Flawed with a Purpose
Notes
Transcript
So last week for lunch I took this calzone out of the fridge, warmed it up, and stared chowing down. It was really good. But as I started eating, I noticed that there was a spot of mold on the bottom. Now what do you think I did? If you thought I threw it away, you don’t know me very well. I cut out that piece of mold and just ate around it. The rest of it was still good. Stomach have felt a little bit weird the next few days, but I had no major issues and had a good lunch and that calzone served it’s purpose.
As we’ve studied through the book of Judges, it’s very evident that sometimes God uses people that may have a little mold around the edges. Most the leaders in this book struggled with some sinful issues, but God still chose to use them. We have to ask ourselves why? Why didn’t God have all the judges be people like Othniel and Deborah in whom the Bible does not mention any sinful qualities? Obviously, they were still sinners, but it doesn’t seem that sin was a theme in their lives.
Why would God use a guy like Barak who seemed to be too scared to carry out God’s command on his own. Why would God use Gideon who led the nation into idolatry? Why would God use a guy like Jephthah? His understanding of God was so miniscule that he turned his only daughter into a human sacrifice in God’s name. Like when we think of people that are being used by God, these are not the type of people that we think of, but we have an entire book of the Bible that teaches us that these are often the type of people that God uses. In our time together this morning, I hope to shed a little light on why God can and does use people like we see in the book of Judges.
We’re going to be in Judges chapter 14-15 this morning continuing the story of Samson. When it comes to the flawed people that God chose to use, Samson might take the prize. As we go through this passage we are going to highlight some of these blatant character flaws in Samson’s life. The title of this mornings message flawed for a purpose.
When we left off, Samson was a young man who had began to be used by God. Now, at the beginning of chapter 14, Samson is an adult who on the hunt for a woman.
Judges 14:1-3
Samson went down to Timnah, and at Timnah he saw one of the daughters of the Philistines. Then he came up and told his father and mother, “I saw one of the daughters of the Philistines at Timnah. Now get her for me as my wife.” But his father and mother said to him, “Is there not a woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you must go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she is right in my eyes.”
Samson goes to the city of Timnah and he sees this girl, and he’s thinking “Me likey!” It was love at first sight, literally, he had not even talked to this girl yet. So he goes to his parents and demands that they get her for him to marry. Now in this time, marriage was more like a business transactions, so give the girls dad a couple goats, maybe a sheep or two, batta bing batta boom - you’re married. So Samson was like OK pops - let’s make this happen. Well, Samson’s parents were not too thrilled about the idea of Samson marrying a Philistine girl. Now, there have been some of have tried to use passages like this and similar passages to say that God is against interracial marriages, which is absolutely false. The problem was that the Philistines were absolute pagans. The key word in the verse is that they were uncircumcised, and circumcision was a symbol of Israel’s commitment to follow God’s law. God had allowed people of other races like Rahab and Ruth to marry into the nation of Israel because they also chose to worship the one true God. So this was not a race issue, it was an issue of godliness. Samson was born to deliver them from the wicked Philistines, not to marry one.
To all my single people out there on the hunt for the man or woman that God would have you to marry. Make sure that godliness is at the very top of your list. Not how they look, not their job, or how much money they have. Before you get too wrapped up in someone, look for godliness. The Bible says so not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. You can be unequally yoked in how you look, you can be unequally yoked in your credit score (although I don’t recommend that), but for the sake of your relationship with God, don’t enter into a relationship with someone who doesn’t truly know God. That was free counseling so you don’t have to come talk to us about it later.
Even after Samson’s parents brought this up, Samson just said go get her, she’s right in my eyes.
Here’s a few characteristics we can see about Samson just from these few verses.
Samson was...
Entitled
Entitled
He felt like whatever he wanted, he should get and he should get it now. Samson was probably a spoiled brat. His parents had probably been telling him from the time he was born that he was special, and he certainly believed it. It sounds like his parents probably gave him whatever he wanted.
Samson was...
Lustful
Lustful
and
Impulsive
Impulsive
Samson takes impulse buying to a new level. He sees this girl and he has to have her. He doesn’t care what His parents say. He doesn’t care what God will say. He is completely driven by his lust.
Samson was also
Disrespectful
Disrespectful
Just look at the way that he talks to his parents. He doesn’t make requests, he makes demands, and he totally disregards anything that they had to say.
Let’s learn more about Samson in verse Judges 14:5-6
Then Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah, and they came to the vineyards of Timnah. And behold, a young lion came toward him roaring. Then the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and although he had nothing in his hand, he tore the lion in pieces as one tears a young goat. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done.
So Samson gets attacked by this lion and Bible says he ripped it apart like a young goat. Apparently goat tearing was a thing back then, but nobody could do that to a lion. God had empowered Samson to kill this lion, but Samson didn’t tell his parents. Probably because he didn’t know if this would have been a violation of his Nazarite vow.
Well Samson finally took the time to talk to this Philistine girl, and she was everything he hoped for. So he goes home for a few days, then returns to marry her. Judges 14:8-9
After some days he returned to take her. And he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion, and behold, there was a swarm of bees in the body of the lion, and honey. He scraped it out into his hands and went on, eating as he went. And he came to his father and mother and gave some to them, and they ate. But he did not tell them that he had scraped the honey from the carcass of the lion.
So on his way back to see these girl, Samson turns aside to see his work. He notices that some bees had made a honeycomb in the carcass of this dead lion. So he goes to the lion, scrapes out some honey to eat, and the thoughtful son that he is, he takes some to his parents, but did not tell them where it was from. This time Samson had definitely violated his vow by touching this dead animal, and had also made his parents unclean by sharing the honey with them. So here are two more characteristics from this episode.
Samson was
Deceitful
Deceitful
Even when he admitted did wrong, he was never going to disclose that to others. He just went about his business like nothing ever happened.
Samson also
Careless about his vow and God’s law
Careless about his vow and God’s law
God’s Word and his vow to the Lord were not of importance to him. His only concern was what pleased him.
Well, now it was wedding time. There was going to be a week long feast to celebrate. 30 Philistine men were brought to along side Samson to be his buddies. Samson wanted to make things interesting so he made a riddle and put out a bet. If these men could answer the riddle, Samson would give them 30 linen garments and 30 changes of clothes, but if they could not answer, then Samson would receive garments and clothes from them. Here was the riddle, “ Out of the eater came something to eat. Out of the strong came something sweet.” Now, we know the answer because of the scene before, but the Philistine men were absolutely stumped.
They did not want to lose this bet so they threaten Samson’s new wife. They told her that if she did not find out the answer to the riddle and tell them, then they were going to burn down her and her father’s household.
I actually feel bad for her because she was in a no win situation. But she turns on the water works, and uses the classic line. “You don’t really love me.” She continued for days until Samson finally told her the answer, and of course that was followed with her telling the answer the Philistine men. Judges 14:18 is one of the funniest verses in Scripture to me
And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down,
“What is sweeter than honey?
What is stronger than a lion?”
And he said to them,
“If you had not plowed with my heifer,
you would not have found out my riddle.”
He called her a heifer. Just not something you would think you would see in the Bible. It was time for Samson to pay up, but he wasn’t going to give up his own stuff. Judges 14:19
And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon and struck down thirty men of the town and took their spoil and gave the garments to those who had told the riddle. In hot anger he went back to his father’s house.
Here’s two more less than redeeming qualities about Samson
Samson is
Hot-headed
Hot-headed
and Samson is
Vengeful
Vengeful
These two characteristics continue to play themselves out in the next scene.
Samson was angry, but he still was married to this girl. Well at least that’s what he thought. After a few days when Samson had cooled off, he came back to spend some quality time with his wife. But her dad would not let him go in to see her. He thought that Samson hated her for betraying him and he let her marry Samson’s best man instead. Her dad offered her younger, better looking sister as a consolation prize, but Samson was not at all enthused. (This is some real Jerry Springer stuff going on). Of course Samson was angry, and he was going to get revenge, but he felt that that he was justified for what he was about to do.
He goes out a catches 300 foxes. Which that in itself, who can catch 300 foxes by himself? He ties the foxes tails together and puts a torch between each pair of foxes then, he lit the torches on fire and let them loose in the Philistines fields. Their grain and their olive orchards were burned down. This has to be #1 on the prank hall of fame. You can imagine Samson just standing there laughing as these foxes are running through the fields burning down there goods.
Obviously the Philistines weren’t too happy. When they found out Samson had done this because his wife had been given away, they came to girls house and burned her and her father to death.
Of course Samson couldn’t let that go. But he said that after this next act he was done with the back and forth. Judges 15:8 says he struck them hip and thigh with a great blow which is Bible for “He opened up a can” and then he went to a cave in Etam which was in the land of Judah.
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.
The Philistines were not content with Samson’s promise to leave them alone. They escalated the situation by making raids on the the city of Lehi in Judah. The men of Judah were confused as to why they were being attacked, but they explained that they were there for Samson.
The men of Judah gathered an army of 3,00 men to retrieve Samson and deliver him into the hands of the Philistines. Samson allowed them to tie him up and be delivered to the Philistines. His only request was that the men of Judah would not kill him themselves. Let’s pick up reading with verse Judges 15:14-16
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.”
So just as he is being turned over to the Philistines, he breaks free, found donkey’s jawbone, and killed 1000 men. After this slaughter he starts to gloat by making a little song. In English it doesn’t rhyme, but in Hebrew it did. Here we can see another issue in Samson’s life. He was
Prideful
Prideful
He took this opportunity to let everyone know how awesome he was.
One more thing, look down at Judges 15:18-19
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.
Samson was
Irreverent
Irreverent
There’s only two times that the Bible records Samson talking to God. Here and when he’s about to die. The way that he speaks to God here reminds me of the same way he spoke to his parents. He’s disrespectful and entitled. He feels like everyone owes him something, even God.
Samson was literally full of it. Whatever it you want to name. He was full of it. Entitled, lustful, disrespectful, deceitful, careless, hot-headed, vengeful, prideful, and irreverent, and I’m sure we could find others. God used this guy, to judge Israel for 20 years. The question is why? If we were God, he is probably not that guy we would have given super strength to.
The Bible even makes it clear that the Spirit was upon him. In Judges 14:6
Then the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and although he had nothing in his hand, he tore the lion in pieces as one tears a young goat. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done.
In Judges 14:19
And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon and struck down thirty men of the town and took their spoil and gave the garments to those who had told the riddle. In hot anger he went back to his father’s house.
in Judges 15:14
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.
Then at the end of the chapter God provides water for him when he is being. Well himself. In our minds, this does not seem like the type of person that God would use.
I believe the key to answering this is in verse 4. This is when Samson chose to marry this girl despite the admonition from his parents to find someone else. Judges 14:4
His father and mother did not know that it was from the Lord, for he was seeking an opportunity against the Philistines. At that time the Philistines ruled over Israel.
You see God was using Samson’s Samsoness to bring up the opportunity to begin freeing Israel from Philistine rule. Israel was in grave danger. Not necessarily by the Philistine cruelty and violence, but by their apathy about the situation. In Judges 13:1 we are told about Israel’s situation.
And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord gave them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.
Then verse 2 enter immediately into Samson’s story. Do you see what’s missing? There was no cry out to God for deliverance. It seems that while Israel was probably under distress as the Philistines were taking over, by the time this story takes place, they were content with the Philistine rule. We see that further illustrated by the men of Judah’s response when the Philistines came for Samson. Judges 15:11
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.”
Judah, the tribe that took the lead in conquering the promised land is now cowering and saying, “Samson, don’t make the Philistines mad. Things are going pretty good. We’re turning you in so we don’t stir up trouble.” There’s never a point in the story where the men of Israel rally behind their judge and battle against the Philistines. Samson was always a one man wrecking crew. Israel was content under the pagan rule, rituals, and worship of the Philistines.
God used Samson and all of his less than charming character qualities to create a divide between Israel and the Philistines because Israel had got too comfortable. They were in trouble of elimination by assimilation.
This was more about God accomplishing his purpose of delivering Israel out of the hands of the Philistines than it was about Samson.
The Spirit coming on Samson to kill the lion. That was God showing Samson what he could do through the power of God. The Spirit of God coming on Samson as he paid his gambling debt, that was God showing the Philistines what He could do through Samson. The Spirit of God coming on Samson to kill 1000 Philistines with the jawbone of the donkey, that was God setting the stage for the battles that were to come. And God providing water for Samson was just God preserving his plan to deliver Israel from the Philistines. Samson was the instrument, but this was all about God.
Here is the main thought I want you to get this morning
God’s purpose is bigger than our problems.
God’s purpose is bigger than our problems.
At times, God uses sinful people and sinful situations to accomplish his purpose. We see the evil, we see the sinfulness, we see the problems, but God sees a much bigger picture. God sees purpose in everything.
Make no mistake. Man’s biggest problem is sin. Mankind’s biggest issue is that we have chosen to rebel against the God that created us. All of the hurt, the suffering, the racism, the hatred, the poverty, the immorality, the broken families. All of the evil in our world is a result of man’s choice to turn away from God. Sin is a serious issue that is wreaking havoc and causing devastation. And perhaps the scariest thing is that it’s universal. Romans 3:23 Romans 3:10
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
So in light of that, the question needs to be broadened. Not just why did God use Samson, or why did God use the judges, but why does God use any of us? The truth is that if we had someone documenting a few weeks of our life then our rap sheet would look a lot like Samson’s. Some of us even longer. We may see God working through us in some way, but sometimes God is really just working around us and our sinfulness to accomplish his purpose.
I think sometimes we as Christians think that just because we see God is working through us that God is putting His stamp of approval on everything that we are doing. I think that’s how Samson felt. He knew that God was working through him to fight the Philistines, and he took that as God was pleased with his attitude and behavior. But as we analyze his life and we see that was not the case.
If God only used people that were righteous and behaving godly, it would really put God in a box. That would mean that God would be limited by humans. But God is not limited by our choices or our behavior. Rather God operates out of his grace, through the sinfulness of our humanity, all for His own glory.
We often quote Romans 8:28 referring to trials that we go through, but when it says all things, that also includes our sinfulness.
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
The amazing truth of God’s Word is that God often works through sinners and through sinful situations. It’s mysterious, something that is hard for us to comprehend, but God works through our flawed free will, He works through our wicked hearts and bad attitudes and still makes all things work together for good. God is so good, and so great that not even our sinfulness and the destruction comes with it can keep him from accomplishing His purpose. God’s purpose is bigger than our problems.
With that thought in mind, let me share with you two ways we can apply this truth today.
I. Be a vessel of honor
I. Be a vessel of honor
As we’ve pointed out God’s purpose is bigger than our problems, so God can use our sinfulness to accomplish his purpose. But it’s much better if He doesn’t have to. Look with me at 2 Timothy 2:20-21
Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.
And the following verses talk about matters of holiness and peace that we should be ascribing to as followers of God. We don’t want to be dishonorable vessels. Sure we can still be used, but not in the best ways. Our desire should be to be ready for every good work. We must seek to follow after God’s Word. We may never be perfect, but we need to be growing in our relationship with God and our obedience to His Word. We should never boast in our sinfulness, boast in the loving grace of our God who can use us despite our flawed nature. We want to be the honorable vessels that God can take pleasure in using. Psalm 147:11 says
but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love.
II. Understand God has purpose for everything
II. Understand God has purpose for everything
We talked a little bit about this last week, but it’s worth mentioning again. God is still in complete control. Just read the Bible, it tells us that things are going to get worse as we approach the time of Christ’s return. So we can’t be surprised at sinful tragedies, and selfish pride, and rampant immoral wickedness - even these things are part of God’s plan. They are not taking Him by surprise. If for no, other reason than setting the stage for His return, God will ultimately get the glory.
This does not mean that we do not concern ourselves with things in the world. We should still vote, we should still stand up against injustice, we should still fight for righteousness and stand against wickedness. But just realize no matter the outcome. God has a purpose.
Remember the purpose that God had in using Samson’s poor character. He used it to create a divide between Israel and the Philistines because they were growing so comfortable with the pagan culture. And I think this is so applicable. I don’t think greatest threat to the church in America is governmental policy changes, or intense persecution, it’s elimination by assimilation. It’s the church becoming comfortable with worldliness and sin. I believe that God allows some of the evil things in the world today to keep the church “woke” So we can see that there’s a world out there that needs to be redeemed. There are people out there that need Jesus.
The murder of George Floyd was a sinful act committed by sinful people. I wish it would have never happened. But I’ve heard more Christians and churches realize and address the issue of racism than at any other time in my life. Sure, there are some on both sides of this issue that are not looking at the truth from God’s perspective and reacting purely out of anger or from a narrow viewpoint they’ve carried their whole life. But I believe that there are more Christians than ever acknowledging issues of race on a personal and systemic level than ever before.It gives me hope that God can even use a wicked act like this to bring about good that will ultimately bring Him glory.
Because God’s purpose is bigger than our problems.
The greatest example of how God used a sinful situation to accomplish his purpose is the gospel. Jesus was unjustly murdered by sinful men who were jealous and afraid of Jesus’s following. But it was part of God’s plan. From before time began, God had a plan to redeem mankind from the destruction caused by sin. His plan was to send His only Son Jesus, to die on the cross, for the sins of the world. All the way back then, God knew that the sins of Judas, the Pharisees and Sadducees, and rulers of Israel would send Jesus too the cross. But it was part of the plan. What they meant for evil, God meant for good. Because of the evil that Jesus suffered at the hands of sinners, salvation is available to us today. If you don’t know Jesus, that salvation is available to you.
Let me close by saying this. I know I’m not a perfect guy. Many people look at their pastors and spiritual leaders and expect them to be super Christian and never struggle with sin. That’s just not true. I often look at my life and I feel like I look a lot more like Samson than I do Jesus. I am so grateful for the grace of God that allows me to be used by Him, despite the wickedness of my heart. That is God’s strength shining through my weakness.
But my desire is to be used by God as a vessel of honor not dishonor. I don’t want to be the moldy calzone. I want to live for God and be fit for whatever God calls me to do. I pray that would be the same for each of you.