Judges 16

Samson

Have you ever done something really, really stupid before? Come on! You guys are teenagers, every single hand should be up!

Speeding in Fort Ashby

Chicken on a bike

Shooting cars with bb guns

Drinking out of the toilet

Why do you think it is hard for us to resist doing stupid things in life, even when we know better?

Well, todays story is about Samson, who interestingly enough, even though he was a judge of Israel, he struggled with making stupid decisions, just like Israel did. And we are going to see what happens, what the outcome could be, when we continue to make stupid decisions that we know go against God and His commandments.

And speaking of Israel.....

Israel is in another period of captivity, for turning their back on God......AGAIN! They are captive to the Philistines for 40 years, when Samson comes on the scene.

is where we will be today.

Now, Samson was promised to Manoah and his wife by an angel of the Lord. But, he was to be a Nazirite to God, meaning, he was consecrated to God. Also, a Nazirite had 3 rules to follow:

Don’t drink wine or intoxicating drink

Don’t cut your hair (for the length of the vow)

Don’t touch a dead corpse

So, we are picking up the story of Samson in chapter 16 of Judges. Now, 16 opens up with Samson going to Gaza and visiting a prostitute. Whoa.

Honey from a dead lion

So, let’s back up a bit, and if we’d take the time to read chapter 14, we’d see that Samson had already started taking steps away from his vow, and away from God.

- Samson requests a Philistine woman as his wife....which is against God’s plan at this time.

Not because of racial reasons, but Biblical reasons

In , Samson is still being used by God to defeat the Philistines, a little section at a time. But Samson’s focus seems to continue to lie on woman folk

So we find ourselves in , and, Samson has found himself visiting a prostitute. Weird right? Well, his first marriage didn’t really work out. In fact, his wife and her father were burned alive by the Philistines, because of Samson’s retaliation against the Philistines. But Samson had already left her and she had been given to his best friend in marriage. So, it was a really messed up situation!

But the Philistines know he is in there, and they lay in wait for him come to out. They are going to kill Samson for the harm he was causing them.

But Samson left at midnight, ripped up the gates, posts, and bar, and carried them to the top of the hill and walked out.

Oh, by the way, did we mention Samson was really super strong?

Well, he was. And the Bible isn’t 100% clear on why. It could have been that God supernaturally strengthened him. Or, maybe he was just like a bodybuilder, super ripped. Some people like to think his strength was in his hair. But for whatever reason he was super strong. God’s hand was on him, evidently, because he was set apart as a Nazirite, and as a Judge.

So, some time later, Samson falls in love with another Philistine woman, Delilah.

There is just something about women that Samson is not supposed to be with.

But the Philistines pay Delilah to find out the source of his strength.

Which seems to say to me that Samson probably didn’t look like a bodybuilder.

I like to imagine, probably because it makes me feel better about myself, that he was 6’2”, scrawny, skin and bones, but super super strong.

Like me.

But let’s pause right here and point out something. Samson is continuing to fall into the same types of sin. This is now three woman in a row that he knows he is not supposed to be with. We saw that in our study of the OT earlier in the year. God was very open about his view on the Israelites marrying from other nations. But Samson is exhibiting a pattern of continual sin. So, let’s ask ourselves, how many of us can think of a sin in our life that is either dangerously close to becoming a habit, or is a nasty habit? I bet we all can. And, when we continue to fall into the same sin or types of sin over and over and over, it becomes a pattern, or a habit, and it can be hard to break.

So, Samson has found himself smitten with another sinful relationship, and it’s going to get worse. Delilah is now on a mission. A mission to find out where Samson’s great strength lied.

Over four separate encounters, Delilah asks Samson where his strength lies.

Seven fresh bowstrings

New ropes

Hair was woven into a loom

Dangerously close to the truth

Cut his hair

So finally, the Philistines know the secret, Delilah lulls him to sleep, they shave his head, and his strength is gone.

Do you see what happened here. Samson had gotten so comfortable in his sin life that he didn’t even see what was happening. We are sitting here reading this story, and where like, “Samson, come on man.” She has asked you three different times where your strength came from and tried to hand you over to the Philistines.” But, let’s be real here. Sin has a way of distorting our judgement. Sin will cause us to think everything is okay, and it’s all good. Sin is dangerous. And habitual sin is almost more dangerous. This is why confession and repentance are so important in the Christian life. Confession and repentance make us recognize sin for what is is, and we then confess and turn from it. God is willing to forgive us if we will ask Him.

So, two things here:

You’re never too far gone to receive God’s mercy and forgiveness

When’s the last time you truly looked at your daily life, your routine, and tried to find anything in your life that was against God’s will?

Like the Psalmist in 139:23-24, “ 23  Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24  And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”

Try me and know my thoughts!

Grievous here actually means “wicked habit”

So, what wicked habits do you have?

Maybe it’s the things you are looking at on your phone

Maybe it’s the things we are listening to

Maybe it’s the people we hate

Maybe it’s our selfish mentality

For me, as I looked at my life, the glaring wicked habit that popped right out was the way I’ve been treating my kids. I’ve not been giving them as much attention as they deserve

But whatever it is, what are you going to do about it? And guys, this is so real.

24  And see if there be any grievous way in me,

Samson never seemed to do this, and so he was kind of destined for this. At some point, sin, secret or not, habitual or not, will catch up to us.

and lead me in the way everlasting!

- What’s the big deal?

The Philistines gouged out his eyes

He was made to work a mill. Like a cow.

Recap story

God still used Samson

Despite his sin

Despite his selfishness

Despite his stupidity

So, I see a couple things here for us to think about:

God’s plans will happen whether we are on board or not. He raised Judges to deliver Israel, and that was going to happen, whether Samson did it his way or not.

But, that doesn’t make sin okay does it? Just because Samson was “called”, doesn’t mean it was okay for him to live the way he lived his life.

, “Not everyone who says to me, Lord Lord, will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in Heaven.”

Paul talks about abusing grace as well in Romans. In fact, there is this whole movement happening right now around this idea of “free grace”, where repentance and turning from sin isn’t necessary, since we’re saved by grace alone. It’s bogus. Saving faith renews our mind, causes us to want to leave our sinful habits behind.

And I’m worried that some of us think like this. I’m good. I prayed a prayer, I’m set. I’ll live how I want, and either

Repent before i die

Or there is no need to repent.

Let me tell you guys, that’s a dangerous place to be. Because you could be very very close to missing out altogether.

So look at your life. If there is something, or somethings you’re holding onto, let them go. Come talk to me, I’d love to walk with you through that. Or maybe you’ve not ever given your life to Christ, but you’ve realized that you have sin in your life that needs forgiven. Come talk to me, or a leader, there’s literally nothing else I’d rather do today then lead you Christ.

But, do something with what we learned today. Knowledge without application is worthless.