Samson: A Case Study Of Holiness Series

Theme:

“Samson- A case study of holiness.”

Text:

Judges 13-16 (13:25,14:6,19,16:18-21)

Greetings: The Lord is good and his love endures forever!

Introduction:

The character of Samson is a good case study for the sensitivity of the Holy Spirit. Samson was a muscle man but weak in sex. Samson broke vows, married outside of the people of Israel twice, and functioned as a fallen leader. His life can be divided as before and after his love with Delilah. Samson was a “Charismatic Leader”, endowed with the “Spirit of the Lord (Judges 13:25, 14:6, 19, 15:14), and a Judge from the tribe of Dan (Judges 16:31).

Philistine, a people of Aegean origin who settled on the southern coast of Palestine in the 12th century BCE, about the time of the arrival of the Israelites. The Philistines oppressed Israel for forty years.

According to biblical tradition (Deuteronomy 2:23; Jeremiah 47:4) the Philistines came from Caphtor (Crete). The Pentapolis of the Philistine confederacy of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Gath, and Ekron were known as Philistia or the Land of the Philistines.

The Philistines expanded into neighbouring areas and came into conflict with the Israelites. Possessing superior arms and military organization, the Philistines were able (c. 1050 BCE) to occupy part of the Judaea's hill country.

The Philistines’ local monopoly on smithing iron (I Samuel 13:19), a skill they acquired was a factor for their military dominance. (Encyclopaedia of Britannica).

Samson was a symbol of the spiritual demonstration

Samson was a symbol of the spiritual deviation

Samson was a symbol of the spiritual disgrace

1. A Symbol of spiritual demonstration  

Judges 13 tells that Manoah was from the tribe-land of Dan and his wife, who was barren had a theophany. One day, an angel of God appeared to Manoah’s wife promising that she would bear a son. But that came with a warning that She could not contaminate her body with any alcohol because her child would be a Nazarite (dedicated to God from birth).

Shimshon was a legendary Israelite warrior, final judge, with mistakes dramatic and violent, divinely inspired leader for twenty years, renowned for the prodigious strength that he derived from his uncut hair.

Samson grew as a child of the aged parents. The Lord blessed him. The spirit of the Lord began to stir him for the redemption work (Judges 13:24-25). The spirit of the Lord mightily came upon him, rushed on him (Judges 14:6, 19, 15:14). Samson discovered his super-human strength by encountering, overpowering, and killing a young lion that is roaring at him with the spirit of the Lord (Judges 14:5-6), we should charge against Satan behaviour as a young lion (1Peter 5:8). Judges 14:19 - Samson killed 30 young people, 15:4- he caught 300 foxes and put them two by two to destroy the enemies field, 15:8 - he struck down the Philistine as a vengeance for eradicating his his former father-in-law’s household.

Samson used his strength to kill 30 Philistine men in a fit of rage (Judges 14:19). The most famous of all of Samson’s attacks against the Philistines is that with a fresh jawbone of a donkey, he killed a thousand men (Judges 15:14-15). Samson had no army but he was an one man army fuelled by his super-human ability (Jewish Learnings). Samson possessed extraordinary physical strength.

2. A Symbol of spiritual deviation (Judges 14:8-9).

Samson broke the Nazirite Vow which was seen as a symbol of spiritual deviance. Samson deviated from nazarite vow. Deviated from primary commitment, Deviated from high spirituality. Samson was chosen by God for a special call of Nazirite, he was brought up with a fear of God, by Godly parents.

He was a Nazirite all his life as per the norms of Numbers 6:2–21. Nazirite life is a separated life for the Yahweh. Normally three regulations were involved for a Nazarite: 1. to abstain from alcohol consumption; 2. to refrain from cutting hair; and 3. prohibited from touching a corpse.

Samson was under oath to touch nothing unclean or dead, to neither eat grapes nor drink wine, and never cut his hair (Judges 13:5, 7). Samson broke all of them.

First, Samson broke it by touching the carcass of a lion (Judges 14:5-9). Secondly, he was hosting an extravagant celebration with wine in Judges 14:10. Thirdly he allowed his enemies to cut his hair. Samson was selfish.

God placed him in a position of authority, but he became a bad example as a leader. He ignored the disastrous consequences of sin, both in his own life, in his family, in his community, and on his country.

Delilah is the central figure of Samson’s last love story (Judges 16). She was a Philistine who was bribed to entrap Samson. Three times she begged to know the secret of his strength, and three times he lied to her. Finally, after Delilah nagged persistently, he confessed the secret of his power and was caught. (Judges 16:17).