Bound by Brothers
Without a King - The Book of Judges • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Intro
Intro
Without a King. This series was born from a desire to explore the book of Judges, encouraging each of us not to live in bondage to our old sins, but to live in the freedom we have in our King, Christ Jesus.
There are many who survive in their spiritual lives. Like the tribes of Israel at the time of the Judges, they live as slaves despite being in the promised land.
My prayer is that in this new year, with the help of God's Spirit, we may identify those areas of our lives still under the adversary's dominion and reclaim them for God's glory.
Don't live as a servant; your life is not to be wasted, but master it through the authority you have in Christ Jesus.
The Book of Judges. The Book of Judges is the seventh book in the biblical canon, a text that presents a collection of stories about persons and events of the premonarchy period in ancient Israel.
The title "Judges" reflects the public activity or office of the leaders, especially in times of hardship and oppression, about whom the stories were told. After the death of Joshua, the tribes of Israel did not expel all the Canaanite peoples from the Promised Land.
This act of disobedience cost Israel dearly: God allowed these enemies to dominate His people (Judges 2:14-16). When Israel experienced enemy oppression, they remembered the Lord, who raised up judges, saviors, for His people. After liberation and a period of peace and prosperity, Israel returned to rebel against God.
There are six cycles of rebellion in the book of Judges showing the same pattern: disobdience, oppression, crying out, and deliverance.
Yet, in the cycle concerning Samson's life, a link in the chain mentioned above is missing: there is no cry for help to God from the people of Israel.
The reason for this absence is the accustomed nature of Israel to slavery; Israel's warriors were in a state of lethargy, a spiritual slumber from which they refused to awaken. Despite the spiritual apathy of His people, God will send a judge to free them:
The book of Judges portrays a sovereign God of incredible faithfulness to his covenant, who abounds in grace in spite of the great sinfulness of the Israelites and the individual judges.
D. A. Carson
A hornet's nest. Chapter 15 of Judges presents the rapid and unstoppable escalation of war between Samson and the Philistines.
In fact, the first verses recount the failed marriage between Samson and a Philistine woman: Samson will cause enormous economic damage to the Philistines, then retreat to the territory of Judah.
The enraged Philistines gather an entire army and then wage war against the tribe of Judah. It's incredible: a failed marriage has degenerated into a national conflict! What now? It's too late! There's no turning back!
Illustration: The hornet's nest on my house’s doorbell in Montreal.
Samson had struck the nest, and the wasps had fought back.
Application. In this new year, may God destroy every hornet's nest. This means we will certainly encounter opposition, but the Lord did not create us to live as slaves to the Philistines; rather, He called us to be His servants!
Are we ready to accept God's shaking up of our lives and free us from the dominion of our Enemy?
Sermon's outline. These verses reveal a dark page in Israel's history, an embarrassing page for at least three reasons:
The Philistines;
The Men of Judah;
The Bound Champion.
N.1 - The Philistines
N.1 - The Philistines
The Philistines went up and camped in Judah, spreading out near Lehi.
The Philistines. The Philistines are Israel's archenemies. Like wasps, they want to take back what Samson had taken from them, so they decide to invade the territory of Judah. The text highlights two aspects of this people:
1A. Their Moral Codes (Judges 15:10). The Philistines' response reveals their ethics, the lowest level of morality, in a nutshell: "Do unto others as they have done unto you."
These were the rulers the men of Judah had chosen for themselves. Lords with primitive, tribal laws, especially when compared with the perfect Law of God:
The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
Unfortunately, the men of Judah accept the Philistines' request and set out to capture Samson.
Application. Even today, there are many who prefer to remain subject to the laws of this world, obeying the tribal ethical codes of a society hostile to God. A society that says:
"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."
"Do as you see fit."
"Think of yourself and don't worry..."
Unfortunately, these codes, this ethic, are also infiltrating the Church of Christ. Let us not allow the Philistine Law to contaminate our hearts. Let us turn to the Law of God, which is pure, lofty, and perfect:
As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him.
1B. Their Military Advance (Judges 15:9). Beyond their rules and codes, the Philistines invade Judah, physically encamp, and militarily spread.
The two verbs "to camp" and "to spread out" are the first mention of military activity in the territory of Judah.
Application. The military activity of the Philistines reminds me of the method sin uses to invade our hearts. When we accept the codes and rules of this corrupt society, sooner or later sin will establish itself in our hearts.
By its very nature, sin doesn't remain in one place, in the field we've left it, but spreads and permeates every possible area. Like the Philistines, sin is never content with a small territory: its goal is to conquer every inch of our lives.
N.2 - The Men of Judah
N.2 - The Men of Judah
The people of Judah asked, “Why have you come to fight us?”
“We have come to take Samson prisoner,” they answered, “to do to him as he did to us.”
The men of Judah. This tribe is experiencing spiritual decay (read Judges 1), and this is evident for at least two reasons:
2A. Ignorance (Judges 15:10). The men of Judah, through their question, reveal that they were living in spiritual lethargy. They were unaware of what had happened between the judge, Israel's champion, Samson, and their rulers.
They were unaware of the glorious deeds of the liberator Samson; they were ignorant of the victories their judge was achieving.
If there was one man the men of Judah needed to know, it was Samson, yet they did not know him.
Application. Samson, in his office as liberator, reminds us of Christ Jesus. Jesus, our champion, the One who is achieving victory after victory: saving, healing, transforming lives, baptizing in the Holy Spirit.
Yet John the evangelist said:
He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.
Are we aware of what Jesus is doing among us? Are we aware of how our champion, Savior, and Liberator is blessing His church throughout the world? Or do we have to let the Philistines tell us what Jesus is doing!
2B. The Opposition (Judges 15:11). The men of Judah gather 3,000 men to capture Samson. Instead of rallying around their champion, they rally against the one who was saving them.
They said to Samson: "Let's not upset the balance... the Philistines are more powerful than we are..."
As if that weren't enough, the men of Judah carried out the Philistines' plan: they imprisoned Samson, bound him with new ropes, and walked the most shameful 5 km described in the Old Testament: from the Rock of Etem to Lehi in Judah.
Application. The real tragedy is not seeing transgression spreading in our generation, but seeing those who are freed from the slavery of sin, instead of encouraging and facilitating Jesus' work of salvation, oppose His work.
The men of Judah behave like the inhabitants of the region of the Gerasenes. After seeing their fellow citizen freed from a legion of demons, they asked Jesus to leave:
Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.
The story of Abishai, David's valiant warrior, reminds us that we must help and encourage the work of our Champion:
Once again there was a battle between the Philistines and Israel. David went down with his men to fight against the Philistines, and he became exhausted. And Ishbi-Benob, one of the descendants of Rapha, whose bronze spearhead weighed three hundred shekels and who was armed with a new sword, said he would kill David. But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to David’s rescue; he struck the Philistine down and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, saying, “Never again will you go out with us to battle, so that the lamp of Israel will not be extinguished.”
Are you encouraging the work of God's Spirit in your life? Are you one of those who bind the hands of the Deliverer, or are you one of those who defend the King? Are you one of those who say Jesus cannot free you from your addictions, or do you believe that Jesus is stronger than your addictions?
In this 2026, will there be "new ropes" in your hands (new year, new ropes, new excuses, new addictions), or will there be the sword of God's Word in your hands?
N.3 - The Bound Champion
N.3 - The Bound Champion
They said to him, “We’ve come to tie you up and hand you over to the Philistines.”
Samson said, “Swear to me that you won’t kill me yourselves.”
The Buond Champion. In this passage, Samson, the Champion of Israel, reminds us in at least five ways of another Champion: Christ Jesus. Just like Samson:
A. Jesus suffered reproach and shame so that He could be the Savior of all humanity;
B. Jesus was the only Man who could save humanity, yet He was bound and handed over to the Roman authorities.
C. When they handed Jesus over to the Romans, the religious leaders affirmed what the men of Judah confessed to Samson, namely, that a foreign power was dominating the country:
But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!”
“Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked.
“We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered.
D. The Pharisees, like the men of Judah, did not want to get their hands dirty but allowed others to kill the innocent Son of God.
E. Just like Samson, Jesus triumphed over death, condemnation, and sin:
But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.
Jesus is our Champion!
Conclusion
Conclusion
Reflect. This year, the Lord wants to remove many hornets' nests in your heart and mind.
What will your reaction be? Will you oppose Him, or will you join your champion, supporting His work in your life and in your family?
