Accomplishing Right in a Sinful Way

3 Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.

His parents warned him not to marry this Philistine woman.

They didn’t realize that God intended to use his sin to further His purpose.

God did not intend for Samson to sin, but since Samson was going to sin anyways, God decided to use it to further His plan.

Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery because they were tired of their youngest brother tagging along and showing off the fact that he was the favorite. I know how you feel, Joseph, I know how you feel! They intended harm, but God used it for good. Joseph acknowledged this approximately 22 years later when he said, in Genesis 50:20...

Genesis 50:20 KJV

20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

God did not cause Samson to Dishonor His parents wishes…nor did God cause Samson to...

B. Disregarded God’s Law

Deuteronomy 7:1–4 KJV

1 When the Lord thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou; 2 And when the Lord thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them: 3 Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. 4 For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the Lord be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.

Deuteronomy 7:6 KJV

6 For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.

God does not cause man to sin.

James 1:13–15 KJV

13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

It was against God’s Law for Samson to marry a Philistine.

And it is wrong for a Christian today to marry an unsaved person.

Are they saved?

This is your first priority in finding a spouse!

2 Corinthians 6:14 KJV

14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

Samson sinned in this.

And I believe there was a third sin here, Samson...

C. Disrespected His Vow

We will see how he broke his vow later, but here in his marriage he disrespected the special calling and plan that God had for Him.

A Nazarite was to be separated from certain things and unto the Lord.

As Mark Boda in the Expositor’s Bible Commentary said, “This miracle baby, set apart as holy for God’s service, from the beginning of his adult life places himself in vulnerable and compromising circumstances and so endangers the success made possible by the empowerment of the Spirit of Yahweh”

This is a serious thing!

I have known many men who surrendered to preach, or to the ministry and years later where are they?

God did not go back on the call.

And yet far too many of our churches are without pastors right now!

And far too many men who have surrendered but have moved on to other things.

Romans 11:29 KJV

29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

Yes Samson wasn’t given a choice…much like many pastor’s kids out there who are born into the ministry.

But that is not an excuse!

We are called to serve the Lord, whoever you are!

We are not called to warm a pew, we are called to fill them!

Samson did not respect the vow to which He was born into, and it led him into sin again and again!

Samson sinned by marrying a Philistine woman, but that wasn’t his only sin…He also committed...

II. Sin of His Malice

Malice speaks to a desire to harm others or take pleasure in their misfortune, which can stem from pride.

Many of the deaths caused by Samson were necessary for the cleansing of the land and the protection of God’s people.

But I think we can see something much deeper if we look closely.

For instance we see a...

A. Pleasure in Remembering Past Carnage

There is nothing wrong with remembering what God has done for you in the past!

But when we turn aside on from our path to look at the carcass of our enemies, it is a sign of much deeper problems.

Samson had explained his desire to marry a Philistine woman, and on the way down to the city of Timnath with his mother and father a young lion roared against them.

Apparently Samson chased the lion off, and away from his parents tore the lion in two as if it were just a baby goat.

When he came back to his parents he didn’t talk about what happened, just continued on to the city to talk to the young Philistine woman.

After some time (most likely not a long time) he returned to pick up his bride.

And the Bible says that he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion.

Why?

It seems to me similar to the way that a sociopath will tend to return to the scene of a crime to revel in his kill.

The Bible gives the requirements for pastors, and in God says that they should ...

1 Timothy 3:3 KJV

3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;

the brawler is one given to violence.

Although Samson was not a New Testament Pastor, he was a judge of Israel.

A desire to see gore and violence is not fitting for a child of God!

Far too many Christians see nothing wrong with watching gratuitous violence on TV or movies.

It is not godly, nor healthy!

It will lead to more sin.

Listen, I like mysteries.

I like real crime documentaries, if they are not gory.

I like to try to figure out who did it!

But when you get to the place where something changes, and you revel in seeing violence, or the results of violence…you have gone too far!

Proverbs 4:23 KJV

23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life.

The Bible warns about about following after a violent man.

Proverbs 3:31 KJV

31 Envy thou not the oppressor, And choose none of his ways.

The word translated oppressor means a violent man.

Stay away from violence and gore!

Secondly Samson seemed to take...

B. Pleasure in Relishing the Forbidden

When he turned aside to see the carcass he noticed that a swarm of bees had created a hive within the carcass of the lion.

9a And he took thereof [of the honey] in his hands, and went on eating...

This a sin of breaking his Nazarite vow.

A Nazarite was not to touch any dead thing.

He could not touch the bones, the skin, the flesh of a dead animal.

He should not have eaten the honey that was found inside this dead lion.

But the Bible indicates that he went on eating.

He filled himself with the honey.

The lion is just one example, of course we see this tendency for taking pleasure in the forbidden in his choice of his wife.

Of all the people to take a wife from, but from the very group of people that he has been charged to deliver the children of Israel from.

Judges 13:5 KJV

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.

Samson seemed to just take a perverse desire for the forbidden.

When I was in college we had a professor that was preaching in chapel. His name was Bill Grady. It was well known that he was saved from a past of heavy drugs and rock and roll. In his sermon he was talking about tendencies of first, second and third generation Christians, so he walked up to the back wall behind the platform and slapped his hand on the wall, and said, “Third generation Christians are like this!” Then he continued preaching. We were quite confused.

Later that day in class someone asked him, “What did you mean when you slapped the back wall?” Bro. Grady said, “I didn’t explain that?” We were used to this…although he had an incredible mind and often very Spirit filled sermons, he was very ADD and not to mention possibly affected by his past drug use.

He then gave an explanation that I will never forget, and I have seen it to be so true!

First generation Christians, those saved from a lost family see a sign that says “Wet Paint” and says, “That wall is wet, I believe it’s wet, I’m not going to touch it.”

Second generation Christians see the wet paint sign and often say, “I believe that wall is wet, and I’m told that if I touch it I’m going to get paint on me, but I want to see for myself.”

Third generation Christians often will look at the sign and say, “I don’t believe the paint is wet, they just don’t want us to touch the wall. I’m going to touch the paint.”

How true this illustration often is!

Far too many Christians are out there looking at the wet paint signs in the Word of God and are either saying, I just want to see…or else I don’t believe it!

But soon both see the damages of relishing in the forbidden.

But Samson didn’t stop at relishing in the forbidden for himself.

As is often the case Samson took...

C. Pleasure in Recruiting into Sin

We are told that Samson not only ate of the honey which he should not have eaten…but he gave it to his parents also.

9b ... and came to his father and mother, and he gave them, and they did eat: but he told not them that he had taken the honey out of the carcase of the lion.

Even though Samson’s parents were not Nazarites, they still needed to obey the Law.

In Leviticus 11 Israel is told that the carcass of animals were unclean, and anything thing that came in contact with a carcass is considered unclean.

Samson not only sinned himself, but invited others to sin with him.

I have seen this to be a reoccurring situation with those who desire to sin.

It’s more fun, or at least more comfortable to sin with others.

I have seen it over and over.

I have had teens that I have worked with drag their friends along to parties that they knew they shouldn’t be at.

I had a friend in High School who was dragged to a party that He knew He shouldn’t be at, and under the pressure from his peers drank alcohol for the first time, quickly got drunk and ended up in a bad accident when he tried to drive home.

He was responsible for his choices, but his friends will answer to God for helping and encouraging to sin.

Samson showed malice by taking pleasure in the violence he had committed and desiring to relive it.

He showed malice toward God and his calling by relishing in the forbidden.

Samson showed malice by recruiting others into the sin he was guilty of.

There is a third sin that I see here that Samson is guilty of...

III. Sin of His Megalomania

Now I know that Megalomania is a big word, but I think it fits Samson so well.

It means to have an almost obsession with showing yourself powerful, or intelligent.

It often comes with a desire for excessive admiration or control over others.

Samson seems to have a need to show himself strong.

So Samson has decided on this Philistine woman and will not be deterred from his choice.

10 So his father went down unto the woman: and Samson made there a feast; for so used the young men to do.

11 And it came to pass, when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions to be with him.

The Philistines saw Samson come to prepare for this marriage feast.

This is another example of Samson breaking his Nazarite vow, the word used for feast here is specifically used for a feast of drinking.

So in the midst of the party, Samson’s arrogance comes out.

And he puts forth his riddle, he wants the others to see that he is smarter than them.

12 And Samson said unto them, I will now put forth a riddle unto you: if ye can certainly declare it me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty sheets and thirty change of garments:

13 But if ye cannot declare it me, then shall ye give me thirty sheets and thirty change of garments. And they said unto him, Put forth thy riddle, that we may hear it.

14 And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth meat, And out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days expound the riddle.

He uses his sin, as joke in the form of a riddle to try to get the upper hand.

Samson should have had the upper hand, not because of his wit, but because of God’s strength.

In the process he cause a lot of harm.

First we see he is...

A. Putting His Wife in Peril

15 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they said unto Samson’s wife, Entice thy husband, that he may declare unto us the riddle, lest we burn thee and thy father’s house with fire: have ye called us to take that we have? is it not so?

16 And Samson’s wife wept before him, and said, Thou dost but hate me, and lovest me not: thou hast put forth a riddle unto the children of my people, and hast not told it me. And he said unto her, Behold, I have not told it my father nor my mother, and shall I tell it thee?

17 And she wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted: and it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her, because she lay sore upon him: and she told the riddle to the children of her people.

Samson should have known how dangerous these men were.

He was sent by God to judge them, but now he is found partying with them, and one in particular seems to be a close companion to him.

One thing is for sure, this young Philistine woman knows how dangerous these men are.

When they say they will kill her and her family, they know that it’s true!

So Samson’s wife comes to him weeping in fear.

She doesn’t want him to know the real reason for her tears, but instead says, you must hate me…you don’t really love me!

You said this riddle and don’t even trust me with the answer.

Samson says, I haven’t even told my father and my mother, why would I tell you?

But she continued to weep throughout the seventh day until he can’t take her nagging any more, so he tells her the answer.

She leaves immediately to tell the men of Philistia.

The truth is if Samson wasn’t so interested in his own appearance and reputation, he would have realized the danger he put his wife in.

Far too many men and women get carried away by sin and don’t realize the harm they bring home to their families.

When I was a teenager I heard about a man who had an affair before having any children. He transmitted a disease from that affair, and transmitted it to his wife. The wife became pregnant and once born it was found that his baby girl had been born blind due to this sexually transmitted disease.

The little grew, and when she was four years old she was sitting on her father’s lap feeling his face, when she asked, “Daddy, why did God make me blind?” he didn't know how to answer her. He struggled with the truth of the answer. It was his fault, there was no way around it. A few days later, not able to bear the weight of his shame, he committed suicide.

So many were hurt by this one sin.

The wife got a disease

The daughter got a disease

The daughter was born blind.

And had to grow up without sight, with all the challenges that presents.

The wife spent the rest of her life needing to care for a blind daughter.

The wife lost her husband, and had to live without her spouse for years to come.

The daughter had to grow up without a father.

And so much more.

Just because of a moment of weakness and a series of bad choices.

Samson put his wife in peril because of his pride and megalomania.

not only that but it caused him to experience...

B. Public Exposure to Ridicule

Once his wife told the men of the city the answer they came to Samson.

18a And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion...

This wasn’t just an answer to a riddle, but a taunting riddle in itself.

What is sweeter than honey and stronger than a lion - a woman’s enticement.

Samson knew where they heard the answer to his riddle.

Samson's response, although seemingly crude…is just a euphemism.

18b ...And he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, Ye had not found out my riddle.

Not really different to a modern euphemism like “walk a mile in a man’s shoes.”

But he let them know he knew what they had done.

So in response, he traveled 30 miles south west to Ashkelon...

19 And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave change of garments unto them which expounded the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father’s house.

He got his revenge for his humiliation by killing 30 Philistines and giving their clothes as payment for the bet.

But this is not the end of the cost for Samson’s megalomania and pride!

It also caused him the...

C. Parting of His Marriage

20 But Samson’s wife was given to his companion, whom he had used as his friend.

Not only was his wife divorced from him, but she ended up being given to his companion, who likely would have served as his best man.

What a betrayal, but truthfully - what a cost!

Conclusion

Samson sinned and it cost him.

He sinned by getting married to a Philistine woman, and thereby disrespecting his vow, his parents and the very commands of God.

He sinned through his malice - shown through his desire to relive his violence, relishing in that which he knew was wrong and dragging others into the sin with him.

But so sadly, Samson sinned by allowing his ego and megalomania destroy any hope of a successful marriage, and opening his wife to danger and himself to ridicule.

Samson was called to break the chains of the Philistine's captivity.

Instead he became friends with them, and married into their families.

God’s plan still came to a successful end, but in the process Samson experienced much pain.

God has called us all to read His Word, Hear His Word and Keep His word faithfully in our hearts and our show it in our actions.

Are you living faithfully to what God has called you?

Are you running from Him, or to Him?

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