"WHAT A WASTE"
TEXT: JUDGES 13-16
INTRODUCTION
I don’t know about you but something that really aggravates me is waste, "W A S T E" not "W A I S T", even though our waists can be a little aggravating at times as well.
Sometimes it seems as though we are surrounded by waste, every where we turn, we see example after example of one type of waste or another.
Aren’t you tired of hearing about all of the government waste that is out there (I think we all heard about the $600 toilet seat, $200 dollar haircuts). It can really get upsetting to think of all the money that the government takes from us (money that we could really put to good use) and not only do they take and spend it (and they are about to take more), but they waste so much of it.
Another kind of waste that can get to you, I know it bothers me, is to see people waste food, when I worked at the restaurant I saw people every day just wasting all kinds of food. I remember one time a mistake was made and about 6 shrimp dinners were prepared that were not needed mistake. And the manager throw them away, he wouldn’t even let the employees eat them, so he dumped every one of them. He had to dump them himself to, because I refused to waste good food like that.
Have you ever found out you wasted your money; the record with only 1 good song, the car that ran good for only a couple of weeks, the movie that never did make sense, ..... Money doesn’t grow on trees and it hurts to waste it.
Just this past Wednesday I experienced another kind of waste that can really test your patience, "the waste of your time", especially when someone else wastes it. To make a long story short, the culprit was the medical profession, and they stole nearly 6 hours from me and didn’t even bat an eye.
At 3:30 I left to take Jean to the hospitals under the assumption she was to be readmitted. At 8:00 I brought Jean home. AND IN BETWEEN we FOUND OUT THAT THE HOSPITAL DIDN’T KNOW WHY WE WERE THERE, and didn’t know what to do with us, I paged the Dr. 3 times before I got a hold of him and found out that even he didn’t know what was going on, he told me take 2 aspirin. take Jean home and I’ll call her in the morning.
The hospital was so ready to get rid of us, because they didn’t know what to do with the lady in #5, they said that Mrs. Best doesn’t have to even bother changing, she can keep the gown and go home in it, just bring it back next time your in the neighborhood. What a waste of time that was, but Jean and I made the Best of it (no pun intended).
Webster’s 9th New Collegiate Dictionary defines waste as follows: to wear away or diminish gradually, to spend or use carelessly, to squander, to allow to be used ineffectively or become dissipated; unprofitably used, made or expended.
Another type of waste that is far too frequent and really hurts to see, is the waste of people’s lives. To see people who have the potential to do great things give it all away or lose it for something stupid, is a terrible tragedy.
Several years ago Len Bias graduated from the University of Maryland, he was a star Basketball player and was the first pick of the Boston Celtics. Larry Bird was excited to have Len on his team and said, he would take the young star under his wings. Len Bias looked to be a sure super star. But one night shortly after he was drafted by the Celtics Len decided to do a couple lines of cocaine to celebrate... well the party didn’t last long! As the drugs led to heart failure and he died that night, what a waste, what a stupid senseless waste.
Len Bais was not the first person to waste his life, we see in the Scriptures many people who could have and should have, been something, they were given tremendous opportunity, but for whatever reason they blew it, people like: Cain (born to parents who walked with God and lived in the garden), Ham (Noah’s son who became the father of the Canaanites), Nadab and Abihu (Moses’s brother Aaron’s 2 sons who offered strange fire to the Lord and were consumed by God), King Saul(an anointed King of God who killed himself by falling on his own sword) And Judas (a man who spend 3 years with Jesus, who ended up hanging himself from a cliff). All of these had tremendous opportunities and all of these are vivid examples of wasted potential.
Last week we talked about Gideon and how with God he over came great personal and external obstacles. He was unlikely and ordinary, but he became a great warrior for God.
Today, we are going to study the life of Samson, and as we survey chapters 13-16 we will see that Samson is a powerful example of wasted potential. When we look at the life of Samson our reaction will most likely be, "what a waste".
And we will also see today, that Samson was not the last person who could have done something for God, but didn’t. If Samson were permitted to look at the lives of some of God’s people today, his reaction would be, "WHAT A WASTE!"
Today we are going to talk about: what Samson HAD, What Samson DID, What Samson LOST and What Samson LEARNED.
I. WHAT SAMSON HAD
If Samson and Gideon had gone to the same high school as kids, "Jordan River High." The yearbook would have told the story and would have illustrated just how different they were. Samson would have been on nearly every page, strong handsome with his long curly hair. He would have been captain of all the sports teams, president of the student body, king for the homecoming court and he would have been voted most likely to do great and tremendous things. The only place you would have found Gideon would have been on the page with the other graduates, and they would have even spelled his name wrong.
Samson was you might say born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Samson had a lot of things going for him:
A. He was born to parents who wanted a child very badly. Manoah and his wife were from the tribe of Dan. They had wanted a child, but Manoah’s wife was sterile and so the couple remained childless for many years.
But God heard their cries and one day when Manoah’s wife was out by herself, probably hanging out the laundry, The angel of the Lord came and told her that she would have a child, a son!
She quickly ran and told her husband and they both rejoiced over this wonderful news.
B. NOT ONLY, was Samson born to parents that wanted him, he was also born to a family who believed in and worshipped God (a rarity in those days). Not like Gideon whose own father had constructed altars to the pagan god Baal.
And Do you know what the reaction of Manaoh was when he first heard the news that he would have a son, Judges 13:8 reads, "THEN MANOAH PRAYED TO THE LORD,`O LORD I BEG YOU, LET THE MN OF GOD YOU SENT TO US COME AGAIN, TO TEACH US HOW TO BRING UP THE BOY WHO IS TO BE BORN."
Later when the angel of the Lord came back Manoah prepared an offering for him. [13:15-21]
C. Samson had parents who wanted him and believed in him, and Samson was also set apart by God. [13:3-7, 24]
Before Samson was born, while still in the womb, he was set a part by God for a special purpose, he was to be a Nazorite and he was chosen to begin the deliverance of the Israelites from the hands of the Philistines.
A Nazorite vow was a vow of separation and consecration to the Lord (God introduces it for us in Numbers Chapter 6). The outward acts associated with this separation were that he was not to come into contact with a dead body, nor eat of the fruit of the vine nor have a razor cut his head, his hair cut. He was to abstain from this for the entire period of his vow. And Samson vow for life, God called him, "A NAZARITE OF GOD FROM BIRTH UNTIL DEATH."
D. AND GOD’S SPIRIT STIRRED WITHIN SAMSON and he was given incredible physical strength. In his life, he killed a lion with only his bare hands, with the jawbone of a donkey he killed 1,000 men and he performed many other great acts of superhuman strength.
SAMSON HAD A LOT, SOME MIGHT SAY HE HAD IT ALL; PARENTS WHO LOVED AND WANTED HIM, RAISED IN A HOME THAT FEARED AND WORSHIPPED GOD, APART FROM BIRTH BY GOD TO BE GOD’S WARRIOR, GIVEN BY GOD SUPERHUMAN STRENGTH TO CONQUER GOD’S ENEMIES.
BOY THIS GUY LOOKS LIKE HE WAS DESTINED FOR GREATNESS FOR GOD. HOW COULD THIS GUY POSSIBLY LOSE.
YES SAMSON HAD IT ALL
II. AND SAMSON DID, WHATEVER HE WANTED TO DO.
A. Despite being given such a great start, Samson did not take very long to go astray.
One day after he had grown he took a trip to Timnah, which is about 5 miles northwest of where he grew up. And While there he saw a very fine looking Philistine woman.
And when he returned home he called mom and dad into the kitchen and said, "DO YOU KNOW WHAT? WHILE IN TINMNAH, I SAW A PHILISTINE WOMEN, NOW GET HER FOR ME AS MY WIFE". Now mom and dad knew this was not a good idea, they knew God forbid intermarrying with the pagan nations. So they told Samson, "COME ON SAMSON THERE ARE A LOOT OF NICE LOOKING WOMEN AMONG OUR OWN PEOPLE, WHY DO YOU WANT TO GO AND MARRY AN UNCIRCUMCISED (UNGODLY) PHILISTINE."
Even though Samson knew that this marriage was against God’s will, Even though Samson knew that it was the father not the son who made marriage arrangements in that culture, even though Samson knew his actions were in direct defiance against God and his parents-- Despite all this, Samson only cared about what he wanted to do-- it didn’t matter what God wanted, it didn’t matter what his family wanted -- all that mattered was what Samson wanted....
And Samson bellowed to his father, "get her for me, because she pleases me well."
C. This act was the beginning of the end of Samson, as he would continued on this downward spiral of self-pleasure and self gratification.
Remember we mentioned earlier that Samson killed a lion with his bare hands as he traveled to Timnah. Well, sometime later as he walked down the road he saw the carcass of the lion laying on the ground and inside the carcass were a swarm of bees and some honey.
Samson was a Nazarite, he had been set apart by God and for God. And part of his vow was to not have contact with a dead body or eat unclean food.
But Samson didn’t really care about that, all he cared about was that the honey looked good and he wanted some, so he put his hand into the dead carcass and scoop at a big handful o honey and ate it as he walked down the road.
Samson did whatever he wanted he lived for himself and for his own pleasures. Samson knew what he did was wrong, that is why the text says that he didn’t tell his parents about the honey. He must of thought to himself, "what they don’t know won’t hurt me"
But Samson had forgotten that though his earthly father could not see and did not know, his Heavenly Father both saw and knew...
D. Samson went from bad to worse as his pride and arrogance grew. We find Samson in these chapters using his strength not for God’s glory but for himself, wanting to show everyone just how great he was.
Samson had become to big for his britches, He began to think that he had become powerful on his own, He thought that he was the source of his own strength. "AREN’T I REALLY SOMETHING"
Samson was walking down a road that led to a deep and large ravine and unknown to him, the bridge was out.
Solomon said in Proverbs;
"PRIDE GOES BEFORE DESTRUCTION, A HAUGHTY SPIRIT BEFORE A FALL." 16:18
Paul says in I Corinthians 10:12
"SO, IF YOU THINK YOU ARE STANDING FIRM BE CAREFUL THAT YOU DON’T FALL."
III. AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED TO SAMSON (HE FELL AND HE EXPERIENCED DESTRUCTION), AS WE SEE WHAT SAMSON LOST ( IT ALL)
We read in Chapter 16 Samson fell in love with a Philistine woman named Delilah. When The rulers of the Philistines heard about this they offered her a couple of million dollars if she could find out the secret of his strength.
So Delilah using her beauty and her charm, tried on several occasions to find out, each time however, Samson would lie and then when the Philistines come to arrest him he would break free. Samson did this 3 times and Delilah was upset because Samson had lied to her, now I guess she didn’t bother to mention the fact that she had been trying to turn him over to his enemies.
So Delilah did what any smart woman would do who wants her way does, the text says in 16:16, "with such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was tired to death."
She wore him down, she nagged him to death until he finally broke and he told her what she wanted to know just to shut her up. He told her that he was a Nazarite and that his strength came form God. And that if his hair was cut he would be just as any other man.
AND SWEET DELILAH BETRAYED HIM, SHE CUT HIS HAIR while he slept in her lap. AND HE LOST HIS STRENGTH, AND THE PHILISTINES BURSTED IN ARRESTED HIM, GOUGED OUT BOTH OF HIS EYES, THREW BRONZE SHACKLES ON HIM AND PUT HIM IN A PRISON GRINDING GRAIN.
SAMSON HAD IT ALL BUT BECAUSE HE DID WHAT EVER HE WANTED TO, HE LOST EVERY BIT OF IT AND MORE...
He LOST:
HIS STRENGTH
HIS EYES
HIS FREEDOM
AND HE LOST THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD, LISTEN TO 16:20 (ONE OF THE SADDEST VERSES ) , "HE DID NOT KNOW THAT THE LORD HAD LEFT HIM."
APPLICATION:::::
Think of what Samson could have done for God if he used his talent and abilities for the Lord.... He could have done so much.. What a Waste, What a stupid senseless Waste!!!! I am sure it had to break God’s HEART and BRING many tears to his eyes.
As God’s eyes move to and fro throughout His Kingdom today, as God looks at the Church. His heart still breaks as he sees the tremendous waste that is EVERYWHERE TO BE SEEN.
There are so many people, countless people, whom God has given talent and ability, who can do great and tremendous things for the Kingdom of God.. Everyone according to Jesus has been given at least one talent.. everyone has the ability to do something significant for the kingdom.
And they like Samson, know what God wants, they know what God desires, they know that God wants them to be a servant in the kingdom..
But they want to do what they want, they like Samson use their God-given ability more for themselves then for God..,
God hears them say the right answers, "we ALL need to serve God, put him first"... But God is waiting to see the actions, He is waiting to see that strength used for him.
Deep down they like Samson THEY MUST think that they can make it on their own, they think it is okay to be like Frank Sinatra and "do it their way.." rather than God’s way..
God has given so many so much
But they want to do what they want to do.
And they like Samson suffer great lose:
That lose or never develop that deep relationship with God
They never really experience that peace that passes understanding (their life seems to merely be a series of up downs, smile and frowns. mostly downs and mostly frowns, as even little insignificant things wear them down)
And perhaps the greatest lose is the people they could have helped and the souls that could have been saved... What a waste, what a senseless stupid waste.
IV. SAMSON DID FINALLY LEARN THE TRUTH
And there stood the once great, mighty and feared Samson eyes missing, feet shackled, back bend over working hour after hour grinding grain like a mule. And As Samson felt the whip rip across his back as heard the jeers and the mocking... Samson did some serious thinking and reflecting.
A. AND SAMSON CAME TO SOME IMPORTANT CONCLUSIONS, AND HE LEARNED MANY THINGS, HE LEARNED THAT HE HAD SINNED.....
That he had done sinful things, that he had not used and misused his strength from God. And he also learned and understood all to well that sin OFTEN has tragic consequences.
B. AND SAMSON ALSO LEANED THAT HE MUST REPENT
That even he must humble himself before God, The God he had ignored and used, And Samson in that Dark prison confessed and repented of his sin, before his Lord.
C. AND PERHAPS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL TRUTH SAMSON LEARNED WAS THAT GOD CAN AND WILL, FORGIVE AND RESTORE...
"THEN SAMSON PRAYED TO THE LORD, `O SOVEREIGN LORD, REMEMBER ME MO GOD, PLEASE STRENGTHEN ME ONCE MORE... AND LET ME WITH ONE BLOW GET REVENGE... LET ME DIE WITH THE PHILISTINES.."
AND SAMSON BRACED HIMSELF BETWEEN THE 2 CENTRAL OF THE TEMPLE, HIS RIGHT HAND ON ONE AND HIS LEFT ON THE OTHER... AND AS GOD’S
Spirit FILLED HIM FOR THE LAST TIME HE PUSHED WITH ALL HIS MIGHT, BRINGING THE TEMPLE DOWN UPON THE RULERS, KILLING THOSE INSIDE.. AND SAMSON KILLED MANY MORE IN HIS DEATH SERVING GOD THAN WHEN HE HAD LIVED HIS LIFE SERVING HIMSELF.
IT WAS HIS GREATEST VICTORY...
CONCLUSION
SAMSON HAD A LOT, HE COULD HAVE DONE MANY THINGS FOR GOD, But he wasted so much of what he had.
WE ALSO HAVE A LOT AND WE CAN DO SO MANY THING FOR GOD, BUT TOO ARE WASTING WHAT WE HAVE
SAMSON DID WHATEVER HE WANTED TO, HIS NEEDS CAME FIRST..
MANY IN THE CHURCH ARE DOING ONLY WHAT THEY WONT TO (THEIR NEEDS AND DESIRES COME BEFORE GOD’S FAR TO OFTEN.
SAMSON LOST IT ALL; STRENGTH, FREEDOM, SIGHT , PRESENCE OF THE LORD...
WHAT HAVE WE/YOU LOST AND WHAT ARE WE/YOU LOSING
SAMSON FINALLY DID, LEARN THE TRUTH (IT TOOK PAIN, PRISON AND HUMILIATION TO BRING HIM TO HIS KNEES)
WILL WE/YOU LEARN THE TRUTH (WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO BRING US TO OUR KNEES AND MAKE US REALIZE THAT )::
WE HAVE SINNED BY GOING OUR OWN WAY AND DOING OUR OWN THING -- NEGLECTING GOD
WILL WE REPENT OR JUST THINK ABOUT IT AND THEN DO WHAT WE WANT...
IF WE LIKE SAMSON REPENT, WE WILL EXPERIENCE GOD’S FORGIVENESS AND RESTORATION... AND LIKE SAMSON OUR GREATEST VICTORIES WILL BE YET TO COME...
FOR A BRIEF MOMENT AS WE CLOSE I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE GREATEST WASTE IN THE WORLD.. I WANT TO SPEAK TO THOSE WHO ARE NOT CHRISTIANS, TO THOSE WHO HAVE NOT OBEYED THE GOSPEL PLAN OF SALVATION B R C B.
I CAN SAY WITHOUT ANY HESITATION THAT THERE IS NO BIGGER WASTE, THEN TO LIVE YOUR WHOLE LIVE AND NEVER ACCEPT JESUS CHRIST AS YOUR LORD AND SAVIOR........ IF THAT IS WHERE YOU ARE, EVERYTHING YOU DO IS REALLY JUST A WASTE OF TIME (EDUCATION, JOB.. ALL YOUR EFFORT TO BE SOMETHING) BECAUSE YOUR END WILL ONLY BE ETERNAL SEPARATION FROM GOD.. WHAT A WASTE... WHEN YOU COULD ACCEPT HIM AND HAVE LIFE.. WHAT A WASTE TO REFUSE LIFE AND CHOOSE DEATH...
Christian and non Christian are you wasting your life???
