A Tragic End

Well, good morning. It's good to see all of you this morning.

I want to encourage you to open up your Bibles, if you would please, to Judges chapter 16.

Judges 16 · chapter mention

! Judges chapter 16. If you're using the Pew Bibles, it's on page 215. Judges chapter 16.

Judges 16 · chapter mention Judges 16 · chapter mention

Pastor David already mentioned this, but I want to just bring it to your attention one more time.

I want to encourage you to come and take part next Sunday evening at 6 p.m.

and we're going to have an opportunity for our mission team, who several months ago had the

opportunity to serve the Lord together at Skyview Ranch and many of you not only kind of invested

and supported them in being able to go, but also prayed with them along the way. This is a chance

for you to hear how God worked in their lives and to get a sense of how that trip went and teens,

a chance for you to celebrate God's work in your life as you share next week. Also, there have been

several baptisms, as you know, over the last couple of months, and we have a chance then to vote on

those people for membership. I trust you've already either heard their testimonies or you've read their

testimonies of how God saved them and drew them to himself. Also, we'll have a couple more individuals

who give their testimonies of salvation and we'll vote for them in membership as well. So, it's a chance

for us to hear what God is doing, to get a taste of the fact that God is still in the saving business

and to see and to hear about those stories and to celebrate God's work among us in that way.

I trust that you will be a part of that time together as we hear

God's work in the lives of our teens and also those who are becoming members.

Well, we are winding down. We're just now today and next week away from finishing our time in the book of Judges.

And as we get closer to the end,

I don't know if you've kind of sensed this gravity, this weight,

the moral decline that's taken place in this group of individuals.

And to read about this can be a little depressing.

There's a heaviness about what's taking place.

There is a gravity about the significance and the seriousness

of what it looks like for a nation to turn away from the Lord.

And I'm telling you, as I prepare to preach and even as I came this morning,

I'm like, oh, here we go again.

We're going to be looking at this story and man, it can be so depressing.

That is not the message of Judges, really.

Yes, it is a message of this moral decline.

But I want, I hope what comes through in our time together today

is that in spite of this moral decline,

in spite of a people that keep pushing God away,

and it's embodied in Samson,

kind of this rescuer who is raised up in a sense,

and he's coming to deliver Israel,

and he has the hand of God on him.

And yet he keeps spending all this power on himself.

And it's so easy to get depressed,

but I want the message to come through

that God does not abandon his people.

God does not abandon his people.

There can't be a more encouraging truth than that.

Especially when we begin to look at ourselves,

and we, if we're taking a very serious,

a very honest look at our repeated failures,

and the times that we continue to mess up,

or fall on our face,

or blatantly rebel against the Lord,

that God still stands ready to forgive.

That God still stands ready to save.

God still stands ready to deliver on his promises

because of his faithfulness.

And that's what I want to settle in on our hearts

as we look and listen through this passage again

in Judges chapter 16.

Judges 16 · chapter mention

You have a God that stands ready to save.

We see this again.

We see that God introduces us

through this book to 12 different individuals

and to varying degrees of commitment to the Lord.

But whatever their posture towards God will be,

whatever they will do in terms of delivering Israel

and answering the call of God on their life,

or rejecting the call on their life,

the main character of this entire book,

and the main character of the entire narrative

from Genesis to Revelation,

is God himself.

God himself stands ready

to speak to his people,

to invite them,

and to participate with him

in fellowship that comes

through his son Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ who stands ready to save.

Whether or not the judge is aware

of God's work in his life,

everything good that happens

in the book of Judges is owing to him.

Everything that happens in your life

that is good is owing to him.

Even in this heightened state

of a nation who is rejecting the Lord,

we saw last week in Judges chapter 13,

Judges 13 · chapter mention

we saw spotlighted throughout our time

in the book of Judges,

and especially here at the end,

that the spotlight is on God.

And we saw that he is initiating God.

That was our first point last week.

And just calling us to remember

that while this story seems to be about Samson,

and certainly he is one of the characters

that keeps coming out into view,

the real character,

the real person,

the real hero of this story

is God himself.

The faithfulness of God

who continues to show initiative.

We're aware, we're familiar

with the initiating work of God.

John 3, 16,

for God so loved the world

that what did he do?

He gave his only begotten son

that whoever believes in him

should not perish

but have everlasting life.

We have an initiating God.

We have a God that takes the first step.

We have a God that moves out

in the front

regardless of a people

who resist him,

regardless of a people

that rebel against him,

regardless of a people,

by the way,

that the Bible calls enemies of God.

That God demonstrates his love towards us

even though while we were yet sinners,

enemies,

Christ died for us.

Marvel at the fact

that we have an initiating God.

A God who takes the first step.

John will also write in his letter

in 1 John 4, 19,

it says,

we love him.

Why?

Because he first loved us.

And so that's the,

that's kind of the story

that we're living right now

but it rewinds

and we see the same God

who stands over the entire narrative.

In the book of Judges,

in initiating God,

he takes the first step.

It's incredible.

And we saw last week

in Samson's story

a life that was infused

by God's initiating power.

God's initiating blessing.

God's initiating

by providing his spirit.

Right from the start,

God takes the lead.

We saw that in Judges 13, verse 1.

Judges 13:1

And the people of Israel

again did what was evil

in the sight of the Lord.

So the Lord gave them

into the hand of the Philistines

for 40 years.

And we saw last week

that that word again

is probably better translated,

they continued

or they increased

or they added to

so that the people

didn't just fall into sin again.

No, they continued in sin.

They increased in sin.

They filled themselves up

with sin.

It was now the pattern

that would mark them

as a people.

And in spite of all of that,

God intervenes.

In spite of their rebellion,

God intervenes.

A nation, by the way,

that is no longer

confessing their sin.

A nation that is no longer

repenting and turning away

from their sin.

A nation that is no longer

even asking for a deliverer.

No longer asking for salvation.

No longer asking for someone

to help them against the oppression

that they're facing.

God is still intervening

and helping

and coming to the rescue.

This nation

that God comes to personally,

He delivers a promise

through the angel of the Lord.

The promise to a barren woman

that she will have a son.

And He is to be devoted to God.

We saw that in chapter 13, verse 5.

For the child shall be

a Nazarite to God.

He's supposed to be set apart.

This word, Nazarite,

is the word to consecrate,

the word to dedicate.

He's supposed to be dedicated

or consecrated to the Lord

because what God cares about first

is not deliverance

from an oppressor,

but deliverance from sin.

Samson is supposed to

call a people back

to God Himself.

And he's supposed

to be set apart.

God was after a holy people.

And this outward expression

of this holiness

was to have an outward form.

In verses 4 and 5

of chapter 13,

Therefore be careful

and drink no wine

or strong drink.

Eat nothing unclean.

For behold,

you shall conceive

and bear a son.

No razor shall come upon his head.

For the child

shall be a Nazarite to God.

From the womb,

he shall begin to save Israel

from the hand

of the Philistines.

So God delivers

on this promise.

And Manoah's wife

will conceive.

She'll have a baby.

A son is born.

And God is going to make good

on His word.

He's faithful

to deliver on His promise.

And one commentator says this.

He says,

The conception and birth

of Samson declare emphatically

God's refusal

to let this nation die.

I love it.

Israel may be doing

all in its power

to destroy itself

from within,

but God must preserve

this nation.

The honor of His name

and the cosmic mission

of His grace

is at stake.

God's glory,

God's reputation,

God's fame

is what's at stake.

So God will deliver

on His promise

to His people.

We have an initiating God.

We also have

an empowering God.

We saw that last week.

In chapter 13,

verse 24,

we saw in verse 24 particularly,

And the woman

bore a son

and called his name Samson.

The young man grew

and get this,

and the Lord blessed him.

And the spirit of the Lord

began to stir him

in Mahanadan

between Zorah

and Estol.

God graciously

gives a son.

He's marked out.

He's set apart.

God blesses him.

God puts His spirit

upon him.

He stirs him up.

He moves him forward

and immediately

we begin to wonder,

okay,

is this going to be

the point

where national revival

happens?

Because God is embedded

in this story.

His spirit is here.

His blessing is here.

Is He going to move

this man

to deliver the people

in a way

that's going to create

some national revival?

But as we read

through the life of Samson,

we observe a life

from start to finish.

A life that is marked

by going down.

A downward spiral.

The downward spiral

that we saw

in chapter 2,

verse 19.

Every subsequent generation

that starts

a little further

down the path.

This moral decline

that's taken place.

This collapse

that is settling in.

And the beginning

of Samson's story

is marked out

the same way.

This five-fold repetition

of a verb

to go down.

In Judges chapter 14,

Judges 14:1

verse 1,

Samson went down

to Timnah.

In verse 5,

Samson went down

with his father

and mother to Timnah.

Verse 7,

then he went down

and talked with the woman.

In chapter 14,

verse 19,

and the Spirit of the Lord

rushed upon him

and he went down

to Ashkelon.

In Judges 15,

Judges 15:8

verse 8,

he struck them

hip and thigh

with a great blow

and he went down

and stayed

in the cleft

of the rock

of Etam.

This moral decline

that was true

about the people

is now characteristic

of the life

of Samson as well.

A man

who is dominated

and as we saw

last week,

a man

who is dominated

by desire.

A man who is driven

forward by his passion.

What he craves,

what he wants.

What Samson wants,

he gets

and nothing stands

in his way.

He's controlled

by his cravings.

And then,

as the story continues,

we see this tit for tat,

this retribution,

this settling a score,

this getting even

that seems to be true

of his life.

And we read this

several times

throughout chapter 15.

Chapter 15,

verse 3 says,

And Samson said to them,

This time I shall

be innocent

with regard to the Philistine

when I do them harm.

Then in chapter 15,

verse 7,

Samson said to them,

If this is what you do,

I swear I will be avenged

on you

and after that

I will quit.

Chapter 15,

verse 10.

The men of Judah said,

Why have you come up

against us?

Speaking to the Philistines,

they said,

We have come up

to bind Samson

to do it to him

as he has done

to us.

And then in chapter 15,

verse 11,

Then the 3,000 men

of Judah went down

to the cleft

of the rock of Edom

and they said

to Samson,

Do you not know

that the Philistines

are rulers over us?

What then is that

you have done to us?

And he said

to them,

As they did to me,

so I have done

to them.

With brilliant irony,

the narrator describes

Samson as a free spirit,

as a rebel

who is driven

by selfish interests,

doing whatever

he pleases

without respect

for his parents

and with no respect

for the claims

of God

on his life.

But in this process,

he ends up doing

the very thing

that God has called

him to do

and that is

deliver the people

because out of the hand

of the Philistines.

And this doesn't

condone the activities

of Samson,

but it helps us

to recognize

the sovereignty

of God

that even in

our rebellion

against him,

God is still sovereign

over those activities.

In Judges 14,

Judges 14:4

verse 4,

it says,

His father and mother

did not know

that it was

from the Lord,

for he was seeking

an opportunity

against the Philistines.

At that time,

the Philistines

ruled over Israel.

God's plan

will not be thwarted,

even in spite

of disobedience.

And while Samson's

activity was

completely self-directed,

he was still

serving God's

purposes.

One commentator

says this,

No other deliverer

in the book of Judges

matches his potential.

Called from birth

by Yahweh,

stirred up

as a youth,

called by the Spirit

of God,

empowered with

extraordinary gifts

by God,

granted exceptional

opportunities

for heroism

by God.

And the narrator

devotes more attention

to Samson

than any other

deliverer.

Despite all

of these advantages

and this special

attention that

Samson accomplishes,

he accomplishes less

on behalf of the people

than any other

of his predecessors.

Samson has all

of this potential,

all of this power,

all of this strength

that's been endowed

by him,

by God,

and he spends

every ounce

of God-given

strength

on himself.

Imagine

how useful

Samson would have

been

if he had devoted

the strength

that God had

vested in him

and he had spent

it in the right

direction.

Samson was driven

by his cravings.

And much of his life

was controlled

by revenge

and settling a score

and getting even,

this retaliation.

And it sets itself

apart from what

we learn of Christ's

life,

don't we?

Christ's life

was the opposite

of that.

Christ came

not to be served,

but to serve

and to give his life

a ransom for many.

And we all understand

that Christ offers

a better way.

We know

the two great commands,

love the Lord your God

with all your heart,

soul, mind,

and strength,

and love your neighbor

as yourself.

We know

that those

are the commands

that the Lord

lifted up

from the Old Testament

to help us understand

what a life

that's driven

by love for God

will look like.

Do you realize

that in Leviticus

Leviticus 19 · chapter mention

chapter 19

we find both

instances

of that

second command?

It says this

in Leviticus 19.18

it says,

you shall not

take vengeance

or bear a grudge

against the sons

of your own people,

but you shall love

your neighbor

as yourself.

I am the Lord.

You know

what the opposite

of loving your neighbor

as yourself is?

The thing that stands

in the way,

the thing that is

most often

most visible

that sets itself

against loving neighbor?

It's turning

revenge

revenge

on a neighbor.

That's what

Leviticus wants

to draw attention to.

Don't

carry out

your own

agenda

on your neighbor.

Serve your neighbor.

And we know this.

This is what Christ

draws attention to.

Christ

is the preeminent

example of this.

And he encourages us

in Matthew

Matthew 5:43

chapter 5

verse 43 and 45

he says,

you have heard

that it was said

you shall love

your neighbor

and hate your enemy.

But I say to you

love your enemies

and pray for those

who persecute you

so that you may be

sons of your father

who is in heaven.

For he makes his son

rise

on the evil

and on the good

and sends rain

on the just

and the unjust.

This is what God

calls us to.

But what is in us

what is in me

I should say

and I think

what's probably

in all of us

what's prevalent

in us

is when we receive

a measure of injustice

the last thing

that we want to do

is extend kindness.

Especially verbally.

When we're cursed

we want to curse.

We don't want to bless.

And when we are

oppressed

when we are

taken advantage of

we want to get even.

We want to settle

the score.

I was just reading

a report recently

from the AAA

Foundation

for Traffic Safety.

in 2025

just last year

it says that

96%

of US drivers

reported at least

one aggressive

driving

or road rage

behavior.

96%

I think that's

probably covers

a lot of us

in this room.

Right?

And I know

that there are times

when I feel like

I want to get even.

And by the way

just this past week

there was an incident

that happened

while I was

well I won't tell you

where I was.

There was an incident

that happened

and I thought for sure

that somebody

was going to die

because the

conflict

that took place

between two people

that were driving

and getting out

of the car

and yelling

at one another

through the windows

and I thought

for sure

it was

it was going

to go down

right in front of me.

And that's the kind

of thing that happens

a lot.

And we understand this.

We recognize this.

It's in us.

We are these kinds

of people.

We want to get even.

96% of us

do this

in some

fashion or the other.

And it says

that 11%

admitted

to violent behavior

such as intentionally

bumping

another vehicle

or confronting

another driver.

Now compare that

with just 10 years ago.

This is up

67%

from 10 years ago

cutting off

another vehicle

or honking

out of angry

anger

is up 47%

from 10 years ago.

You see

it's a symptom

of our society.

It's where we are.

We've all felt it.

And whether we've

carried it out

we have

probably

at least

been whispering

or yelling

under our breath.

It comes out.

And this is what

we see

in the book of Judges.

We see a group

of individuals

Samson in particular

who stands out

as needing

forgiveness.

Needing help.

Needing to

submit his life

to God.

And God

is continually

even in the story

of Samson

God

is still

available.

God is still

there.

God is still

carrying

Samson

in spite

of his rebellion.

And so

when we turn

the page

to chapter 16

we see

another aspect

of God

that I want to

draw our attention to.

In chapter 16

we're going to see

that we

have a

present

God.

We have

a present

God.

Now

here's what's

fascinating.

Through this

entire narrative

chapter 13

through chapter

16

God is

silent.

Now

in chapter 13

the angel

of the Lord

speaks to Manoah

and speaks to

his wife

but once

you move

into the narrative

where Samson

is

there's no more

speaking

God has

remained

silent

to his

people

and yet

God is

still present.

How do you

know?

Well

we see

that God

is present

through

his continuing

power.

He continues

to empower

Samson

even at the

end of this

story.

Judges 16

Judges 16:1–3

verses 1 to 3

says

Samson went

to Gaza

and there

he saw

a prostitute

and he

went into

her

the Gazites

were told

Samson has

come here

and they

surrounded

the place

they set

an ambush

for him

all night

at the

gate of

the city

they kept

quiet

all night

saying

let us

wait till

the light

of the

morning

then we

will kill

him

but Samson

lay hold

excuse me

Samson

lay till

midnight

and at

midnight

he rose

and took

hold

of the

doors

of the

gate

of the

city

and the

two

posts

and pulled

them up

bar and

all

and put

them on

his shoulders

and carried

them to the

top of the

hill

that is in

front of

Hebron

remember what

Samson's

story has

taught us

remember how

Samson has

now repeatedly

gone after the

things that were

right in his

eyes

we saw that in

chapter 14

verse 3

Samson said to

his father

get her for

me

she's right in

my eyes

and then in

verse 7

then he went

down and

talked with

the woman

because she

was right in

his eyes

everything that

is right in

Samson's eyes

he does

and here we

are we pick

up the story

in chapter 16

and what does

he do

well he sees

this woman

he wants her

it doesn't

matter what

God has said

about this

it doesn't

matter that

God had

specifically

given some

instruction about

how these kinds

of relationships

were to happen

because Samson

is a law to

himself

and now he's

gotten even

bolder

now we're going

to find he's

going to begin

to explore

he's going

to begin

to experiment

a little bit

he's going

to walk

on the edges

he's going

to see how

far he can

wander and

still enjoy

the power

first he's

wandered from

home

and we don't

know the

geography

very well

and so we

need to be

instructed

you see

Gaza

was a place

that was not

just had

pagan deities

as we're going

to see at

the end of

this story

but geographically

it is as far

as he could

be away

from home

at least

in the

Philistine

world

he's moved

to the edge

he's moved

as far away

as he can

be

and then we're

going to see

in chapter 16

there is no

explicit mention

of the spirit

of the Lord

coming upon him

we saw that

once in chapter

13

we saw it

once in chapter

14

we're going to

see it

twice in

chapter 15

four times

the spirit

of God

comes on

Samson

in this

narrative

and yet

in chapter

16

the spirit

of God

is not

mentioned

now it

doesn't mean

that the spirit

of God

is not

there

he's present

he's just

not mentioned

and

the reason

he's not

mentioned

I think

is because

Samson is

beginning to

wonder

if the power

that he enjoys

is a power

that is

resident

within himself

that's why

he's beginning

to experiment

he's beginning

to believe

the press

reports

that he's

invincible

and yet

for all of

Samson's

physical strength

in resisting

the power

of enemies

there's one

enemy

he's been

unable

to address

the enemy

of his

flesh

succumbing

to women

what does

he do

well he gets

up at

midnight

we're to

presume

that it's

dark

somehow

he slips

out past

the guard

he's able

to pick

up these

gates

he tears

them up

he places

them on

his shoulder

he walks

to Hebron

he sets

it in

place

now Hebron

is 40

miles

away

40

miles

away

how do

you suppose

Samson

did that

it was

another

indication

of the

power of

God

that was

resident

on his

life

even though

Samson

was completely

oblivious

to this

power

and even

though the

narrator

will now

begin to

conceal

this power

it's clear

through the

activity

that God

is still

allowing

his presence

to remain

on

Samson

to accomplish

these miraculous

things

it wasn't

through Samson's

strength

Samson's

confidence

though is

growing

his boldness

and arrogance

is growing

he's feeling

like he is

invincible

no one can

touch him

so he's

exploring

he's

experimenting

he's

testing

the limits

he's

seeing

where

those

boundaries

are

he's

wondering

if

this

strength

is really

resident

in himself

but God

continues

to empower

we move

to this

next story

the one

that you're

familiar

with

Samson

and Delilah

in verse

4

after this

he loved

a woman

in the

valley

of

Sorak

whose

name

was

Delilah

the

lords

of the

Philistines

came up

to her

and said

to her

seduce

him

and see

where his

great

strength

lies

and by

what

means

we may

overpower

him

that we

may

bind

him

to

humble

him

and we

will

see

we will

give

you

1100

pieces

of

silver

so

Delilah

said to

Samson

please

tell me

where your

great

strength

lies

and how

you might

be bound

that one

could subdue

you

you know

the story

Samson

again is

driven by

his cravings

he sees

another woman

he wants

her

he gets

her

and under

the cover

what we're

led to

understand

is even

these heathen

individuals

even these

pagan

individuals

in Philistia

who worship

Dagon

understand

that Samson's

power

is coming

from somewhere

Samson may be

oblivious

to where this

power is coming

from but even

those that

watch

and look

they know

where is

the secret

to this

power

so they

they have

this fourfold

strategy

they want

to see

where the

power is

coming from

they want

to overpower

Samson

they want

to bind

Samson

they want

to humble

Samson

and so

they pay

Delilah

1100

shekels

of silver

to get

this done

now this

is 1100

shekels

by the way

for each

of these

Philistine

lords

and so

it's

it's

closer to

5500

shekels

not 11

shekels

because there

are five

Philistine

lords

and to give

you some

some comparison

10 shekels

as we're going

to see in

the next

narrative

from chapter

17 to 21

10 shekels

of silver

is what it

was going

to cost

to pay

for the

services

of this

Levite

who would

come

to Micah's

house

and to

perform his

duties

10 shekels

in a year

do the math

1100 shekels

divided by

10

110

years

and then

multiply that

by five

550 years

of income

is what they

were willing

to pay

Delilah

to find out

what the

secret was

you're familiar

with the story

Delilah

goes to work

she pleads

with Samson

to tell her

the secret

and we see

that

in verse

6

so Delilah

says to

Samson

please tell

me where

your great

strength

lies

and how

you might

be bound

that one

could subdue

you

Samson

will say

will bind

me with

seven fresh

bow strings

then I will

become weak

like any

other man

that's in

verse 7

what is

lost

with us

because of

the cultural

distance

from where

we are

is these

bow strings

were typically

made from

the carcasses

of dead

animals

the sinews

or the

ligaments

of these

dead

animals

he's asking

for fresh

seven fresh

bow strings

which means

he's defiling

himself

by touching

a dead

animal

becoming

unclean

beginning to

flirt a little

bit more

beginning to

experiment

a little bit

more

beginning to

push the

boundaries

just a bit

more

will this

nullify

my power

he's flirting

with the

edges

of course

these seven

fresh

bow strings

are bound

on Samson

and Delilah

will say

in verse 9

the Philistines

are upon you

and he'll be

able to break

those bow

strings

he'll be able

to free

himself

and then

he says

in verse 11

bind me with

new ropes

that have

never been

used

second

strategy

and Delilah

does it

and she

says in

verse 12

the Philistines

are upon

you

he breaks

those ropes

he frees

himself

and the

cycle

continues

and now

Samson's

playing

with fire

in verse 13

Delilah

says to

Samson

until now

you have

mocked me

and told

me lies

tell me

how you

might be

bound

and he

said to

her

if you

weave

the seven

locks

of my

head

with the

web

and fasten

it tight

with the

pin

then I

shall

become

weak

and be

like

any

other

man

so

Delilah

does it

we find

in verse 14

the Philistines

are upon

you

he's able

to pull

out the

pin

he's able

to free

himself

and he's

able

to

remove

the oppression

then we

come to

verse 15

she says

to him

how can

you say

I love

you

when your

heart

is not

with me

you have

mocked me

these three

times

you have

not

told me

where your

great strength

lies

so Samson

says

he told her

all his

heart

no razor

has come

upon my

head

for I

have been

a Nazarite

to God

from my

mother's

womb

if I

am

shaven

then my

strength

will

leave me

this is the

first time

that

that Samson's

acknowledging

where his

strength

finally

lies

and what

his calling

has been

this divine

calling

on his

life

to be

a Nazarite

to God

and now

he finally

submits that

to Delilah

this is the

purpose

for which

God has

raised me

up

in this

significant

moment

he refers

though

to God

only as

Elohim

and not

as Yahweh

see Delilah

knows now

that he has

told her

all his

heart

and so

she

lulls him

to sleep

she cuts

his hair

she says

the Philistines

are upon

you

and then

we come

to chapter

16

verse 20

he woke

up from

his sleep

and said

I will

go out

as before

at other

times

and shake

myself

free

but he

did

not

know

that the

Lord

had departed

from him

God's

presence

gracious

presence

had been

with

and on

Samson

and he

was totally

oblivious

all of

this

strength

all of

this

power

all of

this

potential

God

graciously

had given

to him

and he

was totally

oblivious

and now

it's gone

and he

doesn't even

know

this devastating

reality

that Samson

went out

as before

he thought

I can

take care

of business

I can

do

what I've

done

all along

believing

that he

was truly

invincible

not

appreciating

the fact

that it

was only

in all

ways

of God

then in

verse 21

the Philistines

seized him

and gouged

out his

eyes

and brought

him down

to Gaza

and bound

him with

bronze shackles

and he

ground at the

mill in the

prison

but the hair

of his head

began to

grow again

after it

had been

shaved

overnight

this man

is transformed

transformed

by one

whose life

was governed

by what

was right

in his eyes

to an

individual

now

who has

no eyes

who has

no sight

who has

no vision

overnight

a life

of coming

and going

at his

pleasing

has now

turned into

a life

of bondage

Samson

has now

been humbled

but we

have this

this glimmer

of hope

in verse 22

but the hair

of his head

began to

grow

again

after

it had

been

shaved

once we

turn to

verse 23

we not only

recognize that

God is

present

we recognize

that God

graciously

continues to

answer prayer

God

continues

to answer

prayer

in spite

in spite

of the wicked

heart of

Samson

verse 23

says

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

and when the

people saw

him they

praised

their God

for they