Living for Christ is a Confused and Confusing Age

A Study of the Book of Judges

Sermon # 10 

“Three Easy Steps To Spiritual Ruin.”

Judges 14-15 

       We were introduced to the character of Samson last week as we saw “The Principles of Being a Good Parent” drawn from the life of Samson’s parents. Let me reiterate that Samson’s parents had done all that could have been expected of them to raise Samson in a godly home. And the life of Samson graphically illustrates the truth that even children that are raised in the best of Christian homes can fail God, shame their parents and fall far short of their God given potential. 

       Samson was born by God’s direct intervention, he was blessed with godly parents, blessed by God as he grew to manhood, divinely appointed to an important ministry and equipped by the Holy Spirit with unequaled physical strength. Clearly Samson lacked nothing.

       Lois Cheney has written a parable in her book “God Is No Fool” that says,   “Once a man said, ‘If I had some extra money, I’d give it to God, but I have just enough to support myself and my family.’ And the same man said, ‘If I had some extra time, I’d give it to God, but every minute is taken up with my job, my family, my clubs and what have you – every single minute.’ He also said, ‘If I had a talent I’d give it to God, but I have no lovely voice; I have no special skill; I’ve never been able to lead a group; I can’t think cleverly or quickly, the way I would like to.’

       And God was touched, … and God gave the man, money, time and a glorious talent. And then he waited and waited and waited… And then after a while, God shrugged his shoulders, and took back all three gifts from the man.

       After a while the man sighed and said, ‘If I only had some of that money back, I’d give it to God. If I only had some of the time, I’d give it to God. If I could only rediscover that glorious talent, I’d give it to God.’

       And God said, “Oh, shut up.’

       And the man told some of his friends, ‘You know, I’m not sure I believe in God anymore.’ ”[As quoted by W. Gary Phillips. Holman Old Testament Commentary. Judges, Ruth. (Nashville:Broadman & Holman Pub., 2004) p. 219]

God gave Samson amazing gifts, yet he squandered and ignored the resources that God had given him. He was a man of great potential and even greater tragedy, because his life is a story of potential wasted.

This morning I want us to examine this life of such great potential, and see if we can determine what led him to such a life of ruin. This morning I want us to see that Samson gives us “Three Easy Steps to Spiritual Ruin.”  

The First Easy Step In Spiritual Ruin Is –

Disregard Your Scriptural Limitations.

(v. 1) “Now Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines.”

Samson went down to Timnah and there he saw a beautiful Philistine woman and it was lust at first sight. So he went home and told his parents. How the hearts of this godly couple must have broken. Many Christian parents have stood when Samson’s parents stood. They have, faithfully taught, prayed for, disciplined and loved a son or daughter only to have see that child willfully turn away from the way of the LORD. No one can deny that it is anything but devastating.

       Young people you need to hear me, God is clear on this point. God has not changed his mind on this! Believers still are to marry only other believers. When we do not heed this directive, we do so to our own hurt. “This (command) make perfect sense if you stop to consider it; since otherwise the one thing that should be the most important thing in your life (your faith) is the one thing you cannot share with the most important person in your life” [W. Gary Phillips. Holman Old Testament Commentary. Judges, Ruth. (Nashville:Broadman & Holman Pub., 2004) p. 228]

          God through his word has placed certain scriptural limits in our lives.

The First Easy Step In Spiritual Ruin Is – Disregard Your Scriptural Limitations and…. 

The Second Easy Step To Spiritual Ruin Is – Despise Your Spiritual Heritage

       Samson was by God’s decree to be a Nazirite all of his life. The Nazirite vow spelled out in Numbers 6:1-4 had three primary prohibitions. (1) He was to abstain from all fruit of the vine. This was to be a sign that he was to live a simple life. (2) He was to not to cut his hair. Which was to be a public sign of his vow to others. (3) He was to avoid contact with the dead, so that he could keep in constant fellowship with God.

       It is pretty astounding to witness how many times it is revealed that Samson broke his vows in his adult life.

       No-no number one – When his father objects to the marriage, in spite of the scripture forbidding it, Samson is determined to marry the woman any way. We will deal more with this in a moment.

No-no number two. (v. 5)

“So Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother, and came to the vine-yards of Timnah. Now to his surprise, a young lion came roaring against him.”

 As Samson travels down to arrange the wedding, he passes through a vineyard. May I just suggest that a vineyard is a dangerous place for a man who was not supposed to have anything to do with grapes. In verse six we read, “And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart as one would have torn apart a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand…” 

No-no number three (vv. 8-9)

“After some time, when he returned to get her, he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion. And behold, a swarm of bees and honey were in the carcass of the lion. (9) He took some of it in his hands and went along, eating….”        After arranging for the wedding as Samson travels back home, his curiosity led his to look for the carcass of the lion he had killed. There to his surprise he found a swarm of bees had created an honeycomb in the carcass of the lion. Samson never one to deny himself, helped himself to the honey although in doing so he broke yet another of his vows, “come at no dead body.” Just eight verses into his adult life and Samson has already broken his vows three times displaying the distain he felt for his spiritual heritage. I wonder what our everyday actions reveal about our regard for our spiritual heritage.

       The Second Easy Step to Spiritual Ruin Is – Despise Your Spiritual Heritage …. 

The Third Easy Step To Spiritual Ruin Is –Defy Your Spiritual Authorities. (vv. 2-4)

“So he went up and told his father and mother, saying, “I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife.” (3) Then his father and mother said to him, “Is there no woman among the daughters of your brethren, or among all my people, that you must go and get a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?”

       If there is one thing for certain in life it is the fact that we do not like to admit that there are “any” authorities in our lives. We are a free people why should any one have the right to tell us what to do.

            Samson had been blessed in life with parents that knew the Lord in a personal way and they were committed to obeying him which made them a part of a very small minority in Israel at the time. Every person alive has several God-Ordained authorities in their lives, one of those according to Ephesus six are parents. The others are,

·        Government: Rom 13, 1 Pt 2:17

·        Employer: Eph 6, 1 Pt 2:18

·        Elders: Heb 13:17

Samson dismissed the counsel of his parents without so much as the courtesy of an explanation. It is a regrettable fact that even Christian young people pass through a period of life when their parents seem unworthy of even the most basic respect and consideration.

       Let it be said emphatically that the desire to “get even” with parents who are “trying to run my life” can be one of the costliest error of a lifetime. Those who have made these mistakes all too often look back over shattered lives and admit that mom and dad knew more than they were given credit for!

Samson’s criticeria for selecting a mate is not hidden, it is perfectly clear and very shallow, “She looks good to me!” This simple sentence reveals volumes about the character of Samson. In verse three Samson says to his father, “Get her for me, for she pleases me well.” Verse four is at first a little puzzling to us. “But his father and mother did not know that it was of the Lord—that He was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines. For at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.”

Samson’s desire to marry the Philistine woman was “from the Lord” (v. 4) not in the sense that God approved of Samson’s wanting to marry this woman, thus violating Scripture, but because God was going to overrule Samson’s disobedience for His own glory. In a similar fashion God can and does overrule our foolish mistakes and sins to accomplish his purposes.

 Samson’s early life can be presented in summary form as the classic “Boy meets girl” story.

Boy meets Girl (v. 1)

Boy Wants Girl (v. 2) He liked her looks and it was lust at first sight.

Boy Demands Girl (vv. 3-10) Samson demands that his parents arrange a marriage.

Boy Gets Girl (vv. 11-19) The marriage is arranged but at the bachelor party Samson gambled with some very sore losers. Verse twelve reveals, “Then Samson said to them, “Let me pose a riddle to you. If you can correctly solve and explain it to me within the seven days of the feast, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing. (13) But if you cannot explain it to me, then you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing.”

And they said to him, “Pose your riddle, that we may hear it.” (14) So he said to them: “Out of the eater came something to eat, And out of the strong came something sweet.”

       It is bad enough that he had disobeyed God and broken his vow, but when you make a joke out of it, you have really sunk to an all time low.  Over a three day period the guest’s are unable to unravel the riddle and so in verse fifteen they pay a visit to the bride. “But it came to pass on the seventh day that they said to Samson’s wife, “Entice your husband, that he may explain the riddle to us, or else we will burn you and your father’s house with fire. Have you invited us in order to take what is ours? Is that not so?”(16) Then Samson’s wife wept on him, and said, “You only hate me! You do not love me! You have posed a riddle to the sons of my people, but you have not explained it to me.” And he said to her, “Look, I have not explained it to my father or my mother; so should I explain it to you?” (17) Now she had wept on him the seven days while their feast lasted. And it happened on the seventh day that he told her, because she pressed him so much. Then she explained the riddle to the sons of her people. (18) So the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down: “What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?” And he said to them: “If you had not plowed with my heifer, You would not have solved my riddle!”

       Men I would like to suggest that phrase is one you better promptly forget, I would suggest you never, ever use it with you wife!!!  They will not, and I repeat, Will not, think that it is funny. 

Boy Loses Girl (14:19-20) The girl’s father marries her off to the best man when Samson leaves in a huff. “Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily, and he went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty of their men, took their apparel, and gave the changes of clothing to those who had explained the riddle. So his anger was aroused, and he went back up to his father’s house. (20) And Samson’s wife was given to his companion, who had been his best man.” 

Boy Really Loses Girl (15: 1-6) The girl and her father are murdered in retaliation for Samson’s revenge. “After a while, in the time of wheat harvest, it happened that Samson visited his wife with a young goat. And he said, “Let me go in to my wife, into her room.” But her father would not permit him to go in. (2) Her father said, “I really thought that you thoroughly hated her; therefore I gave her to your companion. Is not her younger sister better than she? Please, take her instead.” (3) And Samson said to them, “This time I shall be blameless regarding the Philistines if I harm them!” (4) Then Samson went and caught three hundred foxes; and he took torches, turned the foxes tail to tail, and put a torch between each pair of tails. (5) When he had set the torches on fire, he let the foxes go into the standing grain of the Philistines, and burned up both the shocks and the standing grain, as well as the vineyards and olive groves. (6) Then the Philistines said, “Who has done this?” And they answered, “Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he has taken his wife and given her to his companion.” So the Philistines came up and burned her and her father with fire.”

       It is really sad to realize that “the woman had betrayed Samson because the Philistines threatened to burn her alive in her house. When she caved in under the threat, she ended up being burned alive – by the Philistines. Satan is a very hard taskmaster, and he feels absolutely no need to keep his promises.” [Gary Inrig. Hearts of Iron, Feet of Clay. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1979) p. 234] 

Boy Avenges Girl (15:7-20) Furious Samson takes on the Philistines.

“Samson said to them, “Since you would do a thing like this, I will surely take revenge on you, and after that I will cease.” (8) So he attacked them hip and thigh with a great slaughter;….  The enduring tragedy of Samson’s early life is that he never did get the girl. He never got the woman he wanted but the even greater tragedy is that he never became the man that God planned.  

Conclusion