Before turning with me to Judges
13, I want you to look back at Ephesians chapter 5, the passage
that we just read earlier. Again, verse 25. Husbands, love your wives, even
as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it. I've
got to be honest with you. Always felt a little convicted
when reading this verse in particular, how can I love my wife as Christ
loved the church? I'm incapable of doing so. Christ's love for his church,
his bride is the greatest and the strongest love ever evidenced. And let me for a minute speak
to you and me as husbands, you gentlemen here tonight. We're
incapable of even coming near equaling his love for his chosen
bride. But the love of Christ for her
is the model that we must strive to obtain. And I know this much,
none of us as husbands are in danger of loving our wives too
much. And here we're not only given
our duty as husbands, but we're given the measure of our duty,
even as Christ loved the church. How much did he love his church?
So much that he gave himself for it. He gave himself to die
to redeem her. And as husbands, we're to imitate
Christ in this respect. We're not only to toil in our
support for our wives, we're not only to provide for our wives'
needs, but we should be ready to die to save her. That's what
Christ did. He laid down his life for his
church. That's what he came to do. And he came down from heaven
to do so. And if an earthly husband had
the spirit of self-denial like the Lord Jesus had, there would
be absolutely no sacrifice too great for our wives or others.
Our Lord said, this is my commandment that you love one another as
I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than
this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are
my friends if you do whatsoever I command you. And look down
at verse 29 here again in Ephesians 5. For no man ever yet hated
his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the
Lord the church. And to truly understand this
verse, we must receive some revelation as to what Paul is talking about
here in verse 28. So ought men to love their wives
as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth
himself. Now, in God's union of marriage,
husband and wife are really one flesh. And verse 30 says we're
members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. Our union with
Christ makes us his body, his flesh, and his bones. And our
union with Christ makes us one with him. And the Lord loves
his people so much that he laid down his life for them. And as
I said, a believing husband strives to love his wife the same way.
Now, naturally speaking, we nourish, nourish and cherish our bodies. We eat, we sleep, we try to get
the required amount of sleep. We go to the doctor when we're
sick. It's a natural thing for us to take care of ourselves.
But this is showing us something that Christ loved for his body,
his flesh, his bones, his church. That's what this is talking about.
Those that he came in the world to save and to die for. His first
priority is for them, as ours should be for our wife. The beauty
of loving and nourishing and cherishing our wives and others
is seen in those words, even as the Lord, the church. What a high standard we're given. Even as Christ also loved the
church and gave himself for it. How wonderful to know that the
Lord nourishes and cherishes us even more than we nourish
and cherish ourselves. And I love to think about that.
And this is our motivation for nourishing and cherishing one
another. Verse 31, for this call shall
a man leave his father and mother and shall be joined unto his
wife and they too shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery. but I speak concerning Christ
and the church. And that's what we have pictured
before us tonight. We have a great picture of Christ
and his bride, the church. So turn with me first to Judges
chapter 13 and look at verse 24. The name Samson is synonymous
with strength. I suppose ever since I was a
young boy, when I heard the name Samson, immediately my mind went
to the strength, the power that that man had. You hear the name
Samson and you immediately think of a strong man. We shouldn't
be at all surprised that the name Samson means little son,
S-U-N, or like the son. The sun is the major source of
energy in our universe and for our planet. According to scientists,
I read this week, that the sun produces 44 quadrillion watts
of power. Now, I don't know how much that
is. It's a lot. But in comparison, a large electric
plant produces about a billion. So in other words, it would take
44 million power plants to equal the energy coming from the sun
alone. No wonder Samson's name, Little
Sun, is synonymous for strength and power. But it's very important
for us to understand where this power of Samson and the Son,
for that matter, came from. It was not within Samson himself,
just as the power of the Son is not. It came from the one
who created the Son. And every star of power in the
universe was created by him. It came from the Spirit of the
Lord. Speaking of Samson in the, Verse
25 here in chapter 13, we read, and the Spirit of the Lord began
to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtoah. The powerful feats of Samson,
everyone give reference to the source being the Spirit of God. It was nothing within Samson.
That's the point I wanna make. It was not his hair, wasn't the
length of his hair, Yes, he was a Nazirite, he was not to cut
his hair. It wasn't his abstaining from a strong drink. Yes, he was a Nazirite and was
commanded not to partake of alcohol. What was the source of his strength?
The Spirit of the Lord. The Lord, what a picture this
is of Christ, our Lord, who created the sun, the moon, the stars,
and all things. The Lord had to become a man
to redeem man, had to become a man to redeem men and women.
And all that our Lord did upon earth was due to the same Spirit
being upon Him that was upon Samson. It's the same Spirit,
the Spirit of God. The Spirit of the Lord came upon
Samson as God purposed, as was needed. But the Spirit of God
was upon the Lord Jesus Christ without measure. And that's what
John meant when he wrote, for he whom God has sent speaketh
the words of God, for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto
him. He gave it to him without measure.
Yet our Lord made Himself of no reputation. He that was God
made Himself to be nothing but a servant. He took upon the form
of a servant and was made in the likeness of man. There was
nothing that we saw in the Lord that would impress us, naturally
speaking. And being found in fashion as
a man, He humbled Himself. and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross." You know, that is mind-boggling
when you think about it. God not only condescended, God
Almighty, the Creator of all things, not only condescended
to become a man, but He humbled Himself even more to become a
servant unto man. and a servant unto the very law
that he himself gave. And he kept that law perfectly,
and he went to the cross as one who offended the law in our room
instead, even becoming obedient unto death, the death of the
cross. Now, you talking about a condescension,
that's one. The Lord Jesus thought it not
robbery to be equal with God. He wasn't endeavoring to steal
or to strip the glory, power, and strength of God for himself.
No, friends, that's what self-glorying men do. Jesus Christ was God. He didn't count it robbery to
be equal with God because he was. He came to magnify his heavenly
Father. He said, if you've seen me, you've
seen the Father. And God gave Samson the strength
and the power of the Holy Spirit when he needed it, but God gave
the Lord Jesus Christ the Spirit continuously, without measure,
without limit, and without ceasing. He's God incarnate. That's why
I get a bit frustrated when I hear men talk about the Lord Jesus
as some kind of inferior man, less than a man. The pictures
we have of him, picture him as effeminate and no, no. He's a God man, powerful, full
of strength, full of power, God incarnate. He's able to deliver
his people from their enemy. As the God-man, Christ was given
power over all flesh that He should give eternal life to as
many as God gave Him. Now that's our Savior. He's not
trying to save, He's not wanna save, He's not wringing His hands
and wanting somebody to love Him. No. Only God can give a
spiritual eternal life and that power was given to Christ. Now
look at chapter 14, look at verse five. We're told here in Judges
14 verse five, then went Samson down, went down, pay attention
to that, and his father and his mother to Timnath, and came to
the vineyards of Timnath, and behold, a young lion roared against
him. Look at verse six. And the Spirit
of the Lord came mightily upon him, And he rent him, speaking
of that young lion, as he would have rent a kid, a small goat. And he had nothing in his hand,
no weapon, just took that lion and just ripped him in two with
his bare hands. But it wasn't his strength within,
it was the Spirit of God that did it. What a picture of Christ's
power in destroying the works of the devil, Satan. who as a
roaring lion seeks whom he may devour. But John tells us that
it was for the purpose that the Son of God was manifested that
he might destroy the works of the devil. That's what that's
picturing, Samson and that lion. Turn over, look at Judges chapter
15, verse 14. Here we find Samson bound with
cords, and we're told, In verse 14, and when he came to Lehi,
the Philistines shouted against him, and the Spirit of the Lord
came mightily upon him. And the cords that were upon
his arms, now these weren't little shoestrings, these were heavy
ropes. The cords that were upon his
arms became as flax that was burnt with fire. and his bands
loosed from off his hands and he found a new jawbone of an
ass and put forth his hand and took it and slew a thousand men
therewith. And the jawbone of an ass pictures
the beast of burden which is the gospel preacher who, by the
means of preaching the burden of the word of the Lord, saves
those who believe in Christ Jesus. It's by the means of preaching.
That's what that jawbone pictures. Through the jawbones of stubborn
mules, that's what we are. Preachers, they're called asses. That's somewhat appropriate.
that God saves them who believe. In Judges chapter 16, verses
three and four, it was no doubt by the Spirit of God that Samson
took the doors of the gate of the city and the two posts and
took them away bar and all. Now, what an amazing sight that
must have been. Samson put all that weight upon
his shoulders and he carried it all to the top of the hill.
What's that showing us? This picture's how the Lord Jesus
Christ took the weight of all the sins of all his people throughout
all time and carried them to Mount Calvary and where he put
them away forever. Our Lord tore down the gates
of hell that they could never prevail against the gospel. The
gospel is the rock upon which the church is built. And the
church is built upon Christ, the rock. And nothing can prevail
against it because Jesus Christ is God. And even in his final
act of deliverance over in Judges 16 verse 28, Samson called unto
the Lord and said, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me,
I pray thee. Only this once, O God. Even then,
he's calling upon the Spirit of God. And he said, O God, that
I may be once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.
As you know, they put his eyes out. And Samson took hold of
the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, upon which it
was borne up, of the one with his right hand and the other
with his left. And Samson said, let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all
of his might, and the house fell upon the lords and upon all the
people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at
his death were more than they which he slew in his life. And
I can't help but to think the Lord in his death has performed
a miraculous work of judgment against all who opposed him and
his gospel. And at the same time, all the
people, all his people died with him and rose with him. And they're
now seated with him in heavenly places. He redeemed his people. And his redeemed people are now
unto God a sweet-smelling savor of Christ. And in them that perish,
they're unto God a savor of death, unto death. But it's not said
to be a sweet savor. It's said to be a savor of death
unto death. The death of God's people is a sweet-smelling savor.
God doesn't find any pleasure in the death of the wicked. I
don't know why folks think that. They think because someone believes
that God is in control, that God's sovereign, that God saves
whom he wills, has mercy on whom he wills, and yet hardens whom
he wills, that God somehow finds pleasure in the death of the
wicked. That's not so. God said, I don't find any pleasure
in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his
way and live. But if they don't, they're gonna
die. And the law of God demands it,
the justice of God requires it. And that's why Paul said, who
is he that condemneth? You see, if it's Christ that
died, yea, that rose again, who's gonna condemn one that Christ
died for? Who's gonna charge Christ's bride
with sin? Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies. If God justifies a sinner, that
sinner is justified. That sinner is made righteous.
That sinner is righteous because God made him so in Christ. Christ
gave himself for the church. And what did he do? He made them
holy without spot, without blemish or any such thing. When the Lord
Jesus died on the cross, God was right. God was just to pardon
those found in him. He paid the debt in full. God
accepted his sacrifice. You and I in Christ have no sin. Yet God also, because of his
strict justice, has the right and he is required to punish
the wicked. He doesn't find any pleasure
in it. He that justifieth the wicked
and he that condemneth the just, even they both are an abomination
of the Lord. We've looked at that many times.
So when the Lord pardons those who are innocent by the righteous
and finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ, Everyone in that
day of judgment is gonna claim amen, so be it. And when the
Lord condemns and judges all who rejected Christ, all who
would not have Him to rule over them, the same ones are gonna
also say amen, so be it. Why? Because the Lord has done
all things well. Being holy, just, and right,
He can by no means clear the guilty or condemn the innocent.
There is therefore now no condemnation to who? Those in Christ Jesus,
who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit, for the
law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made us free
from the law of sin and death. We don't answer to the law. Christ
fulfilled it for us. And for what the law could not
do and that it was weak through the flesh, that being our flesh,
we could never keep the law in order to satisfy God's justice. It was weak through our flesh.
So what did God do? God sent His own Son into the
likeness of sinful flesh. And for sin, condemned sin in
the flesh. We got a clear slate if we're
in here. I like that. But to those who have not bowed
to Christ, He will say, depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
They said, haven't we done this? And haven't we done that? We've
done many good works. He says, it's all iniquity. Ye
that work iniquity, I never knew you. And friends, it'll be right
and just for Him to condemn them. No doubt that Samson is a type
and picture of the Lord Jesus. Let's look further here at Judges
chapter 14, verse 1. And Samson went down to Timnath
and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.
And he came up and he told his father and his mother and he
said, I've seen a woman in Timnath of the daughter of the Philistines.
Now therefore, get her for me to wife. 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. But his father and his mother
knew not that it was of the Lord. that he sought an occasion against
the Philistines. For at that time, the Philistines
had dominion over Israel. As I read these words, I couldn't
help but to think about our Lord and Savior. Samson went down
to Timnah. He saw a woman in Timnah. She was a daughter of the Philistines.
He went down. Christ came down. Didn't he? Yes, he did. He came down. The
name Timnath here means two things in particular. It means portion
and appoint. Timnath was the place appointed
where Samson found a wife that pleased him. She was to be his
portion. Samson had to go down to find
her. And it was there that he would make her his bride. Zechariah
chapter two, verse 12 says, and the Lord shall inherit Judah,
his portion, in the holy land and shall choose Jerusalem again. Deuteronomy 32, nine says, for
the Lord's portion is his people. Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.
Speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ in Isaiah chapter 53, the Lord's
people are called his portion who would be very pleasing to
Him, and it would be in them that Christ would take great
delight, pouring out His soul unto death, being numbered with
Him. And we see here in verse two,
Samson went to his father and his mother, and he told them
of this woman among the Philistines, and he asked them to get her
for him. And isn't that what Christ did for His bride? In
verse three, Samson said unto his father, get her for me, for
she pleaseth me well. Samson chose her because she
pleased him. Samson taking a wife among the
Philistines is a wonderful, wonderful picture of Christ taking a bride
among the likes of you and I. Samson's parents didn't respond
favorably. They desired Him to choose a
wife from His own people. But the Lord Jesus came unto
His own people and they received Him not, the Jewish nation. They
would not have Him to rule over them as their husband. They hated
Him without a cause, we're told. They would not submit to Him.
And their condemnation was that light came into the world and
they loved darkness rather than light. Now Samson's parents didn't
approve, but God the Father purposed for his son to come into the
world and to seek and to save wretched sinners among the Gentiles. And I'm so glad he did, or you
and I would never be saved. That's what we are. We're Gentiles,
we're Philistines, so to speak. Were Samson's parents being unreasonable,
reasonable? No. His choice of a bride was
among the enemies of Israel. Samson's bride was precisely
like the bride of Christ. We were enemies of God. Carnal
minds, enmity, hostile toward God. But yet, our heavenly husband
was pleased with us. Christ's chosen bride, His church
that was pleasing to Him in times past, being Gentiles in the flesh,
being without Christ, wanting no part of Him. Aliens, we're
told, from the commonwealth of Israel. Aliens, strangers from
the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in this
world, but now in Christ Jesus, those who were far off. were
made nigh by the blood of the one who came to make them his.
Our Lord came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. He was pleased with a Philistine
woman, and he wanted to make her his
wife, and the Lord Jesus Christ did. What was it about this Philistine
woman that pleased Samson? Well, we're given a hint in verse
seven. It says that he went down and talked with the woman and
she pleased Samson well. The bride of Christ called his
sheep. They hear his voice and they follow him. And we have
sweet communion with the Lord, our heavenly husband. Their love
for him is due by his love for them. Herein is love, not that
we love God. but that He loved us and sent
His Son to be a propitiation for our sin. We love Him. Why? Because He first loved us. We didn't choose Christ to be
our heavenly husband. He chose us to be His bride. As wretched as we were, as unpleasing
as we were. You've not chosen me, our Lord
said, but I've chosen you and I ordained you. I made you mine. I did for you what you couldn't
do for yourself. I made you holy. I made you without
spot. I made you without blemish. I
am going to present you to myself as a glorious bride." Christ
did it all. Humanly speaking, this Philistine
woman would prove to be an unfavorable choice. She betrayed Samson for
fear of her life. And what a picture here we have
of our fallen nature. Unless the Lord keep us, we too
will betray our Lord for fear of our life. Peter denied the
Lord three times for fear of his life. And we're never given
room, are we, to glory in our actions? I love that about the
Scriptures. It always puts us in our proper
place. God never hides the faults and
the sins of His people throughout the Scriptures. Whether it be
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Lot, all scoundrels. David, David saw
a woman he desired to make her his. What a picture of man's
love for a woman and Christ's love for his church. But he committed
adultery with her and had her husband killed. God doesn't hide
that from us in the scriptures. What a picture of our fallen
nature. By nature, we like Gomer are
unfaithful harlots. Our redemption is purchased at
the slave block by our Hosea who loved us and gave himself
for us. The Philistine woman pictures you and I. And the truth
of the matter is this, this is the bride that God chose for
Samson. And the believers in the bride
that God chose for Christ is wretched as they are. Aren't
you glad Christ came in the world to save sinners? Aren't you glad
that God chose a Philistine Gentile to be Christ's bride? God told
Hosea, he said, you go take your wife among whoredoms. Go love a woman who will prove
to be an adulteress. A woman who loves other gods
Flagons of wine. But in the end, Hosea redeemed
her and he said, you shall no longer play the harlot. And you'll
be not for another man, you're mine. You're gonna be mine. And that's what Christ did for
us. I'll be your husband forever, he said. Isn't this a wonderful message?
Isn't this a wonderful gospel? Isn't He a wonderful Savior?
Is that not what Christ has done for us? What about Boaz and Ruth? Ruth was a molebite. But in the
end, Boaz, the kinsman redeemer, was a man in love. And Naomi
knew it. You remember what she said? She
told Ruth, she said, sit still, my daughter. Oh, if we could
just learn to sit still. He said, she said, sit still,
my daughter, for the man, speaking of Boaz, the kinsman redeemer,
will not be in rest until he has finished the thing. You're in my redemption this
day. He's not gonna rest till he's made you his. And the Lord didn't rest until
he made us his. Jacob loved Rachel so much that
he worked another seven years to make her his bride. This is
love. This is love. Samson saw a woman
in Timnath and he went down to her. Christ loved his bride so
much that he willingly vacated his throne and he came into the
world to save his bride. What a condescension this was.
That word Philistine means immigrant. I thought that was interesting.
God had forbidden Israel from taking wives from seven different
nations, but the Philistines weren't one of them. though they
were outside of the nation of Israel, and though they were
enemies against Israel, and though they were now in dominion over
Israel, they weren't one of the nations that Israel was forbidden
to marry. And here we have a picture of
how the Lord Jesus went outside of Israel to make sojourners,
immigrants, strangers, from the covenants of promise, from the
Commonwealth of Israel, His people, His church, and His bride. The Philistines were transient
people who had no permanent home. Is it not the same with us? This
isn't our home, we're just passing through. We're soldiering through
this life. Like those who died in faith
in Hebrews chapter 11, you and I are strangers and pilgrims
on the earth. Like Abraham, we sojourned and
looked for that city which has foundations, whose maker and
builder is God. We're just passing through. We're
looking for something much better. We're thinking about what our
Lord said. when he said, I go to prepare a place for you, and
where I'll be, you'll be also. Why? Because I've taken you to
be my wife, and I'm gonna be your husband forever. Well, look at verse four here,
and I'll finish up. But his father and his mother,
Samson's parents, knew not that it was of the Lord that he sought
an occasion against the Philistines, for at that time, the Philistines
had dominion over Israel, and how this reminds us that God
is always working all things together for His people's good. Now, we cannot know how God will
particularly meet the ends that He's appointed. That's not our
business. But we do know that He's working
all things together for our good. We're told that much, Romans
8, 28. We know the verse well. But will we ever learn, friends,
that we're not analysts or judges like Manoah and his wife? We would have stopped Samson
if we could have, but they couldn't. It was the purpose of God for
him to take this Philistine bride. We're simply observers of God's
sovereign providence. To rightly understand this would
alleviate a great deal of anxiety for us in this world. We're always
trying to figure out what God's doing. I can tell you this much,
He's doing whatsoever He will in the army of heaven among the
inhabitants of the earth. And I'll tell you something else,
whatever He's doing is good. It's good for His people and
it's for His glory, so it has to be good. And we, what if this,
and what if that, and what if this, and what if that? Stop
it. Don't do it. God's in control. God's taking
care of things just as they ought to be taken care of. And in the
end, it's going to be for the good of his wife. Good for his
bride. God's never vacated this throne.
He's always sovereignly ruled. He's never been caught off guard.
He's never been perplexed. Can you imagine God sitting on
His throne, He that created the heavens and the earth, scratching
His head going, what am I gonna do next? Not even when man sinned. They
didn't take God by surprise. When Adam sinned, God didn't
go to plan B. That's the way men preach, the
fall of man. Christ was the lamb slain from
the foundation of the world. God doesn't need any backup plans.
We look around us in this world and many of us fear. Has God
left us to ourselves? No, and He never will. That would
be something to fear if He had, but the children of God never
need to fear that. He said, I'll never leave you
nor forsake you. That's what He said. He's sovereignly and powerfully
doing His will in the army of heaven among the inhabitants
of the earth and none can stay His hand. People talk today like
God can be put in handcuffs. Oh, you're snared by the words
of your mouth. Don't say that. You tie God's
hands. I'd like to see you try. None can alter His purpose. None
can question what He's doing. He's working all things after
the counsel of His own will. All things are working together.
according to His sovereign purpose and for the good of His people.
And listen, I am not fearful of what man can do to me. I'm
not. He can only do what God permits
him to do. I am not fearful of what Satan
can do to me. I'm no match for Satan. I'm not
going to stand up and take authority over Satan and command Satan
and do this and do that. I'm not going to do it. But I'm
going to tell you this, Satan can't do any more to me than
what God will allow him to do. And whatever God allows him to
do is for my good. I will not fear them which can
kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. But I am gonna
fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. And
yet, this is the same one who has betrothed me unto Himself. The same one who, as we said
earlier, loves us as His own body. He's the one who presents
us to Himself a glorious bride, a glorious church. having no
spot, wrinkle, or any such thing. And He makes us holy and without
blemish, without sin. Why? Because we're flesh of His
flesh and bone of His bone, and He's out to do us good. What
a great mystery this is. That's what Paul said there in
Ephesians 5. It's a mystery of godliness. It's without controversy. God was manifest in the flesh,
justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the
Gentiles. Aren't you glad? Believed on
in the world and received up in the glory. And his words to
us were, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come
again and receive you unto myself that where I am, there you may
be also. By God's grace, I believe Him.
I do. I know you do too. I believe
Him. May God be pleased to make it
so for His glory, our good, and for Christ's sake.