03-21-21 In the eyes of the Lord

Scripture:    Philippians 4:13

Chpt 13
Israel did evil in the eyes of the Lord.
          God delivered them over to the Philistines who began ruling over them.
          Israel needed a champion – which means what? Time for a miraculous birth.
          Manoah & his childless wife live in Zoarh in Dan MAP 1

                   Angel appeared to the wife telling her she will conceive a boy
                             She must not drink wine, eat grapes or any unclean food
                             The boy must do the same but also not cut his hair because he will be a…
                               …Nazarite (like Samuel & John the Baptist)
          When she tells Manoah he wonders who his wife has been talking to and ask God to send him again. He does but only to his wife until she goes and gets him.
          Manoah asked how to raise the boy and the angel reiterated the wife’s instructions only.
          Manoah didn’t realize he was an angel but offered sacrifice for him.
          In the sacrifice flame the angel vanished.
          Manoah freaked out thinking he had seen God and would surely die.
          Wife said, if God wanted us dead, we already would be.
Samson is born and the Spirit of God began to stir in him.
 
Chpt 14
          The bible skips from his birth and the Spirit with him to Samson taking a road trip to Timnah MAP 2 where he sees a Philistine woman he wants to marry, and he returns home and tells his parents to go get her for him. They want him to find a good Jewish girl as a wife.

          This was part of God’s way for him to infiltrate the Philistines.
          Samson and parents now went on the same road trip, but Samson came across an angry lion which he proceeded to tear apart with his bare hands (like you would tear apart a young goat!!!) He didn’t tell his parents about it. Judges 14:7 Then he went down and talked with the woman, and he liked her.
          Next road trip back to marry her he saw bees and honey in the lion carcass which he scooped out and ate the honey and gave some to his parents but didn’t tell them where it came from.
          During the bridegroom feast his father gave him 30 companions and he decided to play a game – a riddle. If they guessed it each of the 30 would get a new set of clothes but if not they would give Samson 30 sets of clothes. Judges 14:14  "Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet."
          The people could not solve it and told his wife they would burn her father’s house and kill her family if she didn’t tell them the riddle. She pleaded with Samson until he finally told her, and the people answered, Judges 14:18 "What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?"
After referring to his wife as a heifer, Judges 14:19-20 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. And Samson's wife was given to the friend who had attended him at his wedding.
 
Chpt 15
When Samson found out about his wife and friend, he wanted to really harm the Philistines.
Judges 15:4-5   So he went out and caught three hundred foxes and tied them tail to tail in pairs. He then fastened a torch to every pair of tails, he lit the torches and let the foxes loose in the standing grain of the Philistines. He burned up the shocks and standing grain, together with the vineyards and olive groves.
 
The Philistines responded by burning her and her father to death. So, Samson responded killing many of them – then he went and lived in a cave. Of course!!!
 
The Philistines came to the Jews – the Jews said why fight us? They said they wanted Samson. 3000 Jews went to Samson and said – “Hey, don’t you know the Philistines rule over us?” “Yep – was just paying them back.” “Well, we’ve come to tie you up and take you to them.” Winking, Samson says. “Just promise me you won’t kill me.” They promised, tied him up and took him to the Philistines. As soon as he saw them the spirit of God came upon him and the ropes melted off his hands. He grabbed a nearby jawbone JAWBONE of a donkey and with it he killed 1000 Philistines.

 
Judges 15:16   Then Samson said, "With a donkey's jawbone I have made donkeys of them. With a donkey's jawbone I have killed a thousand men."
Samson became Israel’s leader for 20 years before they had any kings.
Chpt 16
He went to Gaza to be with a prostitute.
The Philistines heard about it and were waiting till morning when he was groggy to get him.
He left in the middle of the night and tore up the city gates, posts and all and carried them away as far as 38 miles away.
He fell in love with a Philistine woman named Delilah. The 5 rulers of the Philistines each said they would pay her 1100 shekels of silver if she could find out the secret of his strength so they could subdue him.
3 times she begged him and 3 times he lied how it could be done and each time with men hiding in his room she would yell out “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!”
Finally she nagged and nagged and nagged him till he couldn’t stand it any more and she told her the truth.
Judges 16:18-22    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. 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. 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. Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding in the prison.
 
Judges 16:22    But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.
 
The Philistines celebrated and worshipped Dagon at a temple, their god who they believe delivered Samson into their hands. Many were gathered and they brought blind and bound Samson out to perform for them so they could make fun of him and his God. Many people were there, including the rulers and on the roof of the temple were 3000 people.
          Samson asks a favor of a servant to place his hands on the center pillars so he can rest.
Judges 16:28-30    Then Samson prayed to the Lord, "O Sovereign Lord, remember me. O God, please strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes." Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other, Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines!" Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived.
 
Philippians 4:13     I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
2 Peter 1:3    His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

 
FORESHADOWING OF THE ONE TRUE JUDGE
More than a thousand years after the angelic visit to Samson’s mother, another angel gave a young virgin a similar prediction: “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus” (Luke 1:31). While the first angel told Samson’s parents that he would “begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines” (Judg. 13:5), the other told Jesus’s parents that “he will save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). While Samson’s mother miraculously conceived through her husband, Jesus’s mother conceived as a virgin. While both had angels announce their births, only Jesus had a multitude of angels singing for joy (Luke 2:13–14). Jesus, like Samson, was publicly displayed for his enemies to mock. Yet, unlike Samson, he walked into his death with complete willingness and unblemished innocence. And he didn’t stay in the grave.