Untitled Sermon

Judges 14:1-4

Samson is moved by what he sees to acquire as a wife one of the daughters of the Philistines. There are three sad things about his approach that should be noted by all those who would pursue marriage.

Samson cannot be counseled () - He is his own God and does not respect the counsel and command of God. Samson's behavior is dictated by his natural appetites. Paul describes this kind of person in his letter to the Philippians.

17 ‎Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. 18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame— who set their mind on earthly things. ()

‎‎1 “When the Lord your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you, 2 and when the Lord your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them. 3 Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son. (Deuteronomy 7:1-3)

Samson cannot be corrected () - He has rejected God's authority through His parents (; Deuteronomy 27:16). he has rejected God's commandments through the Scriptures.

‎‎12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you. ()

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‎‎16 ‘Cursed is the one who treats his father or his mother with contempt.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’ (Deuteronomy 27:16)

Samson can be counted as compromised () - God leverages his evil to effect His plan to show pity on His people. Do not think that God is obligated to stop us from doing evil. When we continually reject His counsel and correction God may actually be counting on our rebellion to help promote His own agenda. But do not think that we are entitled to His intervention when we have been inveterate in our rebellion.

- God hardened the hearts of the nations against repentance in order to accomplish His good and perfect will.

; - The king Rehoboam did not listen to counsel because God had actually confirmed him in his rebellion. Where God desires that we repent He is able to use our obstinance to accomplish His will. We cannot be glib with God and assume that we are going to be delivered from determined dereliction.

Judges 14:5-9

Regarding what happens next we are introduced to the strengths and weaknesses of the young deliverer. In the span of a few verses we are made aware of why Samson could be a great blessing to the people. In that same pericope we are made privy to why he will not succeed.

Samson is Undefeatable in Combatant () - The writer would have the reader to see the amazing abilities of this deliverer when the Spirit of the LORD comes upon him. Imagine what the lion is saying to his buddies as he spies this young man coming his way. He says to his buddies, "I got this, man. I have the speed. I have the strength. I have the teeth. I have the claws. And... I have the element of surprise." A lion can weigh anywhere from 265 to 420 lbs. Lions can typically run about 50 miles per hour. That is about twice the speed of the fastest human being alive today.

Samson is Untrustworthy in Leadership (; Leviticus 11:27) - Although he is called by God to provide deliverance and leadership for the people of God, Samson is only concerned with his personal appetites. Moreover, he brings his defilement into the lives of others. Not only is he prohibited from touching a carcass but he is also prevented from touching unclean animals. He does both and knowingly causes other people to be ceremonially unclean.

The Weakness through His Pride - In his own view Samson is smarter than everyone else. He is a clever man and takes delight in mocking his enemies while he fellowships with them. Although he is supposed to be delivering Israel from the oppression of the Philistines he is partying with them and showing off his superior intellect. Why? Because he can outwit and overcome anyone.

The Weakness through His Bride - The wife of a man will be either his great strength or weakness. Be warned men, your choice of a spouse does more to determine your success than your intelligence, diligence, or inheritance.

The Weakness through His Pals - His best man took his wife. Who does that?

See note below on the resentment of Samson.

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Judges 13:1–25 NKJV

Again the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years. Now there was a certain man from Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren and had no children. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Indeed now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. Now therefore, please be careful not to drink wine or similar drink, and not to eat anything unclean. For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.” So the woman came and told her husband, saying, “A Man of God came to me, and His countenance was like the countenance of the Angel of God, very awesome; but I did not ask Him where He was from, and He did not tell me His name. And He said to me, ‘Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. Now drink no wine or similar drink, nor eat anything unclean, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.’ ” Then Manoah prayed to the Lord, and said, “O my Lord, please let the Man of God whom You sent come to us again and teach us what we shall do for the child who will be born.” And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the Angel of God came to the woman again as she was sitting in the field; but Manoah her husband was not with her. Then the woman ran in haste and told her husband, and said to him, “Look, the Man who came to me the other day has just now appeared to me!” So Manoah arose and followed his wife. When he came to the Man, he said to Him, “Are You the Man who spoke to this woman?” And He said, “I am.” Manoah said, “Now let Your words come to pass! What will be the boy’s rule of life, and his work?” So the Angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “Of all that I said to the woman let her be careful. She may not eat anything that comes from the vine, nor may she drink wine or similar drink, nor eat anything unclean. All that I commanded her let her observe.” Then Manoah said to the Angel of the Lord, “Please let us detain You, and we will prepare a young goat for You.” And the Angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “Though you detain Me, I will not eat your food. But if you offer a burnt offering, you must offer it to the Lord.” (For Manoah did not know He was the Angel of the Lord.) Then Manoah said to the Angel of the Lord, “What is Your name, that when Your words come to pass we may honor You?” And the Angel of the Lord said to him, “Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful?” So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering, and offered it upon the rock to the Lord. And He did a wondrous thing while Manoah and his wife looked on—it happened as the flame went up toward heaven from the altar—the Angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar! When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell on their faces to the ground. When the Angel of the Lord appeared no more to Manoah and his wife, then Manoah knew that He was the Angel of the Lord. And Manoah said to his wife, “We shall surely die, because we have seen God!” But his wife said to him, “If the Lord had desired to kill us, He would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering from our hands, nor would He have shown us all these things, nor would He have told us such things as these at this time.” So the woman bore a son and called his name Samson; and the child grew, and the Lord blessed him. And the Spirit of the Lord began to move upon him at Mahaneh Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.

Right In Their Own Eyes

(The Doomed Deliverer)

1 Again the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years. 2 Now there was a certain man from Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren and had no children. 3 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Indeed now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. 4 Now therefore, please be careful not to drink wine or similar drink, and not to eat anything unclean. 5 For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.”

The national downward spiral into depravity has been chronicled through the prior material of this book. In earlier chapters Israel repeatedly rebels against the commandments of God and discards the calling of God to be his own special people. Israel was supposed to cast out the false religion of worshiping through sexual immorality. Israel were supposed to cast out the sacrificing of children to false gods. Israel were supposed to bring justice for the foreigner, relief for the widow, and help for the orphans. They were commissioned to cast out the evil of the Canaanites. Instead Israel has become canaanized. And their evil is not a point of view - right for me wrong for you. Their works are wickedness without question because they are evil in the sight of the Lord (; )... again. It's a pattern. And in this pattern the first verse of chapter thirteen describes the rebellion of Israel and the rebuke of God; the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years (Judges 13:1).(1)

But noticeably absent from the pattern is the part where the people repent. The people do not cry out for relief. There is no groaning with their grief. No war is waged by the nation against their oppressors. They have become so acclimated to being ruled by the Philistines that they state it as a fact () and are perturbed when their deliverer begins to deliver them. Israel is content being under the control of a nation that opposes the program of God and the prosperity of His people. Why? Fully canaanized communities don't complain when being compelled to conduct themselves as Canaanites.

Although the people do not cry out God still comes to their aid through a unilateral act of grace. Apart from an appeal Yahweh raises up another judge... from a barren woman.

Excursus: Barrenness

In barrenness we are broken. Through our seemingly unending season of unanswered prayer for something (e.g., a baby, a spouse, a job) we are made to feel the unrelenting pain of some neediness. In the midst of our emptiness we entreat God for help in hope that He will hear and have mercy. But in the delay we become more than desperate and we are undone. In the silence of no answer we are made to regard our wretchedness and the reasons why the Almighty is not obligated to answer. In that time outside of "a long while" the barrenness breaks us. Let it, saint. Let the barrenness break you. Be broken.

In barrenness Hannah breaks through her competition with the other woman, through her rivalry (), and through her desire to have a son and she enters into the blessedness of wanting a son that can be devoted to the Lord all the days of his life (). The Lord closed her womb in order that He might at last raise up a priest with the right priorities (). In barrenness Elizabeth is made ready to receive Elijah, made fit for her role of raising the forerunner, and prepared for worship when the Holy Spirit comes on her and her son. She was a long time childless so that she could cherish the blessing of a boy that would belong to the Lord from the womb ().

Out of barrenness is born Samson; from childlessness comes a churlish deliverer with supernatural strength. The Angel of the Lord did not appear to the apparent authority of the husband but to the nameless woman without child - to the barren (). And the commands for the coming child were not given to the man of the house; they were given to the barren. It was to her that the Angel of the Lord said the deliverer shall be a Nazirite from the womb (). It is out of barrenness that the Lord brings forward the better priest Samuel. A Nazirite as well. And it is out of barrenness that we get the baptist - John the Baptist. Also a Nazirite. All of these exceptional people came from persons who could not produce a child. It was God's will that they would wait an unreasonable amount of time for what came so easily to others. Why? Listen closely: Because through their barrenness these women were broken and became mothers gladly committed to carrying and caring for a child God's way.

Before either of these women suffered with the shame of having no child Sarai was barren. But in barrenness Sarai becomes Sarah, Abram becomes Abraham, and an elderly man learned to love God more than the lad on the altar. By the blessing of barrenness the natural tendency to own the gift gives way to the realization that we are but stewards and that the real blessing is in the opportunity to give what was given back to God... for His glory... and for the good of His people.

Your barrenness is not the cruelty of God or the outworking of His unwillingness to see you happy. It works in you, by His grace through your faith, to change you. In it you are being broken so that if the Lord grants your plea it will be received by someone made ready for the present and glad for a special charge in handling a special package. If you are willing to receive it, your barrenness is working to produce in you special worship. If you are willing to receive it, your barrenness is sanctifying you for the saint-work of surrendering the gift back to Him without a grudge and with gratitude. In that time outside of "a long while" the barrenness tries to break us. Let it, saint. Let the barrenness break you. Be broken. Listen to David!

18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit. (, NKJV)

Hear him again.

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise. (, NKJV)

The breakthrough is not in getting what you want from God. It is in wanting to honor Him with whatever you get... even with the gift of barrenness. It is in the determination to worship Him in whatever He decides to do ().

Relief ()

Excursus: Nazirite Vow

(The Diss)

Excursus: Angel of the LORD

(The Dullness on Display)

Excursus: Hardness of Heart

Notes:

(1) Forty years of subjugation is the longest found in Judges. It is double the previous record of twenty years (Judges 4:3).

Judges 14:1–20 NKJV

Now Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines. So he went up and told his father and mother, saying, “I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife.” Then his father and mother said to him, “Is there no woman among the daughters of your brethren, or among all my people, that you must go and get a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” And Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she pleases me well.” But his father and mother did not know that it was of the Lord—that He was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines. For at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel. So Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother, and came to the vineyards of Timnah. Now to his surprise, a young lion came roaring against him. And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart as one would have torn apart a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done. Then he went down and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well. After some time, when he returned to get her, he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion. And behold, a swarm of bees and honey were in the carcass of the lion. He took some of it in his hands and went along, eating. When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them, and they also ate. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey out of the carcass of the lion. So his father went down to the woman. And Samson gave a feast there, for young men used to do so. And it happened, when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions to be with him. Then Samson said to them, “Let me pose a riddle to you. If you can correctly solve and explain it to me within the seven days of the feast, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing. But if you cannot explain it to me, then you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing.” And they said to him, “Pose your riddle, that we may hear it.” So he said to them: “Out of the eater came something to eat, And out of the strong came something sweet.” Now for three days they could not explain the riddle. But it came to pass on the seventh day that they said to Samson’s wife, “Entice your husband, that he may explain the riddle to us, or else we will burn you and your father’s house with fire. Have you invited us in order to take what is ours? Is that not so?” Then Samson’s wife wept on him, and said, “You only hate me! You do not love me! You have posed a riddle to the sons of my people, but you have not explained it to me.” And he said to her, “Look, I have not explained it to my father or my mother; so should I explain it to you?” Now she had wept on him the seven days while their feast lasted. And it happened on the seventh day that he told her, because she pressed him so much. Then she explained the riddle to the sons of her people. So the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down: “What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?” And he said to them: “If you had not plowed with my heifer, You would not have solved my riddle!” Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily, and he went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty of their men, took their apparel, and gave the changes of clothing to those who had explained the riddle. So his anger was aroused, and he went back up to his father’s house. And Samson’s wife was given to his companion, who had been his best man.

Real Talk with Roderick

Samson Syndrome Symptom 1: Committed to Corrupting Company (; ; ; )

Samson was gifted. Among all the judges that God used to bring relief to His rebellious people only the son of Manoah was singled out as blessed by God (). When the young man with long locks of hair was moved by the Spirit he was invincible and would perform wonders that loosened the oppressive hand of the Philistines on the people of Yahweh (). But for all his giftedness and the greatness that was upon him Samson would not willingly be the help he should have been, the liberator he could have been, or the agent of salvation that was so desperately needed. He was gifted. But he was also ailing with heart defects that would destroy him. What defects? Glad you asked.

Although blessed and gifted by God to help Israel, we see Samson incessantly seeking close companionship anywhere but among his brethren (, ). Against the express command of God he would marry an unbeliever. (His closest companion at the wedding was one of his people’s oppressors and a person that was not committed to Yahweh.) The Lord was very clear:

3 Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son. 4 For they will turn your sons away from following Me, to serve other gods; so the anger of the Lord will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly. (, NKJV)

Samson Syndrome gives a man the false impression that he can handle himself in situations that God has said to avoid (; ; ; ). His heart defect produces in him strong delusions: (1) He is deserving of what he desires, (2) he is able to escape the consequences of keeping bad company, and (3) that a man will not reap what he sows. "I will partake of forbidden pleasures but will not experience the promised problems! Because... I am me."

No matter what anyone says Samson will be married to the Philistine woman. Why? Because she was right in his eyes (). She was fine! When his parents protested his goal of settling down with the woman from Timnah he tells his father what to do and why. Do not miss it, friend. The son sent the father to do what what the son wanted. Why? Because she looked good to him. She was cute to him. She was hot to him. And he had to have her. That was all the reason that was needed. In his rude command and fallen reasoning the final tragedy of our hero is glimpsed. Do you see it? Samson, in the end, will be undone by his determination to be in love with a person who does not love God. He is gifted and should be able to break the yoke of the Philistines on his people. But he himself will not stop getting yoked to people who undermine his mission.

Have you made a decision to trust Christ? If you have there is greatness on you, my friend. You are gifted as well (). You have the same Spirit that was on Samson. And God would use you to bring relief to others, deliverance to the oppressed, and the message of pardon and abundant life through Christ (). But keeping company with people who are not committed to Christ will compromise your mission and limit your effectiveness in your calling.

33 Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” (, NKJV)

Not liking how your life looks similar to Samson? Yeah, I don’t like that feeling either. What can we do? Keep good company. First with Christ and then with His people.

In His grip by His grace,

Roderick L. Barnes, Sr.

P.S. Marriage Effectiveness Calculus - I have observed that the kingdom effectiveness of a marriage is approximately the average of the people married. If the wife is hot for God (10 points) and the husband is not (2 points) the marriage operates like a 6. If the wife is hot for God (10 points) and the husband is against God (-10 points) the marriage is a zero. When both the husband (10 points) and wife (10 points) are determined to honor God it makes it easier for their marriage (10 points) to be used for the glory of God and the good of His people. The derivation of this calculus goes beyond my personal observations and reflections and would be posted here but there are too many pages of heinously difficult integrals, operations with complex numbers, and shenanigans with matrices.

Ch. is … (; ).

Judges 14:1–20 NKJV

Now Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines. So he went up and told his father and mother, saying, “I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife.” Then his father and mother said to him, “Is there no woman among the daughters of your brethren, or among all my people, that you must go and get a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” And Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she pleases me well.” But his father and mother did not know that it was of the Lord—that He was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines. For at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel. So Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother, and came to the vineyards of Timnah. Now to his surprise, a young lion came roaring against him. And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart as one would have torn apart a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done. Then he went down and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well. After some time, when he returned to get her, he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion. And behold, a swarm of bees and honey were in the carcass of the lion. He took some of it in his hands and went along, eating. When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them, and they also ate. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey out of the carcass of the lion. So his father went down to the woman. And Samson gave a feast there, for young men used to do so. And it happened, when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions to be with him. Then Samson said to them, “Let me pose a riddle to you. If you can correctly solve and explain it to me within the seven days of the feast, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing. But if you cannot explain it to me, then you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing.” And they said to him, “Pose your riddle, that we may hear it.” So he said to them: “Out of the eater came something to eat, And out of the strong came something sweet.” Now for three days they could not explain the riddle. But it came to pass on the seventh day that they said to Samson’s wife, “Entice your husband, that he may explain the riddle to us, or else we will burn you and your father’s house with fire. Have you invited us in order to take what is ours? Is that not so?” Then Samson’s wife wept on him, and said, “You only hate me! You do not love me! You have posed a riddle to the sons of my people, but you have not explained it to me.” And he said to her, “Look, I have not explained it to my father or my mother; so should I explain it to you?” Now she had wept on him the seven days while their feast lasted. And it happened on the seventh day that he told her, because she pressed him so much. Then she explained the riddle to the sons of her people. So the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down: “What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?” And he said to them: “If you had not plowed with my heifer, You would not have solved my riddle!” Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily, and he went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty of their men, took their apparel, and gave the changes of clothing to those who had explained the riddle. So his anger was aroused, and he went back up to his father’s house. And Samson’s wife was given to his companion, who had been his best man.

Did the … must be resisted.

Judges 14:1–4 NKJV

Now Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines. So he went up and told his father and mother, saying, “I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife.” Then his father and mother said to him, “Is there no woman among the daughters of your brethren, or among all my people, that you must go and get a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” And Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she pleases me well.” But his father and mother did not know that it was of the Lord—that He was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines. For at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.

The first secret … do not ().

Judges 14:1–4 NKJV

Now Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines. So he went up and told his father and mother, saying, “I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife.” Then his father and mother said to him, “Is there no woman among the daughters of your brethren, or among all my people, that you must go and get a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” And Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she pleases me well.” But his father and mother did not know that it was of the Lord—that He was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines. For at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.

When Samson met … in his heart.

Judges 14:5–20 NKJV

So Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother, and came to the vineyards of Timnah. Now to his surprise, a young lion came roaring against him. And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart as one would have torn apart a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done. Then he went down and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well. After some time, when he returned to get her, he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion. And behold, a swarm of bees and honey were in the carcass of the lion. He took some of it in his hands and went along, eating. When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them, and they also ate. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey out of the carcass of the lion. So his father went down to the woman. And Samson gave a feast there, for young men used to do so. And it happened, when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions to be with him. Then Samson said to them, “Let me pose a riddle to you. If you can correctly solve and explain it to me within the seven days of the feast, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing. But if you cannot explain it to me, then you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing.” And they said to him, “Pose your riddle, that we may hear it.” So he said to them: “Out of the eater came something to eat, And out of the strong came something sweet.” Now for three days they could not explain the riddle. But it came to pass on the seventh day that they said to Samson’s wife, “Entice your husband, that he may explain the riddle to us, or else we will burn you and your father’s house with fire. Have you invited us in order to take what is ours? Is that not so?” Then Samson’s wife wept on him, and said, “You only hate me! You do not love me! You have posed a riddle to the sons of my people, but you have not explained it to me.” And he said to her, “Look, I have not explained it to my father or my mother; so should I explain it to you?” Now she had wept on him the seven days while their feast lasted. And it happened on the seventh day that he told her, because she pressed him so much. Then she explained the riddle to the sons of her people. So the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down: “What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?” And he said to them: “If you had not plowed with my heifer, You would not have solved my riddle!” Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily, and he went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty of their men, took their apparel, and gave the changes of clothing to those who had explained the riddle. So his anger was aroused, and he went back up to his father’s house. And Samson’s wife was given to his companion, who had been his best man.

Many people have … against the Philistines.

Judges 14:5–7 NKJV

So Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother, and came to the vineyards of Timnah. Now to his surprise, a young lion came roaring against him. And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart as one would have torn apart a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done. Then he went down and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well.

Under the pressure … ended so tragically.

Judges 14:8–17 NKJV

After some time, when he returned to get her, he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion. And behold, a swarm of bees and honey were in the carcass of the lion. He took some of it in his hands and went along, eating. When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them, and they also ate. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey out of the carcass of the lion. So his father went down to the woman. And Samson gave a feast there, for young men used to do so. And it happened, when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions to be with him. Then Samson said to them, “Let me pose a riddle to you. If you can correctly solve and explain it to me within the seven days of the feast, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing. But if you cannot explain it to me, then you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing.” And they said to him, “Pose your riddle, that we may hear it.” So he said to them: “Out of the eater came something to eat, And out of the strong came something sweet.” Now for three days they could not explain the riddle. But it came to pass on the seventh day that they said to Samson’s wife, “Entice your husband, that he may explain the riddle to us, or else we will burn you and your father’s house with fire. Have you invited us in order to take what is ours? Is that not so?” Then Samson’s wife wept on him, and said, “You only hate me! You do not love me! You have posed a riddle to the sons of my people, but you have not explained it to me.” And he said to her, “Look, I have not explained it to my father or my mother; so should I explain it to you?” Now she had wept on him the seven days while their feast lasted. And it happened on the seventh day that he told her, because she pressed him so much. Then she explained the riddle to the sons of her people.

. Some time … from him ().

Judges 14:8–9 NKJV

After some time, when he returned to get her, he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion. And behold, a swarm of bees and honey were in the carcass of the lion. He took some of it in his hands and went along, eating. When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them, and they also ate. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey out of the carcass of the lion.

And when the … of his faithfulness.

Judges 14:18–20 NKJV

So the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down: “What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?” And he said to them: “If you had not plowed with my heifer, You would not have solved my riddle!” Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily, and he went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty of their men, took their apparel, and gave the changes of clothing to those who had explained the riddle. So his anger was aroused, and he went back up to his father’s house. And Samson’s wife was given to his companion, who had been his best man.

. To fulfill … the best man.

Judges 14:19–20 NKJV

Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily, and he went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty of their men, took their apparel, and gave the changes of clothing to those who had explained the riddle. So his anger was aroused, and he went back up to his father’s house. And Samson’s wife was given to his companion, who had been his best man.

For the second … a Philistine ().

Judges 14:19–20 NKJV

Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily, and he went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty of their men, took their apparel, and gave the changes of clothing to those who had explained the riddle. So his anger was aroused, and he went back up to his father’s house. And Samson’s wife was given to his companion, who had been his best man.

that is, “the … resentment of Samson.

Judges 14:20 NKJV

And Samson’s wife was given to his companion, who had been his best man.

Judges 15:1–20 NKJV

After a while, in the time of wheat harvest, it happened that Samson visited his wife with a young goat. And he said, “Let me go in to my wife, into her room.” But her father would not permit him to go in. Her father said, “I really thought that you thoroughly hated her; therefore I gave her to your companion. Is not her younger sister better than she? Please, take her instead.” And Samson said to them, “This time I shall be blameless regarding the Philistines if I harm them!” Then Samson went and caught three hundred foxes; and he took torches, turned the foxes tail to tail, and put a torch between each pair of tails. When he had set the torches on fire, he let the foxes go into the standing grain of the Philistines, and burned up both the shocks and the standing grain, as well as the vineyards and olive groves. Then the Philistines said, “Who has done this?” And they answered, “Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he has taken his wife and given her to his companion.” So the Philistines came up and burned her and her father with fire. Samson said to them, “Since you would do a thing like this, I will surely take revenge on you, and after that I will cease.” So he attacked them hip and thigh with a great slaughter; then he went down and dwelt in the cleft of the rock of Etam. Now the Philistines went up, encamped in Judah, and deployed themselves against Lehi. And the men of Judah said, “Why have you come up against us?” So they answered, “We have come up to arrest Samson, to do to him as he has done to us.” Then three thousand men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam, and said to Samson, “Do you not know that the Philistines rule over us? What is this you have done to us?” And he said to them, “As they did to me, so I have done to them.” But they said to him, “We have come down to arrest you, that we may deliver you into the hand of the Philistines.” Then Samson said to them, “Swear to me that you will not kill me yourselves.” So they spoke to him, saying, “No, but we will tie you securely and deliver you into their hand; but we will surely not kill you.” And they bound him with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock. When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting against him. Then the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him; and the ropes that were on his arms became like flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds broke loose from his hands. He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, reached out his hand and took it, and killed a thousand men with it. Then Samson said: “With the jawbone of a donkey, Heaps upon heaps, With the jawbone of a donkey I have slain a thousand men!” And so it was, when he had finished speaking, that he threw the jawbone from his hand, and called that place Ramath Lehi. Then he became very thirsty; so he cried out to the Lord and said, “You have given this great deliverance by the hand of Your servant; and now shall I die of thirst and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?” So God split the hollow place that is in Lehi, and water came out, and he drank; and his spirit returned, and he revived. Therefore he called its name En Hakkore, which is in Lehi to this day. And he judged Israel twenty years in the days of the Philistines.

Key Verses:

- per the command of the LORD, the rock is struck twice and water came out of it for the people to drink. The place was called Massah and Meribah because there the people tempted the Lord saying "Is the LORD among us or not?" and because it was a place of contention.

- against the command to speak to the rock Moses strikes the rock twice and monologues about the rebellion of the people and the onerous work of providing for their needs. (Striking twice was the direction given the last time this situation occurred.)

- We are witness to a turn in the story: Samson's supplication. In the strong man's praying we are able to discern his perspective on the meaning of this event (great deliverance), his recognition of his role in God's work (servant), his primary concern (I die of thirst), and fear (fall into the hand of the uncircumcised).

Samson Syndrome Primary Symptom - Self-Centeredness

Introduction

Samson Syndrome causes a man to see the world as an extension of himself. Family, friends, and even foes are nothing more than foils in theatre that features him. Until you are needed or wanted you are to wait on him. Through the self-centeredness of Samson Syndrome no one has the right to move on with their life

Conclusion

Judges 16:1–22 NKJV

Now Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there, and went in to her. When the Gazites were told, “Samson has come here!” they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the gate of the city. They were quiet all night, saying, “In the morning, when it is daylight, we will kill him.” And Samson lay low till midnight; then he arose at midnight, took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two gateposts, pulled them up, bar and all, put them on his shoulders, and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron. Afterward it happened that he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Entice him, and find out where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and every one of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.” So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength lies, and with what you may be bound to afflict you.” And Samson said to her, “If they bind me with seven fresh bowstrings, not yet dried, then I shall become weak, and be like any other man.” So the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh bowstrings, not yet dried, and she bound him with them. Now men were lying in wait, staying with her in the room. And she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he broke the bowstrings as a strand of yarn breaks when it touches fire. So the secret of his strength was not known. Then Delilah said to Samson, “Look, you have mocked me and told me lies. Now, please tell me what you may be bound with.” So he said to her, “If they bind me securely with new ropes that have never been used, then I shall become weak, and be like any other man.” Therefore Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them, and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And men were lying in wait, staying in the room. But he broke them off his arms like a thread. Delilah said to Samson, “Until now you have mocked me and told me lies. Tell me what you may be bound with.” And he said to her, “If you weave the seven locks of my head into the web of the loom”— So she wove it tightly with the batten of the loom, and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he awoke from his sleep, and pulled out the batten and the web from the loom. Then she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and have not told me where your great strength lies.” And it came to pass, when she pestered him daily with her words and pressed him, so that his soul was vexed to death, that he told her all his heart, and said to her, “No razor has ever come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaven, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.” When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, “Come up once more, for he has told me all his heart.” So the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hand. Then she lulled him to sleep on her knees, and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him. And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” So he awoke from his sleep, and said, “I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!” But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him. Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza. They bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison. However, the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaven.

Real Talk with Roderick

Samson Syndrome Symptoms: Unbelievable Blindness (, NKJV)

There are four women mentioned in the life of Samson. Three of the four are nameless. His mother is the first of the nameless in the story. She is used in a very literal way to make the man (; ); in the matrix of her womb God fashions a judge for the special task of bringing deliverance to His people (; ). It was his mother, no doubt, that conveyed to him the special instructions given her by the Angel of the LORD (, ). Of special import was the part about no razor coming upon his head. I believe that it is to her that we should attribute Samson's understanding of where his great strength lay. (My view is also based on the fact that the Angel of the Lord repeatedly appears to her... not her husband.) His mother's words are quoted when he told his secret to the fourth woman of his story ().

"...he told her all his heart, and said to her, “No razor has ever come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaven, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.” (, NKJV)

Why are three of the four women in Samson's story kept nameless? Their purpose does not require their names and the use of name, when the author does provide one, serves to move the reader from concept to a final concrete example of what ails Samson. They are featured as foils; the second and third woman are the means by which the author reveals Samson's tragic character flaws. Through his interactions with them we become witness to the worst symptom of Samson Syndrome: unbelievable blindness.

The name of his wife is not necessary for what the writer would show the reader. Where she is involved the main points are these:

She is not a woman of God ().

She pledges allegiance to her people and not her husband ().

She uses his feelings for her to gain information that will be used against him.

The name of the harlot is also not important. Without her name the writer is still able to convey these key facts:

She is not a woman of God.

She pledges allegiance to her countrymen and not her Hebrew customer.

She uses his compromise against him.

Having shown the reader Samson's tendency toward compromise and vulnerability through unsanctioned relations (), the author is finally ready to reveal the judge's end. It is not surprising that it is at the hands of a woman. By this time in the story we have been prepared for this. Now, having shown us where his great weakness lies, the woman that will destroy him is given a name: Delilah.

The attributes and subversive activities of the prior women (wife and harlot) are shown to be both proleptic and prophetic. With both his wife and the harlot the judge is unmade. By relentless repetition the reader is made to see that Samson cannot see. "Behold his blindness," says the writer. "No matter how many times it happens he cannot see it coming." As we look upon him in the tragic violence of losing his eyes we have the lesson: his loss of eyesight was due to his lack of insight.

The relationship with Delilah is given more space in the narrative than any other relationship that Samson has had. All the previous material was leading up to this. It was leading up to the calamitous loss that would follow him loving a woman who does not love God. It was leading up to the sad end of a powerful man being in a relationship where she is never committed to him. It was leading up to the part where she uses his feeling to pry information out of his heart. Through the constant pestering that we saw first in his wife Samson is made to give up his great secret. But couldn't he see that every time he revealed something to her that she tried it? Did he not notice that she tested each supposed truth to see if he could really be rendered as weak as any other man?

Samson, c'mon man, if she has exercised each of your lies to see if you can be brought down... didn't you see that if you told her the truth that you were going to get a haircut? You had to see this coming. Right?

No! He didn't. The scales of sin have so covered his eyes that he is spiritually blind (). Blind to the pattern in his life seen first with his wife and then the prostitute. Blind to the problem of loving a woman that does not love God - his wife. Blind to the problem of being lead by his lust - his prostitute. Blind to the plan playing out before him through Delilah - his mistress. It is painful to watch him played. But through his folly we can be made wiser.

When a man is suffering with Samson Syndrome he is fundamentally incapable of seeing that his sin is killing him. In his own eyes he is too clever to get caught, too favored to fail, and too emotionally compromised to see that his lover is leading him to his end. He did not see it coming and neither will you. If you are in romantic and sexual relations outside of God's will your vision is being lost and with each decision to disobey God you are becoming blind.

What can you do? Glad you asked. It is as easy as ABC.

1) Be Accountable - Samson was always alone and refused to receive counsel. The decision to be unaccountable was unmaking him and is unmaking you. Confess your sin and become unconditionally accountable to a few godly men. Confess all of it; half-done confessions and inconsistent meetings with your accountability circle are signs that you are not really accountable. It is an indicator that you are more concerned with avoiding consequences of crimes against God than grieving His Spirit.

2) Be Broken - This means dispensing with the idea that you are indispensable, invincible, and inscrutable. Seeing yourself as desperately needing God's grace is the opposite of what Samson Syndrome is telling you. () Beyond confession their must be contrition and a real willingness to be led by the Lord. Getting mad when people correct or criticize you? This is a sign that you are not broken. You claim a dignity that does not belong to you. Don't just accept criticism - ask for it. Or, as Alex Mandes once told me, lean into it.

3) Be in Christ - Finding your significance in romantic relations is not going to work. You were made for Him not for her. Trying to fill your cup with that type of love will leave you empty and thirsty. Ultimately you must find meaning and happiness in Christ first. When you can be satisfied in Him you can at last be satisfied with her. And before she can be yours... she must be his. Do not make the mistake of loving a woman who does not love God. The results are tragic.

In His grip by His grace,

Former Samson Syndrome Sufferer

Judges 16:23–31 NKJV

Now the lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice. And they said: “Our god has delivered into our hands Samson our enemy!” When the people saw him, they praised their god; for they said: “Our god has delivered into our hands our enemy, The destroyer of our land, And the one who multiplied our dead.” So it happened, when their hearts were merry, that they said, “Call for Samson, that he may perform for us.” So they called for Samson from the prison, and he performed for them. And they stationed him between the pillars. Then Samson said to the lad who held him by the hand, “Let me feel the pillars which support the temple, so that I can lean on them.” Now the temple was full of men and women. All the lords of the Philistines were there—about three thousand men and women on the roof watching while Samson performed. Then Samson called to the Lord, saying, “O Lord God, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God, that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes!” And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars which supported the temple, and he braced himself against them, one on his right and the other on his left. Then Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” And he pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So the dead that he killed at his death were more than he had killed in his life. And his brothers and all his father’s household came down and took him, and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. He had judged Israel twenty years.

Real Talk

Deliverance Ministry ()

Defeated Deliverance Minister Delivered by Dagon (; ; ; ; )

23 Now the lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice. And they said: “Our god has delivered into our hands Samson our enemy!” 24 When the people saw him, they praised their god; for they said: “Our god has delivered into our hands our enemy, The destroyer of our land, And the one who multiplied our dead.”

From the perspective of the Philistines the proof of Dagon's superiority to other deities is obvious and practical. As the Philistines see it, concerning the question of who is a greater god, the case is closed: the champion of Yahweh has been humiliated and delivered into their hands? In their view Dagon is to be credited with blinding, binding, and breaking Samson their enemy (). They are gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice, because their suffering has ended; their god has put a halt to the activities of an Israelite that was hitting them where it hurt.

Samson has earned the title destroyer of the land; the long-haired Hebrew had burned Philistine grain, olives groves, and vineyards (). And that is not all. Samson had also earned the moniker one who multiplied the dead because he had single-handedly killed a thousand Philistine men using only the jawbone of a donkey (). In him the talk of the Torah became a modest mention of how the hand of God could use a single man to put enemies to flight ().

When the people saw Dagon (16:24), they praised their god. You should read this and imagine that Dagon has been brought into view. The carved image has been carted onto some type of stage and the place erupts in a roar of worship for the false God. It may have been a chanting of the false god's name or a song. The reason for their breaking forth into praise is given:

for they said: "Our god has delivered into our hands our enemy, the destroyer of our land, and the one who multiplied our dead." (, NKJV)

All of this rejoicing because of the blinding and binding of one man. Why? One man, used by the Spirit of God, was all that it took to bring Israel some real relief and begin breaking the hand of oppression. It was a deliverance ministry that the people of God were too dull to discern, too hard-hearted to have, and too acclimated to affliction to accept. Even though Samson was overpowering the oppressors his brethren were bothered and ready to betray him:

...three thousand men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam, and said to Samson, “Do you not know that the Philistines rule over us? What is this you have done to us?” ... (, NKJV)

Can you hear their acceptance of forced servitude? Can you hear their surrender to subjugation. In the minds of the men of Judah the fight is over and the Philistines are in control. This hairy man is messing up the status quo. They were as blind as their judge. Their eyes that could not see it happening. See what? a deliverance ministry. Nobody steps up to help Samson. Nobody steps in to encourage him in his calling to bring deliverance (). Instead they cry out, "Stop it, Samson!" The irony is that, although Israel did not get it, their enemies did.

To be sure, Samson as a deliverance minister was seriously hindered by his sensual appetites and hardly willing to rally his brethren to work against their yoke of oppression. But he was not more deplorable than any other man. He was like every other man in an unwillingness to be solemnly dedicated to God's will - to a deliverance ministry. For Samson the heavenly mission of making freedom available to the men and women of Israel was not as important his manly mission to be sexually satisfied. Just as bad as his failure to focus on delivering God's people is the people's don't-give-a-flip attitude about getting help. Unlike previous cycles into disobedience and chastening, the people had not cried out for help. They didn't want it. And now Israel's deliverer is in a dungeon and a false god is being credited with defeating him. It looks bleak. But the grace of God is greater than our fallenness and His deliverance ministry Is. Not. Done.

I Was Blind But Now I See ()

25 So it happened, when their hearts were merry, that they said, “Call for Samson, that he may perform for us.” So they called for Samson from the prison, and he performed for them. And they stationed him between the pillars. 26 Then Samson said to the lad who held him by the hand, “Let me feel the pillars which support the temple, so that I can lean on them.” 27 Now the temple was full of men and women. All the lords of the Philistines were there—about three thousand men and women on the roof watching while Samson performed.

The scene is a party. And what secular party does not include copious amounts of alcohol. The phrase "when their hearts were merry" is used to indicate that the people have become intoxicated (; , ; ;, ); it is in that light that we are to see their summons for Samson. Drunkenness has made the people less wary than usual. With their inhibitions suppressed they are not thinking things through and not likely to notice that the man-made-strong-by-hair has hair again (). Their mistake of not noticing his mullet is made worse, for them, by his strategic positioning - between the pillars (). Between the large supports for Dagon's temple the judge of Israel is made to perform.

Samson never let on to his plan. In fact he played along in order that at last he might play his persecutors. Instead of asking to lean against just any pillars, Samson specifically requested the pillars which support the temple. The lad was likely not inebriated. However, lacking adult insight into the mindset of captors, he missed the red flags:

Red Flag 1: Bad Hair Day - An enemy whose super strength was found to be in his hair was shaved and then his eyes were put out. He should be bald but he has hair again.

Red Flag 2: Prisoner Positioned According to His Petition - The enemy is asking to be positioned so that he has access to the one place that can bring this whole building down on the people mocking him. Nobody has a problem with giving the prisoner what he wants.

The author takes a moment to help the reader understand the import of what has been said: the temple was full of men and women. Most importantly, in the crowd of sauced revelers were the people who had paid handsomely for Samson's betrayal and by extension his blindness - the lords of the Philistines (). Besides the people in the temple there were three thousand men and women on the roof enjoying the spectacle of a humiliated Hebrew enemy.

Despite his blindness Samson has gained perspective. "I was blind but now I see," says Samson. What do you see, Samson? You lack eyesight. "But now I have insight." His eyes are gouged out but his heart has unprecedented clarity. He sees a singular opportunity to be used by God for deliverance ministry.

The Weak Made Strong (; )

28 Then Samson called to the Lord, saying, “O Lord God, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God, that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes!” 29 And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars which supported the temple, and he braced himself against them, one on his right and the other on his left. 30 Then Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” And he pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So the dead that he killed at his death were more than he had killed in his life.

Many are the commentaries that draw attention to the number of times that Samson says I in his prayer. None overlook the opportunity to draw attention to his apparently selfish reasons - vengeance... for my two eyes (). Finally, and almost invariably, Bible scholars regard Samson's request to die with the Philistines with derision (). I do not share the perspective of erudition. Maybe that means you should stop reading now and stay with popular perspectives put forward by the learned. After all, I do not have a seminary degree.

Well, you kept reading. So, having been warned, let us look at these verses through the lens of the context and other Scriptures. That is, let us peer at this passage with light that comes from surrounding material and other biblical writings that mention Samson and this incident.

To impugn Samson's prayers because of his repeated use of the personal pronoun I seems to miss the fact that it is a special affront to raise a hand against the Lord's messenger or the Lord's anointed (, ; ) - even when that person had behaved dishonorably. King David killed a man for as much (, ). When David, an anointed king, writes during his flight from his own son he is profuse in his use of the words me and I (). There are other psalms where psalmist asks for retribution and mentions rejoicing in vengeance (Psalm ; ; ). But is Samson anointed? The works he had done were by the Spirit (; ; ; ). But you will say that the Lord had departed from him (). The Lord would also depart from Israel's first king, Saul (). However, once anointed that king was still regarded as anointed (, ).

In his humiliation Samson has had time to think. The calling on his life and his callous casting away of the needs of his people was fresh on his heart. His newfound identification with Yahweh meant that the mockery aimed at him was also against the Lord, that the praising of Dagon was his fault, and that the gouging of his eyes was seen as a defeat of the greater God. Did he want vengeance for his lost eyesight. Certainly. Just be careful not to see Samson as lacking faith and an awareness of his mission. Why? Because the writer of Hebrews helps us to see that it was by faith that the weak became strong (, ). A man lacking commitment to the cause found the strength to (1) make the ultimate sacrifice and (2) be superhuman one more time. But for a better reason - a great work of deliverance. Some say that Samson's prayer was bad and suicidal. Hardly! It was finally a crying out from complete commitment, a wayward man's willingness to wage war and fight the good fight, and a determination to die doing what he was born to begin - deliverance ministry.

"Don't let me die of natural causes. O God, don't let me die apart from what you fashioned me to do. Let me die as your agent of angst against your enemies and the enemies of your people. Oh God, let me die on purpose."

Conclusion ()

31 And his brothers and all his father’s household came down and took him, and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. He had judged Israel twenty years.

Israel's judge is dead. And in the end he killed so many of the enemy that there is no one left to protest the claiming of his broken body; the five lords of the Philistines are among the dead. And so his family is able to come down and take him. They bury him in a place that has not been mentioned since - the beginning of the story. In this bookend of words the author indicates closure on the story of Samson. Between these markers there has been a strong message about Israel's last great judge.

There was a great calling on his life to liberate his people from oppression. God equipped him to carry out the mission with supernatural gifts from the Spirit.

Early on it is clear that his calling is undermined by his continuous compromises in the company he keeps.

Finally the strong man is made weak by his decision to love a woman who does not love God.

God graciously grants Samson strength so that he can use the last of his life for what he was born to do.