Flawed and Complexed: God's Love Is able to Reach

Samson offended

1. Samson is cooled off and looking to reunite with his wife.

Judges 15:1 NLT

1 Later on, during the wheat harvest, Samson took a young goat as a present to his wife. He said, “I’m going into my wife’s room to sleep with her,” but her father wouldn’t let him in.

a. Samson thinks all things are well and looks to visit his wife and brings a gift.

b. Samson in his mind thinks all things are well from when he left mad from the wedding wager situation.

Samson father-in-law has a different perspective

Judges 15:2 NLT

2 “I truly thought you must hate her,” her father explained, “so I gave her in marriage to your best man. But look, her younger sister is even more beautiful than she is. Marry her instead.”

Samson finds out the Father gave his wife away.

The father attempts to make right his wrong in offering “the more beautiful sister as a wife”.

The payment was paid for his wife but Samson does not accept the other offer and leave in anger from the wrong done to him.

Judges 15:3 NLT

3 Samson said, “This time I cannot be blamed for everything I am going to do to you Philistines.”

Samson strikes the Philistines

This brings forth the greater opportunity for Samson to strike against the Philistines.

Judges 15:4–5 NLT

4 Then he went out and caught 300 foxes. He tied their tails together in pairs, and he fastened a torch to each pair of tails. 5 Then he lit the torches and let the foxes run through the grain fields of the Philistines. He burned all their grain to the ground, including the sheaves and the uncut grain. He also destroyed their vineyards and olive groves.

This feat is amazing in itself that Samson alone captures 300 foxes/jackals and ties them in pairs by the tails with a torch fastened to them.

He sets them out to burn the:

Grain

The sheaves - the quantity of stalks of grain bound together.

uncut grain

Vineyards were destroyed as well

The olive groves were destroyed

The Impact of Samson’s actions

Judges 15:6 NLT

6 “Who did this?” the Philistines demanded. “Samson,” was the reply, “because his father-in-law from Timnah gave Samson’s wife to be married to his best man.” So the Philistines went and got the woman and her father and burned them to death.

Samson devastated the Philistines during harvest time Judges 14:1. So what was harvested is now lost and what was not harvest was also lost along with the vineyard and olives.

The Philistines strike back at Samson.

Burning the father and the wife is what was first threaten to Samson’s bride.

This time the action is done to the father and daughter.

Another Opportunity for Samson to strike the Philistines

Judges 15:7–8 NLT

7 “Because you did this,” Samson vowed, “I won’t rest until I take my revenge on you!” 8 So he attacked the Philistines with great fury and killed many of them. Then he went to live in a cave in the rock of Etam.

Samson finds refuge in the rocks.

Samson lives in the rocks of Etam

The Philistines look to strike back and come to camp in Judah.

The Philistines look to return attack on Samson

Judges 15:9–10 NLT

9 The Philistines retaliated by setting up camp in Judah and spreading out near the town of Lehi. 10 The men of Judah asked the Philistines, “Why are you attacking us?” The Philistines replied, “We’ve come to capture Samson. We’ve come to pay him back for what he did to us.”

The presence of the Philistines was threatening to the Israelites. The relationship with the Israel is no loner amicable from the irritation of Samson. The Philistines want Samson.

The Israel would rather give up their Judge and live with the enemy.

The men of Judah look to turn Samson over.

Judges 15:11–13 NLT

11 So 3,000 men of Judah went down to get Samson at the cave in the rock of Etam. They said to Samson, “Don’t you realize the Philistines rule over us? What are you doing to us?” But Samson replied, “I only did to them what they did to me.” 12 But the men of Judah told him, “We have come to tie you up and hand you over to the Philistines.” “All right,” Samson said. “But promise that you won’t kill me yourselves.” 13 “We will only tie you up and hand you over to the Philistines,” they replied. “We won’t kill you.” So they tied him up with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock.

Flawed but God’s Love is greater.

Samson allows his country men to bring him to the enemy bound. They promised not to harm him but only to turn him over.

Judges 15:14–17 NLT

14 As Samson arrived at Lehi, the Philistines came shouting in triumph. But the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon Samson, and he snapped the ropes on his arms as if they were burnt strands of flax, and they fell from his wrists. 15 Then he found the jawbone of a recently killed donkey. He picked it up and killed 1,000 Philistines with it. 16 Then Samson said, “With the jawbone of a donkey, I’ve piled them in heaps! With the jawbone of a donkey, I’ve killed a thousand men!” 17 When he finished his boasting, he threw away the jawbone; and the place was named Jawbone Hill.

Samson arrives at Lehi

Lehi in this story is a foretelling.

Lehi - is translated cheek or jawbone.

The word for jawbone and Lehi are close together.

Samson setting sets up impact in the story.

God’s Spirit gave Samson strength to break the ropes and free himself. God also gave him strength to strike the Philistines. Samson used the jawbone of a donkey.

The highs and the lows of life God is still there

Judges 15:18–20 NLT

18 Samson was now very thirsty, and he cried out to the Lord, “You have accomplished this great victory by the strength of your servant. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of these pagans?” 19 So God caused water to gush out of a hollow in the ground at Lehi, and Samson was revived as he drank. Then he named that place “The Spring of the One Who Cried Out,” and it is still in Lehi to this day. 20 Samson judged Israel for twenty years during the period when the Philistines dominated the land.

Now he is weak and seeks the Lord’s help once again.

Samson’s tone sounds less grateful and more like spoiled brat.

But God’s love is greater than our flaws.

God caused water to come out the ground to refresh Samson.

Samson names the place “The Spring of the One who Cried”.

God is always near

Thank God that he is faithful even when we are not faithful.

Thank God he provides for us even when are attitudes are not the best and we do not show the best appreciation.

Thank God that he responds on love and not like we as flawed humans respond of emotion more times than submitting to the Spirit of God.

Let us take time and work on our character before God.

Acknowledge your flaws, your weakness.

Seek the Lord with humility and confidence.

Celebrating Communion

1 Corinthians 11:23–26 NLT

23 For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread 24 and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.” 26 For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.