Judges 13:24 The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson.

Samson in Hebrew means “semes” which means “sun.”

So Samson is sun, sun child, bright sun, light, or sunny boy. There is so much of hope and brightness about this boy.

Fast Forward, Samson, Sun Boy Is Grown Up,

Judges 13:24b He grew and the Lord blessed him, ²⁵and the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him while he was in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

No other Judge in the entire book has got such a blessing. This was unique. He was stirred by the Spirit of the Lord.

So, Samson had all the advantages Right At His Birth.

• God Fearing Parents.
• God Appointed Conception.
• God Ordained Dedication.
• God Planned Destiny.
• God Given Blessing.
• God Bestowed Sprit.

What Will Samson Do With All These God Given Advantages?

Judges 14:1 Samson went down to Timnah and saw there a young Philistine woman.

This is the woman #2 in Samson’s life. He saw a young Philistine woman.

Judges 14:2-3 ²When he returned, he said to his father and mother, “I have seen a Philistine woman in Timnah; now get her for me as my wife.”

Now, Samson wants to marry a Philistine woman. No Israelite was ever to marry a foreigner. But Samson was not just an Israelite, he was an Nazirite, dedicated to God. He should have known better. Did he care, no. But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me. She’s the right one for me.” In the ancient world, it was the parents who were to arrange the marriage. But Samson likes a woman of his choice.

Why did Samson want to marry this woman? He met a girl from the neighbouring town. Geography + hormones has resulted in a relationship. You end up in a relationship with people in your geography and then the hormones hit you.

Do Not Search For Your Partner In The Wrong Place.

Who cares about God? “I want this Philistine woman and I want her now because she looks right in my eyes.”

• Samson’s Misplaced Geography.
• Samson’s Misplaced Gaze.
• His Misaligned Pleasure.
• His Mistaken Assessment.

Judges 14:3 His father and mother replied, “Isn’t there an acceptable woman among your relatives or among all our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife?” But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me. She’s the right one for me.”

The parents seem to have an inability to say no to Samson. Samson gets what Samson wants. The parents object to it, Samson overrides objection and he gets what he wants.

Points For Young People

1. Do Not Search For Your Partner In The Wrong Place.
2. Looks Can Be Deceiving. You will ruin your life if you marry someone who doesn’t love the Lord.
3. Listen To Wise Counsel. You will ruin your life if you don’t listen to those who are giving you godly advice.
4. God Never Fails To Reveal Red Flags.

You will ruin your life if you live by your emotions.

Anyhow Samson goes to Timnah to arrange the wedding.

Judges 14:5 Samson went down to Timnah together with his father and mother. As they approached the vineyards of Timnah.

Wait. What is Samson doing hanging around the vineyards? As a Nazarite he was forbidden to consume any product of the grape or fermented drink. He is I suppose just there to look at the grapes or smell the grapes.

Fast-forward to his wedding. During his wedding Samson puts on a feast for his guests.

Judges 14:10 Now his father went down to see the woman. And there Samson held a feast, as was customary for young men.

Feast in the Hebrew word “mshthe” means “to drink.” So we get a sense that this feast probably included some choice drinks. So what is this Nazarite man doing, organizing a feast of drinking in his wedding?

There Goes His First Commitment To God.

Let me summarize the rest of the wedding story to you. I am sure you know that.

On the way to arrange his wedding with the Philistine woman, Samson encounters a lion. He kills it with his bare hands and later on during his way back, he finds honey bees in the lion’s carcass.

Judges 14:8-9 ⁸Some time later, when he went back to marry her, he turned aside to look at the lion’s carcass, and in it he saw a swarm of bees and some honey. ⁹He scooped out the honey with his hands and ate as he went along. When he rejoined his parents, he gave them some, and they too ate it. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion’s carcass.

• He first consumed wine.
• Now he proceeds to eat food contaminated by a dead animal.
• He is beginning to hide things from his parents.

There He Fails In His Second Instruction Form God.

Back to the wedding feast:

Samson poses a riddle to his Philistine guests. The bet was that the loser would give the winner a set of 30 fine clothes. The Philistines were clueless.

Judges 14:12-17 ¹²“Let me tell you a riddle,” Samson said to them. “If you can give me the answer within the seven days of the feast, I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes. ¹³If you can’t tell me the answer, you must give me thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.”

“Tell us your riddle,” they said. “Let’s hear it.”

¹⁴ He replied,

“Out of the eater, something to eat;

out of the strong, something sweet.”

For three days they could not give the answer.

¹⁵On the fourth^[ day, they said to Samson’s wife, “Coax your husband into explaining the riddle for us, or we will burn you and your father’s household to death. Did you invite us here to steal our property?”

(The world says: If you cannot get it through the man, go through the wife, not recommended.)

¹⁶Then Samson’s wife threw herself on him, sobbing, “You hate me! You don’t really love me. You’ve given my people a riddle, but you haven’t told me the answer.

Why are tears so powerful?

A woman cries and the big strong man Samson is helpless to a woman’s tears.

Judges 14:16b ” I haven’t even explained it to my father or mother,” he replied, “So why should I explain it to you?”

Tips For Married People

Couple Tip 1: Don’t Bring Your Father And Mother Into Your Fight.

This is the voice of experience. You don’t even bring her father and mother into your fight. By telling this he has just placed her under his father and mother. First you deal with your spouse, if you are not getting any headway, then involved others.

Judges 14:17-18 ¹⁷She cried the whole seven days of the feast. So on the seventh day he finally told her, because she continued to press him. She in turn explained the riddle to her people.

The Philistines get the answer from Samson’s wife. So Samson loses the bet.

¹ Before sunset on the seventh day the men of the town said to him,

“What is sweeter than honey?

What is stronger than a lion?”

Samson said to them,

“If you had not plowed with my heifer (cow),

you would not have solved my riddle.”

Couple Tip 2: Never Compare Your Spouse.

Judges 14:19-20 ¹⁹Then the Spirit of the Lord (Spirit of God gave special gifts to people in the OT. When the Spirit left Saul, the gifting of the king left Saul.) came powerfully upon him. He went down to Ashkelon, struck down thirty of their men, stripped them of everything and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. Burning with anger, he returned to his father’s home. ²⁰And Samson’s wife was given to one of his companions who had attended him at the feast.

Couple Tip #3: Control Your Anger When Upset.

Samson was angry because his wife betrayed him. In those days’ context, on marriage, you had a friend who is like your best man. So basically, if the husband bails out, the best man marries the woman and she is protected.

Couple Tip #4: Do Not Walk Out Of The Marriage Covenant.

So his marriage does not work out and he gives her to his best man and Samson goes home. This is a disaster.

He has paid off the bet. But guess what, now he has encountered 30 dead bodies, he has stripped them of their clothes. This is not a war for the Lord of Israel to deliver Israel from its enemies, but just on a personal wimp of revenge.

There goes his third commitment against God:

• Alcohol
• Unclean food.

He is slipping away from his magnificent calling. He is wasting his supernatural strength and turning away from his heavenly assignment.

Couple Tip #5: Do not take Revenge. 15:1, 7

Let’s fast-forward to the final chapter of Samson’s life.

Judges 16:1 One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute. He went in to spend the night with her.

That is woman #3 in his life. He saw her

He went to the place, he saw her, and he had relationship with her without any thought as if it was the most routine and the normal thing to do.

²The people of Gaza were told, “Samson is here!” So they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the city gate. They made no move during the night, saying, “At dawn we’ll kill him.”

³But Samson lay there only until the middle of the night. Then he got up and took hold of the doors of the city gate, together with the two posts, and tore them loose, bar and all. He lifted them to his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron.

Samson’s Strength:

Judges 16:4 Sometime later, he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah.

This is woman #4.

There is no mention of “see” in this passage, but it is told that Samson loved her.

• So woman #1 was his mother, a God-fearing lady.
• Woman #2 he saw and married.
• Woman #3 he saw and committed adultery.
• Woman #4 he falls in love.

Something is different, this is love. It is charm.

The woman’s name – Delilah.

This comes from the root Hebrew word “lilah” which means night.

Delilah is the night woman. Sunny boy and the night woman. This is not a good place to be in. The sun never meets the night, when sun meets darkness, darkness is dispelled but in this case the darkness of lilah covers the sunshine of Samson.

You know the rest of the story. The Philistines offered Delilah money to find out Samson’s source of strength. So this woman tries 4 times. Woman #4 tries 4 times for Samson to reveal his secret.

See the first attempt by Delilah:

Judges 16:6-7 ⁶So Delilah said to Samson, “Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued.” ⁷Samson answered her, “If anyone ties me with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, I’ll become as weak as any other man.”

See his statement – I will become weak as any other man.

Samson was bluffing. Delilah ties him with seven fresh bowstrings when he is asleep but they are not binding him when he wakes.

So Delilah tries again, attempt #2.

Judges 16:10-11 ¹⁰Then Delilah said to Samson, “You have made a fool of me; you lied to me. Come now, tell me how you can be tied.” ¹¹He said, “If anyone ties me securely with new ropes that have never been used, I’ll become as weak as any other man.”

See “I’ll become weak as any other man.” This was a lie too. It did not succeed against Samson.

So Delilah comes back with attempt #3.

Judges 16:13-14 ¹³Delilah then said to Samson, “All this time you have been making a fool of me and lying to me. Tell me how you can be tied.” He replied, “If you weave the seven braids of my head into the fabric on the loom and tighten it with the pin, I’ll become as weak as any other man.” So while he was sleeping, Delilah took the seven braids of his head, wove them into the fabric ¹⁴ and tightened it with the pin.

See, “I’ll become like any other man.” This was a lie too. Weaving his hair into the fabric did not hold him captive and Samson escapes again.

Attempt #4. The first three times failed, but the fourth time he reveals his secret.

Judges 16:15-17 ¹⁵Then she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when you won’t confide in me? (manipulation) This is the third time you have made a fool of me and haven’t told me the secret of your great strength.” ¹⁶With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was sick to death of it. ¹⁷So he told her everything. (In the fourth time Samson told her everything. This time he is going to reveal all. Women #4, attempt #4) “No razor has ever been used on my head,” he said, “because I have been a Nazirite dedicated to God from my mother’s womb. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man.”

Attempt #1: 16:7 Samson says, “If anyone ties me..” That is imperfect tense in the Hebrew Bible.

Attempt #2: 16:11 Samson says, “If anyone ties me…” Again that is imperfect tense in the Hebrew.

Attempt #3: 16:13 Samson says, “If you weave the seven braids of my hair…” It is an imperfect tense.

Attempt #4: 15:17 Samson says, “If my head were shaved..” It is the perfect tense in the Hebrew.

The fourth time for the fourth woman, Samson reveals his secret. Even the writer’s tenses talk about Samson’s disloyalty and infidelity to God.

There goes his 4^th commitment.

Why not?

• I have consumed alcohol. I have my strength.
• I have touched a dead body.
• I have consumed unclean food.
• Why not I have a haircut too?
• Who cares for God?

See what Samson says: Judges 16:17 If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man.

“I would become as weak as any other man.” Four times he tells the truth about himself, “I want to be like every other man.” This is what was driving Samson all along. He did not want to be special. He did not want to be set apart. He did not want to do anything with Israel. He did not want to be a Nazirite. He did not want to be a judge. He did not want to be a leader. He did not want anything to do with God. He wanted out. He wanted to be like any other man.

• This Was A Renunciation Of His Calling.
• A Repudiation (Refusal To Accept) Of His Dedication.
• A Resignation Of His Nazirite Purpose.
• This Was Defection.
• He Had Thrust God Out.
• He Had Said “No” To God On The Face.
• He Was Washing His Hands Of All His Purpose That God Had For Him.
• He Wanted Things His Way And His Pleasure.

He wanted to be like every man out there, enjoying his women, doing what he wanted, throwing family, tribe, nation and God to the wimps.

Will You And I Defect From God’s Calling?

We God’s children are called to be the light in a dark world. We are called to be influencing the world for Christ. We have the light of God in us. Will you like Samson, snuff out the light and live in darkness? Will you end like Samson? Will we renounce our responsibility and live like the world?

You know the story of Samson.

His hair is cut. He loses his strength. He is captured by the Philistines. They gorge his eyes out. One day they bring him out, bound, captive for display and for sport during a festival. Samson after one final plea to God for strength brings down the Philistine temple building by toppling its pillars to which he was chained.

Judges 16:30 Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived.

Notice what Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.”

• Samson Saw The Philistine Women.
• Samson Loved The Philistine Women.
• Samson Laid With The Philistine Women.
• Now, Samson Dies With The Philistines.

The only judge in the entire book of judges to die in an encounter with the enemy.

Samson’s sun had set. Israel was now in darkness. There will be no rest for the land. All that remains in the book is gross idolatry and civil war.

Conclusion:

How are you and I doing with our Salvation?

How are you and I doing with our calling?

How will you and I finish?

We started well when we came to Christ.

We trusted Jesus for our salvation.

We continued well. Used to come to church, used to come for meetings, fasting, care cell. How is your life now? How will you finish?

Will you defect like Samson?

Instead, today will you God’s people commit to never defecting?

Will you commit never ever to defect form God’s calling in your life?

Will you commit to fight the good fight of faith wherever God places us, whatever circumstances we go through in life?

Will you commit to finish strong?.

We do not want to finish like Samson: Broken, Blinded, Busted, Blacklisted, Bruised.

Illustration: I got a haircut last week. As I was preparing this message and sitting at my chair I was thinking, “Haircut yes, Don’t be a Samson. Never Defect.” “Haircut yes, Don’t be a Samson. Never Defect.”

Every time you go to your barber, hair stylist, or a spa, let it go through your mind. “Haircut yes, Don’t be a Samson. Never Defect.”

Men and women, God’s people, let’s finish well. Jesus Christ said, “It is finished.”

Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:7-8 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, all award me on that day-and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

May God through his Holy Spirit strengthen you all my brothers and sisters as you go out into the world to finish well for Jesus.