What an End! (Judges 16)

It is likely that each of the incidents in this chapter occur at the end of Samson’s twenty-year reign as one of the judges of Israel – it is obvious that the last event does. If that is the case, then we are told very little about what he did during those two decades apart from the beginning, which is detailed in the previous chapter, and the end, which is described in this chapter. So we could say that the author gives us the first chapter and the last chapter of the biography of Samson and the records of the other chapters are only known in heaven. And there are some similarities between the accounts.

Year 20 still speaks

What are the messages of this chapter, in verses 1-22? The first is to remember who Samson was. This detail is supplied for us in verse 17 in the conversation between Samson and Delilah. Sometimes we can tell the truth to the wrong person and that was the case here. Still, what Samson said was true. God had given him a special role before he was born. He had been dedicated to God and here he is now a mature man who has served God for a long period, although we cannot say that where he is at this stage is a good place to be.

The second message of the chapter is that nineteen years of some forms of success are no guarantee that year 20 will be a good one. Nothing of significance may have happened in those nineteen years, yet we can say that they were better than what happened to him in year 20. We can look briefly at his trip to Gaza (vv. 1-3). Maybe Samson became a bit bored with life and decided to take a trip to Gaza, which was the furthest away of the Philistine cities. He knew that he should not be there, and he certainly should not have been doing what he did there.

I suppose the lesson from him carrying the doors and the doorposts all the way from Gaza to Hebron, a distance of forty miles, is that appearances can be deceptive and are no proof that one is engaged in right behaviour. Imagine a resident of Hebron observing on top of the hill the gates of Gaza and Samson standing beside them. The resident would conclude that Samson had won a victory over the Philistines in Gaza. Yet he had not. Here in Year 20 Samson is giving an impression of victory, yet it is only a cover for his sins.

A third message of the chapter is that Samson played foolishly with his calling to serve God. We can see this in the account of his involvement with Delilah.  It is not that he did not have warnings about what Delilah was doing because three times she arranged for Philistines to come and overpower him. He should not have been there and he should not have been discussing his calling in such circumstances. But Samson, in Year 20, was very careless about his spiritual state. And the outcome was that he was defeated. The one who could have been invincible became powerless.

A fourth lesson is that the enemy will keep on coming. The Philistines remembered what Samson’s weak point was and they focussed on it. Samson should have not gone near the situation in which his weak points could have been tempted. He forgot that his enemies only had his destruction in mind. The same is true for us with regard to the world, the flesh and the devil. They focus, as it were, on our weak points and if we make ourselves vulnerable we should not be surprised if we find ourselves defeated in those areas of life.

The fifth point is that we don’t get a warning from heaven when our power has been removed. It is noticeable that Samson did not notice that the sign of his power was gone, that is his hair, which would have been very long since he had not cut it previously. We only discover that the power is gone when we try to use it. What did Samson discover? He found that the enemies he used to defeat easily now defeated him easily. There was not a gradual decline of his power. Instead, through treating his calling with contempt, he found himself defeated.

The sixth point is that defeated believers look terrible. Here is poor Samson blinded by his enemies and compelled to do a monotonous task. Literally he could not see what he was doing, and the activity in which he was engaged was far below his calling. It is obvious that Samson could not defend Israel again in a normal battle. Never again would he engage in defending the territory God had given to them. Here is the mighty Samson, but how will he find himself in the chapter of heroes in Hebrews 11?

The seventh point to remember is that God writes the story, including the final chapter, of our lives, and he does so here with regard to Samson. We know we should never judge God’s kingdom by what we can see. What would the Christian social commentators have made of the prospects for future victories of God’s people at that time? Perhaps there were some Israelites up in the Promised Land muttering about Samson or maybe others were sighing over him. The mutterers would be complaining about his stupid behaviour that had brought about this state of affairs and the sighers would be bemoaning that things looked very black and could get worse. Of course, both groups, if they existed, would have been speaking the truth. But more than that was needed. I suppose a question we can ask is this, ‘Were any prayer meetings held asking that the Lord would do something about Samson’s situation?’

The end draws near

None of us know when our last day will be. This was true of the thousands of Philistines in this incident and it was true of Samson. Yet it is obvious that the author of the book wants us to focus on Samson’s last day.

The sign of God’s commitment

The author of this account brings to our attention a little detail which reminds the readers of God’s commitment to Samson. His commitment is seen in that Samson’s hair began to grow again. It would not have been difficult for God to turn Samson into a bald man and let him know each time he touched his head that he was a rejected Nazarite. Yet each time Samson would have touched his head he would have felt signs of spiritual recovery. He would have recognised that somehow God still wanted him to serve. How does God often deal with those who fail him? He sends them little signs of comfort that brings hope into their outlook. And what is intriguing about this growth of hair is that God hid its significance from the Philistines even although they must have noticed that it was growing.

God arranges the battle

The Philistines imagined that they knew what was going on. Therefore, they arranged for a national day of rejoicing in which the prominent of the community could gather together to celebrate their god’s achievement. Dagon was the god of the sea and was formed in the shape of a fish. The ironic detail is that there were two blind participants in the hall – poor Samson and the pretender Dagon. Unlike all idols, Samson of course could speak and move. But Dagon, he had never done anything for anyone. Yet that was what the Philistines gave credit to as far as their imagined victory was concerned.

We need eyes to see what is going on here. The Lord is acting as a shepherd, except that it is goats and not sheep that he is gathering together, to use a biblical description of the difference between unbelievers and believers. They imagined that they had arranged a party. In reality, God was bringing them together to punish them, and even if it seemed very unlikely he would do so according to his word. He had said that Samson would begin the deliverance of his people from the Philistines, and the complete fulfilment of that divine purpose was about to happen. It is important for us that we keep in mind that God will do with unbelievers what he has said he will do, even if to our eyes it does not look like it will happen. For example, he has said that he will engage in another gathering when he will bring together all peoples and pass judgement on their lives.

We should also observe what the author is saying. Dagon cannot defend his worshippers from a blind man. We know that the reason Samson is here is because he defeated himself. But the Lord will show to the Philistines that their indifference to him is not returned. Instead they will discover that the weakness of his servant does not reduce the Lord’s strength and that their apparent strength cannot convey any power to their god.

God’s determination to use Samson

We should also note God’s determination to use Samson. Yet we have to ask what kind of Samson does God use? The account gives some indications.

First, he uses Samson when the world (the Philistines) think little of him, indeed when they are contemptuous of him. Second, he uses Samson when his dedication has resumed, even although he is no longer the competent man he used to be. Third, he uses Samson when he talks in prayer to God. Fourth, he uses Samson when he wants to weaken the enemy kingdom. Fifth, he uses Samson when his faith is alert to the possibilities – his faith grasped that all of God’s enemies present can be destroyed. Sixth, he uses Samson when he is unable to assess what the extent of his victory will be. Seventh, he uses Samson when he dedicates all he has to God’s cause.

The promise of God about Samson

Back in Judges 13:7, God made a promise to Samson’s parents when he said that their son would be a Nazarite to the day of his death. Perhaps the family thought about that statement during those days when he was overcome through his own folly. It looked as if a situation had arisen in which God could not keep his promise. Yet when they came to collect his body they would have realised that the Lord keeps his promises. Their brother was devoted to God when he died.

There are two lessons from this reality. First, there is nothing in the universe that can prevent God from keeping his promises. That should be a great encouragement to us, although it will only encourage us if we know what his promises are. Second, here we have an example of someone dying in faith, which is the point that is made by the author of Hebrews when he says about the heroes that they all died in faith and were commended for it (Heb. 11:13, 39). Where is Samson commended? He is commended here in how he died, full of faith.

The wonder of a penitent backslider

The author of the Pulpit Bible commentary makes this point, and we can close with it: ‘II. There is an “unknown quantity,” not to be calculated upon, in the repentance of the backslider. Even the ruin of a believer may be the temple of the Holy Ghost. A short time with God’s blessing may suffice to retrieve the errors of a lifetime. “Faith as a grain of mustard seed” can “remove mountains.” How often has Satan been disappointed of his prey! Some of the greatest of God’s servants have been won back from backsliding. Let the wicked beware then of their companion and laughing-stock, and let the believing Church work on; the poor useless wreck over which we despairingly weep may yet become a man again, a blessing and a comfort to many souls.’