Lessons from Samson
When we think about Samson, we probably all think about his great physical strength, how he was betrayed by Delilah, to have his haircut and so lose his strength and be captured. Reminds me of this story
A teenage boy had just passed his driving test ...
... and asked his father as to when they could discuss his use of the car.
His father said he'd make a deal with his son, "You bring your grades up from a C to a B average, study your Bible a little and get your hair cut. Then we'll talk about the car" The boy thought about that for a moment, decided he'd settle for the offer and they agreed on it.
After about six weeks his father said, "Son, you've brought your grades up and I've observed that you have been studying your Bible, but I'm disappointed you haven't had your hair cut."
The boy said, "You know, Dad, I've been thinking about that, and I've noticed in my studies of the Bible that Samson had long hair, John the Baptist had long hair, Moses had long hair, and there's even strong evidence that Jesus had long hair.”
The father responded, "Did you also notice that they all walked everywhere they went?"
There is so very much more to this story of Samson in Judges than long hair and his strength, in fact the more I study it I think I am missing something very important in this account. Actually it’s not a case of I don’t think there is something important I’m missing- I know there is. But what I’m going to do today is share with you what I’ve learned so far. Clearly it’s a work in progress.
Keep in mind this happened about 1000 BC. I’m not sure if you know but, Samuel and Eli were contemporaries of Samson so there is an overlap with Judges and 1 Samuel. At this time the Philistines and not the people of Israel were more technologically advanced particularly in the smelting of iron and the production of iron products. So from a military point of view they had the weapons, they had the tools and not the Jews. So the Jews traded with them and depended upon them. Reminds me of Australia’s relationship with China! Similar concerns. Anyway Israel adopted (at times) some of the Philistine ways and culture which was paganistic. Because of this Philistine superiority in terms of iron weapons and tools etc., they were potentially an existential threat to Israel
Judges 13:1
13 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.
There’s that number 40 again- 40 means testing (Jews were 40 years in the desert, 40 days Noahs flood, Jesus fasted 40 days), then there was a new start and Samson was that new start.
When you look at the announcement of his birth and how God repeatedly reveals Himself to Samson, and does miracle after miracle in his life its astounding and he is up there with the most famous of prophets and yet it appears it amounts to very little. Many regard him as a failure, because while God gave him all this physical ability and he was able to kill a few thousand Philistines (generally when in a rage), he did everything as a solitary person. He did not develop a united force against the Philistines, he did not seem to draw Israel closer to God, he treated his parents with disrespect and when he died the Philistines were as much of a threat as before. And yet despite all this he is mentioned by Paul in the “hall of faith” in Hebrews 11:32-33
2 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,…”
One thing is for sure if he is in this hall of faith he is not a failure! So let’s look at this man that God uses.
Yes a man with many faults- who doesn’t – but who has a specific God given purpose in his life- who doesn’t!
Let’s start off with his birth
Judges 13:2-5 2 A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was childless, unable to give birth. 3 The 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. 4 Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean. 5 You 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.”
If someone’s birth is being announced by an angel- you know there is something very special about them, it only happened for very few people including Jesus himself. But take note of that last sentence…” He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.” That is God’s intended purpose in Samson’s life and that is exactly what he did. So not a failure at all.
The angel of the Lord appears again to the parents and what happens next is something to me very very special
Judges 13:13-21 New King James Version
13 So the Angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “Of all that I said to the woman let her be careful. 14 She may not eat anything that comes from the vine, nor may she drink wine or similar drink, nor eat anything unclean. All that I commanded her let her observe.”
15 Then Manoah said to the Angel of the Lord, “Please let us detain You, and we will prepare a young goat for You.”
16 And the Angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “Though you detain Me, I will not eat your food. But if you offer a burnt offering, you must offer it to the Lord.” (For Manoah did not know He was the Angel of the Lord.)
17 Then Manoah said to the Angel of the Lord, “What is Your name, that when Your words come to pass we may honor You?”
18 And the Angel of the Lord said to him, “Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful?”
19 So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering, and offered it upon the rock to the Lord. And He did a wondrous thing while Manoah and his wife looked on— 20 it happened as the flame went up toward heaven from the altar—the Angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar! When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell on their faces to the ground. 21 When the Angel of the Lord appeared no more to Manoah and his wife, then Manoah knew that He was the Angel of the Lord.
When we see that word LORD in capitals like this we know we are talking about the second person of the Godhead- Jesus himself. Notice what His name is… Wonderful!
Is 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
In this amazing event He ascends to heaven in the flame of the altar! Samson must be a special man!
Judges 14:1-4 Samson’s Marriage
14 Samson went down to Timnah and saw there a young Philistine woman. 2 When 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.”
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.” 4 (His parents did not know that this was from the Lord, who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines; for at that time they were ruling over Israel.)
Immediately we see some of the flaws in Samson’s character which lead to a multitude of problems for him and are at the same time learning points for us.
The way he speaks to his parents .. “I have seen a Philistine woman in Timnah ;now get her for me…” should not have been acceptable then and should not be acceptable now. Unfortunately they accept it as we do sometimes and so he not only repeats the behaviour but steps up the demand…” Get her for me. She’s the right one for me”. When you overrule the wisdom and the boundaries set by your parent’s trouble will be your companion. Speaking particularly to the ladies now, boundaries are not boundaries if they are not enforced and by definition then this may require us to be forceful
Matthew 11:12
12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing and forceful men lay hold of it.
We need to lay hold of it!
Then look how is speaks to God after he kills a thousand men
Judges 15:18-19 NIV
18 Because he was very thirsty, he cried out to the Lord, “You have given your servant this great victory. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” 19 Then God opened up the hollow place in Lehi, and water came out of it. When Samson drank, his strength returned and he revived.
That does not sound very respectful to me to talk God like that? Yet God opens up a “hollow” and water comes out of it! What a miracle- again! Samson has a lot to learn- but is he teachable? - are we?
Samson sees something and he wants it. David did the same didn’t he?-but David repented. Samson as we see now and later on is not only driven by his desires he is impulsive. He ignores his parent’s requests, and certainly does not ask God for guidance in the different situations he finds himself in. Contrast this with Abrahams servant getting a wife for Isaac
Genesis 24:12-14
12 Then he prayed, “Lord, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. 14 May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.”
The lesson is no matter how anointed you are, no matter how in control of the situation you think you are, and no matter how powerful you are we need to ask God to guide us and give us wisdom when we make big decisions. We cannot rely on our own strength even if we are Samson.
Let’s get back to the story in Judges
Judges 14:5-14
5 Samson went down to Timnah together with his father and mother. As they approached the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young lion came roaring toward him. 6 The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he told neither his father nor his mother what he had done. 7 Then he went down and talked with the woman, and he liked her.
8 Some 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. 9 He 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.
10 Now his father went down to see the woman. And there Samson held a feast, as was customary for young men. 11 When the people saw him, they chose thirty men to be his companions.
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. 13 If 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.
Point 3. Sometimes we think that Samson’s strength came from his hair, because as we know later when it was cut he lost his strength. But nothing can be further from the truth. We see in v6 how he was able to do amazing physical feats….v6 …”The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands …”. It reinforces so spectacularly what Zechariah says
Zechariah 4:6 6 So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.
Do we realise we have that same power of the Holy Spirit within us!
We do not get victory by our own strength even if we are Samson!
If we have seen a lion up close even a young lion, not to mention an attacking lion, we will understand what a miracle it was that Samson was able to kill this lion without apparently any weapons at all or being seriously injured. If this is not unusual enough, for bees to make a hive in the carcass, sufficient that he can scoop out honey with his hands must be extremely rare. I can understand flies and maggots getting into the carcass but not bees and all the carcasses I’ve seen left out (and I have seen a great many- roo’s, sheep etc.) they are cleaned up very quickly by foxes, eagles, crows etc. (keep in mind we see Samson catch 300 foxes which he ties into pairs- which is also remarkable. Catching them is one thing, manhandling them is another?)
For me this Lion and bee situation is a “burning bush” (Ex 3) moment for Samson. It’s a time to reflect and say what is God telling me?
1 Peter 5:8
8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
Sometimes we do not recognize these burning bush moments, or the lion and the bee moment, but it’s not that difficult to recognize oppressive attack from the “enemy”- Satan. Then you know it’s time to turn to God and ask Him for wisdom and understanding that you may know His will at this time. And ask God to guide you on this next step.
I don’t know what God would have said to Samson, but I know this and it is applicable in our lives to, and that is, yes we may be attacked by the enemy, but by ‘my Spirit I will protect you and if you obey My commands there will be a sweet reward’.
There is much more to learn but as a final point we remember that it was Manoah’s’ wife that was told that Samson will “begin the deliverance of Israel from the Philistines”, but it was only about 65 years later when David became King that the Philistines were completely beaten. So what Samson started was the beginning and so it was important. God had given Samson that job to do and he did it. Remember that advert on TV that we always seem to see, that advert about Industry Super Funds and the little ditty “from little things small things grow”? We need to be faithful just as Samson was in following God even though we don’t see instant results. We may be beginning a job that others will finish. Samson did not see how it all ended but he showed the others that the Philistines could be defeated with the help of God, and while it did not apparently accomplish that much, it was a seed from which a mustard tree would grow! Who knows what seeds you have sown! - I think just as Samson would be you would be surprised!
Just to close off, despite all the flaws of this man who sees so many miracles and who never seems to reach his full potential in God, who many today call a failure (I don’t) and who despite his physical strength has so many moral weaknesses, God never gives up on Samson as a person. And in the last minutes of his life he calls out to God to remember him and strengthen him just once more. And God does. Just as he does for us. No matter what flaws we have, no matter what moral weaknesses we have, no matter if we have not reached our full potential it is never to late, even in the last minute of your life to call out to God to remember you. And He will and He does and He will give you the strength for that hour of need. This story show we serve a God who never gives up on us!