Break Free The Eye of Samson

Bible Passage: Judges 14-16

Tonight is going to be kind of a serious night. Were going to address some serious stuff and so I really need everyone in here to pay attention and take this very serious. As we walk through life we are going to face challenges and temptations. Just like last week with desiring material possessions. Tonight were going to take a look at the rise and fall of the Judge Samson.

Manoah and his wife wanted to have a baby. There was a problem she was barren. An angel appeared to the woman (we are not sure of her name but according to Rabbinic traditions she may have been named Hazzelelponi or Tzelelponit since scripture doesn’t name here we will call her woman.) The angel appeared to the woman and told her that she would bear a son even though she was again barren. The angel told her not to drink or eat unclean meat or cut his hair after he was born as her son was to be a Nazirite. What is a Nazirite? a person who was chosen or consecrated for life to complete a special service to God. Samsons service was to weaken the control of the Philistines.

After he was born he followed his purpose. He saw Gods purpose for him but he would get a little lost with his lust. He had an eye for the ladies. Even though this would be his downfall God used this to put him on the path to weaken Philistine control.

1. Seeing But Not Listening

Judges 14:1–7 ESV

1 Samson went down to Timnah, and at Timnah he saw one of the daughters of the Philistines. 2 Then he came up and told his father and mother, “I saw one of the daughters of the Philistines at Timnah. Now get her for me as my wife.” 3 But his father and mother said to him, “Is there not a woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you must go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she is right in my eyes.” 4 His father and mother did not know that it was from the Lord, for he was seeking an opportunity against the Philistines. At that time the Philistines ruled over Israel. 5 Then Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah, and they came to the vineyards of Timnah. And behold, a young lion came toward him roaring. 6 Then the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and although he had nothing in his hand, he tore the lion in pieces as one tears a young goat. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done. 7 Then he went down and talked with the woman, and she was right in Samson’s eyes.

Samson saw this Philistine woman and he thought to himself man she is so fine I have to make her mine. A straight dime. After he decided that he must have her hand in marriage he was blinded by the thought of being with her. He went and told his parents that he had to have her. His parents were like but are you sure thats a good idea? I mean there are several people from our own tribe that are available. I mean your second cousin hey what about her? Samson and this Philistine girl were meant to be together for Samson to fulfill his service to God. On his way to propose to her a lion jumped out and he killed it with his bare hands with the strength of the Lord. This man put hercules to shame with how easy this was for him. It was as if a goat attacked him. He was blinded by his lust for this woman. In our lives we may be faced with similar scenarios not with lions attacking us but with lust blinding us. He did the right thing and he told his parents but he didnt listen to their counsel that they provided. God has put people in our lives that are able to provide discernment to us when we face problems. Samsons problem would eventually be his downfall.

2. Spiraling from Lust to Revenge

Judges 15:3–8 ESV

3 And Samson said to them, “This time I shall be innocent in regard to the Philistines, when I do them harm.” 4 So Samson went and caught 300 foxes and took torches. And he turned them tail to tail and put a torch between each pair of tails. 5 And when he had set fire to the torches, he let the foxes go into the standing grain of the Philistines and set fire to the stacked grain and the standing grain, as well as the olive orchards. 6 Then the Philistines said, “Who has done this?” And they said, “Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he has taken his wife and given her to his companion.” And the Philistines came up and burned her and her father with fire. 7 And Samson said to them, “If this is what you do, I swear I will be avenged on you, and after that I will quit.” 8 And he struck them hip and thigh with a great blow, and he went down and stayed in the cleft of the rock of Etam.

At Samsons wedding he gave the guests a riddle and no one could solve it so they got his bride to coerce the answer out of him because even she didnt know the answer. After they told him the correct answer and he had to go and fulfill the prize promised which was 30 outfits. He was ticked that she gave the answer away. They thought he was leaving for good and wouldnt come back for her. So her dad gave her to his friend. When he got back he started to take vengance on the Philistine people for treating him like that. He burned their grain and olive orchards with foxes dragging fire behind them. When they found out it was Samson they killed his bride and her dad. He was again blinded by his anger and lust and wanted to avenge them for killing her. Even though she had been given to his companion he still wanted her before she was killed. She still had his eye.

3. Seduced by Sustained Temptation

Judges 16:4–21 ESV

4 After this he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. 5 And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Seduce him, and see where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to humble him. And we will each give you 1,100 pieces of silver.” 6 So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength lies, and how you might be bound, that one could subdue you.” 7 Samson said to her, “If they bind me with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, then I shall become weak and be like any other man.” 8 Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she bound him with them. 9 Now she had men lying in ambush in an inner chamber. And she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he snapped the bowstrings, as a thread of flax snaps when it touches the fire. So the secret of his strength was not known. 10 Then Delilah said to Samson, “Behold, you have mocked me and told me lies. Please tell me how you might be bound.” 11 And he said to her, “If they bind me with new ropes that have not been used, then I shall become weak and be like any other man.” 12 So Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And the men lying in ambush were in an inner chamber. But he snapped the ropes off his arms like a thread. 13 Then Delilah said to Samson, “Until now you have mocked me and told me lies. Tell me how you might be bound.” And he said to her, “If you weave the seven locks of my head with the web and fasten it tight with the pin, then I shall become weak and be like any other man.” 14 So while he slept, Delilah took the seven locks of his head and wove them into the web. And she made them tight with the pin and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he awoke from his sleep and pulled away the pin, the loom, and the web. 15 And she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and you have not told me where your great strength lies.” 16 And when she pressed him hard with her words day after day, and urged him, his soul was vexed to death. 17 And he told her all his heart, and said to her, “A razor has never come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If my head is shaved, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak and be like any other man.” 18 When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called the lords of the Philistines, saying, “Come up again, for he has told me all his heart.” Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hands. 19 She made him sleep on her knees. And she called a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him. 20 And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him. 21 And the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles. And he ground at the mill in the prison.

After he slaughtered the Philistines with a donkey bone his lust hit him again and he came to be with Delilah who was believed to be a prostitute. He was in love with her and she was in love with money. The Philistines Bribed Delilah with 5,500 silver pieces to help them to entrap Samson so that they could end the terror that he instilled upon them. She asked him 4 times where his strength came from. 3 times he tricked her and each time he would thwart their plan. I dont know about yall but a woman betrays me like that to have me put down Im not going back to her. But Samson loved her and his lust covered his eyes and his heart. On the fourth time she begged him to know where his strength came from and he poured out his heart to her and told her the truth about his strength and it ultimately led to his capture. She shaved off his hair for the first time in his life. The Lord departed him when this happened. Instead of being faithful to God he let love for Delilah take him over and she took advantage of him for money. His love for her was stronger than his love for God.

4. Strengthened by Surrender

Judges 16:28–30 ESV

28 Then Samson called to the Lord and said, “O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes.” 29 And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other. 30 And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.” Then he bowed with all his strength, and the house fell upon the lords and upon all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life.

After Samson was captured and bound his hair had started to grow back and He prayed for God to give him strength one last time. He emparted his last bit of strength to take down the pillars that held up the place with which they were at. He toppled it and killed more Philistine at one moment than he had at any other time. During this toppling of the temple there were around 3K Philistines. And they died with Samson. Looking at Samsons life there were many times where he let his desires cloud his eyes ans his heart. After he finally saw what Delilah had done to him and betrayed him he finally surrendered to God and God gave his strength to him in that moment. Even though he lost his sight of God God remembered him. His lust got him into some bad places but he in his final moments he leaned back on his faith. He let go of his desires and fulfilled God’s purpose for him.

When we end up following our hearts and our desires we will be lead astray and fall into bad situations. But no matter what we do God will not leave us. He will give us the strength that we need. But we have to trust him. We have to have faith and not give into our desires. Our desires are going to get us captured just like Samson. We have to seek guidance from the Lord to break the chains of lust and desire off of us. No matter what weve done God will forgive us. But we have to have faith that in him and trust him for deliverance. When we trust in him he takes those chains off of us and sets us free.