We are learning from the life of Samson as recorded in Judges 13-16. In your personal time I encourage you to read those four chapters since we can’t take time to do that in these two sermons.
Last week we examined the call God placed on Samson’s life before he was born. We saw the connection between the consecration of his parents and Samson’s call to begin the deliverance of Israel from the oppression of the Philistines. Samson was to be a life-long Nazarite. The conditions for that vow are recorded in Judges 6. Samson was to partake of no wine or anything from the grapevine. He was to never cut his hair which symbolized his consecration to God.
Samson did well with his Nazarite vow when he was growing up under the instruction and guidance of his parents. There are indications that they were indulgent parents who failed to teach Samson the disciplines needed to fulfill his vow as an adult.i But we don’t see Samson violating the vow prior to adulthood. Judges 13:24 says, “So the woman bore a son and called his name Samson; and the child grew, and the Lord blessed him.”ii There is no indication in that of any violation of the vow. As he reached adulthood verse 25 says, “And the Spirit of the Lord began to move upon him. . . .”
But Chapter 14 begins with the statement, “Now Samson went down to Timnah. . . .” Here his spiritual decline begins. His first compromise was hanging out with the uncircumcised Philistines.iii In that place of compromise, he saw a Philistine woman that he wanted. The insistence on having her initiated a series of conflicts with the Philistines which God used toward His purposes. But the motive in Samson and the Philistines was vengeance which perpetuated the conflict.
In Samson’s life we see him literally traveling back and forth between the Israelite camp and the Philistine camp. It was behavior typical of the Christian playing both sides of the fence: one foot in the church and the other foot in the world, trying to get the best of both worlds. Samson was a double-minded man, and James 1 tells us that way of life disqualifies us from a blessed life. Samson’s story is a warning for all of us to stay faithful to our vows, avoid compromise, and live consecrated to God. In Judges 14-15 we see Samson compromising his dedication to God. That is taking him in the wrong direction.
Today we will examine two more Compromises recorded in Judges 16. Then we will see the Consequences of his compromises. And finally, we will consider the Conquest that God gives at the end after he repents.
I. Two significant COMPROMISES are recorded in Judges 16.
I doubt these are the only compromises Samson made during this time. But they were the two most notable ones.
First, in Judges 16:1 we read, “Now Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there, and went in to her.” How can a person do such a thing? He has been used by God mightily. God has empowered him to defeat 1,000 Philistines. God has supernaturally preserved his life by giving him victory over the Philistine army, victory over the lion, and water from the rock. And what does Samson do? He goes to a prostitute in Gaza. The inconsistency is shocking.
What happens next is even more shocking. The Philistines found out he was there and surrounded the place. They were positioned to kill him the next morning. But Judges 16:3 says Samson “arose at midnight, took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two gateposts, pulled them up, bar and all, put them on his shoulders, and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron.” The weight of those gates is estimated to be at least 5,000 pounds. Samson carried them 38 miles.iv It was a supernatural feat.
The divine anointing was still working in his life. God does not remove the anointing immediately when a person sins. There is often space for repentance.v The lack of immediate judgement is often misinterpreted by the individual and by observers. Some think the anointing was not real since they know there was sin in the person’s life. Others, including the individual, may conclude that the sin is not as offensive to God as they first thought. They don’t understand that God is being longsuffering to give the person a chance to repent. Ultimately no sin goes unpunished. But the punishment seldom happen immediately. Paul addresses this misunderstanding of God’s patience in Romans 2:4. He asks the person who is sinning, “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? 5 But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who ‘will render to each one according to his deeds.’” Don’t presume upon God’s longsuffering and forbearance. Payday comes to everyone in due time. We will see that in Samson’s life.
Now we come to Samson’s final compromise—the one that finally brought him down. Judges 16:4: “Afterward it happened that he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek [Sorek means ‘choice vines’—another indication of Samson’s compromise of the Nazarite vow],vi whose name was Delilah.” Samson’s weakness for women has brought him into contact with the ultimate deceiver. She too is a Philistine. Once again Samson follows his lust instead of the will of God.
The Philistines offer her a great sum of money to find out the secret of Samson’s strength. They have not been able to overcome the anointing on Samson’s life by sheer aggression. Now they will do it through deception. They have discovered his vulnerability. He is not vulnerable to the sword and shield of soldiers. But he is vulnerable to seductive women. And Delilah is the perfect candidate for bringing him down.
After all his previous victories, Samson considers himself invincible. A lion could not bring him down. A thousand trained solders could not take him in. Even when he was visiting a prostitute the anointing of God operated in his life and he carried off the gates of the city. At this point Samson himself has lost sight of the connection between his consecration to God and his strength. For all practical purposes he has forgotten the relationship between living according to his Nazarite vow and the anointing on his life.
Delilah works on him and Samson plays with telling her his secret. He foolishly moves very close to the answer when he tells her in verse 13, “If you weave the seven locks of my head into the web of the loom,” I will be weak as any other man. He is now living on the edge of his downfall. After her three attempts to capture him, you would think he would realize what she is up to.vii But he is in too deep now. The deeper we go into sin, the less perceptive we become.
Finally, she has worn him down and he tells her his secret. Verse 17: “No razor has ever come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite 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.” The moment Delilah heard that, she knew she had him. In her mind, she was already counting the loot. She is already planning her shopping spree. Samson thought he was using her, but she used him to get what she wanted: money.
II. Now we see the CONSEQUENCES of Samson’s choices.
It has been long in coming. Samson has repeatedly compromised his vow. He was seemingly getting away with his sin. The anointing had continued to operate in his life. But the cutting of his hair was the final event that lifted God’s anointing.
Judges 16:18-20 says, “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 his heart." So the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hand. 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. 20 And she said, ‘The Philistines are upon you, Samson!’ So he awoke from his sleep, and said, ‘I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!, But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him.”
Samson did not realize he had crossed the line of God’s forbearance. He had sinned many times before and was still able to enjoy God’s anointing on his life. But this time was different. This was the end of the line. That last sentence in verse 20 is a sad commentary on Samson’s condition at this point: “But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him.” He had enjoyed grace upon grace, but payday had come and he did not know it.
The first consequence Samson experienced was this: He lost God’s Anointing on his life. He had added sin to sin. He had broken his vow of consecration over and over. He had grieved the Holy Spirt. And the precious anointing of the Spirit was now gone. This is a warning about disqualifying oneself from ministry. The epitaph for many people will be very simply: What Might Have Been. One poet wrote: “It is said for all the sad words of tongue or pen. The saddest are these, 'What might have been.’”viii Many ministries are shipwrecked because of decisions make like the ones Samson made. Any of us can lose the anointing on our lives through persistent disobedience. Any of us can forfeit blessing by indulging the flesh. Samson lost the Anointing for his ministry.
Other consequences followed. Judges 16:21: “Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza. They bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison.” All this judgment literally and physically happened to Samson. But it symbolizes what happens to the Christian spiritually when he persists in sin.
First, they “put out his eyes.” Spiritual perception is a precious gift from God. Jesus allowed His disciples to see and understand things that the Scribes and Pharisees could not see.ix It is a privilege to see and understand. Paul prayed for the Ephesians that “the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know . . . (Eph. 1:18). We cannot know spiritual things unless the Lord opens our eyes to them. Even natural wisdom is from the Lord.x When a Christian continues in sin, his heart is hardened, and he loses spiritual perception. His understanding of Scripture becomes dull. His application of Scripture becomes distorted. He even loses ability to properly distinguish good and evil. The problem is not intellectual. It is primarily spiritual. Samson lost his ability to see. And the Christian who persists in sin loses his spiritual perception.
Then Judges 16:21 says they “brought him down to Gaza.” Gaza was a center of their pagan worship. It was perhaps their chief military stronghold. The enemy held Samson deep in their stronghold. It is here where they will heap shame upon Samson—mocking him at their festivities. God’s intention for you is to bring you into glory and honor. But the devil’s intention is to bring you into humiliation, embarrassment, and shame. He may offer fame and glory, but it is all a deception.
In Scripture Gaza was a center of conflict. Even now it is a place of turmoil. The conflict between the Palestinians and Israel is raging in the Gaza strip as we speak. Samson was brought to a place of turmoil, not peace. There at Gaza Samson suffers public humiliation (Judges 16:25.
What else happened to Samson? “They bound him with bronze fetters.” When the Christian continues to sin, he will go into bondage. The bondage is called by various names. We call the bondage a bad habit or an addiction. Once the enemy captures you and gets you into his territory, he attaches fetters to your life. It may be a sexual addition or an eating disorder. Some fall into a drug habit or alcoholism. Others are ensnared by greed or some phobia. There are a lot of bondages that God protects us from, if we live in obedience to Him. Samson is no longer free to come and go as he pleases. He is bound with fetters.
Finally, Judges 26:21 says, “he became a grinder in the prison.” He ground the grain like an animal. He labored in an oppressive environment. We will either be a servant of God or a servant of sin.xi Some people boast of being their own master. It may seem like that for a while, but they are being deceived. The sin they are indulging in will soon be their master. The sin they thought they could control will soon control them and put them under hard labor.
Poor Samson had gotten himself into a miserable situation. And his choices affected others. Israel as a whole was affected. Those he loved most were affected. Imagine the disappointment and pain his godly parents felt by all this. They had taught him the way of the Lord. He had taken a different course. They had prayed for him before he was ever born. Their hopes were high. Their hopes were dashed when he was captured by the Philistines. His mother would have preferred having her own eyes put out rather than her son’s eyes. No man is an island.xii For better or for worse, our choices affect other people. Think of the vast impact of a fallen pastor or evangelist. Think of the shame it brings on the whole movement. These Philistines were celebrating their victory over Samson. And in doing that they were celebrating a victory over Samson’s God. But that’s not the end of the story. God will have the last word.
III. When Samson repented God gave him a CONQUEST over the Philistines.
Judges 16:22 is a turning point for Samson. That verse says, “However, the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaven.” Behind that statement is Samson’s repentance. God chastened Samson severely, but it bore the peaceable fruit of repentance. Hebrews 12:11 says, “Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” We can rebel against the chastening, or we can learn from the chastening. We can harden our hearts against the chastening, or we can be “trained by it.”xiii Samson humbled himself and repented of the sins that got him into the mess.
Do you see the grace of God at work in all this? Samson did not deserve a second chance. God had already been patient with him. But God is so plenteous in mercy that he gave Samson a second chance.xiv He worked in him “both to will and do for His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:12). He granted to Samson a repentant heart. No longer proud and self-sufficient, Samson will again call on the Lord and be empowered by the Holy Spirt.
Hebrews 11 is the great heroes of faith chapter. Among names like Enoch, Abraham, Joseph, and Moses we find this man Samson in verse 32: “And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: 33 who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.”
How did such a flawed human being as Samson get listed in his hall of faith? God’s grace was at work in his life. In spite of all his failures, God fulfilled the objective spoken before he was born. Remember what the Angel told his mother in Judges 13:5? “And he shall BEGIN to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.” By the grace of God that got done.
Why do we not see people like Balaam or Saul in Hebrews 11? Samson’s sins seem to be more flagrant and repulsive than those of Saul. The difference is Samson repented of his transgressions and Saul refused to do so. Saul held to his pride, justified his behavior, and died in sin. Balaam died in sin. Samson paid dearly for his sin, but in the end he repented and got right with God. His journey could have been much easier.xv His life was filled with misery and pain because of bad decisions. But he did not blame God for that. He took responsibility, acknowledged his sin, learned from God’s chastening, and reconsecrated himself to the Lord. The statement in Judges 16:22 about his hair growing out is indicating all that. The hair was symbolic of his consecration to the Lord.
Now we will read about his final and greatest conquest in Judges 16:23-31.
“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 has delivered into our hands Samson our enemy!’ 24 When the people saw him, they praised their god; for they said: ‘Our god has delivered into our hands our enemy, The destroyer of our land, And the one who multiplied our dead.”
When the wicked begin to talk like that, they provoke the wrath of God. Their boasting against God is about to get them into big trouble. Notice how they spin the facts. They declare Samson to be “The destroyer of our land.” They pegged him as the bad guy. That’s how they justified their cruelty to him. God used these pagans to correct his servant Samson, but their day of judgment is coming—and coming soon.
Verse 25: “So it happened, when their hearts were merry, that 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. 26 Then Samson said to the lad who held him by the hand, ‘Let me feel the pillars which support the temple, so that I can lean on them.’ 27 Now the temple was full of men and women. All the lords of the Philistines were there — about three thousand men and women on the roof watching while Samson performed.
Verse 28: 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!’ 29 And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars which supported the temple, and he braced himself against them, one on his right and the other on his left. 30 Then 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.”
Samson recognized that this final thrust against the enemy would cost him his life. But he was willing to make that sacrifice in order to finish his course.
Verse 31: “And his brothers and all his father's household came down and took him, and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. He had judged Israel twenty years.” The events in Judges 14-16 occurred over a 20-year period.
Samson was only about 40 years old when his life ended. He died a premature death. It was part of the consequences of his life choices. Just because we repent does not mean all the consequences of our choices are removed. Today I live with consequences of choices I made 50 years ago. God has forgiven me, but I set some things in motion that affected the rest of my life. Fortunately, since then I have made some right decisions that are bearing good fruit. The law of sowing and reaping works in all our lives.xvi Moses, Caleb, and Daniel lived twice as long as Samson did. They also lived more obedient lives.
There were severe consequences for bad decisions in Samson’s life. But in the end, he turned to God with all his heart and is listed in Hebrews 11 as a hero of faith. That should leave us all singing “Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.”
PRAYER: Thank you for Your grace in our lives. Like Samson we have sinned and come short of Your glory. Like Samson we are flawed human beings. But You called us to Yourself and made us Your child. We thank You for chastening us when we need correction so that we will not be condemned with the world. Keep us on track. Use us for Your glory. Amen.
ENDNOTES:
i See previous message in this series entitled “A Flawed Human Being: Part 1).
ii All Scripture quotes are from the New King James Version unless indicated otherwise.
iii Cf. Ps. 1:1; Prov. 13:20; 28:7; 1 Cor. 15:33: “Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character” (NIV).
iv Cf. Everitt M. Fjordbak, Samson: A Study in the Unfinished Task of a Fallen Man (Dallas, TX: Wisdom House Publishers, 1975) 58-59; William D. Barrick, “Samson’s Removal of the Gaza Gates,” Baptist Bible College and Seminary in Denver, Co. Accessed 5/8/21 at Samson_Gates-of-Gaza-JNEAS-no-8-1976.pdf (drbarrick.org).
v Cf. 2 Pet. 3:9: Rev. 2:21.
vi Strong’s Concordance: OT:7796.
vii This situation is notably similar to his experience in Judges 14:15-18. But Samson apparently did not learn from that mistake.
viii John Greenleaf Whittier, “What Might Have Been” Goodreads. Accessed 5-15-21 at Quote by John Greenleaf Whittier: “Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest ...” (goodreads.com).
ix Cf. Matt. 13:13; Luke 8:10.
x Cf. Prov. 2:6.
xi Cf. John 8:34.
xii Rom 14:7-8 says, “For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.”
xiii Cf. Job 5:17; Ps. 119:71; Prov. 3:11.
xiv Cf. Psalm 86:5, 15; 103:8; 136.
xv It was the will of God that Israel be delivered from the oppression of the Philistines. God worked redemptively through Samson and later through David to bring that to pass. Samson made a lot of mistakes that brought unnecessary pain on himself. Operating out of a motive of vengeance was not God’s best for Samson, although it did not thwart God’s purposes. Had Samson made better choices God would have accomplished the same objective and life would have been better for Samson.
xvi Gal. 6:7. Nobody gets away with anything!
