Title: “A Picture of Jesus…Samson.”
I. There is the Samson in our picture and….
II. There is the Jesus in our picture.
BECAUSE OF THE CROSS
GOD ONLY SEES THE JESUS IN OUR PICTURE
NOT THE SAMSON.
Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father, and from our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
The sermon text for this Ash Wednesday is taken from…
Now the lords of the Philistines gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to rejoice, and they said, “Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hand.” 24 And when the people saw him, they praised their god. For they said, “Our god has given our enemy into our hand, the ravager of our country, who has killed many of us.” 25 And when their hearts were merry, they said, “Call Samson, that he may entertain us.” So they called Samson out of the prison, and he entertained them. They made him stand between the pillars. 26 And Samson said to the young man who held him by the hand, “Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, that I may lean against them.” 27 Now the house was full of men and women. All the lords of the Philistines were there, and on the roof there were about 3,000men and women, who looked on while Samson entertained.
28Then Samson called to the Lord and said, “O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes.” 29 And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other. 30 And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.” Then he bowed with all his strength, and the house fell upon the lords and upon all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life. 31 Then his brothers and all his family came down and took him and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had judged Israel twenty years.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I.
We all have pictures of one kind or another. Whether it is in our wallets, purses, or hanging on the walls of our homes we all have pictures. What do those pictures tell us? They tell us about who we are, a father, a mother, a brother, a sister. They tell us about who is in the picture. But the picture can’t tell us everything. It can’t tell us what kind of person is in the picture.
I used to live in Monroe, Michigan, a small town on lake Erie. This small town was the home of General George Custer. There on main street in town, right where the bridge is that crosses the Raisin River, there stands a statue of Gen. Custer on his horse. He looks brave and courageous, like a hero. But we know that isn’t the truth of this man. He was a drunkard, a womanizer, and a murderer.
Our text this evening revolves around a great hero of the Bible, Samson, who in some ways is a picture of Jesus and in others a picture of sinners. Now we all remember from our Sunday school days and from reading our Bibles the story of Samson. But it's worth reviewing.
The angel of the LORD appeared to Manoah’s wife, who was barren, and told her she would have a son who was to be dedicated to God and would begin to save Israel from the Philistines. He was not to drink nor was he to cut his hair. Samson grew up to be very strong and courageous and was filled with the Spirit of the LORD. And he did the LORD’S work against the Philistines.
But Samson had a bit of a problem, he was after all a sinner. One of Samson’s weaknesses was women. And it was a particular woman, Delilah, that was to be the downfall of Samson. She asks Samson what the source of his strength is, and several times he toys with her telling her this and that. Finally, after Delilah is constantly badgering him about it, Samson gives in and reveals to her that it is due to no razor having ever touched his head. Samson falls asleep with Delilah and she cuts his hair. The Philistines come in grab Samson, who is now weak, gouge out his eyes and put him in prison.
Really doesn’t look much like a picture of Jesus does it? Samson gives into the temptation to tell his secret to this woman. He trusts her more than he trusts God.
But there is a glimmer of a picture of Jesus isn’t there? And that leads us to our text this evening. We find Samson weak, without his heavenly strength. He has been brought up from the dungeons to entertain the Philistines. You can be sure that Samson, this one who was a terror to the Philistines for twenty years and who was now as weak as a mouse, was being ridiculed. He was probably enduring beating and spitting and mocking. Now do you begin to see the picture of Jesus emerge? Sounds a lot like that last Thursday night and Friday of Jesus’ life doesn’t it?
Then Samson prays to the LORD. He says…
“O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes.”
Does Samson’s prayer sound like Jesus’ prayer in the Garden? Yes, and no. Yes, Samson is praying to the LORD, but he isn’t praying for the LORD’S will is he? There at the center of his prayer is the prayer of a sinner, “that I may be avenged,” not that the LORD may be avenged. However, the LORD responds favorably, for the LORD works His will, even when we pray the wrong way. God grants Samson’s prayer and gives him his strength back once more.
As Samson prepares himself for the task at hand he concludes his prayer with this gem…
“Let me die with the Philistines.”
And Samson pulls down the pillars and kills the Philistines and in the process dies himself.
This last scene is very much the picture of Jesus. There is in both Samson and Jesus a sacrificial death. However, there is one big difference. Samson sacrifices himself to kill the Philistines and save Israel. Jesus sacrifices Himself for the “Philistines” of this world, that is the new Israel, which is to say for you and for me. Samson’s triumph, and more importantly God’s triumph, was in Samson’s death. The same can be said of our LORD Jesus Christ. His death was also a triumph. The victory for God in Samson is the death of the enemy, the Philistines. The victory for God in Jesus is also the death of the enemy. In the case of Jesus it is literally the death of death, the death of the grave. In other words there is no more death, there is no more grave, not for the believer.
Is Samson a perfect picture of Jesus? No. He is a sinner and a sinner cannot be the perfect picture of Jesus. So we are pictures of Samson - a sinner. But we are pictures of Jesus - a saint. Hold us up to the light and all of our faults are very apparent. But when viewed through the lens of the cross we are perfected. That’s what the Father sees when He looks at us, he doesn’t see our Samson, for He looks at us through Christ. He sees our Jesus and that is all He sees. And just like at creation, He says, “It is good,” and then welcomes us into His Kingdom. Amen.
The peace of the LORD which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
+ Sola Deo Gloria +
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