Series: Here Comes the Judge!
The book of Judges:
It is the history of the Judges of Israel, which is connected with the previous book of Joshua, as a “link in the chain of books.” It describes the history of Israel under different leaderships, governments and their deliverances from other powers for about 410 years of Israel’s history.
Purpose of the book of Judges:
The book of Judges aims to demonstrate that defection from Jehovah incurs severe punishment and servitude. Only by turning back to God can restoration be enjoyed. Thus the judges were charismatic leaders, raised up by God to deliver His theocratic people. Only by heeding their Spirit-directed message and following them in deliverance against their enemies could restoration be accomplished.
The OT judges performed two functions.
1. By divine power and Spirit-anointed leadership they delivered the people from enemy oppression.
2. Having accomplished this, they ruled over them and administered government in the name of Israel’s God.
The book reports seven apostasies, seven servitudes to seven heathen nations, and seven deliverances, it is evidently put in a symmetrical form (From: The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary).
Warning in Judges: Nations instituted under God and for God will face the JUDGMENT of God for doing evil in His sight and if they fall into apostasy toward God – He will raise up and or empower up another nation to in slave them for the purpose of judgement. This should create a heart of repentance in that nation - to humble them – this judgment is intended to drive the Godly nation to repent and return to God and His ways.
Author: Is believed to be the Prophet Samuel.
Key Verses of book:
Judges 2:11: “Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals.” (referred to 7 times in Judges)
Judges 2:16: “Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of these raiders.”
Judges 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25: “In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.”
Sermon: Samson pt 1 (early years)
Thesis: Samson’s life reveals to us 7 choices that will lead us to blindness. He was called by God for a specific purpose and God used him in spite of his character flaws.
Introduction:
Samson to me is an interesting historical figure in the nation of Israel! His divine strength has won him many accolades in history. But Samson according to what I have read never lived up to his full potential – his disobedience to God and His ways – His lust of the flesh – His anger – His spiritual blindness hindered him.
Brian Bill from sermoncentral.com says this about our hero of the faith, “Sometimes we read the stories of Hannah or Gideon or Ruth and we think, “I could never be like them.” Not so with Samson. He’s a lot like us. Most of us know what it means to be tempted. All of us struggle at times with the desire for revenge. We’ve been there, we understand, and when we see Samson struggling and falling, we have an idea of what he’s going through.
The truth of the matter is that there’s a little bit of Samson in all of us, and a whole lot of Samson in most of us. One of the things we learn from Samson’s life is that sin will always take us further than we want to go.”
We also discover that making wrong choices will always keep up us blinded to what we really could be in serving the Lord.
Scripture Text: Judges 13:1-25
The Birth of Samson
1Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, so the LORD delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years.
2A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was sterile and remained childless.
3The angel of the LORD appeared to her and said, “You are sterile and childless, but you are going to conceive and have a son.
4Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean,
5because you will conceive and give birth to a son. No razor may be used on his head, because the boy is to be a Nazirite, set apart to God from birth, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”
6Then the woman went to her husband and told him, “A man of God came to me. He looked like an angel of God, very awesome. I didn’t ask him where he came from, and he didn’t tell me his name.
7But he said to me, ‘You will conceive and give birth to a son. Now then, drink no wine or other fermented drink and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite of God from birth until the day of his death.’”
8Then Manoah prayed to the LORD: “O Lord, I beg you, let the man of God you sent to us come again to teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born.”
9God heard Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman while she was out in the field; but her husband Manoah was not with her.
10The woman hurried to tell her husband, “He’s here! The man who appeared to me the other day!”
11Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he said, “Are you the one who talked to my wife? ”I am,” he said.
12So Manoah asked him, “When your words are fulfilled, what is to be the rule for the boy’s life and work?”
13The angel of the LORD answered, “Your wife must do all that I have told her.
14She must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, nor drink any wine or other fermented drink nor eat anything unclean. She must do everything I have commanded her.”
15Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, “We would like you to stay until we prepare a young goat for you.”
16The angel of the LORD replied, “Even though you detain me, I will not eat any of your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, offer it to the LORD.” (Manoah did not realize that it was the angel of the LORD.)
17Then Manoah inquired of the angel of the LORD, “What is your name, so that we may honor you when your word comes true?”
18He replied, “Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding.”
19Then Manoah took a young goat, together with the grain offering, and sacrificed it on a rock to the LORD. And the LORD did an amazing thing while Manoah and his wife watched:
20As the flame blazed up from the altar toward heaven, the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame. Seeing this, Manoah and his wife fell with their faces to the ground.
21When the angel of the LORD did not show himself again to Manoah and his wife, Manoah realized that it was the angel of the LORD.
22“We are doomed to die!” he said to his wife. “We have seen God!”
23But his wife answered, “If the LORD had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and grain offering from our hands, nor shown us all these things or now told us this.”
24The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson. He grew and the LORD blessed him,
25and the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him while he was in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.
T.S. – Judges 13 reveal to us the divine calling on Samson’s life and the conditions placed upon that call.
I. Samson’s divine calling (Judges 13)
a. Samson was called by God to be a Nazirite and his parents were given specific instructions on what to do and not to do. I imagine they taught these to their son, but it seemed as if he did not listen to their wise and prophetic advice.
i. Samson always seemed to have his own interests at the forefront of his life – he followed his desires and will and not what The Lord’s was.
ii. Samson was spiritually blind before he became physically blind.
iii. Samson had the potential to deliver Israel, but his wrong choices crippled his leadership and His God given gifts and position of a Nazirite.
b. Numbers 6 describes the three commitments a Nazirite must keep during the period of their vow, and it is reiterated in Judges 13:4-5:
i. Avoid any contact with grapes or the drinking of wine.
ii. Never touch a dead body of any kind and eat something unclean.
iii. Let your hair grow and never get it cut.
c. The definition of a Nazirite from Easton’s Bible Dictionary:
i. (HEB. FORM Nazirite), the name of such Israelites as took on them the vow prescribed in Num. 6:2-21. The word denotes generally one who is separated from others and consecrated to God. Although there is no mention of any Nazarite before Samson, it is evident that they existed before the time of Moses.
1. Nazirites were chosen by God to do specific task for the Lord!
ii. The vow of a Nazarite involved these three things, (1.) abstinence from wine and strong drink, (2.) refraining from cutting the hair off the head during the whole period of the continuance of the vow, and (3.) the avoidance of contact with the dead.
1. When the period of the continuance of the vow came to an end, the Nazarite had to present himself at the door of the sanctuary with (1.) the lamb of the first year for a burnt-offering, (2.) a ewe lamb of the first year for a sin-offering, and (3.) a ram for a peace-offering. After these sacrifices were offered by the priest, the Nazarite cut off his hair at the door and threw it into the fire under the peace-offering.
a. There are still those in the New Testament who followed “The Nazarite Vow” Paul took on himself the Nazarite vow. This could only be terminated by his going up to Jerusalem to offer up the hair which till then was to be left uncut. But it seems to have been allowable for people at a distance to cut their hair, which was to be brought up to Jerusalem, where the ceremony was completed. This Paul did at Cenchrea just before setting out on his voyage into Syria (Acts 18:18).
iii. Samson was called out by the Spirit of the Lord (Angel of the Lord) which for many scholars is believed to be Jesus Himself.
1. Notice when Manoah asks his name to the Angel he says, “It’s beyond understanding.” (verse 18)
a. Makes sense because Jesus’ name would not have been known at this time!
2. Samson was born by a divine call and with divine assistance.
a. His mother was sterile, the angel said so. But not for long! God had a plan for Samson.
3. He was born for a divine reason to this barren woman of God.
a. He was born to deliver the people of Israel from the Philistines. Actually, to start the deliverance of the Israelite people.
i. Notice he would only start the deliverance from the Philistines – he would weaken the philistines – but he would not completely deliver Israel – I think because of his wrong choices and his lust filled eyes for the things of the world.
4. Notice the scenario of the announcement and the second appearance – each time the angel appeared to the woman not the man. Then we have the miracle at the sacrifice of the fire consuming the sacrifice and the angel ascending in the smoke to Heaven.
a. Judges 13: 19-25
i. Notice the phrase “The Spirit of the Lord stirred him.”
ii. Question for the church:” Is the Spirit of the Lord stirring you these days?”
1. Are you being stirred by the Holy Spirit?
iii. Pastor Bill from sermoncentral.com states the following, “Before we leave chapter 13, I want you to observe a key phrase in verse 5. Samson “…will begin the deliverance of Israel…” As we go through the story, we’ll discover that in reality he never did any delivering, because he never delivered himself. Since he never dealt with his fatal flaws, he only “began” to deliver Israel. Notice also in verse 25 that “the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him…” He was set apart and he was stirred by the Spirit of God. Samson had everything he needed to accomplish his task. He was both energized and equipped. Compared to other Biblical heroes, he had more than anyone else. And yet, he let it all slip away” (sermoncentral.com Sermon by Pastor Bill – Samson’s fatal flaws).
iv. Point: Think about that for a moment – If Samson had fully yielded to the Lord – what could He have done?
1. I have seen many people in my 40 years of ministry who were gifted by God – but they never reached their full potential for God because of wrong choices and a will not surrendered to God. These people who are crossing my mind today had amazing gifts and never used them for the service of the Lord.
a. In the end it is sad that they could have experienced more of God’s blessing and been greatly rewarded in heaven but instead they squandered their gifts and service to the Lord for wrong choices and decisions.
T.S. – Let’s progress to chapter 14 and see how choices can make all the difference in our life especially if we fulfill the divine calling of God on our lives.
Scripture Texts: Judges 14:1-20
Samson’s Marriage
1Samson went down to Timnah and saw there a young Philistine woman.
2When he returned, he said to his father and mother, “I have seen a Philistine woman in Timnah; now get her for me as my wife.”
3His father and mother replied, “Isn’t there an acceptable woman among your relatives or among all our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife? “But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me. She’s the right one for me.”
4(His parents did not know that this was from the LORD, who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines; for at that time, they were ruling over Israel.)
5Samson went down to Timnah together with his father and mother. As they approached the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young lion came roaring toward him.
6The Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he told neither his father nor his mother what he had done.
7Then he went down and talked with the woman, and he liked her.
8Some time later, when he went back to marry her, he turned aside to look at the lion’s carcass. In it was a swarm of bees and some honey,
9which he scooped out with his hands and ate as he went along. When he rejoined his parents, he gave them some, and they too ate it. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion’s carcass.
10Now his father went down to see the woman. And Samson made a feast there, as was customary for bridegrooms.
11When he appeared, he was given thirty companions.
12“Let me tell you a riddle,” Samson said to them. “If you can give me the answer within the seven days of the feast, I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.
13If you can’t tell me the answer, you must give me thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.” Tell us your riddle,” they said. “Let’s hear it.”
14He replied, “Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet.” For three days they could not give the answer.
15On the fourth day, they said to Samson’s wife, “Coax your husband into explaining the riddle for us, or we will burn you and your father’s household to death. Did you invite us here to rob us?”
16Then Samson’s wife threw herself on him, sobbing, “You hate me! You don’t really love me. You’ve given my people a riddle, but you haven’t told me the answer. ” I haven’t even explained it to my father or mother,” he replied, “so why should I explain it to you?”
17She cried the whole seven days of the feast. So, on the seventh day he finally told her, because she continued to press him. She in turn explained the riddle to her people.
18Before sunset on the seventh day the men of the town said to him, “What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion? Samson said to them, “If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have solved my riddle.”
19Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power. He went down to Ashkelon, struck down thirty of their men, stripped them of their belongings and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. Burning with anger, he went up to his father’s house.
20And Samson’s wife was given to the friend who had attended him at his wedding.
T.S. – Judges 14 tells us why Samson’s ends up being blinded in the end, it all starts with the little choices of life.
II. The 7 foolish choices of Samson or 7 things that will cause you to become blind!
a. Going to the wrong place - Judges 14:1a
i. Samson went down to Timnah, and this tells the reader that he went to the wrong place.
1. The geography and historical lesson here are that Timnah was in Philistine territory, it was the land of Israel’s worst enemy.
a. It was 4 miles away from his village of Zorah.
2. In his first act as an adult, he chooses to leave the land of Israel for the sinful city of the Philistines.
a. It would be like a young adult who now turns 21 and chooses as a legal adult to head right to Las Vegas “Sin City” rather than to Jerusalem the holy city.
b. Samuel, the writer of Judges is telling us that there is a problem with Samson’s spiritual condition.
ii. Quote: “When you hang out in the wrong places, it is very likely you will hook up with the wrong people” (Richard Tow from sermon central).
1. When you hang with the wrong people you will eventually make the wrong choices and pay the price of sin.
b. He was looking at the wrong person – Judges 14: 1b-2
i. He spotted a foxy Philistine woman!
1. His eyes focused on the wrong prize – he allowed his flesh to control his gaze which in the end would cause him to go blind.
a. He did not see the Lord – he saw through the eyes of the flesh – and this tunnel vision would cost him his sight in the end.
2. He was controlled by the flesh and not the Spirit.
a. Hebrews 4:12, 13 "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account."
b. Christians need to realize whether they are being led by their soul or by their spirit.
i. Is your flesh leading your life – or is the spirit leading your life.
c. The Word of God is the energy force that shows Christians whether they are living by their spirit or their soul. Hebrews 4:12 reveals to us that the Word of God is a living energy that penetrates to the dividing of the soul and spirit. It is the energy force that shows Christians whether they are living or motivated by their soul or by their spirit.
3. His Godly parents try to warn him about scoping out these Philistine ladies, but he boldly declares, “Go get her for me. She’s the right one for me.” That phrase in verse 3 literally from Hebrew reads, “She is right in my eyes.”
a. God’s word warned against going after the wrong people for marriage or for relationships in the Law of Moses, but Samson does not care what God’s word says – He is being led by his lust and not by the Word of God.
b. Pastor Tow from sermoncentral.com makes this observation about our hero of the faith:
i. The Bible is telling us something crucial about Samson. He is a man motivated purely by physical appearance. He saw this young woman, she looked good, and now he wants her for his wife.
ii. Samson was looking in the wrong place for the wrong thing for the wrong reason.
c. Samson’s Godly parents tried to talk him out of this mistake, this sinful act but he wouldn’t listen to their wise counsel. He knew best! He thought he knew the right thing to do and who the right person was for him.
i. Here is the most important point in these first two verses to note, “It would have never been an issue in the first place if Samson had not been in the wrong place hanging out with the wrong people.”
c. He blew off his Godly counsel - Judges 14:3,4
i. Samson did not listen to his parents – not smart.
1. Scripture Text: Proverbs 13:1 “A wise son heeds his father’s instruction, but a mocker does not listen to rebuke.”
a. Also, Ephesians 6:1 “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for it is right.”
b. Also, Colossians 3:20 “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.”
2. Now verse 4 tells us that God was in this whole situation and he would use it to confront the Philistines.
a. So, he was led by God to do this right? NO – God does not go against His own words and commandments – this was Samsons choice – and even though Samson was looking at the wrong place and person God would use it to begin the deliverance of Israel from the Philistines.
b. The parents were trying to protect their son from the sinfulness of these people. They were trying to guide their wayward son back to following the teaching of Scripture.
c. But even though He was in the wrong place (His choice) looking at the wrong women (His choice) God would use it to deliver His people from the Philistines.
i. God can take anything meant for evil and turn it around to fulfill His purposes.
ii. He can use a person making the wrong choices in life to bring abought a deliverance for His people!
ii. Pastor Bill states, “He Rejected Godly Counsel. The downward spiral continues but now takes a threatening turn. So far, Samson has made some mistakes, but they are not fatal. That is about to change. By blowing off his parents, Samson is also rejecting what God said in Exodus 34:16 and Deuteronomy 7 about not marrying someone from the surrounding pagan nations. The reason is clear—if you marry an unbeliever, he (or she) will turn you away from God.”
1. I wonder how many people in history made this fatal mistake and ended up in marriage that led them away from God.
2. How many people married the wrong person who led them away from their divine call and encouraged them to break their vows to God.
d. He was stubborn and pursued the wrong person and the wrong relationship.
i. Pastor Bill notes, “He continued in a wrong relationship. Notice what verse 7 says: “Then he went down to the woman, and he liked her.” Evidently, he had not met her before now. But that doesn’t matter because Samson is hormone-driven, not Holy Spirit-driven. This is the Old Testament version of “Hello, I love you, won’t you tell me your name?”
1. Yet this woman does not know the Lord God Almighty she worships idols and does what is evil in the eyes of the Lord.
2. But we have our young man Samson driven to this relationship because he is Soul driven – Fleshly driven and not Spirit led.
3. He will do what is right in his own eyes.
a. The problem with Israel as a whole in this history of the nation!
ii. How many parents here can relate to what Samson’s parents are going through?
1. He was convinced that he knew what was right when it would prove to be a big mistake.
e. Samson compromised his vow to God – Judges 14:5-6
i. Samson put his divine calling on the line. Samson did what was right in his own eyes, not in the eyes of the Lord.
1. I wonder about this lion – that attacked him?
a. It attacked him at the point when he approached the vineyards of Timnah – wine country.
i. Remember Samson needs to stay away from the Bubbly!
b. His parents don’t see it happen, where did they go, maybe he slipped off to chomp on a grape or too?
i. Back in the vine rows he encounters the beast! Yes God’s strength was on him so he ripped the lion apart but was it a warning from God?
2. The Spirit of the Lord came on him to defeat the lion, but he was in the wrong place – going after the wrong person for the wrong reason and yet God still empowers him to defeat a threat to his life.
a. Maybe it speaks about how merciful God is with us!
b. Even when we are going the wrong way, in the wrong place, seeking after the wrong things God still spares our lives because he has a future mission for us to complete for him.
c. My own story with the kids in the car with the gun in Pittsburgh?
i. Why did he not pull the trigger?
ii. Was God’s hand on me then?
iii. Even though I was not a Christian?
iv. I was in the wrong place – confronting someone in the wrong way?
ii. I recall another judge who made a vow Jephthah and then kept it even though it was costly – Samson just blows his vows off for sake of the flesh – “eros” love not “agape” love.
1. Samson is like many of us today, is he not? He makes a vow then breaks the vow.
2. He allows the enticement of the world, the pleasures for a season to lead us astray-away from the Lord Jesus.
3. Think about many marriages that end in divorce – the vow is taken lightly, and people just break their vow to another and to God.
iii. Pastor Bill notes, “He Compromised His Commitment. While Samson is traveling with his parents to make the wedding arrangements, he goes into a vineyard (which was forbidden by his vows) and there encounters a young lion. The Spirit of the Lord comes upon him, and he tears the lion apart with his bare hands. Verse 6 notes that “he told neither his father nor his mother what he had done.”
1. So why did he keep it a secret?
a. He doesn’t tell them because killing the lion meant touching its corpse after it was dead. That is a violation of the spirit of the Nazirite vow.
i. His parents knew the conditions of the vow and if you recall the Angel of the Lord informed them of the conditions.
1. I am sure they would have been angrier at him for breaking another condition of the covenant he had with the Lord.
a. Sin one - marry the wrong person.
b. Sin two - break you vow with God on the way to get the sinful woman.
2. So, he hides it from his parents to keep the nagging and conflict out of their relationship.
b. Pastor Bill then instructs us to look at verse 9 – Samson is on a slippery slope.
i. “This time Samson is traveling alone and stops by the vineyard to revisit the scene of his great exploit. He finds that bees have built a honeycomb inside the dried-out carcass of the lion. He scoops out some honey and eats it as he walks along. Once again, he encounters a dead body. That’s not all. According to verse 10 Samson made a feast “as was customary for bridegrooms.” This was like a wild bachelor bash. The Hebrew word used here means, “a drinking bash.” A Nazirite is to avoid alcohol and here Samson is throwing a toga party.
Friends, Samson is a picture of a believer who is beginning to bail on his commitment. If you simply look at his long hair he appears to be dedicated to God, but his lifestyle tells another story. On the outside he looks like a man of God, but on the inside he’s a man controlled by his lusts.”
ii. Can you be honest with yourselves today – are you faking the Christian thing?
f. He lived in denial to his weaknesses - Judges 14:11-14
i. Pastor Bill states, “He Ignored His Weaknesses. Now the time has come for the wedding. We pick up the story in verse 11 on day one of the seven-day wedding feast. Samson begins by offering a riddle to the 30 Philistine groomsmen. It was a kind of friendly battle of wits very common in those days. The riddle involved the honey that Samson took from the carcass of the lion. The riddle (which happens to be an excellent example of Hebrew poetry) went this way in verse 14: “Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet.” Samson walked with a swagger and offered a wager along with the riddle. If they solved the riddle in 7 days, Samson would give them some new clothes.”
ii. Pride or arrogance is always the path to destruction
1. When pride takes over in a person’s head their head puffs up and eventually their head goes poof!
a. Proverbs 8:13: "To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech."
b. Proverbs 16:18: "Pride goes before destruction a haughty spirit before a fall."
c. Isaiah 2:11,12: "The eyes of the arrogant man will be brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. The Lord almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted (and they will be humbled).
d. Daniel 4:37: "Now I Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right, and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride are able to humble."
2. Kapteyn helps us see what happens with pride along with some of my observations: Pride is what hurts us in our relationships - in church, in families, (at work, at school), with friends. Pride makes us stubborn - I'm right, she's wrong - (I know all more about this than they do-they need to listen to me!). Pride stops us from forgiving "I was right she needs to apologize to me not visa versa! Pride makes us put up false fronts "I'm not letting anyone else know my sins and weaknesses" ("I don't have any problems only those kinds of people do! My life is perfect! I don't make mistakes! ) It creates walls of pretension. Pride makes us think we are better or know more than the others. We become proud of what we do, read (or achieve).
iii. Remember he is in “Sin City” dealing with Israel’s number one public enemy. In a sense he is trying to get over on the mafia - Alkadi!
1. Pastor Bill adds this thought, “By the fourth day the groomsmen were getting nervous so they approached Samson’s bride and made her an offer she couldn’t refuse in verse 15: “Coax your husband into explaining the riddle for us, or we will burn you and your father’s household to death.” These are not nice people. You wouldn’t want these guys in your wedding party. “Coax” means, “to seduce a simple-minded person.” The Philistines would say the same thing to Delilah some 20 years later. Samson could be seduced because he was all hormones and no brain. Here’s the sad part: Samson’s weakness was apparent to everyone but him. He never saw his weakness, refused to admit he had one and consequently never came to grips with it. In the end it would prove his undoing. He eventually reveals the riddle’s answer on the seventh night. Remember this: It’s our refusal to deal with our weaknesses that most often gets us in trouble. Many of us are just like Samson—we’ll do anything to avoid dealing with the real issues in our lives. It’s easier and less painful (we think) to pretend that everything’s okay, even when deep inside we know it isn’t.”
g. He latches on to the Spirit of Offense and goes for revenge
i. Forgiveness is the ability to say I will not be offended instead I will forgive and be set free.
1. Bevere states, “If you are offended and in un-forgiveness and refuse to repent of this sin, you have not come to the knowledge of the truth. You are deceived, and you confuse others with your hypocritical lifestyle. No matter what the revelation, your fruit tells a different story. You’ll become a spring spewing out bitter waters that will bring deception, not truth” (19, The Bait of Satan).
2. Many New Testament passages portray human forgiving as an unconditional act which is not dependent upon the injurer's repentance. Some examples are: Mark 11:25, “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” Our condition of forgiveness is dependent on our ability to forgive others.
a. There is no slightest suggestion that we are offered forgiveness on any other terms. It is made perfectly clear that if we do not forgive, we shall not be forgiven. There are no two ways about it. C.S. Lewis (Mere Christianity p104-105)
b. Forgiveness -- just do it! If you do it, you become the winner and not the loser! The Worldwide Forgiveness Alliance states, “That practicing forgiveness contributes to better health, stronger, more lasting and more loving relationships, greater abundance, prosperity and financial resourcefulness, a more real and lasting sense of self-worth and purpose, a deeper sense of connection and security in the world, a more heightened feeling of freedom, joy and laughter on a daily basis.”
c. What Forgiveness Can Do for You. When you and I truly and honestly forgive others for their wrongs toward us, we are set free in our own minds, souls, and spirits by our creator in heaven. You are really freeing yourself from the negative and unproductive feelings that hold you back from the blessings in store for you! The moment that one sincerely and freely forgives another, something wonderful and good happens to both the forgiver and the forgiven. The capacity for both to love one another is increased and strengthened. New horizons for greater, more treasured and enriched relationships are resurrected and made alive by the divine spirit of love. Can you imagine how many marriages and strained family relationships would be healed and restored with love and genuine respect if individuals would truly forgive each other? Take a chance, take the first step if you have to. You will be rewarded. Even if the person that you are forgiving does not respond, you will feel better when you release any negative feelings you have.
ii. Pastor Bill notes, “He’d rather take revenge than repent. The groomsmen know the secret of the riddle and they come to Samson at the last moment with the answer. Since Samson has lost the bet, he must find some Armani suits. Verse 19 gives us his solution: To pay off his debt, Samson filleted 30 Philistines. He had to touch their dead bodies to get the clothes off—another clear violation of the Nazirite vow. But it doesn’t matter now. Samson is angry because he has been publicly humiliated. His feelings of romance are now replaced with rage and revenge. Samson leaves his bride standing at the altar and chapter 14 ends with her father (who is understandably embarrassed) giving her in marriage to the best man. This sounds like something you’d see on the Jerry Springer show! (Information above from Bill at sermoncentral.com Samson’s fatal flaws.)
Conclusion:
THE FOLLOWING THOUGHTS FROM - THE HIGH COST OF LOW LIVING BY JERRY SHIRLEY
What did he look like? Like Schwarzenegger? No. Probably just average. How do we know? Because Delilah asked him the secret of his strength. It wasn't obvious...It was a supernatural strength. Judges 14:5-6, 15:14-15 In each case the 'Spirit of the Lord came upon him'.
He was not only strong in body, but in mind and spirit. He was sharp witted. He loved riddles and had a great sense of humor. No wonder his name was sunshine...he was a bundle of potential. And yet this is not a happy story, it is a tragedy. He went from hero to zero, from victor to victim. Disobedience, defeat, disgrace, and destruction were his describers.
He was bold before men, but weak before women. He had the Spirit of God upon him but lived for the appetites of the flesh. He was called upon to declare war upon the enemies of God, but many times we find him fraternizing w/ the enemies of God. He fought the Lord's battles by day and broke the Lord's commandments by night.
Sunshine was his name, which speaks of light, yet he ended his life in darkness having had his eyes poked out. At times he soared to incredible heights, but also sunk to incredible depths.
If you had told Samson at the beginning of his life what he would do in the end, he would not have thought himself capable of going that far (sermoncentral.com).
Altar call:
Our message today reminds us that if we follow the path of Samson, make the wrong choices like him then we will become blind spiritually to the Lord!
This reminds us that there are 3 people in your seat right now.
The person you are now, the one you could be for God, and the one you could be for the devil.
