Samson [Judges 13-16]

I. What is a Nazirite?

- Set apart one/Crown (distinguished from everyone else and is identified as set apart/for a specific task/for a specific period of time.)

- Temporary Warrior-Priest (3 exceptions)

- Mediator: Represent The people to God and God to the People.

- Spirit filled: all his power and strength comes from God empowered by the Spirit.

-Marked out- Long Hair:

1) Nazirite (crowned) a symbol to the people of his purpose

2) Crowned with long hair which symbolizes his representing the people to God as the bride or people of God.

3) 7 locks of braided hair to signify the presence of the Holy Spirit.

4) When the task has been accomplished, the hair is a fitting symbol to be offer back to God signifying the return of God’s power back to Him and that the job has been completed and now the Consecrated one can enter rest from the work he performed.

2. The Story of Samson

Judges 13:1–7 NLT

1 Again the Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord handed them over to the Philistines, who oppressed them for forty years. 2 In those days a man named Manoah from the tribe of Dan lived in the town of Zorah. His wife was unable to become pregnant, and they had no children. 3 The angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah’s wife and said, “Even though you have been unable to have children, you will soon become pregnant and give birth to a son. 4 So be careful; you must not drink wine or any other alcoholic drink nor eat any forbidden food. 5 You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and his hair must never be cut. For he will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. He will begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines.” 6 The woman ran and told her husband, “A man of God appeared to me! He looked like one of God’s angels, terrifying to see. I didn’t ask where he was from, and he didn’t tell me his name. 7 But he told me, ‘You will become pregnant and give birth to a son. You must not drink wine or any other alcoholic drink nor eat any forbidden food. For your son will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite from the moment of his birth until the day of his death.’ ”

A. There is a two-fold problem:

- God’s People were living in sin

- The People’s enemy was oppressing them.

One Solution:

- God sends His champion (A dedicated Nazirite- Samson) to save his people.

B. Love is a battlefield. [Judges 14:1-9]

Judges 14:1–9 NASB95

1 Then Samson went down to Timnah and saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines. 2 So he came back and told his father and mother, “I saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife.” 3 Then his father and his mother said to him, “Is there no woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she looks good to me.” 4 However, his father and mother did not know that it was of the Lord, for He was seeking an occasion against the Philistines. Now at that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel. 5 Then Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother, and came as far as the vineyards of Timnah; and behold, a young lion came roaring toward him. 6 The Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily, so that he tore him as one tears a young goat though he had nothing in his hand; but he did not tell his father or mother what he had done. 7 So he went down and talked to the woman; and she looked good to Samson. 8 When he returned later to take her, he turned aside to look at the carcass of the lion; and behold, a swarm of bees and honey were in the body of the lion. 9 So he scraped the honey into his hands and went on, eating as he went. When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them and they ate it; but he did not tell them that he had scraped the honey out of the body of the lion.

Why does Samson seek to marry a woman from the enemy?

The first action of God in a situation where his people need saved and their enemies need subdued is Love. Right out of the gate, before things get really hairy, God begins working through his love. God tells us that he leads us to repentance through his lovingkindness. So it should not be any surprise to us that God first approaches this situation in Love and what better way to demonstrate love than by marriage.

C. The Power of the Spirit- Able to defeat and able to make sweet!

What is the deal with the lion and the honey?

Samson is met by a lion and crushes it with his bare hands. Honey comes from the lion and Samson eats it with his bare hands. Here we get a glimpse of the power of the Holy Spirit upon the champion of God. This helps demonstrate the abilities of the Champion filled with the power of God to accomplish his task. God will use his champion to overcome the enemy, while at the same time creating life and sustenance from something dead which is the image of God’s people. We get a 2 for 1 glimpse of the work of the Spirit upon the instrument of God. Honey reminds God’s people of the land where they are to dwell and finally have rest.

D. Love hurts. [Judges 14:10-19]

New Living Translation Chapter 14

10 As his father was making final arrangements for the marriage, Samson threw a party at Timnah, as was the custom for elite young men. 11 When the bride’s parents* saw him, they selected thirty young men from the town to be his companions.

12 Samson said to them, “Let me tell you a riddle. If you solve my riddle during these seven days of the celebration, I will give you thirty fine linen robes and thirty sets of festive clothing. 13 But if you can’t solve it, then you must give me thirty fine linen robes and thirty sets of festive clothing.”

“All right,” they agreed, “let’s hear your riddle.”

14 So he said:

“Out of the one who eats came something to eat;

out of the strong came something sweet.”

Three days later they were still trying to figure it out. 15 On the fourth* day they said to Samson’s wife, “Entice your husband to explain the riddle for us, or we will burn down your father’s house with you in it. Did you invite us to this party just to make us poor?”

16 So Samson’s wife came to him in tears and said, “You don’t love me; you hate me! You have given my people a riddle, but you haven’t told me the answer.”

“I haven’t even given the answer to my father or mother,” he replied. “Why should I tell you?” 17 So she cried whenever she was with him and kept it up for the rest of the celebration. At last, on the seventh day he told her the answer because she was tormenting him with her nagging. Then she explained the riddle to the young men.

18 So before sunset of the seventh day, the men of the town came to Samson with their answer:

“What is sweeter than honey?

What is stronger than a lion?”

Samson replied, “If you hadn’t plowed with my heifer, you wouldn’t have solved my riddle!”

19 Then the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon him. He went down to the town of Ashkelon, killed thirty men, took their belongings, and gave their clothing to the men who had solved his riddle. But Samson was furious about what had happened, and he went back home to live with his father and mother. 20 So his wife was given in marriage to the man who had been Samson’s best man at the wedding.

Both Samson’s wife and the Philistines, by their actions, reject Samson’s actions of love and marriage. They encourage his wife to betray him and she puts her trust in them rather than her husband. We see the evil actions of the Philistines and the betrayal of the Bride which points to the two problems for which God is working His one solution. He began with love and now He moves to justice.

E. Family drama. [Judges 15:1-8]

Judges 15:1–8 NASB95

1 But after a while, in the time of wheat harvest, Samson visited his wife with a young goat, and said, “I will go in to my wife in her room.” But her father did not let him enter. 2 Her father said, “I really thought that you hated her intensely; so I gave her to your companion. Is not her younger sister more beautiful than she? Please let her be yours instead.” 3 Samson then said to them, “This time I shall be blameless in regard to the Philistines when I do them harm.” 4 Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took torches, and turned the foxes tail to tail and put one torch in the middle between two tails. 5 When he had set fire to the torches, he released the foxes into the standing grain of the Philistines, thus burning up both the shocks and the standing grain, along with the vineyards and groves. 6 Then the Philistines said, “Who did this?” And they said, “Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he took his wife and gave her to his companion.” So the Philistines came up and burned her and her father with fire. 7 Samson said to them, “Since you act like this, I will surely take revenge on you, but after that I will quit.” 8 He struck them ruthlessly with a great slaughter; and he went down and lived in the cleft of the rock of Etam.

Point 3: The Philistines reject the love offer of God.

Samson wants to prosper with a family. Wife was given away to another.

Samson takes from them their prosperity of grain with fire.

They kill his wife and her father. Samson kills and then goes into hiding.

Then Samson’s own people betray him. The 3000 fear the 1000 even with a champion in their corner.

We can be so blinded by our oppression that we actually fear the enemy instead of God and work for the enemy and not for God who is stronger. We are more than conquerors in Christ but we live like cowards fearing the weak.

5. Samson conquered the enemy singlehandedly.

6. The weakness of this champion.

We see that Samson faces the exact same thing with another woman but this time he isn’t be led by the Spirit but in his own strength. He reveals his secret and he is betrayed again and this time because he gave up his secret his strength was given up and he was overcome by his enemies. They cut out his eyes so if he was to regain his strength, he couldn’t use it.

Judges 16:21–27 NLT

21 So the Philistines captured him and gouged out his eyes. They took him to Gaza, where he was bound with bronze chains and forced to grind grain in the prison. 22 But before long, his hair began to grow back. 23 The 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!” 24 When 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!” 25 Half 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. 26 Samson 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.” 27 Now 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 as Samson amused them.

Point 4: When we walk by the flesh- we walk in sin and we quench the power of the Spirit’s work in our lives.

7. Samson’s hair grows back!

Judges 16:28–31 NLT

28 Then 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.” 29 Then Samson put his hands on the two center pillars that held up the temple. Pushing against them with both hands, 30 he 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. 31 Later his brothers and other relatives went down to get his body. They took him back home and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol, where his father, Manoah, was buried. Samson had judged Israel for twenty years.

Point 5: Samson, God’s champion gave his life to conqueror His people’s enemy.

In order to gain life a lift must be lost. In order to be set free it is going to cost you something. We are called to give our lives for God and he uses it for bring life and freedom to others.

Point 6: From Samson to Christ the better Samson!

Samson ultimately failed as God’s true champion. We are left expecting someone better who can accomplish completely what Samson didn’t- conqueror the enemy once for all and freeing the people from oppression. Enter the Angel of the Lord and a virgin named Mary...

God’s sends a child- His Son.

Does anything good come from Nazareth?

Send apart.

Filled with Holy Spirit.

Betrayed by his enemies

Betrayed by his own disciples.

Blindfolded and beaten for amusement.

Performed works freeing others

Offers salvation to the enemies of God.

Gave up his life so that others can live.

Obediently perfect even unto death.

Taken down and laid in a tomb and was raised on the third day.

Etched in Stone means Character. What is written on your heart determines the character you will possess. Is Jesus, the True champion of God to save his people, written on your heart? If Jesus is etched on your heart then you are also written and etched in the book of life which records the names that Jesus has saved and who believe in Him. The son who holds all things knows who believe in Him and he tells the Father and it is written in the book of life and those who are etched in the book of life will have life forever.

What is etched upon your heart? Are you still in sin?

Is what Satan makes you believe written in your heart?

The only one who can remove what is etched on your heart is God and He wants to write upon your heart his Character which is written by the Holy Spirit on those who place their faith in Jesus.

Will you be set apart for God’s work and have God etch on your heart His character so that you can live as you were created to live.