All right, Judges chapter 16, and we're going to read just a few verses here at the beginning,
and then we'll work our way through the whole story, probably doing less reading today and
more summarizing, just as you know, and I'll do my best to give the appropriate references as we go.
Okay, Judges chapter 16, let's begin reading at verse 23.
Now, the lords of the Philistines gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon, their God, and to rejoice.
And they said, our God has given Samson, our enemy, into our hand.
And when the people saw him, they praised their God.
For they said, our God has given our enemy into our hand, the ravager of our country, who has killed many of us.
This is the gospel of Dagon, the gospel of the Philistines.
And when their hearts were merry, they said, call Samson, that he may entertain us.
So they called Samson out of the prison, and he entertained them.
They made him stand between the pillars, and Samson said to the young man who held him by the hand,
let me fill the pillars on which the house rests, that I may lean against them.
Now, the house was full of men and women.
All the lords of the Philistines were there, and on the roof, there were about 3,000 men and women
who looked on while Samson entertained.
Have you ever hit a low point in your life?
Like a legitimately low point in your life, and stop to ask yourself, how did it all come to this?
What went wrong for my life to be in such a mess now?
It wasn't always this way.
There were good days before.
There were passionate days before.
There was joy before.
But at that particular moment, all of that is gone.
You've hit rock bottom, and you're just trying to figure out how did it all come to this?
How did we get here?
How did we get here with Samson?
Samson, we left him at the end of chapter 13 last week as a young man, chosen, blessed, empowered by God.
But we pick up the story here in chapter 16.
20 years have passed.
Samson is captured, and he's now the object of entertainment for the enemy.
And even worse, it's apparent that whatever Samson has done to get to this point has given the Philistines a reason to worship and glorify Dagon.
He is the cause for their worship.
The people of God, they're supposed to declare and display the glory of Yahweh, the one true God.
Samson has given them a reason further to reject the Lord and to actually make a mockery of Him.
Everything about this scene that we just read, it shows Samson as a miserable failure because that's exactly what Samson was.
His life was supposed to be devoted to the Lord so that all would know that Yahweh is God, but he failed miserably,
living in such a way as to bring shame to the name of the Lord instead.
And once again, it becomes clear, as we've seen so many times in the book of Judges,
that this narrative really isn't ultimately about Samson fighting against the Philistines.
This is about Yahweh's war against false worship, not only among his people, but in the world itself.
Well, how did it come to this for Samson?
What went wrong for him to be in this position?
And is there actually any hope that the situation can change and to be improved?
Whether we're asking those questions of Samson or maybe we're even asking those questions this morning of our own lives,
there are answers to be found in this particular story and in these three chapters.
So what I want to do is work our way kind of quickly through the story itself to see what went wrong
and then to see if any of it can actually be redeemed.
And so, as I said, it's three chapters that we're going to go through.
I'm probably not going to do as much reading as normal.
We'll do some summarizing, but I'll note those things as we go, okay?
The big thing that this boils down to, we're asking the question, what went wrong for Samson?
Is Samson essentially, at the heart of it all, resisted the call of God on his life?
And that's what I want you to see in these chapters, resisting God's call.
Now, one major thing that comes very clear as we read through the narrative is this.
Samson is the nation of Israel epitomized in a single individual.
Like the nation itself, he was chosen by God from conception.
He was empowered by God.
He was set apart from everyone else to be a man devoted to the Lord.
God gave the nation of Israel his law.
He gave Samson the Nazarite vow.
Both things were to separate them, cause them to stand out as uniquely devoted to the true God.
And Samson's vow was not for a limited amount of time.
His life from conception to death was to be a life that exemplified the glory of God and the zeal of the Lord.
But while he enjoyed the benefits and the blessings of being God's man,
Samson mostly just wanted to do what was right in his own eyes.
That's the very language of the passage.
If you set your eyes on chapter 14 and verse 7,
then he went down and talked with the woman for she was right in Samson's eyes.
Over and over through the story, Samson sees what he wants and he goes after what he wants,
no matter what it costs him.
He just wants to do what's right in his own eyes.
Fact is that living devoted to God as a sinner in a fallen world can be quite a burden.
And like Israel, Samson seemed to continually resist, maybe even resent the call of God on his life.
So whenever what he wanted went against what God said,
Samson, along with the nation of Israel, did what was right in their own eyes.
Let's just see it in the narrative.
First, though God said not to marry the people of the land,
Samson demanded that his parents allow him to marry a nameless Philistine woman.
When enjoying a bit of honey meant touching a dead animal and breaking his Nazarite vow,
Samson took the honey anyways.
He then again despised his Nazarite vow
when he threw his wedding feast by the vineyards of Timnah,
where he and his Philistine friends indulged in drunkenness as, quote,
the young men used to do.
And all of that's just the first 10 verses.
Samson was supposed to be the one to deliver Israel from Philistine control.
But chapter 14 suggests that he much preferred to live among the Philistines
and to behave like the Philistines instead.
He was an Israelite who desperately wanted to be a Philistine.
And like many of us,
Samson wanted to be part of the world
that God had called him to separate from.
But it didn't take very long for him to discover
that the world wasn't nearly as interested in him
as he was in it.
So after this bizarre drinking game
that involved the riddle of the lion that he had killed,
Samson was betrayed by his friends,
betrayed by his new wife,
betrayed by his father-in-law,
and so he retaliated.
He went and he killed 30 men
and then he tied up a bunch of foxes
and lit their tails on fire
in order that he could destroy
all of the Philistines' crops.
Now that, in Samson's mind at that point,
is not zeal for the Lord.
It's zeal for his own vengeance.
They had taken away his future
by taking his new wife
and given it to his best friend.
So Samson retaliates
by robbing them of their future,
by destroying all of their supply of food.
You can read all about it
in 1411 through 158.
But here's the truth about Samson.
Just like Israel,
Samson was on the downward spiral
of apostasy,
moving closer and closer and closer
to fully abandoning
all devotion to the Lord.
But what we find in the midst of that
is that God still
was abundantly merciful
and patient
toward his carnal servant.
Even using Samson's sin
as an opportunity
to fight against the Philistines.
Samson doesn't care about God's zeal
in killing those 30 men
at Ashkelon.
He doesn't care about
the zeal of the Lord
in destroying the crops
with the foxes.
Yet God uses even his sin
to fight against those people.
Samson's over here
doing what's right
in his own eyes
and God's over here
even using what's right
in Samson's eyes
to accomplish his work,
to accomplish his will
in fighting against the Philistines.
But after his own people
even turned against him,
the men of Judah,
they turned him over
to the Philistines
to be executed,
God still empowered him
to kill a thousand men.
An amazing feat.
Probably his greatest feat
until the end of his life.
And you know,
God even used him
as he was breaking
the Nazarite vow.
He killed them all
with the jawbone,
the fresh jawbone,
the text says,
of a donkey,
another carcass,
another thing Samson
wasn't supposed to touch
to begin with.
And that's what he grabs
as his instrument of war.
And God doesn't say,
never mind.
God uses him
even though he's a sinner,
even though
in the act of using him,
he's sinning against the Lord.
But there is a bright spot
here at the end
of chapter 15.
Look with me
at chapter 15,
verse 18.
This is after he's
just defeated those men
and he's on the brink
of death,
physical death.
He was very thirsty
and he called upon
the Lord,
Yahweh,
and said,
you have granted
this great salvation
by the hand
of your servant.
And shall I now
die
of thirst
and fall into the hands
of the uncircumcised.
And look what God did.
This is amazing,
isn't it?
Samson isn't repenting here.
Just like Israel
never repented.
Samson's crying out
for help.
And God helps.
God split open
the hollow place
that is at Leahy
and water came out
from it.
And when he drank,
his spirit returned
and he revived.
Therefore,
the name of it
was called
En-Hakor,
which means
spring of him
who called.
It is at Leahy
to this day.
And he judged Israel
in the days
of the Philistines
20 years.
So Samson's
on the brink of death
and as Israel
had always done
when facing ruin,
he cried out
to God for help.
And the God of grace
heard his cry.
It's amazing.
Out of love
for his chosen one,
the Lord
supernaturally
sustained him.
Which was a crucial
experience for Samson
that will later
influence his actions
at the end of his life.
We'll come back to that.
Here's what God
was teaching him.
He was teaching Samson
in that moment
that if he cried out
in faith,
the Lord would save him.
That no matter
how far he'd run
from God's call,
the Lord would hear
the prayer of faith
and he would answer him
and he would help him
and he would restore him.
Well, chapter 16
is where Samson
hits rock bottom.
It begins
in the first three verses
by him taking a prostitute
in Gaza,
which was a major
Philistine city.
And the people,
of course,
when he gets to Gaza
in the night
to sleep with this prostitute,
they recognize him.
They set a trap
to kill the man
who had been such a pain
in their necks.
But again,
even though he was there
because of his own sin,
God delivers him.
He again strengthens him
to remove the gates
of the city
and escape
back to Israelite territory.
But still,
Samson's greatest sin
comes next.
Look at verse 4
in chapter 16.
After this,
he loved a woman
in the valley of Sorek
whose name was Delilah.
And the lords
of the Philistines
came up to her
and said to her,
Seduce him
and see where
his great strength lies
and by what means
we may overpower him
that we may bind him
to humble him.
And we will each give you
1,100 pieces of silver.
That is an enormous
amount of money.
We've seen pieces
of silver offered
for wickedness
once before
in the book of Judges.
It was with Abimelech.
He was given money
in order that he could
hire worthless fellows
to go and fight
against all of Gideon's sons.
He received 70 pieces
of silver.
There were five lords
of the Philistines historically.
Five lords
of the Philistines
telling this one woman,
each of us will give you
1,100 pieces of silver
for you to do
this thing for us.
This is an enormous
amount of money.
Verse 6,
So Delilah said to Samson,
Please tell me
where your great strength lies
and how you might be bound
that one could subdue you.
Samson said to her,
If they bind me
with seven fresh bow strings
that have not been dried,
then I shall become weak
and be like any other man.
Then the lords
of the Philistines
brought up to her
seven fresh bow strings
that had not been dried
and she bound him with them.
Now she had men lying
in ambush
in an inner chamber.
And she said to him,
The Philistines
are upon you, Samson.
But he snapped
the bow strings
as a thread of flax snaps
when it touches the fire.
So the secret of his strength
was not known.
Now surely you would expect
that any reasonable man
would say,
I don't think this woman
has my best interest
at heart.
But notice what he does.
Delilah said to Samson,
Behold, you have mocked me
and told me lies.
Please tell me
how you might be bound.
And he said to her,
If they bind me
with new ropes
that have not been used,
then I shall become weak
and be like any other man.
So Delilah took new ropes
and bound him with them
and said to him,
The Philistines
are upon you, Samson.
And the men lying in ambush
were in an inner chamber,
but he snapped the ropes
off his arms
like a thread.
Then Delilah said to Samson,
Until now,
you have mocked me
and told me lies.
Tell me how you might be bound.
And he said to her,
If you weave the seven locks
of my head
with the web
and fasten it tight
with the pen,
then I shall become weak
and be like any other man.
So while he slept,
Delilah took the seven locks
of his head
and wove them
into a web.
Can we just appreciate
his ability to sleep
at this moment?
And she made them tight
with the pen
and said to him,
The Philistines
are upon you, Samson.
But he awoke from his sleep
and pulled away the pen,
the loom, and the web.
And she said to him,
How can you say I love you
when your heart
is not with me?
That's ironic, isn't it?
You have mocked me
these three times
and you have not told me
where your great strength lies.
And when she pressed him hard
with her words
day after day
and urged him,
his soul was vexed to death.
And he told her
all his heart.
And he said to her,
A razor has never come
upon my head,
for I have been a Nazarite
to God
from my mother's womb.
If my head is shaved,
then my strength
will leave me
and I shall become weak
and be like any other man.
For the first time
in the whole narrative,
we meet a woman
with a name,
Delilah.
She was in league
with the Philistine rulers,
but Samson gave her
his heart.
But Delilah doesn't love Samson.
She loves money
far more than she loves Samson.
And the Philistines,
as I said before,
were prepared to make her
a very rich woman
in order for her
to expose the secret
of his strength
so that they may get
some kind of advantage
over the ravager
of their people.
And after a few blatant
yet failed attempts,
Samson eventually tells her
all of his heart.
The truth is that
his strength
didn't come from his hair.
There's no point
in the text
anywhere
in the whole text
until now
that connects
Samson's strength
to his hair.
His hair didn't give him strength.
God gave him strength.
But Samson makes
a correct theological judgment
here with Delilah.
His hair was the only sign
of devotion to God
that he had not
already violated.
He's violated
everything else.
He's tried to marry
a woman that's not Israelite.
He has,
on multiple occasions,
touched dead bodies,
the carcasses of animals.
Implicit in the text
is his own drunkenness
at his wedding feast.
There's nothing left
for him to do
in violating his devotion
to God
except bring a razor
to his head.
And he correctly
makes that judgment.
He knew that
cutting his hair
would be a final step
toward apostasy.
And though he didn't
do it himself,
and I think that's significant,
he chose to drink,
he chose to touch
the lion
and the jawbone
of the donkey,
he chose to go
after the other woman,
he does not choose
to cut his own hair.
Though he does not
do it himself,
I think he knew full well
that Delilah was going
to do it.
Samson's not an idiot.
After three times
of him telling her one thing
and her immediately
doing that thing,
that's when he tells her
the truth?
Isn't it as if he
kind of wants
this strength to be gone
at this point?
Seems that way,
doesn't it?
Why would he want her
to do this?
I think the answer
is he just,
as he said,
simply wanted to be
like any other man.
But God had not called him
to be like any other man.
God had not called him
to live like any other man.
But all he wanted
was to just be
like everybody else.
And his sin
had deceived him such
that he believed
that if he could
just be ridden
of the burden
of God's call
on his life,
that he would then
be able to find
true satisfaction
and true fulfillment
in the way
that he wanted to live
and at the same time
he'd be able to have
the love of his life.
Which was a foolish judgment.
Because the pleasures
of sin never live up
to what they promise.
And the consequences
are always worse
than what we ever
imagined them to be.
Look at verse 18.
When Delilah saw
that he had told her
all his heart,
she sent and called
the lords of the Philistines
saying,
Come up again
for he has told me
all his heart.
Make sure to bring
the silver.
Then the lords
of the Philistines
came up to her
and brought the money
in their hands
and she made him
sleep on her knees
and she called
a man
and had him shave
off the seven locks
of his head.
Then she began
to torment him
and his strength
left him.
And she said,
the Philistines
are upon you,
Samson.
And he awoke
from his sleep
and said,
I will go out
as other times
and shake myself free.
But he did not know
that the Lord
had left him.
And the Philistines
seized him,
gouged out his eyes,
brought him down
to Gaza,
bound him
with bronze shackles
and he ground
at the mill
in the prison.
When Samson awoke
from his sleep
on that night,
the situation
was worse
than he probably
ever thought
it would be.
sin always promises
more than it
can actually deliver.
It never actually
comes through.
The Lord
had left him.
He didn't even know it.
He awakens
knowing
that he's just
told her all his heart.
Yet he still expects
that the strength
will be there.
Another sign
that it really wasn't
about the hair itself.
Even Samson
thinks he'll still
have the strength
but then
there's no strength.
There's no strength
to fight.
Not because
his hair was gone
but because
the consequences
of his sin
had caught up to him.
So the Philistines
captured him,
they took his eyes
and they imprisoned him
in Gaza
until it was time
to celebrate
what they thought
was a victory
for Dagon.
In reality,
Samson
wasn't the victim
of Dagon's judgment
but Yahweh's
judgment.
But there's still
a glimmer of hope.
Look at verse 22.
But the hair
of his head
began to grow
again
after it had been
shaved.
True to the book
of Judges,
though Samson
sinned against the Lord
again and again
and again
and again.
God's limitless mercy
shines through here.
An encouragement
to those of us
who live more
like Samson
than we do
like Jesus.
Barry Webb said,
Samson may
want to be
as other men
but God
won't let him
be so.
There in the
dank,
miserable,
degrading prison,
God reclaims
his wayward
child.
But we're left
wondering
how much more
glorious of a
servant of God
he might have been
if only he had
embraced his calling
rather than
resisting it.
I think Samson
would have
quite loved
to sing the song
that we often
sing here.
When I fear
my faith will fail,
Christ will hold
me fast.
When the tempter
would prevail,
he will hold
me fast.
I could never
keep my hold
through life's
fearful path
for my love
is often cold.
He must hold
me fast.
If I will be held,
it must be him
that does it.
The regrowth
of Samson's hair
is a sign
of God's
relentless
pursuit
of his people.
Although Samson
continually
failed the Lord,
the Lord
would not
abandon him.
And what a glorious
thought that is
for those
who belong
to God
cannot
out sin
his grace.
It can't
be done.
Here is Samson
doing everything
he could possibly
do to get away
from the call
of God
in a similar way
to Jonah
and yet God's
grace is still
there.
He will not
let him go.
So his hair
begins to grow
again.
He'll not
let my soul
be lost.
His promises
shall last.
Bought by him
at such a cost,
he will hold
me fast.
That's resisting
the call.
Now let's look
at experiencing
God's grace.
Experiencing
God's grace.
You're in chapter
16.
Now jump down
to verse 28.
Now we're
back in Gaza.
Samson has
been brought
out for the
people to mock
him and to
mock the Lord.
Verse 28,
then Samson
called to the
Lord.
Remember he's
done that once
before?
You think he
learned something
there?
Yeah, I think
he did.
Because he's
doing it again
here.
He calls to
the Lord,
oh Lord God,
please remember
me and please
strengthen me
only this once,
oh God,
that I may be
avenged on the
Philistines for
my two eyes.
Samson grasped
the two middle
pillars on which
the house rested
and he leaned
his weight against
them, his right
hand on one,
his left hand on
the other.
And Samson said,
let me die with
the Philistines.
Then he bowed
with all his
strength and the
house fell upon
the Lord's and
upon all the
people who were
in it.
So the dead
whom he killed
at his death
were more than
those whom he
had killed during
his life.
Then his
brothers and all
his family came
down and took
him and brought
him up and
buried him between
Zorah and
Eshtail in the
tomb of Manoah,
his father.
He had judged
Israel 20 years.
For all Samson
did wrong,
he understood
and he
acknowledged that
his strength
did not come
from within
him.
It came from
God.
And you have
to dig through
a lot of sin
to get to it,
but underneath
all the foolishness
of Samson's
life was a
sinner who
believed God.
We can even
still discern a
vengeful motive
in his prayer,
but it was
indeed a prayer
of faith for
God to save
his people by
defeating the
Philistines,
which is exactly
why the author
of Hebrews
named Samson
as a man of
faith whose
life encourages
us to look to
Jesus who is
the founder and
perfecter of our
faith.
That's Hebrews
11 and Hebrews
12.
Samson's there.
Of all the
people in the
book of Judges
that we were to
say there's no
way they're saved.
There's no way
they made it.
Samson's probably
at the top of
the list,
and yet he
made it.
Why?
Not because he
had his life
together, but
because he was a
man of faith.
He believed
God.
He believed
God.
There is irony
in his final cry
though, isn't
there?
Please remember
me, Samson
prayed.
He asked for
God to do for
him what he
and all of
Israel had
repeatedly failed
to do.
Remember the
Lord their
God.
Yet no amount
of sin will
turn God's
ear away from
the one who
cries to him
in faith.
Though we are
unfaithful to
him, he is
ever faithful
to those who
call upon
him.
So Jesus
says, come to
me then, all
who labor
and are
heavy laden
and I
will give
you rest.
And then he
says, whoever
does come to
me, I will
never cast
out.
Which is why
Paul is so
confident to
say, everyone,
whoever calls
upon the name
of the Lord
will be
saved.
Samson shows
us that
salvation is
not earned
by what we
do.
Even the
good that
Samson did
was tainted
by his sin.
All of it
was.
Even in his
dying moment,
he's crying out
for vengeance
for himself.
It's all
touched by his
own depravity.
And yet
despite that,
God is
gracious.
Why?
Why is God
so gracious?
Because salvation
is received by
faith in the
gracious and
merciful God
whose steadfast
love endures
forever.
And for us,
it is through
faith in the
person and the
work of our
Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ,
whom the writer
of Hebrews says,
for the joy that
was before him
endured the
cross,
despising the
shame,
and is seated
at the right
hand of the
throne of God.
God heard
Samson's prayer
and answered
him accordingly.
knowing it
would take
his death
to deliver
his own
people,
God
strengthens
Samson one
final time,
which just
remembers,
which just
reminds us
that we can
escape the
ultimate penalty
for our sin,
but that
doesn't mean
that we'll
escape the
immediate
consequences of
our sin.
Samson.
Don't mistake
that.
Samson pulled
down the two
pillars,
resulting in the
destruction of
all the Philistine
governing officials,
which was also a
clear statement
of Yahweh's power
over Dagon.
And tragically,
Samson dies
with them.
he was crushed
so that his
people might
live.
And there's
beauty to the
last verse there,
isn't there?
Samson might have
died with the
Philistines,
but he was
buried with his
family.
Now think about
that.
Israelites
buried their
dead rather
than burned
them.
They buried
them as a
sign of
preparation for
what they
believed would
be a future
resurrection.
God used
Samson to
deliver Israel
for 20
years,
but in the
end,
Samson's
body was
laid to
rest in
anticipation
of a
greater Savior
who would
bring him
true and
eternal
salvation.
It's all
right there.
Yeah,
God used
him to
help,
but even
Samson needed
a greater
Savior.
Even
Samson
died.
Even
Samson
needed a
resurrection.
And that
Savior is
Jesus,
who Paul
wrote to
the
Corinthians
in 1
Corinthians
15,
has been
raised from
the dead,
the first
fruits of
those who
are fallen
asleep.
For as in
Adam all
die,
so also in
Christ shall
all be made
alive,
but each in
his own
order.
Christ the
first fruits,
then at
his coming,
those who
belong to
Christ.
It's an
experience of
grace, a
grace that I
believe Samson
enjoys today
with Jesus
in heaven.
How do we
see Jesus
through the
Samson cycle?
There's a few
elements of
Samson's story
that do
foreshadow the
gospel of
Jesus, and
of course we're
always looking for
that in the
Bible.
All of the
Bible is about
Jesus.
It doesn't
matter if we're
in the Old
Testament or
New.
We get to
Jesus in the
scriptures because
the scriptures are
ultimately about
Jesus.
And the
Samson story,
really to be
honest, is not
that difficult to
find the
connections.
There's been
other stories in
the book of
Judges that
have been much
more difficult
to see it.
It's pretty
clear here.
There's a few
of them.
Both of their
births were
miracles, showing
God's purpose and
using them in
particular to
bring a
salvation to
his people.
Like Samson,
Jesus was
arrested by his
own people and
turned over to
the enemy for
execution.
But of course,
at the end of
the day, only
Jesus is
Jesus.
Samson's only
pointing us
forward to
him.
Samson was a
sinner like the
rest of us.
Jesus is the
eternal God who
Peter said
committed no
sin, neither
was deceit found
in his mouth.
But it's
Samson's death
that most
points us to
Jesus.
Both brought
salvation through
self-sacrificing
deaths.
But there is an
important distinction
that needs to be
made.
Samson got
himself into
that position
because he was
unfaithful to
God.
You know why
Samson was in
Gaza tied to two
pillars being
mocked without
his eyes?
Because Samson
blew it.
That was the
result of his
own sin.
He was crushed
for his sin.
Jesus was
crushed for
our sin.
That's the
distinction that
must be made.
Hear the words
of the prophet
from Isaiah 53.
Surely he has
borne our griefs
and carried our
sorrows.
Yet we esteemed
him stricken,
smitten by God
and afflicted.
But he was
pierced for our
transgressions.
He was crushed
for our
iniquities.
Upon him was
the chastisement
that brought us
peace.
And with his
wounds we are
healed.
All we like
sheep have gone
astray.
We have turned
everyone to his
own way.
Just like
Samson.
And the Lord
has laid on
him the
iniquity of
all of us.
He was
oppressed and
he was
afflicted yet
he opened
not his
mouth.
Like a
lamb that
is led to
the slaughter.
Like a
sheep that
before its
shearers is
silent he
opened not
his mouth.
By oppression
and judgment
he was taken
away.
And as for
his generation
who considered
that he was
cut off out
of the land
of the living
stricken for
the transgression
of my people.
And they
made his
grave with
the wicked.
With a rich
man in his
death.
Although he
had done no
violence and
there was no
deceit in his
mouth.
Yet it was
the will of
Yahweh to
crush him.
He has put
him to
grief.
And when his
soul makes an
offering for
guilt he shall
see his
offspring.
He shall
prolong his
days.
This is
resurrection.
The will of
the Lord shall
prosper in his
hand.
Out of the
anguish of
his soul he
shall see and
be satisfied.
By his
knowledge shall
the righteous
one my
servant make
many to be
accounted
righteous.
And he
shall bear
their iniquities.
Therefore I
will divide him
a portion with
the many and
he shall divide
the spoil with
the strong because
he poured out
his soul to
death and was
numbered with
the transgressors.
Yet he bore the
sin of many and
makes intercession
for the
transgressors.
Samson was
crushed for his
own sin.
Jesus was
crushed for
our sin.
And the
resurrection bit
is perhaps the
most important
bit.
Death had no
claim on
Jesus because
Jesus never
sinned.
sin.
How could he
never sin?
Because he's
God who
cannot sin.
And his
crucifixion
absorbed the
wrath of God
that was meant
for us.
He lived the
life we were
meant to live.
He lived the
life Samson was
meant to live.
And he died the
death we
deserve to die.
And then God
raised him.
And why did
God raise him?
To show that
his sacrifice on
the cross was
sufficient to
forgive our
sins.
And then Christ
graciously,
lovingly, the
Lord of all
creation,
turns and he
invites you to
receive this life
through faith in
what he's done.
Not to earn it
by being the
anti-Samson.
To receive it in
the same way that
Samson received it.
As a sinner
with no hope.
But with faith in
the one who is
the true Savior.
Who has done what
no other Savior
could ever do.
And he invites us
to it freely.
come to me
and I will
give you
rest
and I will
never cast you
out.
Sin against me
every day of your
life.
I won't let you
go.
I won't cast you
out.
Because you're
mine.
Because the
price that I
paid on the
cross was not
just the price
for the sins
you've committed
up to the
moment of your
faith.
But even for
the sins that
you commit
after.
And what a
glorious gospel
that is.