When we are fortunate enough to make a mistake and survive, learning from it is what we must do.”
–Lou Bradshaw (Rubio: the Man)
“Learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.”
“Learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.”
–Isaiah 1:17 (NKJV)
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“And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of…Samson…who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions.”
–Hebrews 11:32-33 (NKJV)
Samson, whose name means “sunny” or “bright” judged Israel for twenty years. He was the only judge where it is said that the Lord blessed him (13:24). I can only imagine what his young life was like. What exploits did he do before we read about him wanting a wife from among the Philistines? The people did not accept him as a deliverer, or was it because he could not rally the people to him? Joseph Parker said that he was “an elephant in strength, a babe in weakness.” No one could stand against him, yet he was helpless as a baby when it came to women.
He was born into a time when Israel was in the process of losing its identity. They were satisfied with not being bothered by the rules of the priests, and the priests were not doing their job by taking spiritual leadership. One could easily make the cry: “Where was the leadership in Israel?”
From Judges 14:1-2, it is easy to see that he was easily infatuated. “He saw…” Hubba-hubba, that’s the girl for me. He forgot or didn’t care that the people of Israel were forbidden to intermarry with the inhabitants of Canaan. (Deuteronomy 7:3-4). He knew he was to be separate for every step he took his hair would remind him, but did he not care, or did he think he was above the commands of the Lord? Gary Inrig writes about Samson, “He was a self-confessed spiritual anarchist, a man who had adopted the social values of his pagan contemporaries.” In other words, he fit right in with the rest of Israel at the time.
It was a shame that God’s people adopted that view. “Leave me alone, we’re satisfied. Don’t cause us any problems.” My, my isn’t that similar to the situation we see today? If a preacher gets up to preach the pure word of God they are criticized. Compromise, have some love, don’t cause problems. Standards have changed since the Bible was written. Ha, maybe standards of society have changed, but God’s Word remains firm.
Samson’s parents try to dissuade him from marrying the Philistine woman, but he wouldn’t listen. Makes me think of how many people will not listen to the direction of God’s Word. However, there is a perplexing verse (at least to me). Verse 4 states, “But his mother and father did not know that it was of the LORD…” Was God moving against His own words? The rest of the verse indicates only that “He was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines…”(NKJV) Some way in Samson’s disobedience God was going to use it to bring judgment upon the Philistines.
In the midst of Samson seeking a wife, sometime on the trip he was attacked by a lion. “And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart…” (14:6, NKJV). We have to be careful about using analogies too freely, but I think of the verse from 1 Peter, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” (5:8, NKJV) I do not believe we have it in our means to rip the “lion” apart like Samson, but we do have the spiritual strength to stand against him. He is ready to attack, just like the lion that attacked Samson, and just like Samson the Holy Spirit will come mightily upon us.
One more thought about this portion of Samson’s life. In this chapter he “went down” was mentioned five times. From this point on we see the downward trend of Samson’s life. A man used mightily by the Spirit, yet squandered his resources. Wiersbe says that he “was a man of faith, but he certainly wasn’t a faithful man.” What would have been his life had he learned the lesson of Paul who said, “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” (1 Corinthians 9:27, NKJV)
——————————-
“And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of…Samson…who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions.”
–Hebrews 11:32-33 (NKJV)
Samson, whose name means “sunny” or “bright” judged Israel for twenty years. He was the only judge where it is said that the Lord blessed him (13:24). I can only imagine what his young life was like. What exploits did he do before we read about him wanting a wife from among the Philistines? The people did not accept him as a deliverer, or was it because he could not rally the people to him? Joseph Parker said that he was “an elephant in strength, a babe in weakness.” No one could stand against him, yet he was helpless as a baby when it came to women.
He was born into a time when Israel was in the process of losing its identity. They were satisfied with not being bothered by the rules of the priests, and the priests were not doing their job by taking spiritual leadership. One could easily make the cry: “Where was the leadership in Israel?”
From Judges 14:1-2, it is easy to see that he was easily infatuated. “He saw…” Hubba-hubba, that’s the girl for me. He forgot or didn’t care that the people of Israel were forbidden to intermarry with the inhabitants of Canaan. (Deuteronomy 7:3-4). He knew he was to be separate for every step he took his hair would remind him, but did he not care, or did he think he was above the commands of the Lord? Gary Inrig writes about Samson, “He was a self-confessed spiritual anarchist, a man who had adopted the social values of his pagan contemporaries.” In other words, he fit right in with the rest of Israel at the time.
It was a shame that God’s people adopted that view. “Leave me alone, we’re satisfied. Don’t cause us any problems.” My, my isn’t that similar to the situation we see today? If a preacher gets up to preach the pure word of God they are criticized. Compromise, have some love, don’t cause problems. Standards have changed since the Bible was written. Ha, maybe standards of society have changed, but God’s Word remains firm.
Samson’s parents try to dissuade him from marrying the Philistine woman, but he wouldn’t listen. Makes me think of how many people will not listen to the direction of God’s Word. However, there is a perplexing verse (at least to me). Verse 4 states, “But his mother and father did not know that it was of the LORD…” Was God moving against His own words? The rest of the verse indicates only that “He was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines…”(NKJV) Some way in Samson’s disobedience God was going to use it to bring judgment upon the Philistines.
In the midst of Samson seeking a wife, sometime on the trip he was attacked by a lion. “And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart…” (14:6, NKJV). We have to be careful about using analogies too freely, but I think of the verse from 1 Peter, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” (5:8, NKJV) I do not believe we have it in our means to rip the “lion” apart like Samson, but we do have the spiritual strength to stand against him. He is ready to attack, just like the lion that attacked Samson, and just like Samson the Holy Spirit will come mightily upon us.
One more thought about this portion of Samson’s life. In this chapter he “went down” was mentioned five times. From this point on we see the downward trend of Samson’s life. A man used mightily by the Spirit, yet squandered his resources. Wiersbe says that he “was a man of faith, but he certainly wasn’t a faithful man.” What would have been his life had he learned the lesson of Paul who said, “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” (1 Corinthians 9:27, NKJV)