Judges 13
McGeeCHAPTERS 1316THEME: Seventh apostasy; Israel partially delivered through Samson
Judges 13:1
FORTY YEARS OF SERVITUDE UNDER THE PHILISTINESThe repeated apostasy of Israel forms the setting for a time of oppression by the Philistines. The Philistines were probably the worst enemies that Israel had. This time their oppression lasted for forty years. During this time we come to a judge that we cannot pass over. His name was Samson, and he was one of the most outstanding of the judges. He probably had more glorious opportunity than any man ever had. Everything was propitious for a career and a brilliant future, but he failed. That is the tragedy of this man’s life. He came to judge during the seventh apostasy and is, in one sense, the last of the judges.
Israel was conquered by the Philistines and was only partially delivered by Samson. The small civil war that began in Jephthah’s day got bigger and bigger, and the Book of Judges ends in absolute confusion. During Samson’s time of leadership we are given the secret of his success, the secret of his strength, and the secret of his failure. Again, let me repeat, never was a man born with a more glorious opportunity than this man.
Judges 13:2
BIRTH OF SAMSON, THE THIRTEENTH JUDGEZorah was a city between Dan and Judah, several miles west of Jerusalem. Manoah and his wife did not have any children because she was barren. So the birth of Samson was miraculous as was the birth of Isaac, or Joseph, or Benjamin.
Judges 13:3
Before Samson was born, God marked him out. God raised him up to perform a gigantic task: he was to deliver Israel. The people of Israel were in a bad way because God had delivered them into the hands of the Philistines. The angel of the Lord that appeared to the mother of Samson told her what her son was to bea Nazarite. You will recall that back in the Book of Numbers we are told what constituted a Nazarite vow. It was threefold: (1) He was not to touch strong drink or use grapes in any form. Why? Because wine is a symbol in the Scriptures of earthly joy. It is to cheer the heart.
The Nazarite was to find his joy in the Lord. Eph_5:18 says, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.” If we want to please Christ, we, too, are to find our joy in Him. In fact, joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law" (Gal_5:22-23). Joy is one of the fruits the Holy Spirit wants to produce in your life and mine. (2) A Nazarite was not to cut his hair. Now what does that mean? In 1Co_11:14 Paul says, “Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?” The Scripture says that long hair dishonors a man.
A Nazarite, however, would be willing to bear the shame of long hair, and that is the reason a razor was not to touch his head. (3) He was not to go near a dead body. There were to be no natural claims upon him. He had to put God first, above his relatives and loved ones. The Lord Jesus said in Luk_14:26-27, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.” This simply means that we cannot put anything before Christ. This is something that we have lost sight of today. Samson was a Nazarite. He was God’s man, and that was the secret of the success he had. He was raised up for a great purpose, and his success was in God. Unfortunately he never succeeded in performing his God-appointed task. Did you notice what verse Jdg_13:5 said? Samson began to deliver Israel out of the hands of the Philistines. Success knocked at his door. He was a beginner, not a finisher. He began to deliver Israel, but he never finished the task. There are many Christians like that. They make a great beginning, but they do not finish a task. Paul said to the Galatians, “Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?” (Gal_5:7). They started out with a bang and ended up with a fizzle. Many people begin to read the Bible, but many fall by the wayside. They just begin and don’t go on with it. I have been a pastor for forty years, friend, and I have known lots of people who start something and never conclude it. They never finish what they are called to do.
Judges 13:24
These verses tell us the secret of Samson’s strength. Samson’s strength was not in his arms, although he killed a thousand Philistines with those arms. His strength was not in his back, although he carried the gates of Gaza on his back, which was a remarkable undertaking. And Samson’s strength was not in his hair, although he was weak when it was cut. Samson was strong only when the Spirit of God was moving him. Just cutting his hair off was not actually what weakened him. His hair was the badge of his Nazarite vow. The Spirit of God was not on him when his hair was cut. Why? Because he had failed in his vow. He had not made good. We see advertisements of body builders which show the man before and after. The before picture always features a little dried up weasel. After he takes the tonic, we see a great big muscle-bound man. Even though many people have pictured Samson as a big bruiser, he was probably one of the worst sissies in or out of the Bible. I think he was a little, dried-up milquetoast type of man. His name means “little sun.” He had long hair.
He was a riddle maker. He played pranks like a schoolboy. He allowed women to make a fool of him. He was not a he-man. He was not the strongest man in the Bible. He was the weakest man.
This fellow was tied to his mama’s apron strings like a little sissy, and that is exactly what he was. Then when the Spirit of the Lord began to move him, he was strong. When the Spirit was not upon him, he was as weak as water. The people in Samson’s day wanted to know the source of his strength. They did not realize that God chooses the weak things of this world to accomplish His purposes. They marveled at Samson, “How can this little scrawny, milquetoast fellow, perform these feats of tremendous strength?” There was only one explanationGod did it.