Judges chapter 14, and we're
going to begin with verse 14, and we're going to spend a little
time in this section, most of this chapter, the rest of the
chapter. Very interesting things in here,
and the more we look for types, shadows, and pictures of Christ,
the more that is revealed to us. And I think Samson, again,
is an outstanding example of the Lord Jesus Christ, a picture,
a type, and a shadow. Now, we may have a view of him
from time to time that's not all that kind, but I do find
that he is chosen of God, Holy Spirit led, and reported in the
book of Hebrews, chapter 11, as a man of faith. Now, what
else is there? There's nothing else. So some
of the things that he did, we're going to find out that God had
purposed them exactly for the putting away of the Philistines.
So let's read here, and Lord willing, we'll make some comments
here with regard to this. In verse 14, and he said unto
them, this is his riddle. He presented a riddle. Now last
week we talked a little bit about riddles and about parables and
how there is some comparison between them. And I was intrigued
to once again read the scripture there in the book of Matthew
about the disciples asking a very plain good question. Why do you always speak in parables? That's a great question. And
you know, the great thing about it is Christ answered it so plainly. I speak of parables. It is for you, the church, to
know the things about the kingdom of heaven, about the kingdom
of God, about salvation. But for them, it is not given.
I'm not given that to them. Now, in the modern religious
world, that's just about anathema maranatha. But Christ was quite
plain on that. So I remember Brother Gary Shepard
saying in one of his messages, someone's told him, I don't believe
in luck. She says, that's way too late. It's already taken
place. So just having a discussion with
the Lord Jesus Christ about who He reveals things to and disagreeing
with it, I'm sorry, it's way too late. He's already determined
that. So the disciples came, the Lord
answered, because it is given unto you to know the mysteries
of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. So when He spoke to that group
of Pharisees and said, You believe not because you're not my sheep.
Now that's a serious statement that he made with regard to them. He'll never say that about elect
lost sheep, but he will say that about non-elect lost sheep all
the time, or lost goats, I'm sorry. All right, so here in
verse 14, we have that parable, that riddle. Now Samson had the
same purpose. He put it out hidden. He put
his, this riddle was written or spoken in a hidden language.
He didn't want them to know. He didn't desire them to know
what this riddle was until after the days of those seven days
of the wedding feast that he was there for. Says, and he said
to them, this is the riddle. Out of the eater came forth meat
and out of the strong came forth sweetness. and they could not
in three days expound the riddle. So they're working at it, but
they can't come to the conclusion. You know what that reminds me
of? Almost every seminary. They're working at it, but never
can come to the conclusion of it, because they don't have the
light. They're not given the light. So often, that is just
what happens in places like that. You go there with the idea that
you're gonna be given some information, and all it is is information
you can't understand to begin with. And in verse 15, it came
to pass on the seventh day that they said unto Samson's wife, entice, thy husband, that he
may declare unto us the riddle. Now we mentioned last week that
in many respects the wife, Samson's wife, betrayed her husband. But did you notice the next phrase
here? Maybe I didn't notice it enough.
Because she's under threat of death and burning by fire. They are very serious that they
want to know this parable, this riddle that has been presented. They say, entice thy husband
that he may declare unto us the riddle, lest we burn thee and
thy father's house with fire. Have you called us to take that
we have what we have? Is it not so? So they, did you
just invite us to the party to make us poor? That's another
translation of this verse of scripture. Did you just, because
we're going to lose some wealth if we don't know the truth of
this riddle. Under threat of death, Samson's
wife came to Samson pleading for the meaning of the riddle.
Well, you know, I was thinking about the pleading that she did.
Now, we all know a little bit about that. If we've been married
any time at all, we know a little bit about pleading our case over
something. Husbands and wives plead a case. And here we have that this wife
is pleading the case to her husband. Now, her husband has the answer.
He has the riddle, so he's going to have the answer. But as we
think about what she went through, what she understood was gonna
happen to her, if this riddle was not explained, it reminds
me of a passage of scripture over in the book of Luke chapter
18. Luke chapter 18, would you turn
over there with me? In Luke chapter 18, we have the
Lord Jesus. saying some things that are so
close to what we have here in the book of Judges chapter 14
with regards to this wife and her plea to her husband about
the meaning of this riddle because she is under threat of death
and no doubt her whole family is under the threat of death.
So here in the book of Luke chapter 18 And verse one, we read these
words, and he spake a parable. Isn't that interesting? For you
it is to know the meaning, the symbolism, the types, the shadows,
the pictures of the kingdom of heaven. that have been declared
throughout the Old Testament as well as the New, but unto
them it is not given. So we spike a parable unto them
to this end, that men ought always to pray and not to faint. Now
I hope you've prayed already here at the table. I've told
you about the account of that man down in rescue taking me
aside and asking, want to have lunch with me? And you know,
I've been to enough meetings to know that when someone comes
to me with that attitude, they're having a problem with their pastor
and they just need some proof so that they can tell the pastor,
well, Brother Wells agrees with me. Well, I just told him, I
don't want, I really am not interested. Well, he finally played it and
we went and had lunch together. And his question was this. Do
you have women pray in church? And I said, I hope they do. All the time, praying for me. I hope they do. I hope you do.
I covet your prayers on my behalf. Now, I may not have a woman lead
in prayer, but I'm certainly hoping they are praying for me.
Well, here, always to pray. Prayer is more than words that
come out of our mouth. And prayer is more than just
having a tradition to do it. The Lord Jesus never had a prayer
prior to or at the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount. He
started preaching, got finished, and left. But here he said, pray
always. Get into your closet, pray always.
Saying, there was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither
regarded man. And there was a widow in the
city, and she came to him saying, avenge me of mine adversary. Now there's some things about
this parable, and I don't think any parable has ever been made
to walk on all fours. There's some pictures, there's
some symbolism there, but to make everything mean something,
we might be taking it a little too far. Avenge me of my adversary. And he would not for a while,
but afterward he said within himself. Now I could just hear Samson's wife and this lady as
she pled her case before her husband. Please tell me what
this means. Please tell me what this means. Now we're gonna read that Samson
says, I haven't even told my mother and father. They don't
know this. Now why he didn't tell them,
I don't know. But he had not told them, he hasn't told her,
but she continues to plead her case day after day. And there's an interesting word
used in our King James that he brings up about her nagging Well,
I don't think it was such a negative thing, but she kept bringing
this subject up, and it was life or death for her. So it says,
yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by
her continuing coming she weary me. And the Lord said, hear what
the unjust judge said, and shall not God avenge his own elect,
which cry day and night unto him, Though he be long with them,
I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless,
when the Son of Man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth."
So he's pointing out that God in some ways, expects us to plead,
and to plead, and to plead, and to plead. Now, one of the disciples,
one of the apostles, the apostle Paul, it tells us, if you travel
with me over to the book of 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, excuse me, 2 Corinthians
chapter 12. In 2 Corinthians chapter 12,
we have him as the wife, as the church, pleading his case. He
brings it up. Now, it tells us after three
times, that was enough. The Lord spoke to him about it,
but he did bring it up one, two, and three times. But the Lord
told him, okay, that's enough. I'm not going to have, it will
not be brought up anymore. So 1 Corinthians 12, verse one,
it says, is it not expedient for me, doubtless to glory? come
to visions and revelations of the Lord. I knew a man in Christ."
Now, I like that comment he makes because that's so important,
to be in Christ. We're not gonna see what this
man saw if we're not in Christ. We're not gonna witness what
this man saw. He says, it was 14 years ago,
whether in the body, I cannot tell, or whether out of the body,
I cannot tell, God knoweth. Such a one caught up to the third
heaven. And I knew such a man, whether
in the body or out of the body, I cannot tell, God knoweth, how
that he was caught up into paradise and heard unspeakable words,
which it is not lawful for a man to utter." So whoever this was,
apparently the Apostle Paul, he heard some things that he
cannot speak about on this earth. He's been brought up to the third
heaven. He hears unspeakable things, unspeakable words. Of such a one will I glory yet
of myself. I will not glory, but in mine
infirmities. For though I would desire to
glory, I shall not be a fool, for I will say the truth. But
now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which
he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me. And lest I should
be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations,
there was given unto me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of
Satan to buffet me. lest I should be exalted above
measure, or I would get too proud. For this thing I besought the
Lord three times. And I think he did that with
much groaning, prayer, tears, let this pass from me. And yet
the Lord said, and he said it to me, my grace is sufficient
for thee. For my strength is made perfect
in weakness, Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities
that the power of Christ may rest upon me." So whatever Paul
is referring to here, he implored, he requested, he prayed, he desired
that God would take it away from him, and he did this three times.
Now, I don't think he did it at morning, noon, and night of
the same day. I think there was some time in
between there that he brought this subject up to the Lord.
Please, almighty God, take away this thorn in my flesh, whatever
it is. I've heard lots of descriptions
of what it was. There's not much said, so we're
just going to leave it at that. But it was a thorn in his flesh,
and he wished to have it removed. And the Lord simply came to him
and said, my grace is sufficient. No more prayer about this subject.
Now, it didn't mean he's not going to pray anymore. He was
just satisfied with what the Lord had told him. And there
are some things when the Lord answers in such a way, he said,
don't bring it up again. There's no need for it. My grace
is here for a purpose. It's a purpose that I've given
that my grace would be in that place. So I can't help but think
of that woman, Samson's wife, when Saul, or Paul, the apostle,
is bringing this subject up. Or the unjust judge, how he was
turned by the constantness of this woman. And the Lord comes
out and says, won't the Lord avenge his own elect? Well, of
course he will. It may not be today, and it may
not be tomorrow, and it may not be next month, but mark it down,
he will avenge his elect. It is not a good thing for goats
to make mockery out of sheep. And God said, I will take care
of this. Now it may not, you know, and we think about, well,
why in the world wouldn't he just take them out of this life
right now? They may be the channel of one of the lost sheep being
brought into this world. We don't know. All right. I shall not, shall not God avenge. And as we notice here, that Paul
was satisfied and grace was sufficient. And he went on with his ministry
of preaching the gospel with a thorn in his flesh of whatever
it was. Samson's bride never gave up
from the time that parable or that riddle was given. And the
threat was made on her life and her father's life, her family's
life, that their household would be burned down and they would
be in it. She never gave up requesting this information from her husband.
It was a constant thing. She cried to him daily. She went to him with the desire
to know what this meant. That, behold, I have not told
my parents. You know, there's some things
that the Lord never tells anybody, and there's some things he only
tells a few. And there's some that he never tells a goat. He will reveal it unto his sheep,
but he'll never tell a goat. So, behold, I have not told my
father nor my mother, and shall I tell it thee? Well, did that
stop her? No, she kept pleading her case. Now, it isn't until the Lord
says, my grace is sufficient. Pray, pray, pray until my grace
is sufficient. This is God's eternal purpose.
It will carry out his fact and truth. So whatever it is, So
the Lord was gracious here to inform us through Samson's wife
of this pleading. It was gracious of God to share
with us there with regard to the woman, the widow that felt
unjustly imposed upon by a judge who would not take her case.
And finally he did, and he judged in her favor. And then the Lord
brings up that very subject about, I'll take care of my elect. Don't
worry about that. Well, going back to the book
of Judges, if you would, Judges chapter 14. The book of Judges
chapter 14, one more time, if you would. Judges chapter 14,
and they're in verse 17. She cried, she wept before him
the seven days. Much tears. And much pleading. And please
help me. And you know, she didn't tell
why she was doing this, just like Sampson didn't tell his
parents the riddle. She simply pled that she needed
that information. And it came to pass on the seventh
day that he told her because she lay sore upon him and she
told the riddle to the children of her people. Now she delivered
herself and her family from great peril by doing this, but Samson
eventually, after being requested time and time again, eventually
gave her the meaning of that riddle. She didn't know the riddle,
on her own, but it was revealed unto her. How that speaks so
much of how God reveals the word to his people. We plead, and
it's not just because we read the word that we're gonna be
instructed from it. It takes the revelation of the Lord, the
revelation of the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth of the gospel
to us. We can read the Bible, and I've
known people that read the Bible every year for 60, 70 years.
and didn't know the first thing about what the Bible had to say.
But they were very proud that they could write in their book
every year that they read through the Bible. Now, I hope you've
read through it at least once. And probably you have, but it
may have been Genesis and then 1 Corinthians and Hebrews. The Bible is so wonderful just
to read. And the truths that's contained
there are so wonderful. But here she told the children
of the people, the riddle, And now they know it, and it tells
us in verse 18, and the men of the city said unto him on the
seventh day before the sun went down, what is sweeter than honey
and what is stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, if ye
had not plowed with my heifer, ye shall not have found out my
riddle. All right, they know the riddle,
he knows how they got the riddle. And then it says, the spirit
of the Lord. And now there's, this is third
or fourth time in the life of Samson that this has come about,
that the spirit of the Lord came upon him and came upon him in
such a powerful way. As we follow this out, we find
that it speaks so highly of other places in the scripture of the
God's place in this world for the non-elect. We've mentioned
in times past that God is the director, and he is a sovereign
director. He rules and reigns this world
minutely. There is nothing that he is not
in charge of, whether it be people, the diseases people have, or
the dust in the air. He is minutely in command of
this world. And here he is completely in
command of this world because he opens up an avenue for Samson
to deliver those clothes to those guys. Now this just speaks to
me of what we read over in the book of Joshua. So would you
turn with me to the book of Joshua chapter 9? Joshua chapter 9. We've used this illustration
a number of times here as we've looked into the word. God is
the absolute director of all things. And the church is the
actors in every capacity. And everybody and everything
else are props. Now, we're going to find out
that there's 30 men that are just props. They provided the
clothing that Samson needed to pay his debt. They're just props. Well, notice here in the book
of Joshua chapter 9. In Joshua chapter 9, we read
this, and it's the account of those folks that came to Joshua
and to the children of Israel, and they pretended to have traveled
miles and miles and miles in dirty clothes and dirty feet,
and worn out everything. It was just that they had just
come to wit's end when they got there. And this is found in Judges
chapter 9 verse 21. Judges chapter 9 verse 21. And
the prince said unto them, this is the response to them coming
and lying to Joshua and to the children of Israel, let them
live. but let them be hewers of wood
and drawers of water unto all the congregation as the princes
had promised them." So we have here a wonderful illustration
of those folks that God uses to take care of his folks. They're
hewers of wood and drawers of water. They're put there on purpose. to be of assistance and help
to the children of Israel. They may be the people who provide
the eggs that we have for breakfast. They may be the people who provide
the ham. They may be the person who provides
the chicken. They may be the people who provided
the automobile or the house. So we could just keep going infinitely
about these folks that are hewers of wood and drawers of water.
They have one purpose in life, and that is to be of assistance
to the church. Now, I can't help but think that
many of these hewers of wood and drawers of water are also
the producers of lost sheep of the house of Israel. Okay, let's
go on. Josh will call for them. And
he spake, verse 22, unto them, saying, Wherefore have ye beguiled
us, saying, We are very far from you, when ye dwell among us.
Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be
freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood, and drawers
of water. Now those were mundane, physical
jobs, but they're going to take care of it. There's nothing more
energetic or more energy than anything than being a hewer of
wood. cut down a tree, cut it into
pieces, chop it into pieces, carry it to the house, put it
in the stove, carry out the ashes, and over and over the routine
goes. Now, for 1,000 years, that's been the norm. You either had
wood or you went cold. But these people were going to
take care of it. Now, I think probably in the
peninsula there where Israel is, it really was neat to have
somebody going out and getting the wood for them. Because it
doesn't say that there was a lot there. So, all right, we're on
vacation. We got Bill and Betty to go get
our wood for us tonight. Well, there are going to be hewers
of wood and drawers of water. And it doesn't tell us that there
was very much water there in that wilderness, but these guys
were going to get it and bring it to them. And they answered
Joshua and said, because it was certainly told thy servants how
that the Lord thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you
all the land and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from
before you. Therefore, we were sore afraid
of our lives because of you and have done this thing. Now behold,
we are in thy hand as it seemeth good. and right unto thee to
do unto us do. And so did he unto them and delivered
them out of the hand of the children of Israel and they slew him not.
And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of
water for the congregation." Now we can go back over to Joshua
or Judges over there and find out that Samuel Samson. Samson left where he was, and
the Lord opened up a door for him. Now the Lord came upon him
with the Holy Spirit and gave him great strength. And one man
took care of 30 hewers of wood and drawers of water, and he
took their clothes off and brought them back and paid his debt.
Well, there's another incident that just stuck out to me, and
that was found in the book of Exodus chapter three. Would you
join me in Exodus chapter three? I'm thankful that that pilot that Jennifer
and Caleb had today, probably he was a hewer of wood and drawer
of water. But he was used of God to deliver them to us today. We have that happen all the time.
The other day I was pulled up to the gas station. The guy said,
can I fill it up for you? And I said, oh, absolutely. Why
not? It's like the old days. How delightful. And you just say, thank you,
Lord. You had someone else taking care of this nasty job for me.
I don't have to wash my hands when I get home. Well, hewers
of wood and drawers of water. They're usually the ones that
write our checks. They're usually the ones that
employ us. They're the ones that take care
of the church in that fashion. They're the ones that sometimes
come through the door with a gift they just have to give because
they have been taught all their life tithing and now they have
to give. Well, here is a wood and a jar
of water. Giving to the Lord is not a have
to. Giving to the Lord is I want
to. And when someone tells me I have to, then they misunderstand
what grace is. It's I want to, I desire to. All right, turn with me over
here to the book of Exodus chapter three, if you would. Exodus chapter
three, beginning with verse 21. Now, no, verse 15, excuse me,
verse 15. Exodus chapter 3 and verse 15.
Now, if you remember chapter 3, the children of Israel are
going to be set free. They're leaving Egypt. They've
been down there 400 years as servants of Egypt. Now, the thought
comes to me, what were they paid? Well, the Lord's going to take
care of it. He's got some hewers of wood and drawers of water
that will provide all the gold and all the cloth and all the
silver for the building of the tabernacle. And it's Egyptian. It's got a
picture of the Pharaoh on the coins. All right. God said, moreover,
unto Moses, thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel,
the Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of
Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you. This is
the name forever, and this is the memorial of all generations.
Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say unto them, The Lord God of your fathers,
the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me,
saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done
to you in Egypt. I have said, I will bring you
up out of the affliction of Egypt into the land of the Canaanites,
and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites,
and the Jebusites, and unto a land flowing with milk and honey.
And they shall hearken to thy voice, and thou shalt come, thou
and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt. And ye shall
say unto him, The Lord God of the Hebrews hath met with us,
and now let us go. We beseech thee three days' journey
into the wilderness, and we shall sacrifice unto our God. And I
am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not
by a mighty hand." Isn't that interesting? God would say, I'm
sure it's not going to happen. And I'll stretch out my hand
and smite Egypt with all my wonders, which I will do in the midst
thereof. And after that, he will let you
go. And I will give the people favor. Now they have been out of favor
for 400 years. They have been the worst of the
worst. They were not invited to dinner. They made brick, and when Moses
dealt with them and said, well, since you have so much time,
then you'll make brick and we won't provide the straw. You'll
have to go do that, get it yourself. And the children of Israel kind
of put out, beaved about that. And he says, I'll give this people
favor in the sight of the Egyptians, and it shall come to pass that
when ye go out, ye shall not go empty. I am going to have
them collect for you. Well, next verse. Every woman
shall borrow of her neighbor, and her that sojourneth in her
house, jewels of silver, jewels of gold, and raiment, and ye
shall put them upon your sons and upon your daughters, and
ye shall spoil the Egyptians. So great favor was put by the
Egyptians who had held these people in such contempt. You
know, do you remember what it said about them because they
were sheep herders? Oh man, there's no job worse
than herding sheep. So they gave them Goshen. They
were the outcasts. They were the worst. They were
not pleasant and they were not invited to dinner. But when it
came time to leave, they stripped them of their gold, they stripped
them of their silver, and they stripped them of their raiment.
Well, let's go back over here to the book of Judges for just
a moment, and we'll read what Samson did. Judges chapter 14,
Samson was used of God to pay the debt. Great power was given
to him of the Holy Spirit. Now, it's hard for me to comprehend
that one man could take care of 30 men. But it happened. And we're going
to find out that there were certain of the Lord's people that did
more than that. But here in the book of Judges,
chapter 14, and there in verse 19, it says, the Spirit of the
Lord came upon him And he went down to Ashkelon and slew 30
men of them and took their spoil. Now, why didn't the other 30
men in Ashkelon come up against him and say, what are you doing?
Do you remember the Lord Jesus told his disciples, I have need
of donkey. And there's one tied up over
there, and there's a foal right with it. Now you go over there,
and if the owner says, what are you doing? He says, the master
has need. OK. What master? Who? It was just instantly, OK. Well, the Lord sent Samson down
there to take care of gathering up the collection for his payment,
his debt. And nobody else bothered him
that we have record of. He took and slew thirty men of
them, and took their spoil, and gave change of garments unto
them, which expounded the riddle. Now the next sentence, and his
anger was kindled, and he went up to his father's house. But
Samson's wife was given to his best man, whom he had used as
his friend. All right, we're going to stop
there. And next time, Lord willing, we'd like to pick up the last
sentence of chapter 19, or verse 19. and also verse 20 of this
Judges chapter 14, which is the last part of 19, and verse 20,
and see what we have in there that can be a picture, a type,
or a shadow of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. So Samson
gave a riddle. He didn't give the meaning. His
wife begged and cried for the meaning of that for good reason. She'd been threatened with death.
He finally lets her know what it is. She gives that to these
guys. And we brought out last week
that, you know, it's the church that betrayed Christ. They'll
look on Him whom they pierced. Nobody else will. And then we
find there that when Samson was necessary to have the coats,
the clothes that he had promised, He just took care of it in a
mighty way. God gave him the strength, the
Holy Spirit, and he took care of it in that way. Now, I'm not
advising any of us to do that. If you need clothes, don't go
down. Go to the store. There's hewers of wood and drawers
of water. All right, we're gonna stop there
tonight, and we'll come back to this section of Scripture
the next time. Are there any word, any prayer requests before
we close? All right, Julia's headed for
Ireland first? No, they're just flying through
Ireland. Oh, flying through Ireland, okay. To get to Italy. Italy. Remember this? Remember
the services Sunday? Mike's lesson. Today is Nancy's
birthday and tomorrow Mike and Marilyn will have been married
54 years. Who's the other? There was someone
else that was married tomorrow. Brooke and Timothy. Brooke and
Timothy. I don't think so. Remember them. Remember each other. Remember
our children and grandchildren. services. I was really blessed
to see Jack here again last Sunday when his wife is not with him. So just remember him and her. He said that their daughter's
having some real issues. Well, Brother Mike, would you
dismiss us in prayer, please? Our Heavenly Father, again, we
thank you for this time that you've gathered us together.
We thank you for the work that