HEROES OF THE FAITH – SAMSON
JUDGES 16:14-21 –
FEBRUARY 5, 1964
He was the son of Zeus and the hands of the gods were upon him. His strength was superhuman. He cleaned, he purged the massive stables of the King of Augean in a single day. He changed the course of rivers to purge those great barns of their filth. He conquered the bull of Minos, the King of Crete.. He journeyed to the lower worlds where he ceased Cerberus, the three-headed dog that ruled the underworld that guarded the gate of Hades. He captured the man-eating mares of the wicked Diomedes and he then killed Diomedes and fed him to his own mares. He killed the Hydra, the most high-headed venomous serpent. It was said that if any of the outer heads of the Hydra were cut off, two heads would grow in place of every one and it was said that the center head was immortal but he burned off the outer heads and he cut off the immortal head and he buried it under a massive boulder. He conquered the race of the Amazons, a great race of warrior women. When he overpowered their Queen, Hippolyta, with his greater strength, and he killed the ferocious Nemean lion when he thrust his massive arm down that lion’s throat, and he then, with his bare hands, stripped the lion of its skin and he wore it as his own cloak. It was said that he was so strong that he held the sky itself on his shoulders. And his courage was so great that even in death, as his flesh was being eaten by the poisonous blood of a centaur he commanded his own incineration upon a funeral pyre. But he was greater than death and he became immortal and he was welcomed at Mt. Olympus where he joined the Council of the Gods. His name, of course, was Heracles. Whereas the Greeks called him Hercules.
The Greeks were preoccupied with human power and human strength. Their culture was not unlike other cultures throughout world history. Not unlike our culture today from Charles Atlas to Arnold Schwarzenegger. Children grow up today reading Superman comic books, Bat Mat, He-Man, the Incredible Hulk, Tarzan, and yet all of these creatures are creatures of fiction and mythology. Therefore, when we come to the Bible and we see this person called Samson, many people don’t know what to do, because he, too, is superhuman . A person with superhuman power and yet the Bible tells us that he was not a creature of fiction or fantasy or mythology. He was real. He existed in history. He lived more than 1,000 years before Jesus Christ. He was born of the tribe. of Dan. He was the son of Manoah and his strength was superhuman.
Apart from Samson, perhaps the strongest man who ever lived in this world was Paul Anderson, the super heavyweight who won the Olympic championship in 1956. Paul Anderson lifted 6,270 pounds on his back. He did a bench press with 627 pounds. He put 1 ,200 pounds on his shoulders and did a full squat. He did a 52 we have found joy and meaning and blessing.. And you see, the Bible tells us, God tells us that a Christian marriage is simply a microcosm, a small example, of a greater marriage—a marriage between a Christian and the Lord Jesus Christ. If you are a Christian, the Bible says you are married to Jesus Christ. If you’re part of the great Church of Christ, then you are his bride and you’ve been called to consecrate your life to Him., and as you consecrate your life to Him, He Oyes you power. He gives you blessing. He gives you joy and He gives you happiness.
In Europe in 1847 in a great stone cathedral, the church custodian was making his final check of the choir and organ loft high up in the balcony of that cathedral. He thought he was all alone but suddenly he heard footsteps coming up the stone stairway to the balcony. He turned and he saw a – man coming towards him in frayed clothing. The stranger said “Sir, I’ve travelled a long distance to see the great organ for which this cathedral is famous. Would you please remove the console so I might see this organ.” The custodian was hesitant but he removed the console and then the stranger stepped forward. He stepped closer and he said “Sir , can I sit on the organ bench.” The custodian was hesitant because that cathedral organ was his sacred trust. He thought somehow this stranger might hurt the great pipe organ but he said “Alright” and the stranger sat on the organ bench. And then the stranger said “Sir, can I play this cathedral organ?” The custodian say “No, only the cathedral organist can play the cathedral organ.” But then when the custodian saw the disappointment on this stranger’s face and the stranger recounted again the great journey he had made, finally the custodian said “Okay, you can play the organ but only five minutes and then you have to go.” And so this stranger sat down and he began to play this great cathedral organ and the music that was so beautiful just filled the sanctuary. The music was more beautiful than that custodian had ever heard in his life. And five minutes went by like five seconds. Then the stranger arose and he started to leave. The custodian turned to him and said “Sir, I have never heard more beautiful music in my whole. life. What is your name?” The man turned around and he said “My name is Mendelssohn ” and so it was that Felix Mendelssohn, one of the greatest organists and composers in the history of the world, on a Saturday afternoon came into that European cathedral and he played his music. When he had gone, that cathedral custodian thought to himself “I almost kept the master from playing his music in my cathedral.”
And you see, all Jesus Christ wants to do with you as a Christian is to come into your cathedral and play His music. He wants to play His music in your life. But that can’t happen unless you and I consecrate ourselves to Him, make ourselves available to Him, offer ourselves to Him. We must offer our possessions to Him, our bodies to Him, our abilities to Him, that He might play. His music in our sanctuary. The Bible says “Yield Your members to God as instruments of righteousness.’ Paul says “I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God that , acceptable unto God which is your spiritual worship.”
I know most of you have heard of Joni Erickson and I’ve mentioned her before. She broke her neck diving into the shallow waters of the Chesapeake many years ago. She is a quadriplegic. She cannot move anything below her neck and yet, after that tragic accident, she consecrated her life to Jesus Christ. She gave her body, such as it was, she gave it, she devoted it to Jesus Christ and He plays His music in her sanctuary. She uses her mouth to sing beautiful music to the glory of Christ. She uses her mouth to paint pictures, beautiful pictures, and she signs every picture “Praise the Lord.” She uses her mouth to proclaim the love of Jesus Christ for this world, and thousands Of people, thousands of people, have come to know and love Jesus Christ simply because she offered her cathedral to Him that He might play His music in it.
This world has never seen what God can do, what Jesus Christ can do through a life that is fully consecrated to Him. I love what God said to the children of Israel through the prophet jeremiah. God said “I have a plan for your life. It’s a plan for good, not for evil. It’s a plan to give you a future with hope.” Those are beautiful words and they are true. God has a plan for you and God has a plan for me. A plan to give us a future with hope. A plan to do us good and not evil but He requires that we consecrate ourselves to Him, and we only discover that beautiful plan to the extent that we consecrate ourselves to Him.
You know we just sang a hymn a few minutes ago—”Take my life and let it be consecrated unto Thee. Consecrated unto Thee. Take my silver and my gold, not a mite would I withhold. Take my hands, my feet, my voice, my lips. Take myself and let me be always, only, all for Thee.’ That’s the key to life. That’s the key to power, blessing and happiness.
Samson consecrated his life to God and the power of God was released. We, today, are called to consecrate our lives to Jesus Christ.
Secondly and finally from the life of Samson, we have this teaching. That as Christians we are to be separate from the world. Consecrated. to God and separate from the world. Samson took a Nazarite vow. That Nazarite vow expressed not only his consecration to God but it expressed his separation from the world. The Nazarite vow had four points. First, the Nazarite vow was an oath, a swearing, a pledging to abstain from the fruit of the vine and from strong drink. Secondly, it was an oath to abstain from unclean food in conformity to the Levitical dietary laws. Thirdly, it was an oath to abstain from touching any carcass or dead body. Now Samson created a lot of dead bodies but there’s no evidence that he touched them afterwards. Fourthly, it was a pledge, an oath, to abstain from getting one’s hair cut..
Now through these four oaths, the Nazarites, long ago, expressed their consecration to God, their uniqueness and their separation from the world. Now today, as Christians, we, too, have been called to be separated from the world. You see, when Samson allowed Delilah to cut his hair, symbolically he became common with the world. He broke his consecration to God and he broke his separation from the world, and the power of God was withdrawn. We’ve been called to a far more meaningful understanding of separation from the world than those four Nazarite vows. For 2,000 years, Christians have struggled with this What does it mean to be separated from the world?
In 1690, a group of people called the Amish led by Jacob. Aman separated from the Mennonites in Switzerland. In 1728 they came to America, and today, the Amish people are centered in 28 American states and in Canada. They’ve taken a vow of separation from the world. Their VOW, their oath, is called the “Ordinan’. That’s their word for rules and laws, and according to their “Ordinan, they cannot drive. automobiles. They can only use horses and buggies. They cannot use electricity. They cannot use telephones. They have pledged themselves to an agrarian lifestyle, an agricultural lifestyle. They’ve devoted themselves to farming and simplicity. They have sworn that they will not serve in any political context. They will not serve in any military service and they have sworn themselves to dwell in Amish communities, separated from the world. You can recognize an Amish man from his beard, wide-brimmed hat. An Amish woman from her long dress and from her bonnets. They have separated themselves from the world. They’re not unlike the monks, the Christian monks of all the centuries past, who have left the world and gone into isolation and fellowship only with other monks in the context of monasteries. Monks all through the centuries have taken three vows. They’ve taken a vow of celibacy that they will abstain from all forms of sex. They taken a vow of poverty, that they will hold no earthly possessions, and they’ve taken a vow of obedience, that they would give their life in obedience to the head of their monastic order.. They have taken these vows and they have joined these monasteries in order to express their consecration to God and their separation from the world, even as the Amish have taken their “Ordinan” to express their consecration to God and their separation from the world, and they mean well, and they love the Lord, but they have misunderstood the Biblical concept of Christian separation because God does not call u,5, as Christians, to be separated physically from this world. He’s called us to a far more meaningful separation, a spiritual one God rarely calls a Christian to monastic seclusion but He calls us to go into the world, to be IN the world, not be OF the world. He has called us to a spiritual separation.
As Christians, we do not take vows of celibacy, most of us, but we do take vows of chastity, that we will use God’s gift of sex only within the context of marriage. And if we do that we’re going to be different from the world. We do not take vows i77.. CZ” all things belong to our Lord and that we must use all things in accordance with His will and if we do that we re going to be different from the world. We do not take vows of obedience to some earthly leader of some earthly monastery but we do take vows of obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ and if we truly obey Him, we’re going to be different from the world. And we have taken a vow of ministry, that we will go into the world in the name of Christ and share the love of Christ with people.
Our difference from the world is not expressed by our abstinence from wine or certain foods, or touching dead bodies or getting a haircut. It’s not so much the things we don’t do that expresses our difference from the world as it is the things we do. Now there are some things we should not do as Christians.
I read this past week where the average American family spends 7 hours and 2 minutes a day watching television. I found that hard to believe. Seven hours and two minutes a day. Now there’s nothing wrong with watching television, but certainly, as Christians, we would have better things to do with our time then to spend that much time. I doubt if there’s seven hours of good television a week normally! But you see, above all else, as Christians we are to express our separation from the world by what we do, that we learn to love as Jesus Christ loved… That we go into the world and give ourselves for others… That we learn to serve as Jesus Christ served… That we might truly be willing to wash people’s feet. If we go into the world with an attitude of love and service, we’re going to be different and we’re going to be separate from the world. “By this all n o will know you are my disciples, if you love one another” Jesus said.
There is a temptation constantly to become one with the world. I heard a story some time ago and I’m sure some of you have heard it. The story of a little boy who lived down in the south with his family on a farm. The family decided to move to the north to a major industrial city. The boy didn’t want to go to the big city, but at least he was allowed to brin g h is pet and that gave him some confort. In the big city one morning, the boy decided to take a walk with his pet and see what the city was like. He walked across the school yard and there he came face – to -face with one of the city gangs, and the gang leader said “So you’re the new kid on the block.” He said, “Well you’re going to have to join a gang. If you know what’s good for you, you better join our gang.” The little boy said “Well, you know where I came from they didn’t have gangs and I don’t think T like a lot of the things that gangs do. I don’t think. I want to join your gang.” The gang leader said “Well, you either join our gang or you’d better get used to getting beat up a lot.” And suddenly the gang leader looked down and he saw the little boy’s pet and he began to laugh. He said “What kind of an ugly dog is that? A yellow, short-tailed, long-nosed, stubby-legged dog. I’ll tell you what. You come out here tomorrow night, into this school yard. You bring that dog and you either join our gang or we’re going to brin g our dog ‘Killer’. If you don’t join our gang, we’re going ic.14.- ” FA..7, 7 7 56 came back with his pet and the gang came dragging. ‘Killer’. It really looked like ‘Killer’ was dragging the gang. They were all holding onto ‘Killer’s’ leash. And ‘Killer’ was a giant German Shepherd, standing 3 and 1/2 feet at the shoulders with this massive mouth and massive teeth. With foam coming from the mouth, the dog looked rabid. Finally, the gang leader said “Well are you going to join our gang?’ And the l’ittle boy said “No, I can’t join your gang.” The gang leader said “Then I’m going to release ‘Killer’ on that ugly, yellow, short-tailed, long-nosed, stubby-legged dog of yours. ” The boy said “I’m sorry. I can’t join your gang” and suddenly the gang leader released ‘Killer’ and this big German Shepherd circled the boy and his pet and finally, after circling them a few times, this German Shepherd just jumped on the boy’s pet and there was a momentary skirmish.. Suddenly the boy’s pet opened his mouth and it was the biggest mouth that any of them had ever seen, and in one bite, ‘Killer’ was dead. The gang was stunned and the gang leader said “Boy, what kind of a yellow, short-tailed, long-nosed, stubby-legged dog is that anyway” and the boy said “Well, before we painted him yellow and cut off his tail, he was an alligator!”
Now that is what is often called a very dumb story, but it does illustrate a truth. The world wants to force us into its mold and the world wants us to join its gangs, and there’s R lot of killers out there. Samson’s killer was Delilah, though in truth, the real killer was his own lust. You have many killers in your life. I have killers in mine. Sometimes we wish it was as simple as having an alligator but it’s not. We’ve been called to be separate and there’s a lot of pressure, but we have the Holy Spirit and we have each other—brothers and sisters. in Jesus Christ—and we’re told that we can draw strength from each other. We have the Bible, the Word of God, and we have the privilege of prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. We’ve been called to a type of separation from this world, that we would not join in the world’s morality. The world’s morality is hedonism. If it feels good, do it but Jesus said “whatsoever I tel you to do, do it.” The world’s economy is materialism but Jesus said “A man’s life doesn’t exist in the sum of his possessions.” The world’s philosophy is ascensionism. I shall ascend. But Jesus said ‘It’s more blessed to serve than it is to be served…” We’ve been called to a separation from this world. “We are aliens’ the Bible says. “We are sojourners. We are strangers on this earth.”
I would like to conclude with a story told by Peter Marshall. Peter Marshall was the Chaplain to the United States Senate many years ago. A Presbyterian minister. He used to love to tell the story of a little boy. It is a true story. A little boy who had cancer. This little boy had had cancer for two years and he was a Christian boy. His mom and dad were Christians and it was very hard on the whole family. They desperately wanted to see their little boy grow up and experience all the things, all the good things that people can experience in this life, and yet it had become very evident that that little bo y wasn’t going to ri1,74!„..;1: if. Than was with him and he was getting weak. For the first time he began to think about death, and he said “Mommy, what is it like to die?” And his mother turned away because she began to cry. She didn’t know what to say to her son. She’d never discussed it with him before. She said “Lord Jesus, dive me something, something that I can say to my little boy.” Suddenly it was like the Lord just gave her an insight. She turned back to her little boy and she said “Son, you know how in the summertime you used to love to play all day and you’d play so hard. After dinner you’d CIO back out and you’d play some more and you’d play until you were just so tired and so exhausted you couldn’t play anymore. Then you’d come up and you’d sleep on mommy and daddy’s bed. We’d let you sleep there. It wasWt your bed. It wasn’t your room, but you’d always wake up in the morning in your own room because someone who loved you very much took you there.” She said “Son, when you’re a Christian, death is like that. You go to sleep. You wake up in the morning and you’re in your own room. You’re in your own room because someone who loves you very much takes you there.” Well, a smile came across the little boy’s face. He liked that I like that story too , not only because of its illustration of death for the Christian, but because of its illustration of life.
You see, it so important that we, as Christians, realize that right now we are not in our own room.. We’re not in our own room. Our own room is heaven. That’s our permanent room. This is just a temporary room. Jesus Christ has power into heaven to prepare your room. If you really believe that—If you really believe that the next room is permanent and this room is temporary—then that’s going to affect the way you live in this world. We are aliens in this world. Called to be different from this world. The ‘Bible says. “You are a chosen race. A royal priesthood, a holy nation. God’s own people, that you might declare the wonderful deeds of Him who called you out of the darkness into His marvelous light. Once you were no people but now you are God’s people. Once you had not received mercy but now you have received mercy. Therefore I beseech you as aliens and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh which wage war against the soul. Maintain good conduct among the nations so that they may see your good life and glorify God on the day of life.
You see, as Christians, God wants us to so live, tn be so consecrated to Him, to be so beautifully separated from the of the world that people might see the love of Christ in us and come to know Him theirselves so that they might glorify God on the day of visitation when Jesus Christ comes again. We’ve been called to consecration and to separation and this is the message that we received from the life of a man whose name was Samson. Shall we pray.