Damaged But Not Destroyed
Before we get into today’s message, I want to say thanks for helping us collect Stocking Stuffers for Residing Hope Children’s Home. Our desire is to be a church that cares for people both in and outside our church, because we believe Jesus has restorative joy for people both in and outside the church. One of the reasons we partner with Residing Hope, is because they’re sharing the restorative joy of Jesus in the lives of children in Florida who’ve been exposed to trauma. Many of the children they’re housing and caring for have been exposed to things like sexual abuse, physical abuse, abandonment, or family breakdown. The sinful things they’ve been exposed to have caused some damage to their lives, but it can’t destroy God’s grace and power to restore their lives. So I want to pray for God’s grace and power to allow the stocking stuffers we collected to give them some restorative joy on Christmas, but also that they’d find their greatest restorative joy in Jesus. So let’s pray for that......Thanks again for being a church that’s willing to care and spread the restorative joy of Jesus both in and outside our church...
Now as for today we’re continuing our teaching series on a book of the bible called Judges. We’re calling this series Broken Saviors, because it’s about how everybody needs a savior at some point in life. Sometimes we face situations in life that are beyond our control, and we need a savior to save us. But the problem is we’re often turning to things that are broken saviors, instead of real saviors. We’re often turning to things we think can save us, transform us, satisfy the joy void in our hearts, but nothing ever does because it’s all broken saviors, instead of a real savior. So something we need to keep in mind is that broken saviors leads to broken lives...Broken saviors leads to broken lives, but the real savior Jesus leads to restored joy in our lives, and that’s what we’re talking about today. We’re talking about how sin damages our lives, but it can’t destroy the grace and power of Jesus to restore our lives. Let’s turn to Judges 14 and get into it. If you open the bible to the middle and keep turning left, you’ll find the book of Judges. We’ll be in Judges Ch. 14-16, and the title of today’s message is Damaged But Not Destroyed. The big idea of the message is sin damages our lives, but it can’t destroy the grace and power of Jesus to restore our lives...Sin damages our lives, but it can’t destroy the grace and power of Jesus to restore our lives...
Here’s your context. The book of Judges records the historical events that took place after the Israelites were freed from Egyptian slavery and entered the Promised Land. They were supposed to live and be faithful to the Lord in the Promised Land, but they started being unfaithful to the Lord. They started going through a continual cycle of sin, suffering, and crying out to the Lord for salvation. So the Lord raises up some judges, some leaders to save them, but they’re all broken saviors, including Samson who we’re studying today. Last week in Ch.’s 12-13, we learned that the Israelites stopped pursuing the Lord, they suffered 40 years of oppression from the Philistines, and the Lord raises up Samson as their next Judge to help deliver them. Let’s check it.
Judges Ch. 14:1 states, “Samson went down to Timnah and saw a young Philistine woman there.” An interesting fact about Timnah is that archaeological digs confirmed it was a thriving Philistine city during the time this was written. But what’s even more interesting is that it was a thriving Philistine city located deep inside Israelite territory, which confirms the Israelites were being oppressed by the Philistines like it states in Ch. 13. See the Philistines were the first people in that region to use iron weapons, which gave them a huge military advantage over other nations. As a result, they built their empire primarily through military force and conquering other nations like they did with the Israelites. They were also known for eating pork and throwing week-long keg parties like a bunch of frat guys in college. They were called mishteh, which literally means a week-long drinking feast. A lot of people today are all about beer, bourbon, and BBQ, but the Philistines were all about beer, bacon, and barbarism. They were oppressing the Israelites, so the Lord raises up Samson as the next Judge to help deliver them from the Philistines. But instead of delivering them from the Philistines, he sees a young Philistine woman and seeks to marry her.
Again vs. 1, “Samson went down to Timnah and saw a young Philistine woman there. 2 He went back and told his father and his mother, ‘I have seen a young Philistine woman in Timnah. Now get her for me as a wife.’” We’re getting a little glimpse here into Samson’s sinful heart. He’s being disrespectful to his parents and demanding things from them with a sense of entitlement like a spoiled little child. He demands that they get this Philistine woman for him to marry her, which shows he has little desire to deliver the Israelites from the Philistines. Some scholars believe it's because both Samson and the Israelites started accepting, assimilating, and marrying into the cultural beliefs, practices, and lifestyle of the Philistines. But in vs. 3 Samson’s parents remember God’s promise to raise him as a Nazirite, and that God would use him to help deliver the Israelites from the Philistines. So they try convincing him to marry an Israelite woman instead of a Philistine woman. It isn’t a racial issue; it’s a faithful issue. It’s that Samson isn’t being faithful to the Lord’s calling, which was to deliver the Israelites from the Philistines, not marry into the Philistines.
Vs. 3, “But Samson told his father, ‘Get her for me. She’s the right one for me.’” The original Hebrew that this was written in can also be translated as she is right in my eyes. So he’s desiring to do what’s right in his eyes, not what’s right in God’s eyes. Next week is our last week in this series, and something we’ll notice is the book of Judges ends with the same exact thing! It ends with Judges 21:25, “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” So the book of Judges ends with the Israelites spiritually declining and doing what’s right in their own eyes, instead of doing what’s right in God’s eyes. As for Samson, whatever he sees with his eyes that he thinks will bring him the most pleasure in life is what he wants for his life, even if it compromises his faith and goes against what God wants for his life.
Vs. 5, “Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother and came to the vineyards of Timnah. Suddenly a young lion came roaring at him, 6 the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully on him, and he tore the lion apart with his bare hands...7 Then he went and spoke to the woman, because she seemed right to Samson.” Notice it says the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully on him. This means the Lord hasn’t abandoned Samson or his promise to use Samson to help deliver the Israelites. The Lord gives him an incredible amount of strength to kill a young lion, and you would think he would respond with an increased desire to be faithful to the Lord, but he doesn’t.
Vs. 8, “After some time, when he returned to marry her, he left the road to see the lion’s carcass, and there was a swarm of bees with honey in the carcass. 9 He scooped some honey into his hands and ate it as he went along...10 His father went to visit the woman, and Samson prepared a feast, as young men were accustomed to do.” So instead of being thankful and faithful to the Lord, he becomes even more unfaithful to the Lord by breaking his Nazirite vow. He eats something unclean and drinks a bunch of alcohol, which are two things a Nazirite wasn’t supposed to do. He eats honey in the lion’s carcass, and he throws a feast, a mishteh, a week-long bachelor keg party in preparation for his wedding. He should have been thankful and faithful to the Lord, but instead he’s walking deeper and deeper down the path that leads to greater sinful darkness.
Now in vs. 11-18 we learn that thirty Philistine men end up joining the party, and Samson makes a bet with them. If they can guess his riddle he’ll owe them some garments, but if they can’t they’ll owe him some garments. The riddle is, “Out of the eater came something to eat, and out of the strong came something sweet.” He’s obviously talking about the honey he ate from the lion’s carcass, but they can’t figure it out. So they go to Samson’s fiancée, and they threaten to kill her if she doesn’t get them the answer to the riddle. Samson doesn’t tell his fiancée at first, but she eventually cries and so he caves. They get the answer, give it to Samson, and here's what he says.
Vs. 18, “If you hadn’t plowed with my young cow, you wouldn’t know my riddle now!” Samson needs some serious pre-marital counseling, because the last thing you ever want to do is call your fiancée a young cow!...“Hey honey. You look beautiful, like a young cow...” Not the greatest way to woo your fiancée. But despite his poor choice of words, what he’s saying is they wouldn’t have learned the answer to his riddle if they hadn’t manipulated his fiancée. But the problem isn’t that his fiancée gives them the answer, it’s that he shouldn’t be marrying this Philistine woman or betting these Philistine men. The problem is he isn’t being faithful to the Lord.
Vs. 19, “The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully on him, and he went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty of their men. He stripped them and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. In a rage, Samson returned to his father’s house, 20 and his wife was given to one of the men who had accompanied him.” Okay so the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully on him again, giving him incredible strength again. But instead of using his strength to liberate the Israelites, he uses his strength to kill Philistines and pay off his debt. The text says he used his strength in rage. We’ve already seen a side of him that’s impulsive and full of lust, but now we’re seeing a side of him that’s vindictive and full of rage. He’s a guy who can’t control his lust or his temper. In fact in Ch. 15 he goes after the Philistines again, burning their crops and their vineyards. The Philistines retaliate by killing Samson’s wife and father-in-law, which leads to more vindictive rage. He seeks vengeance on them, kills more Philistines, and it seems like things are steadily declining into more and more darkness, which reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” Samson and the Philistines are steadily declining into more and more darkness. In fact the Philistines retaliate by attacking people in Judah. The people in Judah find out it’s because of Samson, so they have 3,000 men tie up Sampson, and they deliver him to the Philistines.
Vs. 14, “The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully on him, and the ropes on his arms and wrists became like burnt flax and fell off. 15 He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, took it, and killed a thousand men with it.” This is now the 3rdtime we’re seeing that the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully on him. There’s a theme developing, and it’s that Samson’s strength and power come from the Lord. It’s that the sins of Samson and the Philistines caused a lot of damage, but it couldn’t destroy the grace and power of God in fulfilling his promise and plan to restore Israel.
Vs. 18, “He became very thirsty and called out to the Lord, ‘You have accomplished this great victory through your servant. Must I now die of thirst.?’” This is the first time we’re seeing Samson crying out to the Lord. It says he called out to the Lord, because he’s dying of thirst. So the Lord provides water for him, but he doesn’t cry out to the Lord again until he’s desperate again.
Ch. 16:1, “Samson went to Gaza, he saw a prostitute, and went to bed with her.” Okay so first he marries a Philistine woman, and now he’s sleeping with a Philistine prostitute. It shows that Samson could tame a lion, but he couldn’t tame his lust and temper. He has the strength and power to tame a lion, but he didn’t have the strength and willpower to tame his own sinful soul.
Vs. 4, “Some time later, he fell in love with a woman named Delilah...5 The Philistine leaders went to her and said, ‘Persuade him to tell you where his great strength comes from, so we can overpower him, tie him up, and make him helpless. Each of us will give you 1100 pieces of silver.’” So now Samson falls in love with another Philistine woman named Delilah, and she’s a woman who doesn’t flinch when it comes to betraying Samson for money. The Philistines offer her money to find out where his strength comes from, and in vs. 6-19 she repeatedly begs Samson to tell her. He finally caves and says it comes from his hair, which means he still isn’t getting it! He still doesn’t realize his strength comes from the Lord, not his hair, muscles, or anything else! He’s so confident in his own strength that he has no problem falling asleep in Delilah’s lap after telling her this. So she has someone cut his hair while he’s asleep, and then the Philistines bust in.
Vs. 20, “When Samson awoke he said, ‘I’ll escape like I did before and shake myself free.’ But he didn’t know the Lord left him.” The implication here is that Samson lost his strength because the Lord left him, not because they cut off his hair. Samson thinks his strength comes from his hair and ultimately from himself. But he quickly learns where his strength really comes from, because the Philistines are finally able to capture him. When they capture him they gouge out his eyes, put him in chains, and throw him in prison to do forced labor. He doesn’t have the strength anymore to save himself, and it’s because the Lord left him. The Lord left him temporarily, not permanently, and it’s so he’d finally wake up and realize where his strength really comes from.
Vs. 22, “But his hair began to grow back…” The fact that his hair began to grow back means he’s been in prison for a while. Many scholars believe it also means that he restored his faith in the Lord, and renewed his Nazirite vow. The Philistines don’t realize this, and they throw a huge party with all the Philistine leaders and 3,000 people celebrating their victory over Samson. They bring Samson out to mock him for their entertainment, and they put him between two pillars holding up the temple roof. Samson being weak, blind, and in chains, cries out to the Lord for help.
Vs. 28, “‘Lord God, please remember me. Strengthen me God, just once more. With one act of vengeance, let me pay back the Philistines for my two eyes.’ 29 Samson took hold of the two middle pillars supporting the temple and leaned against them, one on his right hand and the other on his left. 30 Samson said, ‘Let me die with the Philistines.’ He pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the leaders and all the people in it. Those he killed at his death were more than those he killed in his life.” Notice Samson finally realizes his strength comes from the Lord, not his hair, muscles, or anything else. He cries out, “Strengthen me God!” The Lord answers his prayer and gives him his strength back to restore him, but also to fulfill his promise to deliver the Israelites from the Philistines. The Lord left him, but didn’t abandon him. The Lord left him, but still loved him and graciously restored him...So what can we learn from Samson’s life? I think we can learn...
#1 Sin damages your life. – Sin always damages your life and your relationships. We see it happen throughout Samson’s life, and we see it happen throughout our own lives. When we’re the ones responsible for that sin, we need to repent and turn back to the Lord so we don’t keep adding to the damage our sin is causing our lives and relationships. We need to repent and turn back to the Lord so we can start the process of restoration. Whenever we live for our sin instead of living for God, it will always lead to damaging consequences in our lives and our relationships. So the bad news is sin always damages your life, but the good news is that it can’t destroy the grace and power of Jesus to restore your life, which leads to the second thing.
#2 God’s grace is greater than your failures. – God’s grace is always greater than your failures. Like Samson you’ll have moments where you’ll sin and experience failures in life, but your sins and failures don’t have to be the final story in your life. If God can restore and still use Samson to accomplish his plans, then he can restore and still use you.Samson’s story teaches us that it doesn’t matter how bad your sins and failures are, you can still start over and have your life restored by the Lord. This is the good news of the gospel! It’s that Jesus is our incarnate God who came to die for our sins on the cross, but then he rose again on the third day which proved he has the resurrecting power to restore us even from death. When you put your faith in Jesus you receive his grace for the forgiveness of your sins, and his resurrecting power for the restoration of your soul. So sin certainly damages your life, but it can’t destroy the grace of the cross and the resurrecting power of Jesus to restore your life. Sin always damages your life, but the grace and resurrecting power of Jesus is always greater than your sins and failures in life. In the words of Tim Keller, “The gospel is this: We’re more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the same time we’re more loved and accepted in Jesus than we ever dared hope.”
The big idea of the message is that sin damages our lives, but it can’t destroy the grace and power of Jesus to restore our lives...What are some of the areas in your life where you’re flirting with sin like Samson?...What are some of the areas in your life where you’re trying to rely on your own strength like Samson?...What are some of the areas in your life where you need the grace of Jesus to forgive you, and the resurrecting power of Jesus to restore you?...City Awakening the Spirit of the Lord brought us here today to remind us that sin damages our lives, but it can’t destroy the grace and resurrecting power of Jesus to restore our lives. The Spirit of the Lord brought us here today to remind us that Jesus loves us, he wants to restore our broken lives, and he wants to use us to restore other people’s broken lives in our city. The way to restore our broken lives and other people’s broken lives isn’t by turning to broken saviors. It’s by turning to Jesus for eternal salvation and daily restoration, because Jesus is a real savior, not a broken savior...Let’s Pray...