THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD WITH SAMSON

Samson is the last shophet (judge), and the most prominent warrior empowered and enabled by the spirit of the LORD in the book of Judges. Compared to Othniel, Gideon and Jephthah who only had one scripture reference of the spirit of the LORD coming upon them, there are four references for Samson:

Judges 13:25 “The spirit of the Lord began to stir him in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.”

Judges 14:6 “The spirit of the Lord rushed on him, and he tore the lion apart barehanded as one might tear apart a kid. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done.”

Judges 14:19 “Then the spirit of the Lord rushed on him, and he went down to Ashkelon. He killed thirty men of the town, took their spoil, and gave the festal garments to those who had explained the riddle. In hot anger he went back to his father’s house.”

Judges 15:14 “When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting to meet him, and the spirit of the Lord rushed on him, and the ropes that were on his arms became like flax that has caught fire, and his bonds melted off his hands.”

Like Samuel the prophet, God prepared Samson to be a saviour and warrior for Israel from birth. The angel of God predicted his birth, and his parents dedicated him as a Nazarite to Yahweh (Judges 13:3-5). He is to be a Nazarite of the LORD commissioned to deliver Israel (Judges 13:5).

The spirit of the LORD moved Samson into action. The four scriptures referencing the spirit of the LORD coming upon him use the terms stir and rushed. This shows that Samson had no control over the coming of ruah (or the spirit of the LORD) upon him. He was controlled and moved into action by the spirit of the LORD each time a situation called for such action. The first instance mentions that Samson was stirred by the spirit of the LORD in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol. He was stirred and led to come down to Timnah where he found a Philistine woman whom he desired to marry (Judges 14:1-4). This shows that the spirit of the LORD was starting to lay the groundwork for Samson to begin overcoming the Philistines and delivering Israel.

In the second instance, the spirit of the LORD rushed upon Samson when he was attacked by a lion on his way to Timnah to take his Philistine woman. With his bare hands he tore apart the lion into pieces as one could tear a kid (Judges 14:6). Upon his return from Timnah, he found the lion carcass filled with bees and honey. He took the honey and ate it with his family (Judges14:8-9). The killing of the lion did not make sense at this stage until the next episode when his wife disclosed the answer of Samson’s riddle “Out of the eater came something to eat. Out of the strong came something sweet” (Judges 14:14). The person who explained the answer to the riddle correctly was to be given thirty linen garments and thirty festal garments. Samson was enraged after his wife disclosed the answer to her people. It was then for the third time that we hear that the spirit of the LORD rushed on him, and he killed thirty men from Philistine, city of Ashkelon (Judges 14:19). Samson took their garments and gave them to the people who explained the riddle.

In the fourth direct instance of the spirit of the LORD ‘rushing’ on Samson, the ropes tying him became like flax that has caught fire, and his bonds melted off his hands. With a donkey’s jawbone, he killed a thousand of Philistine men (Judges15:14-15). His kinsman had tied him with ropes and wanted to hand him over to the Philistines to avoid trouble.

Finally, the last episode in which Samson killed three thousand men and women of the Philistines including their lords (Judges 16:27) points to the empowerment of the spirit of the LORD upon him. His last prayer to the LORD points to this: “Then Samson called to the LORD and said, ‘Lord GOD, remember me and strengthen me only this once, O God, so that with this once act of revenge I may pay back the Philistines for my two eyes.’ 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. Then Samson said, ‘Let me die with the Philistines.” He strained with all his might, and the house fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So those he killed at his death were more than those he had killed during his life” (16:27-30).The prayer shows that Samson relied on the spirit of the LORD for strength. Secondly, his ability to push the two pillars holding the temple was extraordinary. This is evidence that the LORD’s spirit energized him with ‘ecstatic power’ to perform a supernatural feat in delivering Israel from its enemies.

Samson did not need an army to fight Israel’s enemies. He was Israel’s own army. Through the spirit of the LORD upon him, he single-handedly tore apart a lion (Judges 14:6), killed thirty Philistines in Ashkelon and took their garments (Judges14:19), broke the ropes tied on him and killed a thousand Philistine men with a donkey’s jawbone (Judges 15:14), and lastly, in his death, he killed three thousand men and women of Philistine including their lords (Judges 16:30).

The church today should not look at what human beings could do; rather, it should give room for the Holy Spirit to lead the way. In this way, the church could be in a better position to witness great salvation feats in these end times. The God whom we meet in the book of Judges is the same God who acts in Christ for our salvation. This work of salvation is progressive until the Jesus’ second coming, therefore, believers we still need the partnership of the spirit of the LORD to achieve God’s purposes of salvation on earth today. It is not something that can be achieved by our natural might nor power, but by the spirit of the LORD (Zechariah 4:6). The fact that some of the Old Testament judges’ names are listed in the hall of faith in Hebrews 11:32-34, believers today should imitate their faith to please God (Hebrews 11:6).

With the Holy Spirit, the ruah or ruach of Yahweh (the Spirit of the LORD), we can do great things for salvation and deliverance on earth during our time. Welcome Holy Spirit! Amen!