Judges - 10
Samson (Part 1)
In this programme we come to the most famous judge of all, Samson. His great exploits of strength and courage are widely known even by those who hardly ever read the Bible. His story is spread across four chapters of the Book of Judges so it would be impossible to cover them all in detail. All we can do over two programmes is give an outline of his life and draw some lessons from it.
First of all let us look at “Samson’s birth and rise to fame”. You will find this in Judges chapter thirteen verses one to chapter fourteen verse twenty. Whatever we may think of Samson and his weaknesses or failings, we have to recognise that God sent him as a saviour or deliverer to Israel. Not only that, God sent him to an undeserving, backslidden people. How that speaks of God’s mercy in sending his Son into the world to be our Saviour and Deliverer. However, unlike Samson, the Lord Jesus had no weaknesses or failings. We are reminded by the apostle Paul in Romans chapter five verse eight that “God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
In the opening verses of chapter thirteen of Judges we see once more the wickedness of the people of Israel: “Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, so the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Philistines who ruled over them for forty years.” “Again”, it says! We might well ask “How many more times will they turn away from God?” But then do we need to ask the same question of ourselves? How often have you or I fallen or forgotten our blessings and taken God’s mercy for granted? How many times has God forgiven me and been patient with me through the years? How merciful is our God to us, just as He was with rebellious Israel.
As a consequence of Israel’s waywardness the Lord allowed the Philistines to oppress them for forty years. From reading the life of Samson it would appear that he was born about half-way through that period. The circumstances of his birth are exceptional as with other leading figures used by God. We can think of Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Samuel and John the Baptist. In each case their mothers were, humanly speaking, unable to have a child, but God granted their desire.
In the case of Samson we do not know his mother’s name, but we are told that his father was Manoah from the tribe of the Danites. The angel of the Lord came to Manoah’s wife and foretold the birth of a longed-for son. He was to be no ordinary child and he was to be brought up as a Nazirite. A Nazirite was someone who took a vow of dedication to the Lord, pledging to live a life of purity, discipline and abstinence from alcoholic drink. As a mark of this he would leave his hair uncut. Clearly the Lord had in mind something exceptional for this child. Indeed, we learn that as the boy grew, “the Lord blessed him, and the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him…”
That description of the Lord’s activity reminds us again that each judge raised up by the Lord was empowered by His Spirit. They were able to do the work and lead the people aright because of that anointing or spiritual endowment. Samson was the last such judge before God raised up Samuel to lead His people. Let us always remember that work for God can only be accomplished by the Spirit of God. Human energy alone is insufficient. The word of the Lord to the prophet Zechariah was: “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty.” It is futile to attempt any work for the Lord unless we are stirred by the Spirit and empowered by Him.
At the opening of Judges chapter fourteen, Samson is a young man and one day he left his home and travelled about six miles south-west to a place called Timnah which was in Philistine territory. There he saw a Philistine girl whom he decided he wanted to marry. He returned home and told his parents who were dismayed that he wanted to marry a Philistine girl and not a girl from among the people of Israel.
But Samson was determined to have his own way. “She is the right one for me”, he said to them. Does that sound familiar? Here is a young man who has made his mind. He will go his own way in the matter. The people of Israel had been commanded by the Lord to keep themselves separate from the idolatrous nations around them. They were not to inter-marry with them. What trouble was caused to the nation whenever they disregarded this command that had been given.
What trouble follows even today from marriages where one is a child of God and the other is not. If you are a Christian seeking a marriage partner, then heed the words of Paul to the Corinthian believers in Second Corinthians chapter six: “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? … For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said, ‘I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.‘ Therefore come out from them and be separate.”
We see in Judges chapter fourteen verse four the sovereignty of God in this situation. He is going to use even Samson’s wilful disobedience to achieve deliverance of Israel from the Philistines. We read that when Samson said to his father concerning the Philistine girl, “Get her for me. She is the right one for me”: “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.” So often in the Old Testament Scriptures we see the sovereign Lord using even the disobedient and the immoral to achieve His merciful purposes for his people. This is because He is in control of history and uses whom He will to bring about all that He has planned.
In the verses that follow we read of Samson’s encounter with a lion which he destroyed because “the Spirit of the Lord came on him in power so that he tore the lion apart.” Here is the first glimpse of that physical strength for which he became famous. The devil, we are told in First Peter chapter five verse eight is “like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour”, and we are encouraged to “resist him firm in the faith.” We too need the Spirit of God to make us strong when we are attacked or tempted in our spiritual battle as believers. If a Christian finds it hard enough, how will you do in life’s battles if you do not have the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour and the power of the Holy Spirit within you? Turn from your sin and place your trust in the Saviour who is mightier than all the forces of darkness. With Christ in your life the devil may roar, but he cannot harm you.