All week long I’m teaching on Spiritual warfare from Judges chapter 14-16, the life of Samson.
Samson is often called a renegade judge of Israel. Being extremely strong, he was brought down by such a small weakness. There are similarities between Samson and Christians today. As Samson was lured and deceived by Delilah, we too are easily lured away from the Lord by the deceptions of the devil.
Today, as we follow Samson’s life from Judges 15, we find him still bringing revenge upon the Philistines. In our previous teaching on Samson, we learned many valuable lessons on Spiritual warfare.
As I was praying through and studying Judges 15 I was amazed at the many principles on Spiritual warfare.
First, let me point out that every time the enemy comes against Samson, God shows up and gives Samson strength and ultimate victory. Let’s look at the examples that are confined to chapter fifteen:
1) The Philistines acted treacherously toward his wife and father- in-law which led Samson to burn their fields and destroy their vineyards and olive groves.
2) Because of the Philistines cruelty toward his wife and her father he “attacked them viciously and slaughtered many of them”(15:8a).
3) His own countrymen came against him, turning him over to the Philistines. But as his enemies neared, and while he was still bound “The Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax, and the bindings dropped from his hands. Finding a fresh jawbone of a donkey, he grabbed it and struck down a thousand men”(Judges 15:14b-15).
4) Exhausted from his battle and thirsty to the point of dying, Samson cries out to God and God “opened up the hollow place in Lehi, and water came out of it. When Samson drank, his strength returned and he revived”(15:19).
Too often, Spiritual warfare is over-glamorized. A deliverance ministry is often seen as a favorite ministry because of the power that surrounds the one doing it. However, while Samson was used by God to defeat not only his personal enemy, but an enemy of God, warfare took its toll on Samson. He lost his wife, his father-n-law, and his own countrymen betrayed him and turned him over to his enemy. His battle left him physically, emotionally and Spiritually exhausted to the point of death.
King David’s victory over Goliath was glamorized as the women wrote songs to honor David. Indeed it was a God-given victory. Yet, later the brothers and descendents of this Philistine giant would be another battle yet for David(I Chronicles 20; 2 Samuel 21). Even Jesus, after defeating the devil in the wilderness, would face him again at a more “opportune time”(Luke 4:13).
From Samson’s encounter with his enemies we see the ugly side of true Spiritual warfare.
This is indeed why many people completely stay away from the front lines. There is no doubt a price to be paid.
If we are to pray, teach and discipline our children there is a difficult price to pay. Parenting is not for cowards. Sometimes it means having tough love, asking hard questions of our children and standing strong for what is right and best for them. It means standing in the gap for them, waging war against the enemy for their souls!
If we are to thwart the plans of satan and pursue the plans of God there will be a fight. When the battle intensifies, like Samson, sometimes our own countrymen, brothers and sisters in Christ betray us, causing us to question, doubt and to become more susceptible to defeat. Some Christians would rather continue being comfortably oppressed than uncomfortably set free. It’s a sad day when the Church is seduced into her own oppression of comfort and ease toward sin.
Certainly, as we wage war against the devil and his emissaries we will enjoy moments of great victory. Yet, like Samson, until the Lord returns, satan will be back for a more opportune time, with a stronger temptation or worse, a more subtle, even stealth approach.
Yet, we must continue to defeat evil. For example, we might conclude that Samson set the foxes tails on fire to seek personal revenge upon the Philistines. However, the grain from the fields, their wine and their olive oil would have been dedicated to their false god, Dragon. Instead, through Samson their harvest became a burnt offering to God’s justice.
Today, many Christians find themselves much like Samson’s wife. Overwhelmed with fear, she sinned and went against her husband robbing him of the secret to the riddle hoping to avoid a battle. What happened to her for hoping to avoid the front lines? She found herself there anyway.
We cannot hide our heads in the sand from Spiritual warfare. We cannot retract from the front lines of fighting evil and promoting righteousness. The devil must be confronted. Evil cannot be excused for fear of the consequences.
Samson had reason not to take on a thousand enemies. For one thing, he was out numbered. Yet, another important principle we learn is that one person plus God is an army!
Another principle from today’s chapter is learning that when fighting the devil, the timing must be God’s not ours. We’d love to jump right in as soon as we hear it’s wrong. Yet, Samson did not resist the 3,000 countrymen who would bind him and turn him over to his enemy. Why? He was dependent upon God’s timing.
As his enemies approached he waited until “The Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power”(15:14b). The Spirit of the Lord set him free from his bondage. “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom”(2 Corinthians 3:17).
God’s timing, the Spirit’s power plus our obedience equals victory.
Finally, those who fail to honor God with shouts of praise may one day honor Him with prayers of affliction. “I have killed a thousand men”(15:16). Samson did not give glory where glory was due — God.
Perhaps his close call with death by dehydration was God’s way of humbling him, reminding him who sustains him. Reckoning with his own thirst causes him to cry out, “You have given your servant this great victory. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?”(15:18).
In response, God opens up the hollow place in Lehi and from the water that poured out of it, Samson was strengthened and revived. The place is called En Hakkore which means “the place of the caller”.
Those of you who are marred, scared and weary from a past Spiritual battle can be comforted to know that Springs of refreshment can be yours if you cry out. Where you are right now can be your place of En Hakkore if you would only call out to the Lord to refresh you. Refresh you for a life of ease? No. Refreshed for another day on the front lines for Jesus!
Dear Heavenly Father, in everything we do, may we glorify Your name, and continue to forcefully advance Your Kingdom, even as satan and his kingdom attacks us. May we be Spirit led and Spirit refreshed, In Jesus’ Mighty Name, AMEN!