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By : Jeff Kain

Jdg 16:31 Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the burying place of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years.

“Men of valor”; there are numerous men of this character referred to in the Scripture. Four are above average men of valor called mighty and named by name in the Scripture. Even enemies of Israel, the Moabites, had such men. Judges 3:29.

When one with knowledge of the scripture thinks of Sampson it is easy to picture a man’s man. Big, muscular, self assured, confident. Sadly he is not one that God’s calls a man of valor. In fact he is never even called mighty.
How can a man whose birth and purpose were both announced by the angel of the LORD even before his conception, end up in such ignominy? Judges 13:2-5

Choices.

Three come to mind that may or may not be his downfall. If they are not they certainly seem to be contributing factors.

1) Sampson was not careful about disciplining his physical body.

Chapter 14:1 introduces us to this weakness of character. He saw a woman of Timnath. He allowed temptation into his life through the eye gate, more than once. Disrespecting his parents, the commands of God’s word, and the declared purpose for being alive, he decided he would have what he saw regardless.

The problem with having this woman was that she was outside the bounds of whom the God of Israel declared that men of Israel should consider for marriage. She was also a Philistine. Sampson’s purpose was to deliver Israel from the Philistines, not become allied to them through marriage.

Sampson’s life story is basically told in division associated with three women. In the mind’s eye he was big physically. This kind of physical stature is often accompanied by large doses of testosterone, perhaps even to the imbalance state. This hormone presence it seems created challenges with sexual control.

Without control, Sampson regularly found himself in sexual situations which were not appropriate. He was emotionally driven much of the time.

This is not an excuse for inappropriate actions. However it is a reality. The wise man chooses to recognize this weakness of character and takes steps to guard against sinful action. Sampson failed to exercise such guarding.

2) The second weakness of character is displayed in his choice to disregard established authority in his life.

He chooses to go against his parent’s counsel about the woman of Timnath. In so doing he chooses to disobey God’s Word. In touching the dead lion he chooses to disregard the authority of his Nazarite vow. Perhaps his choice to give such low regard to the authorities in his life is what allowed him to flirt with danger in the revelation to Delilah about the source of his strength. This choice brought him down did it not?

3) The final glaring defect (in my opinion) is Sampson’s independent spirit.

Everything he did, he did on his own. He was a Judges of Israel. Unlike Ehud who gathered Israel (Judges 3:27,28) to overthrow the Moabites, or Barak who gathered 10,000 men (Judges 4:6) to pursue Sisera, or Gideon who rallied 32,000 men etc, Sampson killed Philistines alone.

So poor was he at rallying the nationals that they actually came against him to turn him over to the Philistines. (Judges 15:12). Perhaps of all that was flawed in Sampson’s life this was the one with the greatest negative consequence. So far reaching was it, that when his birth was announced and his purpose was stated by the angel in Judges 13, the angel said he would begin to deliver. Why not complete the task?

In 16:31 in death Sampson is buried by his brethren and family. Many times national leaders were buried by the nation as a whole. Why, just a family burial service for Sampson? Nationally, Sampson was not a leader of any consequence.

Why is it that a man of such notable beginning should not complete the task of deliverance? Prophetically the angel announced this child would achieve only part of what he was capable of achieving, because he would choose to be and do with partiality. Therefore only partial success would be his achievement.

Choose to achieve with partiality? Yes, he was only partially true to his Nazarite vow. He was only partially true to the principle of leadership that builds a mastermind alliance in order to achieve greatest success. He was only partially true to the discipline of control of self. Fighting thousands of Philistines alone and killing thousands at a time took an amazing amount of discipline to overcome the fear that is natural in such a situation. Yet he could not overcome the lust and keep himself from inappropriate sexual conduct.

He was committed to partiality. And thus he achieved partial victory. He attracted to himself exactly what he committed to. Partiality.

How can a man whose birth and purpose were both announced by the angel of the LORD even before his conception, end up in such ignominy? Judges 13:2-5

Choices.

Jdg 16:31 Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the buryingplace of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years.

Sampson judged Israel only 20 years. Many times the normal length for noting times in the scripture is 40 years. Forty (40) is the number of probation in the scripture. God would regularly give a judge or king 40 years to rule. The nation was under a test for this amount of time. Sadly Sampson’s partiality choices even were apparent in his length of time to judge the nation, only half of the customary 40 year probationary period.

NEVERTHELESS to illustrate that our thoughts are not His thoughts, neither our ways His ways, (Isa. 55:8,9) what does Jehovah do more than 1,000 years later?

Note: And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: Heb 11:32-35

Jehovah inspires the writer of the book of Hebrews to name Sampson in the same sentence with king David. Sampson is listed in the Hall of Fame of Faith.

In the end, living by faith, he, out of weakness was made strong. Because faith pleases God immensely, God honored his faith, both in final victory over the enemy and in the memorializing of that pleasing faith in the Hall of Fame of Faith.

No matter where we might be or have been, faith in our amazingly merciful God can change all of the past into a very positive NOW.

Glory to His name!!
Author Resource:- for comment please write Jeff at fullpotetntial4u@gmail.com
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