Judges 16C The stry f Samsn is prf that in real life gd guys and bad guys simply dn t exist Sure, there are heres and villains t be fund in the wrld But the heres are never withut sin And the even the villains may be put t sme gd purpse in Gd s plan The truth is that Gd is the nly One Wh is gd And sinful men live t serve Him Samsn is just such a man Empwered by the Spirit, gifted with great strength, called t free Israel Yet he served himself, squandered his great strength t chase after prstitutes and the daughters f Israel s enemy Nevertheless, he was als a man f faith A man wh pictured Christ in many details f his stry Tday we finish his stry, which will give us an pprtunity t see hw the Lrd makes smething ut f Samsn s life in the end But nt withut first making Samsn an example in mre ways than ne Obviusly, Samsn is an example f all thse wh fail t live up t their ptential in serving the Living Gd But irnically, Samsn s life als a picture f Christ, which we ll see mre clearly tday Hw encuraging that the Lrd can take even the evil we d and use it t glrify himself The end f Samsn s stry gives us a unique pprtunity t see this principle at wrk When we last saw him, he was suffering in a prisn, blind and miserable 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Judges 16C 2 f 13 Nw we see hw the Lrd can turn a repentant heart int an pprtunity t glrify Himself Judg. 16:22 Hwever, the hair f his head began t grw again after it was shaved ff. Judg. 16:23 Nw the lrds f the Philistines assembled t ffer a great sacrifice t Dagn their gd, and t rejice, fr they said, Our gd has given Samsn ur enemy int ur hands. Judg. 16:24 When the peple saw him, they praised their gd, fr they said, Our gd has given ur enemy int ur hands, Even the destryer f ur cuntry, Wh has slain many f us. As we studied last week, Samuel bservatin abut Samsn s hair grwing back sends us a pwerful signal abut Samsn s heart Samsn s had time t think and reflect in prisn He s suffering at the hands f the Philistines But he knws his predicament is the result f his wn flishness Furthermre, he cmes t realize that the Lrd allwed these circumstances t cme t pass t teach him an imprtant lessn And nw that he s learning that lessn, his eyes are pening A spark f light in a darkened heart Meanwhile, as Samsn languishes in chains, Israel s enemies can t stp bragging ver their victry They assemble t give sacrifices and thanks t their chief gd, Dagn They credit Dagn with giving Samsn int their hands S they sing praises t their gd fr this victry Irnically, it was suppsed t be Israel wh gathered befre their Gd and praised Yahweh fr Samsn in defeating the Philistines By serving himself, Samsn made Israel s enemy strnger Had he served the Lrd, the enemy culdn t have prevailed 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Judges 16C 3 f 13 Nw instead f Yahweh being praised by Israel, a false gd is receiving the praise f the ungdly At a pint in the celebratin, the Philistines decide t parade blind, chained Samsn befre them Remember previusly Samsn had mved with impunity within the land f the Philistines If an rdinary Jewish man had ventured abut Phlistines territry in this way, he wuldn t have lasted very lng He wuld have been killed r made a slave in shrt rder But because Samsn had the Spirit s aninting, he never feared the Philistines N ne dared attack him because his great strength ensured he culd defeat any army single-handedly S fr years, Samsn has mcked the Philistines by mving freely within their territry Nt nly did he nt cmmit himself t the missin the Lrd gave him, he refused t take his enemy seriusly And nthing culd have been mre flish Samsn was nly as invincible as the Lrd allwed him t be And since he didn t seek t please the Lrd, Samsn tk great chances when he mcked the enemy he was suppsed t be defeating Christians walk in Samsn s ftsteps when we take Gd s grace fr granted by mcking the enemy s pwer 1Pet. 5:6 Therefre humble yurselves under the mighty hand f Gd, that He may exalt yu at the prper time, 1Pet. 5:7 casting all yur anxiety n Him, because He cares fr yu. 1Pet. 5:8 Be f sber spirit, be n the alert. Yur adversary, the devil, prwls arund like a raring lin, seeking smene t devur. 1Pet. 5:9 But resist him, firm in yur faith, knwing that the same experiences f suffering are being accmplished by yur brethren wh are in the wrld. 1Pet. 5:10 After yu have suffered fr a little while, the Gd f all grace, wh called yu t His eternal glry in Christ, will Himself perfect, cnfirm, strengthen and establish yu. 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Judges 16C 4 f 13 Peter says the key t living triumphantly in Christ begins with humility Just because yu ve received the Spirit and becme a child f Gd desn t mean yu can exalt yurself befre Gd s timing This was Samsn s mistake; he used his physical strength t make himself smene imprtant and invincible Instead, he shuld have remained humble, cast his anxieties and needs upn the Lrd knwing the Lrd cared fr Samsn Nevertheless, we are called t be sber in spirit, which means nt t be carried away with fleshly desires r inflated pride Be n alert fr the enemy s schemes t trip us up Because that enemy is always wrking t find ur weakness Yu give him smething t wrk with and he will make the mst f it And shuld happen, we can be sure the Lrd has permitted it fr ur wn gd This is the stry f Samsn s life He s failed t live in a humble way and instead has treated the enemy as smene t be tyed with As a result, the Lrd gave the enemy an pprtunity t bring Samsn lw In a sense, if Samsn wuld nt humble himself, the Lrd wuld humble him using his enemies S after suffering Samsn s mcking fr s lng, the Philistines relish the pprtunity t return the favr Judg. 16:25 It s happened when they were in high spirits, that they said, Call fr Samsn, that he may amuse us. S they called fr Samsn frm the prisn, and he entertained them. And they made him stand between the pillars. Judg. 16:26 Then Samsn said t the by wh was hlding his hand, Let me feel the pillars n which the huse rests, that I may lean against them. Judg. 16:27 Nw the huse was full f men and wmen, and all the lrds f the Philistines were there. And abut 3,000 men and wmen were n the rf lking n while Samsn was amusing them. 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Judges 16C 5 f 13 This is a big event fr Israel s enemy They haven t just captured the chief adversary, they ve cnquered a man wh represented Israel s Gd But nw they see their gd as having shwn himself t be mre pwerful that Israel s Gd This is a big event, and s we can imagine the rm was filled with every dignitary, leader, ruler and prince f the Philistines Anyne wh was smene must have attended This temple was the chief temple in the land because it was dedicated t the Philistines highest gd, Dagn This gd was the gd f grain, the key t life, and he was wrshipped thrughut the regin including in Syria and Babyln There was even a temple dedicated t Dagn in Beth Shan in Israel in Saul s day The temples f the Philistines were cnstructed in a Greek style, with many clumns hlding up a cvering with an pen area in the middle The dignitaries wuld have been seated under the cvering arund the pen center While the cheap seats wuld have been n the rf edge lking dwn int the pen area Everyne wh culd find a way in wuld have been there t see the mighty Samsn n display It says Samsn enters the rm n a leash led by a small by This scene is prf nce again f Gd s irnic sense f humr Samsn was nce the ne wh lved t be the center f parties and gatherings He lved riddles and tricks And nw he s n display like a curt jester Led arund the curtyard like a gat, furthering his humiliatin But in the end, Samsn will bring the huse dwn 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Judges 16C 6 f 13 And the shw starts when Samsn asks the by t lead him t the place where the pillars std T stands between the pillars means t be at the frnt edge f the cvering where the dignitaries culd get a clser lk But bviusly Samsn had ther reasns t stand there Did yu ntice the number f peple Samuel said were in the temple Samuel reprts that 3,000 peple were crammed int this space Besides being a very large number, it s als a very specific number The number 3 in scripture is Gd s calling card This is the number f the triune Gdhead, like His signature S when we hear that exactly 3,000 peple are assembled in this place, we recgnize that this mment has been rchestrated by Gd The Lrd brught Samsn t this place under these circumstances s Samsn culd cmplete the task he was given And nw that Samsn s heart has returned t the Lrd, then we knw Samsn will als recgnized the Lrd s wrk And when he des, Samsn realizes the Lrd has given him anther pprtunity t fulfill his missin In fact, the situatin is even better than anything Samsn might have imagined Befre him is assembled every imprtant persn in the land f the Philistines Had Samsn gne t battle against the Philistines as the Lrd expected, still Samsn never culd have imagined a better mment than this He nw has the chance t eliminate every leader amng his enemies in a single mment They ve been assembled befre him as if n a silver platter And Samsn recgnizes his chance t fulfill him missin despite his lwly circumstances There is nly ne prblem 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Judges 16C 7 f 13 Samsn has n pwer He has chained, blind and withut his strength S that leaves nly ne ptin Judg. 16:28 Then Samsn called t the Lrd and said, O Lrd Gd, please remember me and please strengthen me just this time, O Gd, that I may at nce be avenged f the Philistines fr my tw eyes. Judg. 16:29 Samsn grasped the tw middle pillars n which the huse rested, and braced himself against them, the ne with his right hand and the ther with his left. Judg. 16:30 And Samsn said, Let me die with the Philistines! And he bent with all his might s that the huse fell n the lrds and all the peple wh were in it. S the dead whm he killed at his death were mre than thse whm he killed in his life. After the yung by psitined Samsn between tw f the pillars hlding up the rf, Samsn cries ut t the Lrd Fr the first time in Samsn s stry, he appeals t the Lrd fr a blessing t accmplish the missin he s been given He asks the Lrd th grant him strength ne last time And this time, he will use that strength t accmplish exactly the missin fr which he received that strength in the first place His actins will be an avenging f the lss f his eyes But f curse he will als be advancing Gd s plan t free Israel frm this ppressr With this prayer, Samsn reached ut with ne hand n either pillar and pressed with all his strength s that the pillars tumbled As he pushed, he makes ne mre request f the Lrd He asks that he wuld die with the Philistines He s nt merely asking fr success in defeating the enemy He s als asking the Lrd that he might nt have t live ut his life blind And as we see, the Lrd grants Samsn bth requests Samsn receives strength again fr just the mment 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Judges 16C 8 f 13 And with it, he succeeds in bringing the rf dwn killing all the Philistines gathered t mck Samsn And the Lrd grants Samsn t die in that mment as well Samsn s repentance heart led him t accmplish far mre in his death than he ever accmplished in his life, as Samuel ntes Fr years Samsn lived and ruled as a judge f Israel with supernatural strength, and yet he never killed even 3,000 Philistines Only nw in this final mment f his life has Samsn reached that number Given his capabilities, we shuld expect he culd have dne far mre had he set his mind t that task Still, the Lrd made the mst f Samsn s effrts ensuring that the 3,000 he killed were the mst imprtant in the land As a result f Samsn s actins, the Philistines were greatly weakened And he is recrded in the Hall f Faith in Hebrews 11 Sme wnder hw a man with Samsn s track recrd culd be included in that list f men f faith The answer is t remember the writer s purpse in that chapter The writer f Hebrews is speaking f men and wmen wh exemplified a faith in the wrd f Gd And a willingness t seek reward in the Kingdm t cme And in the last mments f Samsn s life, he exemplifies this type f faith Samsn pressed n the pillars and expected them t fall Why? He knew the Spirit had departed him and he had n strength He had faith in Gd s prphetic wrd cncerning his life Gd tld his mther that Samsn wuld begin t free his peple frm the ppressin f the Philistines But t this pint in his life that hadn t cme t pass 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Judges 16C 9 f 13 Samsn had faith in the wrd f Gd, knwing that what Gd declares must cme t pass And therefre, Samsn had cnfidence the Lrd wuld grant his request in this mment And the prf f Samsn s faith is seen in his attempt t push the pillars dwn The nly reasn he pushed was because he had faith the Lrd wuld grant his request And the nly reasn Samsn had fr expecting his request t be granted was the previusly spken wrd f Gd Samsn died a man f faith, brken, brught lw but redeemed by faith He asked t die with the Philistines knwing that a Heavenly reward awaited He preferred t die fr that reward than t live in the circumstances his sin had prduced It s irnic, but Samsn is prbably the judge we can mst clearly identify with as believers fllwing the Lrd N, we dn t pssess his special pwer, but we prbably share his cnfused recrd f service t the Lrd Gd days and bad days And a lt mre bad days than we care t remember But as we get clser t the end f ur lives, we grw mre assured in the prmises f Gd And as we cnsider the Kingdm and ur rewards, we cncern urselves mre and mre with fulfilling ur missin In the wrds f Paul Phil. 3:13 Brethren, I d nt regard myself as having laid hld f it yet; but ne thing I d: frgetting what lies behind and reaching frward t what lies ahead, Phil. 3:14 I press n tward the gal fr the prize f the upward call f Gd in Christ Jesus. Speaking f Jesus Christ, the end f Samsn s life brings us anther picture f ur Messiah 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Judges 16C 10 f 13 We nted last week that Samsn s capture by the Philistines was made pssible by 30 pieces f silver paid t Delilah Of curse, this cmpares t the silver paid t Judas t betray Jesus int the hands f the Rmans But the scene with Delilah brings additinal parallels t Jesus Like Samsn, Jesus was tempted three times t give up his pwer But each time, Jesus resisted that pprtunity just as Samsn resisted Delilah three times But in the furth attempt by Delilah, Samsn gave himself up by cnfessing the truth cncerning the surce f his pwer Likewise, Satan s furth attempt t defeat Jesus thrugh Judas was successful, but nly because Jesus gave himself up As scripture says Jhn 10:18 N ne has taken it away frm Me, but I lay it dwn n My wn initiative. I have authrity t lay it dwn, and I have authrity t take it up again. This cmmandment I received frm My Father. Then as Samsn is led away by his enemies, he s blind and humiliated Likewise, Luke says as Jesus was led away, He was blindflded and mcked by the Rman sldiers Mark reprts he was bund, just as Samsn was in chains Finally, Samsn was bught ut t entertain his ppressrs Just as Jesus was led ut befre the Herd and mcked Later Jesus suffered shame n the crss, Paul says Finally, just as Samsn entered prisn nly t leave and bring dwn a temple s t did Jesus make a similar jurney Peter says Jesus entered int a place f prisn fr departed spirits 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Judges 16C 11 f 13 1Pet. 3:18 Fr Christ als died fr sins nce fr all, the just fr the unjust, s that He might bring us t Gd, having been put t death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; 1Pet. 3:19 in which als He went and made prclamatin t the spirits nw in prisn, And when He departed, Jesus set free thse wh are His Eph. 4:8 Therefre it says, When He ascended n high, He led captive a hst f captives, And He gave gifts t men. Eph. 4:9 (Nw this expressin, He ascended, what des it mean except that He als had descended int the lwer parts f the earth? And in that mment, Christ brught dwn the stne temple and the Law with it Heb. 8:13 When He said, A new cvenant, He has made the first bslete. But whatever is becming bslete and grwing ld is ready t disappear. Next, just as the destructin f the pagan temple required Samsn s death as well S the destructin f the ld cvenant and law and tabernacle required that Jesus die Jhn 2:19 Jesus answered them, Destry this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Jhn 2:20 The Jews then said, It tk frty-six years t build this temple, and will Yu raise it up in three days? Jhn 2:21 But He was speaking f the temple f His bdy. Just as Samsn was crushed in the temple, scripture says that Jesus was crushed fr ur iniquity Finally, Jesus bdy was cared fr in death by friends wh carried Jesus away and buried Him in a tmb Similarly, we read: Judg. 16:31 Then his brthers and all his father s husehld came dwn, tk him, brught him up and buried him between Zrah and Eshtal in the tmb f Manah his father. Thus he had judged Israel twenty years. 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Judges 16C 12 f 13 Obviusly, seeing all these parallels as well as the nes we ve seen earlier in ur study remind us f the inspired nature f Gd s wrd But mre t the pint tday, it reminds us that Gd can still use yu Perhaps yu re thinking that yur the lessns f Samsn have cme t late fr yu Yu wnder if yu ve squandered yur pprtunities t serve and please Gd? He called yu and equipped yu, but yu wnder if yu ve set that pprtunity aside And nw after s lng, Gd can t r wn t use yu S as yu study Samsn and his failures yu questin whether there is any reasn fr hpe in serving Gd again But friends if that s where yur heart is tday, then please pay clse attentin t the end f Samsn s stry He repented He came t realize the Lrd was still calling him And he tk a step f faith He prayer fr Gd t use him even yet, and then he put his shulder t the wrk And with that small step f faith at the end f a selfish life, Samsn accmplished great things And take nte f the mercy and grace f ur Father Nt nly did the Lrd allw Samsn t d a great thing even after s many years f disbedience But the Lrd recrded Samsn s like here and again in the Hall f Faith And even mre than that, the Lrd made Samsn s life reflect s many details f the Savir Can the Lrd nt d that fr yu and me? Dn t let the enemy cnvince yu that yu re washed up 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Judges 16C 13 f 13 Or that the Lrd has given up n yu The Lrd is still with yu and still calling yu If yu return t Him, great things can still yet happen And if yu have never strayed, then be renewed in yur cnfidence that as yu serve Him, He can accmplish great things thrugh yu 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.