Good Tuesday to you my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends,
I know someone who says, “expectations are disappointments waiting to happen”. Have you found that to be true in your life journey?
Do you find your expectations of people or government or businesses or even churches are too often unmet, leaving you disappointed and perhaps even frustrated? How do you suppose God feels when He considers His expectations of humanity and our performance as a human race made in His image?
Yesterday we looked closely at “the angel of the LORD” and what He did as reported in Judges 13 with Manoah and his wife. I suggested to you that I have concluded that ‘angel’ was likely an Old Testament appearance of God the Son, Jesus. Judges 13 closes with words which leave us hopeful and with high expectations of a young, miracle boy named Samson. Judges 13:24,25 says: “The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson. He grew and the LORD blessed him, and the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him while he was in Mahaneh-Dan…” I wonder what conclusions you draw from those words about young Samson and God’s work in his life.
I assume this means Manoah and his wife tried to help Samson understand, from a very young age, that he was a miracle child born to a barren woman and that his life was predicted by an angelic visit, explaining he was to be a Nazarite. Remember the details of a Nazarite consecrated life are found in Numbers 6.
The section of Israel where Samson grew up was west of Jerusalem in the territory of Dan, an area terrorized often by the vicious Philistines who lived along the coast. Their region was the Gaza Strip of today and their 5 dominant cities were Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron and Gath, the latter being the home, many years later, of the giant Goliath. When Judges 13:25 says ‘the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him’ while we would like to imagine this meant wonderful spiritual revival in Samson, in fact it was an awareness of and growing animosity toward the vicious Philistines and what they were doing to the Israelite people of the area.
Remember, ‘the angel of the LORD’had predicted this about Samson when He first visited Manaoh’s wife: “He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.” (Judges 13:5b)
I have to admit Judges 14-16 are difficult chapters for me to read. I would so much rather read that Samson was a man of honor, integrity, compassion, courage, Godliness… but instead Samson is this very strange combination of the ‘Spirit of the LORD’ upon him yet very often engaging in deceitful, violent, treacherous, even what appears to be immoral acts.
These chapters often leave me scratching my head in wonderment! Judges 14:4, while in parenthesis, is helpful to understanding God’s work in Samson’s life: “(His parents did not know this was from the LORD, who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines for at that time they were ruling over Israel.)”
While God was, I believe, greatly disappointed in the frequency with which His Covenant people Israel turned away from Him and embraced idol worship, immorality and decadence, still God loved His people and worked to draw them back to Himself and the honorable lifestyle His Exodus 20 Covenant had defined for them.
I know many parents and grandparents who are doing the very same thing with their wayward children and grandchildren whom they love but who have turned their backs on the path Godly parents have tried to raise them in.
Three times in Judges 14 & 15 I see this phrase: “The Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon him…” (Judges 14:6,19; 15:14) When I hear of “the Spirit of the LORD” coming upon a person, I think of the wisdom of King Solomon; or the courage of Daniel or Esther; or the patience of Jeremiah; or the boldness of Paul; or the compassion of John.
But with Samson, in all three of these experiences, the ‘power of the Spirit of the LORD’is displayed in unusual physical strength, in some way doing damage to the enemy Philistines. Now ponder that for a moment.
While we normally focus on the wonderful attributes of God like His Holiness or His Love or His Grace and Forgiveness, Samson’s life calls us to remember God is a God of Holy Justice and His Judgment is poured out upon wickedness because evil is rebellion against God and God’s Holy purity.
While Samson had fairly frequent anointings of the Spirit of God, Samson struggled with one of the more frequent battles every man faces… lust for women. The first time, Samson lusted after a Philistine woman and his parents challenged him, trying to help him see the folly, the danger of pursuing her.
Then later in Judges 16 we find Samson in a similar tragedy with Deliliah and her famous deceitfulness trying to find the secret to Samson’s strength. I wonder if you remember that a man leaving his hair uncut was one of the indications he was a Nazarite. (Numbers 6:5)
In fact, Samson said to Delilah “No razor has ever been used on my head because I am a Nazarite dedicated to God from my mother’s womb…” (Judges 16:17) Does that statement confuse you, my friends? Doesn’t dedicated to God call a person to live a holy life, a God honoring life?
Samson’s life calls us to consider that sometimes in God’s infinite wisdom and His strategic work to accomplish His purposes in our world, He will use a dedicated person to do some unorthodox things which will result in God’s glory and purposes accomplished. True to His promise to Samson’s mother, Judges 15:20 says: “Samson led Israel for 20 years in the days of the Philistines.”
Sadly, that also included a period of time when Samson suffered greatly, after he had divulged his secret to Delilah and his hair was cut leaving him without his super strength. He was captured by the Philistines, his eyes were gouged out, he was put in shackles and worked like an animal. (Judges 16:21) But while in prison his hair grew, his understanding of God grew and his readiness to again be used by God to accomplish God’s purposes grew.
Samson’s great finale, of course, was his ultimate death blow this time to the rulers and leaders of the Philistines who had gathered for a great and wicked festival honoring their idol god Dagon. (Judges 16:23-30)
It’s a remarkable feat and for me the key moment is Samson’s prayer: “Sovereign LORD, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.” (Judges 16:28) Do you hear respect for God, acknowledgment of the Sovereignty of the LORD over all things, and his readiness to be used by God for inflicting great damage on these enemies of God, the Philistines, even in his own death?
In fact, with his final demonstration of blind strength, as the temple to Dagon collapsed on top of all gathered there, Judges 16:30 records that Samson “killed many more when he died than while he lived.”
Samson is a man of intrigue. Expectations for whom he would become were very high, even before he was born. While he did lead Israel in a strategic time in their history, he led in an unusual way with the Spirit of the LORD coming upon him for vengeance against the enemies of God.
His life challenges us to consider what the expectations might be of our lives? Also, we must consider our vulnerabilities, right? But does Samson’s life also call us to remember God’s hatred of wickedness and immorality and His righteous judgment which will certainly be faced by every person who has ever lived?
Think about that my friends, for Hebrews 9:27 says: “Just as every person will die once and after that will face the judgment, so Jesus Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many…”
When that judgment day comes will Jesus Christ be your Savior and Lord or Judge? Additional study notes are at the “Grand Narrative” link below and a wonderful song of thankfulness to Jesus is also below. And I’ll meet you here again tomorrow, my friends.
Today’s Scripture: Judges 14-16.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Judges 15
Judges 16
Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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