Example #7 – Samson and His Philistine Wife

Only five chapters later we find the second blatant, straightforward statement in the book of Judges revealing to us that evil is “of the Lord.”

Jdg 13 is the story of Samson’s parents and the birth of Samson. Samson’s father was a man of the tribe of Dan. “His name was Manoah; and his wife was barren and bare not” (Jdg 13:2). The angel of the Lord appears to Samson’s mother and informs her she will conceive and bare a son. He tells her “no razor shall come on his head; for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines” (vs 5).

So we now know that God had determined before he was even conceived, that Samson would “begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines”. But how had He determined to accomplish this?

This chapter concludes: “and the woman bare a son and called his name Samson: and the child grew and the Lord blessed him. And the spirit of the Lord began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Estaol” (Jdg 13:24, 25).

How had “the Lord blessed him?” Exactly what does “the spirit of the Lord began to move him at times” mean? Had God written His laws on Samson’s heart? Was Samson blessed with an indwelling of God’s Spirit? Is that what “the Lord blessed him” means? Is that how “the spirit of the Lord began to move him at times”? Hardly! The Lord worked evil even in Samson after the counsel of His own will.

The very next few verses tell us what Samson did that “was of the Lord” (Jdg 14:4). Immediately after telling us “And the spirit of the Lord began to move him…” the very next verse tells us: “And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman of the daughters of the Philistines. And he came up and told his father and his mother and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath, of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore get her for me to wife” (Jdg 14:1, 2).

God had told Israel “take heed to thyself, lest thou… take of their daughters unto thy sons…” (Exo 34:12 & 16). Yet this is what we are told Samson did immediately after telling us “… the Lord blessed him. And the spirit of the Lord began to move him…”

Are we being told that God was responsible for Samson’s disregard for the laws God had given Moses forbidding the sons of Israel to marry the daughters of the people of the land? Samson’s parents knew this would displease God: “Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me for she pleaseth me well” (Jdg 14:3).

Does this sound like Samson had the Spirit of God? Yet we are told “the Lord blessed him. And the spirit of the Lord began to move him…”

It should begin to become obvious that “Put forth thy hand” and “the spirit of the Lord… mov[ ing] him” in the old covenant is a far cry from the “walk in the Spirit” of the new covenant.

But was Samson’s self- centered, rebellious decision to marry a ‘daughter of the Philistines’ really “after the counsel of [ God’s] own will?” (Eph 1:11). Here is the brazen, explicit answer of the word of God: “But his father and his mother knew not that it [ Samson’s self- centered disobedience to God] WAS OF THE LORD, THAT HE SOUGHT AN OCCASION AGAINST THE PHILISTINES…” (Jdg 14:4).

The workings and the mind of God are both once again revealed in stark contrast to the workings and the mind of man and of the flesh. In spiritual terms, Samson was as carnal and self- centered as the day is long. Yet he is God’s instrument in “seeking an occasion against the Philistines”. Even his motivation for the greatest act of his Philistine slaying career was not one of repentance. His disregard for the need of obedience to the source of his strength and might persisted to the bitter end.

• After slaying a lion with his bare hands,
• After slaying thirty Philistines for their garments,
• After catching 300 foxes and releasing them with firebrands into the crops of the Philistines,
• After slaying the Philistines who had burned his Philistine wife and father- in- law,
• After slaying one thousand Philistines with the jawbone of an ass,
• After carrying the gates of Gaza “and the two posts… bar and all… to the top of a hill before Hebron”,

After performing all these mighty works THROUGH “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD… MOV[ ING] HIM” (Jdg 13:25), Samson still could not see that God was using A CARNAL MAN OF GOD to accomplish his goal of destroying his enemies.

While Samson was alive he never conquered either the beast within himself or the enemy without.

It was only “THROUGH DEATH” that both of these were accomplished: “… So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life” (Jdg 16:30). “… That THROUGH DEATH He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Heb 2:14). “In the body of His flesh THROUGH DEATH, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight” (Col 1:22).

This story of the life and death of Samson demonstrates that the ultimate work of God is never accomplished through the works of the flesh. More abundant life, the ultimate work of God, is performed THROUGH DEATH.

To be one of the “blessed and holy” who has part in the first resurrection (Rev 20:6), we must DIE TO THE FLESH NOW and “bring forth much fruit” (Joh 12:24). But being in either resurrection still requires the death of literal physical flesh for “flesh and blood CANNOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD…” (1Co 15:50): “So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life” (Jdg 16:30). “Let me die with the Philistines” was Samson’s last prayer (same verse). Carnal Samson, like the carnal Corinthians, “came behind in no gift” (1Co 1:7). But like gifted Samson, denominational tendencies proved the Corinthians were “yet carnal and walk[ ed] as men” (1Co 3:3).

The message of Jdg 13-16 is the same as the message of the book of Revelation: “I will come unto you quickly and will remove your candlestick out of his place except you repent” (Rev 2:5). This is the exhortation of all of God’s word from Genesis to Revelation.

The function of grace is to “teach [ chasten]… us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly, righteously and godly, in this present world” (Tit 2:11, 12).

Samson is a type of those who want only to hear of the ultimate outcome but never the process. That’s because the process is a fiery trial: “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial WHICH IS TO TRY YOU…(1Pe 4:12). This is the chastening Paul speaks about in Tit 2:11, 12; this is the “fire [ that] shall try every man’s work of what sort it is” (1Co 3:13-15); this is the “everyone shall be salted with fire” that Christ tells us about (Mar 9:49); this is the “flaming sword which turned every way, to keep THE WAY of the tree of life” (Gen 3:24). That ‘way’ is Christ: “I am the way, the truth and the [ tree of] life: no man cometh to the Father but by me” (Joh 14:6).

Christ is a “consuming fire” (Heb 12:29), and being consumed by a fire is a “chastening and scourging” that is not pleasurable. “Get her for me to wife… for she pleaseth me well” and one should “be rich and increased with goods and [ in] need of nothing” sounds so much more appealing that “deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mat 16:24).

It is not the vocalized name of Christ that is denied in the last days. The enemies of Christ love to use His name: “Many shall come in my name saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many” (Mat 24:5). It is not the use of the name they despise; it is the mention of the cross, the mention of the process that is so despised: “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies [ not of the name but] of the CROSS of Christ” (Php 3:18). But Samson and the churches of God see no need for this process. They are the called, the people of God. And they say if there is any doubt about that, witness the supernatural gifts we have. We “come behind in no gift”; we can slay a thousand Philistines in a day”; “… have we not… in thy name done many wonderful works” (Mat 7:22).

Yet both the church of Laodecia and Samson must come to see that they are “wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.”

Samson was a man “moved” by the spirit of God. He was led by the spirit and he knew nothing of the fruits of the Spirit. Indeed, contrary to what many believe, the Spirit had not yet been given to anyone, for Christ had not yet died and “… If I go not away [ die] the Comforter will not come unto you…” (Joh 16:7). It is important that we understand that so long as we are living for the flesh, the Spirit cannot dwell in us. Christ did not die to the flesh so we could live in it. He died to the flesh so He could live in us, and then we, since He is living in us, can also die to the flesh: “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ liveth in me…” (Gal 2:20).

Those who want only to hear of the ultimate outcome of grace and want to hear nothing of the process must still endure the process, for the flaming sword turns “EVERY way, to keep the way of the tree of life” (Gen 3:24). Teaching salvation by grace without teaching the burning out process of grace is nothing less than deception and darkness.

Let us ask the Father to give us the spiritual discernment to be able to distinguish the moving of the Spirit from the fruits of the Spirit. The two are not necessarily mutually exclusive, but as Samson, the carnal Corinthians and the church of Laodecia all demonstrate, gifts and the moving of the Spirit do not necessarily produce the fruits of the Spirit. We do not know them by their gifts. We know them [ God’s true called ones] only by their fruits (Mat 7:16, 20).

An evil tree is very often gifted by God even as Samson, the prophet Balaam, King Saul, Solomon and many other men of God demonstrate. But an evil tree can NEVER bring forth good fruit, therefore we know them ONLY by their fruits. That fruit is described in Gal 5:22: “… love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith…” etc. God quite frequently gives gifts of the Spirit without the gift of an indwelling Holy Spirit as Christ’s own yet unconverted disciples demonstrated (Luk 10:20). The deception we face is not obvious and would deceive the elect if possible. Let us try the spirits. Gifts are good in their place, but don’t try spirits by gifts. “Ye shall know them by their fruits ” (Mat 7:16 & 20).

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