A Type of Christ, Set Aside For God
Judges 16: 23 – 31
New International Version (NIV)
16 23 Now the rulers of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to celebrate, saying, “Our god has delivered Samson, our enemy, into our hands.”
“Come back once more; he has told me everything.” So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands. 19 After putting him to sleep on her lap, she called for someone to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him.[c] And his strength left him.
24 When the people saw him, they praised their god, saying,
“Our god has delivered
our enemy
into our hands,
the one who laid waste our land
and multiplied our slain.”
into our hands,
the one who laid waste our land
and multiplied our slain.”
25 While they were in high
spirits, they shouted, “Bring out Samson to entertain us.” So they called
Samson out of the prison, and he performed for them.
When they stood him among the pillars, 26 Samson said to the servant who held his hand,
“Put me where I can feel the pillars that support the temple, so that I may
lean against them.” 27 Now the temple
was crowded with men and women; all the rulers of the Philistines were there,
and on the roof were about three thousand men and women watching Samson
perform. 28 Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God,
strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the
Philistines for my two eyes.” 29 Then
Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood.
Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on
the other, 30 Samson said, “Let me die
with the Philistines!” Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the
temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he
died than while he lived.
31 Then
his brothers and his father’s whole family went down to get him. They brought
him back and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his
father. He had led[d] Israel twenty years.
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ainful. Though the last stage of Samson’s life was humiliating, there
can be little doubt that he significantly repented of his sin, and the
forfeiture of the honor God had put upon him; for that God was reconciled to
him it would appear:
1. By the return of the sign of his Nazariteship (see Judges16:22):
His hair began to grow again, as when he was shaven, that
is, to be as thick and as long as when it was cut off. It is probable that
their general thanksgiving to Dagon was not long deferred, before which
Samson’s hair had thus grown, by which, and the particular notice taken of it,
it seems to have been extraordinary, and designed for a special indication of the return of God’s favor to him upon
his repentance. For the growth of his hair was neither the cause nor the sign
of the return of his strength further than as it was the badge of his consecration, and a token that God accepted him as a Nazarite again.
2. God
made use of him for the destruction of the enemies of his people, and that at a
time when it would be most for the vindication of the honor of God and not
immediately for the defense and deliverance of Israel. Note:
I. How insolently the Philistines insulted and disrespected
the God of Israel,
a.) By the sacrifices they offered to Dagon, his rival, this
Dagon they call their god, a god of their own making, represented by an
image, the upper part of which was in the shape of a man, the lower part of a
fish, purely the creature of fancy; yet it served them to set up in opposition
to the true and living God. However,
the Philistines assigned their success to a fabricated and invented deity (see Judges16:23,
24): Our god has delivered Samson our enemy,
and the destroyer of our country, into our hands, they sang.
Sacrifices were offered, and songs of praise sung, on the
general Thanksgiving Day, for this victory obtained over one man; there were
great expressions of joy, and all to the honor of Dagon. Much more reason have
we to give the praise of all our successes to our God. Thanks be to him who
causeth us to triumph in Christ Jesus!
2. And when they were merry with wine, to make them more merry
Samson would be fetched out to make sport for them (see Judges. 16:25, 27).
Having sacrificed to their god, and eaten and drunk upon the sacrifice, they
rose up to play, according to the usage of idolaters (1 Cor. 10:7), and Samson would be the fool in the play. They made
themselves and one another laugh to see how, being blind, he stumbled and
blundered. It is likely they smote this Judge of Israel upon the cheek (Mic. 5:1), and said, Prophesy who
smote thee. It was an instance of their barbarity to trample thus upon a
man in misery, at the sight of whom awhile ago they would have trembled. It put
Samson into the depth of misery, and as a sword in his bones were their
reproaches, when they said, Where is now they God?
But, how unrighteous soever the Philistines were, he could
not but own that God was righteous. Samson had sported himself in his own
deceivings and with his own deceivers, and justly are the Philistines let loose
upon him to make sport with him. Uncleanness
is a sin that makes men vile, and exposes them to contempt. A wound
and dishonor shall he get whose heart is deceived by a woman, and his
reproach shall not be wiped away. Everlasting shame and contempt will be
the portion of those that are blinded and bound by their own lusts.
The devil
that deceived them will insult over them.
b.) How justly the God of Israel brought
sudden destruction upon them by the hands of Samson. Thousands of the Philistines had got together to attend their lords
in the sacrifices and joys of this day, and to be the spectators of this
comedy; but it proved to them a fatal tragedy, for they were all slain and
buried in the ruins of the house: whether it was a temple or a theatre, or
whether it was some slight building run up for the purpose, is uncertain. Note:
1. Those who were
destroyed: All the lords of the Philistines (Judges.
16:27), who had by bribes corrupted Delilah to betray Samson. A number of 3000,
and among them a great many women, one of whom, it is likely, the harlot of
Gaza mentioned, Judges. 16:1. Samson
had been drawn into sin by the Philistine women, and now a great slaughter is
made among them.
c.) How they were
destroyed? Samson pulled the house down upon them, He gained strength to do
it by prayer, Judges. 16:28. That
strength which he had lost by sin he, like a true penitent, recovers by prayer.
That it was not from a principle of passion or personal revenge, but from a holy
zeal for the glory of God and Israel, that he desired to do this, appears from
God’s accepting and answering the prayer. Samson died praying, so did our
blessed Savior; but Samson prayed for vengeance, Christ for forgiveness.
Note: [1.] The
Philistines were greatly mortified. All their lords and great men were
killed, and abundance of their people, and this in the midst of their triumph;
the temple of Dagon was pulled down, and Dagon buried in it. They were now in
the most barbarous manner making war upon him; all present were aiding and
abetting, and justly die with him. God was very much glorified in pardoning
Samson’s great transgressions, of which this was evidence
Lastly, the story of
Samson concludes, with an account of his burial. His body was found among the
slain, and brought honorably to his own country, and buried it in the place of
his fathers’ sepulchers.
KINGDOM DYNAMICS
16:26 That I may feel the pillars: Archaeologist have excavated a Philistine temple, similar to the
one described in this narrative. It has a long inner chamber, its roof
originally supported by two wooden pillars.
16:31 Judged Israel: The Spirit of
the Lord gave Samson supernatural strength and ability to enable him to perform
many heroic deeds on behalf of Israel. He is listed without comment as one of
the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11:32.
Playwright Janet Irene Thomas
Founder/President/CEO
Bible Stories Theatre of
Fine & Performing Arts
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