In her book, Unthinkable, Amanda Ripley investigated why some people survive disasters and others don't. She examined fires, floods, hurricanes, and airplane crashes. She interviewed dozens of survivors and discovered three phases on the journey from danger to safety: denial, deliberation and what she calls “the decisive moment.” Unfortunately, many people don't make it to that final phase—the decisive moment. They don't make a decision to act.
As an example of the third stage, Ripley tells the story of Paul Heck, a man who knew how to act when his decisive moment came. On March 27, 1977, the 65-year-old Mr. Heck and his wife were sitting on a Pan Am 747 awaiting takeoff when an incoming plane hurtled through the fog at 160 miles per hour and slammed into the Heck's plane. The collision sheared the top off the 747 and set the plane on fire. Most of the 396 passengers onboard froze. Even Heck's wife, Floy, would later report that her mind “went blank” and she felt like “a zombie.” But Paul Heck went into action mode. He unbuckled his seatbelt, grabbed his wife's hand, said, “Follow me,” and then led her through a hole on the left side of the aircraft.
In an interview after the disaster, Mr. Heck noted how most people just sat in their seats acting like everything was fine even after colliding with another plane and seeing the cabin fill with smoke. But Heck also said that before takeoff he had studied the 747's safety diagram. When the crisis came, Heck knew it was a decisive moment. He was prepared to make a decision and head for the only exit that was available to him. (Amanda Ripley, Unthinkable, Harmony, 2009, pp. 176-177; James Pressley, "If You Hear an Explosion Run for the Exit Now," Bloomberg News, 7-8-08; www.PreachingToday.com)
Our world is on fire today with riots, a recession, and disease ravaging our country. Many people are frozen in their seats, not sure what to do, but that doesn’t have to be you or me.
We are facing a “decisive moment,” in which we must act with courage and make a decision, but what decision do we need to make? What do we need to do in this decisive moment not only to save ourselves, but to lead others to safety, as well? Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Judges 13, Judges 13, where the nation of Israel faced one of their “decisive moments.”
Judges 13:1 And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, so the LORD gave them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years. (ESV)
These were the original Palestinian terrorists, who terrorized Israel for 40 years. This is the 7th cycle of disobedience and distress for Israel, but God is about to raise up a deliverer.
Judges 13:2-5 There was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. And his wife was barren and had no children. And the angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. Therefore be careful and drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.” (ESV)
God’s deliverer would be a Nazarite this time, someone wholly dedicated to God his entire life. According to Numbers 6, a Nazarite showed his dedication to God by not drinking wine, by not going near a dead body, and by not cutting his hair.
Judges 13:6-8 Then the woman came and told her husband, “A man of God came to me, and his appearance was like the appearance of the angel of God, very awesome. I did not ask him where he was from, and he did not tell me his name, but he said to me, ‘Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. So then drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.’ ” Then Manoah prayed to the LORD and said, “O Lord, please let the man of God whom you sent come again to us and teach us what we are to do with the child who will be born.” (ESV)
This should be the prayer of every father on this Father’s Day and every day: “Lord, teach my wife and I how to raise the children who will be wholly dedicated to you.”
Judges 13:9-16 And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman as she sat in the field. But Manoah her husband was not with her. So the woman ran quickly and told her husband, “Behold, the man who came to me the other day has appeared to me.” And Manoah arose and went after his wife and came to the man and said to him, “Are you the man who spoke to this woman?” And he said, “I am.” And Manoah said, “Now when your words come true, what is to be the child’s manner of life, and what is his mission?” And the angel of the LORD said to Manoah, “Of all that I said to the woman let her be careful. She may not eat of anything that comes from the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, or eat any unclean thing. All that I commanded her let her observe.” Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, “Please let us detain you and prepare a young goat for you.” And the angel of the LORD said to Manoah, “If you detain me, I will not eat of your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, then offer it to the LORD.” (For Manoah did not know that he was the angel of the LORD.) – i.e., the Lord Himself, appearing as an angel. (ESV)
Judges 13:17-18 And Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, “What is your name, so that, when your words come true, we may honor you?” And the angel of the LORD said to him, “Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?” – i.e., beyond understanding.
Judges 13:19-20 So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering, and offered it on the rock to the LORD, to the one who works wonders, and Manoah and his wife were watching. And when the flame went up toward heaven from the altar, the angel of the LORD went up in the flame of the altar. Now Manoah and his wife were watching, and they fell on their faces to the ground. (ESV)
They knew that they had been in the presence of God Himself!
Judges 13:21-25 The angel of the LORD appeared no more to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of the LORD. And Manoah said to his wife, “We shall surely die, for we have seen God.” But his wife said to him, “If the LORD had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering at our hands, or shown us all these things, or now announced to us such things as these.” And the woman bore a son and called his name Samson. And the young man grew, and the LORD blessed him. And the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol. (ESV)
The Lord blessed Samson and stirred him with His Spirit. I.e., God enriched Samson and empowered him to save Israel. This was not Samson’s doing; this was GOD’s doing, because Samson was totally dedicated to Him.
My dear friends, if you want God to use you to change your world, then like Samson...
COMMIT YOURSELF TOTALLY TO THE LORD.
Dedicate yourself wholly to Him. Relinquish control of your own life and yield control to God.
Now, that doesn’t mean you have to abstain from grapes, funerals and haircuts like Samson did, but it does mean giving your whole heart to the Lord, who died on a cross to pay for your sins and rose again to offer you a new and eternal life with Him.
In the late 19th Century, Christina Rossetti, a devoted follower of Christ, volunteered for many years at the St. Mary Magdalene “house of charity.” It was a refuge for women coming out of a life of prostitution. In the Victorian Era of her day, economic forces often forced women to eke out a living by selling their bodies. Some of the “women” were only twelve years old. Rosetti ministered to these women, introducing them to Christ and helping them find better jobs, much of which she did through her poems.
One of her poems, which she wrote in 1872, appeared only after her death. 30 years later, it was set to music and titled “A Christmas Carol.” Today, we know it as “In the Bleak Midwinter.”
I know it’s the wrong time of year to be talking about Christmas carols, but let the thought of this Christmas carol refresh you on a hot Kansas summer day. The carol pictures a Savior who entered our world of suffering and brokenness – a world much like “the bleak mid-winter” of Rossetti's native England. The carol declares that “Heaven cannot hold… nor earth sustain” our Lord Jesus Christ, and yet “a stable-place” and “a manger full of hay” was enough for him.
In light of Christ's great power and love, Rossetti's poem asks: What can I give Him, Poor as I am?
This question would have weighed heavily on women struggling to come out of a life of prostitution. With their broken lives, what could they possibly give to Jesus, especially since “Heaven cannot hold him”?
According to Rossetti's poem, there is one thing that all of us can give Christ – no matter who we are. She wrote:
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb,
If I were a wise man, I would do my part,
Yet what I can I give Him, Give my heart.
Regardless of your tainted past or present struggles, there is one gift that Christ wants more than anything – your heart. No matter who you are or where you've been, you can give him your heart. (Karen Swallow Prior, "The Best Christmas Gift Ever," Her.meneutics blog, 12-22-10; www.PreachingToday.com)
My dear friends, if haven’t done it already, I urge you to give Jesus your heart today; give Him the very core of your being, and trust Him to take full control of your life.
In this decisive moment, that must be the first decision you make if you want to save yourself and lead others to safety, as well. Give yourself wholly and completely to Jesus. Commit yourself totally to the Lord. And then...
DON’T COMPROMISE ON THAT COMMITMENT.
Don’t back off, even a little bit, in your dedication to the Lord. Don’t take back control of any area of your life. That’s what Samson did, and it eventually led to his downfall.
Judges 14:1-3 Samson went down to Timnah, and at Timnah he saw one of the daughters of the Philistines. Then he came up and told his father and mother, “I saw one of the daughters of the Philistines at Timnah. Now get her for me as my wife.” But his father and mother said to him, “Is there not a woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you must go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she is right in my eyes.” (ESV)
Samson is not walking by faith here. He’s walking by sight, following the lust of his eyes. There is no indication that he even got to know this Philistine girl at all. She just looked good to him, and he wanted her body.
The only problem was it went against God’s law. God made it clear that Israelite men could not marry Philistine women or any other woman outside the nation of Israel (Exodus 34:16; Deuteronomy 7:3). But Samson doesn’t care. He sees a sexy woman and he wants her. It broke his parents’ hearts, who tried to talk him out of it, but...
Judges 14:4 His father and mother did not know that it was from the LORD, for he was seeking an opportunity against the Philistines. At that time the Philistines ruled over Israel. (ESV)
God was going to use Samson’s lust to destroy the Philistines. It does not excuse Samson’s sin, for which he will eventually bear the consequences, but it demonstrates the grace of God, who can redeem even our poor choices and use them for His glory. Look at how God works as Samson and his parents go to the girl’s hometown to arrange the marriage
Judges 14:5-6 Then Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah, and they came to the vineyards of Timnah. And behold, a young lion came toward him roaring. Then the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon him, and although he had nothing in his hand, he tore the lion in pieces as one tears a young goat. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done. (ESV)
Evidently, his parents had gone ahead of Samson.
Judges 14:7 Then he went down and talked with the woman, and she was right in Samson’s eyes. (ESV)
This was the first conversation he had with the woman, but he’s not interested in getting to know her; he just likes what he sees.
Judges 14:8-9 After some days he returned to take her [as his wife]. And he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion, and behold, there was a swarm of bees in the body of the lion, and honey. He scraped it out into his hands and went on, eating as he went. And he came to his father and mother and gave some to them, and they ate. But he did not tell them that he had scraped the honey from the carcass of the lion. (ESV)
Besides pursuing a foreign woman against God’s law, this is the first compromise Samson makes in his commitment to the Lord. As a Nazarite, he could not go near a dead body; but here, he scrapes honey out of the carcass of a dead lion.
Judges 14:10 His father went down to the woman, and Samson prepared a feast there, for so the young men used to do. (ESV)
That feast was literally a drinking party. So this is the second compromise Samson makes in his commitment to God. He drinks wine and hard liquor, which a Nazarite could not do.
Judges 14:11-14 As soon as the people saw him, they brought thirty companions to be with him. And Samson said to them, “Let me now put a riddle to you. If you can tell me what it is, within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothes, but if you cannot tell me what it is, then you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothes.” And they said to him, “Put your riddle, that we may hear it.” And he said to them, “Out of the eater came something to eat. Out of the strong came something sweet.” And in three days they could not solve the riddle. (ESV)
They’re halfway through the wedding reception, which normally lasted seven days.
Judges 14:15-17 On the fourth day they said to Samson’s wife, “Entice your husband to tell us what the riddle is, lest we burn you and your father’s house with fire. Have you invited us here to impoverish us?” And Samson’s wife wept over him and said, “You only hate me; you do not love me. You have put a riddle to my people, and you have not told me what it is.” And he said to her, “Behold, I have not told my father nor my mother, and shall I tell you?” She wept before him the seven days that their feast lasted, and on the seventh day he told her, because she pressed him hard. Then she told the riddle to her people. (ESV)
Samson couldn’t stand the constant tears of his new bride. As Chuck Swindoll put it, “He was a he-man with a she-weakness.”
One commentator said, “Samson, anticipating the consummation of the marriage, was anxious to stop the flow of tears” (Arthur E. Cundall and Leon Morris, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries: Judges and Ruth, p.166). He wanted to have a good time that night, and he didn’t need a bawling bride to ruin his fun. So he told her the meaning of the riddle, which she told to the 30 groomsmen.
Judges 14:18-20 And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, “What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?” And he said to them, “If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have found out my riddle.” And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon [23 miles away!] and struck down thirty men of the town and took their spoil and gave the garments to those who had told the riddle. In hot anger he went back to his father’s house. And Samson’s wife was given to his companion, who had been his best man. (ESV)
God, in his grace, prevented Samson from consummating his marriage with a Philistine woman. God kept him from willful disobedience, which would have been catastrophic for him. And God, in His grace, continued to use Samson to save Israel from the Philistines. When his anger cools down, Samson returns to Timnah to consummate his marriage, but finds that his bride’s father had given her in marriage to his best man.
Samson is so mad, he burns all their crops in the middle of harvest. Then, as the Spirit of the Lord rushes on him again (Judges 15:14), Samson kills 1,000 Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey. That’s what Judges 15 is all about. God, in His grace, uses Samson to destroy Israel’s tormentors. Then God in His grace, answers Samson’s cry for help.
Judges 15:18-20 And he was very thirsty, and he called upon the LORD and said, “You have granted this great salvation by the hand of your servant, and shall I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” And God split open the hollow place that is at Lehi, and water came out from it. And when he drank, his spirit returned, and he revived. Therefore the name of it was called En-hakkore [which means “the spring of the caller”]; it is at Lehi to this day. And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years. (ESV)
Samson saved Israel from the Philistines, and he led Israel for 20 years. So far, so good! Samson’s compromises haven’t cost him very much yet, but he’s about to meet Delilah.
Judges 16:4-17 After this he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Seduce him, and see where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to humble him. And we will each give you 1,100 pieces of silver.” So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength lies, and how you might be bound, that one could subdue you.” Samson said to her, “If they bind me with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, then I shall become weak and be like any other man.” Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she bound him with them. Now she had men lying in ambush in an inner chamber. And she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he snapped the bowstrings, as a thread of flax snaps when it touches the fire. So the secret of his strength was not known. Then Delilah said to Samson, “Behold, you have mocked me and told me lies. Please tell me how you might be bound.” And he said to her, “If they bind me with new ropes that have not been used, then I shall become weak and be like any other man.” So Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And the men lying in ambush were in an inner chamber. But he snapped the ropes off his arms like a thread. Then Delilah said to Samson, “Until now you have mocked me and told me lies. Tell me how you might be bound.” And he said to her, “If you weave the seven locks of my head with the web and fasten it tight with the pin, then I shall become weak and be like any other man.” So while he slept, Delilah took the seven locks of his head and wove them into the web. And she made them tight with the pin and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he awoke from his sleep and pulled away the pin, the loom, and the web. And she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and you have not told me where your great strength lies.” And when she pressed him hard with her words day after day, and urged him, his soul was vexed to death. And he told her all his heart, and said to her, “A razor has never come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If my head is shaved, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak and be like any other man.” (ESV)
Samson is playing with Delilah. Then he starts playing with his Nazarite vow. He knows that his strength is not in his hair; it’s in the Lord. However, his hair is the last sign of his dedication to the Lord. He’s already compromised on his Nazarite vow – he touched a dead body, and he drank wine. Now, he’s about to make his third compromise on that vow.
Judges 16:18-20 When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called the lords of the Philistines, saying, “Come up again, for he has told me all his heart.” Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hands. She made him sleep on her knees. And she called a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him. And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the LORD had left him. (ESV)
Perhaps, one of the saddest verses in the Bible.
Judges 16:21 And the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles. And he ground at the mill in the prison. (ESV)
Sin blinds; sin binds; and sin grinds. Never forget it! It seems that you can get away with some small compromises, but they eventually catch up with you and bring you down. That’s what happened to Samson. Please, don’t let it happen to you. Don’t compromise in your commitment to the Lord.
In the spring of 1867, George Custer and his regiment were on a scouting expedition on the plains of Kansas. Suddenly Custer's English greyhounds, his constant companions, began to chase some antelope over a distant hill. Custer could not resist joining the chase. It was not long before the general, his horse, and his pack of dogs had left his regiment far behind.
He quickly forgot his men and his mission when he crested the first hill and saw his first buffalo: an enormous, shaggy bull. He put the spurs to his horse's sides and began the chase. As the horse gained on the massive buffalo, Custer yelled with excitement. An avid hunter, he had to bring this trophy home. He drew his pearl-handled pistol. But as he came alongside the thundering beast and shoved the barrel into its thick shaggy side, Custer paused. Feeling the ground shake, hearing the ragged breathing of both animals side by side, he pulled the pistol back, to “prolong the enjoyment of the chase.”
After several minutes, Custer decided it was time for the kill. Again, He shoved the pistol into the side of the buffalo. But, as if sensing Custer's intentions, the buffalo abruptly turned toward the horse. The horse veered away from the buffalo's horns, and when Custer tried to grab the reins with both hands, his finger accidentally fired a bullet into his own horse's head, killing it instantly. Custer was thrown to the ground and then struggled quickly to his feet to face the animal that had been his prey only seconds before. Instead of charging, the buffalo stared at the strange, foolish man and walked off.
Horseless and alone, Custer began the long, dangerous walk back to his regiment. In less than a decade, this same recklessness and arrogance would lead the General and his men to their death on a flat-topped hill next to a river called the Little Bighorn. (Nathaniel Philbrick, The Last Stand, Viking Press, 2010, pp. xv-xvi; www.PreachingToday.com)
That’s what happens when you forget your mission and play with sin. In your pride and arrogance, you may think you can get away with it; but eventually, it catches up with you and destroys you in the end.
Please, don’t do it! If you want to save yourself and lead others to safety, commit yourself totally to the Lord, and don’t compromise on that commitment.
However, if you have already compromised on your commitment and it’s caught up with you, all hope is not lost. You can still be used of God to save your world. Just...
CRY OUT TO THE LORD.
Plead with God to save you and use you to save others. Beg God to deliver you and use you to destroy the enemy.
That’s what Samson did. You remember at the end of Judges 15 when he was dying of thirst. He called out to God and God provided water, after which Samson led Israel for 20 years. Despite Samson’s compromises, God in His grace, saved Samson from certain death and used Samson to save Israel from the Philistines.
That’s because Samson humbled himself before the Lord, crying out for help. Now, defeated and cowed before the Philistines, Samson will cry out one more time.
Judges 16:22 But the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaved. (ESV)
The sign of his commitment to the Lord is being restored. His time in bondage has humbled him again and revived his dedication to God.
Judges 16:23-27 Now the lords of the Philistines gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to rejoice, and they said, “Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hand.” And when the people saw him, they praised their god. For they said, “Our god has given our enemy into our hand, the ravager of our country, who has killed many of us.” And when their hearts were merry, they said, “Call Samson, that he may entertain us.” So they called Samson out of the prison, and he entertained them. They made him stand between the pillars. And Samson said to the young man who held him by the hand, “Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, that I may lean against them.” Now the house was full of men and women. All the lords of the Philistines were there, and on the roof there were about 3,000 men and women, who looked on while Samson entertained. (ESV)
This ancient, heathen temple was supported by a series of wooden pillars set on stone bases. The officials and dignitaries sat under the flat roof, while the rest of the people stood on the roof, looking down into an open courtyard where Samson was on display. A boy is leading Samson by the hand, which was part of the entertainment for the crowd. They were watching Israel’s champion being humiliated by a boy, who controls his every move. Then, during a break in the entertainment, Samson asks the boy to lead him to the pillars, which support the roof.
Judges 16:28-31 Then Samson called to the LORD and said, “O Lord GOD, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes.” And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other. And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.” Then he bowed with all his strength, and the house fell upon the lords and upon all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life. Then his brothers and all his family came down and took him and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had judged Israel twenty years. (ESV)
God heard Samson’s prayer; and in his death, God used Samson to bring about a greater victory than he had ever experienced in his life. God did not abandon Samson even at his lowest point. On the contrary, God was right there when Samson cried out to Him.
In the same way, God has not abandoned you. He is right there even at your lowest point. Just cry out to Him like Samson did.
Early last year (2019), Dutch astronaut André Kuipers accidently called US emergency services from the International Space Station 200 miles above the earth. He was trying to contact NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, but he missed an all-important number. To reach the center in Houston, orbiting astronauts have to dial 9 for an outside line, followed by 011 for an international line. Kuipers missed the zero and ended up dialing 911.
Kuipers explained that it is surprisingly easy to communicate with Earth while aboard a space station in orbit. He said astronauts can reach land phones by satellites around 70 percent of the time. Then he joked, “I was a little disappointed that they had not come up.” (David Brennan, “Astronaut Accidentally Calls 911 from Space,” Newsweek, 1-2-19; www.PreachingToday.com)
It’s nice to know that even in space, 911 is there to listen, even if they can’t help. Better, God is there not only to hear your cry, but to come to your help no matter where you are. The Bible says, “God is... a very PRESENT help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).
So cry out to Him in your time of need no matter what you’ve done and no matter where it has led you. Cry out the Lord. Come to His “throne of grace,” and you will “receive mercy and find grace to help in [your] time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).
If you want to save yourself and lead others to safety, commit yourself totally to the Lord, and don’t compromise on that commitment. But if you have, cry out to the Lord, who can still save you and use you for His glory.
Dane Ortlund put it this way in his book Defiant Grace. He said, “Christianity is the unreligion. It turns all our religious instincts on their heads ….
“The ancient Greeks told us to be moderate by knowing our inclinations. The Romans told us to be strong by ordering our lives. Buddhism tells us to be disillusioned by annihilating our consciousness. Hinduism tells us to be absorbed by merging our souls. Islam tells us to be submissive by subjecting our wills. Agnosticism tells us to be at peace by ignoring our doubts. Moralism tells us to be good by discharging our obligations. Only the gospel tells us to be free by acknowledging our failure. Christianity is the unreligion because it is the one faith whose founder tells us to bring not our doing, but our need.” (Dane Ortlund, Defiant Grace, EP Books, 2011, p. 38; www.Preaching Today.com)
Oh, my dear friends, bring your need to Jesus today. Give your broken life to Him and let Him restore you like nobody else can.
