Judg 16:1-3 | KingComments | STEP | The secret of power can never be communicated to people who do not possess this power themselves. No one has ever understood the source of power and authority of the Lord Jesus. Mary of Bethany is the only example of a heart that has understood Him. His heart was full of compassion for every sorrow, but there is no one who has ever felt, let alone understood His sorrow. Samson is totally different from the Lord. He has only been out on his own pleasures and has revealed the secret of his strength and with it lost the power to be a Nazirite any longer. There are more contrasts between the Lord Jesus and Samson than similarities, as this last chapter on Samson in particular shows us. The latest events in Samson’s life confirm his great physical strength and his great weakness for women. It is not clear from the story why Samson is going to Gaza. Gaza is a stronghold of the Philistines. Everyone should recognize him there when he with his long hair walks through the streets. Awe for his great strength ensures that no one dares to do anything to him, the feared enemy. His visit to this city was not commissioned by God. Nothing shows that he is in Gaza to eradicate this hotbed of Philistine activity. It seems that he has an outing. This may be the reason for his visit to a harlot. David also came to adultery because he spent his time in idleness, while he should have been at the head of the army to lead it into war ( ). Samson has still not learned to control his passions; he gives them free rein. In Judges 14 he still works ‘neatly’ by observing normal manners, here he follows only his lusts, of which he himself becomes a victim. The harlot is a Philistine harlot and thus a picture of the great Babylon or the roman-catholic church, which is called “the great harlot” ( ). The fact that the confessing church is presented as a harlot shows how far she has deviated from her original state. Paul points to the beginning of that deviation when he compares the church to a pure virgin who is connected to Christ, but who by the devil’s temptation has become unfaithful to Him ( ). The final result of this unfaithfulness is seen in Revelation 17-18. Any believer who forgets that he is a Nazirite and thinks that he can enter unpunished, without a command from God, the system God is going to judge, is in danger to perish with this system. This is what happened to Samson in the end. He comes to terms with the system he had to fight against by making himself one with that system. Although he still has the strength to free himself here, he has, by uniting himself with this Philistine harlot, laid the germ of his ruin. It seems to be possible that someone can still have any strength if he has sacrificed his conscience in this way. He has not yet lost his strength because he has not yet revealed the secret of it. Only God and Samson know about it. Indeed, it is possible that a person living in sin may have some time of success in his service to God. Unfortunately, these successes are used as a cover for sin and not to come to a thorough and total confession of sin. Samson uses his power here only to free himself and forgets the purpose for which God has given him that power. No enemy is defeated, nor has his people benefitted from it. Samson behaves here as a mere powerhouse. He uses his strength because he is forced to flee himself and not to force the Philistines to flee. He will return to Gaza later, not to show his strength, but as a blind prisoner ( ). This is because he does not reach Hebron. He walks with the doors on his shoulders in the direction of Hebron, but he doesn’t get there. Hebron means ‘fellowship’. Samson fails, so to speak, in his return to fellowship with God. He does not come to a complete confession of guilt, because he does not give up his wrong connections. His outer deliverance is not a consequence of an inner self-judgment before God. His fellowship with God has not been restored and there is no self-judgment because of the sins committed. Returning to God means condemning that which led him to sin, the root of it. In his heart he did not judge the sin committed, but continued to cherish it. This can only be at the expense of fellowship with God. To all who are part of the great Babylon, the nominal Christian church, comes the call: “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues” ( ). Separation from evil must be both external and internal. With Samson in this case it is only external. He remains internally connected to it.

‏ Judges 16:1-3

Introduction

The secret of power can never be communicated to people who do not possess this power themselves. No one has ever understood the source of power and authority of the Lord Jesus. Mary of Bethany is the only example of a heart that has understood Him. His heart was full of compassion for every sorrow, but there is no one who has ever felt, let alone understood His sorrow.

Samson is totally different from the Lord. He has only been out on his own pleasures and has revealed the secret of his strength and with it lost the power to be a Nazirite any longer. There are more contrasts between the Lord Jesus and Samson than similarities, as this last chapter on Samson in particular shows us. The latest events in Samson’s life confirm his great physical strength and his great weakness for women.

Samson in Gaza

It is not clear from the story why Samson is going to Gaza. Gaza is a stronghold of the Philistines. Everyone should recognize him there when he with his long hair walks through the streets. Awe for his great strength ensures that no one dares to do anything to him, the feared enemy. His visit to this city was not commissioned by God. Nothing shows that he is in Gaza to eradicate this hotbed of Philistine activity.

It seems that he has an outing. This may be the reason for his visit to a harlot. David also came to adultery because he spent his time in idleness, while he should have been at the head of the army to lead it into war (2Sam 11:1-5). Samson has still not learned to control his passions; he gives them free rein. In Judges 14 he still works ‘neatly’ by observing normal manners, here he follows only his lusts, of which he himself becomes a victim.

The harlot is a Philistine harlot and thus a picture of the great Babylon or the roman-catholic church, which is called “the great harlot” (Rev 17:1). The fact that the confessing church is presented as a harlot shows how far she has deviated from her original state. Paul points to the beginning of that deviation when he compares the church to a pure virgin who is connected to Christ, but who by the devil’s temptation has become unfaithful to Him (2Cor 11:2-3). The final result of this unfaithfulness is seen in Revelation 17-18.

Any believer who forgets that he is a Nazirite and thinks that he can enter unpunished, without a command from God, the system God is going to judge, is in danger to perish with this system. This is what happened to Samson in the end. He comes to terms with the system he had to fight against by making himself one with that system. Although he still has the strength to free himself here, he has, by uniting himself with this Philistine harlot, laid the germ of his ruin.

It seems to be possible that someone can still have any strength if he has sacrificed his conscience in this way. He has not yet lost his strength because he has not yet revealed the secret of it. Only God and Samson know about it. Indeed, it is possible that a person living in sin may have some time of success in his service to God. Unfortunately, these successes are used as a cover for sin and not to come to a thorough and total confession of sin.

Samson uses his power here only to free himself and forgets the purpose for which God has given him that power. No enemy is defeated, nor has his people benefitted from it. Samson behaves here as a mere powerhouse. He uses his strength because he is forced to flee himself and not to force the Philistines to flee.

He will return to Gaza later, not to show his strength, but as a blind prisoner (Jdg 16:21). This is because he does not reach Hebron. He walks with the doors on his shoulders in the direction of Hebron, but he doesn’t get there. Hebron means ‘fellowship’. Samson fails, so to speak, in his return to fellowship with God. He does not come to a complete confession of guilt, because he does not give up his wrong connections. His outer deliverance is not a consequence of an inner self-judgment before God. His fellowship with God has not been restored and there is no self-judgment because of the sins committed.

Returning to God means condemning that which led him to sin, the root of it. In his heart he did not judge the sin committed, but continued to cherish it. This can only be at the expense of fellowship with God. To all who are part of the great Babylon, the nominal Christian church, comes the call: “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues” (Rev 18:4). Separation from evil must be both external and internal. With Samson in this case it is only external. He remains internally connected to it.