The Times of the Judges Part 6

Today's sermon is going to once again venture into the Book of Judges. No great surprise, I'm sure. In fact, we're going to cover the remaining portion of that book today from chapters 13 through 16. And we're going to draw to a conclusion, the series that's been our focus now for a couple of months. I'll have to admit, personally, I've enjoyed delving into the Book of Judges and taking what is often, and I'll refer to it as readover territory. You know, parts of the country you call flyover country, you just kind of look at it from out the plane window, and you go over without a lot of attention. And judges sometimes can be readover territory that there's interesting stories, and they're made in the children's Bible stories, perhaps, but delving into them has been encouraging and exciting for me. So we will continue that today, and we'll be looking at the final judge in this book, Samson. And I have to admit, as I sat down to put this together, I was a little conflicted about which direction to go with this study, because on one hand you look at Samson, and he was an individual full of faults, full of mistakes, and maybe it even causes you to shake your head and ask the question, why? You know, why did God even use this man? Why did he stay with this man? Why did he do the things that he did, and why didn't he learn the lessons along the way? Because there seems to be this repetitive cycle that he fell into often.

And yet, on the other hand, he is listed among God's heroes of faith in Hebrews chapter 11, perhaps also causing us to pause, scratch our head, and wonder why. Why would he be listed among the faithful heroes of the Bible that we look to as an example? Well, as I look more closely at the story of Samson, I came to realize there's a lesson from him, and multiple lessons actually, both good and bad, that we can pull from his story. And I also realize there's lessons we can take from God's example, and how God worked through him as well. Because the sermon is going to focus on both. It was God working through this flawed man. We might even say, in some cases, in spite of Samson's flaws, God was working through him, and is the reason why we find the success that was brought out in the records of the Scripture. But God did raise this man up for a purpose and work with him, and he is listed in Hebrews chapter 11. So we'll walk through that as we go through the sermon today. Again, I would say he lived a conflicted life, so sometimes it's not surprising if we're conflicted when we look at his story and try to consider what's the best thing to get from his example. The title for the message today is The Times of the Judges, part 6. Subtitle, Samson, the importance of finishing strong. Samson, the importance of finishing strong.

And honestly, that is what I hope to accomplish through this sermon today as well, finishing the book of Judges strong, because there have been a lot of good illustrations and examples for us to consider in our life. Judges chapter 13 is where we will pick up. Once again, Judges 13 in verse 1, and it looks all too familiar to us as we've gone through this book. Judges chapter 13 verse 1 says, again, the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for 40 years. You know, a good long generation of oppression by the Philistines. So once again, we see the cycle as it repeats again, sin, servitude, followed by supplication, and ultimately as God sends a deliverer, salvation. And it's a familiar pattern over and over again, and you almost get tired of reading it, but I would ask us to consider perhaps there's a lesson we can pull from this, which is God always stands ready for His covenant people to return to Him. You know, I've always tended to read this from the front end as when Israel is going down. They're following down into sin, but if you focus on the upward swing, it is encouraging that God always stands ready to receive back in repentance His covenant people who return to Him again. Judea Israel sinned. God delivered them into the hands of the Philistines who dwelled in the lowland coasts of Israel, kind of the southwestern region. If you still have your map, you'll see Samson listed down around that region. You have Gaza, you have some other markings that will, landmarkings that we'll see as we go through the Scripture today, but He delivers them into their hands for 40 years and they're oppressed. But God has a plan. He's going to raise up a man who will indeed be a deliverer for them. Verse 2 says, now there was a certain man from Zara of the family of the Danites whose name was Manoah, and his wife was barren and had no children. And the angel of the Lord, the Malek Yahweh, appeared to the woman and said to her, indeed now you are barren and have worn no children. He says, but you shall conceive and bear a son. He says, now therefore, please be careful. This is what she is to do, not to drink wine or similar drink, not to eat anything unclean. For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son, and no razor shall come upon his head. For the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines. I thought it was interesting to hear Mr. Klein's sermonette today because deliverance from the Philistines begins here with Samson, but it is wrapped up with King David.

You know, somebody who did the hard things and looked to God for the strength, and the glory went to God. But we see here sort of the opening of dealing with the Philistines that through this man, Samson, he shall begin to deliver Israel out of their hand. You know, sometimes God causes a barren woman to bring forth a child through whom he will work, and it's interesting because what it shows is that God was working with his individual from the beginning, that their conception was by God's will, and that from birth their life has been, if I can use the word, destined to serve God in a very specific way. And this is the case with Samson. He was to be a Nazarite from the womb, and in fact it appears that his mother was to live according to the Nazarite vow herself throughout at least the course of the pregnancy until the time that he was delivered.

Now Numbers chapter 6 gives us some details regarding a Nazarite vow as well as how the person under it would conduct themselves. So let's just take a quick side trip there, see how Samson was to live his life. Numbers chapter 6, we'll begin in verse 1.

Numbers chapter 6 and verse 1. And it says, Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, When either a man or a woman consecrates an offering to take the vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves to the LORD, he shall separate himself from wine and similar drink.

He shall drink neither vinegar made from wine nor vinegar made from similar drink. Neither shall he drink any grape juice or any fresh grapes or raisins. You're not even the fruit of the vine, unfermented with something that was supposed to pass their lips. Verse 4, All the days of his separation, he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grape vine from seed to skin. All the days of the vow of his separation, again, this is the point, they are separated unto God's service, no razor shall come upon his head until the days are fulfilled, for which he separated himself to the LORD, and he shall be holy. And we can infer that his conduct would be a reflection of holiness as well. Then he shall let the locks of hair of his head grow, and all the days that he separates himself to the LORD, he shall not go near a dead body. He shall not make himself unclean even for his father or his mother, his brother or his sister when they die, because his separation to God is on his head. Verse 8, All the days of his separation shall be holy to the LORD. And so it's a period, it's a time frame, when someone took a Nazarite vow, there was usually a temporary nature to it. And then they would go on after the period of that ended, they'd cut their hair and carry on with life. But Samson's vow, this was the condition of his life from birth, and what he was to live under the entirety of his physical days, set apart before God as holy, and to be in a holy service, and as well conduct himself according to that manor. This is who this man was to be. If we go back to Judges chapter 13, we'll carry on with the account. As the story continues, the woman finds her husband, Manoah, and she repeats to him the promise of the messenger, what he brought to her, that they would have a child and who he would be.

Then we find the fact that they pray for the return of the man of God. They want to know more, how should we raise this young man in service to God, and they prayed for him to return. Judges chapter 13, and we're going to pick it up in verse 15, and it says, and Manoah said to the angel of the Lord. Again, when I read through this personally, I usually like to substitute the Hebrew words for angel of the Lord because angels are created being. We understand the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ was not. He was God with God. So Malek Yahweh, as it is in the Hebrew, the Malek Yahweh said to Manoah, though you detain me, I will not eat your food, but if you offer a burnt offering, you must offer it to the Lord. I think I skipped verse 15. There said, can we please bring you this meal? But he says, you can offer a burnt offering to the Lord. For Manoah did not know that he was the angel of the Lord. Malek Yahweh. Verse 17, then Manoah said to Malek Yahweh, what is your name, that when your word comes to pass, we may honor you? And Malek Yahweh said to him, why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful. In the Hebrew, the word translated here, wonderful, literally means incomprehensible, or so wonderful that is beyond comprehension. That's actually how a number of translations will bring that across. Verse 19, so Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering and offered it upon the rock to Yahweh. And he, the Yahweh, did a wondrous thing while Manoah and his wife looked on. It happened as the flame went up towards heaven from the altar. The Malek Yahweh ascended in the flame of the altar, and when Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell on their faces to the ground. It says, when the Malek Yahweh appeared no more to Manoah and his wife, then Manoah knew that he was Malek Yahweh. And Manoah said to his wife, we shall surely die because we have seen God. There's realization now whose presence they have been in. So that's the story of what's going to take place with Samson. It's been delivered to them. Verse 23, he says, but his wife said to him, if Yahweh had desired to kill us, he would not have accepted a burn offering, a grain offering from our hands, nor would he have shown us all the things, nor would he have told us such things as these at this time. And so the woman bore a son, called his name Samson, and the child grew, and the Lord blessed him. And the Spirit of the Lord began to move upon him at Mehenah Dan between Zorah and Eshtael. So this is a story then of Samson's miraculous conception, and it's the foundational purpose for his existence has been laid out here. He is set apart. He's consecrated. He's to be holy in his conduct, and he's to be holy in his service to God and his people, indeed not just for a period of time, but for his entire lifetime. And as the chapter concludes, we see him being empowered by God's Holy Spirit to accomplish that very purpose.

Now, as we move forward in the chapter 14, we begin to see the moral deficiencies that exist in Samson's character. He's now a young man, and as many young men do, what does he do? He's out chasing the young ladies. All right, that's he's that time of life, and yet his eye falls onto a woman that I'll just say there's a problem with the focus of his attention. Judges chapter 14 verse 1. Now, Samson went down to Timna, and he saw a woman in Timna of the daughters of the Philistines.

So when he went up and he told his father and mother, saying, I've seen a woman in Timna of the daughter of the Philistines, now therefore get her for me as wife. We're starting to see some of the problem in his nature and actually some conflict that's going to arise in terms of his service. The Philistines are Israel's enemies. They are the Gentile oppressors in the land, and Samson is God's appointed champion of deliverance for his people, and yet he says, I want her. And as I fell upon her. And what we find is him becoming enticed by the world around him. And as a result, he becomes ensnared and enamored with this Philistine woman.

Brother the Bible is clear on the topic. It's mentioned multiple times. When Israel was coming up into the land, God said, you know, don't give your sons to their daughters. Don't take their daughters for your sons because they'll turn your heart away from God. And that was something that was a downfall to many of the Israelite men, not just in Samson's day, frankly, up to our day today as well, to go seeking an equal yoking in a union beyond what would be someone grounded in the same worship of God as you are.

Because conflict arises. And we find Samson getting ensnared in this. He says, get her for me as wife. Now, as we go through the next couple of chapters, we're going to see Samson's life as a deliverer standing in sharp contrast to other deliverers that had come upon the scene. And again, as I said, it kind of led me to questioning, really, even what direction do you go with this? Because Samson's actions all throughout his life stood contrary to the vow that he had made. And yet, you know, if we just explore it for what it says, we will come to see how indeed God works and how he can use people both righteous and stumbling in his service.

Because ultimately, it's about God accomplishing his will. Verse, let's go to verse three now. It says, then his father and mother said to him, Is there no woman among the daughters of your brethren, or among all my people, that you must go and get a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said to his father, Get her for me, for she pleases me well.

But his father and mother did not know that it was interesting that he was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines, for at that time, the Philistines had dominion over Israel. And so it's interesting to note that even though Samson was a hard-hearted man and his actions in many ways were in opposition to God, that didn't stand in the way of God's plan.

That's an important lesson. We're going to mix lessons from Samson and God's example today. And what we see from God is that even a hard-hearted man did not stand in the way of God's plan. In fact, as we'll see, God ultimately uses Samson's weakness in order to carry out his plan. It says he was looking for an occasion to move against the Philistines, and Samson simply opened the door.

God could have done this any numbers of ways. He could have done it through a righteous man and an upright man as he had done so many other times before, but Samson was going to go his way. But God says, my purpose will still stand. And again, we find an important lesson here pertaining to how God works in the world. And that is, God is well able to accomplish his divine purpose through whomever he wills, even while leaving their free will intact. You know, God can raise up kings, he can put down kings, and we might say, that's not a righteous man.

How can that be of God? But God can still work his purpose in the world through whom he wills, even while leaving their free will intact. Samson may have been a flawed tool. He may have been making wrong decisions along the way, but his deficiencies did not limit God.

And God could still accomplish his purpose for his people, whether he was a faithful individual or not. Carrying on in verse 5, it says, so Samson went down to Timna with his father and mother, and he came to the vineyards of Timna. Now to his surprise, a young lion came roaring against him, and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart, as one would have torn apart a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand, but he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done.

So evidently there's a period of time here Samson leaves his parents on the main road. It would appear he goes and wanders through the vineyards here at Timna, later rejoining them. And it's at that point the lion comes out against him.

And just speculating a little bit here, but maybe the lion was a warning from God.

Watch your step.

You know, watch your step. After all, if Samson was wandering through the vineyards, and he was playing with fire, wasn't he? As it pertained to his Nazarite vow.

Remember, it wasn't don't just drink wine. It was don't eat grapes, don't eat anything from the seed to, you know, the fruit to the skin of it, and hear Samson's out wandering through, if I could say, temptation.

Right? Why would he even be there to begin with? Yet this lion comes roaring out against him.

I think an important lesson for us is don't even put yourself into situations where you'll be tempted to sin.

You might can say, well, that's okay. I can handle it. I can wander through the vineyard with a, you know, Nazarite vow.

I can, you know, go past this neighborhood and maybe not be distracted.

I think the lesson is don't even put yourself into a situation where you'll be tempted to sin.

Give sin a wide berth.

Avoid the road to temptation. Don't even go down there to begin with because, as the proverb says, you know, if you go walking down the road, the adulteress will call out to you.

I'm paraphrasing, but there's a passage early on in Proverbs talking about, you know, the man wandering down the road past the adulteress house.

Didn't say he went in, but he went past it. But what does the adulteress do? Calls out, entices, tries to draw in that one and play on the weaknesses.

And it's better not to even walk down the road than to begin with than to contend with the temptation when you're there.

And frankly, that's something that Samson seems to have struggled with, to actually go to an atmosphere and a place where temptation might lie.

Verse 7, it says, then he went down and he talked with the woman, and she well pleased Samson.

And after some time, verse 8, he returned to her, and he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion.

And behold, they swarm of bees, and honey were in the carcass of the lion.

And so he took some of it in his hands, and he went along eating, and when he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them.

And they also ate, but they did not know that he had taken it out of the carcass of the lion.

Do you see any problem with his action here?

I mean, what's wrong? I mean, a little honey, certainly nothing wrong with eating a little honey, but where did he get the honey from?

And what about his Nazarite vow not to even come near a dead body?

Because again, that would defile him before God.

We see a pattern starting to develop with this man, and yet he is the one God has raised up to deliver Israel, and he is one that God stayed with and would work with, even despite his weaknesses along the way.

Verse 10 carries on, it says, So his father went down to the woman, and Samson gave a feast there, for young men used to do so.

And it happened when they saw him that they brought thirty companions to be with him. You know, this is again Philistine region. The bride-to-be would have had her entourage, so they bring these thirty Philistine men to accompany Samson.

Verse 12, And Samson said to them, Let me pose a riddle to you. And if you can correctly solve and explain it to me within the seven days of the feast, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing. But if you cannot explain it to me, then you shall give me thirty linen garments in return.

Thirty changes of clothing. And they said to him, Pose your riddle, that we may hear it.

Verse 14, So he said to them, Out of the eater came something to eat, Out of the strong came something sweet.

Obviously referring to the lion and the honey which had come there.

Carrying on, verse 14, he says, Now for three days they could not explain the riddle.

But it came to pass on the seventh day that they said to Samson's wife, Entice. I want to draw your attention to this word, entice.

You know, it's something we will see happen time and time again through the story, enticement.

He says, Entice your husband, that he may explain the riddle to us, or else we will burn you in your father's house with fire. Have you invited us in order to take what is ours? Is that not so?

So we see this word entice, and it's going to pop up a couple times throughout the story.

Samson repeatedly gave in to enticement, and he was specifically vulnerable to the enticement of Philistine women. That was the big crack in his armor, and one of the major ways that he defiled himself throughout his life. But, again, enticement. Who entices?

You know, the Bible tells us that God does not tempt us unto sin. Satan does.

God may test us. He may allow us to face circumstances and give us a choice. But he says, Choose life. Choose righteously. Satan tempts us unto stumbling and failure, and enticement is his major tool. Entice him.

Verse 16, Samson's wife wept on him, and she said, You only hate me. You do not love me.

You have posed the riddle to the sons of my people, but you have not explained it to me.

And he said to her, Look, have I not explained it? I have not even told my father or my mother, so should I explain it to you? And now she wept on him the seven days while her feast lasted, and it happened on the seventh day that he told her because she pressed him so much.

Then she explained the riddle to the sons of her people. You know, she betrayed him. He gave it to her in confidence. But you know what? This is the enemy, and he really shouldn't have expected her to keep that tight-lipped. Samson's weakness made him easily manipulated by the object of his desire. And he didn't seem to consider that, you know, this woman was a Philistine, and she was a willing tool in the hand of the enemy, not for his good, but for their good. And as a trap, he fell into on more than one occasion. And frankly, it's a short-sighted position to be in. Verse 18, it says, So the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey, and what is stronger than a lion? And he said to them, If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have not solved this riddle. And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily, and he went down to Ashkelon, and he killed thirty of their men, took their apparel, and gave the changes of clothing to those who had explained the riddle. Kind of like, here you go, you know, payment in full. So his anger was roused, and he went back up to his father's house, and Samson's wife was given to his companion, who had been his best man. So we see him taking missteps to begin with, and it's just his chain reaction of wrong step after wrong step leading to a very bad place. The only good in all of this sad chain of events is the fact that God was using the occasion to begin moving against the Philistines. Samson was opening the door, and God would take advantage of the circumstance for his ultimate purpose to be accomplished. And here the stage is now being set. Judges chapter 15 and verse 1 says, after a while in the time of the wheat harvest, it happened that Samson visited his wife with a young goat, and he said, let me go into my wife into her room, but her father would not permit him to go in.

Her father said, I really thought that you thoroughly hated her. Therefore I gave her to your companion. Is not her younger sister better than she? Please take her instead. You know, it's like, who would love to have a dad like that? Philistine or not? All right, verse 3, Samson said to them, this time, I shall be blameless regarding the Philistines if I harm them. And Samson went and caught 300 foxes, incredible feet of them by itself. He took torches, he turned the foxes tail to tail, he put a torch between each pair of tails. And when he had set the torches on fire, he let the foxes go into the standing grain of the Philistines. Imagine these wild animals that are tied together with a torch burning behind them, and they're panicking, and they're just running. They're zigging and zagging through the fields for miles, trying to outrun this flame, out into the standing grain of the Philistines. And he burned up both the shocks and the standing grain, as well as the vineyards and the olive groves. The Philistines then said, who has done this? And they answered Samson, the son-in-law of the Tim Knight, because he has taken his wife and given her to his companion. So the Philistines came up, and they burned her and her father with fire.

And Samson said to them, since you would do such a thing like this, I will surely take revenge on you, and after that I will cease. So he tacked them, hip and thigh, with a great slaughter, and then he went down and dwelt in the cleft of the rock of Etem. So Samson, as this progresses now, this isn't just a little local squabble that's taking place. Samson's now elevated to the point of the enemy of the Philistines. You know, he's man number one, whose head they want, and they're going to come looking for this guy. He says, you know, I'm going to take care of you, and then I'll have my rest, but they're not done with him. And God's not done either with, indeed, what it is he will accomplish among the Philistines. Going down to verse 14, as the story went on, they came looking for Samson, and Samson allowed the men of Judah to bind him with new ropes and deliver him to the Philistines. Verse 14, when he had come to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting against him.

He says, And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and the ropes that were on his arms became like flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds broke loose from his hands. And he found a fresh drawbone of a donkey, reached out his hand, and took it, and he killed a thousand men with it.

Verse 16, And Samson said, With the jawbone of a donkey heaps upon heaps, with the jawbone of a donkey I have slain a thousand men. And it doesn't really come across so well in our English translation, but in the Hebrew it's sort of a sort of a pun or a play on words. It says something to the effect of, you know, with the jawbone of an ass, I have piled a mass.

So it's kind of a rhyme and a play on words in the Hebrew. But here we have this great slaughter.

And Samson's strength was so incredible at times when the Spirit of the Lord came upon him.

Okay, there were times where God empowered him dramatically by his Spirit to accomplish what needed to be accomplished for the time, and nothing was going to restrain Samson when he was empowered by God's Spirit in such a way, and nothing was going to restrain God as well by accomplishing his purpose through him by the power of his Spirit. Again, he's thinking to deliver Israel. Verse 17 says, And so it was when he had finished speaking that he threw the jawbone from his hand. He called the place Rehma Lihai, and then he became very thirsty, I can imagine, slaughtering a thousand men. And he cried out to the Lord, and he said, You have given this great deliverance by the hand of your servant, and now shall I die of thirst and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised. So God split the hollow place that is in Lihai, and the water came out, and he drank. And the Spirit returned, and he was revived. And therefore he called the name of the place Enchokari, which is in Lihai to this day. And he says, And he judged Israel twenty years in the days of the Philistines. And so we can see positive attributes to Samson here. You know, at this point he has this massive slaughter by the power of God's Spirit, and we see him acknowledging the source of the victory. That the victory is from God. He said, again, verse 18, You have given this great deliverance by the hand of your servant. You know, it was by his hand, but he recognized the source of that power and that deliverance that it was from God. So it is positive. And as a result of the victory, Israel had deliverance. They had peace from the Philistines for twenty years, and Samson sat as judge. To me, this would be a nice place just to close the book, you know, into story. I mean, he kind of had a bumpy road for a while, but ends on a high note, acknowledges God, judges Israel for twenty years. It would be kind of a nice spot to stop if we could, but the story does, in fact, continue on. Chapter 16, which we delve into, we're going to see more of Samson's character as it comes out. And the sad reality is we're going to see that twenty years of judging Israel and twenty years of peace still really haven't changed the man who he is at heart. His personal character flaws are still in place. Judges chapter 16 and verse 1, again, this is after twenty years, says, now Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there, and he went into her.

So, after the passage of all this time, Samson is still very much a lustful man. He's an arrogant man, which is amazing, and frankly, it's quite saddening. After all, here's a man that was selected by God from the womb to be his champion, to deliver his people, but in a special way, in a special relationship through this Nazarite vow, that he was to live his life as someone that was separated to God in his service, and his response and his way of living was to be holy.

And yet, time and time again, we see his covenant with God being continually violated.

God will accomplish his purpose through him that God will accomplish, but the question is, will Samson ever fully yield to God in the process? And will he ever truly live up to the conditions of the relationship that bound him to the God of Israel? God holds his end. Will Samson ever come around to holding his end? Truly, for sure. For those of us who have entered into the covenant relationship with God through baptism, I think there's some important questions that we should ask ourselves in light of Samson's example. Because in some ways, if we aren't careful, Samson's story could end up being our story very easily. We're not careful to watch the covenant we've made. We should be sure to ask ourselves important questions such as, am I living daily the commitment I made to God at baptism? You know, we see the results of a man who wasn't living his vow with God daily, but for us, as we are, if we could use the term, in a new covenant Nazarite-type vow with God today through our baptism, am I living daily the covenant and the commitment I made with God? We should ask ourselves, am I allowing my God-given purpose to direct my focus at all times? You know, am I wandering through the vineyard, walking down the street past the door of sin? Or am I allowing my God-given purpose to direct my focus at all times?

We should ask ourselves questions like, am I resisting the poles of the world in order to put God first? Or I'm just sort of maybe playing around with my covenant on one hand while I'm playing around with the world on the other? You know, sort of one foot in the church and one foot in the world. It's a very dangerous position to be in, brethren. It is what Samson subjected himself to, and at least during the course of his life for decades and decades, did not work well for him. We should ask ourselves questions like, am I overcoming my faults and growing in holy, righteous character after 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 years in covenant with God? You know, Samson, we get this snapshot of his life at a point where this is my opinion, but I would say this is not Hebrews 11 material right here, right, as we view this man right here and maybe ask ourselves if a snapshot of our life was taken at this given moment. How would we measure up? Again, Samson's story could very much be our story if we're not careful to serve God, but you know what? He is in Hebrews 11. He is listed among the heroes of faith, and there is a reason for that, and that's because Samson's story is not at an end. At least not. We haven't read to the end of that story yet, okay? So as we're reading along, it's still being written, and frankly, brethren, for you and I as well, our story is still being written as well, and day to day depends on how will we respond to God and how will we live according to his purpose. As long as we are drawing breath, there is always opportunity to fix past mistakes. There's always opportunity to overcome what it is as our fault and weakness, and there's always opportunity to draw close to God. As long as we draw breath, there is opportunity, but we have to take advantage of the time we've been given, because eventually the time comes when there is no more time, and you and I don't know when that will be.

But again, God, as we see through Israel's continual sin, servitude, supplication, and salvation cycle, God stands ready to receive his people in return again. If they will repent, if they will yield to him. So we have Samson 20 years down the road, and his character appears to not have changed for the good. Verse 2, it says, And when the gasites were told Samson had come here, they surrounded the place, and lay in wait for him all night at the gate of the city. Again, he's in with the harlot. They were quiet all night, saying, In the morning, when it is daylight, we will kill him. And Samson lay low until midnight, and he rose at midnight, took the doors of the gates of the city, and the two gateposts, he pulled them up a bar and all, put them on his shoulders, and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron. Again, just an incredible show of strength. And some commentaries, depending which one you look at, says he carried these things 20 to 40 miles, judging on the points of reference here in the Scripture. Just an incredible power in this man. You know, he was physically strong. He wasn't necessarily, though, spiritually strong. Verse 4, afterwards, it happened that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was, drum roll, please, Delilah. Same pattern of behavior, Delilah. Verse 5, And the lords of the Philistines came up to her, and said to her, Notice, Entice him, okay, entice him, and find out where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him. They may bind him to afflict him, and every one of us will give you 1,100 pieces of silver, an incredible amount of money. But again, enticement was Samson's weakness, and he falls for it time and time again. New Testament reference, James chapter 1, verse 14.

James 1, 14, it states, But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires, and enticed. And so what we come to understand is enticement and entertaining enticement, brethren, is a very, very dangerous position to be in. It is a slippery slope that leads ultimately to destruction, as Samson will find out the hard way. Verse 6, So Delilah said to Samson, Please tell me where your great strength lies, and what you may be bound with to afflict you. And Samson said to her, If they bind me with seven fresh bowstrings, not yet dried, then I shall become weak and like any other man. And so the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh bowstrings, not yet dried, and she bound him with them. Now men were lying in wait, staying with her in the room, and she said to him, The Philistines are upon you, Samson, but he broke the bowstrings as a strand of yarn breaks when it touches fire. And so the secret of his strength was not known. And Delilah said to Samson, Look, you have mocked me, you have told me lies. Now please tell me with what you may be bound. Okay, just you would think the guy would wake up, you know, you think the guy would get a hint or maybe learn from the last mistake, but here we are again. So they're walking through the cycle. Samson lies to her again about being bound with new ropes. By me with new ropes, I won't break loose. We have the same cycle. He tells her, Weave my hair into the loom. And each time he gives her a method for subduing him, what happens? Well, she lays the trap, and she sells him out in order to deliver him to the enemy. And again, you would think he would get the hint, right? FYI, she doesn't really love you. These are your enemies. These are not the people of God, but eventually he does go so far as to reveal to her his secret. Verse 16, Judges chapter 16 verse 16, it said, It came to pass when she pestered him daily with her words and pressed him, so that his soul was vexed to death. You think maybe she wasn't, you know, never mind. Better not to say it than to get yourself in trouble. I will just carry on. Vexed to death. I can just imagine.

I have not experienced it personally, so don't don't assume. Verse 17, And he told her all the was in his heart. Right. And he said to her, No razor has ever come upon my head, for I've been a Nazarite to God from my mother's womb. If I am shaven, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak and be like any other man. And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up once more, for he has told me all that is in his heart. So the lords of the Philistines came to her and brought the money to her hand.

Verse 19, Then she lulled him to sleep on her knees and called for a man, and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him. And she said to him, The Philistines are upon you, Samson. So he awoke from his sleep, and he said, I shall go out as before at other times, and shake myself free. But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him.

You know, why didn't he know that the Lord had departed from him?

It didn't say he didn't know his hair had been cut. I mean, how could he not know that?

This guy had not had a razor to his head since childhood. Just a little Google insight says that human hair grows at an average rate of six inches per year.

You know, this is after 20 years of judging Israel. Let's say Samson is 40 years old. That's 20 feet of hair. You know, I suppose if you battle a few Philistines, like slay a thousand with a jawbone, maybe you, you know, I don't know, ladies could tell your hair breaks off in dry, warlike conditions, I'm sure. But, you know, 20 feet of hair that's bound up and tied up and braided into these these locks, and he leaps up, and his strength is gone. That's heavy stuff. How would he not know his hair has been cut? But it doesn't say he didn't know his hair was cut. He said he didn't know that the Lord had departed from him. Why? Well, perhaps he really didn't believe the truth for himself. Perhaps he'd been cocky and began to think once again that, hey, this strength is mine. I'm always strong. After all, you know, why would hair make a difference? He had violated his vow before on multiple occasions. Why was this any different? And yet, it's important to note that his hair was cut. God's strength did leave him. And yet, we should also note that the secret of his strength was not his hair. Again, it was God, right? God with him. The hair was an outward sign of a vow in a, frankly, an inward life that Samson was supposed to have by character. So, it wasn't like it was Superman hair or something, but he had betrayed his vow with God for the sake of the Philistine woman, and God had departed from him. Very serious, serious thing to happen. Verse 21 says, then the Philistines took him, put out his eyes, brought him down to Gaza, and they bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison.

So, I've always imagined Samson as sort of being, you know, chained to a large grinding wheel and being like a beast of burden, you know, harnessed up like an ox and just kind of going round and round day after day in this dungeon. His eyes have been put out, which is interesting because what was it that was his weakness or that tripped him into his weakness? Well, it was his wandering eye, wasn't it? It was where he allowed his eyes to go and the temptations that he would then follow. That was his downfall. So, could it be that through this action, God would allow Samson to regain some spiritual vision? Right? His strength is gone. His vision is gone. He's serving in the dungeon. He's grinding wheat. Could it be that God is going to allow him some spiritual vision? Verse 22, it says, however the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaven. Again, how does how long does it take for hair to grow? Well, six inches, right, per year, roughly. And I'm assuming this is referring to more than just he started to get a little stubble. Okay, I think there's some passage of time that is taking place and Samson's beginning to be able to think things over in his mind. Enough time for Samson to consider his ways and recognize, okay, I'm at fault here before God, recognize what he's done to his covenant, and enough time to become humbled and repentant in heart as he's just walking circles as a beast of burden day after day. And I understand maybe I'm taking some liberty in this, but when I read Samson's story, I don't see him listed in Hebrews 11 because of how he lived his life up to this point. I see him listed in Hebrews 11 because of how he finished it. And Samson was someone who finished strong. He was someone that finished with humility before God, entrusted in the one who was the true king and deliverer of Israel. And so as his hair began to grow, again, that was not the source of his strength. God was. But as his hair began to grow, so did his faith. And as his hair began to grow, so did his spiritual vision. And as his hair began to grow, so did his understanding of the purpose by which he was born to begin with. And that vision is now becoming clear. And after all, it was never about his hair. That was an outward symbol of something internal. It was ultimately about his relationship with God. And so the months grinding at the mill, chained up like a beast of burden, round and round to no end, Samson was beginning to truly walk with God for the first time in his life. And so as we come now to the end of the story, what we find is that his final action in service to God is, we could say, the culmination of that rededication. Verse 23 says, Now the lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their God and to rejoice. And they said, Our God is delivered into our hands, Samson our enemy. And when the people saw him, they praised their God. For they said, Our God is delivered into our hands, our enemy, the destroyer of our land, and the one who multiplied our dead.

You know, ultimately, this is seen as, you know, the Philistines' God, his victory over the God of Israel. That's what they're celebrating. Verse 25, So it happened when their hearts were merry, they said, Call for Samson, that he may perform for us. So they called for Samson from the prison, and he performed for them, and they stationed him between the pillars. Then Samson said to the lad who held him by the hand, Let me fill the pillars which support the temple, so that I can lean on them. Now the temple was full of men and women. All the lords of the Philistines were there, about 3,000 men and women on the roof watching while Samson performed. Says, Then Samson called to the Lord, saying, O Lord God, remember me, I pray. Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God, that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes. At the end of his life, Samson truly understood where his strength came from, and he knew who he was calling on to receive it from. It was not himself. It was indeed God. Verse 29, and Samson took hold of the two middle pillars which supported the temple. He braced himself against them, one on his right and the other on his left. And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So the dead that he killed at his death were more than he had killed in his life. Incredible. It's important to note that Samson's purpose was accomplished in the greatest magnitude at a time when his faith in God was elevated to its greatest magnitude. Okay, he finished strong. A result, his name is recorded among the faithful. His greatest service to God, his greatest accomplishment, came and his ability fulfilled the purpose of his life came when his faith in God was the greatest. In his final blow, Samson not only destroyed a large number of Philistines, but he destroyed their leadership structure as well. His verse 27 said that all the lords of the Philistines were there.

So with the Philistines administrative structure destroyed, with the God of the Philistines disgraced, Israel had peace for a time. And Samson had fulfilled his purpose for which God had given him life, but he also fulfilled the calling to faith as he finished his life in his final day.

Verse 31 says, and his brothers and all his father's house came down and took him and brought him up and buried him between Zara and Eshtale in the tomb of his father, Manoa. He had judged Israel for 20 years. There's a number of lessons that we can learn from the story of Samson, and we've seen some of them as we've gone along. I want to just list out eight for you, and I'm not going to go into detail, and you'll have to write fast. I'll tell you what, I'll email these out to you tonight if you can't get them written down. I'll email everybody so we can reflect on these eight lessons regarding God and Samson in this account. Lesson number one, God is faithful in spite of human weakness. God is faithful in spite of human weakness. You know, we're the weak link in the process. Lesson number two, human deficiencies do not limit God's plan. God will accomplish his purpose, and it will be done one way or the other. Samson's case, it was done through an individual that was unfaithful through a lot of his life. Imagine through someone who is faithful their entire life what God can accomplish. But again, human deficiencies don't limit God's plan.

Lesson number three, never forget who is the true source of your strength that is God.

We never want to fall into the trap of looking to self and thinking, you know, I've got this God.

God is our strength and the source of our deliverance. Never forget who is the true source of your strength that is God. Lesson number four, do not put yourself into situations where you will be tempted to sin. Again, don't go down that road. There's an alternate route, bypass that temptation. Don't go wandering through the vineyard at harvest time if you've taken an Azurite vow. Don't put yourself into situations where you will be tempted to sin.

Lesson number five, don't despise your covenant with God. If you do, you run the risk of him departing from you. Don't despise your covenant with God. If you do, you run the risk of him departing from you. Lesson number six, as long as there is breath, it's never too late to return to God. And I find this an incredibly encouraging concept because we are his new covenant people, but like his old covenant people, we still falter, we still stumble, but God is there, and he's ready for us to be restored. As long as there's breath, it's never too late to return to God. Lesson number seven, God can do the greatest things in us when our faith in him is greatest.

God can do the greatest things in us when our faith in him is greatest. And finally, lesson number eight, finishing strong will list your name among the faithful. And it's very encouraging as well. Finishing strong will list your name among the faithful, and frankly, it's not all dependent on how you live for 10, 20, 30 years. Those years are important, okay, and they often do determine how you will finish. But finish strong. You don't want to live 50 years in covenant and fall away at the end. Finishing strong will list your name among the faithful. And so this does bring us to the end of our study through the book of Judges.

And I hope you've enjoyed it as I have this sermon series. And in so many ways, I feel like we barely scratch the surface. So many individuals, so many lessons that could be learned that we could do multiple sermon series really on any of these individuals. I ask myself what more could be said about them, and it reminds me of Hebrews chapter 11 and some of the closing thoughts there. So I would like to conclude today in Hebrews 11, because a number of these judges are listed here.

Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 32, Hebrews chapter 11 verse 32 says, and what more shall I say? You know, he just, he says, when you're just going on and on about these faithful individuals, for time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, and also of David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, I would say that applies to Samson, became valiant in battle, and turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Dropping down to verse 39, You know, we're still continuing in the process, and if we finish strong as heroes of faith, we too will be brought up in the resurrection in the next step of the process, right alongside them.

And what an incredible victory that will be. Brethren, the times of the judges have already been written, right? It's in the first half of our Bible. It's ancient history. These people have lived and died, but you know what? Our completed stories have not yet been written. Our future still remains open-ended with the question, what will we make of it, and how will we live?

As long as we draw breath, let us remember the lessons we have learned from these heroes of faith who brought deliverance to God's people and in the process pointed them back to their covenant God.

And as Israel of today, as you and I under the new covenant, as the Israel of God today, let us rejoice in the knowledge that God has sent the greatest of judges. He has sent his son, Jesus Christ the Messiah, so that we too could be delivered from our own spiritual bondage and pointed back to a reconciled relationship with him. Let's never forget, brethren, that through his incredible work of deliverance, through what Jesus Christ came to did, what his Father sent him to do, through that work of deliverance, peace has been brought to our lives today. We have been delivered. The bondage has been lifted, and in that case now we can focus our attention on obtaining a good testimony and a wonderful testimony and a notable resurrection-worthy testimony through faith.