The Samsonite Challenge

Intro

In my family there is a luggage set passed down from my Great Uncle.  Probably was expensive in its day.  It has the name Samsonite on it.  Today this luggage is not very stylish; in fact it’s kinda ugly.  It’s a brownish color.  Very bulky, but very strong.  In fact, it’s just as strong today as it was over 50 years ago.  Good quality.  Poor choice of name.  They likely figured that naming their luggage after the strongest man in the Bible was a good idea.  It seems to have worked, but if they knew just how weak this Samson figure was, they might have chosen another name.

Overview of Samson’s Life

1.       Miracle birth (ch. 13)

2.       Marriage to a Philistine

3.       Incident with lion, honey, and riddle

4.       Wife nags him into answering the riddle

5.       He attacks 30 Philistines

6.       Philistines burn his wife and father-in-law

7.       He burns their crops with 300 foxes

8.       He is betrayed by 3000 Judahites

9.       He escapes, attacks and slays 1000 Philistines

10.   He visits a prostitute and escapes capture

11.   He falls for Delilah and loses his hair

12.   He is captured and his eyes are gouged out

13.   He kills himself and 3000 Philistines in their temple

ISRAEL’S IMPERFECT JUDGE (Samson the Nazirite)

I.                Samson’s ANNOINTING

Keyword: STRENGTH

Samson’s anointing was one of strength.  He was entrusted by God with superhuman strength for the purpose of delivering the Israelite people from the Philistines.  God raised him up from among his people as a leader, a judge, and a deliverer.  This anointing was directly related to his Nazirite vow, which he systematically rejected.  His hair was his crown, the most visible sign of his authority.  A king may not act like a king, but as long as he still wears the crown, he is the king, the one with authority.  Samson’s hair was the crown of his authority, the only remaining symbol of his separated life.

II.            Samson’s ATTITUDE

Keyword: SELF-CENTEREDNESS

He lacked REMORSE: We never hear a confession of regret or sorrow over his disobedience.

He lacked REPENTANCE: Even at his death he is still trying to get revenge.

He lacked REFLECTION: There was no self-introspection, reminding himself of his past or his calling, his responsibilities or why he was there.

He was RECKLESS: His decisions were based on personal insult, pride, and self-promotion instead of God’s will or justice.  Lacked regard for how his behavior affected others.

III.            Samson’s ACTIONS

Keyword: SENSUALITY (Senses, emotions,etc)

A.      He Preferred Sin

1.      Anger – First he burned, then the crops, then his wife.

The stakes kept rising until it cost him his life.

2.      Pride – Insult led to violence, made into a spectacle

3.      Lust – 3 women in his life, eyes gouged out

B.      He Played Games

1.      With His Commitment to God

Broke his Nazirite vow:  Nothing from fruit of vine

                                    Not touching the dead

                                    Not cutting his hair

2.      With Marriage and Women in General

3.      With the Enemy

Instead of leading the Israelites and motivating them to rally against the Philistines under him, he was much less successful trying to do it all himself.  He was a “could have been.”

ISRAEL’S PERFECT JUDGE (Yeshua/Jesus the Nazarene)

Samson and Jesus have much in common:

1.       They both had miraculous births

2.       Both had angels visit their parents

3.       Prophetic words were spoken about their ministries

4.       They were both made a spectacle before their accusers

5.       Each of them gave his life for Israel

But where Samson failed, Jesus was faithful:

1.       He honored his father and mother

2.       In his anger he did not sin

3.       When insulted, he did not respond hatefully

4.       His riddles (parables) were intended to teach truth, not confuse or lord his knowledge over others

5.       He was respectful towards women

6.       At his death he prayed for his enemies rather than exacting revenge

7.       Death was the enemy. He did not cheat death.  He conquered it!

Conclusion

Samson is not only a symbol of strength but weakness as well, and is no more a role model than Balaam.  But he did ultimately fulfill his calling, not because of his own faithfulness, but because of God’s.  Samson serves as a reminder that God’s anointing upon us is not indicative of His approval of our behavior. 

Just because we’re being used of God in some great way doesn’t justify our personal disobedience.  But we can’t give Samson a bad rap either.  Hebrews 11 includes him in the Hall of Faith.  What good can we say of him?  At least he did something with his gifts. 

God gives gifts to each of us.  Samson’s was physical strength.  Do you know what yours is?  The ability to sing, teach, play an instrument, practice a certain skill, perform a task, encourage people, give money, give time, administrate, heal others, pray for others, etc.  Are you using your gifts wisely?  Or at all?

Each of us has an anointing upon us (1 Jn 2:20).  The anointing is God’s Spirit within you strengthening you to utilize your gifts and abilities for God’s purposes. It’s where supernatural meets natural.  If God’s Spirit lives within you, you then have an anointing. The question is not whether or not you have an anointing, but “are you excelling in your anointing?”

Don’t let this be a “Summer of Sam-son” in which you lose sight of your goals, play with the Enemy, flirt with the Adversary, or grow weak in your devotion to the One who will ultimately judge us.

If you were luggage, who would you want to be like, Samson the unfaithful Nazarite, or Jesus the faithful Nazarene?  Choose Jesus today, and live a life of strength that is out of this world.