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Third Presbyterian Church Tuesday Bible Study Old Testament Tour - Judges Lesson 46 – Sampson Part II

Read Judges Chapter 16 Judges 16:1-31 (NIV) 1 One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute. He went in to spend the night with her. 2 The people of Gaza were told, "Samson is here!" So they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the city gate. They made no move during the night, saying, "At dawn we'll kill him." 3 But Samson lay there only until the middle of the night. Then he got up and took hold of the doors of the city gate, together with the two posts, and tore them loose, bar and all. He lifted them to his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron. 4 Some time later, he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah. 5 The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, "See if you can lure him into showing you the secret of his great strength and how we can overpower him so we may tie him up and subdue him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver." 6 So Delilah said to Samson, "Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued." 7 Samson answered her, "If anyone ties me with seven fresh thongs that have not been dried, I'll become as weak as any other man." 8 Then the rulers of the Philistines brought her seven fresh thongs that had not been dried, and she tied him with them. 9 With men hidden in the room, she called to him, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!" But he snapped the thongs as easily as a piece of string snaps when it comes close to a flame. So the secret of his strength was not discovered. 10 Then Delilah said to Samson, "You have made a fool of me; you lied to me. Come now, tell me how you can be tied." 11 He said, "If anyone ties me securely with new ropes that have never been used, I'll become as weak as any other man." 12 So Delilah took new ropes and tied him with them. Then, with men hidden in the room, she called to him, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!" But he snapped the ropes off his arms as if they were threads. 13 Delilah then said to Samson, "Until now, you have been making a fool of me and lying to me. Tell me how you can be tied." He replied, "If you weave the seven braids of my head into the fabric [on the loom] and tighten it with the pin, I'll become as weak as any other man." So while he was sleeping, Delilah took the seven braids of his head, wove them into the fabric 14 and tightened it with the pin. Again she called to him, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!" He awoke from his sleep and pulled up the pin and the loom, with the fabric. 15 Then she said to him, "How can you say, 'I love you,' when you won't confide in me? This is the third time you have made a fool of me and haven't told me the secret of your great strength." 16 With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was tired to death. 17 So he told her everything. "No razor has ever been used on my head," he said, "because I have been a Nazirite set apart to God since birth. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man." 18 When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines, "Come back once more; he has told me everything." So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands. 19 Having put him to sleep on her lap, she called a man to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him. And his strength left him. 20 Then she called, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!" He awoke from his sleep and thought, "I'll go out as before and shake myself free." But he did not know that the LORD had left him. 21 Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding in the prison. 22 But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved. 23 Now the rulers of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to celebrate, saying, "Our god has delivered Samson, our enemy, into our hands." 24 When the people saw him, they praised their god, saying, "Our god has delivered our enemy into our hands, the one who laid waste our land and multiplied our slain." 25 While they were in high spirits, they shouted, "Bring out Samson to entertain us." So P a g e | 2 they called Samson out of the prison, and he performed for them. When they stood him among the pillars, 26 Samson said to the servant who held his hand, "Put me where I can feel the pillars that support the temple, so that I may lean against them." 27 Now the temple was crowded with men and women; all the rulers of the Philistines were there, and on the roof were about three thousand men and women watching Samson perform. 28 Then Samson prayed to the LORD, "O Sovereign LORD, remember me. O God, please strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes." 29 Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other, 30 Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines!" Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived. 31 Then his brothers and his father's whole family went down to get him. They brought him back and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had led Israel twenty years.

QUESTIONS

1. Human relationships can truly enhance or derail our relationship with God. Explain how being involved with a person that does not know, understand or believe God the way you do will compromise your walk with God. How would you seek to minister to someone who is presently in a situation such as this? 2. Samson too the grace of God and the favor he had with God for granted and it caused his downfall. Speak to a time when you have taken the grace and favor of God for granted and it caused a downfall in your life and your recovery from this downfall. 3. Although Samson was the most gifted Judge, he was also the worse on because he allows his weaknesses to bring about his forsaking God. EVERYONE has weaknesses. Give detail as to how one is to prevent their weaknesses from causing a spiritual, physical and emotional collapse. Also speak to how a weakness can be strengthened. 4. One thing to notice about this account is that God remained with Samson through his failures all the way up to him allowing his hair to be cut. Why in your opinion was this action the final straw? What made this so egregious where other things were given a “pass” so to speak? (To answer this question think about the first commandment and how this informs the answer to this question.) 5. The Lord heard and answered Samson’s prayer to be instrumentally used in the victory over his enemies. Speak to a time when God has used you in bringing victory over your enemies? What was your response to being used in this way? 6. What has this account taught you about both humility and self-esteem? 7. What could you do this week to protect yourself against taking your relationship with the Lord for granted? 8. What could you do to encourage a friend who is struggling with self-doubt or discouragement? P a g e | 3

T. The Deliverance by Samson (Part 4): Samson and Delilah—A Man of Loose Morals Who Betrayed and Destroyed Himself, 16:1-31

(16:1-31) Introduction: this is an age of loose morals, an age when multitudes are yielding to sexual sin, and many have given themselves over to unbridled lust and passion. Immorality has become so acceptable that sex is used for the advertisement of products, for entertainment, for humor, for pleasure, for recreation, for the release of pent-up tension and stress, and even for the securing of business. There is hardly an end to how sex is used today. Day-to-day life is so exposed to sex that a desensitivity and a hardness to sex have set in. The deep, intense meaningfulness of sex is being lost—so lost that a person has to go deeper and deeper in sexual experimentation in order to secure enjoyment. Sexual experimentation has become so warped, so twisted that when a particular behavior is exposed to the public, it utterly shocks the viewer.

Immorality, unbridled lust, and passion are condemned by God. Samson is a prime example. He gave himself over to "the lust of the eye" and "the lust of the flesh." And he became a womanizer, engaging in illicit sExodus Immorality was a major trait throughout his entire life. He was so given over to his fleshly, carnal desires that eventually he totally gave in to unbridled lust and passion. And because of his lack of control, his life and legacy are one of the most tragic in all of history. Most of the people upon earth have heard of Samson and Delilah. This is the story of the present Scripture, the story of the infamous Delilah and the carnal, fleshly Samson: The Deliverance by Samson (Part 4): Samson and Delilah—A Man of Loose Morals Who Betrayed and Destroyed Himself, 16:1-31.

1. Samson's sin with a prostitute: yielding to temptation (v.1-3).

2. Samson's sin with Delilah: destroying oneself by yielding to unbridled lust (v.4-22).

3. Samson's cry to God: being heard by God, but still having to bear the consequences of sin (v.23-31).

1. (16:1-3) Temptation, Yielding to— Immorality, Yielding to— Prostitution, Guilt of— Samson, Carnality, Fleshliness of— Carnality, Example of— Flesh - Fleshliness, Example of: there was Samson's sin with a prostitute, a sin that almost destroyed him. This is a clear picture of yielding to temptation, of giving in to unbridled lust and passion. Again, Samson's inconsistent life, his compromising with the ways of the world almost cost him his life. The scene is graphically painted by the Scripture and outline:

1. Samson's sin was that of illicit sex, of immoral womanizing. He made a trip to Gaza and spent the night with a prostitute (16:1). Gaza was one of the five major cities of the Philistines, a major seaport of the Mediterranean Sea. It was about 40 miles from Samson's hometown of Zorah, and just why Samson had made the trip is not stated. But as soon as he arrived, he obviously saw the prostitute, and his tendency toward unbridled lust and passion was aroused. The lust of the eyes and the flesh took over, and he yielded to the temptation, breaking the clear commandment of God (Exodus 20:14; Leviticus 19:29; Deuteronomy 22:21).

2. At some point, Samson's presence was discovered (16:2). Unknown to Samson, the authorities immediately sent guards to surround the house of the prostitute. Guards were also posted at the city gates. And the officials plotted to assassinate Samson at dawn. P a g e | 4

3. But somehow, Samson discovered the plot and arose during the middle of the night to escape. By the city gates being guarded, Samson had no way to get out of the enclosed or walled city. The guards posted at the gates had either fallen asleep or else Samson threatened or frightened them away. Whatever the case, Samson walked up to the gates and did the following: unlocked the gate, took hold of the doors of the gate, and either tore each one from its hinges and then pulled up the posts or he took hold of the gate and post and broke them both out of the ground simultaneously. In either event, he lifted them to his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill facing Hebron.

How could one person conceivably do such a feat? Obviously, Samson was a very strong man, most likely the strongest who has ever lived. But even for him, even as the slaying of 1000 men is a phenomenal feat for any single person so this feat astounds human imagination. There could be only one of two ways a human being could perform either of the two feats:

⇒ by an astounding, incomprehensible empowering of the Holy Spirit of God

⇒ by receiving supernatural power from God's Spirit and tearing loose each item of the gates separately and carrying each to the top of the hill separately

Just how Samson accomplished this amazing feat of strength is a great mystery. But as Daniel I. Block says:

How could Samson pick up these huge gates and their bars, place them on his shoulder, and then carry them away? Based on previous incidents, the most likely answer is to be found in a special divine empowerment, as the Spirit of Yahweh rushes upon him.

The point to see is that all of Samson's feats of strength and achievements are personal. They revolve solely around him. The Israelites are not involved. They have not been mobilized to stand against the evil, oppressive Philistines, not mobilized to throw off the yoke of subjection and enslavement to the cruel foreign power. All the feats of Samson were provoked by his own wrongful behavior. More than any other judge, he had been born with the great hope of being a mighty deliverer of God's people. But he spent his whole life doing his own thing and giving in to the lustful cravings of his flesh.

Thought 1. We must stand strong, never yielding to temptation. We must never yield to unbridled lust and passion, compromising with the immoral of this earth. Engaging in illicit sex—any sex outside of marriage—is wrong. It is counted as sin, as evil by God.

"But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart" (Matthew 5:28).

"Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body" (1 Corinthians 6:18).

"Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman" (1 Corinthians 7:1).

"Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband" (1 Corinthians 7:2). P a g e | 5

2. (16:4-22) Delilah, Sin of— Samson and Delilah— Samson, Sin of— Lust, Unbridled— Passion, Unbridled— Yielding, to Temptation— Temptation, Yielding to: there was Samson's sin with Delilah, a sin that continued on and on, that exposed the carnal, compromising heart of Samson. This is a clear picture of how a person can destroy himself by giving in to unbridled lust and passion. This flaw in Samson led to his capture and downfall. And his downfall came at the hands of a woman he apparently loved—the infamous, shameful Delilah. In the words of Warren Wiersbe:

Along with David and Bathsheba, Samson and Delilah have captured the imagination of scores of writers, artists, composers, and dramatists. Handel included Delilah in his oratorio "Samson," and Saind-Saens wrote an opera on "Samson and Delilah." ("The Bacchanale" from that work is still a popular concert piece.) When Samson consorted with Delilah in the Valley of Sorek, he never dreamed that what they did together would be made into a Hollywood movie and projected in color on huge screens.

1. The great flaw of Samson was illicit sex and womanizing, the giving in to unbridled lust and passion. It was his carnal, fleshly desires that aroused the sinful affair with Delilah. Delilah and Samson lived close to one another, for Samson's hometown Zorah bordered the valley of Sorek where Delilah lived (16:4). It is not stated that Delilah was a Philistine, but she probably was in light of her dealings with the Philistine leaders. The point to see is Samson's intense love and passion for Delilah. It was this that drove him back to her time and time again, that made him ignore the clear commandment of God against illicit sExodus Unbridled lust and passion twisted his mind to ignore God's holy commandment and to justify his sinful misbehavior.

2. The Philistine rulers noted Samson's attachment to Delilah and plotted his downfall (16:5). They secretly approached Delilah and conspired with her to capture Samson. Note their purpose: not to execute him, but rather to bring him into subjection and utilize his mighty strength for some productive, economic purpose. They were so excited about the possibility that they offered Delilah a huge sum of money to seduce Samson to reveal the secret of his strength. Each of the leaders offered her 1100 pieces of silver, obviously amounting to a fortune.

3. Delilah agreed to the conspiracy and made her first attempt to seduce and entice Samson to reveal the source of his strength (16:6-9). This first attempt was a simple probe, just requesting him to reveal the secret (16:6). Samson merely responded that the source of his strength lay in bowstrings. His strength would be subdued if he was tied with seven new, unused bowstrings (16:7). Sometime later, while Samson was sleeping, the rulers gave Delilah the bowstrings and she tied him up. Although it is not stated, when Samson was with Delilah, he apparently drank himself into a drugged stupor. There is nothing in the Scripture to indicate that he was ever aware of Delilah's attempt to subdue him. After tying him up, Delilah shouted out for Samson to awaken, for the Philistines were trying to capture him (16:9). At this warning, Samson awoke, snapped the bowstrings like thread, and escaped (16:9).

4. The second attempt by Delilah was an accusation of deceiving her and then appealing for him to tell her the truth (16:10-12). She accused him of making a fool out of her, and obviously let it be known that she would not stand for such, nor continue the relationship if he lied to her.

Again, Samson gave her a false answer, stating that being tied with new ropes would weaken him. Delilah attempted to capture him by doing just what he said. She had tied him with the new ropes and called out for him to awaken. As soon as he opened his eyes, he snapped the ropes and escaped.

5. The third attempt by Delilah was a straightforward insistence that he reveal the source of his strength. With intensity, she complained of being mistreated and abused by his constant lies, making an utter fool out of her. She was so irritated that she shouted out, "Tell me." The scene must have caused a heated argument, P a g e | 6 for Samson came dangerously close to revealing that the secret of his strength was linked to his hair. He told her that his hair had to be woven into the fabric on a loom and tightened with a pin.

As soon as Samson fell asleep, Delilah again attempted to capture him by weaving the strands of hair into the fabric and tightening it with the pin. When finished, she shouted out for him to awaken from his stupor, for the Philistines were again trying to capture him. But as soon as Samson opened his eyes, he yanked his hair away from the loom and escaped (16:13-14).

6. The fourth attempt by Delilah worked: she discovered the secret of Samson's power. In frustration, she complained and questioned his love for her. How could he conceivably love her if he continued to make a fool out of her? And, how could he not trust her if he truly loved her? Day after day, she nagged him, doing all she could to break the will of Samson. She was determined, setting a deliberate, unceasing plot to break the secret and personally betray her lover. Finally, Samson broke under the weight of the nagging and the pressure until his soul was vexed to death, feeling as though he could take it no more (16:16). Samson told her everything: his secret, the source of his strength (16:17). He revealed that he was a Nazirite, a man who had been set apart to God from birth; and that if his head were shaved, his strength would leave him.

At long last, Delilah had what she wanted, and she betrayed Samson. She sent word to the Philistine leaders who long ago had given up and were no longer hiding at her house while she carried out each plot. But now, the leaders had been convinced by Delilah that she had seduced the truth out of Samson. So they returned with the payoff. When they arrived, she no doubt had drugged him and had his hair shaved off. As before, in the other three attempts, she called for Samson to awaken from his drugged stupor. He awoke, thinking that he would escape just as he had done before. But this time it was too late: he had revealed the truth, the source of his strength.

7. Samson was captured and led into captivity by the Philistines (16:20-21). The Spirit of God had left him and the Philistines seized him. They gouged out his eyes, shackled him, and forced him to grind grain in the prison. But they made a very serious mistake: they allowed his hair to grow back. This was probably a deliberate plan in order to control and use his strength for their own purposes once his hair had grown back. Whatever the case, this was to be a serious miscalculation on the part of the Philistines.

Samson was not stupid; therefore, at some point he must have figured out the plot of Delilah and the Philistines. Only she knew the deceptive lies he was telling her about the source of his strength. Every time she awakened him, he was tied up and the Philistines were standing there. The moment Samson became aware of the plot, he should have fled as quickly as he could. But unbridled lust and passion had gripped his heart and blinded his mind so that he could not think clearly, much less act rationally. He was driven by the desire for Delilah, her companionship, softness, and passion. He was infatuated and had a burning desire for her that blinded him to the commandments and call of God. He had compromised and lived a permissive lifestyle so long that he became insensitive to God. He neglected and ignored God, disobeying His commandments.

Thought 1. The commandment of God is clear: we must not give in to unbridled lust and passion. We must not be womanizers nor seducers of men, committing illicit sExodus

"But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart" (Matthew 5:28).

"Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, P a g e | 7 leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient" (Romans 1:25-28).

3. (16:23-31) Prayer, Answered— Crying to God, Answered— Sin, Consequences— Consequences, of God— Judgment, Judicial— Chastisement, of God: there was Samson's cry to God that led to his spiritual restoration, but also to his death. This is a clear picture of being heard by God, but still having to bear the consequences of sin. The just, judicial chastisement and judgment of God are seen throughout the end of Samson's life.

1. The Philistines held a national, religious celebration in honor of their false god Dagon (16:23-25). Two significant events happened at the festival. First, the Philistines gave praise to their false god for helping them capture Samson (16:23-24). Picture the praise and prayers being offered up to this false god, no doubt thousands of people praying and praising Dagon for the great victory they had been given over their arch- enemy Samson. What a tragedy, and what a terrible legacy Samson was leaving behind. Instead of bringing praise to God for his life, Samson's life had given an opportunity for the enemy to praise their false god. Note that the Philistines remembered how Samson had burned their fields and orchards to the ground and how he had killed so many of their people (14:19-20; 15:1-20). They were ever so thankful for his capture, and they were praising their false god for delivering him into their hands.

Second, at some point the worship was replaced by partying and feasting, drunkenness and loose behavior, laughter and joking. And the people began to shout for Samson to be brought out to amuse them (16:25). Just what kind of entertainment they forced Samson to do is not stated. But the purpose of the Philistines was to mock and ridicule him. Imagine the scene! The strongest man who had ever lived standing in the midst of a huge temple, blind and helpless and being used as the object of mockery and ridicule. But keep in mind: it was Samson's own fault. He was there because of his unbridled lust and passion, his compromising, permissive, and inconsistent lifestyle.

2. God now demonstrated His mercy and justice in hearing the prayer of His broken servant. Samson was saved through death, an early death that was due to the consequence of his sin (16:26-31). Being blinded, Samson was led about by the hand of a servant. At some point, he requested this servant to place him between the two major pillars that supported the temple.

Note that all the rulers were in the temple and about 3000 men and women were on the roof watching Samson's amusing performance (16:27). As soon as the servant had placed Samson between the two support pillars, he prayed to the Lord, asking the Lord to remember and strengthen him. He requested God to execute justice and judgment on the Philistines (16:28). In answer to the prayer, Samson knew that he would die. Nevertheless, he placed his hands on the two support pillars and actually cried out for God to let him die with the Philistines. While crying out, he pushed with all his might, and the temple came crashing down upon all the rulers and all the people who were within the temple and sitting on the roof. Note that more Philistines were killed in his dying than while he was living (16:29-30). The fact that God heard his prayer is strong evidence that God restored him spiritually, that in his death, all was made right between him and the Lord.

"If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me" (Psalms 66:18-20).

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Samson was buried by his brothers and family. And note, his judgeship lasted 20 years (16:31).

Thought 1. There are two strong lessons for us in this point:

1) God knows our needs, and He hears us when we cry out for His help. No matter how desperate the need is, God hears our prayer and meets our need.

"And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" (Luke 11:9).

"Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full" (John 16:24).

2) Sin has consequences. And when we sin, we must bear the consequences. For example, if we become intoxicated or drunk and are involved in an accident that blinds us, our sin causes our blindness. Even when we pray for forgiveness and God forgives us, our eyesight is not restored. Our confession and repentance secure forgiveness, but it will not return our eyesight. Scripture clearly teaches that we reap what we sow. Whatever we measure or dish out, the same measure is returned to us. Sin results in the execution of God's justice. God is just; therefore, every human being will receive exactly what he deserves—no more, but no less.

This is what happened to Samson. God heard his prayer and restored him spiritually. Things were made right between the Lord and Samson at his death, but Samson still had to bear the consequences of his sin. He remained blinded, and he had continued in sin so long that he was destined to die in his last act of revenge against the Philistines.

There are consequences to sin. When we sin, we bear the consequences.

"For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again" (Matthew 7:2).

"For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works" (Matthew 16:27).

Thought 2. The Expositor's Bible Commentary has an excellent statement about the life of Samson that is well worth quoting:

Samson was ranked among the heroes of the faith (Hebrews 11:32). Yet he failed to live up to his great gifts. Unable to conquer himself, he was ruined by his own lusts. He stands as a tragic example of a man of great potential who lacked stability of character. Still, God in his sovereignty used him. Samson did much to hamper the oppressive actions of the Philistines, and his final victory in the temple of Dagon may have been a factor in the defeat of the Philistines at Mizpah shortly thereafter (1 Samuel 7:7-14).

Thought 3. Daniel I. Block gives several practical implications on Samson that will be of great benefit to the reader:

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First, this account exposes [how]...men conduct their own lives, especially their relationships with women, in their own self-interest, without respect to the well-being or feelings of others. In so doing it offers a sad commentary on the...consequences of spiritual Canaanization, particularly its degenerative effects on male- female relations. In this Canaanized world if men do not view women merely as sex objects, they view them as persons to be controlled and exploited for personal and male ends. But when Samson operates according to "what is right in his own eyes" and when he demands women because "they seem right to him," he represents not only all of Israel but all unregenerate men who are driven by their sense and/or the need to control. Never in the entire Samson [story]...does he operate in anyone's interest but his own. He does not care about the divine agenda, the will of his parents, or the hearts of the lovers with whom he consorts. All are to be manipulated for his sake....this [is not] a picture of male-female relationships as God intended them to be experienced....the divine order calls on men to function as heads of their homes and leaders in society, then these must be viewed primarily as positions of responsibility, not power....biblical understanding of headship calls for servant leadership, in which the interests of those led take precedence over the interests of the leader. Correspondingly, if men are the stronger gender physically and functionally, this strength is to be exercised in defense of and in the interest of those weaker than themselves.

Second...those called to the highest positions of leadership may be most tempted to operate on the basis of their senses rather than on the basis of principle. Samson was able to kill his enemies by the hundreds and thousands, but he was impotent in the face of women's charms. Whereas Barak was motivated by jealousy, Gideon by logic, Jephthah by ambition and pagan values, Samson was driven by lust. In a Canaanized society the exploitation of women may occur because men as a class view women fundamentally as dangerous and a threat to male power. From a biblical perspective, however, it is more appropriately attributed to their depraved condition. In their fallen condition men often operate selfishly, either out of a desire to satisfy their lustful appetites or out of a degenerate need to control. But this is not because they are men. If the accounts in Judges take male oppression of women for granted, this is not because this is the accepted disposition. On the contrary.....Biblical norms of male conduct call for the highest respect for women, who also are created in the image of God and endowed with equal majesty and dignity. Biblical norms also regard sex and sexual activity as sacred, as something reserved for a man and woman within the context of marriage. Anything less is demeaning, exploitative, and perverse.

Third, those who are called into divine service must focus their energies on the divine agenda rather than getting sidetracked into personal adventures. Samson offers the reader of Scripture the clearest example of "Thy kingdom come" being supplanted and displaced by "My kingdom come." He also reminds us that the temptation may be the greatest to those who are most gifted. The extraordinary physical prowess and power of this man have become proverbial. Unfortunately, like many contemporary divinely called leaders, Samson wasted his life playing with the gifts God had given him and indulging in every sensual adventure he desired. Even in the aftermath of victory he thought only of his own thirst. There was no thought for...Yahweh's agenda or the fortunes of Israel. It is not surprising then that he ends up one more example of fallen and failed leaders with whom the path of human history is strewn.

Fourth...if anything positive comes of Samson's life, it is due to the gracious intervention of Yahweh. The man whose birth had promised so much is a disappointment. Nevertheless, ironically, by the free exercise of his own immoral will, Samson serves as an agent of the Lord's ethical will, and...he accomplishes more dying than living. But God plays a critical role in each part of the account, sometimes behind the scenes, but explicitly in enabling a barren woman to conceive and give birth to the deliverer, empowering his deliverer through his spirit, and answering his deliverer's prayers. Life and death are in the hands of God. And if Israel will eventually emerge...from the dark period of the judges, this says nothing about the quality of her leaders. Yahweh is determined to build his people. Even if she becomes her own worst enemy and her human leaders fail her in the end, by the grace of God she will triumph. P a g e | 10

Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible - Commentary - The Preacher's Outline & Sermon Bible – Judges, Ruth.