The story of Samson begins much like the story of the other judges of Israel. The nation was in misery because of the domination of a rival country that was oppressing them. That nation was the Philistine nation. (Interestingly, the word Philistine is where we get our word “Palestinian,” so this story, and the clash between these two nations, is as modern as today.) The Philistines were originally from the area now known as Greece and the islands of the Aegean Sea. They were forced out of their homeland around 1200 B.C. and decided to look for a new home. They initially attacked Egypt, but were repulsed. From there they went further up the coast to what is now Israel and settled along the sea. They were a seafaring people and fierce fighters. They had become skilled in the technology of making iron and used it to make chariots and swords. It gave them a distinct military advantage. The Israelites were so subjugated that they even had to go to the Philistines to get their axes, plows and other farm implements sharpened. Blacksmiths were not allowed in Israel, and no one was allowed to own a sword.
The interesting thing is that this is the one place in the book of Judges where we do not read about the people crying out to God to deliver them from their oppression. That is primarily due to the most important weapon the Philistines used: intermarriage. The Philistines conquered their enemies by assimilating them. They enticed them with their gods. They gave their daughters to them in marriage. They were patient as they watched the religion and culture of Israel disappearing as they became more and more one with the Philistines. Israel had actually become comfortable with this silent form of enslavement which had continued for forty years.
For this reason, God had to break through. He miraculously appeared to Manoah and his wife and told them that they were about to have a son. God’s purpose was that his Spirit would be upon Samson so that he would deliver Israel from the hand of the Philistines. God, in his mercy, was going to deliver Israel even before she asked. The instructions from God on how to raise the boy were that he was to be a Nazirite his entire life. We first read about being a Nazirite in the sixth chapter of Deuteronomy. The word Nazirite comes from the Hebrew verb nazir: “to separate, consecrate, or abstain.” If someone wanted to make a special vow to the Lord, they would separate themselves to the Lord and temporarily observe certain practices: 1. They were not to drink wine or other fermented drink. They could not even eat any part of the grape. 2. They were to grow their hair without cutting it. 3. They were not to touch a dead person or even go near a corpse. This was a special type of vow meant to be temporary for a specific purpose, but in Samson’s case it was to be a life-long observance.
God had a special purpose for Samson’s life. He had plans to use him in a powerful way. God was not only going to deliver Israel from the oppression of the Philistines, he was going to purge them of the Philistine gods. But, as you know, Samson’s life was a huge disappointment. He never really fulfilled God’s plan for his life. He was wild and uncontrollable. In spite of the outward sign of his long hair, there was no other indication that Samson was a man of God. He had gone through the ritual of dedication, but it had never become a reality in his life. The Spirit of God came upon him, but it never seemed to affect the way he lived. Samson walked down the road to ruin and never seemed to see the signs along the highway.
What was Samson’s problem? What caused him to self-destruct in such a disappointing way? There were several reasons, but the first of them was, Samson was on the road to ruin because: He fraternized with the enemy. After the birth of Samson, the first words we read about him are: “Samson went down to Timnah and saw there a young Philistine woman. When he returned, he said to his father and mother, ‘I have seen a Philistine woman in Timnah; now get her for me as my wife’” (Judges 14:1-2). His first recorded act was an act of disobedience. His mother and father were against it, and God had forbidden intermarriage with the other nations. The Lord had warned about this back in the book of Deuteronomy saying, “Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, for they will turn your sons away from following me to serve other gods, and the Lord’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you” (Deuteronomy 7:3-4). But Samson was thinking only of himself. The very people that God had warned about, the very people who were oppressing Israel, the very people that would take Samson’s life, are the very people he wants to be with. His relationship with the Philistines was marked by bitter events, but he did not seem to be able to keep away from them. A lot of people today are attracted to the wrong kind of people, even though the relationships are destructive.
Samson was called to live a life of separation, but he was living a life of fraternization — he had befriended the enemy. How often is this the case of people who call themselves Christian? They are called to live lives of separation, but they are becoming fast friends with the enemy. The idea here is not that of separating yourself so that you never associate with the world, but that you not become friends of the world and influenced by it. It is not a separation from the world, but a separation to God. Jesus prayed for us saying, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified” (John 17:15-19). Paul said, “I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people — not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world” (1 Corinthians 5:9-10). We are not to live in monasteries, but we are to keep ourselves from being like the world and corrupted by it (James 1:27).
When you are impressed by the things that the other people of the world are impressed with: wealth, fame, position and power, then you have been corrupted by the world. We all have friends who are not Christians, as well we should, but if they are having more influence on us than we are on them, then we have been corrupted by the world. If there is no difference between your behavior and the behavior of those who do not know Christ, then you have been corrupted by the world. The Bible says, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world — the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does — comes not from the Father but from the world” (1 John 2:15-16). James puts it more forcefully when he says, “Don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God” (James 4:4).
We are not to be like the enemy and his followers, we are to be like God, and there should be a stark contrast. Jesus said that we were to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. He said, “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). I remember a young man in a church I served several years ago. He had it all. He had the looks, the body-builder physique, the popularity and all the rest. He was also active in our church. One weekend we had a special meeting for our youth and he talked to the group about the importance of being a leader. He said that the way to keep from following the crowd was to be a leader so that you didn’t have to follow. He was a leader. It was easy for him — not so easy for some of the others. After the others had left, I said, “Steve, I was interested in how you challenged the other young people here tonight, and you truly are a leader, but where are you leading people? Your life is not any better, and in some ways worse, than some of your friends who make no claim to know God.” Steve claimed to be a Christian, but his moral life was in shambles. He had the talk down pat, but he could not match it with his walk. I have seen many young people like that. It is almost a curse to be attractive and popular for some. In order to maintain their image they feel they have to go along with the crowd rather than stand out as God’s person in the crowd. The same is true for many adults. They feel that if they are going to maintain their success and standing among their peers they have to go along with what everybody else is doing. So they conform and blend in rather than stand out. They have so fraternized with the enemy they have become like the enemy — the very ones who hurt others and corrupt the morals of those around them.
The second thing that Samson did on the road to ruin was: He wasted his strength. The problem with Samson was that his life was such a disappointment. It was a life of missed opportunities and wasted effort. What was God’s purpose for Samson? God intended to use him to deliver Israel from the oppression and the corrupting influence of the Philistines. But outside of a few flourishes, Samson never lived out God’s dream for him. He fought a thousand Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey (which gives me hope as a preacher to realize that God can use the jawbone of a donkey). Samson secretly raided a Philistine town. But other than that, he never really delivered Israel. At the end of the story of most of the other judges it tells how many years of peace the nation enjoyed because of their leadership. Those words are missing at the end of Samson’s biography. A man of Samson’s ability and strength could have led Israel to a permanent victory over the Philistines. The interesting thing about this story is that all the other judges of Israel muster armies to fight Israel’s enemies, but not Samson. Anything he did, he did by himself. He was deluded by his strength and thought he did not need anyone else. He was sure he could do it on his own. But his strength was wasted on petulant schemes of revenge and self-serving objectives. Jesus said, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked” (Luke 12:48). God had given Samson great physical strength, but there was very little return of God’s investment. By way of contrast, Gideon did not have nearly the strength of Samson, but he did far more. He fought more battles and gave Israel peace for forty years. Strength, money and looks are no substitute for obedience and character.
There is no better illustration of this than the recent debacle of “Who Wants to Marry a Multimillionaire?” What a waste of money on the part of millionaire Rick Rockwell. What a waste of beauty on Darla Conger, his runaway bride. She begs for privacy on every public television show that will pay her to appear. She considers posing for pornographic magazines. Is there anything she wouldn’t do for money? Her gifts and beauty could have been used for something really worthwhile, but it has been wasted on self-absorbed exploits. She really believes that looks and money are everything. It is a preoccupation with self.
Samson’s strength was given to him so that he could lead an army and give courage to the other troops. His strength was meant to bring relief from oppression. His strength was meant to enable Israel to worship her God with freedom. His strength was meant to give Israel back her self-respect. But none of that happened. He used his strength to carry off the gates of a city in order to escape, after his enemies found out he was visiting a Philistine prostitute there. He used his strength to pay a gambling debt after challenging the Philistines with a riddle. He used his strength to fight the Philistines after they came to kill him for setting their wheat fields on fire. But he never rallied the warriors of Israel to join him in battle against the enemy. No one was encouraged by these little skirmishes of his. We actually are told more about his sexual exploits than his military adventures. He was sort of a biblical Evander Holyfield. Holyfield is one of the few men in the world who could beat Mike Tyson. Before their famous heavyweight fight, where Holyfield gave Tyson an earful, Holyfield was shown in his dressing room singing Christian praise and worship songs. He was a part of a good church and frequently talked about his faith. But recent reports tell about his divorce from his beautiful wife. It seems that he has fathered several children by other women while being married to his present wife. He is a man of great strength whose life is out of control. He is built like a mountain, but he is too weak to control his own passions. On his web site he quotes the Scripture that says, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13). But it is wasted and unused strength — a pathetic, self-centered, misuse of the gift of God.
But there are many people like this. It is not just physical strength, it is the power of prestige, the power of money and the power of influence that is wasted. Their lives could be powerfully used by God, but they are so wrapped up in self-centered living and selfish purposes that their strength is wasted. Their lives are little skirmishes rather than the great victories that God has called them to. They have wasted their strength on the world and the pursuit of pleasure rather than making their lives count for God. They are busy with everything but the things of God.
The final point is that Samson was on the road to ruin because: He was deluded by pride. The most memorable story about Samson is his tryst with Delilah. He is enormously attracted to Delilah, even though it is a dangerous relationship. She tempts him to give up the secret to his strength, and he still stays in the relationship. After constant harping, Samson finally gives her an answer. It is the wrong one, but he gives her an answer. When she starts in again, he tells her that if his hair is woven in a loom that he will be as weak as any other man. But when the Philistines come for him he breaks free and demonstrates his strength once again. He is getting closer to the truth, but he is still toying with her as well as his future. Finally, he tells her that if his hair is cut he will be as weak as any other man. And then, as she sings him to sleep on her lap, she cuts off his hair and lets in the men who will gouge out his eyes and take him to a Philistine prison. This is just the last in a series of compromises in Samson’s life. He broke his vow of not touching wine at his wedding feast, which is literally translated from the Hebrew as “drinking party.” He was not to touch anything dead, but he took honey from the carcass of a lion and used the jawbone of a donkey to fight the Philistines. Now the last vestige of his vow is gone. It was not the cutting of his hair that made Samson weak, it was the breaking of his vow and relationship with God that made him weak. Some people wonder why he told her about shaving off his hair, when he knew from experience that she would try cutting it off it to see if it were true. It seems so foolish. We know the result, but I believe he told her about his hair because he did not really believe it would affect him. Nothing else had affected him. He had broken his vow in other ways and was still as strong as ever. He really believed that his strength was his and not from the Lord. He failed to understand his dependence on God and how far down the road to ruin he had gone.
This is the road to ruin. You begin by making a single compromise and you are a little surprised that nothing happens. It is easier the second and third time, and even though there might be a few problems they don’t seem that serious. You can say that the problems were caused by other people. But the day comes when you have made one too many compromises, and without even realizing it, you find that your strength is gone. The enemy has you in his clutches. You have stayed too close to the enemy and strayed too far from God. You have wasted your strength and deluded yourself with pride, and all at once you find yourself in a prison of your own making. Blinded by the compromises you have made you find yourself disgraced, debased and enslaved.
Oh yes, Samson had a change of heart in the end. He repented and cried out to God — the only time we read of him offering a true prayer. He did end up doing more in his death than he ever did in his life, but so much for death bed repentance. Who wants to come to the end of life knowing that you have given your best years to the devil? Who wants to come to the end of life knowing that you did not wake up to the true meaning of life until your last moments? It is not that you cannot repent on your death bed; it is that it is such a waste. How much better to give the best years of your life to God. How much better to build your relationship with God than fraternizing with the enemy. How much better to spend your strength on things that matter. How much better to have a little humility than exaggerated pride. How much better to come to the end of life with the confidence that you have lived your life for God and that your life has meant something after all.
We know how to walk down the road to ruin, but how do we go down the road to recovery? The road to success and recovery is through repentance. There is always forgiveness and hope with God. Renew your relationship with God and your life will be renewed. It can be done, and you don’t have to wait till the end. Your life can still make a difference. God can use the strength he has given you for his divine purposes. Your life can mean something if you will walk with him instead of the enemy; if you will use your strength to work for him, and if you will humble yourself before him. The Bible says, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord” (Acts 3:19).
Rodney J. Buchanan
March 19, 2000
THE ROAD TO RUIN
Judges 16:4-21
“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” (Judges 16:20).
Samson was on the road to ruin because:
1. He ______________________________________________ .
2. He ______________________________________________ .
3. He ______________________________________________ .
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION (Mar 19, 2000)
1. What were the three things which led Samson down the road to ruin? Are there others?
2. Who or what are the spiritual enemies of the Christian?
3. Read James 4:4. What does this mean and how can we heed this warning?
4. How did Samson fail in this area?
5. Read Colossians 2:6-7. Someone has said, “There is no standing still in the Christian life. Either we are moving forward or going backward.” How can this be prevented?
6. What is the purpose of life?
7. How should we be using our strengths, gifts and abilities to fulfill God’s purpose for us?
8. Read Proverbs 16:18. How was this fulfilled in Samson’s life? How do you see it operating today?
9. What could Samson have accomplished if he had followed God?
10. Think of ways people today miss out on what their lives could mean?
11. Why is it important to follow God closely?
12. What ways can you avoid missing opportunities and wasting your effort in life?
13. Develop a written covenant with God that will give you a program for spiritual growth.
