Copyr. 1997, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D.
INTRODUCTION: APPRECIATE RICHARD BYRD TEACHING FOR
ME LAST WEEK. LETS REVIEW FOR JUST A MINUTE THE
THREE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS ABOUT SAMPSON THAT
YOU LEARNED LAST WEEK.
1. JESUS ANNOUNCED THAT SAMPSON WOULD BE BORN.
2. HE WAS BORN TO PARENTS WHO WERE VERY
CONCERNED ABOUT RAISING HIM CORRECTLY.
3. AND HE WAS SET APART TO GOD AS A NAZIRITE.
LETS PICK UP BY TURNING TO JUDGES 13:24. READ. ALL
IS WELL!
I. THE WIFE
A. LETS READ ON JUDGES 14:1-3. NOW HOW ARE THINGS
PROGRESSING?
1. DOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR TO ANY PARENTS?
B. IN THE SCHEME OF THINGS, HOW IMPORTANT IS THE
CHOICE OF A SPOUSE?
C. ON WHAT DID SAMPSON BASE HIS CHOICE OF A MATE?
(HER LOOKS. HE SAYS HE SAW HER!)
D. ON WHAT BASIS DID HIS PARENTS THINK HE
SHOULD BE MAKING HIS CHOICE? (MARRY AN ISRAELITE.)
1. WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF REFERRING TO THE
PHILISTINES AS UNCIRCUMCISED? (THAT THEY
HAVE NOT ENTERED INTO THE COVENANT WITH
GOD THAT HE WILL BE THEIR GOD AND THEY
WILL BE HIS PEOPLE. GEN 17:2-8)
E. ARE THE PARENTS RIGHT? (YES. DEUT.7:1-4. DON'T
INTERMARRY OR THEY WILL TURN YOUR SONS AND
DAUGHTERS AWAY FROM GOD.)
F. WHAT DOES THIS TELL US ABOUT SAMPSON?
G. WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF HIS CHOICE SINCE HE
HAS BEEN SET APART FOR GOD? (THIS IS A DISASTER)
H. READ 14:4. SO NOW WE KNOW THE BOY WAS RIGHT ALL ALONG!
PICK YOUR SPOUSE BASED ON LOOKS ALONE.
GO FOR A PHILISTINE!
1. RIGHT? (WRONG. I THINK THIS IS SIMPLY SAYING THAT
GOD WORKS WITH OUR LOUSY
DECISIONS. THE PARENTS, WHO WERE
SURE THAT THIS WAS A DISASTER,
AND A COMPLETE SCREW UP IN
THEIR OBLIGATION TO RAISE
SAMPSON CORRECTLY, DID NOT HAVE
TO FEEL SO BAD BECAUSE GOD WAS
GOING TO USE THIS FOR GOOD.)
I. IS THIS TRUE FOR US TODAY?
1. WILL GOD TURN THE WRONG DECISIONS THAT WE MAKE INTO
GOOD?
2. WILL HE TURN THE WRONG DECISIONS OF OUR CHILDREN
INTO GOOD? (HE CAN. BUT I THINK
THAT OFTEN PEOPLE SUFFER BECAUSE
OF THE WRONG DECISIONS THAT THEY
MAKE, EVEN THOUGH GOD
ULTIMATELY CAN TURN IT
AROUND.)(HOSEA 8:7 SPEAKS OF
SOWING THE WIND AND REAPING
THE WHIRLWIND.)
II. THE LION
A. READ JUDGES 14:5-9. (VERSE 7 MAKES CLEAR THAT SAMPSON DID
NOT KNOW THE WOMAN THAT HE
PLANNED TO MARRY. WE SEEM TO HAVE
HIM SPEAKING TO HER FOR THE FIRST
TIME.)
B. LETS TURN TO THE EXCITING PART. VERSE 6 SAYS THAT THE
SPIRIT OF THE LORD CAME UPON SAMPSON
AND HE TORE THE LION IN TWO. I DOUBT THE
WILDLIFE FEDERATION OF PHILISTIA WOULD
HAVE APPROVED OF HIM TEARING AN
ENDANGERED SPECIES IN TWO.
1. WHY NOT LEAVE THE LION ALONE?
2. WHY WOULD THE LORD BE INVOLVED IN
SOMETHING LIKE THIS? (THE LION WAS ATTACKING
HIM.)
3. ANY GUESSES ON WHY THE LION ATTACKED? (SATAN HAD
NOTICED SAMPSON. HE WOULD LIKE TO
HAVE DESTROYED HIM AS HE WAS
PURSUING AN OBVIOUSLY WRONG COURSE.
(SATAN KNEW WHAT GOD HAD
COMMANDED ABOUT INTERMARRIAGE.)
C. SAMPSON INTERACTS WITH THIS LION TWICE. HE KILLS HIM AND
THEN HE EATS HONEY THAT THE BEES
MADE IN HIS CARCASS. IN BOTH
INSTANCES IT SAYS THAT SAMPSON DID
NOT TELL HIS PARENTS.
1. WAS HE JUST MODEST?
2. WAS THERE SOMETHING THEY WERE NOT SUPPOSED TO KNOW?
(PART OF THE NAZARITE VOW WAS NOT TO
TOUCH A DEAD CARCASS. (NUMBERS 6:6) HE
IS EATING HONEY FROM THE CARCASS OF
THE LION THAT HE KILLED. HE SHOULD
NOT HAVE BEEN DOING THAT. THE MOSAIC
LAWS PROHIBITED ISRAELITES FROM
EATING AN ANIMAL FOUND DEAD (DEUT
14:21) AND IF YOU TOUCHED A DEAD BODY
(REFERENCE APPEARS TO BE TO A PERSON)
YOU WERE UNCLEAN FOR SEVEN DAYS
(NUM 19:11). WHETHER THIS WOULD KEEP
THE PARENTS FROM EATING HONEY
FOUND IN THE BODY OF A DEAD LION I
DO NOT KNOW.)
III. THE WEDDING
A. READ JUDGES 14:10-13.
1. WHY WAS HE GIVEN 30 COMPANIONS? WHO NEEDS SO MANY
NEW FRIENDS? (THE PHILISTINES WERE
CONCERNED ABOUT HIM RUNNING LOOSE.)
2. WHAT DOES SAMPSON'S RIDDLE "BET" AND ITS ACCEPTANCE
TELL US ABOUT SAMPSON AND HIS NEW
"FRIENDS?" (THEY WERE ALL GAMBLERS,
LOOKING FOR SOMETHING WITHOUT
EARNING IT.)
B. READ JUDGES 14:14-17.
1. OBVIOUSLY REFINED WEDDING GUESTS!
2. THE NEW BRIDE AND HER FAMILY WERE THREATENED WITH
DEATH BY BURNING. WHAT
COULD SHE DO OTHER THAN CRY
AND TRY TO WEASEL THE
ANSWER OUT OF SAMPSON? (SHE
COULD HAVE TURNED TO
SAMPSON FOR HELP.)
a. WHY DIDN'T SHE DO THE RIGHT THING?(THIS GOES
TO THE ROOT OF THE WEDDING
PROBLEM: SHE DID NOT KNOW HIM
WELL ENOUGH. AND SHE WAS A
PHILISTINE AND HE WAS AN
ISRAELITE. SHE PREFERRED HER OWN
KIND AND HER OWN FAMILY OVER
HER NEW HUSBAND.)
C. THE BIBLE GOES ON TO TELL US IN THE REST OF THIS CHAPTER
THAT SHE BLABBED THE ANSWER TO THE 30
COMPANIONS, AND HE LOST THE BET. TO PAY
HIS BETTING DEBTS, HE WENT TO ASHKELON
AND KILLED 30 PHILISTINES FOR THEIR
CLOTHES.
D. SAMPSON WAS ANGRY WITH HIS NEW WIFE, SO HE WENT BACK TO
HIS FOLKS HOME AND HIS NEW FATHER
IN LAW GAVE HIS NEW WIFE TO ANOTHER
MAN. I DOUBT THAT MANY MARRIAGES
STARTED OFF ON SUCH A BAD FOOT!
IV. REVENGE
A. READ JUDGES 15:1-3. LETS CHECK SAMPSON'S LOGIC FOR A
MINUTE. WHY DOES HE HAVE A COMPLAINT
AGAINST THE PHILISTINES AS A WHOLE?
1. WHY NOT JUST HIS EX-FATHER IN LAW?
2. WHY NOT JUST HIS BEST MAN? (YOU CAN SEE THAT HE
BLAMES HIS MARRIAGE PROBLEMS ON
THE TROUBLE CREATED BY THE 30
"COMPANIONS" THAT THE PHILISTINES
PROVIDED.)
B. READ v.4-6. IS THIS A "FAIR TRADE?" BURNING SAMPSON'S
FATHER IN LAW AND FORMER BRIDE BECAUSE
HE BURNED THE GRAIN FIELDS? (NO. THIS
SHOWS HOW REVENGE CAN JUST BECOME
UNCONTROLLABLE. IF YOU ENGAGE IN IT YOU
SHOULD CONSIDER THIS ASPECT OF IT.)
1. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT A GUY THAT CAN BOTH RIP A
LION APART AND CATCH 300 FOXES?
C. IN THE NEXT FEW VERSES WE FIND THAT IN FURTHER REVENGE
SAMPSON KILLS MANY PHILISTINES AND
THEN GOES INTO HIDING. BECAUSE THE
PHILISTINES APPARENTLY THOUGHT THEY
MUST DO SOMETHING ABOUT SAMPSON, IT
APPEARS THEY ASSEMBLE THE ARMY AND
CAMP IN JUDAH.
1. LETS READ ON. JUDGES 15:10-13.
2. DO YOU THINK THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THIS
PICTURE?
a. FIRST, WHY 3,000 MEN OF JUDAH? (THEY FEARED
SAMPSON TOO.)
b. AREN'T THE GUNS POINTED IN THE WRONG DIRECTION?
(YES!)
c. WHY DON'T THEY JOIN SAMPSON AND BEAT THE
PHILISTINES?
(1) IS IT BECAUSE THEY REALIZE THAT THIS IS
PETTY REVENGE? (NO. IN v.11 THEY
MENTION ONLY THAT THE
PHILISTINES ARE THE RULERS AND
THIS "TROUBLEMAKING" WILL HURT
THEM. IT APPEARS THAT IF THE
PHILISTINES WERE NOT THEIR
RULERS THEY WOULD NOT HAVE
CARED. SO THEY DID NOT CARE
ABOUT THE MERITS OF THE DISPUTE.)
3. AT LEAST HIS FELLOW ISRAELITES AGREE NOT TO KILL
HIM. LETS READ vv. 14-17.
D. SO GOD GIVES SAMPSON THE VICTORY. READ v.20.
1. WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STATEMENT THAT
SAMPSON LEAD ISRAEL FOR 20 YEARS IN THE
DAYS OF THE PHILISTINES? (IT SEEMS THAT
THIS "BATTLE" GAVE AT LEAST SOME OF THE
ISRAELITES AT LEAST SOME DEGREE OF
INDEPENDENCE FROM THE PHILISTINES, BUT
THE FACT THAT IT IS CALLED THE "DAYS OF
THE PHILISTINES," SHOWS THEIR ASCENDANCY.)
E. WAS SAMPSON WORTHY OF GOD'S HELP?
1. WAS ISRAEL WORTH OF GOD'S HELP? (NEITHER ARE
PARTICULARLY SYMPATHETIC OR WORTHY.
THE GOOD NEWS FOR US TODAY IS THAT GOD
SHOWS GREAT CONCERN FOR US EVEN WHEN WE
ARE UNWORTHY.)
V. NEXT WEEK: JUDGES 15 AND 16. STUDY.