"Consumed with Self"
"Samson" • Sermon • Submitted
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INTRO:
Recap sermon theme: life with fewer regrets…the incomplete life of Samson.
After some days, at the time of wheat harvest, Samson went to visit his wife with a young goat. And he said, “I will go in to my wife in the chamber.” But her father would not allow him to go in. And her father said, “I really thought that you utterly hated her, so I gave her to your companion. Is not her younger sister more beautiful than she? Please take her instead.” And Samson said to them, “This time I shall be innocent in regard to the Philistines, when I do them harm.” 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. 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. 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. 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.” 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.
Then the Philistines came up and encamped in Judah and made a raid on Lehi. And the men of Judah said, “Why have you come up against us?” They said, “We have come up to bind Samson, to do to him as he did to us.” Then 3,000 men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam, and said to Samson, “Do you not know that the Philistines are rulers over us? What then is this that you have done to us?” And he said to them, “As they did to me, so have I done to them.” And they said to him, “We have come down to bind you, that we may give you into the hands of the Philistines.” And Samson said to them, “Swear to me that you will not attack me yourselves.” They said to him, “No; we will only bind you and give you into their hands. We will surely not kill you.” So they bound him with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock.
When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting to meet him. Then 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 out his hand and took it, and with it he struck 1,000 men. And Samson said,
“With the jawbone of a donkey,
heaps upon heaps,
with the jawbone of a donkey
have I struck down a thousand men.”
As soon as he had finished speaking, he threw away the jawbone out of his hand. And that place was called Ramath-lehi.
And he was very thirsty, and he called upon the Lord and said, “You have granted this great salvation by the hand of your servant, and shall I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” And God split open the hollow place that is at Lehi, and water came out from it. And when he drank, his spirit returned, and he revived. Therefore the name of it was called En-hakkore; it is at Lehi to this day. And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.
Samson was mastered by his desire.
Samson was mastered by his desire.
Samson was consumed with self.
Samson was consumed with self.
Let’s take a look…who/what was Samson supposed to be? God had, literally, created Samson, called Samson, to be a “judge” in Israel - explain the judges. He was supposed to lead to Israel militarily, lead them spiritually - the root issue for Israel was idolatry. He was supposed to be Israel’s deliverer.
But, here, specifically in chapter 15, we see a man completely focused on and consumed with SELF. One of Samson’s greatest downfalls was pride.
Self-Vindication
Self-Vindication
Remember in the last chapter, Samson gets married - but he hasn’t yet “consummated” the marriage. Watch what happens here.
The father “gives” Samson’s wife away.
So, what does Samson do? He burns down all the crops in Timnah. He’s driven by anger and revenge.
The Philistines in Timnah retaliate and burn Samson’s wife and her father alive.
Look again at
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.”
I will be avenged on you.
Look, we don’t know how many Philistines Samson killed, here, but it was more than likely a pretty hefty amount. He never went small on anything he did. Samson was a “go big or go home” kind of guy. But, this incident is VERY revealing about Samson. Why?
This is not about avenging his wife - an innocent life. You know what makes a captivating love story/movie? “I’m going to avenge the death of my wife.”
Have you ever seen Braveheart? Oh my word. What an awesome movie. Remember, his wife is killed and the rest of the movie is about William Wallace leading the people of Scotland to resist the powers, fight for their political freedom but ultimately avenge the death of his wife.
Not Samson…He says, “I” will be avenged! You took something that was MINE…you cost ME something so now all of you will pay!
Just as much as it’s not about avenging his wife but himself, Samson is also not concerned at all about defending or delivering Israel. NOT ONCE do we ever see Samson going to fight the Philistines or avenging Israel due to the fact that the Philistines were absolutely cruel and inhumane enemies.
It’s ALL selfish! Selfish ambition/vindication.
Samson was not concerned with the things that broke God’s heart.
What’s the trap WE fall into? Are we broken over the things that break God’s heart or the things that inconvenience or are beneficial (or not) to us, personally? What about when someone sins against you? Are you more concerned with REVENGE or RECONCILIATION? Are you more concerned with the fact that there is sin there? That there is division that might cause disunity and fellowship or are you more concerned with being justified/vindicated? Is it selfish ambition?
Listen to a couple of passages:
See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;
and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.
Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
James 3:13-
Philippians 2:
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Self-Preservation
Self-Preservation
(vs. 9-17)
If you’ll go back and look at the accounts of the 11 previous judges, they led the armies of Israel to fight against their enemies. Let me stress this point - they led the people to fight for their freedom - WILLIAM WALLACE STYLE. Again, in Samson’s life and leadership, it was NEVER about the people of Israel or the things of God - IT WAS ALL ABOUT HIM.
Take a look at this. All Samson cared about was himself. His vengeance. His anger. He’s hiding in this cave and take a look at how many men came to get him - 3,000 men of Judah. 3,000!!! This guy has an army 10 TIMES THE SIZE OF GIDEON’S!!! He could have said, “Guys, look, this is our time. This is our opportunity!” They could have had a Braveheart moment! They could have wiped out the entire Philistine army!
This is the only time we see an army gather under Samson…and it wasn’t for the purpose of fighting WITH him, it was to hand him over! Samson was one man and killed 1,000…the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him - YES, God used him but if 1 killed 1,000, think about what 3,000 could have done!
But it didn’t happen. Why?
Not only was Samson full of selfish ambition…he was self-seeking…set on self-preservation…not the preservation of God’s people.
And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
If your first concern is to look after yourself, you’ll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you’ll find both yourself and me.
Matthew
Self-Glorification
Self-Glorification
(vs. 18-20)
Why did Samson have victory? Because of vs. 14…the Spirit of the Lord. GOD gave him the victory! Samson’s loosing of the bonds is ENTIRELY from YHWH! God strengthened Samson and provided for him…then look what happens. In the OT, when God intervened and did something awesome on someone’s behalf…in their life…what did they typically do? They built an altar/monument to worship Him and glorify Him! They would name that place to reflect what He had done for them! They would oftentimes ascribe names to God, right? Jehovah Jireh - God provides/Jehovah Nissi - the Lord is my banner/Jehovah Rapha - the Lord heals…But what does Samson do? He names the spring after himself!
When we view ourselves as self-sufficient then we are going to be self-glorifying.
SALVATION
SAMSON WASN’T SURRENDERED/DEPENDENT UPON THE SPIRIT
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
Galatians 6:
so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
One’s pride will bring him low,
but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.
Pride goes before destruction,
and a haughty spirit before a fall.