<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

Amazing Facts

Joe Crews

Samson

Modern dress of boys and girls has become confusingly alike even though long, long hair on men has become less acceptable and stylish.

I'll be back in a moment to talk about a he-man a He-Man and his hair.

Hello this is Joe Cruz and the Amazing Facts broadcast, Facts Which Affect You.

A ring of admiring teenagers stood around a muscular youth with shoulder-length hair.

The young man flexed his rippling muscles and glowed under the adulation of his devoted followers.

The year was about 1100 B.C., and the youth was Samson, the most perfect physical specimen since Adam.

What does this giant of a strong man have to do with you and me today?

Well, let's look into the story for a few moments.

I'd like to address myself now especially to the young people, and I have good reason for doing so.

You see, this is where the tides of temptation sweep in the strongest.

Because young hearts are the battlefield on which Satan is seeking control.

If you doubt it, follow the Bible stories from Genesis to Revelation.

Read there about the young people God used to influence nations.

We could preach a score of sermons about Joseph, Gideon, Daniel, Esther, and David.

Now did these young people meet any problems?

But we are going to focus today on 1 who was raised up for a special purpose.

May I point you to a youth who was destined before his birth to be a man of conquest.

God had talked to his mother even before Samson's birth.

Concerning that 1 to be born, God said, Behold, thou shalt conceive and bear a son, and now drink no wine, nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing.

For the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death.

Well there were 3 conditions to being a Nazirite.

First, total abstinence from wine and strong drink.

Second, no razor was to come on the head.

And third, they were not to touch any dead thing, or be defiled with that which typified spiritual death.

Samson was destined to save leaderless Israel from the Philistines.

Also, he was to save Israel from her backsliding.

Now remember, they were doing whatever they wanted to do.

So no wonder Samson had been set apart for a separated life and a holy life.

Every provision had been made to mold him into a great deliverer of his people.

His sanctified example was to draw Israel away from their sinful course, and his strength was to be used in throwing off the yoke of the enemy.

Now what happened to this young man having such glorious prospects?

His story should capture the interest of every youth and adult.

Do you know how Satan undermines and destroys a soul?

Friend, listen, it never happened suddenly.

For many years Samson was honored among his people and even among the enemy.

He was dedicated to the obedience of God's word.

He was feared for his great courage in the face of God's call.

His name was associated with places where he wrought mightily for God, Geza, Timnath, Ashkelon, and Hebron.

By the way, friends, are there places where your name is remembered because of great victories you won for God?

Where you were obedient in the face of some temptation?

Were you willing to submit to some hard task?

How could such a consecrated life become desecrated?

Doubtless he forgot his vows, but it was not easy to do.

The first compromise was almost imperceptible, very slight, and easily justified.

Future disaster is never seen in the early triflings with God's will.

Little disobedience is never thought to be the beginning of some large step of disobedience.

In a moment when the Spirit found your heart tender and the will of God seemed very clear, did you vow that God would have His way with you?

Did you say, By thy grace from this day on it will be thus and thus.

Or did you just find it easy to forget your vow?

You know, Samson renounced his vow of separation without knowingly doing it.

He never came to a moment when he said, I do here and now renounce this Nazirite vow.

His renunciation of that vow came gradually, subtly, in a very deceptive manner.

I wonder How much pride entered into that picture?

Can you visualize that ring of admiring teenagers watching him and those rippling muscles?

Is it hard to imagine the effect of all this adulation on the heart of a youth?

You see, the town of Zora was near the country of the Philistines, and Samson came to mingle with them on very friendly terms.

He felt no danger in the associations and friendships that he found over there.

I suppose he felt like his teenage counterparts today, and he probably said, they are not going to influence me.

Yet, friends, those are devil-inspired words.

You can't help but be affected by your associates.

His godly parents no doubt warned Samson to be careful.

They probably told him that he was liable to fall in love with some heathen girl over there.

And I can almost hear Sampson objecting, never, never, I'd never do anything like that.

His reasoning ability became more and more deadened until his judgment seemed to depart completely.

Listen to this demand in Judges 14, 2, and he came up, and told his father and mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.

Ah, you see, there was no reasoning with him at all now.

He said, I want this woman, you get her for me.

You know, friends, there is an old Puritan saying that goes like this, If you are a child of God and marry a child of the devil, you can expect trouble from your father-in-law.

And did he still seek to justify his course?

Perhaps he reasoned that by associating with them more he could learn how to defeat the Philistines.

And we have all been guilty of justifying our little acts of sin by saying that the motive was good.

Samson didn't see himself compromised even as he feasted with the Philistines and played riddles with them.

Yet all the while he was disclosing to them his weakness, not his strength.

He actually did stop going into battle with him, unless they stung him with some personal insult, of course.

He no longer fought to uphold the glory of God or to obey the vow he had taken.

Remember when he was attacked by that lion?

He tore it apart with his bare hands and left the carcass by the path.

Later he passed by and saw bees hiving there in that carcass.

And despite his Nazarite vow not to touch a dead thing, he didn't hesitate to scoop up that honey.

Now he had violated 1 of the 3 areas of his vows.

Shortly after that, while feasting with the Philistines, he accepted some wine to drink and broke the second vow.

Now both his hands and lips were defiled.

Back to Menu

Samson

Transcript

Sponsor

Recorded

Sound Doctrine