Samson - Saint and Sinner
(Part 1 - The Making of a Judge in Israel)
Chapter 9

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"Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson in power. He went down to Ashkelon, struck down thirty of their men, stripped them of their belongings and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle."
Judges 14:19.

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IN the last chapter, when we looked at the text and passage before us, we concentrated on the facts of this incident of Samson's killing 30 Philistines, and taking their property to pay his wager to the companions he was given at his marriage celebrations.

Briefly, let us be reminded of the story. Samson had engaged in a wager with these companions over the solving of a riddle he had given them. They had cheated by putting violent pressure on Samson's wife to find out the solution, and thus being able, through being given the answer by Samson's wife, to give Samson the right answer to his riddle. Samson is thus required to pay his betting dues.

In the last chapter we established that Samson's action, though at first sight totally unacceptable, was in fact promoted by God. We saw plainly that this action of killing 30 Philistines was due to the fact that God had come upon Samson in power by the Holy Spirit being given him. We reminded ourselves also that the whole events of the marriage of Samson was in the purpose of God (Judges 14:4) and in order that God could bring about a confrontation with the Philistines, so that Samson could commence his work of delivering Israel form Philistine power and domination. We also came to the conclusion that God was acting through Samson in this action against the Philistines, and it represented God's judgement upon them for their cruel oppression of God's people.

As we reflect on all this, and the implications of this Biblical History in this chapter, our purpose is to draw out, by means of such reflection, some spiritual lessons concerning God's actions in the world and in history.

The first lesson is a general one relating to our understanding and approach to Scripture. There is no doubt that this whole incident of the marriage of Samson, and the resulting action against the Philistines, does present problems. We may easily be tempted to say that the Bible cannot possible mean us to approve Samson's action, and tempt us to seek to get around the implications of the revelation here.

The danger is that we can allow our own understanding, which has been conditioned over many years by the culture we are in, both secular and Christian, to colour the way we react to such a passage as this story of Samson, and to effect the way we interpret it or the way we relate to it.

If we do this we will go wrong. This is no easy matter. We cannot avoid the inherited understanding that we have gained. That understanding has been framed, if we our earnest Christians, in a large part by a sincere seeking to know God's truth in the Bible, but it has also been coloured by the culture we have grown up in. We also have to recognise that it is only the Bible that is infallible and not any particular line of interpretation. There is no doubt that not all Christian teaching in the past, which has been handed down to us in books, or received through pulpit ministry, is all a hundred percent accurate and a true understanding of the revelation of God.

This is the problem that we have, and which the devil exploits. It is a problem that has created the attitude that the Bible cannot be trusted to ordinary Christians, and the definitive interpretation of the church must be our guide. This attitude of course faces the same difficulty as that of private interpretation, and history has proved that the 'church' is no better at interpretation than any individual Christian. In the end we are wholly dependent on the guidance and understanding given by the Holy Spirit as we humbly seek the illumination he gives.

We must be ready to recognise that even Christian thinking needs constantly to be reformed and reshaped by the Word of God. Each time we come to the Bible we must be open to God in such a way that ingrained prejudices do not blind us to what the Spirit is saying. We need to appreciate that our perception of the truth needs re-tuning and toning up by constant deep viewing of God's truth in his Word. The reading of Christian books, and the evaluation of preaching, must be judged by the Bible. We must search the Scriptures, like the Bereans in Acts 17:11, in order that we may discern the truth.

A story I read at one time illustrates this principle. It told of a dealer in diamonds, who when purchasing some stones, looked at each carefully through his glass, accepting one and rejecting another. Every so often he would leave the stones he was looking at for purchase, and examine long and hard a particular stone he had brought with him. When asked why he constantly did this, he replied, "All these stones I am looking at for purchase vary in quality so much, that in looking at them my judgement of excellence and worth is impaired. This diamond I carry with me is a stone of surpassing excellence. I constantly refresh my ability to judge excellence in a diamond, by looking long and hard at this known excellence - this stone I have brought with me."

We must be ready to do the same in our reading of God's Word. This history of Samson before us is an example of how our thinking in our culture today needs to be re-tuned by a fresh look at God's Word. In our culture today there is a tendency to deny God's active judgement in the world, and even to suggest that such action is unworthy of God.

The second lesson is to notice the awful conditions that can result when God and his ways are neglected and rejected. Israel's condition under the Philistines was due to a process of departing from obedience and faith in God, and going after their own ways. God had judged them by withdrawing his protecting grace, and allowing the evil and oppressive domination of the Philistines. Judges chapter 13 and verse 1 tells us that God had delivered Israel into the hands of the Philistines. We noted this fact when we started this study of Samson's life. Here in this situation that we find Samson in, as he is presented with the obligation of commencing his life's work as a deliverer, we are given a deeper insight into the awfulness of the situation that neglect of God and his ways had brought about.

Under the oppression that the Jews laboured under here was the fact that all law and justice had departed from society. There was no legal frame work to protect the citizen from exploitation and injustice. There was no court of law a person could apply to in order to gain justice or protection. There was no police to prevent evil people from doing as they wished. This is what departing from God had done for them. Gone were the days of old when Moses, with appointed deputies, would sort out disputes between people.

We need to take this to heart, as we see the decline in our country of acknowledging God, by individuals, institutions and government. The result can only be in the end, as we are beginning to experience, that evil triumphs and justice departs. We also need to take this to heart as we evaluate God's action through Samson at this time. It is our only source of hope.

The third lesson we may learn is this glorious truth that God acts in history. What an assurance this gives those who put their trust in God. God is not one who stands back from his creation or is indifferent to it. Here we see a dual action of God. There is the action of judgement on wickedness and injustice, and the action of deliverance of his people.

The judgement of God is not reserved simply for the end of time. God does step into history with judgement. We have many examples in the Bible. We have the example of the flood in Genesis chapter 6, 7 and 8. We have the example of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis chapter 19. We have the fall of Jericho in Joshua chapter 5 and 6. We have the example of the Israelites being carried off into Babylon because of their sin in giving up God for idols.

These are just a few of the examples. In the book of Revelation we are told of the trumpets in chapter 8, where when they were sounded a third of the earth was effected by devastation. Trumpets are sounded to warn. These trumpets represent God's warnings in judgement in successive periods of history. Trumpets are to call people back to repentance. Judgements of God from time to time are meant to have the same purpose.

There is no licence to kill in the example of God's judgement through the hand of Samson, nor is there here any licence to take the law into our own hands. The time of Samson was a very special and peculiar time and situation. God needed to act in an extraordinary way. Samson was his chosen agent, and appointed by God for this act of judging. This gives no licence for any other individual or group of people to bye-pass the normal ways of justice at any other time by personal and violent action.

We need to be on our guard because people can easily be deceived by Satan into wrong claims of God using them for judgement, but this does not invalidate Samson's action. Samson's action, as we have seen, was plainly promoted by God.

God is just. God's wrath is always revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. The Apostle Paul points out in his letter to the Ephesians that all the world are children of wrath, that that is the condition of everyone until they are delivered from the wrath of God, due to our sins, by faith in Christ. The great gospel verse, John chapter 3 and verse 16, tells us that we are all perishing under God's just condemnation until we are saved by believing on Jesus. John chapter 3 and verse 36 speaks of God's wrath abiding on all who do not believe the gospel.

This shows us the marvel of God's grace and patience. The wonder is, that God's action through Samson, brought the death of only 30 Philistines, and leaving so many unjudged. Every judgement is a warning and calls us to fly from the wrath to come. If God's action through Samson in this passage speaks to us of anything, it speaks to us of the need to turn from sin to God.

The fourth lesson that this incident in the life of Samson gives us is, that God calls his people to action on his behalf, and that when he does so he provides all the power to enable them to fulfil that call, and to carry out his will. God's will is invincible. If God calls us to act in some way in the performance of his will then he will give the power and ability to carry out that will.

Samson could not have done what he did, so bringing God's purposed judgement on the Philistines, and commencing the deliverance of Israel, unless the Spirit of the Lord had come upon him in power. His natural wisdom and strength would have been in no way sufficient.

We can be encouraged by this in the work of God. When God calls a believer to service, or a church to action, God will not only move us in the right way and keep us in his will, but he will also provide all the necessary power and resources to fulfil his purpose.

The fifth lesson we may learn from this history of Samson is concerning the way and timing of God's deliverance and action. The time of God's action is entirely in the hands of God. In this episode we have been left in no doubt that God's time had come for Samson to begin his assault on the Philistine tyranny. Samson was successful and acted rightly only because it was God's time and the right time to act. We shall see as we continue in the life of Samson, that when we act apart from God and his timing, things go dreadfully wrong.

When we are in God's time, then God give success. This makes it imperative that God's people and the church must always wait upon God, and never act without being sure that God's time for action has come. We have this illustrated in Acts chapter 13 from verse 1. The church sent forth Barnabas and Saul for the work which he had called them, because it was God's time for action. But notice how careful the church was. Even though the Spirit of God had told them to set apart Barnabas and Saul for the work of God, it was only after further fasting and prayer that the church sent them on their way.

The last lesson is of the image of Christ we can see portrayed in the life of Samson at this time. Samson appears as a deliverer even though Israel were not really turning from their sins. This is an act of God's grace to a sinful people. Samson is also sent forth as a judge. He comes in judgement upon the Philistines.

Jesus came into the world in grace, as the gracious Saviour to deliver his people from their sins by his great atonement. He came when they were still sinful and rebellious. He came also as a judge to bring judgement against all who oppressed his people. Thus the history of the Old Testament always points us to and illustrates the gracious action of God in our Saviour and Lord, Jesus Christ.