Judges 16

Judges 16:1

SAMSON’S MORAL FRAILTYWhat a playboy Samson was! The men of the city locked up the city and they said, “We’ll get him in the morning.”

Judges 16:3

Samson got up at midnight and found the gates of the city locked. So what did he do? He took the gate, posts, bar and all, put them on his shoulders, and carried them away to the top of a hill that is before Hebron. That would have been about forty miles away. What he did sounds like a prank of a teenager or the trick of a college student. This boy Samson never did grow up. He has been called to deliver Israel with his mighty power, but all he does is use it for his personal advantage.

Judges 16:4

SAMSON AND DELILAHThat is the story of Samson. That is the downfall of Samson. That is the big failure in his life. That is the weak point in his life"he loved a woman." No man falls suddenly into sinhe does it gradually. There was a bank president in my congregation when I pastored a church in Texas. This man went with me to the local jail to hand out tracts and talk to prisoners. Outwardly he was an outstanding man. One day he disappeared. He had gone on vacation. Suddenly the bank began to miss money. They could not believe that he had taken it. They tried to account for the loss in every other way, but they could not. They finally decided that he must be the one who took the money, and when he did not return from vacation, they began to search for him. After a complete investigation, they discovered that he had been taking money for years. No man falls suddenly into sin. One of the greatest sins that destroys many a man today is this matter of illicit sex. That was Samson’s sin"he loved a woman whose name was Delilah." As far as we know, he made no attempt to marry her.

Judges 16:5

You may be sure that Delilah was more interested in the silver than she was in Samson. Once again the Philistine leaders had found a way to get to Samson. Notice that he teases her at first. He begins to give her answers, but they are wrong answers. He broke the cords with no effort at all. Still his strength was not known.

Judges 16:10

Again he is playing with her; he is kidding her along. He allowed her to tie him up with ropes. Then when she cried, “The Philistines are upon thee, Samson,” he broke the ropes like they were a thread. Now Delilah is really exasperated. She is frustrated with her boy friend.

Judges 16:13

Now Samson is beginning to weaken. May I say to you, friend, this is the beginning of the end of this man. He is getting close to the truth now as he mentions his hair. But he is still teasing with her, and when she says “The Philistines are upon thee, Samson,” he picks the whole thing up and walks away with it.

Judges 16:15

This time Delilah tells Samson that if he really loved her he would tell her the secret of his strength. So Samson told her that he was a Nazarite. Long hair, as you remember, was a badge of this vow. His strength was not in his hair but in the Spirit of God who came upon him. Delilah sees what a fool he really isand he is a fool.

Judges 16:18

When Samson went to sleep, Delilah had one of the Philistines come in and shave off his hair. Then for the fourth time Delilah cried out, “The Philistines be upon thee, Samson!” This is the tragic time in the life of Samson. He awoke out of his sleep, thinking he would do as he had done before, but “he knew not that the Lord was departed from him.” Friend, the strength was not in his hair; the strength was in the Spirit of the Lord who was upon him. Friend, our spiritual strength today is not in ceremonies or in rituals. The strength of the believer is always in the Spirit of Godalways. Samson, called to be a judge for his people, called to deliver his people from the oppression of the Philistines, is a carnal man. Now Ichabod (meaning “the glory is departed”) is written over his life. He never raised an army. He never won a battle. He never rallied the men of Israel to him. Sex was the ruin of this manthis man who was chosen by God!

Judges 16:21

Now we are coming to the tragic end of this man. After the Philistines captured Samson, they put out his eyesblinded himthen forced him to do the work of a beast of burden in the prison. While he was in prison, his hair began to grow. He now has become a very repentant man. The Philistines, of course, ascribe their victory over Samson to their god Dagon and hold a feast to celebrate.

Judges 16:25

SAMSON IS AVENGED IN HIS DEATHTo make their victory celebration complete, the Philistines have Samson brought from the prison. Then they make a fool of him. About three thousand men and women watch Samson being tormented.

Judges 16:28

Samson was a failure. He began to deliver Israelbut he failed. He preferred to play with sin until the Spirit of God departed from him. Three significant verses tell his story:

1. Secret of Samson’s successFor, 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 (Jdg_13:5).
2. Secret of Samson’s strengthAnd the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol (Jdg_13:25).
3. Secret of Samson’s failureAnd 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 (Jdg_16:20). Note the parallel between the life of Samson and that of Jesus Christ: Comparison:1. Both births were foretold by an angel.-1022. Both were separated to God from the womb.-1023. Both were Nazarites.-1024. Both moved in the power of the Holy Spirit.-1025. Both were rejected by their people.-1026. Both destroyed (or will destroy) their enemies.-102Contrast:1. Samson lived a life of sin; Jesus’ life was sinless.-1022. Samson at the time of death prayed, “O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.” Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."-1023. In death, Samson’s arms were outstretched in wrath; In death, Jesus’ arms were outstretched in love.-1024. Samson died. Jesus Christ lives!