In this compelling episode, we unravel the complex narrative of Samson, a figure of great power and even greater contradictions. As we follow his life from his miraculous birth to his dramatic demise, we gain insight into the subtle yet destructive nature of sin and the possibility of redemption, even in our darkest moments. Through Samson’s story, we are reminded of the enduring mercy and forgiveness available to us through God.
00:00:00 Introduction to Adrian Rogers and the Message of Samson
ADRIAN ROGERS WAS A MOTIVATOR, AN ENCOURAGER, AND A LEADER OF THE FAITH. HE WAS ALSO PASSIONATE ABOUT PRESENTING SCRIPTURAL APPLICATION TO EVERYDAY LIFE CIRCUMSTANCES, AND YOU’LL HEAR THAT IN TODAY’S MESSAGE. NOW, LET’S JOIN ADRIAN ROGERS.
SPEAKER 02 :
TAKE GOD’S WORD AND FIND NOW, PLEASE, IF YOU WILL, THE BOOK OF JUDGES, CHAPTER 13. AND LOOK WITH ME, IF YOU WILL, IN VERSE 24. IT SPEAKS OF A MOTHER AND IT SAYS THIS, AND THE WOMAN BEAR A SON, AND CALLED HIS NAME SAMSON. AND THE CHILD GREW, AND THE LORD BLESSED HIM. SHE HELD IN HER ARMS THE BABY FOR WHICH SHE HAD PRAYED. AS A MATTER OF FACT, IT WAS A BABY THAT GOD HAD PROMISED. THEY WERE SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS CHILD BECAUSE THEY KNEW THAT THIS CHILD WAS TO BE A SPECIAL CHILD. AND SHE GAVE HIM A SPECIAL NAME. SHE CALLED HIM SAMSON. DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE NAME SAMSON MEANS? IT MEANS SUNSHINE. SUNSHINE, THAT’S WHAT THE NAME MEANS. I HAVE LITTLE DOUBT BUT WHAT SHE CALLED HIM SUNNY. AND MAYBE WHEN SHE HELD HIM IN HER ARMS AND ROCKED HIM, SHE SANG TO HIM. MAYBE SHE SANG THE COUNTERPART OF, YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE. WHAT A BLESSING THIS LITTLE BOY WAS. WHAT A HERITAGE SHE HAD, HE HAD. AS A MATTER OF FACT, HE WAS TO BE A NAZARITE. Look, if you will, as to what God said about him in verse 5, And lo, thou shalt conceive and bear son, and no razor shall come on his head. For the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb. And he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines. What did it mean to be a Nazarite? Well, the word Nazarite means different. SEPARATED. THIS CHILD WAS TO BE SET ASIDE FOR GOD. AND AS THE SIGN THAT HE WAS TO BE SET ASIDE FOR GOD, HE WAS NOT TO DRINK WINE OR ANYTHING INTOXICATING. NUMBER TWO, HE WAS NOT TO TOUCH ANY DEAD THING. NUMBER THREE, HE WAS TO LET HIS HAIR GROW. NO RAZOR WAS TO EVER COME UPON HIS HEAD BECAUSE HIS LONG HAIR WAS THE SIGN THAT HE WAS TO BE DIFFERENT. HE WAS TO BE SET ASIDE. HE WAS A MAN ANOINTED WITH THE SPIRIT OF GOD AND HAD TREMENDOUS STRENGTH. ENTIRE ARMIES WOULD TREMBLE at His presence. One day this man slew 1,000 of God’s enemies, the Philistines, with a whited bone from the field. On another occasion, he took the city gates of Gaza, posts and gates of all, put them on his back and carried them up a hill and left them there. On another occasion, A lion roared against young Samson. Samson, with the power of God on him, put his arm around that lion’s neck, reached his hand down that lion’s throat, grabbed the lion by the tail and jerked him inside out. Something like that, not exactly that. But actually the Bible says this, that he took that mighty lion AS THOUGH HE WERE A YOUNG GOAT, AND WITH HIS BARE HANDS HE DESTROYED THAT LION.” THIS MAN WAS STRONG. WHAT WAS THE SECRET OF HIS STRENGTH? I MEAN, WHEN YOU THINK OF SAMSON, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF? THE INCREDIBLE HULK? He wasn’t that way. I mean, had you seen Samson, you would not have known that he was that strong. He didn’t have mountains of muscles and bulging biceps. Say, Pastor, how do you know? Well, why did Delilah keep asking for the secret of his strength? If he’d been like this, it would have been obvious. No, there was something supernatural about his strength. His strength was in the power of God. The Bible says the Holy Spirit of God would come upon him. Don’t ever make the mistake of thinking his strength was in his hair either. HIS HAIR WAS ONLY A SYMBOL OF THAT STRENGTH, HIS SEPARATION BEFORE GOD. THE SPIRIT OF GOD CAME UPON HIM AND BECAUSE OF THAT AND BECAUSE OF HIS PHYSICAL STRENGTH, HE IS AN ILLUSTRATION AND A LESSON TO THOSE OF US WHO NEED THE SPIRITUAL STRENGTH OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN OUR LIVES. BUT NOT ONLY WAS SAMSON SPIRITUALLY STRONG AND PHYSICALLY STRONG AS A RESULT OF IT, BUT HE WAS MENTALLY STRONG. I mean, when you read this book, as we’re going to see, you’re going to find out that Samson had a quick mind. He was very witty. He loved a joke. He loved to turn a phrase. He had a way with words. He loved little riddles and conundrums and ideas. He had a keen sense of humor. And I have an idea that he was really a nice guy to be around. And I think his name, Sunshine, was a good name. Samson would just brighten up any room when he entered it. Now, I know some people who can brighten up a room by leaving it, don’t you? But this man, just sunshine. But here’s the sad thing. As we read this story, it’s not a happy story. It’s a tragedy. It’s the story of a man who went from hero to zero. A MAN WHO WENT FROM VICTOR TO VICTIM. AND YOU SEE THE STORY OF SAMSON’S DISOBEDIENCE, HIS DEFEAT, HIS DISGRACE, YES, AND FINALLY, HIS DESTRUCTION. ONE HAS POINTED OUT THAT SAMSON IS A BUNDLE OF CONTRADICTIONS. He was bold before men, and yet weak before women. The Spirit of God was upon Him, and yet He gave way to the appetites of the flesh. He was called upon to declare war upon the enemies of God, and yet He fraternized and fellowshiped with the enemies of God. He fought the Lord’s battles by day, AND BROKE THE LORD’S COMMANDMENTS BY NIGHT. HIS NAME, SUNNY, SUNRISE, SPEAKS OF LIGHT. BUT HE ENDED HIS LIFE IN DARKNESS, HAVING HIS EYES PUT OUT. IT’S AMAZING HOW A MAN COULD SOAR SO HIGH AND YET GO SO LOW. AND I DARE SAY THAT AT THE BEGINNING OF HIS LIFE YOU WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO TELL HIM THAT HE WOULD SINK TO SUCH DEPTHS. THE BIBLE SAYS, LET HIM THAT THINKETH HE STANDETH TAKE HEED, LEST HE FALL. LET’S BRING SOMETHING VERY INTERESTING. BECAUSE SAMSON WAS A MAN OF GOD, I EXPECT TO MEET SAMSON IN HEAVEN. THE BIBLE LISTS SAMSON IN HEBREWS CHAPTER 11 AND VERSE 32 AS ONE OF THE HEROES OF THE FAITH. AND I’M GLAD THAT GOD REMEMBERED HIS FAITH AND NOT HIS FAILURE. PASTOR, ONCE SOMEONE BECOMES A CHILD OF GOD, ARE THEY FOREVER A CHILD OF GOD? YES. I’M NOT TALKING ABOUT SOMEONE WHO’S MERELY A CHURCH MEMBER, SOMEONE WHO’S BEEN BAPTIZED, SOMEBODY WHO’S REPEATED LITTLE PHRASES, BUT SOMEBODY WHO HAS BEEN TWICE BORN, HAS BEEN POSSESSED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD, THAT PERSON CAN NEVER EVER AGAIN BE A LOST SOUL. I BELIEVE THAT. WELL, YOU SAY, WELL, IF THAT’S TRUE, THEN IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE HOW I LIVE. FRIEND, THERE’S NO BLACKER LIE THAT COULD COME OUT OF HELL THAN THAT LIE. THE BOOK OF SAMSON IS GOING TO TEACH THAT. AND WHILE A CHILD OF GOD MAY NOT LOSE HIS SALVATION, HE HAS SO MUCH TO LOSE. IF HE SINS. AND THE BOOK OF JUDGES AND THE STORY OF SAMSON IS A GRAND ILLUSTRATION OF THAT FACT. SAMSON PAID FOR HIS SIN AND HE PAID DEARLY AND HE PAID IN SEVEN INSTALLMENTS. I WANT YOU TO NOTICE THEM. WHAT WAS THE COST OF SAMSON’S SIN? NUMBER ONE, HE DISHONORED HIS PARENTS. LOOK IN CHAPTER 14 VERSE 1. And Samson went down to Timnath and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. Now the Philistines were the pagans, the ungodly, those who knew not God, the idol worshipers. And he came up and told his father and his mother and said, I’ve seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. Now therefore get her for me to wife. Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines?’ And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me, for she pleaseth me well.” Here’s the first step in his downward journey. Remember, he had godly parents. His parents had prayed for him. His parents were filled with the wisdom of Almighty God. But Samson, upon a day, wandered four miles from home. He started with the wrong company. He met a girl who did not know the Lord. SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL. HE SAW HER AND WHAT HE SAW PLEASED HIM. HE FELL, QUOTE, IN LOVE WITH HER, END OF QUOTE, AND DECIDED TO MARRY HER. His parents said, Samson, don’t do this thing. Now why did they not want him to marry this Philistine girl? For the same reason that the apostle Paul has said in II Corinthians chapter 6 and verse 14, and I want every unmarried boy and girl who’s saved to listen to this, be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. THE BIBLE COMMANDS, COMMANDS THAT IF YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD, YOU ARE NOT, HEAR ME, YOU ARE NOT TO MARRY AN UNSAVED PERSON. IF YOU DO, YOU’RE HEADED FOR TROUBLE. REMEMBER THAT A MARRIAGE IS NOT SIMPLY BETWEEN A BOY AND A GIRL, IT’S BETWEEN TWO FAMILIES. IF YOU MARRY AN UNSAVED BOY, If you marry an unsaved girl, you’re going to have in-law problems. As a matter of fact, you’re going to have the devil for a father-in-law. YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE THE DEVIL FOR A FATHER-IN-LAW. THESE PEOPLE ARE CHILDREN OF THE DEVIL. JESUS SAID, UH, YOU ARE OF YOUR FATHER THE DEVIL. AND YOU TALK ABOUT IN-LAW PROBLEMS, YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE THEM. AND YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE PROBLEMS WITH YOUR MATE. YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE THE PROBLEM OF SPIRITUAL DISAGREEMENT. FOR THE BIBLE SAYS IN AMOS CHAPTER 3 AND VERSE 3, CAN TWO WALK TOGETHER EXCEPT THEY BE AGREED? HOW COULD YOU, A CHILD OF GOD, MARRY AN UNSAVED PERSON? What disagreements are you going to have? You’re going to want to worship on Sunday. The pagan you’re married to is going to want to sleep in. You’re going to want to give to the work of God. The pagan that you’re married to says, we can’t afford it. You’re going to want to make Sunday a holy day. But the pagan that you’re married to is going to want to make it a holiday. You’re going to want to pray when your family comes to a time of crisis. But the pagan that you’re married to is going to discount or perhaps ridicule prayer. YOU’RE GOING TO WANT TO RAISE THE CHILDREN FOR GOD AND TEACH THEM THE THINGS OF GOD. BUT THE PAGAN THAT YOU’RE MARRIED TO IS GOING TO WORK AGAINST IT. DID YOU KNOW IT’S HARD TO GET TO CHURCH ON SUNDAY MORNING? SAY, AMEN. IT IS. IT’S HARDER TO GET TO CHURCH ON SUNDAY MORNING THAN IT IS TO GET TO WORK ON MONDAY MORNING. WHY IS THAT? WELL, NUMBER ONE, THE DEVIL FIGHTS AGAINST IT. I MEAN, WHEN OUR CHILDREN WERE LITTLE, FOLKS, WE HAD TO START ON SATURDAY NIGHT TO GET HERE. I’M, I’M SERIOUS. AND THEN SOMETIMES WE GET HERE, WE NEED TO GET HERE, BECAUSE WE LOST OUR RELIGION GETTING HERE. YEAH, YOU’VE BEEN THERE. WHY, IT, IT’S DIFFICULT, IT’S HARD. AND I MEAN, I LOVE GOD AND JOYCE LOVED GOD. WHAT WOULD IT BE LIKE IF I WERE A PAGAN OR SHE WERE A PAGAN? ONE OF US WANTING TO AND THE OTHER NOT. I’M TELLING YOU THERE’LL BE SPIRITUAL DISAGREEMENT AND THERE WILL BE SPIRITUAL DIVISION. The Bible says a threefold cord is not easily broken. What is the threefold cord that holds us together? When we get married in the Lord, we are not only one physically and one psychologically, but we are one spiritually. We are one in the bond of love. But when there’s no spiritual cord there, the other two cords quickly unravel. A threefold cord is not easily broken. THOSE WHO DO NOT KNOW THE LORD JESUS HAVE A GREATER OPPORTUNITY AND, STATISTICALLY, A GREATER LIKELIHOOD OF DIVORCE. DIVORCE BETWEEN PEOPLE OF NO FAITH OR DIFFERING FAITHS IS THREE TIMES AS OFTEN AS THOSE WHO ARE ONE IN THE LORD. YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE A PROBLEM NOT ONLY WITH DISAGREEMENT AND DIVISION, BUT YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE A PROBLEM WITH YOUR DESCENDANCY. HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO A CHILD WHEN MOM LOVES GOD AND DADDY DOESN’T, OR DADDY LOVES GOD AND MAMA DOESN’T? THE CHILDREN GET THIS SENSE OF AMBIVALENCY. THEY’RE CONFUSED. IT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE TO THEM. AND, AND THE CHILDREN SOMETIMES OF THESE MARRIAGES ARE THE BIGGEST LOSERS. AND HERE WAS SAMSON. FELL IN LOVE WITH AN UNBELIEVER. AND HIS PARENTS WARNED HIM. HIS PARENTS SAID, SONNY, YOU CAN DO BETTER THAN THAT. WELL, THEY MIGHT AS WELL HAVE BEEN TALKING TO A FOREST FIRE. YOU KNOW, SAMSON OUGHT TO HAVE KNOWN THE WORD OF GOD THAT SAYS IN THE BOOK OF EXODUS CHAPTER 20 AND VERSE 12, HONOR THY FATHER AND THY MOTHER. NOW LISTEN TO IT, THAT THY DAYS MAY BE LONG IN THE LAND WHICH THE LORD THY GOD GIVETH THEE. YOU PUT IT DOWN IN YOUR BOOK, RIGHT NOW, BIG, PLAIN, AND STRAIGHT, SAMSON DIED YOUNG BECAUSE HE WOULDN’T LISTEN TO HIS PARENTS. SAMSON DIED YOUNG. HE DIED WHEN HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN AT THE VERY ZENITH OF HIS CAREER, AND THE REASON WHY WAS THAT HE FAILED TO HONOR HIS FATHER AND HIS MOTHER. HE DISHONORED HIS PARENTS, NUMBER ONE. NUMBER TWO, HE DESERTED HIS PROMISE. LOOK NOW IN CHAPTER 14 VERSE FIVE, THEN WENT SAMSON DOWN AND HIS FATHER AND HIS MOTHER TO TIMNATH, AND CAME TO THE VINEYARDS OF TIMNATH, AND BEHOLD, A YOUNG LION ROARED AGAINST HIM. NOW WHAT’S HE DOING IN THE VINEYARD? THE BIBLE SAYS HE’S NOT TO DRINK ANYTHING THAT COMES FROM THE GRAPE. HE’S NOT EVEN TO TOUCH IT. AND YET, THERE HE IS IN THE VINEYARD. HE HAS NO BUSINESS THERE. AT, AT THIS POINT, HE’S AWAY FROM HIS PARENTS. HE’S TAKEN A LITTLE BYPASS. WHO KNOWS WHAT HE WAS GOING TO DO THERE? NOW, YOU MAY SAY, THIS IS A VERY SMALL THING. THAT’S TRUE. SIN ALWAYS STARTS SMALL. NOBODY GOES ROARING INTO SIN. WHO IS IT KNOCKED SO LOUD? A LONELY LITTLE SIN. SLIPPED THROUGH, I ANSWERED, AND SOON ALL HELL WAS IN. HERE’S SAMSON NOW. I WANT YOU TO SEE THAT HE’S FLIRTING WITH SIN. HE’S, HE’S PLAYING WITH SIN. THERE IN THE VINEYARD HE KILLS THE LION THAT WE TALKED ABOUT. AND THEN HE GOES DOWN TO PHILISTIA. HE GOES DOWN THERE FOR THE WEDDING PARTY. HE BEGINS TO HAVE FUN WITH THIS GIRL’S RELATIVES, HER BROTHERS AND HER BROTHER’S FRIENDS. YOU KNOW, THE BIBLE SAYS A COMPANION OF FOOLS WILL BE DESTROYED. YOU SEE SAMSON DOWN THERE, HE’S LAUGHING AND JOKING AND GAMBLING AND FIGHTING. I FEEL LIKE SAYING, SAMSON, WAKE UP, SON. SAMSON, YOU’RE A GOOD BOY. SAMSON, GOD HAS BLESSED YOU. WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WHY DON’T YOU STOP NOW? BUT SAMSON IS SLOWLY AND SURELY BEING HARDENED BY SIN. HE MAY NOT EVEN REALIZE WHAT IS HAPPENING TO HIM. SOMEONE HAS WRITTEN THESE WORDS, VICE IS A MONSTER OF SUCH HORRIBLE MEAN, AS TO BE HATED NEEDS BUT TO BE SEEN. BUT SEEN TOO OFT, FAMILIAR WITH HER FACE, WE FIRST ENDURE, THEN PITY, AND THEN EMBRACE. AND SAMSON NOW SEEMS TO BE BLIND. HE, HE DESERTED HIS PROMISE. AND THEN, He distorted his purpose. Samson gets down there in Timnath, and they’re having a wedding party, and the Bible calls it a feast. AND THE WORD FOR FEAST, THEY TELL ME, IS THE WORD WHICH MEANS A WINE BANQUET. REMEMBER, HE’S NOT TO TOUCH WINE, BUT HE’S DOWN THERE. YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO HAVE THAT AT THE RECEPTION. ISN’T IT AMAZING THAT PEOPLE WANT TO HAVE THAT KIND OF STUFF AT A RECEPTION WHEN THAT’S ONE OF THE MAJOR THINGS THAT WILL BREAK UP THE MARRIAGE THAT THEY’RE CELEBRATING? IT’S AN AMAZING THING. SO HE’S, HE’S DOWN THERE AND, AND HE SAYS, HEY, I’VE GOT A RIDDLE FOR YOU GUYS. NOW REMEMBER THAT SAMSON HAD A WAY WITH WORDS. HE SAID, I WANT TO MAKE A BET. HE SAID, IF, UH, IF I CAN TELL YOU A RIDDLE THAT YOU CAN’T ANSWER, THEN YOU OWE ME 30 CHANGES OF GARMENTS AND 30 SHEETS, BUT IF YOU ANSWER MY RIDDLE, I’LL PAY YOU THAT WAY. SO THEY SAID, ALL RIGHT, WHAT’S THE RIDDLE? NOW REMEMBER THAT SAMSON HAD JUST GONE DOWN THERE AND KILLED A LION WITH HIS BARE HANDS. LATER ON, WHEN SAMSON PASSED THAT PLACE, A SWARM OF BEES HAD ENTERED INTO THE CARCASS OF THAT LION, AND THERE WAS HONEY THERE. SAMSON SAID, WELL, WHAT ABOUT THAT? AND HE REACHED INTO THAT LION THAT WAS GOING TO DESTROY HIM, SO THE LION THOUGHT. THE LION THOUGHT HE WAS GOING TO HAVE A SAMSON BURGER STEAK. HE JUST HAD A MISTAKE. AND, AND, AND HERE’S THE LION, HE’S, HE’S, HE’S LYING THERE, THE CARCASS IS THERE, AND THE BEES HAVE MADE A HIVE THERE. SAMSON REACHES IN, GETS A HANDFUL OF HONEY OUT OF THE CARCASS OF THAT LION, EATS THE HONEY, GAVE SOME TO HIS MOTHER AND DAD. HE DIDN’T TELL HIM WHERE HE GOT IT. HE KNEW HE WASN’T SUPPOSED TO BE IN THAT VINEYARD. HE SAID TO THESE BROTHERS-IN-LAW, AND THESE PHILISTINE FRIENDS THAT HE FOUND, HERE’S THE RIDDLE. OUT OF THE EATER, THAT’S THE LION, CAME FORTH MEAT, OR FOOD, THAT’S THE HONEY. AND OUT OF THE STRONG, THAT WAS THE LION, CAME FORTH SWEETNESS, THAT WAS THE HONEY. BUT HE DIDN’T, HE DIDN’T GIVE THE EXPLANATION LIKE I DID. HE JUST SAID, OUT OF THE EATER CAME FORTH MEAT, AND OUT OF THE STRONG CAME FORTH SWEETNESS. FIGURE THAT OUT. WELL, THEY TRIED TO FIGURE IT OUT, AND THEY COULDN’T FIGURE IT OUT. AND THEY KNEW THAT THEY WERE IN SERIOUS TROUBLE. AND SO THEY CAME TO SAMSON’S WIFE AND SAID, YOU BETTER TELL US WHAT THIS ISRAELITE IS DOING TO US OR WE’RE GOING TO GET YOU. SO SHE WENT TO SAMSON. SHE SAID, SWEETHEART, WOULD YOU TELL ME THE ANSWER TO THE RIDDLE? SAMSON MADE A BIG MISTAKE. HE SAID, I HAVEN’T TOLD MY FATHER AND MOTHER. YOU EXPECT ME TO TELL YOU? NOW FELLOWS, THAT WAS A BIG MISTAKE. NUMBER ONE, I MEAN TO TALK TO YOUR BRIDE THAT WAY. AND THEN, UH, SHE BEGAN TO CRY. NOW SHE TURNED ON THE WATERWORKS, AND SHE BEGAN TO CRY. AND WHEN SHE BEGAN TO CRY, NOW HERE’S THIS MAN WHO CAN STAND AGAINST A LION, BUT A WOMAN’S TEARS HE COULD NOT STAND AGAINST. AND THE BIBLE SAYS, AND HE TOLD HER ALL HIS HEART. AND SHE WENT AND TOLD HER BROTHERS AND HER BROTHERS’ FRIENDS, AND THEY WENT AND TOLD SAMSON, WE KNOW THE RIDDLE. AND WHEN THEY TOLD HIM, SAMSON SAID, IF YOU HADN’T HAVE PLOWED WITH MY HEIFER, YOU WOULDN’T HAVE FOUND THE ANSWER. NOW HE CALLED HIS WIFE A HEIFER. I WOULDN’T ADVISE THAT EITHER. IF YOU HAD NOT PLOWED WITH MY HEIFER, YOU WOULDN’T HAVE KNOWN THE ANSWER.” NOW WHAT HE WAS SAYING IS, YOU, YOU BROKE THE RULES. NO MAN PLOWS WITH A HEIFER, THAT’S A MILK COW. HE PLOWS WITH AN OXEN. THAT IS, YOU WEREN’T PLAYING ACCORDING TO THE RULES. SAMSON WAS SO INFURIATED THAT HE WENT OUT AND FOUND A GROUP OF PHILISTINES, KILLED 30 OF THEM, TOOK THEIR CLOTHES, TOOK THEIR GARMENTS, CAME AND PAID OFF THE DEBT. NOW SOMETHING STRANGE IS WORKING HERE. I MEAN, SAMSON WAS SUPPOSED TO DELIVER ISRAEL FROM THE PHILISTINES. BUT AS YOU LOOK AT THIS THING, YOU WONDER FOR JUST A MOMENT, WHOSE BATTLES IS HE REALLY FIGHTING? HIS ARE GOD’S. HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A SO-CALLED MAN OF GOD SOMETIME? THEY DON’T KNOW WHO THEY’RE REALLY FIGHTING. I MEAN, IT, IT GETS INTO PERSONAL BATTLES. NO LONGER ARE THEY FIGHTING THE BATTLES OF THE LORD. HE’S HERE NOW IN HIS SERVICE TO GOD FOR HIS OWN REWARD AND FOR HIS OWN VENGEANCE. AND HE, HE’S DISTORTING HIS PURPOSE. HE’S FORGETTING THE THING, UH, THAT GOD HAS CALLED HIM TO DO. AND IT’S A SAD, SAD THING. HIS OWN BROTHERS SAY, SAMSON, YOU’RE GETTING US INTO TROUBLE NOW. YOU’VE THROWN A ROCK IN A HORNET’S NEST WITH THESE PHILISTINES. WE WISH YOU’D QUIT. NOW WE’RE GOING TO ASK YOU, TURN YOURSELF IN TO THE PHILISTINES, BECAUSE THERE WAS A PHILISTINE ARMY AGAINST THEM. AND SO SAMSON SAID, WELL, I DON’T WANT YOU BOYS TO GET IN TROUBLE. I’M, I’LL JUST TURN MYSELF IN. AND SO HE SURRENDERED TO THE PHILISTINES. THE PHILISTINES CAME TO GET HIM, TO CARRY HIM AWAY. AND WHEN THEY GOT IN A NARROW PLACE THERE IN A MOUNTAIN SIDE SOMEWHERE, THE SPIRIT OF GOD CAME UPON SAMSON. HE REACHED DOWN IN THE FIELD AND GOT THE JAWBONE OF A JACKASS. AND HE TOOK THAT JAWBONE IN HIS HAND AND HE TURNED TO THOSE FLESH TEENS. I DON’T KNOW HOW THE LOGISTICS OF THE THING WAS. I BELIEVE HE MUST HAVE BACKED UP AGAINST A ROCK, AND THEY STARTED COMING AT HIM. AND HE BEGAN TO WHACK AND TO SLASH WITH THE JAWBONE OF THAT ANIMAL. AND BEFORE IT WAS OVER, HE HAD SLAIN A THOUSAND OF THEM. Now, he had a way with words. And the word for donkey and the word for heap sounds so much alike in Hebrew. It’s hamar and hamor. And so he’s just playing with words. And he says, with the jawbone of a donkey have I piled him in a heap. I MEAN, RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS BATTLE. HE’S STILL JESTING. HE’S STILL LAUGHING. HE CAN’T TAKE HIMSELF SERIOUSLY. HE DOESN’T UNDERSTAND THE RAMIFICATIONS OF LIFE. WHAT I’M SAYING IS THIS, HE DISHONORED HIS PARENTS. HE DESERTED HIS PROMISE. HE DISTORTED HIS PURPOSE. SAMSON IS ON THE WAY DOWN. THEN NUMBER FOUR, HE DEFILED HIS PURITY. LOOK IN CHAPTER 16 NOW. IT GETS WORSE. THEN WENT SAMSON TO GAZAH, AND SAW THERE AN HARLOT, AND WENT IN UNTO HER. AND IT WAS TOLD THE GEZITES, SAYING, SAMSON HAS COME HITHER. AND THEY CAME PAST HIM IN, AND LAID WAIT FOR HIM ALL NIGHT IN THE GATE OF THE CITY, AND WERE QUITE ALL THE NIGHT, SAYING, IN THE MORNING, WHEN IT IS DAY, WE SHALL KILL HIM. AND SAMSON LAY TILL MIDNIGHT, AND AROSE AT MIDNIGHT, AND TOOK THE DOORS OF THE GATE OF THE CITY, AND THE TWO POSTS, AND WENT AWAY WITH THEM, BAR AND ALL, AND PUT THEM ON HIS SHOULDERS, AND CARRIED THEM UP TO THE TOP OF A HILL THAT IS BEFORE HEBRON.” AND IT CAME TO PASS AFTERWARD THAT HE LOVED A WOMAN IN THE VALLEY OF SOREC, WHOSE NAME WAS DELILAH. HE DEFILED HIS PURITY. THIS MAN, THE ONCE MIGHTY MAN OF GOD, IS NOW PLAYING WITH TRASHY HARLOTS. an unnamed harlot, and later another one named Delilah. Remember what I told you, the sin that starts small doesn’t end that way? The devil is a liar. He never says to a young woman, hey, you see that girl with venereal disease? You see that woman who with the sunken eyes and the faded look? Do you see that woman with the child out of wedlock? Do you see that woman destitute and broken? I’m going to make you like that woman. NOW, HE DOESN’T SAY THAT TO A PURE GIRL WHO WANTS TO SACRIFICE HER PURITY UPON THE ALTAR OF SOME MAN’S LUST. HE JUST SAYS TO HER, HEY, HONEY, IT’S NOT SO BAD. EVERYBODY’S DOING THAT TODAY. I MEAN, EVEN THE GOVERNMENT TELLS YOU HOW TO DO IT. THE DEVIL NEVER SAYS TO A BOY, YOU SEE THAT OLD DRUNKARD IN THE, IN THE GUTTER, COVERED WITH HIS OWN VOMIT AND FLIES, CAN’T HOLD HIS HAND STEADY, CAN’T KEEP A JOB, Do you see that, man? I’m going to make you like him. The devil never says that. He said, hey, man, men of distinction drink this. Why, everybody at a party does this. Sin starts small, but it doesn’t end small. And here’s old Samson now. His mother had prayed for him. His daddy had given him to God. He was a Nazarite separated to God. Now he’s sleeping around with trash. Samson. Samson. CAN’T YOU SEE?” NO, HE WAS BLIND A LONG TIME BEFORE THEY CUT OUT HIS EYES. THE DEEPER PEOPLE GO INTO SIN, THE LESS THEY KNOW ABOUT IT. WELL, HE’S WITH THE HARLOTS. THE PHILISTINES SET A TRAP FOR HIM. THEY SAY, WE’LL, WE’LL, WE’LL FENCE HIM IN. WE’LL WAIT HERE AT THE GATE. NOW SAMSON GETS TO THE GATE. HE SEES THE GATE LOCKED AND BARRED. HE SAYS, WELL, WHAT ABOUT THIS? SO HE RIPPS UP THE GATE AND THE DOORPOSTS AND THE BAR, CARRIES THEM UP A HILL AND LEAVES THEM THERE. RATHER THAN FIGHTING, HE’S ALWAYS PLAYING GAMES. HE DEFILED HIS PURITY. LISTEN TO THESE VERSES, YOUNG PEOPLE. PROVERBS CHAPTER THREE, VERSES THREE THROUGH SIX, FOR THE LIPS OF A STRANGE WOMAN DROP AS A HONEYCOMB, AND HER MOUTH IS SMOOTHER THAN OIL, O HONEY LIPS. You listen to what God says about honey lips here. But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death. Her steps take hold on hell, lest thou shall ponder the path of life. Her ways are movable, but thou canst not know them. Or listen to this, Proverbs 6, verses 32 and 33. But whoso committeth adultery with a woman… LACKETH UNDERSTANDING. HE THAT DOETH IT DESTROYETH HIS OWN SOUL. A WOUND AND DISHONOR SHALL HE GET, AND HIS REPROACH SHALL NOT BE WIPED AWAY.” EVEN IF HE GETS FORGIVENESS, THE REPROACH IS THERE. THIS IS A SIN LIKE NO OTHER SIN. AND HERE’S A MAN OF GOD WHO DEFILED HIS PURITY. BUT WAIT A MINUTE, WE’RE NOT FINISHED YET. Number five, he diluted his power. He’s there with Delilah now, and Delilah’s family come to her, and they say, Delilah, if you will find out from Samson what makes him so strong, Delilah, we will pay you. And they offered to her between $3,000 and $5,000 to get the secret. AND SO SHE SAYS TO HIM, HEY, SONNY, I’VE GOT A QUESTION. WHAT MAKES YOU SO STRONG, BIG BOY? WHERE DID YOU GET ALL THAT STRENGTH? SHE BEGINS TO STROKE HIS HAIR, BUT WHILE SHE’S STROKING HIS HAIR, SHE’S AFTER HIS SCALP. WHAT MAKES YOU SO STRONG? AND SAMSON NOW, JUST PLAYING THE GAME, HE SAYS, WELL, HE SAID, YOU KNOW, IF, IF YOU WERE TO TAKE AND BIND ME WITH SEVEN GREEN VINES, I WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO GET LOOSE. AND SO SHE, WHILE HE’S ASLEEP, TIES HIM WITH SEVEN VINES AND THEN SAYS, SAMSON, THE PHILISTINES ARE HERE. HE WAKES UP AND BREAKS THOSE VINES ASUNDER. THEY FALL OFF, LITTLE TENDRALS. SHE SAYS, SAMMY, SONNY, YOU LIED TO ME. HOW COULD YOU REALLY BE BOUND? OH, HE SAID, WELL, IF YOU WERE TO BIND ME WITH NEW ROPES, THEN, THEN I, UH, I’D BE BOUND. Again, he’s asleep. She binds him. He breaks those ropes like they were flax burned in the fire. She again says, Sammy, sonny boy, you lied to me. How could you be bound? He said, well, if you would take the seven locks of my hair and weave them in the weaver’s shuttle, in the weave, the loom, then I couldn’t get loose. I’d be pinned to the floor. He’s getting closer, isn’t he? SHE’S GETTING TO THE HAIR. SHE TRIES THAT, THE SAME STORY. AND FINALLY, SHE SAYS TO HIM, SAMSON, I’M SICK OF THIS. TELL ME! AND SAMSON SAID, WELL, IF YOU WERE TO CUT OFF MY HAIR, I’D BE WEAK LIKE OTHER MEN. AND YOU SEE HIS HAIR WAS ABOUT THE ONLY THING NOW THAT HE HAS LEFT OF HIS NAZARITE VOW. AND WE SEE THE, THE PATIENCE OF GOD. LOOK IF YOU WILL IN CHAPTER 16 VERSE, UH, 21 VERSE 19, And she made him to sleep upon her knees. And she called for a man and caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head. And she began to afflict him. And his strength went from him. She begins to taunt him and stick at him and poke him and to see what he would do. And his strength is gone. And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep and said, I will go out as other times before and shake myself. And here, I believe, is the saddest part of this whole story. And he wist not, that is, he knew not, that the Lord was departed from him. HERE’S A MAN WHO DEFILED HIS PURITY AND THEN DILUTED HIS POWER. HIS STRENGTH WAS NOT IN HIS HAIR, BUT IN THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD. AND THE SPIRIT IS GOING, SAMPSON, HERE COMES THE PHILISTINES. SAMPSON SAYS, MAN, LET ME AT HIM. BUT HE’S JUST LIKE OTHER MEN. HE HAS NO STRENGTH, BUT HE DIDN’T KNOW IT. WELL, I’LL TELL YOU THAT. THAT CHALLENGES ME. I WONDER IF THERE ARE NOT SOME OF YOU HERE TODAY, YOU ARE SO FAR AWAY FROM GOD, YOU WERE ONCE A MIGHTY POWERFUL GOD, YOU WERE ONCE A FAITHFUL DEACON, A WONDERFUL SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER, A SOUL WINNER, AND YOU HAVE SO COMPROMISED AND PLAYED IN SIN, AND THE POWER OF GOD HAS GONE FROM YOU AND YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW IT. THE BLOWER’S STILL GOING, BUT THE FURNACE IS OUT. YOU DON’T KNOW IT. YOU DON’T KNOW IT. I DON’T EVER WANT THAT TO HAPPEN TO ME. I PRAY, GOD, IT NEVER WILL HAPPEN TO ME THAT I WILL SIMPLY COME AND STAND AND PREACH OR MINISTER WITHOUT THAT ANOINTING. DON’T YOU EVER GET UP HERE AND SAY, I KNOW HOW TO DIRECT A CHOIR. I’LL GO OUT AS I’VE DONE BEFORE. WITHOUT THAT ANOINTING. DON’T EVER LET IT HAPPEN TO YOU, DEACON, SIR. DON’T EVER LET IT HAPPEN TO YOU. THE LION WILL ROAR AGAINST YOU AND YOU’LL GO TO BATTLE AND YOU’LL GO DOWN. A THOUSAND PHILISTINES WILL COME AT YOU AND YOU’LL GO TO FIGHT AND YOU’LL GO DOWN. AND THE GATES WILL CLOSE UPON YOU AND YOU’LL TRY AND GET OUT, BUT THE GATES WON’T GIVE. THE PHILISTINES WILL COME AND THERE’LL BE NO POWER. AND YOU MIGHT BE SO STUPID AND IGNORANT THAT YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW IT. HOW MANY THERE ARE WHO HAVE BEGUN IN THE SPIRIT AND HAVE ENDED IN THE FLESH. NOT ONLY DID HE DILUTE HIS POWER, HE DISGRACED HIS PROFESSION. LOOK NOW IF YOU WILL IN VERSE 21, BUT THE PHILISTINES TOOK HIM, AND PUT OUT HIS EYES, AND BROUGHT HIM DOWN TO GAZA, AND BOUND HIM WITH FETTERS OF BRASS, AND HE DID GRIND IN THE PRISON HOUSE. Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven. Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon, their god, their foolish, wicked, idle god, and to rejoice. For they said, Our god hath delivered Samson, our enemy, into our hand. And when the people saw him, they praised their god. For they said, Our God hath delivered into our hands our enemies and the destroyer of our country, which slew many of us. Samson disgraced his profession. They took the mighty man of God now. While the Spirit of God has gone from him, he’s in the depth of sin and depravity. They put him in chains.
SPEAKER 03 :
They put a hot poker in a fire, a searing hot poker, and I can hear his eyes. Shh! They burn out that eye. Shh!
SPEAKER 02 :
They burn out that eye and sunshine. We’ll never see the sunshine. His eyes are gone. He’s blind. And then they take him like an animal and they tie him to a post there at the mill. They take a whip and crack it over his back and say, grind for us, Samson. Grind for us. And there’s Samson grinding, grinding at the mill, just like an animal. like an animal. And what’s he doing? He’s grinding grain.
SPEAKER 03 :
What kind of grain? Grain for the Philistines to eat, to give them strength. And the whole time they’re laughing and ridiculing and say, Ha! Where is his God?
SPEAKER 02 :
He disgraced his profession. Before God I’d rather die five minutes before I disgrace the ministry. But oh, how many have done it? THEY HAVE BEGUN IN SIN. SMALL, YES, BUT DOWN, DOWN THEY GO AND THEY GIVE THE ENEMY OPPORTUNITY TO BLASPHEME.
SPEAKER 03 :
AND THEY BECOME ASHAMED AND A REPROACH TO THE PEOPLE OF GOD.
SPEAKER 02 :
HE DIMINISHED HIS POTENTIAL. LOOK, IF YOU WILL, CHAPTER 16 AND VERSE 28, AND SAMSON CALLED UNTO THE LORD,
SPEAKER 03 :
and said, O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.
SPEAKER 02 :
And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of one with his right hand and the other with his left. And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might. And the house fell upon the lords, and upon all of the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they. THAT HE SLEW IN HIS LIFE. SAMSON SAID, GOD, I’VE BEEN SUCH A FOOL. THERE’S A LITTLE PHRASE THAT I READ BACK THERE, HIS HAIR BEGAN TO GROW AGAIN. THAT’S AN ARTISTIC DEVICE. REALLY, HIS HAIR DID BEGIN TO GROW. BUT WHAT THE WRITER IS SAYING IS SAMSON BEGINS TO THINK. HE BEGINS TO PRAY TO GOD. HE BEGINS TO REPENT. GOD HAD BROUGHT HIM SO LOW, FINALLY NOW, FINALLY NOW, HIS EYES THAT ARE ALREADY BLIND BEGAN TO OPEN SPIRITUALLY. NOW HE COMES BACK TO GOD IN REMORSE AND REPENTANCE AND SAYS, OH GOD, OH GOD, GIVE ME ONE MORE CHANCE. I DON’T CARE HOW LOW YOU’VE GONE. I DON’T CARE WHAT YOU MAY HAVE DONE. OUR GOD IS A GOD OF MERCY. OUR GOD IS A GOD OF FORGIVENESS. OUR GOD IS A GOD OF THE SECOND CHANCE, AND DON’T YOU EVER LET ANYBODY EVER TELL YOU THAT YOU’VE GONE TOO FAR. WHAT BALANCE I PRAY GOD WILL GIVE ME AS I PREACH THIS SERMON. DO YOU THINK WHEN I TELL YOU THAT GOD WILL FORGIVE YOU THAT I’M ENCOURAGING YOU TO SIN? NO! I’VE TOLD YOU THE HIGH COST OF LONG LIVING, AND IT’S NOT FINISHED YET FOR SAMSON. But oh, what a fool I would be if I were to stand here and tell you there’s no hope for you. Do you see the balance in the message today? Do you see what this story is telling us? And so Samson says, oh God, give me one more chance this one time, oh God. He finds a little boy. He says, son, do you remember that place in the temple? Would you lead me over there? Here’s old blind Samson there laughing at him. You know, they’re having sport. Look at him, look at him. So put me right here, son, where those two big main supporting pillars are. That’s right. Now, son, back off. Oh, God, give me strength. Begins to push. They’re laughing, but a rumble is heard. Well, what was that noise? And those pillars begin to collapse. Then there’s silence. Then there’s the sound of cascading marble. Then there’s pandemonium and Samson is dead and the Philistines are dead and he died young.
SPEAKER 03 :
And he died needlessly. He died pathetically.
SPEAKER 02 :
He’s in heaven. But I think what he could have been, what he should have been, he diminished his potential. AND WHEN HE GETS TO THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST, RATHER THAN HAVING GOLD AND SILVER AND PRECIOUS STONES, IT’LL BE A LIFE OF WOOD, HAY, AND STUBBLE. TWO THINGS I PUT IN YOUR HEART. NUMBER ONE, THE HIGH COST OF LOW LIVING. PLAY LIGHTLY WITH SIN. YOUNG PEOPLE, YOU LISTEN TO ME. YOU TREAT SIN LIKE SIN WOULD TREAT YOU. SIN WILL HAVE NO MERCY ON YOU. AND DON’T YOU HAVE MERCY ON YOUR SIN. AND IF YOU’VE BEGUN TO MOVE AWAY FROM GOD, MOVE BACK NOW. SIN THAT STARTS SMALL GOES BIG. AND YOU’RE GOING TO GET IN A VORTEX AND A DOWNWARD SPIRAL WHERE IT MAY BE ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO GET OUT, BUT I’M GOING TO SAY SOMETHING ELSE. IT IS NOT IMPOSSIBLE. AND WHOEVER YOU ARE AND WHEREVER YOU ARE, IF YOU NEED A FRESH START, THERE IS MERCY WITH OUR GOD. ISN’T THAT A WONDERFUL MESSAGE? THANK GOD. THANK GOD. FATHER GOD, SEAL THE MESSAGE TO OUR HEARTS TODAY. IN AND THROUGH JESUS WE PRAY, AMEN.
SPEAKER 01 :
If you would like to learn more about how you can know Jesus or deepen your relationship with Him, simply click the Discover Jesus link on our website, lwf.org. For a copy of this message or additional resources, visit our online store at lwf.org or call 1-800-274-5683. Thank you.
