The Blessing of Hair Growth - Judges 16:23-31

Judges 16:23-31

Copyright August 5, 2018 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche

We have spent the last four weeks looking at the life of Samson. This week, the Samson story comes to an end. I feel especially drawn to this passage because it focuses on the fact that Samson's hair began to grow back. I don't know why, but I am drawn to those words.

This account is another of those head scratching accounts. Up to this point we have seen Samson as a selfish, hormone driven, and somewhat reckless man. God was using Samson, it seems, despite himself. This final chapter has scholars divided: do we see a change in Samson, or don't we? I think we do.

We find Samson in prison. His eyes have been gouged out and he is working as a slave grinding grain. In essence he is doing the work of an ox. Because the Philistines have captured public enemy #1 they decide to have a party. They gather to celebrate their victory and give thanks to their God, Dagon. For entertainment, they decided to ridicule and taunt Samson.

We have no idea how long this was after Samson was captured. Since Samson's hair is beginning to regrow it appears a little time has passed.

23The Philistine rulers held a great festival, offering sacrifices and praising their god, Dagon. They said, “Our god has given us victory over our enemy Samson!”

24When the people saw him, they praised their god, saying, “Our god has delivered our enemy to us! The one who killed so many of us is now in our power!”

25Half drunk by now, the people demanded, “Bring out Samson so he can amuse us!” So he was brought from the prison to amuse them, and they had him stand between the pillars supporting the roof.

Dagon, most believe, was a god principally over agriculture. This fact adds new significance to the burning of the fields Samson was responsible for. His act was a direct challenge to the god of the Philistines. Now, they believed, Dagon had reasserted himself and reclaimed a place of power and dominance. He helped them (they would say) capture their enemy.

We don't know what they made Samson do for entertainment, but it surely was humiliating. The one who had been so strong was now being humiliated. After a while we read,

26Samson said to the young servant who was leading him by the hand, “Place my hands against the pillars that hold up the temple. I want to rest against them.” 27Now the temple was completely filled with people. All the Philistine rulers were there, and there were about 3,000 men and women on the roof who were watching Samson.

The place was packed. Even though Samson couldn't see, he may have known this place and he could tell it was filled. No actual temple to Dagon has been discovered by archaeology in Gaza but there was an excavation in another town that may have resembled this building. The roof and upper story of the large temple was supported by two cedar pillars a little less than three meters (or around three yards) apart that were set on large stone base. In other words, this large building was sitting quite precariously.

Either Samson knew this, or the Spirit of God gave him instructions. He asked his aid to help him find the two pillars, so he could rest. The young servant obliged. And this is where we may begin to see a change in Samson.

28Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “Sovereign Lord, remember me again. O God, please strengthen me just one more time. With one blow let me pay back the Philistines for the loss of my two eyes.” 29Then Samson put his hands on the two center pillars that held up the temple. Pushing against them with both hands, 30he prayed, “Let me die with the Philistines.” And the temple crashed down on the Philistine rulers and all the people. So he killed more people when he died than he had during his entire lifetime.

On the surface, Samson seems like his old self. It is all about him! He is still looking to win the vengeance war; the war no one can ultimately win. But at the same time, something has changed. Now he turns to the Lord. He recognized God as the source of his power . . . not him, and not his hair. Samson is learning to submit to the Lord. He certainly is not "mature" in his faith, but, he is growing. Fortunately, God does not call us to come to Him mature in faith. He asks us to come to Him with simple childlike faith.

In Hebrews 11:32-34 Samson is listed in the list of faithful servants of God. Having read the story of Samson, this has to be the place the writer to the Hebrews is talking about. Finally, after all the foolishness Samson seems to realize he is a servant of God. It appears to the best of his ability, Samson had repented. He recognized the source of strength was the Lord and not him. He turned to the Lord for assistance. This is dramatic progress.

I love the words, "but before long, his hair began to grow back." But, it isn’t about hair . . . it is about the restoration God can bring to any life. Samson was foolish, arrogant, violent, and selfish . . . but the Lord still remembered him, and when Samson humbled himself and asked for strength, God gave it to him. It is a wonderful reminder that the Lord's mercy is so much greater than we realize.

In the wonderful and powerful movie, "I Can Only Imagine" Bart Millard writes a song inspired by the death of his father. He says, "My dad was a monster. There is no other word to describe him. And then I saw God transform him into the man I wanted to become my best friend. I guess, I didn't think God could do that!"

Yes, God can do that. I think this is what we see happening to Samson right here. Samson was a pleasure seeking, revenge focused, ego maniac, and God changed his heart. Like the thief on the cross, the Apostle Paul and millions of people since, God transformed this lost individual into a child of God.

Samson turned to the Lord in prayer and trusted God to give him the strength He needed. He pushed the pillars apart with the strength God gave him. Samson knew this was a suicide mission, but he was OK with this. His goal was singular: take out the Philistines. Thousands, along with Samson were killed that day. Samson accomplished God's purpose even in such a tragic ending. My hope is you will find the Lord's forgiveness long before the end of your life.

The story of Samson and Delilah taught us about temptation, sin, and foolishness. This account teaches us about forgiveness and restoration.

Truths About Forgiveness

Forgiveness does not erase all consequences to our sin. Forgiveness can be immediate, but the consequences of sin must still be worked through. You can be forgiven but being restored to your previous relationship may take time. For example, a person can forgive you for stealing but trust will be something that must be re-earned over time. I can apologize to you for a wrong that was done, and you graciously may forgive me, but that doesn't mean our relationship will return immediately to what it was. If you are forgiven but broke the law, you will still have to deal with the legal consequences of your actions. Here are some other examples,

The out of wedlock mom is still pregnant.

The hurtful words cannot be retrieved.

The damage to property must still be repaired.

Trust will still need to be rebuilt.

The failing grade for cheating on a test still stands

The law that was broken may still send you to jail.

We must be realistic. Forgiveness starts the reconciliation process. Trust takes only a moment or two to destroy but a long time to build and even longer to rebuild. Only in our relationship with God can that forgiveness restore us fully to our relationship as those created in the image of God. And that is exactly what He promises to do. We don't have to pay for the damage because that is what Jesus did on the cross on our behalf.

Much forgiveness is informal. Sometimes we should just overlook an offense and not even give it a second thought. Some things are just not that big of a deal. People mess up, they have bad days, and sometimes get lost. We seem to be living at a time when people are ready to fight and are offended over just about anything! Some things need to be worked through with another person, but many can just be shrugged off as the normal behavior of sinful people. Don't you wonder how many times God's love overlooks our offenses and applies the sacrifice of Christ to them?

To be forgiven and restored we must acknowledge wrong. Before we can receive forgiveness from God or anyone else, we must know that we NEED forgiveness. Sometimes instead of true heartfelt apology and request for forgiveness we justify and divert. We excuse our sin by saying "That's just the way I am." In other words, we blame God for making us this way! We blame our circumstances, we blame the people around us, and we even blame the weather. In fact, sometimes we even blame the person who was offended by saying, "I'm sorry if what I said offended you." That's not really an apology for what they have done . . . it is a veiled accusation that you are responding inappropriately!

Before we can know forgiveness, we must stop blaming others and our circumstances. We must accept responsibility for our own choices and failures. We cannot hope to be forgiven and reconciled to God or others until we admit the wrong we have done and recognize the hurt we have caused another.

Does this mean we don't need to forgive someone until they show remorse and ask for forgiveness? No, the Bible tells us to forgive because we have been forgiven. A lack of forgiveness also imprisons us and robs us of joy. Forgiveness sets us free. However, it is very difficult to restore a relationship without repentance.

You cannot earn forgiveness. Samson could do nothing to warrant forgiveness. Forgiveness is always an undeserved gift. You can't demand it, you can only request it.

Our text doesn't have anything about a confession from Samson. However, we don't know what went on in private. God knows the heart. He knew Samson was repentant. He knew Samson recognized His foolishness. And then when Samson turned to the Lord, He was eager to forgive.

We can be forgiven because Christ paid our debt. His payment is applied to our account when we confess our sin and ask for forgiveness. Forgiveness is a gift of grace which we should never take for granted.

Don't miss this! Even the worst sin you have committed will be forgiven by God if you sincerely confess your sin! Understand what is involved in confession.

You first have to tell yourself the truth. It was not a mistake, a misstep, a bad decision . . . it was rebellion, disobedience, a reckless disregard of God's desire for our lives. You cannot justify sin and hope to be forgiven by God!

Then you must confess the sin to God. He is the One you have offended first and foremost. You must start by being honest with Him. You may also need to go to others, but you must first start with Him.

Finally, you gratefully receive His forgiveness. Sometimes God forgives but we continue to beat ourselves up. On occasion someone will say to me, "It is hard to believe I am really forgiven when I can't forgive myself." On the surface that sounds very contrite and humble. However, I generally respond by saying, "Who do think you are? If the Supreme Court of the Universe has declared you Not Guilty, who are you to say otherwise?" If God has forgiven you in Christ, you can rest assured the issue is dealt with.

If you are like me, you are stunned by God's mercy and grace. You know you do not deserve forgiveness. You know you have come to Him again and again, often with the same kind of sin. This leads us to question whether God will eventually will withhold His forgiveness. Yet the promise is trustworthy, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1.9). Think about this: to not believe you are forgiven is SIN! You are calling God a liar!

This does not mean we can presume upon God's grace. We can't sin with an attitude that says, "That's OK, I know God will forgive me." Such an attitude trivializes sin and certainly contains no hint of true repentance or sorrow. We should live every day of our lives grateful for the work of Christ. We must always remember we are sinners who have been saved by grace. When we remember this fact, we become much easier to live with and we pursue holiness with a great sense of diligence.

It is wrong to continue to beat someone up over what has been forgiven. Boy do we need to hear this! We are good at holding the sins of others against them. These are not even sins committed against us!

We remember: The high school prank, the conviction from years ago, the time someone was caught cheating, immoral actions, a time you trespassed, a teenage abortion. If a person has confessed their sin and sought forgiveness for it, we have no right to keep bringing up things that have long since been dealt with! God has forgiven them, just as he forgave us.

Imagine if someone put together a reel of your past sinful behavior and played it on a continuous loop. What if everything you ever did wrong was talked about for the rest of your life even though it happened year ago (or yesterday?) You would be devastated.

So why do we do it? We love the sense of moral high ground. By focusing on the sin of others we can somehow sidestep the reality of our own sin! If we keep our nose in the business of others we don't have to confront the sin in our own lives.

I don't like the things Samson did. I don't think I would have liked him as a person. But, if God has forgiven him, who am I to continue to beat him up? We want others to recognize our forgiveness but for some reason I think we have a right to keep reminding others about their sin! Once again you need to understand, your unwillingness to forgive or let another be forgiven is a sin YOU must confess. You are guilty of playing God! It is idolatry in its ugliest form.

Having received God's forgiveness, we are to extend forgiveness to others. We are much more willing to receive forgiveness from God and from others than, we are to extend forgiveness to other people. Jesus took a lot of time showing the hypocrisy of refusing to forgive. He told the story of the man who was forgiven a great debt but refused to forgive the small debt of a neighbor. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said,

If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. 15But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. (Matthew 6:14-15)

The Apostle Paul said,

Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. (Colossians 3:13)

What does it mean to forgive? Forgiveness is letting go of our right to hurt the other person because they hurt us." We ask the question: "Why would we want to do that?" Let me give you some reasons:

Because God has told us to do so. When we forgive we show we have understood the blessing we have received from God. In essence, we are paying that blessing forward.

Forgiveness is one of the greatest gifts you can give another person. To set them free from their bondage to past mistakes is better than anything material this world possesses.

To not forgive creates a barrier we will never be able to move beyond. This is what happens in marriage sometimes. There is a hurt that was profound and one or the other of the partners will not let the other person forget how much they were hurt (even though they may SAY they have forgiven them.) Intimacy cannot grow if you hold a person's past like a weapon pointed at their head.

When we refuse to forgive we are in some sense telling God that we don't trust Him. It's as if we are saying to the Lord: "Father, if I give this hurt to You, you may not treat it as seriously as it should be treated." When we say such a thing out loud we know it is wrong.

The person most effected by an unwillingness to forgive is us. We are the ones that have to live with the churning. We live with a bitterness that compromises the joy and flavor of living. As someone has said, the person who is really set free by forgiveness is you!

Make no mistake, forgiveness takes time. It takes courage. It takes a huge dose of the influence, power and healing of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes the place to start is with an honest prayer like this: "Lord, help me want to forgive."

The story of Samson then, may be a great story of redemption. Here was a man who wasted his life in sinful pursuits. Yet, in the end, he reached out and God heard his prayer. His hair began to grow once again.

The Bible is filled with wonderful stories of deeply stained people who turned to the Lord and found Him faithful and willing to forgive. Is it time for your name to be added to that list? Is it time for you to come to the Lord and confess your sin so you too can be forgiven? If so, don't delay.