The Deliverers
Notes
Transcript
Today, with Thanksgiving just around the corner, I want to tell you something I’m thankful for, especially around this time of year.
Delivery drivers!
Anybody else here thankful for delivery drivers, perhaps ESPECIALLY at this time of year?
What on EARTH did we do before delivery drivers?
Well, we went to the mall. Now, some of you have never spent Friday night walking around a crowded mall in your best cowboy hat and boots, hoping to catch the eye of that cute blonde girl you saw earlier, but winding up alone in the video arcade. And it shows.
Some of you never experienced the thrill and the dread of leaving the mall with bags full of Christmas presents and an empty wallet.
For some of you, all you know of Christmas shopping is piles of cardboard boxes to be broken down for recycling. And the dread of empty checking accounts.
Now, our family has committed to not buying a bunch of gifts for each other this year. But that doesn’t mean we’re not getting daily visits from Amazon, UPS, FedEx, the Postal Service, and others leaving boxes on our doorstep.
You see, as the Human Resources manager at Wanchese Fish Co., a few years ago, Annette started a tradition of buying gifts the employees there can win in a company-wide raffle.
Everybody gets gift cards and other goodies, and a big holiday lunch. But everybody also gets a raffle ticket. Sometime next month, they’ll draw 75 or so tickets for everything from air fryers to foot massagers, from tool sets to jewelry.
And all of those gifts arrive throughout November and December at our house, having been liberated from Amazon and Kohl’s and Walmart and other warehouses, where they’d been kept under lock and key.
They’ve been purchased for a price and delivered to our home in Carrollton, which is just a waypoint on the road to their becoming not just stuff in a box, but the things they were always intended to be.
Annette will be part of that delivery chain, handing the gifts out to the winners at Wanchese in the coming weeks. And I’ll be thankful for that, too, because then we’ll get our living room back.
Now, you may have heard in this description something of a tortured metaphor for what happens to us when we turn to Jesus in faith.
We’re rescued from the prison of our sins, bought from Satan with the precious blood of Christ. And having been released from that prison, we’re now free to become the people God always intended us to be.
But as I said earlier, I’m thankful for the delivery drivers that make this whole thing at Wanchese Fish Co. possible. And I’d like to suggest this morning that they have a similar role to a group of people in Old Testament Israel, whose stories point us to Jesus.
This group is a type for which Jesus is the antitype. Remember that in our short study of typology, we’ve said that certain people, places, objects, or events in the Old Testament serve, in part, to point us to their perfect fulfillment in Christ Jesus.
The Old Testament thing is the imperfect or incomplete TYPE that finds its fulfillment — its completion, its perfection — in Jesus as the antitype.
We’ve talked about Adam as the type for mankind, which finds its fulfillment in the perfection of the God-MAN, Jesus.
We’ve talked about Moses as the type for prophets of God, which finds its fulfillment in Jesus, who perfectly and faithfully gave us God’s word and showed us God’s heart.
And we’ve talked about the High Priests of the Old Testament as types for those who represented God to His people and God’s people to Him. They find their fulfillment in Jesus, our Great High Priest, who is the perfect representative of God to us and of us to God.
Today, we’re going to talk about the judges of Israel. We’ll see how these flawed individuals carried out God’s plan for the judges with only limited success.
And then, we’ll see how Jesus completely and perfectly fulfills this role for those who follow Him in faith.
But what does all of this have to do with delivery drivers? Well, to understand that, we have to understand what was going on in Israel during the time of the judges and the purpose for which God raised up judges in that nation.
The events in the Book of Judges take place after the conquest of Canaan. The people of Israel had crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land and had spread into the land God had promised them through Abraham and the Patriarchs.
Much of the story of this conquest appears in the Book of Joshua. But the beginning of Judges serves as a transition. And in this transition, we see that the Israelites fail to take full possession of the land and fail to bring the full and just judgment of God upon the pagan people of Canaan.
Then, Joshua, the nation’s leader as it entered the Promised Land, dies, and the first generation of Israelites in the Promised Land dies, too.
And another generation came along that the writer of this book tells us didn’t know the Lord or the work He’d done for Israel.
Now, toward the end of this book, the author describes the nation’s spiritual condition with what sounds like a political statement:
25 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
The people God had rescued from bondage in Egypt had died on the other side of the Jordan River. And the generation Joshua had led across the Jordan and into the Promised Land was now gone, too.
Now, this third generation had rejected God as their king and pursued the very things God had warned His people to avoid when they entered Canaan.
We see this in verse 11 of chapter 2.
11 Then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals,
This chapter gives us an overview of a cycle that repeats itself throughout the book of Judges. It’s often called the Cycle of Sin. It’s an important concept to us, because this downward spiral is the same kind of downward spiral followers of Christ often find themselves in.
They stray from His path of Light, enticed by the worldly things of darkness, much as the Israelites turned to the false gods of Canaan.
Then, like the Israelites, they find themselves oppressed by the consequences of their sins. So, they cry out to God for help. He hears their cries and raises up a judge. Then, the judge delivers them from their oppressors. And finally, the people worship the Lord again and experience a period of peace before the whole cycle repeats itself.
We see this cycle repeat itself through 12 judges in this book, with the apostasy of the people — and even the judges — becoming worse with each cycle.
And one of the lessons for us as Christ-followers, of course, is to not stray from His light in the first place. To persevere in our faith in Him. To submit to Him as our King.
Or, as Paul put it in Romans, chapter 6, “Do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.”
This was also the lesson for the people of Israel. But they, like us, were stubborn. They wanted to do what was right in their own eyes, just as we do, and just as sinners have done all the way back to the Garden of Eden.
And so, after worshiping God for a while, after trusting in Him and Him alone for a while, they’d become complacent. They’d become lazy. They’d forget that the blessings they experienced were a result of their relationship with God.
They’d forget that, in the wilderness where their forefathers had roamed after escaping Egypt, God had promised them both blessings for obedience and trust in Him and curses for disobedience and lack of faith.
Their eyes would begin to wander. They’d find themselves attracted to the sins of the pagan people they’d failed to uproot from the Promised Land. And they’d turn from God once again.
In fact, the Cycle of Sin we see in the Book of Judges is one that we find woven throughout the Old Testament, all the way back to Genesis and all the way through Malachi.
And we know it’s a cycle that still continues today, as followers of Jesus still find themselves enticed by the things of this world.
We sin. We turn away from God. We turn toward the evils of this world that’ve dolled themselves up to look so enticing to us.
And then, we find ourselves oppressed by the consequences of those sins. We find ourselves back in the role of slaves to sin, even though we, like the Israelites, have been RESCUED from slavery.
And then, we find ourselves on our knees, begging God to forgive us and come to our aid.
As he’s describing this Cycle of Sin in Judges, chapter 2, the author of this book tells us how God responded when the people of Israel came to Him in repentance. Look at verse 16.
16 Then the Lord raised up judges who delivered them from the hands of those who plundered them.
Now, the Hebrew word translated as “judges” here has some of the same connotations as the English word. Judges administered justice. They had some governing authority. They passed judgment. They adjudicated legal matters between parties.
But their most significant role, in terms of the Book of Judges, is the one we see in verse 16: They delivered the people of Israel from their oppressors.
They were the delivery people, tasked with delivering Israel FROM its oppressors and back INTO a relationship with God.
Now, this book is structured around the accounts of six major and six minor judges who were raised up by God, along with one who rebelliously raised HIMSELF up to that role.
Each of the God-raised judges points us to Jesus as the one who delivers His people from our bondage to sin. And in each of the major judges — the ones the writer of this book spends significant space telling us about — we can find connections to the life and work of Jesus Christ that make the typological connection between them very clear.
That would be a great study for us, but we don’t have time for it today. Today, I want to single out just one of those major judges — arguably the worst of the lot — and show how HE points us to Jesus.
The connections are significant, and they remind us that God was telling the world about Jesus long before His birth in Bethlehem.
Before I get into it, though, I need to acknowledge that the remainder of this message relies heavily on a sermon preached by the late Don Fortner in Madisonville, KY, in 2005.
This Baptist preacher’s insights into Samson’s life and its connection to Jesus will be clear when I tell you I have five points to make, and they’ll use alliteration to help you remember.
Now, if you have your Bible handy, it might help to turn to Judges, chapter 13, where you can skim along through Samson’s life through the rest of this message. Otherwise, just follow along with the verses on your handouts.
“Samson was a type and a picture of Christ in his Coming, in his Commission, in his Consecration, in his Choices, and in his Conquests.” [http://www.donfortner.com/sermon_notes/07_judges/jud%2013-16%20Samson%20as%20a%20Type%20of%20Christ%201607.htm]
First, in his coming: Remember that Samson’s birth was a miracle. His mother had been barren. And Jesus was born to a virgin, clearly an act of God.
And both births were announced by an angel. Angels visited both Mary and Joseph to announce the birth of Jesus. Likewise, the angel of the Lord visited both of Samson’s parents to tell them of Samson’s coming birth.
Second, Samson was typical of Jesus in his commission as the deliverer of Israel.
Listen to what the angel told Manoah’s wife when he visited her. We see it in verse 5 of chapter 13.
5 “For behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son, and no razor shall come upon his head, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”
Their son would be devoted to God from the time he was in the womb, and he would begin to deliver Israel from its oppression under the Philistines.
This is very much like the angel’s announcement to Joseph in Matthew, chapter 1.
21 “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
The sins of Israel had brought them under subjection by the Philistines. And it was the sins of humanity that brought US under the control of sin, that made us slaves to sin.
As Samson would deliver the people from the Philistines, Jesus would deliver US from sin itself.
The third way that Samson typifies Christ is in his consecration.
Back in that fifth verse of Judges, chapter 13, we see that Samson is to be a Nazarite from the womb. Now, we’ve talked about Nazarites before, but the main thing to understand is that they were people who were set aside for special service to God.
Usually, this was for a short and definite period of time. For Samson, though, this was to be for his lifetime. He was to drink no wine, never to touch anything that was dead, and never to cut his hair. And all these things would be evidence of his having been consecrated to God.
As the anti-type to Samson’s type, Jesus comes with a consecration born of holiness itself. Look what the angel tells Mary in Luke, chapter 1.
35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.
Jesus’ birth was through the power of the Holy Spirit. He is called “the holy Child” here. He is, indeed, the Son of God.
And, whereas Samson rebelled against his consecrated position, breaking the laws of the Nazarite, Jesus fulfilled His consecration completely. In His sinless life, His life of perfect obedience, He fulfilled what Samson did not.
The fourth point of comparison between Samson, the type, and Jesus, the antitype, is their choices. And this might be shocking to hear, but it was specifically the choices Samson made for the women he loved that point us to Jesus.
Remember from our study on sin who was Samson’s first wife? A Philistine! A Gentile. An outsider. Look at verse 1 of chapter 14.
1 Then Samson went down to Timnah and saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines.
2 So he came back and told his father and mother, “I saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife.”
This was shocking to his parents, but perhaps not as shocking as his next two choices for companionship. In chapter 16, we see him visiting the Philistine city of Gaza and going in to a harlot, a prostitute. And then, in verse 4 of that chapter, we finally see Samson actually falling in love.
4 After this it came about that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
Of course, Delilah would be Samson’s downfall. She’d sleep with him and gain his trust and then betray him for pieces of silver. Does that part sound familiar?
So, Samson chose to love and pursue women who were outside of the nation of Israel — outside of the family of God. He chose to love and pursue women who were sinners of the worst sort. He chose to pursue women who were unworthy of Him as God’s consecrated servant.
How is that like Jesus?
Well, what is the Bride of Christ, His Church, if not a people He chose to love, even though we were outside the family of God? What is the Bride of Christ, His Church, if not a people who were sinners of the worst sort? What is the Bride of Christ if not a people who were unworthy of Him as God’s holy Son?
What Samson did because of the sin of his lust, Jesus does because of His unfathomable GRACE!
He has betrothed Himself to us, His Church, even though we’re not worthy, even though we’re the worst of sinners, even though we came from the wrong side of the tracks, outside of the family of God.
So, we’ve seen how Jesus compares to Samson — type to antitype — in four ways: His coming, His commission, His consecration, and His choices. Now, let’s see how He compares — and, more importantly, how he differs — in His conquests.
Chapters 15 and 16 of the Book of Judges detail two of Samson’s conquests against the Philistines, “beginning to bring deliverance” from them.
From Chapter 15, where he’s tied up and being taken to captivity by the Philistines:
14 When he came to Lehi, the Philistines shouted as they met him. And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily so that the ropes that were on his arms were as flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds dropped from his hands.
15 He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, so he reached out and took it and killed a thousand men with it.
Now, how does this connect to Jesus? Well, I love what Mr. Fortner said in that sermon in 2005:
“The Lord still uses the jawbones of asses to do his work. You may think, “That is not a very complimentary way to talk about preachers.” You are right. But it is most complimentary of our great [God]. He still takes men who are as empty, worthless, and useless as an ass’s dried jawbone and uses them as instruments of great good in his omnipotent hands!” [http://www.donfortner.com/sermon_notes/07_judges/jud%2013-16%20Samson%20as%20a%20Type%20of%20Christ%201607.htm]
But the ultimate conquest of Samson took place on the last day of his life, when he stretched out his arms between the columns of the Philistine temple and brought the whole thing crashing down upon himself, killing the 3,000 men and women who were there mocking him and mocking God.
And verse 30 of chapter 16 tells us that “the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he killed in his life.”
Just as Samson died for God’s glory, with his arms stretched wide, so did Jesus, whose arms were stretched wide on a cross at Calvary. Just as Samson sacrificed himself, so did our Savior.
But there are a couple of differences. Samson’s death brought only death. Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross brought forgiveness for those who’d turn to Him in faith that He paid the full penalty for our sins.
And Samson’s death was final. His body was taken away and buried in the tomb of his father. Jesus was also laid in a tomb, but He didn’t stay there. On the third day, God raised Him from the dead.
And because of the sacrificial death and supernatural resurrection of this perfect deliverer, this perfect judge, all who turn to Him in faith can have LIFE.
He had raised people from physical death in his life. But in His death and resurrection, He offers eternal life — everlasting physical AND spiritual life in the presence of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to many more.
He delivered a few in His life, but in His death and resurrection, He delivers MULTITUDES, through fait,h to a life in which we will be what God made us to be and do what God made us to do.
It might seem strange to think of Jesus as the perfect deliveryman, but that’s just what He does for those who place their faith in Him.
And THAT’S why I’m thankful for delivery drivers today. They remind me of the judges of Israel. They remind me of Samson. And most important of all, they remind me of Jesus.
Now, today is Lord’s Supper Sunday. This is an important observance for individual followers of Jesus.
But it’s is also important to the fellowship of the church. It brings us together in a unique way and reminds us that we belong to one another in Christ Jesus.
It reminds us of the loyal love He has for us and the loyal love we’re called to have for one another.
Jesus commanded us to observe the Lord’s Supper as an act of obedience to Him. It’s a way of proclaiming that we who follow Him in faith belong to Him. In it, we are reminded of what He did for us.
The Lord’s Supper reminds us that our hope for salvation rests only and completely on the sacrifice He made for us and in our place at the cross. It reminds us that our life is in Him.
And sharing the bread from one loaf reminds us that we are, together, the one body of Christ. It reminds us that we’re called to unity of faith, unity of purpose, and unity of love.
It reminds us that, just as He gave up the glory He had in heaven, we who’ve followed Jesus in faith are called to give up any claims we might think we have to our own lives as we follow Him.
Finally, it reminds us that, as we’ve been given the testimony of the Holy Spirit within us, we’re to share OUR testimony of salvation by grace through faith.
We’re not to be lukewarm Christians, but people who are on fire for the Lord. People desperate to SEE His righteousness upon the earth and committed to LIVING His righteousness while we wait.
If you’re a baptized believer walking in obedience to Christ, I’d like to invite you to join us today as we celebrate the Lord’s Supper.
Now, this sacred meal dates all the way back to when Jesus shared it with His disciples at the Last Supper on the night before He was crucified.
The conditions during the Last Supper were different than the conditions we have here today. But the significance was the same as it is today.
Jesus told His disciples that the bread represented His body, which would be broken for our transgressions.
Let us pray.
26 While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”
As Jesus suffered and died on that cross, his blood poured out with His life. This was always God’s plan to reconcile mankind to Himself.
“In [Jesus] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.”
Let us pray.
27 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you;
28 for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.
Take and drink.
“Now, as often as we eat this bread and drink the cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.”
Maranatha! Lord, come!
Here at Liberty Spring, we have a tradition following our commemoration of the Lord’s Supper.
Please gather around in a circle, and let us sing together “Blest Be the Tie that Binds.”
