Don't You Realize
Notes
Transcript
“Why have you come to fight us?”
Have you ever watched a movie where the opening scene is the actual outcome of the film - usually leading up to some critical moment when the protagonist appears to be in a no win situation, then suddenly the scene jumps back in time…like three days earlier…and begins showing the events that lead up to the climax? It is a popular plot device called the flash forward - I’ve seen it used in quite a few films, including Indiana Jones and Mission Impossible movies.
If I were making a film about Samson, I think the opening scene would be a hoard of angry Philistines riding up upon the town of Lehi. The camera would pan across the townsfolk - the men of Judah with confusion and fear on their faces nervously glancing at one another as this hoard draws near and begins to split apart and circle the town. A contingent of Philistines gallop up to the men of the town, swords in hand, a thirst for blood in their eyes.
“Why have you come to fight us?”
The men of Judah are confused and scared. The camera shot alternates back and forth - scared villager, menacing warrior, scared villager, menacing warrior, until the Philistines lift their swords in the air and let out a battle cry.
Then the scene abruptly changes, we see the words “3 weeks earlier” and here we find Samson and his parents are walking down toward Timnah. His parents are walking ahead of him, he is daydreaming about the woman that has captured his eye and he has fallen behind them. Suddenly there is a rustling in the brush and a lion jumps out at him. We see Samson deftly grab the beast and tear it to shreds.
The story unfolds, as we have heard over the past two weeks. Another trip to the village to hold the wedding feast and this time, Samson stops along the way to inspect the remains of the lion and in the carcass he finds bees and a honeycomb. Eating the honey as he walked, he comes up with a clever riddle that he plans to use to increase his riches - a riddle that is impossible for anyone to guess that he will offer up to the young men of the village who are assigned look over him.
English Standard Version Chapter 14
Out of the eater came something to eat.
Out of the strong came something sweet.”
Each of the thirty men, if they cannot guess the answer, they must give Samson an expensive garment. But if Samson loses, he agrees to give all thirty men the same.
A stupid game between an Israelite outsider and a town full of Philistines.
A riddle that God will use to stir conflict between the two nations through the most unlikely of saviors, Samson.
No need to repeat the story up to this point - suffice it to say, Samson is cheated out of his prize, in turn he slaughters a bunch of guys and insults the whole town of Timnah.
The feud escalates - as often happens when both sides are hell bent on retaliation and revenge. Samson’s new wife and father in law are killed, and an untold number of Philistines are attacked by Samson.
All leading up to this scene:
The Philistines surrounding the men of Judah, threatening to wipe out anyone in their way.
“Why have you come up against us?”
The men of Judah are perplexed. Why should there be any conflict? What have we done? We have adapted to your way of doing things. What offense could you possibly have against us?
As we heard last week, Israel was on the verge of losing their spiritual distinctiveness. They were no longer living as a people set apart for the Lord, but as a people who appeared just like their neighbors.
“We have come up to bind Samson, to do to him as he did to us.”
How does Israel respond? Do they defend one of their own? Do they boldly face their enemy and declare that God will deliver them - just as he has done in the past?
Nope.
We read that “3,000 men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam” to seek Samson out. That is an impressive number of men - probably enough to turn the Philistines back.
Instead they say to Samson:
“Do you not know that the Philistines are rulers over us? What then is this that you have done to us?” (v. 11)
They admit that the Philistines are rulers over them. As biblical commentator Israel Shamed, puts it,
“—their question to Samson admits that there is in truth no such thing as harmonious co-existence between church and world, for where there is no conflict it is because the world has taken over.”
The Israelites decide that the most expeditious way to end this conflict is to hand Samson over to the Philistines. While we are not given Samson’s age - he is most likely a teenager. That is the age back then when young men would be marrying young women. So here we have 3000 men of Judah coming to ‘wrassle up’ this young, impetuous hooligan that has disrupted the status quo.
As Shamed observes...
The Message of Judges: Grace Abounding B. Israel Shamed (15:9–13)
Now even Judah is anxious only to live and let live, and would rather bind and betray its saviour than have him upset the balance of things.
God has other plans. Israel would be delivered whether they wanted to be or not. As we heard in the reading of the passage this morning, when the Philistines see Samson being led toward them, they came at him full force. The ropes binding the Samson’s arms disintegrate and fall to the ground - he grabs the jaw of a dead donkey and uses it to slaughter 1000 men. From that moment on - the place of the slaughter would be known as Jawbone Hill.
This victory over the enemy, witnessed by the men of Judah, would establish Samson’s rule.
And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.
And just when you think the movie is over, and the credits begin to roll, another flash forward!
This time we are a little over 1000 years in the future. God has sent another Savior, not just for Israel, but for the whole world.
Israel is being dominated by a foreign power, this time it is the Romans.
Like Samson, an angel announces his miraculous birth. He shall be named Jesus, meaning “the Lord saves.”
Jesus also is filled with the Spirit of the Lord - giving him great power.
He was given authority by the Father to judge over Israel.
Jesus also likes to speak in riddles - we call them parables.
But unlike Samson, Jesus embraces his set apart calling. He lives a life without sin - always seeking to do the Father’ will.
He spoke of the coming Kingdom of God and called people to leave behind the ways of this corrupt world and to follow Him.
He heals the sick, he gives sight to the blind, the lame walk, he feeds the masses, he eats with sinners, and in doing all of this - he is labeled a troublemaker and handed over to his enemies.
As Peter preached to those gathered on Pentecost,
“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.
This is the pattern, not just of Israel, but of the Church as well - the handing over a savior. When we get too comfortable with the world and our status quo is challenged. When we cease keeping God’s purposes before us and we just want to avoid conflict.
Jesus is the ultimate strongman. He faced powerful enemies that struck fear in all men and women. And like Samson, he showed himself to be more powerful than all of them. Samson could strike down a thousand Philistines. Jesus overcame Satan, demons, sickness, sin and death - all by speaking a Word.
And yet, instead of standing with Him, instead of letting go of everything else and following Him completely, how often, when faced with opposition in this world, do we respond:
“Why are you coming against me?”
“Why am I being treated unfairly?”
“Why can’t we just live and let live?”
Am I being overly dramatic? I don’t think so. Challenge the status quo in any church. Find an area where the common practice. the way we do things, does not necessarily bring God glory, or make disciples of Jesus, or show the deep love that God has for all people - and address the need to change the course.
Challenge the status quo in society. Speak truth and life - even when it goes against what is accepted.
There you will find the true heart of the Church. Will the church prayerfully take the matter before the Lord for guidance, or will they stay silent and maintain the way things are?
If there one thing that should caution us as we consider the biblical witness - when you examine the lives of the patriarchs, the judges, the prophets, Jesus’ apostles, and the saints of the Church over the centuries - you will find that there are those who see, hear, experience God and then set their hearts toward pleasing God, and others who see, hear, but only follow as far as it benefits them - these are the one’s who willingly set out to bind up their savior and hand him over to their enemies.
Let us not be so easily fooled. If we are to follow Jesus, we can expect the world to be against us. Work for peace, but expect conflict.
Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
As one who hates conflict - who wants to just live peacefully with everyone - this is a challenging reminder that in this world we will have trouble - Jesus told us so.
It is also very difficult to live out the truth in love. To hate the sin that destroys unity, peace, mutual love - while loving each and every person who is made in the image of God.
The enemy is assaulting the Church on all fronts. Like the Philistines surrounding the men of Judah. Let us be a Church that operates from a position of victory because we have already determined to follow Jesus - no matter the cost. Whatever we face, we already know that God is with us and He is able - will we be faithful?
Amen.