"Shaken But Not Shook" (Conclusion)

Samson had gotten married but shouldn’t have and that is sadly not uncommon. His new bride did not have the same religious beliefs as Samson, and he was not emotionally ready for marriage as we have already seen and will see further in this lesson. Yes, she betrayed her husband by telling her Philistine fellow citizens the answer to the riddle Samson had given them, and with the answer they would win the bet Samson had proposed. In a rage Samson tells his new bride to leave their house (14.20) and go with his “best man”, essentially giving her away! To her defense, she was given an impossible ultimatum by the Philistines– ‘either tell us the answer or we will kill you and your father.’ Is a set of clothing more important than the life of a person, much less two persons? Certainly not! But in hindsight we can confirm that God would use her mistake for His ultimate purposes, just as God had used Samson’s mistakes and poor judgment for God’s glory also!

Why do we want God to forgive us of our sins, but we do not want to forgive others of their sins? Why do we find it difficult to forgive others sins against us? Why is it ok for Samson to make mistakes but not his wife, especially since he didn’t even inquire of her why she did it? Samson sent his new bride to become the companion of his “best man” and her father complies and arranges for the daughter to do just that, and apparently the “best man” had no problem with making it happen. Already angry because his former wife had betrayed Samson by giving the secret answer to the riddle he had given to the 30 Philistine men who had come to his wedding, and having to pay off the bet of giving the winner 30 garments and the 30 changes of clothing, Samson determined he had to get his revenge on them. Samson then goes to the town of Ashkelon (14.19), kills 30 men, takes their clothing and gives it to the 30 men who had solved the riddle with his ex-wife’s help.

After a few days, Samson returns home, thinking his wife would still be there, and when he arrives at his father-in-law’s home, he realizes his now ex-wife with her father’s help, (15.2) had indeed followed Samson’s instructions and left with Samson’s “best man.” His wife is now the wife of another man.

In a rage, Samson catches 300 foxes (15.4), ties their tails to another fox, lit and ties the torches in between the tails of each pair of foxes. He then lets the foxes go into the grain fields as well as to the stacked grain and the olive groves. The result is total devastation of the Philistine’s crops. The Philistines responded by burning alive Samson’s former father-in-law and his ex-wife.

Samson vows revenge again, and he catches the Philistine men who were responsible for killing his ex-wife and father-in-law and takes them out by dishing out mighty blows to their hips and thighs. Samson then retreats to the caves at the rock of Etam (15.8) during which time the Philistines came to the Israelite camp in Judah, and when the men of Judah asked, ‘why have you come against us’ the Philistines responded by saying they have come to take Samson prisoner because Samson was responsible for destroying all of their crops.

Then 3,000 men of Israel went to Samson and told him they were arresting him and turning him over to the Philistines for prosecution. Samson only asked them for one thing, and that was for the not to kill him. When his fellow countrymen agreed to let him live, the men bound Samson, and they took him without resistance. When the Israelites took him to where the Philistines were to meet them, “the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and the ropes that were on his arms became as flax that has caught fire, and his bonds melted off his hands. And he found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, and put his hand and took it, and with it he struck 1,000 men” (15.14-16).

The Text, Telling the Story.

The first 3 verses of chapter 16 tell us Samson went to Gaza, saw a prostitute and met up with her. The people of Gaza were told Samson was in town, so they surrounded the place where he was and set an ambush to capture him, but instead of staying all night, Samson leaves at midnight.

V. 4 says, “After this he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.”

When the Philistines found out Samson was in town, they approached Delilah and bribed her to seduce Samson and find out what the secret of his great strength is so they can capture and kill him. If she is successful, each man involved will give her 1,100 pieces of silver. So, Delilah asks Samson, “please tell me where your great strength lies’ three different times, and each answer he gave her was not the true reason for his great strength.

V. 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 ties, and you have not told me where your great strength lies.”

V. 16; “And when she pressed him hard with her word's day after day, and urged him, his soul was vexed to death (in other words, Delilah continued to nag him to the point where he couldn’t take it any longer).

V. 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.”

In verses 18 Delilah calls the Philistines and tells them Samson has told me everything and they gave her the money.

Verse 19 says Delilah “made him sleep on her knees” (his head in her lap), and she called the men to shave Samson’s head. When the men are finished with the haircut, Delilah begins to torment Samson, and his strength was gone but Samson did not know it (v. 20)! It’s a done deal, or at least the Philistines and Delilah thought so.

Note: Interesting how Samson felt like he was in a safe place with Delilah, safe enough to sleep in her lap, even though he was not safe at all, instead he was vulnerable! You shouldn’t feel comfortable around those who are doing the devil’s work. When we sleep, our enemies are still awake! Stay awake, Christian!

v. 20; “And he awoke from his sleep and said, ‘I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.”

Do you think you can fight off the devil by your own power? So, Samson has done this before - “at other times!” He was presuming God will bless him even in his disobedience. Then Samson shook himself free before, but he can’t shake himself free now! He was ‘one shake too late!’ He was shaking but he wasn’t shook! It can be said, Samson could’ve, should’ve, but he didn’t! He played too long but prayed too short!

v. 20b; “He did not know that the Lord had left him.”

It is not the Lord’s presence that is absence, but the Lord’s power or anointing that has temporarily left Samson! Neither does the Lord abandon me or you when we sin but God is pleading for us to repent.

The Lord will not participate in our wrongdoing! The Lord did not assist Caan slay his brother Abel or encourage Lot in his sinful indulgences in Sodom and Gomorrah! Yahweh was not an accessory to Moses’s murder of an Egyptian, and neither will the Lord help a thief, or a liar do the work of Satan. If you are involved in sinful doing, you are on your own!

V. 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.”

Preaching Point.

Samson’s sin is where his punishment ultimately was; his eyes! Notice, the Philistines are the enemy Samson has defeated before, but now he is bound and at least temporarily defeated by them! Overcoming our sin is the key to victorious Christian living!

V. 22; “But the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.”

Preaching Point.

Once again, we see God is not finished with Samson! Oh, this is evidence that our God is the God of a second chance! We don’t deserve it, but God gives it! God is the God of grace and abundant mercy who does not forsake us but forgives of all our sin! Whatever your mistakes have been that have you stuck, weak and seemingly defeated by the enemy, you do not have to stay stuck, defeated or weak! Learn from the mistake, grow through your failures, move beyond the past, and start fresh by the power of God.

Grow again by the power of God’s Spirit! God has given Samson new life and God has also given every one of us a lifeline called repentance. Moving from your past to a more promising, more courageous future that can still bring glory to God.

Your spirit may be as low as the grave BUT! The ‘BUT’ is in the text in this case because God is about to do something incredible!! Samson’s loss of God’s anointing, manifested as God’s power upon Samson is not permanent! God will cause the hair on his head to grow again, and that tells us God can and will raise Samson from the depths of your despair and use him once again for the sake of God’s kingdom! And God will do the same thing for you and me!

V. 23-24; “Now the lords of the Philistines gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to rejoice, and they said, ‘Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hands. And when the people saw him, they praised their gods. For they said, ‘Our god has given our enemy into our hand, the ravages of our country, who has killed many of us.”

Preaching Point.

The Philistine’s praise of their gods is a premature praise! The one, true God has not yet spoken! Never mind what the gods of this world say; our God is not finished yet! This goes to prove the false gods do not have the attribute of omniscience, or the quality of being all-knowing! The false gods did not know Samson would rise again!

Question: Is there any correlation with the punishment of the Lord Jesus at the hands of the Romans and Jews?

V. 25; “And when their hearts were merry, they said, ‘Call Samson, that he may entertain us.’ So, they called Samson out of the prison, and he entertained them. They made him stand between the pillars.”

Preaching Point.

The position of Samson by the Philistine’s was God-directed. The Philistine’s thought the place where they placed Samson to stand and entertain them would turn out to be the very place Samson had to stand to gain his ultimate and most famous act! God knows what He is doing!! We must be in the right place for God to use us. Samson was wanting to be used by God which is evident in verse 28. When you want God to use you, we must be in the place where God wants us!

V. 26; “And Samson said to the young man who held him by the hand, ‘Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, that I may lean against them.”

Preaching Point.

Samson must feel his way since his sight is gone. But I must say, Samson was now full of faith because his loss of sight had nothing to do with God being with him or not because “we walk by faith and not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5.7). Your supposed ‘handicaps’ do not matter to God because God is the one who makes the difference!

V. 27; “Now the house was full of men and women. All the lords of the Philistines were there, and on the roof, there were about 3,000 men and women, who looked on while Samson entertained.”

Preaching Point.

The Philistines were enjoying their ‘free’ entertainment, at least for now.

V. 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.”

Preaching Point.

No matter what your disadvantage, Our God is the great equalizer! He makes the difference no matter the opposition and no matter their advantage.

V. 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.”

Preaching Point.

Faith without works is dead! We can pray all we want, but unless we are ready to do something chances are nothing will change!

V. 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 who he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life.”

Preaching Point.

In my mind’s eye I can imagine someone in the company of the Israelites who witnessed the tremendous victory Samson achieved even in his death! And he would have been compelled to run around the company of his people speaking of the Philistines and saying, “It is finished!” The enemy has been defeated! Satan’s house has fallen! Samson died but so did the domination of the Philistines with him! The shackles of bondage have fallen off Israel because the enemy has been defeated! Fear is gone, but they can now experience freedom.

V. 31; “Then his brothers and all his family came down and took him and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had judged Israel twenty years.”

Related Media

Related Sermons

Earn an accredited degree from Redemption Seminary with Logos.