God’s Greater Purposes – Part 3 • 04.24.22
God’s Greater Purpose: Part 3
Judges 16
Lessons from Samson for living in light of God’s redemptive plan
- A self-centered lifestyle breeds chaos
- Spiritual apathy leads to outright rebellion
- Willingly participate in God’s plan
Manuscript:
Today we are finishing up our study of the life of Samson, who happens to be the final judge in this book. After Samson’s life, we’ll transition into the conclusion of the book of Judges, which stretches from chapters 17-21. We’ll take the next 3 weeks to cover those. Spoiler alert! These chapters do not reveal a reversal in the direction of the nation. They will continue to do what is right in their own eyes. Anarchy and idolatry will be the twin themes until the end of the book.
Sorry to be a Debbie-downer! However, I hope this series has opened our eyes to the importance of personal holiness and to evaluate who/what we are pursuing/living for! Judges has hammered home the need for discipleship from one generation to the next. We have seen over and over again the rotten fruit of forgetting God and failing to teach the next generation to follow him. May we be committed to living differently, by God’s grace!
*Plug for the 2022 Churchwide Discipleship Tools + Truth78 curriculum for parents/kids*
Let me remind us of what we’ve learned about Samson so far:
· Chp 13 – Samson’s birth
Samson was a baby given by the Lord to a barren woman. He was to be set apart from birth as a Nazarite, which meant he was dedicated to the Lord. He was supposed to be holy and serve God. He couldn’t shave his hair, touch dead things, eat anything considered unclean, or drink alcohol. His purpose was to serve as a deliverer for Israel by beginning to rescue them from the Philistines.
· Chp 14 – Samson grows up and is ruled by his desires
Start of the theme of what Samson “sees” or “desires with his eyes”. First, he desires a Philistine woman for a wife. He wants to marry the enemy! However, even in this, God is at work. We read in verse 4:
Judges 14:4 (ESV)
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.
God was driving Samson towards the Philistines to give him an opportunity to deliver Israel, but Samson makes it all about himself. He is a proud and lustful man. We saw him violate his Nazarite vow by eating honey out of a dead lion and by partying at the wedding feast (likely consuming alcohol). Samson’s character is lacking, as he treated his wedding guests poorly and ended up killing 30 Philistines to take their clothes to pay for a bet he had made. He left his wedding feast in anger and left his bride-to-be behind.
· Chp 15 – Samson’s personal vendetta continues
After a period of time, Samson tries to go back for his wife, but finds out she was given away to his “best man”. So he goes berserk and lights the Philistines wheat fields and wheat harvest on fire, as well as their olive orchards. His vengeance devastates their local economy. Remember, none of this is because he is concerned with God’s glory or the deliverance of Israel… He’s solely responding to how he feels and in vindictiveness. Throughout the remainder of the chapter, Samson kills over 1,000 more Philistines who come against him. He even violates his Nazarite vow again by using the jawbone of a donkey as his weapon.
At the end of the chapter, we finally hear Samson cry out to the Lord for the first time and it’s because he’s thirsty. It comes out as a complaint that God is going to let him die. Fortunately for Samson, God is merciful and miraculously provides him water. That is where we left off…
Today we pick back up in chapter 16 as we continue to look at God’s Greater Purpose in the Samson narrative. Even though Samson is a hot mess who is apparently living for himself, God is still going to use him for his purposes and glory. Let’s walk through the text for today and discuss it together, then we’ll pull out some specific applications for our lives today. Starting with verse 1…
Judges 16:1 (ESV)
16 Samson went to Gaza, and there he saw a prostitute, and he went in to her.
Something you need to know is that Gaza is 45 miles away from Samson’s hometown. (MAP) The man is crossing the entirety of enemy territory to fulfill his desires! Samson is a representative of an Israelite nation that is no longer bothered by their sin and the consequences it invites. They have forgotten their calling as “set apart” ones who represent God to the watching world. Samson isn’t concerned with being set apart for God’s glory! He is concerned with his own passions and desires! Let’s keep reading.
Judges 16:2–3 (ESV)
2 The Gazites were told, “Samson has come here.” And they surrounded the place and set an ambush for him all night at the gate of the city. They kept quiet all night, saying, “Let us wait till the light of the morning; then we will kill him.” 3 But Samson lay till midnight, and at midnight he arose and took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two posts, and pulled them up, bar and all, and put them on his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that is in front of Hebron.
The people recognize him. He has gained notoriety for his brutality with the Philistines. Why would he come here?! They are going to kill him. But, in a surprising twist, Samson uses his incredible, God-given strength to escape. This brief account is short on details. In those days, city gates were often two stories high and watched over by guards. It is likely that Samson had to fight his way to the gates before ripping them out of the ground (a miraculous feat). Then he carried them nearly 40 miles with an ascent of over 2,000 ft along the way. I don’t even know how to compare that feat for us! Absolutely absurd and absolutely self-serving! That is the point here. Samson only serves himself. He is not thinking about delivering his nation or serving his God. Samson is concerned with one man, himself. Let’s keep reading.
Judges 16:4–6 (ESV)
4 After this he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. 5 And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Seduce him, and see where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to humble him. And we will each give you 1,100 pieces of silver.” 6 So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength lies, and how you might be bound, that one could subdue you.”
Samson the womanizer. Not quite the biblical hero you remember hearing about growing up, right? So many so-called children’s Bibles actually warp the Scriptures more than they teach them. It’s a good reminder to be discerning in what content you take in and teach your children. I’ll say it again that I’m thankful for the Truth78 curriculum.
Back to Samson. He gets entangled with a woman who is more interested in financial gain than returning his love. To be fair, the sum she is offered is incredible. It was 550x the average annual wage. Delilah was going to be set for life from this betrayal.
One commentator put it this way, “While Samson may be able to uproot the gates of the city of Gaza and carry them almost forty miles uphill, he cannot withstand the wiles of a woman.” (Block, NAC) The man loves pleasure and self too much to avoid the dangerous situation coming his way. For crying out loud, Delilah doesn’t even try to conceal her intent! But, as we will see, Samson is proud and does not think he has anything to fear, perhaps he is even trying to test Delilah to see if she will return his love. Let’s keep reading.
Judges 16:7–15 (ESV)
7 Samson said to her, “If they bind me with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, then I shall become weak and be like any other man.” 8 Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she bound him with them. 9 Now she had men lying in ambush in an inner chamber. And she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he snapped the bowstrings, as a thread of flax snaps when it touches the fire. So the secret of his strength was not known.
10 Then Delilah said to Samson, “Behold, you have mocked me and told me lies. Please tell me how you might be bound.” 11 And he said to her, “If they bind me with new ropes that have not been used, then I shall become weak and be like any other man.” 12 So Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And the men lying in ambush were in an inner chamber. But he snapped the ropes off his arms like a thread.
13 Then Delilah said to Samson, “Until now you have mocked me and told me lies. Tell me how you might be bound.” And he said to her, “If you weave the seven locks of my head with the web and fasten it tight with the pin, then I shall become weak and be like any other man.” 14 So while he slept, Delilah took the seven locks of his head and wove them into the web. And she made them tight with the pin and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he awoke from his sleep and pulled away the pin, the loom, and the web.
15 And she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and you have not told me where your great strength lies.”
Three times Samson and Delilah play their dangerous game. Samson lies to her about the source of his strength and Delilah tries to subdue him. Each time she accuses him of mocking her and lying to him, which while true, is also incredibly ironic… She is doing the exact same thing to him! They are two people using one another for their own gain – his sexual/emotional, hers financial. It’s a stunning reflection of how many relationships treat one another in our day and age. Both parties using one another for their own benefit, rather than seeking to please the Lord. And we wonder why our society and families are so broken…
Delilah’s tactics are about to change, and she is going to find Samson’s weak spot…
Judges 16:16–17 (ESV)
16 And when she pressed him hard with her words day after day, and urged him, his soul was vexed to death. 17 And he told her all his heart, and said to her, “A razor has never come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If my head is shaved, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak and be like any other man.”
Can you feel the tension within their relationship? She isn’t giving it up. Day after day she pursues him about this matter. Until his soul is vexed to death. Samson is at his wit’s end! “Woman, you’re driving me crazy with your nagging!” This is exactly what happened with his bride-to-be in Timnah back in 14:16-17!
So, Samson gives in. He tells her about his Nazarite vow. Stop and consider that for a moment.
Up to this point, you really have no reason to believe that Samson understands his purpose or calling! He repeatedly shows complete disregard for his status as a Nazarite and violates the vow in many ways. But this intimate moment reveals that Samson knew all along about his purpose and calling! He just didn’t care. What a tragic revelation! And he, like the Philistines, truly believed it was his hair that was the source of his extraordinary strength.
You must realize the source of Samson’s strength was not his hair but the Lord! God was the one who empowered Samson. Samson’s hair isn’t magical, though he and the Philistines treated it that way. Samson’s hair being cut was simply the final violation of his Nazarite vow and the final “straw” in his walking away from God. He chose love for Delilah over love for Yahweh. Perhaps he hoped that Delilah would recognize his vulnerability and finally return his love. Let’s keep reading to find out.
Judges 16:18–22 (ESV)
18 When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called the lords of the Philistines, saying, “Come up again, for he has told me all his heart.” Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hands. 19 She made him sleep on her knees. And she called a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him. 20 And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him. 21 And the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles. And he ground at the mill in the prison. 22 But the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.
Samson’s pride got the best of him. He trusted Delilah and she betrayed him. And, in his pride, he allowed himself to go to sleep in an enemy’s lap, assuming his strength would always be at his beck and call. But this time was different, not because his hair was shaved, but because as verse 20 says, “the Lord had left him”. Samson’s choice to abandon God resulted in God giving him up to the Philistines. The self-centered failure of a deliverer who had been driven by what was right in his own eyes is now blind… The once mighty and proud Samson is humiliated, bound in shackles, and put into work as a slave at the mill. *Pause*
But… but the hair of his head began to grow again… This is an incredible line. It heightens the tension. Something is happening, but what?! Hair did play a crucial role in Samson’s and the Philistines’ understanding of his strength… What could this mean?! Let’s finish out the chapter.
Judges 16:23–31 (ESV)
23 Now the lords of the Philistines gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to rejoice, and they said, “Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hand.” 24 And when the people saw him, they praised their god. For they said, “Our god has given our enemy into our hand, the ravager of our country, who has killed many of us.” 25 And when their hearts were merry, they said, “Call Samson, that he may entertain us.” So they called Samson out of the prison, and he entertained them. They made him stand between the pillars. 26 And Samson said to the young man who held him by the hand, “Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, that I may lean against them.” 27 Now the house was full of men and women. All the lords of the Philistines were there, and on the roof there were about 3,000 men and women, who looked on while Samson entertained.
28 Then Samson called to the Lord and said, “O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes.” 29 And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other. 30 And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.” Then he bowed with all his strength, and the house fell upon the lords and upon all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life. 31 Then his brothers and all his family came down and took him and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had judged Israel twenty years.
A tragic ending to a tragic narrative. The tension from verse 22 is resolved as Samson calls out to the Lord. It’s not his hair growing that does anything, it is God’s involvement in his life one last time…
This is the only other time we see Samson calling upon God. The first time it resulted in God showing him mercy in preserving his life, now God shows him mercy in granting his death. Samson is still driven by vengeance to the end. He wants revenge for his eyes, not because he wants to deliver Israel from their oppressors nor because he wants to defend God’s glory. His prayer is dominated by 1st-person pronouns. “Remember me… Strengthen me… That I may be avenged… For my two eyes. Let me die…”
Thankfully, although Samson was a proud, vengeful man, God still worked through his life. Samson’s story is a reminder that God is in control and that human sin cannot thwart his plan. God had raised up Samson to begin the deliverance of Israel from the Philistines, and although Samson never intentionally sought to fulfill that calling, God still worked through him to deal a great blow to the Philistines in his dying breath.
In this final scene, both the Philistines and the Israelites were confronted by God about the frailty of the objects of their hope. For the Philistines, their false god, Dagon, was humiliated in the face of the One, True God. For the Israelites, God showed them that pursuit of pride and lust and selfish ambition will not end in life but death. In the end, God’s will was done and he received the glory.
Though this is a hard narrative to read, it is a fitting final look at the judges. Samson embodied the type of people the nation had become – proud and driven by what is right in their own eyes. They had forgotten Yahweh and were living for themselves. This narrative has several lessons for us today. And that’s what we’ll spend the remainder of our time discussing…
Lessons from Samson for living in light of God’s redemptive plan
The first lesson is that…
1. A self-centered lifestyle breeds chaos
Perhaps this seems obvious to most of you. But I find it amazing how quickly we forget this reality for our own lives. When you live for self and act as if you are God and call the shots for your life, it does not go well. Thankfully this is a truth that God frequently reminds us of in his word.
During the days of Ancient Israel, he had made it clear that they were created to be a people set apart and holy to the Lord.
Leviticus 19:1–2 (ESV)
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.
This concept of them being God’s holy people was rooted in God’s covenant with Abraham.
Genesis 12:1–3 (ESV)
12 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Through this one nation, God desired to bless all the families of the earth. Their holiness and call to represent God would not only bring God glory, it would be a great blessing to the rest of the earth. Everyone would know God and be able to follow him because of Israel’s example. Their purpose as a people was to be selfless representatives of God. A life lived for God and for others.
Consider the book of Proverbs, which comes later in the Old Testament. Proverbs reveals that there are two foundational options or ways/paths for how to live – pursuing wisdom or folly. The correct path is the pursuit of wisdom, which involves obeying God and living in a way that honors him. The result of such a life is:
Proverbs 2:20–21 (ESV)
20 So you will walk in the way of the good
and keep to the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright will inhabit the land,
and those with integrity will remain in it,
God preserves and protects those who make it their aim to please him. They can sleep in peace, knowing they are seeking to live for the Lord. They can know that God takes care of them. They have the confidence that their outcome will be life.
Conversely, those who are self-centered are walking down the path of folly that leads to death. This is exactly what we see in Samson’s life. He has no regard for what pleases the Lord, only for what seems right in his own eyes. And the result is chaos. The man is a ticking time bomb who explodes at those who wrong him. He is a vengeful man and a womanizer who is completely consumed with his own agenda.
Samson is a great example of the principle that “whatever rules your heart will rule your life”. Consider these passages:
Luke 6:43–45 (ESV)
43 “For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, 44 for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. 45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
Matthew 15:16–20 (ESV)
16 And he said, “Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? 18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”
The testimony of Scripture is that whatever rules your heart (inner-man/woman) rules your life. Each one of us has desires waging war for control of our inner man/woman. And whatever desire is in control will bring out a certain kind of behavior/thinking in our lives.
Samson appears to live for the desires of pleasure and self-exaltation. These desires drive him to sinful living. He completely disregarded God’s sexual ethic of monogamous marriage between one man and woman. He failed to be a servant leader to the women he pursued. He ignored God’s calling by rejecting his Nazarite vow. Ultimately, he failed to deliver Israel in a meaningful way. His self-centered lifestyle culminated in his death at his own hands. Absolute chaos.
You see the desires that ruled Samson and the fruit they produced… What desire(s) rule you? If you’re not sure, perhaps you should start by evaluating your behaviors/thinking. What kind of fruit do you see in these areas? What might they reveal about the root desire? *Pause*
We are created for the purpose of revealing the greatness of God. Your purpose is to accurately reflect your Creator to the watching world around you. You see, just as it was Israel’s job to represent God as his holy people, so it is the church’s job (aka Christians today) to do the same. Listen to how the Apostle Peter writes to the early church:
1 Peter 2:9-10
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
As we heard last week, this is only possible through faith in Jesus Christ. He is the only way to be transformed from a self-seeking man/woman that breeds chaos into a holy, God-honoring man/woman who brings life. Jesus calls you out of darkness into his marvelous light. He makes it possible for your greatest desire to be pleasing Him rather than self. Through faith in Christ, you can be freed from the fruit of chaos and brokenness. Instead you can choose to walk in wisdom and bear the fruit of life and peace-making. You will be able to fight for right thinking and actions, even as you’re tempted to “do what’s right in your own eyes”.
A second valuable lesson from Samson is…
2. Spiritual apathy leads to outright rebellion
The reality is that God made you. And God has a plan/purpose for you. We heard about some of this plan and purpose in our Easter Sunday sermon. You just heard about some of it in the previous point today too. You cannot claim ignorance to why God has you here! He wants you to represent and reflect Him! And spiritual apathy stands in direct opposition to his calling!
Apathy – lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern
In Samson’s case, his spiritual apathy led him to forsake his Nazarite vow. Repeatedly he violated this vow and ignored God’s calling for his life. He was a rebellious young man who was more concerned about his desires than God’s plan!
In the same way, if you allow spiritual apathy to creep into your life, it will produce the bitter fruit of rebellion. And, unfortunately, apathy is always trying to creep in! Our personal battle with sin is constantly tempting us towards apathy. On top of that, we live in a broken world that wholeheartedly rejects God and His Word. Many would love nothing more than to see a Christian fall or abandon the faith. I have had plenty of people around me throughout my life that loved to tempt me with things that weren’t pleasing to God. And in my teen and college years, I often chose poorly in those circumstances! I have several years of college that I refer to as “the dark years” because of the path I was on. It is God’s grace and mercy that has kept me faithful. Spiritual apathy leads to outright rebellion!
And truly, we don’t even need the help of others to arrive in a position of apathy. We are capable of getting there all on our own. If we neglect to draw near to the Lord through Bible study and prayer, if we fail to cultivate a heart of thankfulness and instead grumble and let discontentment creep in, or if we put a desire other than pleasing God on the throne of our hearts… these things will all produce apathy towards living for God. Be aware of the dynamics of our world and your own hearts. We are easily deceived and prone to wander.
That’s why you must be on guard!
Proverbs 4:23 (ESV)
23 Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.
Whatever rules your heart will exercise incredible influence over your life.. Consider what we heard in our Holy Week devotions:
Colossians 2:6–7 (ESV)
6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
Church, as ones who have received Christ Jesus, stay close to him by walking in his ways, being rooted and built up in him through his Word which you were taught, and cultivate a heart of thanksgiving.
If you have faith in Jesus Christ, then you have been called into divine service. You are a representative of the King of Kings. You have the privilege of bringing the Good News to a lost and dying world. There is no greater calling. Which leads us to our third and final lesson from Samson for today.
3. Willingly participate in God’s plan
Samson was an unwilling participant in God’s plan. He was used by God because God is faithful and merciful and nothing can thwart God’s plan or promises, but Samson didn’t seek that out himself. His life was one of self-pursuit rather than pursuing God.
But at the end of the day, God will be glorified. His will is done. That is the outcome no matter what. This is very good news. But it is far better to be a willing participant who partners in bringing God glory and who is blessed by God in the process.
In his word, God has made it very clear that there are very different outcomes for people depending on how they respond to him. We are called to willingly participate in God’s plan. To join him in the mission of rescue and redemption. In the Old Testament, Israel was to be a holy nation, set apart to bless the rest of the nations. In the New Testament, through faith in Christ, men and women are rescued and redeemed from sin into the church. The church is called to be God’s disciple-making people on earth. Our mission is to take the Good News of salvation in Christ alone through faith alone by grace alone to the world and to call them to turn from sin and believe in Jesus! Then we have the privilege of teaching them how to obey and follow him.
Are you willingly participating in that plan? Or are you dragging your feet, off doing your own thing, pursuing your own desires?
What are you pursuing in a given week? Where does your time go? Who have you shared the gospel with in the past year? By God’s grace, how many disciples have you produced in your lifetime? There is an eternal urgency to the mission. Let’s not get distracted by selfish pursuits.
Consider one last time Samson’s legacy. His life ends with a victory over Dagon and the Philistine lords. However, it is incredibly sad that Samson was more valuable to God dead than alive. He was an unwilling participant in God’s plan. The comment in verse 30 about him killing more Philistines in his death than in his life is not a positive comment. It is a sad ending to a selfish man’s life. May our epitaph be different.
May our legacy be:
· A selfless life that bears good fruit
· A spiritual passion that leads to joyful obedience
· A willing participation in God’s plan that produces many disciples
If you think about it, this is best exemplified by Jesus Christ and his disciples. This is exactly the kind of life they lived. May we make it our aim to please Him.