The Life and Times of Samson
God and a Jawbone
Judges 15:12-17
One of the most well-known American Indian leaders was Crazy Horse. He was a chief of the Oglala Lakota, generally referred to as the Sioux Indians. He took up arms against the U.S. Federal government to fight against encroachments on the territories and way of life of his people, including leading the war party at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in June 1876.
After surrendering to U.S. troops under General Crook in 1877, he was fatally wounded by a military guard while allegedly resisting imprisonment at Camp Robinson in present-day Nebraska.
He was honored by the U.S. Postal Service with a 13¢ Great Americans series postage stamp, is commemorated by the incomplete Crazy Horse Memorial in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
Maybe you’ve seen that monument. It was begun in 1948 by Korczak Ziółkowski who had worked with Gutzon Borglum on Mt. Rushmore. When and if ever completed, it will be 641 feet wide and 563 feet high.
He has also been honored by having two highways named the Crazy Horse Memorial Highway, one in South Dakota and the other in Nebraska.
What you may not know about Crazy Horse isa that he was referred to by his people as a Thunder Dreamer.
The Thunder Dreamers or Thunder Spirits or Beings as they were sometimes called, were those among there people who were called and touched and used by Wakinyan, the chief among their Gods.
The Thunder Dreamers were called to walk a path different than those around them. They were expected to live and act in a way that was contrary to the accepted rules of behavior. In doing so a Thunder Dreamer sacrificed reputation and ego for the sake of the people.
In many ways, that was the call upon Samson’s life. He was called upon by God to walk and act in a way different from those around Him. Even before he was born, he was appointed by God to be a Nazarite. For much of Samson's life he fell far short of his calling. In fact, the epitaph of his life is “what could have been”.
However, there are some bright spots along the way, and tonight we get to study one of those. This is one of those rare occasions in his life when we get to complement him for what he does.
But even this is kind of sad because it is a reminder of “what could have been” if only he had walked according to his Nazarite vows and his divine calling.
Now you’ll remember, last time in our last study we saw how three thousand men of Judah, his own countrymen, came to him with the intention of delivering him into the hands of the Philistines.
You will find that in Judges 15:12a.
That phrase kind of leaves us on the edge of our seat wondering what will happen next. After all, if Samson’s past reactions are any indication, things are realy fixing to get interesting.
We’re kind of like the old boy that applied for a job with the railroad as a track controller. He would be the one who would switch the tracks and direct the trains to their destinations and avoid any conflicts.
The fellow doing the interview asked him what he would do if he had two trains approaching one another on the same track. He replied that he would switch one to another track. And what if the seitch mal-functioned and that didn’t work?
He said he would get some flags and try to get their attention and stop them. And what if that failed?
He said he would call his sister, Bertha. Why would he call her?
Because she just loves to see a good train wreck!
If you like a good train wreck, then you will be disappointed in Samson’s response, because to his credit, his response is not what we would expect.
Judges 15:12b
Do you suppose they were surprised by that response?
I am sure they expected a fight to be on their hands. That’s why 3,000 ot them came. Instead, Samson restrains himself and merely asks that they be not the ones who kill him.
Samson could have been a politician! He sizes up the situation, and uses the predicament he is in to strike back against the Philistines and not upse this own people.
If only Samson had acted with such wisdom up to this point, imagine what God would have already done through him. He is now acting as God had wanted him to act all along. He is setting the stage to carry out the purpose for which he had been appointed and anointed.
verse 13
So try to imagine that scene: Samson is tied up and delivered into the hands of his enemies by his own people. And yet in that very difficult circumstance, we get to see Samson in one of his finest moments. This is Samson being what God intended him to be all along.
verse 14
I want to focus on that phrase for a little while tonight and help you to see some truths we find there regarding the Spirit-filled life.
First, think about
1. The Battles the Spirit-Filled Life Requires
I’m afraid many of God’s people never realize what a battleground the Christian life is. The Hew Testament reminds us that we are involved in spiritual warfare. We have a spiritual enemy!
And unfortunately, many never event think about that. They give no regard to what Satan is trying to do in their life and with their family. We’re just kind of skipping through life and going to church and all around us a battle is raging.
Do you realize that is a great indicator of your spiritual condition? In fact, maybe the reason you are not engaged in the battle is because you’re not threat to the devil. As Corrie ten Boom said, “Satan wastes no ammunitions on those who are dead in trespasses and sins.”
But I promise you, if you ever come to your senses and get in touch with the spiritual side of things and try to seriously live for the Lord, you’ll realize a little better what’s going on.
Now see the illustration that is presented of this battle here in the life of Samson. Samson's enemy was the Philistines. The Philistines represent our enemy, the devil. And in the Philistines we get a glimpse into the mind of Satan.
verse 9
So the desire of the enemy was very clear: Bind and destroy!
That’s your enemy’s objective as well. The devil wants to render you powerless in the battle. He is seeking whom he may devour. He wants to do more than slap you around a little bit. His goal is not just to rough you up. If it weren’t so pathetic it would be humorous to hear people talk about how the devil caused them to have a bad day. They had a flat on their car or didn’t get to go shopping.
Listen: his objective is to take you out. He is going for the knock-out punch.
There’s an old Salvation Army hymn that says:
The devil and me, we don't agree;
I hate him; and he hates me.
He hates every believer, and especially a Spirit-filled believer who is seeking to live for the Lord and he will do everything he can to destroy such a Christian.
verse 14
What a sight that must have been! Samson is being delivered into the hands of his enemies by his own people. Can you imagine the ridicule and laughter and celebration? They’ve taken Samson without even touching him! What a laughingstock he must have been!
Again, don’t miss the picture there. How it must thrill the devil for God’s people to be led around in bondage. How hell must celebrate when we allow his temptations and snares to tie us up and lead us around! Hell must throw a party when the testimony of some Christian is compromised! That’s some God you’ve got! What a laughingstock we are!
Listen: our enemy is ruthless. He will stop at nothing to ruin us. Every moment of every day, the devil is watching and just waiting for the opportunity to attack us. And whether you realize it or not, he would love to celebrate over your capture just as he did with Samson.
Not only are there some battles required, think about
2. The Bondage a Spirit-Filled Life Removes
verse 13
I wonder what kind of new ropes the devil will use in his attempts to bind you? I’ve heard people down through the years be critical of others who’ve fallen and say things like, “I’ll never do that”. You may not, but I wonder what will?
My Bible says “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall”. Be careful what you brag about! Satan always has some new ropes.
Now, I am quite confident that when the men of Judah and the Philistines came marching Samson into town they their objective had been achieved.
But notice verse 14
It’s almost like something from a superhero cartoon.
When the Spirit of LORD came upon him, those brand new ropes began to just melt away and fall off and by the power of the Spirit of God he was set free.
Do you get the message? What once bound us and threatened our destruction, is removed by the power of the Holy Spirit in our life. Satan has nothing with which to bind you that is any match for the power of the Holy Spirit of God.
Think about that contrast that we see there.
One the one hand, someone who is tied up is helpless. They are unable to function normally. They can’t move as they are designed to move. There are certain activities they are unable to do.
When the police arrest someone, they slap the handcuffs on them. Why? They want to limit what their prisoner can do. They put themselves in control.
Samson, as a normal man, would have been completely at the mercy of those who bound him. He would have been a helpless man. However, when the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, he was set free from that which made him helpless.
That’s the way the bondage of sin always works. It leaves you helpless. If your tied up in sin, you are unable to serve God and others.
That is exactly what Romans 8:8 says, “So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.”
You can’t please God when you are in bondage to sin. You can’t be effective for God when your life is tied up sinful habits and practices. Why not? There is no power there. You are helpless.
And there is a companion though that goes along with that: We are not only set from helplessness, we are liberated from uselessness
verse 15
Now he’s cooking with gas! Now he’s operating as God designed. By the power of the Holy Spirit he was able to do what God planned for his life.
And it is by the power of the Spirit of God that he was and we are made effective and useful for God.
The secret to spiritual usefulness is no secret. It is the power of the Holy Spirit.
One of the things I enjoy reading is the biographies of men and women that have been used of God. I have found that there are several common denominators in all their lives. One that is obvious is the power of the Holy Spirit in their life. Without exception, the turning point in their life and ministry was when they were filled with the Holy Spirit.
D.L. Moody said after he was filled with the Holy Spirit, ““I went to preaching again. The sermons were not different; I did not present any new truths, and yet hundreds were converted. I would not now be placed back where I was before that blessed experience if you should give me all the world - it would be as dust in the balance.”
To work without God's power is to work in the flesh. And when we work in the flesh we will only get what the flesh can produce. However, when we work in the power of the Spirit we get what the Spirit produces.
I read a story in Christian Reader one time about a mother who went to the store with her daughter. The daughter's station wagon coughed and choked all the way to the store. While they stood at the counter, the daughter said, “I'm not sure we can make it home in the station wagon. If only Dave (her husband) had driven the station wagon and left the Dodge Spirit for us!”
At that moment she glanced outside the store and happened to see her husband, Dave, drive by on his way to the restaurant next door. “Dave! Dave!” she called. “Help! We need the Spirit.”
The cry of our heart ought to be, “Help! We need the Spirit!” It removes the bondage that leaves us helpless and useless. Lastly, think with me of:
3. The Blessings The Spirit-Filled Life Reaps
There are two in particular I want to point out to you, and they both have to do with his victory.
The first one was the Thrill of the Victory.
verse 16
Do you ever get to brag on God? Is there ever anything that happens in your life and when you tell others about it it’s just all about what God did and how good He is? That’s what Samson is doing. He is just declaring the victory that he’s experienced.
In fact, it was such a victory that he gave the place a name that would celebrate his victory.
verse 17
It’s amazing what God can do in our life when we are Spirit-filled. He can take a simple jawbone and produce a wonderful victory. We may have nothing but a jawbone to offer Him, but that is all that is needed when the power of the Holy Spirit is on our life. With nothing but a jawbone, we can enjoy a victorious life when the power of the Holy Spirit is upon us.
Secondly, I notice is the Timing of the Victory.
Verse 20
Before, the men of Judah helped to capture him. Afterward, he was accepted as their judge and served as their judge for twenty years. What made the difference? This experience at Ramath Lehi.
How timely was that event. In fact, at just the right time, God used that event to open the hearts of the people toward Samson and put him in the place where God intended him to be all alone.
A Spirit-filled life will enable us to fulfill God's purposes and plans for their lives. And it will be right on time. There is no greater life to live than one of victory and blessing under the mighty hand of God.
Share one other thing before we finish. Notice there in verse 17 that Samson threw away the jawbone. That seems so incidental, but I will tell you, of all the phrases and pictures in this passage t, that’s the one I couldn’t get out of my head.
Why did he throw it away? I know if I had a weapon like that, I sure wouldn't throw it away! I'd find out how it was made. I'd take it to someone and get a BUNCH of them made! I'd put it on the market as the greatest thing to come along since the sling!
And yet the Bible clearly says, Samson threw the jawbone from his hand. In other words, he discarded it. What is the significance of that?
I couldn’t find any commentators who addressed that phrase. Nobody commented on the reasons Samson threw it away. So let me just suggest three things that come to my mind in regard to that.
First, yesterday’s power is not sufficient for tomorrow’s battles.
Jesus instructed us to pray for “daily bread”. We need a fresh touch from the Lord for today. It’s all right to remember yesterday’s victories, but the strength of yesterday was for yesterday’s battle.
Second, God doesn’t always work the same way every time.
Think about how that is expressed in Scripture. Moses had a rod. David had five stones and a sling. Joshua used shouts and trumpets. With the lion in the vineyard, Samson used his bare hands.
I think God wanted to remind Samson that his strength came from the Lord and not from a weapon in his hand. And we need to remember that as well. It’s not by might and not by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord.
And third, God will not share His glory with anyone.
Can you imagine what would have happened if Samson had carried that jawbone with hi after that? Everyone would have talked about how great a warrior Samson was. Every kid in Israel would have wanted a donkey jawbone for Christmas that year. He would have had his picture on the cups at the Jerusalem McDonalds and the kid’s toys would have been Samson armed with his jawbone.
But Samson was going to have to learn the strength wasn’t his, but God’s. And God will be willing to do some great things in your life, but you and I are going to have to be willing to throw away the jawbone so that God and God alone gets the glory.
How refreshing this scene in the life of Samson. After so much disappointment, how refreshing to find him acting as he ought to act and being what he should be. May the same be said of us.
Let’s pray.
