Obadiah - The Kingdom of God

Big Idea: The Kingdom of God is near and it comes in a Day of Judgment for the nations (in particular Edom) and restoration for Jacob

Let me start by asking who here has ever heard a sermon on Obadiah?

How long a go was that?

Right well for the rest of you – mark this day in history – It could be the only sermon on Obadiah you hear in all you days on earth. By my reckoning a church like ours gets through around six books of the Bible a year and given there are 66 books, if our church does extremely well, and doesn’t overdo some books like the gospel’s you are due for another Obadiah sermon in about 2020. So don’t forget to remind the new Rector then.

As we read the book of Obadiah – we meet five major characters, so our first stop today is seeing how - what we learn about the characters informs our understanding of the message of the book of Obadiah.
Introduction – People and Places

Obadiah – We actually know very little about Obadiah. He is something of a mystery man. Other than what we can glean from this chapter of his book, which is in fact the shortest book in the Old Testament. He doesn’t seem to appear anywhere else in the Bible. We do however know that his name – Obadiah – means servant of Yahweh. And It seems most likely given the content of this letter - that he lived in the 6th Century BC. Which is after the fall of Jerusalem in 586BC but before Edom was essentially destroyed in the 553BC.

We know Obadiah had a vision – we aren’t sure whether he actually saw God before him, or whether he had some ecstatic experience – but we do know that the vision was from GOD. And visions from God were a rare thing and were to be considered with utmost attention and respect. Visions are what were given to God’s prophet’s – God’s Prophets were his mouth pieces in the world, as we see from the most famous of prophets from that period Isaiah where we read;

Isaiah 1:1 The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of the kings of Judah.

Obadiah has a vision because he also is one of God’s prophets. When Obadiah speaks, God speaks to his world. Obadiah’s announcement of his vision - rings from the rooftops the authority of his message – his message has authority because it’s source is God. And just in case you haven’t been convinced yet, he begins the account of his vision with, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says,’.

Now you only need to be a casual reader of the Old Testament to know two things about this phrase. A more direct translation of it would be, ‘Thus says the Lord.’ The two things you could know for certain when you hear this phrase is that, One, the person saying it is the prophet of God and two, nine times out of ten, what he has to say to you is not pleasant and it doesn’t bode well for your future. Most times it means judgment is coming.

So we only know a little about Obadiah – but we know his message is important.

The Lord or Yahweh – We learn a lot about God the Lord including things of both his purposes and nature in Obadiah. From the start of the book in V1 he is the Sovereign Lord - to the end of the book in V21 God is the ruler of the earth and he has established his kingdom in Mt Zion.

What is striking is that God’s rule is exercised over the whole world - and it is done through his word, God declares and it is. God is the sovereign king, when he speaks his decrees happen without exception. So when Obadiah announces what God has said, V1 This is what the sovereign Lord says, or V4 and V8 we have the phrase - Declares the Lord or the emphatic resolution of the matter in V18 with the phrase - The Lord has spoken. It reinforces the reality that God speaks - and it is.

God rules his world as King through his word – but this is hardly surprising for the creator God who said in Genesis, let there be light – and there was..

Now, The perspective of the book of Obadiah is one thing that seems to separate it from some of the other books of the prophets. In Obadiah, God has the whole world in view, and not just Israel – in fact Israel seems to be something of a side character. The focus of God’s attention in the book is on our third character - Edom.

Edom – Are the centerpiece of God’s message as we see from v1, The sovereign Lord speaks about Edom. And the message isn’t positive; It is a message of judgment without hope. In V2 Edom will be made a small nation and despised. In V18, there will be no survivors.

Now there are a couple different names used for Edom, Edom is the nation that came from Esau the ‘other’ son of Isaac. Edom are a son of Abraham and Isaac as Genesis reminds us,’ Genesis 25 Rebecca is told by the Lord

23 The LORD said to her, "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger." 24 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. 25 The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau. 26 After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau's heel; so he was named Jacob.

But more about Jacob in a moment

Nations – The next character we meet in the book is the nations. It seems the nations are the recipients of the message, in that they are to be the instrument of the Lord’s judgment on Edom. In V1 the nations are told to rise up in battle and to go against Edom.

It’s quite amazing really that the Lord uses the nations (not his chosen people) to achieve his goal of justice upon Edom. And yet - (in total contrast to their role as God’s instrument), the nations themselves will later on be judged on account of their own actions, V15 The day of the Lord is near for ALL nations. The nations deeds will be upon their own heads as well.

The nations will not escape God’s judgment, because the sphere of God’s kingly rule is the whole earth. Yahweh the God of Israel is alos the Lord of all creation.

Jacob – The fifth and final major character we meet in the book is of course Jacob. The chosen children of God. The one’s who have been judged by God and are in exile in Babylon as we see in V20. And yet these are the ones who will be vindicated and renewed in the sight of all the nations V17.

ASIDE - where are we in OT?

But as we saw earlier, Jacob is in some ways a side character in this book, the direct address of God is focused upon Edom. And yet - it seems that the address to Edom is really for Jacob’s benefit.

It reminds me a little of the indirect way my mum communicates, I can always tell If my mum is upset with me, because I get a phone call from my Dad. He doesn’t even need to say anything, because by virtue of the fact he takes the initiative to call, I know what it means, without even a word.
But I suppose you can’t leave post it notes on the bedroom door anymore when your son lives 50 km away. I have to admit it a phone call from my dad gets my attention.

Obadiah is a book where God gets the attention of Edom and the nations, but most particularly he gets the attention of Jacob – by focusing his message on Edom and his fate. Jacob is reminded what their God is like, by how he deals with the nations.

And so to the message of Obadiah itself; Edom has a bunch of problems when it comes to God, and the first of these is in verses 3.

Point: 1 – Edom had a false confidence

Obadiah 1:3 The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, 'Who can bring me down to the ground?'

Edom had a false trust in their physical strength, they trusted that their high geographical position would protect them from the kind of military defeat that Jacob suffered, some 1500m above sea level. Their false confidence was in fact idolatry. Their false confidence was at the same time a denial, a refusal to acknowledge the reality of God’s Sovereign rule.

They asked the question, 'Who can bring me down to the ground?'. They trusted in their physical high places for security, when they should have responded like the Psalm of David, Psalm 27.

Psalm 27:1-5 The LORD is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. 3 Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident. .. 5 For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.

The Lord is the one who sets people safe in times of distress – is not the physical strength of a secure military position.

Or maybe these days it’s the physical strength of a land girt by sea!
Or a little closer to home, maybe the security of - a good salary, a un-mortgaged home, a big superannuation fund, a flourishing marriage or family, an inheritance or even just good health, a sound education or even an unfailing mind. All of these things are but idols if we trust in them.

Idolatry is THE sin of the OT, because idoloatry is THE sin of all humanity - THE sin of having another god, other than the Lord
The message of Obadiah is a warning about the false security of Idols, the pride of false worship, a false security like - I don;t know an overheated economy.

Because; Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there - I will bring you down," declares the LORD. Obadiah 1:4

Now that’s a scary thought isn’t it? God will make it his business and purpose to bring you down!

Edom had a false confidence - the question is - Do You?

The second section of Obadiah is framed by the two phrases – declares the Lord in verses 4 & 8
Obadiah 1:5-8 "If thieves came to you, if robbers in the night-- Oh, what a disaster awaits you-- would they not steal only as much as they wanted? If grape pickers came to you, would they not leave a few grapes? 6 But how Esau will be ransacked, his hidden treasures pillaged! 7 All your allies will force you to the border; your friends will deceive and overpower you; those who eat your bread will set a trap for you, but you will not detect it. 8 "In that day," declares the LORD, "will I not destroy the wise men of Edom, men of understanding in the mountains of Esau?

Point 2 – Edom deceived themselves with their false confidence – they were not ready for the Day of Judgment that was to come

There is lots of imagery in this section that is familiar to us, thieves in the night, treasure that is taken - and of course a close friend who shares your bread – he is the one who betrays you – They are familiar images because they are images that Jesus used in his teaching, or in the case of betrayal – the bread was eaten by Judas Jesus’ disciple.

These images are used by Obadiah, to convey that Edom’s confidence is misplaced, even their physical riches are not safe from their physical enemies. They aren’t prepared for this disaster that awaits them. How much less so are they prepared for the Day of the Lord, the day they cannot withstand and their fortress can not protect them from - as God’s declaration of destruction ensures in V8. The very thing that they have put their trust in – the high places that they reside in – they are the very things that God destroys - Edom will be cut down. And Edom will not just be rebuked – but the destruction will be total – there will be no grapes left on the vine V5 – everything will be taken.

Why would anyone be deceived into trusting in people and things – that well – can’t be trusted, that are unreliable when you need them most? Why do people do it? – well because of sin and Sin’s nature deceptive. Sin doesn’t turn light immediately into dark – it more subtly tends to slowly disorientate.

We used to play youth group game called ‘dizzy stick’ – where you place a broom handle on your chin – look at the point and spin in circles as long as you can – then you throw the stick on the ground and try to jump over it. This spinning had the desired results and people inevitably staggered and fell to the ground. The longer they span for – the harder and more spectacular the stagger and then the fall.

Sin is a lot like dizzy stick – the longer you entertain it for – the greater the impact and the worse the disorientation from reality. At some point in time the dizziness takes over you and you are out of control – whether you can see it or not.

I think sometimes we might suspect sin is more like a heavy weight - that burdens us until we put it down. While this is true – it is also a bit limited – Because It seems Sin actually attacks us and rules in an active way that we a foolish to entertain – we are out of our minds to entertain sin as a guest. Sin disorientates us from reality.

So, back to story in Obadiah and Edom’s day in court before the King and Judge of the world was to come on them like a thief in the night – they weren’t ready. So let me ask you this; Will you be ready, are you ready? Or are you deceiving yourself by having false confidence in things of this world?

Jesus reminds us where you treasure is – there your heart is also.
Matthew 13:44-46 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

Edom deceived themselves with their false confidence – they were not ready for the Day of Judgment that was to come. Where is your confidence placed?

The third section of Obadiah is from verses 9 to 16 – It is best summarized by verse 15
Obadiah 1:15 "The day of the LORD is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head.

Point 3 – The Day of Judgment is to come on all nations

The day of judgment is to come on all nations – because the Lord is King of all the nations. Every person, every nation, will reap the reward of their wrong doing. Every piece of injustice carried out in God’s world will be brought to justice - On ‘The Day of the Lord’. In fact the phrase – ‘that day’ or ‘the day’ appears 10 times in just 8 verses.

It is interesting that the last use of ‘the day’ image in Verse 15 relates to the great end time judgment of God. Now in contrast the 8 times the expression ‘the day’ is used in relation to Jacob in V11-14, ‘the Day’ relates to a particular day in history, the day that has passed – the day that came to Jacob in 586 BC at the hands of the Babylonians.

The different ‘days’ of Jacob, Edom and the nations are intrinsically linked - As surely as God’s judgment came on Jacob in ‘the day’ – His judgment will come on Edom - and then his judgment will come on all nations in end of time event of ‘the day of the Lord’.

Now why this judgment on Edom? Obadiah answers this question for us. Edom’s sin towards God, was shown - and in fact highlighted, in their response to the nations sacking of Jacob. Edom – Esau – rejoiced in the destruction of his own brother – more than that they may have helped themselves to the goods, in their brother’s time of weakness. The showed themselves to be more like the nations than a child of Abraham.

Romans 132 Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

In Contrast to how the children of Abraham should have acted.
Matthew 25: When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' 40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

God will bring justice upon Edom – and in doing so God exposes Edom’s ignorance about the real reasons behind the events that happened to Jacob. Jacob didn’t just suffer some military defeat – their military defeat by the nations was ultimately the hand of God against them for their sin. In an ironic turn of events God will use the same ‘nations’ that decimated Jacob, to judge Edom. Edom should have seen the justice on Jacob as a warning and repented, instead they foolishly rejoiced in Jacob’s military defeat, not realizing it was in fact judgment at God’s hands. Edom’s response ensured that they would suffer the same fate.

God judges all people fairly and justly, because God is the King of all creation. What happened to Edom does make you realize, that when you pray - your kingdom come – that is no small thing to say… because it will mean judgment for many people..

Now as a slight aside and yet related, Have you ever wondered in a situation - should I tell a non-Christian person, that what they are proposing is wrong? Or should I just expect them as non-Christians to act like that - and say nothing?

What do I say to a friend who asks tough moral questions about life? should he move in with his girlfriend? Or is it ok to have an abortion for an unwanted child?

I’ve often found it hard to resolve in my own mind – should I say something, should I really expect God’s standards from them? – But it’s even harder to actually approach in practice, isn’t it? I think Obadiah helps us in this issue. Because God calls to account all sin. God is not pleased by any sin and God cares for - and sees - all his creation.

We can see from the example of Edom – that as Christian’s we certainly should not feel superior to those caught in their sin. Edom failed to see their own sin and failed to see their need for grace and they were judged as a consequence. As Christian’s we have received grace and should be gracious to others as God is to us.

But, The Christian life makes sense of God’s created world. The non-Christian life runs at odds with both the worlds intention and it’s goal. The goal, of knowing and serving God, in good relation with God, each other, and the world. The non-Christian life is destined for frustration and it is ultimately futile.

Obadiah helps us to see that God is not pleased with sin. And by implication, if we remain silent about sin – how does it further God’s kingdom – or benefit the person we should have told?

In every situation I think we are to be encouraged to graciously commend the Christian life in both deed and word. I think we need to underline the word graciously. We should commend to all people God’s intention for life - and of course, the most foundational part of the Christian life is a right relationship with God. A relationship that only comes through faith in his Son Jesus.

So It seems we should be encouraged to graciously share about this world what we know to be true – in a way that reflects our God’s good intention as creator, and our role as his people here on earth.

Point 4 – The Kingdom of the Lord will be judgment for the nations and restoration for Jacob.

In the final section of the book Obadiah we have predictions about the fate of nations and also we have a view of the end of time. The Kingdom of the Lord will be judgment for the nations and restoration for Jacob. This final section is framed in v17 and v21 by ‘Mt Zion’.
Obadiah 1:17-21 But on Mount Zion will be deliverance; it will be holy, and the house of Jacob will possess its inheritance. 18 The house of Jacob will be a fire and the house of Joseph a flame; the house of Esau will be stubble, and they will set it on fire and consume it. There will be no survivors from the house of Esau." The LORD has spoken. ... 21 Deliverers will go up on Mount Zion to govern the mountains of Esau. And the kingdom will be the LORD's.

Mt Zion is where God will be enthroned as King. Mt Zion is where Jacob will receive his inheritance.

In contrast V18 tells us there will be no survivors from the house of Esau. So hear the warning that Obadiah and Edom provides, and turn to God in his mercy. And warn others to do likewise. Obadiah is a call to have no other god’s before the Lord.

SO have the predictions of Obadiah – and by implication have the promises of God happened. Well yes – Edom was effectively destroyed as a nation in the 553 BC. And well No – or should I say - not yet. We still await the coming of Kingdom of God in full. But these things are certain – for v18 The Lord has spoken.

In the mean time we live in light of two great truths, firstly – because Christ has taken our punishment upon himself at the cross – we need not fear the Judgment of God on ‘that Day’. If you like our declaration of innocent from that day because of Christ’s death has been brought forward to now. There is NOW no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

And the second truth, is in light of this declaration now and the day that is to come, we live in hope now as obedient servants – ready for the return. And not just being ready ourselves, but getting ready as many others as we can – by telling of the coming Kingdom of God and the Great compassionate Lord who is the King, who will also judge every man’s work impartially.

Judges Talk 4 - Ch 15-16 - Sampson part II

Big idea: a story of redemption; deliverance (salvation) is from the Lord, and he will use his chosen deliverer.

Human beings love stories of redemption. Redemption is a key theme that runs through so many of the stories in books, movies, and even sport, but especially life, that as a society we love to tell.

Many of you will know the sometime television presenter Simon O'Donnell, who once upon a time in the dim dark past, was a cricketer. And very clearly in my mind I can remember the profound response he received from the crowd while walking out on to the cricket ground again to play for Australia, after previously having to withdraw from the Australian Cricket side for quite a time, to battle cancer. His redemption if I can put it in those terms, was this triumph over adversity, and his vindication walking out on that field again.

But there is a different kind of redemption, that we love as well, the one where the good guy, (which is to say the guy with the world laid out in front of them, the one with a bag full of potential), through compromise, pride, poor judgement and even bad decision, goes bad, goes off the rail's, loses the plot. But then has an epiphany moment, and turns around and leaves the bad behind, and chooses the right path, and does the good that they knew they always should have done.

A quite clear example of that from me, is Mark Bosnich. Bosnich is one year older than me, and as a kid in Sydney playing football, lots of us had seen him play and everyone noticed him, because he was incredibly gifted. And as you may know he went on to rise to the heights of playing in the English Premier league. From where he squandered all his talent through drug use. He was out of the game for some six years, and last year made a comeback to the Central Coast Mariners in the A-league. For many people who had watched his career with interest, this was a heartwarming story, not so much about football, but football as an indicator to life, that this guy got back in contact with his family after years of estrangement, he had finally turned it around. It really was a moment of hope.

And I think that's why redemption stories, strike a chord with us so strongly. We love stories that end in hope, a hope that has won the day out of dark and despairing circumstances. We love redemption stories, because we can relate to the doubled mindedness, and compromise, of the main character, and we hope they find a way back from their mistakes. We like redemption stories, because they give us hope, that we might find a way back, from our brokenness, compromise, and mistakes in this life.

There are dark and despairing days in this life, which is why we all need a message of hope, & the story of Samson (as we look at part two this week) is a story of redemption. It is a story of hope, in a dark and despairing time of oppression for God's people, it is a story of hope, despite the brokenness and wasted potential of God's deliver, the Judge Sampson. It is a message of hope despite the bleakness of the oppression, and the stubbornness of God's deliverer, and indeed God's people!, it is a message of hope, because deliverance (salvation) comes from the Lord. And that is what Sampson acknowledges in his prayer in chapter 15 verse 18.

Now as you may remember, Samson story starts back in chapter 13, where an angel of the Lord appears to his parents and declares what kind of child this boy will be. This boy will be brought into the world serve the Lord, and to begin the deliverance (salvation) of God's people from the oppression of the Philistines.

Now as you also remember, things have not gone so well, because there are four things as in Israelite and Nazarite, that Sampson is not supposed to do. So who can tell me what other four things Sampson was not supposed to do?
1. no foreign wives
2. don't touch a dead body
3. don't drink alcohol
4. don't cut your hair
And so far in the story, last week we only got to the end of chapter 14 and he has already failed in three out of four challenges. And so today as we look chapters 15 and 16, Sampson faces his last challenge, challenge number four, Sampson versus the challenge of not cutting your hair.
Which when it take a step back and think about it, it isn't that bigger challenge, is it? all you have to do is not cut your hair, that isn't that hard is it?

And so last week we left the story, with the Philistines giving Sampsons wife in marriage to another, which didn't look like a good idea at the time, it looks like a whole lot worse idea after today!

So in chapter 15, the first episode of Sampson and his first foreign wife continues, because he seems to have a change of heart and goes down to see her. Only thing is, he doesn't know it's too late. And when he finds that it is too late, well he just takes it in his usual good humoured stride doesn't he?

I mean that's just good humoured fun isn't, setting fire to 300 foxes or jackals and letting them burn through someone's food store, how did the Philistines not see how that was funny?

Well they obviously didn't find it funny, because there is response is short, sharp, and brutal. In v6 we read,
"so the Philistines went up and burned her and her father to death".

And at this point, there is a real pathos in the story for two reasons;
firstly, if she hadn't answered the riddle, this would have been her fate in the first place as we read in chapter 14 v15
"coax your husband into explaining the riddle for us, all we will burn you and your father's household to death"
Only now not only do she meet this fate, but Sampson has been enraged in the process.

And secondly, the Philistines get back at Sampson by killing Philistines, which is exactly what he was supposed to be doing anyway as God's deliverer. It seems like everyone in the story, even while generally unknowingly, is carrying out the Lords will of delivering God's people from their oppressors, and in particular by killing philistines.

And that pattern continues, because Sampson is so enraged by what they have done to his wife, what is he do in response, well he goes out and kills Philistines too. in fact it seems Sampson in a wonderful sense of irony, has been stung into action to impose a great victory over the philistine people, despite his obvious desire to not be the deliverer God had called him to be.

so it seems even Sampson's selfish desires, even the selfish desires of Philistines, cannot thwart God's plan to save his people.

And how would you expect the people of Israel to respond, when God had sent a great deliverer amongst them, and this judge had just won a tremendous Battle over the oppressive occupying regime? How would you expect God's people to respond?

How do they respond?
11 Then three thousand men from Judah went down to the cave in the rock of Etam
and said to Samson,
"Don't you realise that the Philistines are rulers over us?
What have you done to us?"

what have you done to us? They ask Sampson indignantly, what has he done to them, ---- he's delivered them hasn't he?
The come off looking a little like simpletons don’t they? The story of their people, particularly their generation, is of God raising up deliverer's who saved them from the oppression of foreign people, and so in fact these people, this generation, and these Israelites, are saying we prefer the slavery and oppression thanks very much. Please don't help us, and we certainly won't help you. It seems that Sampson isn't the only one that would rather live like the other nations, that would rather not be what God had called them to be.

And worse than that, not only do they chastise him and is not support him, they in fact hand him over to his enemies. Rather than supporting God's anointed deliverer, and rising up to do God's appointed work, they instead betray him, over to the hands of the oppressing gentile overlords. His own people betray him, knowing that that will consign him to death if doing God's work. which is an interesting thought isn't it? And will go back to that a little later.

But God does not abandon his deliverer to the grave like his own people did, in fact God uses him by sending his spirit upon him to achieve another amazing victory over his enemies.
"We will only tie you up and hand you over to them.
We will not kill you."
So they bound him with two new ropes and led him up from the rock.
14 As he approached Lehi, the Philistines came towards him shouting.
The Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power.
The ropes on his arms became like charred flax,
and the bindings dropped from his hands.
15 Finding a fresh jaw-bone of a donkey,
he grabbed it and struck down a thousand men.
16 Then Samson said,
"With a donkey's jaw-bone I have made donkeys of them.
With a donkey's jaw-bone I have killed a thousand men.

Now you have to wonder whether Sampson got it entirely right, if God can deliver over 1000 men to one man, I'm pretty certain he didn't need to go on & break his Nazarite vows, by picking up the jawbone of a donkey, a fresh one, one with flesh still hanging off it! So it is interesting picture, of him achieving Gods purposes, despite his mixed motives, and despite his mixed Obedience.

God provides a great salvation, a deliverance through his appointed deliverer. One man, one God anointed deliverer, empowered by God's spirit, has defeated one thousand men.
And Sampson seems to come off as bit of the smarty pants really, with his tongue in cheek Limerick, about how he has beaten them into donkeys with a donkey. it seems even in the face of death life is a bit of a laugh Sampson, a bit like a bully who knows he can't be touched.
Because he was very thirsty,
he cried out to the LORD,
"You have given your servant this great victory.
Must I now die of thirst
and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?"

What you make of that prayer?
We make of Sampson and his attitude towards God, and God's work at this point?

At one level, you could say it was a great sign of faith, that he knew only God could deliver the water to him. You could say that. At one level that is acknowledging something of the truth of the situation. But personally I suspect this something else going on here, it doesn't exactly strike me as a great prayer of humility, in fact it strikes me as being something very much the opposite.

And the reason I say that is, because it reminds me of another prayer, the prayer of the Israelite people after they had been brought out of Egypt. The prayer of the people after God had provided a great salvation, great deliverance, from the hands of their enemies the Egyptians.

Samson's prayer, reminds me of the Israelites prayer, which wasn't a great prayer of faith, it was a prayer of grumbling. If you remember back in the book of Numbers the Israelites after they had been saved, grumbled against the Lord, they grumbled saying, "were there not enough graves in Egypt, that you brought us out into the desert to die?". They grumbled saying, "back in Egypt we had our pick of food and meat, and all we have in this wilderness is manner". they grumbled saying, "did you bring us out from Egypt, to die of thirst in this wilderness". The Israelites prayer was not one of faith, but one of grumbling.

And I can't help but think, Sampson's prayer here is not one of faith, but one of grumbling. not a humble man's prayer, but a proud man's prayer.

It's the prayer of a person who doesn't realise the privilege to have been given, to be God's deliverer, but instead thinks God owes them something, because of this victory. But God owed Sampson nothing because of his victory, because in it he was only being obedient, in fact it was the Lord's great victory.

Either way, whether it is a proud prayer, or just a prayer of grumbling, God is still gracious to Sampson and provides him water. but part of me suspects that this is in fact a turning point of the story, and what is about to follow use only the logical outworking of the broken relationship between God and Sampson, because of Sampsons stubbornness, his pride, and his disobedience.

Episode one of Sampson with his first foreign woman, finishes in V20 with the statement
"Sampson led Israel 20 years in the days of the Philistines".

Episode two of Samson story, is a short interlude, were Sampson again is involved with a foreign woman. This time a prostitute in Gaza. And again his desire to chase after what he is not supposed to, this foreign woman, almost brings about his downfall, but instead the strongman, this naturally strong man it seems, carries the gates of the city 60 km away. But interestingly there is no designation that the spirit of the Lord came upon him for this act. And we are left to think as readers, is it because he did it in his own strength, is it because this act it is of no saving value to God?

Whatever it is, the spirit of the Lord is never clearly designated by that expression as coming on Sampson again in this story.

And so finally we get to episode three of Samson, with the most famous of his foreign women, where Sampson again turns his back on the Lord's decree with this foreign woman called Delilah.

And again the philistine leaders, note that this woman is an opportunity to bring down their great opponent Sampson

Now in the story we kind of suspect, (that Sampson must suspect), that Delilah is asking him about his strength and its source for a no good reason. He must know that if he tells her, she will tell the Philistines. I mean this is what happened in episode one with the foreign women isn't it? And the source of his strength, is far more important than the source of his riddle isn't it? I mean how are you supposed to be God's deliverer, if you no longer have the source of God's power?

But as we said, throughout the story, Sampson has come across as something of a smarty pants, he liked riddles and games, and it seems this is just one more game to him.

So firstly he offers that's she is to tie him up with seven fresh thongs, which she promptly does, and he just as promptly escapes from. Sampson the game player, can't help himself, he can't resist an opportunity to make a fool of someone else. It seems he wants to make a donkey of Delilah is well, and she knows it and says that in v10.

And in the second attempt he offers her new ropes, which she promptly applies, and he just as promptly escapes. By which point you think he would come to his senses and realise what is going on, and what was at stake, and left this trouble well alone.

But it seems he likes playing games, and he likes flaunting his strength, and this challenge from Delilah gives him the chance to exercise both these things, and run very real risk of giving up the last thread of his Nazarite vow, and in the process give up his role as Gods deliverer.

So this time, closer to the mark, he tells her to braid his hair -- which is seriously getting close to the source of his strength -- and not only that he tells her to tighten his hair with a pin. Which is the exact same expression used of Jael back in judges Ch4, where she tightened the head of Sisera with a pin to the ground. Surely Sampson must have known the combination of foreign women, heads, and pins had not turned out well for men so far in this story, so what was he thinking?

But this time also Sampson escapes, only each time he seems weakened by temptations strength, and Sin's call, until finally he tells Delilah what she wants to hear. Again he falls for the foreign woman's incessant appeal, her nagging, and her accusation, "how can you love me?". The exact same thing that brought him undone with his first wife!

15 Then she said to him,
"How can you say,
`I love you,'
when you won't confide in me?
This is the third time you have made a fool of me
and haven't told me the secret of your great strength."
16 With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was tired to death.
17 So he told her everything.
"No razor has ever been used on my head,"
he said,
"because I have been a Nazirite set apart to God since birth. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me,
and I would become as weak as any other man."
18 When Delilah saw that he had told her everything,
she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines,
"Come back once more; he has told me everything."
So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands.
19 Having put him to sleep on her lap,
she called a man to shave off the seven braids of his hair,
and so began to subdue him.
And his strength left him.
20 Then she called,
"Samson, the Philistines are upon you!"
He awoke from his sleep and thought,
"I'll go out as before and shake myself free."
But he did not know that the LORD had left him.
Sampson gave away his secret, and gave away his hair, and in the process he gave away his Nazarite vow, and in the end got what he had desired from the start. He became a man just like any other, he was no longer the consecrated deliverer for the Lord, he was no longer set a part for God's service.

Opportunity after opportunity had come to Sampson do the right thing, to do what God had called him to, but God had now had enough, and God would hand him over, to his enemies, to bear the consequences of his choices, And his actions.

But it seems like this harsh discipline from the Lord, will have its effect, because Sampson will finally come to his senses, and realise what it is that comes from the Lord, and what it means to him.

And not only that, we see the graciousness of the Lord, that the hair of his servant begins to grow back, and with it a great expectation that finally the sovereign Lord will use his deliverer, to deliver his people from the slavery of the Philistines.
22 But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.

Sampson appears as a broken figure, a shadow of his former glory, but this broken figure has now realised the real source of his strength, is not his hair, but his God. He now knows truly that deliverance (or salvation) only comes is from the Lord. And so this time he prays, as a humble man, to his sovereign Lord, knowing that he alone can provide the deliverance that Sampson now desires wholeheartedly.

It took Sampson until he found himself in the great poverty of being enslaved, to realise the reality of the riches that God had generously given him to be Israel's deliverer. And in this final act of his death, Sampson achieved his greatest victory of all, by killing over 3000 Philistines including their leaders, including collapsing the temple, including knocking over their idols.

By the time Sampson has finished his rampage, one Israelite lies dead but in the process he has killed over 4000 Philistines. He really did begin the deliverance of Israel from the Philistines, a deliverance that would come in full, at the coming of Israel's great king.
At first glance, the story looks like it's about Sampson, or maybe even about the Philistines, but the truth is this is a story about God.

From the time God announced his deliver in chapter 13, we see God’s sovereign hand at work to deliver his people, and we see this most poignantly in this final scene with Sampson, God is the sovereign Lord, there are no other gods before him. And this he declared to his own people in Israel, but also the philistine people, through the final victory of his servant Sampson. God defeated their god Dagon, by destroying his temple. God declared to the Philistines that it is he who delivered Sampson into their hands, (not their god) and he did it to both disciplined his wayward deliverer and to achieve his own purposes of a great victory. Beginning at the deliverance of the people of Israel.

And if you want a reader bit more about how, the poor old idol "Dagon" goes against the God of Israel, have a read of the beginning of Samuel this week, and see how his statue keeps falling over to worship the ark of the Lord in one Samuel five.

The story of Sampson, is really the story of judges, which is the story of a sovereign and gracious God, who will redeem his broken and wayward people from slavery, a God who will use his redeemed people to be his light in his world. Deliverance (or salvation) belongs to the Lord.

Despite Sampson's best efforts to be like anyone else, he was never going to be like anyone else, because the sovereign lord had chosen him to achieve his own good purposes, despite his servants best efforts to stuff things up. By the last scene in his story, we see a redemption of Sampson don't we, where the guy with all the potential, all the opportunity, everything laid at his feet, finally makes a good decision, despite his past. Sampson now knows God, is a God who delivers, that God is a sovereign gracious God, and that this sovereign gracious God, he hears the prayers of his people and answers them in accordance with his goodwill. In the end after a very hard long and hard road Sampson did begin the deliverance of Israel.

But the story isn't just about Sampson either is it? Because Sampson's story is Israel story.
Sampson was the stubborn deliver, the reluctant one to live as God had called him to. But then God raised up his deliverer to save Israel, and what did they do? They promptly packaged him up and handed them to their enemies, instead of following him as their leader to deliver them. Israel were just like Sampson in reluctance to serve their God and be his people in a difficult world!

The writer to the judges, tells us that the solution to Israel's problem, was only to begin with Sampson, but in fact would be fulfilled in Israel's coming king. At the end of the book of judges we read, "in those days Israel had no king, everyone did as he saw fit.".

Israel was looking for a king, a deliverer, one who would bring salvation even redemption. you see the thing about the words ‘deliverance’ and ‘salvation’, is that they have two English words that are used in different contexts to describe the same Hebrew word, the Hebrew word ‘Yeshua’. ‘Yeshua’ as a verb means deliverance or salvation, but as a noun (or name) it is translated in English as ‘Jesus’. Jesus is the king, Gods King sent to deliver and save, even redeem, God's people.

As much as Sampson was a reluctant saviour or deliverer, the reality is he foreshadowed Jesus in many ways, his birth was announced by an Angel, his role was chosen by God himself, his leadership was despised by his own people and they handed him over to pagans knowing it would result in his death. And in his death he achieved his greatest victory over his enemies. Sampson foreshadowed Jesus in many ways.

But in truth the contrasts are far more obvious aren't they?

Jesus was the Israelite who never broke his vow to God in disobedience. Jesus didn't follow the ways of foreign women, but in fact called foreign women to follow him. Jesus didn't play his tormentors games, but rebuked and challenge them to see things rightly. Through the life and death of one man Sampson, God defeated over 4000 of his enemies. But through the life and death of one man in Jesus, God defeated His enemies of sin, death, the devil, and redeemed the entire world. Jesus is God's great king the deliverer, the saviour, the one who came to die on across in our place for our Sin and was raised from the dead and declared the Lord of all, the one who has won for all who will believe in him a redemption.
Gods offer in Jesus Christ, is of redemption, of putting things right with God, by dealing with everything in our past that we have done wrong. Jesus death washes away all our wrong before God, and makes us new, he redeems us from our brokenness and strife, to a new relationship with him, that we may serve him with all our lives.

The Christian story is a story of redemption, it is the foundational story and central story of all humanity, because all humanity has made a mess of the opportunity that God has given us for life and we need to be redeemed. And you see this deep-seated need played out in the fact that we love to hear his stories, any stories, even sporting stories, about redemption, because deep down we all know that we need to be redeemed.

And the Christian story is that in Christ you can be redeemed, that you have been redeemed if you trust in him.

The Christian story is always one of redemption, because our sovereign and gracious lord, is the God of second chances, he is a God who loves to save.
The Christian story is always one of redemption, but a redemption in order that we may honour God by serving him in his world, from the apostle Peter who three times denied Jesus on his way to the cross, and was then gently reinstated by the resurrected Jesus to be his witness into all world. To The apostle Paul who as the Pharisees Saul, killed and persecuted Christians, but was then redeemed, he was saved by Christ to serve Christ, to be his apostle with the Gospel Word into all the Gentile world.

The Christian story is always one of redemption, that we may honour God by serving him. The broken Sampson shows us important truths about ourselves, because it shows us important truths about our God, our God is a God who delights to save, who delights just redeem people, and even our dumbest efforts cannot thwart his plans. But instead we are encouraged to pray aren't we? Like Sampson did, that God in his sovereignty, his power, and his grace would work in our lives to bring about his kingdom.

The solution to Israel was to have a king. The solution for the world is to have God's King, and his kingdom is brought in through his powerful gospel Word, Will you pray with me that God would be pleased to use us to see his kingdom come in.

Judges Talk 3 - Ch13-14 - Sampson Part One

Big idea: Sampson was the reluctant deliver, who should have been preparing the way for the king, but God in his sovereignty, his grace and patience would use his chosen person to achieve his good purposes.

Put your hand up if you heard about Sampson as a kid?
Maybe at Sunday school or scripture. Right so you get the impression that it is a fairly famous story, in fact the great Bruce Springsteen in his passionate love song, "Fire", rates Samson and Delilah as a classic love story alongside Romeo and Juliet. the fact that both of these wound up being tragedies, seems a little lost on him at that point, but it is a famous story about a famous person.

Now if the Internet has taught us anything, which is up for grabs really, but for the sake conversation let's say we have learnt something from the Internet, I think it is safe to say the one thing the Internet has told us is that just because you know something about someone famous doesn't mean it is true.
But in reality, we can't just blame the Internet for that, because people have always, and will always, believe what they want to believe, irrespective of the truth.
Let me explain what I mean, who here when they heard about Sampson as a young kid, understood that he was to be held up as something of of a hero?
You see that's what I remember as well. Sampson was held up as an hero, even the Superman of the old Testament, with all these great feats of strength.

As a comeback to look at the facts of the case as an adult, he doesn't look a whole lot like Superman does he. In fact when you look at his acts of brute strength, his petulant behaviour, and his poor sexual morality, he doesn't so much look like Superman, but more like he'd fit right in the NRL!

By the end of today's episode in particular, in chapter 14, Sampson comes off looking stupid and petulant really. By the end of today's story, you’re kind of left asking the question, did God really know what he was doing when he chose Sampson?
Why would God choose a guy, who seems so hellbent on not being whom God had called him to be?

Well before we get to that question, think we may need to just reorientate ourselves as to where we are in the book of judges.

Now over last few weeks we've looked at a selection of the judges who God raised up to deliveries people from the oppression of foreign rulers. We saw Othniel, the archetypal judge, from Caleb's stock, who married the right woman (from his own tribe) and delivered his people from their oppressors, with minimal fuss.

After that we've seen Deborah be involved in the deliverance of her people, and even Gideon finally got his act together to deliver his people, well sort of, until his enslaved his people to worship an idol again.

And now we are at Sampson the last of the 12 judges of Israel in this book, and possibly the oddest of the lot, who are in fact quite an odd bunch in themselves.

To Samson story begins in chapter 13 verse one, with the Israelites doing evil again in the eyes of the Lord.
NIB Judges 13:1
Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD,
so the LORD delivered them into the hands of the Philistines
for forty years.

This generation, the judges generation, the generation that came after Joshua's generation, were to have one goal, which was?

To complete the conquest of the land, to wipe out the inhabitants of the land, and remove their gods from the land.

And what were they doing?
anything but that weren't they?
They gave up on the conquest, they married their children, and then they worship their gods, they were in fact doing the very opposite of what God called them to do. And so God sold them into slavery, too those whom they were supposed to destroy. And when the people realise the seriousness of the situation, they called out to God, and he sent the deliverer, to rescue them from slavery and give them peace.
So while the deliverer or the judge was alive, the people followed them. But as soon as the judge was dead, the people reverted to their old ways.

what was the solution to the problem, well the author to the judges tells us at the end of the book, in the very last line, Judges 21:25, "in those days Israel had no king, everyone did as he saw fit.".

The solution to Israel's problem of Faithfulness, was to be a king, a king who would rule over them and lead them in the right way, a King who would deliver them from the hands of their enemies forever, that they may truly be who they were called to be. that God would be their God, and that Israel would be his people.

The judges, were the precursor of that King in Israel, they were to prepare the way, and to point forward to the coming king.

So that's the theme idea of the book of Judges, and today we are looking at the last of those judges, Sampson, how will he measure up?

1. who is this Sampson?

Judges 13:3 The angel of the LORD appeared to her and said,
"You are sterile and childless,
but you are going to conceive and have a son.
4 Now see to it that you drink no wine
or other fermented drink
and that you do not eat anything unclean,
5 because you will conceive and give birth to a son.
No razor may be used on his head,
because the boy is to be a Nazirite,
set apart to God from birth,
and he will begin the deliverance of Israel
from the hands of the Philistines."

There are three things we know about Sampson;
firstly, he is important after all the Lord doesn't send an angel to announce someone's birth for no reason. In fact he is the only one of the judges, where this event happens, and the whole episode of the announcement of his birth takes up three times more space than Othniel’s whole life.

So we know Samson is going to be important, not only for the Lord, but also in the sense of his purpose in the story of the judges, in short he gets plenty of column space.

Secondly, he is the one who will start the deliverance of Israel from the oppression of the Philistines.

And thirdly, he is to be a Nazarite, a person wholly devoted to the Lord. And in fact we read what it is to be a Nazarite, back in numbers chapter 6.

Numbers6:1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,  2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When either a man or a woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the LORD,  3 he gshall separate himself from wine and strong drink. He shall drink no vinegar made from wine or strong drink and shall not drink any juice of grapes or eat grapes, fresh or dried.  4 All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, not even the seeds or the skins.

 5 “All the days of his vow of separation, no razor shall touch his head. Until the time is completed for which he separates himself to the LORD, he shall be holy. He shall let the locks of hair of his head grow long.

 6 “All the days that he separates himself to the LORD he shall not go near a dead body.  7 Not even for his father or for his mother, for brother or sister, if they die, shall he make himself unclean, because his separation to God is on his head.  8 All the days of his separation he is holy to the LORD.
Now Nazarite was a person who took a vow to the Lord, Sampson interestingly was one decreed by the Lord to be his for his entire life, and it was a vow of dedication to the Lord, to be an Israelite of Israelites. And this means that for the Nazarite three things were ruled out;

firstly, do not touch a dead body.
Secondly, do not touch alcoholic drinks. Which you could hardly not notice given the angel told his parents this information three times back in chapter 13 of judges.
Thirdly, do not cut your hair until your time of devotion to the Lord is over.

So Sampson, has been chosen by the Lord, and dedicated to the Lord's service as a Nazarite, it has been declared in no uncertain terms by an Angel, and then confirmed as God himself placed his spirit upon Sampson.

Judges13:24 The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson.
He grew and the LORD blessed him,
25 and the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him

Sampson was set apart, as a Nazarite, given the spirit of God, so that he may be the judge that begins the deliverance of God's people from the oppression of the Philistines

The question is, how will he go?

So as we approach the story of Samson's life, there are four things as Israelite and Nazareth, that he is not to do.

Firstly, do not marry a foreign wife.
Secondly, do not touch a dead body.
Thirdly, do not drink alcoholic drinks.
Fourthly, do not cut your hair.

I dunno about you, but to me it sounds a little ominous already!
So let's see how he goes.

Sampson story is about challenge of his obedience to God,
Samson story is one of Sampson versus his temptations,
the challenge to follow the Lord despite the hardships he will face.

2. challenge one -- Sampson versus foreign women

14:1 Samson went down to Timnah
and saw there a young Philistine woman.

So Sampson sees a young woman, now at one level is nothing unusual about that, except that the woman is a philistine and as such, not only is he not supposed to marry her, he is in fact supposed to wipe out her people. Not breed with them, so there would be more of them in the land. In fact three times we see that Sampson's eyes liked what he saw when he saw her, in verse one in verse two and V3.

She looked good to Sampson's eyes, which is not an uncommon thing for a man, but it's not a good thing if you know the old Testament. David saw Bathsheba bathing and she looked good, Eve saw the Apple and it looked good, and even in the book of judges we read, there was no king in the land, and everyone did what was good in their own eyes.

The eyes are not always to be trusted, but in this Sampson was just like his countrymen, and followed the lust of their eyes.

So so far, it isn't looking good in the foreign women challenge to Sampson.

And his parents see the folly of this idea, and try and talk some sense into him we read in V3.

3 His father and mother replied,
"Isn't there an acceptable woman among your relatives
or among all our people?
Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines
to get a wife?"

But Sampson twice rejects them, not only their advice, but also their authority really, this is hardly a good Jewish boy honouring his mother and father like Moses had told him to. And instead he demands of his parents in verse two and verse three, "get her for me".

So I think we can safely say, challenge one and foreign women is fail for Sampson.
And what about his parents and the end of V3, well we’ll get to that in a minute.

But for now we move on to challenge two.

3. challenge two -- Sampson versus dead bodies

5 Samson went down to Timnah
together with his father and mother.
As they approached the vineyards of Timnah,
suddenly a young lion came roaring towards him.
6 The Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power
so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands
as he might have torn a young goat.
But he told neither his father nor his mother what he had done.
7 Then he went down and talked with the woman,
and he liked her.
8 Some time later,
when he went back to marry her,
he turned aside to look at the lion's carcass.
In it was a swarm of bees and some honey,
9 which he scooped out with his hands
and ate as he went along.
When he rejoined his parents,
he gave them some,
and they too ate it.
But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion's carcass.


Throughout the whole narratives about Sampson in the book of judges, we see him undertake 10 acts of great power, and in particular three of these acts are designated in a particular sense, by the expression "the spirit of the Lord came upon him in power". Which seems to mean, that while God had made Sampson a strongman in every physical sense, there were particular acts, for which he was particularly empowered by the holy spirit, by God, to designate that God himself really was with this judge. That God really was going to use this man, to begin his deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines.

And the first of these great acts of Samson in God's Power, is to destroy a lion with his bare hands. Which is no mean feat when you think about it, considering most of us would be proud to get the cat out for the night in winter without getting scratched in the process, much less kill a lion. But God demonstrates in power that Sampson will be his servant in this particular act.

Whether we can say the same about all Sampson's powerful acts, is up for grabs, and something will get to think a little bit about next week.

In v7 Sampson finally meets his woman, and what his eyes have liked, his ears like as well, and it seems like challenge one is definitely a foregone conclusion, but what about challenge two, of Sampson versus dead bodies.

Well it seems not only did his eyes, and his ears fail him, but now his taste buds to as well. Because on his way back down to marry his foreign wife, he turns aside to go a look over his great feat of strength, of killing the lion, (which is kind of dumb, knowing full well but the lion would be dead given he killed it), but this doesn't seem to bother him. In fact when he bends over to look inside, he finds wonderful sweet honey, and thinks nothing of his vow at all, but instead thinks only of his physical desires and in the process defiled himself by eating out of the dead body. Not even just touching it, but eating out of it.
And not content with that, he thumbed his nose at his parents again, by making them complicit with his Sin.

So not only did he fail the challenge, he fails in spectacular fashion, by bringing down his parents with him.

And at this point, you really do need to ask the question,
What is this guy doing?

He is supposed to be the Israelites of Israelites, resisting sin, and being dedicated totally and wholeheartedly to the Lord. And in the space of a few verses, he has essentially already written off his commitment to the Lord. Not only did he not resist the temptation, in fact he seems to do the complete opposite, he seems to plunge headlong into the sin that he is supposed to resist and be separate from.
He has all the restraint of the kamikaze pilot who has been sent as part of a peacekeeping force to the Middle East. Like that can help the problem!

So at this point, not only do you have to ask the question,
what is this guy doing?,
but at the same time, you need to ask the question,
what is God doing choosing this man?
I mean everything about this scene is wrong, Everything Samson does, bar killing the lion, is wrong.

You only need to look at Luke chapter 1 to work this out.
 11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.  12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him.  13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.  14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,  15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.  16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God,  17 and he will go before him kin the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

So an angel appears, and tells parents -- including a barren woman again -- that they will have a son, and he will be in Nazarite, a man dedicated to the Lord. A man who was to prepare the way for the Lord, to prepare a way for the coming of God's King, the Messiah.

And what did John do, exactly what he was told to do, as we read in the chapter 3 verse 18, "and with many other words John exhorted the people and preach the good news to them.". John was ready when the king came, John had done what the Lord had called him to, and he prepared the way of the Lord.

So what is going on with Sampson, what kind of Nazarite is he?
how is he an Israelites of Israelites,
and how, and why would God use him?

At this point, Sampson looks a lot more like Jonah, than he does like John the Baptist. He looks like a man running from God and his purposes for his life, rather than serving God with all that he has been given.

And this is unsurprisingly borne out in Sampson's third challenge.

4. challenge three -- Sampson versus drinking.

10 Now his father went down to see the woman.
And Samson made a feast there,
as was customary for bridegrooms.

Prior to Sampson's wedding, he has a feast that goes to seven days. A feast where a key component is drinking over the entire period. And while it isn’t explicit from the text, you can only gather that Sampson took part in the drinking that he was expressly commanded not to take part in.

It seems as the drinking went on, Samson decided to have some fun, and told a riddle to the Philistines, a challenge to goad his company and provide a little entertainment.

At this point he kind of reminds me of a mate of mine, non-Christian mate, who when he drinks, particularly when his overseas for some odd reason, decides to text me while he sitting in some dingy pub watching a football game at a time that invariably translates to 3 AM our time. And he only ever texts me when Manchester United are winning, which to me is the embodiment of all that is bad about this world, but that is probably a story for another day.

The point is, Samson like my mate, gets a skin full, thinks themselves very clever, and decides to have some sport with others, and start talking it up big.
11 When he appeared, he was given thirty companions.
12 "Let me tell you a riddle,"
Samson said to them.
"If you can give me the answer
within the seven days of the feast,
I will give you thirty linen garments
and thirty sets of clothes.
13 If you can't tell me the answer,
you must give me thirty linen garments
and thirty sets of clothes."

"Tell us your riddle,"
they said.
"Let's hear it."
14 He replied,
"Out of the eater, something to eat;
out of the strong, something sweet."
For three days they could not give the answer.

It is fairly safe to say that after a couple of days the Philistines get very tired of all this, and resort to that base solution to all problems when the brain fails, and the alcohol kicks in, violence. And so the Philistines threaten Sampson's wife.
15 On the fourth day,
they said to Samson's wife,
"Coax your husband into explaining the riddle for us,
or we will burn you and your father's household
to death.
Did you invite us here to rob us?"

And so she in desperation, resorts to the female base level equivalent of violence to resolve the situation, she turns on the waterworks and nags her husband for days.

Now it is possible to say you think Sampson is a wuss, at this point, and at one level I know what you talking about.
But there is a sense that someone crying non-stop, and whingeing at you, can just wear you down and get on your nerves, like the first night we got Emma home from hospital, and she howled for six hours nonstop until two in the morning. I would have happily severed one of my own arteries by about 1230 if I thought that was going to stop the crying, it can get you.

But I suspect Sampson's issues are not with the crying, I think the fact that he cracks the day before the wedding, shows he has more base level, alterior motives. He wasn't so much concern with the crying, but a little more concerned with the cold shoulder he would have received on his wedding night. Why else wouldn't he have waited another day and won the bet? Particularly in light of what we know about his character already in the story.
16 Then Samson's wife threw herself on him, sobbing,
"You hate me!
You don't really love me.
You've given my people a riddle,
but you haven't told me the answer."

"I haven't even explained it to my father or mother,"
he replied,
"so why should I explain it to you?"
17 She cried the whole seven days of the feast.
So on the seventh day he finally told her,
because she continued to press him.
She in turn explained the riddle to her people.

So the Philistines think they are very clever, that their violent threat has won them the day. And that's the funny thing about sin, and particularly sinful behaviour expressed in violence, the perpetrators who start it, Are usually unable, (or least unwilling) to stop and consider the consequences, and the fallout of their actions. And you have to wonder, whether the smug Philistines, envisaged from Sampson's crass reply to them, what the repercussions of them would be from Sampson actions.

But inverse 19 we learn the Philistines will not suffer just because of their behaviour against Sampson, but in fact this behaviour, was the spark to ignite Gods instruments to exact God's judgement upon the philistine people.
19 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power.
He went down to Ashkelon,
struck down thirty of their men,
stripped them of their belongings
and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle.
Burning with anger, he went up to his father's house.

Finally, despite Sampson's best attempts to stuff it up, God's Judge begins to fulfill his role, as the one sent to start the emancipation of God's people the Israelites, from the rule of their philistine overlords.

Back in v6 the spirit of the Lord came upon Sampson in power, to kill the lion as he headed towards the Philistines. He should have been obedient to his calling, and you hope looking back on his life, he would like to hit the delete button on V7-18, because in verse 19 the spirit of the Lord came upon Sampson in power again, and this time he did what he was supposed to do in the first place, even though you'd really have to question his motives.

Despite man's best efforts, despite his blatant sin, God's plan and God's purpose was not thwarted, but instead was enacted. God is not the author of man’s sinful behaviour, but God's sovereign hand is over all, so that his good purposes will be enacted in the end. And that is so often the story in the Bible, and particularly the old Testament.
Even through the horrendous behaviour and treatment of his brothers towards him, God brought about his sovereign purposes and good for his servant Joseph, who spoke those profoundly true words, that bring us all comfort in hard places of life, when we suffer persecution even unjustly, he says in Genesis 50:20 "you intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives."

Sampson is definitely no superhero, in fact he is one of the most obstinate and disobedient of the Israelite people in the old Testament. And that is the reason that God chose to use him. God is nothing if not surprising to us!

God chose to Sampson, to show his own sovereignty, power, and Grace in his world. He chose Sampson to show that he, the Lord, is sovereign in his world and none of his purposes will fail, none of man's plans can stand against God and his purposes for his creation, and for his people.

God chose Sampson because Sampson is Representative Israel, Sampson's story is Israel story.
A people set apart before the beginning of the world, to belong to the Lord, to be his treasured possession, to inhabit the land of Israel, and to live in a close relationship with him, to not be like the world around them, and do not worship after their gods.

Sampson was no more obstinate or reluctant to fulfill his role as Israel's judge and deliver, than Israel itself was obstinate and reluctant to fulfill their role as God's light into a dark and lost world.

Sampson isn't the hero of his story, despite his great acts of strength, God is the hero of the story, because the acts of strengths are truly his, he is the sovereign Lord who will deliver his people, because he is the faithful Lord, the gracious lord, the covenant Lord, who has promised that he shall be their God and they shall be his people. And even the obstinate behaviour of sinful men cannot thwart God and his sovereign and gracious promises.

So what are we to make of Sampson? Is his story one that says, we can do whatever we like, we can sin until our hearts content, and it doesn't matter because God will make it all okay and the end?
Let me suggest that is not a good option, and the Bible particularly the apostle Paul spells that out in no uncertain terms, but more than that - hang on to that thought, because we haven't finished with Samson yet and we will see how things turn out to him next week.

And so we leave Sampson this week in V20,
20 And Samson's wife was given to the friend
who had attended him at his wedding.

And deep down you suspect don't you, that this decision will not turn out well for the Philistines!
But then again we leave Sampson with only one of his Nazarite vows intact, surely he won’t get rid of his hair - will he?

So what are we to make of all this? Well one thing is certain, judges is an ugly book, about ugly times, about an ugly people.
But then our time is really so much different, in regard to our relationship with God? Life is often messy isn't it?
Sometimes we are ugly people, a little bit like Sampson. We are mixed and compromising towards God even on our good days.
The author of the book of judges, knows that the solution to Israel's problem is the coming king. Gods King, the Messiah, would rule properly over God's people. Sampson's job was to prepare the way to the arrival of God's King, like a good Nazarite, he was to prepare the way for the total defeat of the Philistines, that would be completed by the great king King David. But even the great King David was only a shadow of the things to come.

IF we go 1000 years later to another Nazarite who would come called John the Baptist, he would prepare the way for the true king, God's Messiah, Jesus the Christ. Jesus inaugurated his great kingdom, the Kingdom to which we belong, through his death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead. Jesus has begun his kingdom now, and all who have received him as their saviour and Lord partake in the kingdom now, by faith, by trusting him.

Jesus Kingdom has been inaugurated, but it has not yet been consummated, we live in the days where we await his return, when Christ returns from the right hand of God the father, when he will come to judge the “quick and the dead” -- to use the old language.
God has saved his people for a purpose, and that purpose is to prepare the way for the Kings return. And that is the challenge of Samson to us. God is sovereign, and his king will return, the question is will he find us at work when he does. Will he find us as good and faithful servants preparing the way for the return of the Lord, or will we be off, proudly and obstinately, living like the Philistines - drinking and celebrating with no idea about the judgement that is about to befall them?

 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.  10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

 11 Beloved, I urge you has sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.  12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

 1 Peter 3:15 but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you;