Samson Week 3

Last week Pastor Jerry did a really good job giving an overview of the what Samson was beginning to do as a Judge. He was beginning to free the Israelites from the Philistines. In this passage is where that begins to take shape.

2 weeks ago I reminded you that sometimes God uses us in spite of us. And sometimes God takes our mess and uses it to accomplish his purposes.

Now like any good story at a climax in the story it includes a visit to the in-laws. How many of you like your in- laws? How many of you are excited to visit them? How many of you just lied to your pastor in church? Let me ask you, how many of you had a visit to the in-laws that started out well and turned into a war? Well that is what happened with Samson. What started out as a visit to collect his wife turned into a war.

VISITING THE IN-LAWS

(ESV) 15 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.

May I suggest husbands that you don’t start out your next visit to the in-laws this way. Some time have passed since Samson killed 30 Philistines and then took there clothes and gave their bloody clothes to the 30 companions he made a bet with. Samson leave and at the very least days passed more likely months and Samson decided he wants to be married and so he goes to find his wife and what does his father in-law say. Nope can’t do that… Then the father in-law explains...

Samson Defeats the Philistines

2 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.” 3 And Samson said to them, “This time I shall be innocent in regard to the Philistines, when I do them harm.”

15 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. 2 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.” 3 And Samson said to them, “This time I shall be innocent in regard to the Philistines, when I do them harm.”

And you and I thought our families were messed up. This is is crazy… Probably out of fear the father in-law offers his other daughter and says she is better looking anyways… Thanks dad, right. And Samson now sees this as license to start a war.

OPERATION JACKAL

Have you ever met someone that is just looking for a fight. They are just poking the bear waiting for a chance to fight. That is Samson and let me tell you I have never started a war before, but Samson does a really good job of starting it.

4 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. 5 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.

(ESV) 4 So Samson went and caught 300 foxes (The term is the same for fox or jackal and it was likely a Jackal cause they were more common in that day and time and also they are pack animals and foxes are not) and took torches. And he turned them tail to tail and put a torch between each pair of tails. 5 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.

So he goes right at the philistines food source and destroys a large amount of it and now not only are the philistines angry with Samson, they might be hungry too, in other words they are Hangry. And this is not good for anyone who is involved.

FIGHTING FIRE WITH FIRE

(ESV) 6 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.

6 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.

So they likely burn their house down with them in it. They are angry that their grain that they worked hard for all season long and now they are looking for someone to blame and they blame Samson’s wife and father in-law.

Samson’s anger had results that he never imagined. Let me just take a side note here and let me address the fact that when we get angry and lash out, the people around us suffer. And often the people that we love the most feel it the most. And let me tell you almost every time a person gets angry they think they have a good reason to be angry but what we don’t realize is that it will not accomplish what we think that it will.

(ESV) 19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Hearing and Doing the Word

Anger does not produce what we think that it should produce. Choose patient love instead of anger.

19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

REVENGE AND RUN

(ESV) 7 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.” 8 And he struck them hip and thigh with a great blow, (now this here is as figure of speech, that means literally a knee to the groin. In our vernacular it would be like saying that Samson kicked their butt) and he went down and stayed in the cleft of the rock of Etam.

7 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.” 8 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.

Samson gets revenge and he likely killed those that burnt down the house, and then he runs and hides.

OPERATION JAWBONE

(ESV) 9 Then the Philistines came up and encamped in Judah and made a raid on Lehi.

Now the philistines mean business and this Samson figure needs to be dealt with. And so they go and and raid the city of Lehi. They figure if they can’t have their harvest they are going to take the town of Lehi’s harvest. They get an army and raid the town.

9 Then the Philistines came up and encamped in Judah and made a raid on Lehi. 10 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.” 11 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.” 12 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.” 13 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.

10 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.” 11 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?” (Don’t you love the sarcasm with that question?) And he said to them, “As they did to me, so have I done to them.” (In other words, but they did it first!)12 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.” 13 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.

14 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. 15 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. 16 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.”

17 As soon as he had finished speaking, he threw away the jawbone out of his hand. And that place was called Ramath-lehi. ( means Hill of the Jawbone)

Samson comes out to meet them and the Spirit of the Lord rushes on him and gives Him supernatural strength. And he kills 1,000 Philistines. Can you imagine that. I picture Chuck Norris and guys lining up to fight him, and one by one he takes them down. Now it probably didn’t happen like that, but I do wonder what number 1000 was thinking? Did he think he could take him? I don’t know, I tend to think that Samson was not the typical ripped gym rat that we usually think he is. I picture him as more of string bean type of dude and everyone is like, “where is he getting his power from?” Just my theory. But regardless he whoops up on 1,000 Philistines and afterwards what does he say? in verse 16…

The quote from Samson in verse 16 means basically that with the jawbone of a donkey I have made a donkey out of you. It is a clear insult to the philistines. And here is the part that, makes me wonder what I would do. God gives him the strength for this awesome victory over the nations enemy and Samson doesn’t give any of the credit to God. At least not that we see, he basically decides to trash talk and say I did this great thing too bad for you…

Have you ever taken the credit for something God did? I think that is what is going on here. What Samson should have done is said, praise be to God. Thank you that you have supplied me with this great strength. But he doesn’t its all about himself.

GET THIRSTY

(ESV) 18 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?”

Listen sometimes we need to get a little thirsty so we see that we need God, so that we see how God has supplied what we need. Sometimes we need to get thirsty to be reminded that we are human in need of God. And let me tell you Samson finally in a prayer and because of his need calls out to God remembering who supplied the victory. He gets thirsty and then he talks to God in a way that shows his maturity level. He asks for a drink and does so with a bit of drama and sarcasm.

If I were God I would have just zapped him, sassy little punk. Or I would have at least told him to get his own drink… But look how gracious God is. And God is so gracious. I know that I have seen that in my own life. Christians, understand that your heavenly father is incredibly gracious even when we are not. He gives grace when we deserve his wrath.

18 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?” 19 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. 20 And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.

19 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. 20 And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.