Samson's Godly Heritage

The story of Samson in the Book of Judges serves as the culmination of Israel's shortcomings in fulfilling their divine mandate upon taking possession of the Promised Land.

Similarly, Samson did not live up to his divine purpose.

His life has many parallels to the history of Israel.

Over the next five weeks, this series will delve into the successes and failures of Samson, examining how God utilized him despite his shortcomings.

Human sin has serious consequences, yet it is not capable of hindering God from fulfilling His purposes.

From the time that Samson was conceived he had everything he needed to complete the purpose that God had for him.

God’s Blessing

Godly parents

a special relationship with the Lord as a Nazirite.

But as we will see today, a godly upbringing does not guarantee godly behavior.

In the 1950s a psychologist, Stanton Samenow, and a psychiatrist, Samuel Yochelson, sharing the conventional wisdom that crime is caused by environment, set out to prove their point. They began a 17-year study involving thousands of hours of clinical testing of 250 inmates here in the Washington D.C.. To their astonishment, they discovered that the cause of crime cannot be traced to environment, poverty, or oppression. Instead, crime is the result of individuals making, as they put it, wrong moral choices.

Let’s take a look at Samson’s parents and see a few key truths that we can take away today.

I. They Lived in an Evil Time

1 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.

Much like our world around us today, Israel was full of sin.

One phrase that is a repeated theme in the book of Judges is the phrase, “They did that which was right in their own eyes.”

When man is left to determine what is right and what is wrong, whats left is disaster and dismay.

I have hear a phrase in movies and TV shows repeatedly recently, “Your Truth”, or “My Truth.”

The idea being portrayed is that there are multiple truths, yours and mine.

I get angry when I hear this lie being told.

There is not my truth and your truth

There may be my opinion and your opionion but there is only one truth — God’s truth

There may be my experience and your experience, but my slanted view may color my experience — there is only one truth — God’s Truth!

This is the same lie that was being sold in the day of the judges — every man did what was right in their own eyes.

And that is why the world today is such a evil place.

The Scriptural principles that are true for Israel are true for the Christians today.

Look at the cycle of sin that Israel repeatedly went through throughout the book of Judges.

A. Israel Sinned

As long as the judge was with them and keeping them on the right path, Israel did right, but as soon as the judge died, Israel would fall back to their old patterns.

Judges 2:18–19 KJV

18 And when the Lord raised them up judges, then the Lord was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the Lord because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them. 19 And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way.

I have seen the same patterns in churches:

The pastor preaches against TV's, everyone gets rid of the TV

The pastor dies, or moves on, everyone goes to purchase a TV.

There are churches whose pastor emphasize dress standards, and you see the same thing.

There are churches who emphasize soulwinning and you see the same thing

The answer is we need to establish our own personal standards based upon the Word of God and the Holy Spirit’s leading and stick to them!

But here in Judges Israel goes back to their sin, once their leader is gone.

Then we see...

B. Israel Is Enslaved

Then God sends along an enemy and enslaves them as judgement for their sin.

Mesopotamia in ch 3

Moab later in ch 3

Canaan in ch 4-5

Midian in ch 6-8

Ammon in ch 10-12

Philistia in ch 13-16

Will they ever learn?

Will we ever learn

We sin, see the same consequences for our sin, but yet we go back again.

Then After Israel is Enslaved...

C. Israel Repents

God sends Judge to judge their behavior, teach them the ways of the Lord and pull them to righteousness.

Othniel in Ch 3

Ehud later in ch 3

Deborah in Ch 4-5

Gideon in ch 6-8

Jephthah in ch 10-12

And here Samson in ch 13-16

There were some minor judges who were contemporaries of some of these and God used, but the results were the same.

So Israel repents…And when they do...

D. Israel Is Delivered

And when they truly repent and the judge lives, they have rest.

Othniel saw 40 years rest

Ehud saw 80 years rest

Deborah saw 40 years rest

Gideon saw 40 years rest

Jephthah saw only 6 years rest

And Samson saw 20 years of rest.

Oh how wonderful those days of walking with God are after we have repented and are delivered from our sin.

But before too long, we are back at the sin cycle again!

Yes Samson’s parents lived in an Evil society, and at this time Israel was back in their sin.

But God wanted to send another judge.

So the Angel of the Lord appeared to a man, Manoah, and his wife who was barren.

3 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.

In the next few verses we see that...

II. They Were Given a Task

4 Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing:

5 For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no rasor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

Manoah’s wife came to him and told him what the angel said to her.

Children are a gift from the Lord.

God knows every soul, and places them where they fit in his grand tapestry of His plan.

When He places a child in a family we have a solemn task to complete.

We are to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

We need to truly understand that this is...

A. The Task Is from God

in the case of Manoah and his wife, it was very clear that it was a task from God.

The Bible says repeatedly that the one who came was the Angel of the Lord.

When the Bible specifically says “the angel of the Lord” it is often considered a Christophany.

A Christophany is a temporary apperance of Christ before His incarnation, or His coming in the flesh at His birth.

Not only is the title “The angel of the Lord” used, but later Manoah asked for the messenger to come back, and when He did Manoah asked his name.

17 And Manoah said unto the angel of the Lord, What is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honour?

18 And the angel of the Lord said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?

The word translated secret, is the word peley (pil-ee), which means wonderful … in essence it means too wonderful to know.

But a form of the same word is used in Isaiah 9:6 describing Jesus birth.

Isaiah 9:6 KJV

6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: And the government shall be upon his shoulder: And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Later after the angel of the Lord ascended to heaven, Manoah said.

22 And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.

For these reasons, I believe this was a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus to this couple.

How amazing is that!

Can you imagine Jesus, the Messiah, coming to visit you and your wife to specifically task you to raise up a child for Him.

And yet, He has.

Scientists have observed a small flash of zinc, a light flash at the moment of conception.

Perhaps that is the very moment that God appears to a couple to task them with raising this child.

God desires for every baby to be brought up to know Him.

But unfortunately the choices we make steer our children either toward or away from their Creator.

What an incredible privilege Manoah and his wife had, to talk to the Lord in person and receive this task.

But what an incredible responsibility they had, because

B. The Task Is Not Easy

The Bible is full of principles that we need to teach our children.

Manoah and his wife had a very difficult task to teach Samson the ways of God.

Israel had the Law given to them somewhere between 300-350 years prior.

The priests and Levites had a task to teach the Law to the people.

The elders and judges would play a role of upholding or applying the laws.

The Prophets would act as a spokesperson for God reminding the people to keep the Law.

And yet the children of Israel had fallen back into their old ways.

We too, of course, have a very difficult task in this evil world around us.

If Manoah and his wife, as well as the parents of today, were to fulfill the task given to them, they need help!

III. They Sought Wisdom

When Manoah heard the task that God had given him, he had questions…I’m sure I would too at this point.

But he went to the right place!

A. Manoah Asked God

8 Then Manoah intreated the Lord, and said, O my Lord, let the man of God which thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born.

We too need to go to God for our help.

God promises that anyone who asks Him for wisdom will receive it abundantly.

James 1:5–6 KJV

5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

Don’t think you can do this on your own!

Don’t waiver in your conviction that you need God’s help!

Go to Him and seek His help!

And when Manoah asked...

B. God Listened to Manoah

9 And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came again unto the woman as she sat in the field: but Manoah her husband was not with her.

God listens to those who seek Him.

Matthew 7:7–8 KJV

7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Be prepared…the answer may not be what you are expecting or hoping for.

But God knows best!

He sees the whole picture!

Manoah prayed, and God heard…the Angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah’s wife again..

10 And the woman made haste, and ran, and shewed her husband, and said unto him, Behold, the man hath appeared unto me, that came unto me the other day.

11 And Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said unto him, Art thou the man that spakest unto the woman? And he said, I am.

12 And Manoah said, Now let thy words come to pass. How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him?

13 And the angel of the Lord said unto Manoah, Of all that I said unto the woman let her beware.

14 She may not eat of any thing that cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing: all that I commanded her let her observe.

In verse 12, we see that...

C. Manoah Yielded to God

12 And Manoah said, Now let thy words come to pass. How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him?

Manoah was ready, but he continued to seek wisdom from the Lord.

He yielded, and then asked the Lord, what should we do now?

How should we train him.

We have in our hands this morning a copy of the written marching orders for every Christian.

We as parents have the responsibility to teach our children the Whole Word.

We can get help from the church, but the church cannot replace your responsibility before God to teach your children.

Deuteronomy 6:6–9 KJV

6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. 9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

We are responsible before God to teach our children the Word of God, we need to set ourselves reminders throughout our lives to teach them the truth of God’s Word.

We need to yield to God, and the task that He has given us..then we see that Manoah and his wife...

D. They Were Thankful

15 And Manoah said unto the angel of the Lord, I pray thee, let us detain thee, until we shall have made ready a kid for thee.

There is a wisdom in gratitude

Gratitude helps us remember our task, and that it is a privilege from God himself.

They wanted to make Jesus a meal.

He decided to not to eat, He could have eaten…he did with Abraham in Genesis 18.

For some reason He decided not to.

16 And the angel of the Lord said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread: and if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the Lord. For Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the Lord.

the Angel of the Lord said, if you offer a burnt offering , you must offer it unto the LORD - YHWH - Jehovah God - God the Father.

19 So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and offered it upon a rock unto the Lord: and the angel did wondrously; and Manoah and his wife looked on.

20 For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground.

The Bible says in verse 21

21 But the angel of the Lord did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the Lord.

I have often wondered, does this verse indicate that they asked him to come back for more instruction and wisdom throughout Samson’s life?

They had the revelation they needed from God.

We have in our hands the full revelation of God to raise our kids in the way they should go.

but the truth is, just as in the case of Samson, there is no guarantee...

IV. There Is No Guarantee

Now don’t use this as an excuse to take shortcuts in raising your children.

We need to teach them diligently!

No one is perfect in their parenting.

I had a family member tell us, “We did everything right!”

They were talking about some of their children who had gone astray.

I knew that no one could do everything right!

Many use the verse as their hope...

Proverbs 22:6 KJV

6 Train up a child in the way he should go: And when he is old, he will not depart from it.

But this is not a one size fits all promise.

It is a general rule, but no one trains every child in the way they should go perfectly!

We make mistakes…but ultimately, they make their own decisions.

We see this in Judges as...

A. Children Make Their Own Decisions

Ultimately they stand alone before God.

We believe in Individual Soul Liberty.

Everyone is responsible for their own choices.

As we will see, Samson chose the ways of the Philistines, the woman of the Philistines and the path of sin.

He suffered and ultimately died because of it.

I saw a great article from a parent to her child, where she said...

I gave you life, but I cannot live it for you.

I can teach you things but I cannot make you learn.

I can give you directions but I cannot always be there to lead you.

I can allow you freedom but I cannot account for it.

I can take you to church but I cannot make you believe.

I can teach you right from wrong but I can't always decide for you.

I can buy you beautiful clothes but I cannot make you lovely inside.

I can offer you advice but I cannot accept it for you.

I can give you love but I cannot force it upon you.

I can teach you to be a friend but I cannot make you one.

I can teach you to share but I cannot make you unselfish.

I can teach you respect but I can't force you to show honor.

I can advise you about friends but I cannot choose them for you.

I can tell you the facts of life but I can't build your reputation.

I can tell you about lofty goals, but I can't achieve them for you.

I can teach you kindness, but I can't force you to be gracious.

I can warn you about sins but I cannot make your morals

I can pray for you but I cannot make you walk with God.

I can teach you about Jesus but I cannot make HIM your Saviour.

I can teach you to OBEY but I cannot make Jesus Your Lord.

I can tell you how to live but I cannot give you Eternal Life.

They make their own decisions…and because of this...

B. Children Are Responsible to God

Trials came to Samson because of his decisions.

He was stripped of his privileges because of his decisions

Everyone is responsible to God for their own choices.

But let us not forget, then that...

C. Parents Are Responsible to God

We are given a mandate to teach our children.

Let’s see it again!

Deuteronomy 6:6–9 KJV

Father’s we must lead our family the way that God intended us to.

Ephesians 6:4 KJV

4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

This means we nurture them in the Lord and Admonish them in the Lord.

Nurturing without Admonition brings spoiled children.

Admonishing without Nurturing brings rebellious children.

Conclusion

Yes we live in an evil time, but we are given a task to do for God.

What are you going to do - do what is right in your own eyes, or seek God’s Wisdom?

It is no guarantee, because we all have free will…but we can trust that God will seek after them to repent.

Related Media

Related Sermons