“didn’t You Use To Be Samson?”

Judges 16:16-30

Pastor Allan Kircher

Shell point Baptist church

• The story/Samson really could be titled

• “Didn’t you use to be Samson?”

• It’s the story/man/reached/pinnacle/career

• accomplished everything a man would want to accomplish

• But in one sudden, violent turn went from the top right down to the bottom.

It’s the story/man whose name/household word

• whose picture was on every wall

• Whose deeds were celebrated by poets and priests.

• Who had it all and who in a moment lost it all.

The key to the story is found in the last verse of Judges 15. “Now Samson led Israel for twenty years in/days/Philistines.” (15:20)

• That verse passes right over when we read it.

• But it’s crucial to properly understand the story.

• At that point everything went downhill for Samson.

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He was about 20 years old when he burst on the scene.

• twenty years of peace, of prosperity

• Twenty years of relative freedom from the Philistines.

• But he began to feel restless, at ease

• to wonder if there wasn’t more to life.

• Age of 40 Samson begins to turn for the worse.

The truth of the matter is, Samson hasn’t put all his problems behind him.

• He’s covered them up/ignored them/played them down.

• pushed them away/managed to live a pretty straight life.

Samson, you see, never really dealt/problems/plagued him way back the beginning.

And now at the end of twenty years, those same problems are about to come out and trip him again.

• Only this time they’re not just going to trip him.

• The same problems he refused to deal with

• Are/same problems that are going to bring him down now.

That’s the way it always is, isn’t it? The hardest thing that you will ever say in your life is, “I have a problem.”

• Nobody likes to say that.

• Samson is just like you or me.

• He wanted to forget what had happened.

• He wanted to just kind of rock along peacefully.

• He wanted to pretend the things of the past were in the past.

• But the jig is up. It’s time to pay the piper.

Because he hasn’t dealt with his problems, they’re going to come up again, and this time they are going to destroy him.

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One of the realities/Christian life/matter/chastisement.

• We don’t like to think about it, but chastisement is a fact nonetheless, Heb. 12:5-13.

• When chastisement comes our way

• we will try to rebel against it

• The right attitude is one of humble submission/repentance.

• Chastisement is painful to endure

• But it is absolute proof of His love for us, Pro. 3:11-12.

When a child of God walks away/Lord and/God’s will for his life, you can expect that God will reach out to draw him home, Rev. 3:19.

• This truth is seen in the life of Samson.

• Samson was a man with great potential

• But he never quite reached that level of life he was capable of living.

• His name means “Distinguished and strong”

• but he was anything but!

The Spirit of the Lord came upon him from time to time, but he failed to walk in the power of the Spirit day by day.

• Because of his rebellion and his sin

• Samson found himself in a prison of chastisement.

I want to take us there today so that we can see what happens to believers who stray away from the path God saved them to walk.

I. THE ROAD TO THIS PRISON

The road to Samson’s prison was a road that never had to be traveled.

• God had given him power and position in Israel

• Samson had squandered it all just to gratify/lusts/his flesh.

• He wanted to live life on his own terms

• And when he did, he paid a high price/rebellion

A. It Was A Road Paved with good intentions

When Samson’s birth was announced, his parents were told that he was to be a Nazarite, Judges 13:1-23.

• The “Law of the Nazarite” is found in Num. 6:1-21.

• Nazarite was to be a person set apart for the Lord.

• not to cut their hair.

• refrain from drinking wine or strong drink,

• From eating anything that grew upon a vine.

• avoid all contact with dead bodies.

• We have no record of Samson cutting his own hair

• Delilah took care of that for him.

No record that Samson ever partook of “the fruit of the vine”.

Plenty of evidence that Samson violated his Nazarite vow by contact with dead bodies, Judges 14:6, 8-9.

Samson refused to keep the letter of Law and it cost him his life and his ministry.