SAMSON – THE MAN OF CONTRASTS
SCRIPTURE: Judges 13, 14, 15, 16
INTRODUCTION: SAMSON was one of the most renowned, and no doubt the most amazing, of the Hebrew judges. He was a Danite, son of Manoah, and judged Israel for twenty years.
Endowed with supernatural strength, he killed a lion with his bare hands, thirty Philistines, and then 1,000 men with the jawbone of an ass! He broke the strongest bands, carried off the gates of Gaza, and pulled down the temple of Dagon! The latter was his greatest feat (at least three thousand were slain in the crumbling ruins) but it resulted in his own death – see16:30.
Samson was unconquerable (in spite of his carnal appetite) as long as he remained a Nazarite. He was the only one of the judges who worked single-handedly. Samson never called the armies of Israel together; he asked no assistance. His total ministry was done alone in his God-given, unconquerable strength.
His life was one of striking contrasts. Let us consider these:
1. He was separated as a Nazarite (Judges 13:5) …
YET he dabbled with evil associations (14:1-3, 10-11, 16:1).
2. He was occasionally Spirit-endued (13:25, 14:6, 15:14) …
YET he yielded to carnal appetites (16:1-4).
3. He was mighty in physical strength (15:15, 16:3, 9, 12, 14) …
YET he was weak in resisting temptation (16:15-17).
4. He had a noble beginning (13:24-25) …
BUT he came to a sad end (16:30).
The deadly results of Samson’s self-indulgence and the final breaking of his Nazarite vow are seen in order in the narrative:
1. Self-confidence – “I will go out” – 16:20
2. Self-ignorance – “He wist not” – 16:20
3. Self-weakness – “The Philistines laid hold on him” – 16:21
4. Self-darkness – “They put out his eyes” – 16:21
5. Self-degradation – “They brought him down to Gaza – 16:21
6. Self-bondage – “They bound him with fetters” – 16:21
7. Self-drudgery – “He did grind in the prison house” – 16:21
8. Self-humiliation – “Call for Samson, that he may make us sport” – 16:25, 27
LESSONS FROM SAMSON’S LIFE:
1. The evils of mixed (SAVED/LOST, SPIRITUAL/CARNAL) marriages – chap 14, 15:1-6. [In the Teen and Singles classes, here is a good opportunity to discuss the importance of finding the right mate of God’s choosing from the right religious background and family life. Compatibility in spiritual matters should have top priority.
2. The tragic effects of playing with sexual temptations.
3. The tragedy of unfulfilled potential. In spite of his unlimited physical strength and his ability to slaughter the Philistines at will, Samson is the only judge who did not set Israel free from the oppressing enemy. And the reason Samson never fully conquered the Philistines was because he never conquered himselt1
4. Sin always brings judgment – James 1 :13-15; Num 32:23.
5. One of the most significant lessons: When Christians sin openly, it brings reproach on the name of God – 16:23-24. The celebrating Philistines praised their gods saying, “Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy … ” Oh NO! NO! It was not the lifeless, impotent image of Dagon that delivered Samson into the hands of the Philistines–it was his own sins!!! Cf. 1 Sam 31 :8-10. Nathan told David that because of his deeds (in the matter of Bathsheba and Uriah) he had “given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme … “