04.06. SHADOW: Samson- "A Picture of Rejection"
SHADOW: Samson "A Picture of Rejection"
Judges 13:1-5 AUDIO http://www.exposingtheword.com/SHADOWS/MP3s%20Shadows/6%20Shadow%20-%20Samson.mp3
Most of us when the name Samson is mentioned will probably first recall the story of him and a woman named Delilah. Or perhaps we remember the man who let his hair grow for great strength. Today we look at the second individual who gives us another piece of the puzzle that collectively give us a picture of Christ. There are a great number of individuals that are identified as a foreshadow of Messiah by events in their life. Men such as Adam that we have already looked at, Isaac, Joseph, Moses and others that we may or may not get to in this series depending on the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
But today we have before us one that perhaps we would not think of with our initial assessment of the Old Testament characters that portray a foreshadow of Christ. Samson for the most part is looked at with strong ties to the things I have mentioned. Still it is amazing when we look at his life and see the parallels with the Messiah. I concede the fact that we have a great advantage because we can look back and see the obvious with our hindsight advantage but the similarities are striking to say the least. The first of seven things I want us to look at in the life of Samson and laid beside the life of Christ in parallel is found in our text.
Judges 13:1-5 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years. 2 And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not. 3 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son. 4 Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing: 5 For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.
I- An Angel announced his birth: Judges 13:3 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.
An angel appeared to the mother of Samson and announced that she would conceive and bear a son. Now notice the parallel that we all know so well.
Luke 1:26-31 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. …30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
II- Was to be a Nazarite: Judges 13:5 For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb…
Numbers 6:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the LORD:
Samson was separated by the vow of the Nazarite to God. This vow could be for as little as 30 days or for a lifetime. We will not spend much time on this but we see in Matthew 2:23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.
You will recall after leaving Egypt that Christ as a child of Mary and Joseph was taken to live in Nazareth and therefore was called a Nazarene.
III- Was Promised to be Savior before birth: Judges 13:5 b …he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.
Israel was under a period of persecution from the dreaded foes the Philistines. Remember Goliath the Philistine. They were a thorn in the side of the Children of Israel throughout all their existence for the most part. God promised that Samson, before His birth would be a savior for the nation.
This is in the historic time known as the judges. This is the period of time between the entrance to the Promised Land and the time when the Kings such as Saul and David ruled. The children of Israel were in a pattern of neglecting God and God sending trouble by the hands of an oppressor to bring them back to Him. Samson was promised to be a deliver before he was born. May I say that mankind is locked under the oppression of sin and needs a Savior. But beloved as the foreshadow of Samson gives us a picture of the One who was also foretold to be a deliver or Savior before He was born. Matthew 1:20-21 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Samson was the shadow Christ was the real. Christ the Savior is come.
IV- Treated Unkindly by Own Nation: Judges 15:11 Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock Etam, and said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us? what is this that thou hast done unto us? And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so have I done unto them.
Samson had tied fire to three hundred foxes and set them loose in the Philistine fields. Judges 15:12 And they said unto him, We are come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said unto them, Swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon me yourselves. 13 And they spake unto him, saying, No; but we will bind thee fast, and deliver thee into their hand: but surely we will not kill thee. And they bound him with two new cords, and brought him up from the rock.
These men who were the brethren of Samson were willing to turn him over to the Philistines so they could punish him.
John simply states this like this in John 1:11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
V- Delivered to the Gentiles by Own Countrymen: Let us see another in these verses as well. Judges 15:12 And they said unto him, We are come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. 13 And they spake unto him, saying, No; but we will bind thee fast, and deliver thee into their hand…
They were willing to deliver Samson over to the Philistines in order to appease them and to protect the nation. Eerily similar to what happened to Jesus. John 11:49-50 And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, 50 Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.
Jesus was turned over to the Gentiles by His own countrymen.
VI- Cruelly Treated and Mocked: Delilah was trying to get Samson to tell her the source of His great strength. He finally relented and told her it was his long hair. Judges 16:19-21 And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him. 20 And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him. 21 But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.,
We also see they made sport of him and mocked him. Judges 16:25 And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them sport: and they set him between the pillars.
Remember Jesus, betrayed by His own countrymen and turned over to the Romans. John 19:1-3 Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him. 2 And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe, 3 And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands.
Matthew 27:29-31 And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! 30 And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head. 31 And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.
VII- Accomplished more in death than in Life: In Judges 16:25 when they called for Samson to be brought to the party remember, they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them sport: and they set him between the pillars.
Now here is the scene we may know well. Samson is standing between the columns that hold up the entire massive building in which all the enemies of Israel from the Philistines were gathered. He asks the Lord for strength to accomplish by his death a great blow to the enemies of Israel. Judges 16:30 And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.
We certainly know that through the death of Christ that life was given. He touched a lot of people while He walked on the earth but He touched the whole world by His death.
Romans 5:8-10 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
1 Corinthians 15:53-57 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Samson pictures for us the picture of Christ being rejected that we may accept the sacrifice and not be rejected.