Lessons From The Life Of Samson

But let me ask you, what would show more clearly that God was working through him? If he looked like that, maybe this… (Show Picture Barney Fife). That I think is more evident that people around would say yeah something else is giving that dude power. Because that dude right there would get killed by a goat, he wouldn’t rip one up…

Obviously that’s a joke and I cannot prove that. But picture him this way for the rest of the story. Because we see time and time again that Samson is not acting by his own power, but by Gods.

So Samson plans what he needs to plan and starts heading back a few days later. And he passes by the same path and goes over to look at the lion he killed. When he approaches the carcass he notices that there is a swarm of bees around it. So he walks by and notices that the carcass is full of honey. So he dips his hand in and eats it on his way home. And all God’s people said… EW.

He’s already been teetering on the edge by walking through a vineyard, not once but twice. But now he has blatantly disregarded God’s law by touching a dead body. And not only did he touch a dead body, but he ate something from the dead body…

Samson was called to live distinctively and differently. But he says, yeah no, I’m not interested. I’m going to do what I want when I want to… He’s a hypocrite really. Remember he hasn’t told anyone what he has done. He looks one way on the outside, but his actions are totally different. Have you ever lived that way?

The story continues… The wedding is now here and Judges tells us that they had to bring in 30 men for Samson’s bridal party… Meaning Samson had no friends, they had to hire a group of guys to come and be around him. He’s a loner, he’s isolated, and he’s on his own.

Samson can’t help himself from getting in more trouble… So he makes a bet with the men. He poses a riddle to them and says look if you cannot solve this riddle over the next 7 days of this wedding feast then all 30 of you have to buy me a new suit, a new set of clothes. But if you can solve the riddle then I will buy each of you a new suit. They accept the bet and the riddle went like this…

“Out of the eater came something to eat.

Out of the strong came something sweet.” Judges 14:14

Of course they can’t figure out the riddle because it’s about Samson killing the lion and eating the honey and nobody but Samson knows about it. So after 3 days they feel foolish for not being able to solve the riddle and since they don’t really like him anyway they decide to manipulate the system.

So they go to Samson’s new wife and say hey figure out this riddle for us or we are going to go to you and your father and mother and your whole family and burn you all to death… I told you this story is rated R…

So she goes to Samson and cries to him saying you haven’t told me… How could you keep this from me? You have to tell me… He resists at first but the Bible says she cried for the rest of the party begging him to tell her… And on the LAST day he caved and told her. And she went and told the 30 men.