Sermon Transcript:

This morning, we continue our journey through the book of Judges. As we move passage by passage through this powerful and often unsettling book, our purpose is not just to explore history, or be captivated by the stories, but to deepen our understanding of the God we worship. Our goal isn’t to be entertained, but to be changed by the God who is proclaimed. May God open our eyes this morning to who he is, to who we are, and may we be challenged and strengthened in our walk with him.

We have arrived at the end of the last judge in the book. Samson’s entire life has been filled with action and drama and his final chapter will be no different. In some ways that is the problem with Samson, he is almost too compelling. We must avoid the temptation to be so captivated by Samson that we ignore the real message. To do that would be to make the same mistake Samson made himself. The real message isn’t about jaw bones, or hair, or the architecture of Philistine temples. The real message is about God’s grace, God’s glory, and his relentless faithfulness to his people and his promises.

Samson's failure came from presuming that the strength and blessings he had come from himself. He lived as though these were his to control and to draw upon at will, failing to see that it was not Samson who was strong, but that everything he had was a gift from God, given to be used for the glory of God.

Therefore, God allowed his strength to be stripped away so that through painful experience, Samson could learn that without God's presence, he was nothing. This is a lesson every child of God must learn. Apart from the grace of God, we are nothing. To be raised to glory in the kingdom of God, we must first come to the end of ourselves. It is only by forsaking our own strength and calling instead upon God’s mercy that we receive victory.

This is a lesson always learned more clearly in suffering than in comfort. Samson brings deliverance through suffering, pointing us to Jesus who suffered in our place, for our sin to do the same. There is no victory without the death of the old man. The strength to do this comes not from us, but from God. Samson is a vivid illustration of this truth.

As we finish chapter 16, the main idea I want you to see in Samson’s final act is: God displays His power and glory by saving those who abandon self-reliance and trust solely in His grace. That is the heart of Samson’s story and that is the central truth of today’s message. 

When we last encountered Samson, the spirit of God had departed from him. He had violated every part of his vow; his hair was shaven, his strength had vanished, and he was imprisoned by the Philistines. It's crucial to grasp the significance of this situation. For 20 years Samson was undefeated in battle. For the Philistines, he was a boogeyman whose very name struck terror in their hearts, and now he has been conquered and humbled. We pick up in verse 23,

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.” 24 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.”

The capture and humiliation of Samson results in a national celebration for the Philistines. A few years ago, I remember the sense of relief and victory that swept across America when Osama bin Laden was ultimately found. To appreciate what the capture of Samson meant for the Philistines, imagine if it had taken 20 years to find Osama during which there were several other attacks. Their mortal enemy and the threat to their way of life was finally vanquished.

The Philistines believed their God Dagon had overpowered Yahweh. That the protector of the Philistines had defeated the protector of Israel. Of course, we know it was not the power of Dagon, but the absence of God’s Spirit that resulted in Samson’s shame. Samson, like Israel, had taken God’s blessings for granted. He presumed upon God’s grace and thought he could use the gifts to serve his own selfish desires without consequence.

Friends, God will not be mocked, even by those to whom he has shown favor. The ancient Jews presumed upon their status as chosen people, believing because they were children of Abraham God was obligated to bless them even though they were unfaithful. They failed to see their standing as a gift, ignoring that God could raise up children of Abraham from stones if he desired.

Sadly, today there are many churches who were once filled with the Spirit, abounding in good works, and gospel ministry that are now empty shells because the Spirit has left them. They think they are doing God’s work and have a claim upon his blessing, but they are dead. They think since they say certain words or do certain deeds God is obligated to bless them. It doesn’t work that way.

Friends, run away from those who advocate a superficial grace that reduces God's power to something you can control for personal gain. Don’t think because you signed a card, said a prayer, or showed up to church that God is now at your service like some kind of cosmic butler. Many people mistakenly believe they are entitled to promises God never gave them. God’s promises are wonderful, but they are made to those who repent and believe.

His promises are for those who have abandoned building their own kingdom and trusted in him alone, walking in faith by the spirit, relying on him. The evidence that a person has truly repented with saving faith is that they continue to repent the rest of their life. They may stumble and struggle, but their life will be one marked by repentance. The scripture knows nothing of grace without repentance or faith without taking up a cross.

The call of God is a call to die with Christ and be raised a new creation. This is not a call to those who are capable or those who are strong. Just the opposite, it is a call to those who are weak and who are willing to let go of any pretense that they are good enough and instead cling to Jesus Christ like a drowning person clings to a lifeline. 

Once God begins to work in us, he will continue until we are fit for glory. Like a surgeon, he will continue to cut away the idols from our hearts. Like a doctor he will often prescribe bitter medicine to destroy the sin that remains in us. These things are painful, but God does them because he loves us. Out of love, God will often use our sin to bring us to the place where we understand we have no hope but to cling more tightly to him.

Sin had left Samson weak, blind, and in bondage. It does the same to everyone who pursues it. It brought shame to Samson and reproach upon the name of God. As a result, the worship and glory that God alone deserves is offered to a lifeless worthless idol. 

Samson’s sin has consequences, but despite Samson’s unfaithfulness, God remains faithful. God has disciplined Samson to bring greater blessing and glory. God brings Samson to the place where he will know that it is not in his strength, but Gods that salvation comes. God will work through broken and blind Samson to show that Dagon is nothing. It is in Samson’s weakness, that Yahweh's strength will be displayed, and Israel will be delivered.

Before allowing Samson his greatest victory over the Philistines, God would have victory in Samson. That is the way he works. It is a bit like what happened with the restoration of Central Station in the city this year. When Ford set out to restore that building to the glory it was originally intended to display, they didn’t just clean it up and slap some new paint on it. That wouldn’t work. It had to be completely stripped down before it could be built back up. The rust and rot had to be removed and sanded down. Rebirth first required it to be broken further and so it is with us.

Verse 25,

25 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. 26 And Samson said to the young man who held him by the hand, “Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, that I may lean against them.” 27 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.

The Philistines celebrate by making Samson the focus of their event at the temple of Dagon. Important figures gather to revel in their victory, mocking him and God. Drunk and boastful, they reduce Samson to mere entertainment, but their foolishness will lead to their downfall. They want to be entertained and Samson is about to bring the house down. What appeared to be utter defeat, God will turn into a glorious victory. That is often how he works.

28 Then Samson called to the Lord and said, “O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes.” 29 And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other. 30 And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.” 

This is only the second recorded instance of Samson praying. In chapter 15, after he slays 1,000 men with a donkey's jawbone, he prays for relief from thirst and exhaustion. This time, he prays for vindication and death. In both scenarios, God is shown as responding to his servant's plea in desperate situations, but this prayer is different.

This time God answers not only at a time of desperation, but in the wake of miserable failure. This is the Samson who used God’s gifts for his own passions, who would rather toy with Delilah than honor God. This is the man who traded God’s blessings for the affection of a deceitful lover. Here is Samson, weak, foolish, and fallen. Blinded and mocked, any who looked at him would think him cursed, and deservedly so, but he calls on God, and God hears him.

Let’s not get so caught up in the building collapse that we miss this. Here is where the power and glory of God are displayed. Remember, God intends Israel to see Samson as an illustration of herself. His story is intended to help them see their foolishness and his grace. Like Israel, Samson is raised up out of nothing, undeservedly blessed, richly gifted, constantly attracted to forbidden loves. Yet both assume God will automatically be there when they call. Both Samson and Israel end up blind, enslaved, and bringing dishonor to the name of God. And then comes this prayer.

What is it that Israel is supposed to see in this? What are we to see? The first thing we may see is apart from God intervening, the situation is hopeless. Samson has no strength, he is blind, and bound. Surrounded by enemies, he is vulnerable and there is nothing he can do to help himself. Just as we are helpless in our own strength to rescue ourselves from bondage to the enemy of our souls. If God does not save, none would be saved.

The second thing we might see is that none deserve God’s help in any way. Samson, Israel, and all of us have ignored God’s calling, ignored his law, and wasted or neglected the unique gifts he has blessed us with. There is nothing in us that deserves the favor of God or obligates him to respond to us favorably.

Really, why should God save Samson, or Israel, or any of us? Just think for a moment about who God is. How does the Bible describe him? God is perfect. He is perfect in holiness, wisdom, compassion, mercy, and faithfulness. He is Truth, He is Love. Even his wrath and judgments are perfect.

Now, what about us? How does the Bible describe what fallen human beings are apart from God’s grace? Just one reference will make the point clear enough. Romans 1:29–32 says apart from grace people are…

29 … filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless…

Friends, there is nothing in us that would attract the love of one like him. There is nothing about us that should move him to care for us. Ultimately, this is the astounding thing about Samson’s prayer that we should see. In God’s answer to this prayer, we see the glory of the grace of God on display. 

God answers and God saves not because we are good, but because he is. What should astonish is not that some are not saved, but that any at all are saved, that he hears any prayers at all. What is amazing about this prayer and God’s answer is that it demonstrates that God loves and is gracious simply because that is who he is. Salvation is available simply because God chooses to be gracious.

God chose Israel, not because they deserved it, but out of grace. God hears Samson not because of anything in Samson, but out of grace. Likewise, God calls every believer not because we deserve anything, but because of the abounding riches of his grace. That is great news, because it means that there are no hoops to jump through, no great deeds to be done. He will provide everything if we admit our weakness, abandon our self-reliance, and call on him for help.

God hearing Samson’s prayer is a beacon of hope to all who are wounded and weakened by sin. God is perfect in holiness, but he is also perfect in mercy and grace. He has set his love on his people and his ears are open to their cries. He is not hesitant to save any who repent of their own works and trust in him alone to save them. Psalm 145:18-19 says,

The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.

When his people fall into sin, he calls them to repentance with a promise of forgiveness and grace. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says,

If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Isaiah 55:6-7 says,

Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

What a marvelous God we have that he stands ready and willing so often to forgive our many transgressions. God has not promised salvation to the perfect, but to the repentant. Even in our sinfulness God encourages us to turn from foolishness and to call upon him. If you have not yet put your trust in what God has done in Jesus, I beg you to do that now while God stands ready to save. Acts 17:30–31 says,         

30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”     

There is no one here who can stand innocent before the perfect law of God. Imagine if every thought you had was an email forwarded to everyone you know—family, friends, coworkers, church members, and so on. Every day they could open it and read the contents of your thoughts and motives. How comfortable would you be having your private reflections, judgments, and impulses available for public viewing?

We shudder at the thought of such exposure, revealing not only our good intentions but also our hidden resentments, pride, envies, and petty grievances—the parts of ourselves that we work hard to keep private. We shudder because we recognize that what is often hidden in us is not honorable or pure. But none of this is hidden from God, who sees everything.

We know we are sinners. We know we have failed to live up to our own selfish and flawed standards, and so we must know that we could never pass the judgment of a perfect and holy God. But Samson’s prayer and God’s answer offer hope. Even when we cry out for mercy from the depth of Dagon’s temple, God will hear us. 

Maybe you are in a dark place. Maybe it seems to you that God has forgotten you. This is precisely the place where your salvation will be displayed most gloriously. This is exactly the place God has put you so that his strength may be displayed in your weakness. Cry out to God, he is a God who hears the cries of his people. 

Samson shows us that God’s favor comes not because it is earned, but because he is rich in mercy. Samson is a deeply flawed man and a deeply flawed deliverer, but God was pleased to work even through him. Flawed as he is, we know he is not the final fulfillment of God’s promise. He therefore points us forward to the perfect and true salvation that God was working even through him to bring about. This is especially clear in his final act.

Then he bowed with all his strength, and the house fell upon the lords 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.

In his final moment, he gives his life to deliver his people. The promise that was given when Samson was born was that he would begin to save his people from the Philistines. At this moment, that promise is fulfilled. For all his previous exploits, it is here, in what looks like defeat, that the greatest victory is won.

Verse 27 told us that all the lords of the Philistines were there and here we see the building fall on all the lords and all the people. In one act, God, through Samson, has wiped out the leaders of Israel’s enemy. The leaders had gathered to celebrate the victory of their false God over Yahweh and to mock the champion of Israel. Instead, Dagon is shown to be nothing and the temple built to celebrate him becomes a tomb for him and his followers.

In Samson, we see how God brings victory out of defeat and strength out of weakness. We see in Samson’s death a foreshadow of a greater deliverer that God had promised, whose death also accomplished the destruction of the enemies of his people. A better deliverer who died that we might also die to self, and live for God. 

Just like Samson, Jesus Christ gave his life for the salvation of his people. Just as Samson was surrounded by enemies and, through his death, brought about a great victory for Israel, so too did Jesus Christ conquer the ultimate enemies of sin, death, and Satan through His own death on the cross. Samson's strength was restored in his final moments, and in his weakness, God accomplished His purposes. Likewise, in the seeming weakness and shame of the cross, Christ achieved the greatest victory of all—our redemption.

Yet, unlike Samson, whose death was the end of his story, Jesus’ death was only the beginning. Three days later, Christ rose from the grave, defeating death itself. His resurrection is the guarantee of our victory, not just over earthly enemies but over the eternal consequences of sin. Samson's death brought temporary relief to Israel, but Jesus' death and resurrection bring eternal salvation to all who believe.

Jesus did not just die to deliver us from physical bondage but to set us free from spiritual bondage. His death calls us to die to ourselves, forsaking sin and self-reliance and instead to live for the glory of God. Through Christ's victory, we are not just saved from our enemies; we are raised to new life, empowered to walk in obedience and faith. In Christ, we find the ultimate fulfillment of what Samson’s story foreshadowed—a deliverance that is complete, final, and eternal.

Verse 31 says,

31 Then his brothers and all his family came down and took him and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had judged Israel twenty years.   

Samson is buried in the tomb of his father, indicating they were able to return his body in peace. The Philistines never fully recover from the devastating blow God dealt them through Samson. Samson is the last of the Judges in the book. The remaining chapters will not introduce any new judges. As we see, they will focus on other events. Samson is the last leader highlighted.

The great theme of the book has been that in those days there was no king in Israel, and everyone did what was right in their own eyes. The time when Samson judged Israel was during the time of the prophet Samuel, who put an end to the Philistine oppression shortly after the death of Samson at the battle of Ebenezer. Samuel, who isn’t mentioned in this book, is the final judge and he will usher in the age of kings. This will eventually bring us to King David, God’s anointed ruler, and then of course, many years later, to King Jesus, the Son of David, who rules as king of kings for all eternity.

Samson therefore marks an important transition in the flow of the Bible and God’s work to fulfill his promise to provide a savior. That brings us back to our main point because his final act is an illustration of the truth that

God displays His power and glory by saving those who abandon self-reliance and trust solely in His grace.

Samson learned this essential lesson, and so must we all. Following Jesus means dying to self and trusting in God's promises, believing our current sufferings lead to eternal joy because by this faith we are united with Christ forever.

I want to finish with the words of the Apostle Paul's in Romans 8:35-39, as he reflects on these truths.

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.