Judges 16 – The Urgent Need to Cherish Your Anointing

Reverend Leo H. McCrary II

Judges 16 concludes the story of Samson. While some will speak of Samson as a hero, Pastor McCrary shares with us the important lesson Samson’s story teaches us about losing our anointing from God.

Introduction

Can we, God’s children, lose our anointing?  This might be something some of you never think about, but it should certainly be something you consider.  In our Bible study of Judges 16, we are going to examine the tragic conclusion of a man born with a wonderful anointing, but lost it.   The goal of this study is to recognize the importance of our anointing, and how to set up to use it, rather than lose it.

Judges 16:1-3 – Signs of Samson’s Downfall

This chapter opens with Samson going to Gaza, where Judges 16:1 tells us that he saw a harlot and lay with her (Judg. 16:1).  Right away, there are already multiple things that we can point to as signs of what is going to lead to Samson’s downfall.  

One of those things will be obvious, so let me point out the not-so-obvious – Samson going to Gaza.  While Gaza was in the land allotment of Judah, Gaza was controlled by the Philistines; it was in Philistia.

Something we have repeatedly seen with Samson is that he always seemed to hang around Gentiles, specifically the Philistines, and dwell with them.

Why was this a bad thing?  Before Israel entered the Promised Land, the Lord instructed them not to make covenants with the people nor show them mercy (Deut. 7:1-2).  Moreover, they were commanded not to marry or give their children in marriage to the people of the land (Deut. 7:3).  The reason why God gave those instructions is because He knew that being with the people in the land would cause the Israelites to turn away from Him (Deut. 7:4).

Samson, seemingly, had eyes for Gentiles, especially Gentile women.  Keep in mind that he had married a Philistine woman of Timnah, which was unlawful.  Though the scripture gives us insight that the marriage was part of his ruse, I do believe it when Samson told his parents that the woman pleased him (Judg. 14:3).  Now, we see Samson choosing to lie with a harlot, which obviously was unlawful.  

So, not only was Samson doing what was unlawful, but let us not forget that he was supposed to be keeping the Nazirite vow.  Under the vow of a Nazirite, Samson was not supposed to make himself unclean by touching dead carcasses, not even for his parents or siblings if they died (Num. 6:6-7).  Yet, in Judges 15, Samson used the jawbone of a donkey to kill Philistines, and in his killings, he likely touched dead bodies multiple times.

Moreover, under the vow of a Nazirite, Samson was supposed to be holy to the Lord.  I genuinely have lost count of how often Samson looked more unholy than holy.  That is not something that should ever be said about God’s anointed.  When one has erred, God’s anointed ought to seek His mercy and grace, repenting from their wrong, and making correction.

Samson never seems to make corrections, and again, there was much that he needed to correct.  I can’t tell you how many years have passed by from Judges 14-16, but we do know that Samson judged Israel for 20 years. Within that time frame, there should be growth and maturity, but Samson remained the same.  

One who walks with the Lord ought to grow and mature on this journey.  Yes, we who walk with the Lord should not be the same person we were yesterday, or years and years and years ago.  If you say that you walk with God and have not matured on this journey, then something is terribly wrong.

Adding to the signs of what would lead to his downfall is what we read in Judges 16:2-3. The Gazites had laid a trap for Samson, locking him into the city to kill him.  However, Samson foiled their plan by using his strength to lift the locked gates of the city and walking out. We’re told that Samson carried the city gates from Gaza to Hebron, about 40 miles in distance. 

That was another truly amazing feat by Samson, but have you noticed how often Samson seemed to use his strength for himself? He was anointed with such strength to deliver Israel from the Philistines, but he always seemed to use his strength to benefit himself. God doesn’t anoint anyone so that they may use their anointing to benefit themselves. No, the anointing God blesses you with is for the profit of others (1 Cor. 12:7).

Judges 16:4-5 – Samson Opens the Door to Failure

We have now finally reached the part of Samson’s story that many believe they know so well – Samson and Delilah.  There is a notion that Samson and Delilah is a love story, but let’s not play it up as a Hollywood award-winning love story.  If I described the story of Samson and Delilah, I would actually call it the love story that wasn’t.

We are introduced to Delilah in Judges 16:4, as we’re told that Samson “loved” a woman in the Valley of Sorek.  The Valley of Sorek was near Timnah and Zorah, Timnah being the city where Samson’s wife was from, and Zorah being the dwelling place of Samson.

Once again, Samson has “fallen in love” with a strange woman.  I will say “strange” in the sense that, like his wife, and like the harlot, Delilah was not of Israelite blood.  Scripture does not identify Delilah’s nationality, but one could safely assume that she was likely a Philistine woman.  

Samson really seemed to love Philistine women!  Not one time in his story do we see Samson entertain the women of Israel.  Now, some of you may not think anything is wrong with that, but Samson’s continued infatuation with what was unlawful, and that again, is not good for a man who was God’s anointed.  

Since the allotment of land for the Danites was within the land of the Philistines, Samson was constantly surrounded by temptation.  Rather than fighting the temptation to disobey or fleeing from it, Samson would simply do what was unlawful without any regret.  Throughout his story, we have seen Samson have little to no self-control.  

Because he lacked self-control, falling in love with another Philistine woman, Samson opened the door to his own downfall.  As we’ll see in Judges 16:5, the lords of the Philistines went to Delilah and said to her, “Entice him, and find out where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and every one of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.”

You see, this is why God’s anointed must certainly learn self-control.  Self-control is what helps God’s children fight off temptation.  Learning self-control is what helps to keep God’s children moving down the path of righteousness.

As we saw in the story of Jephthah, self-control is what helps one avoid making impulsive decisions that come back around to hurt.  We are to be prudent in our way.  As Proverbs 22:3; 27:12 states, “A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished.”

Judges 16:6-19 – Delilah breaks Samsons

Judges 16:6-17 shows the game of seduction and temptation that Delilah played with Samson.  Notice that Delilah was very direct with Samson in Judges 16:6, saying to him, “Please tell me where your great strength lies, and with what you may be bound to afflict you.”  Such a straightforward ‘attack’ was easily parried by Samson with his wit and sarcasm.

After failing to bind Samson, in Judges 16:10, we’ll see that Delilah returned demanding and pleading with him.  She said to him, “Look, you have mocked me and told me lies. Now, please tell me what you may be bound with.”  Again, the straightforward attack didn’t work, as Samson mockingly broke free–to him, this was a game.

In Judges 16:13, Delilah comes again with a straightforward attack, demanding to know how Samson could be bound, and again, Samson mocks the effort.  When temptation tries to tempt us in such a straightforward manner, we are often able to hold strong, right?  It is when temptation flanks us and tempts us in a manner we don’t expect or at a weak point that we end up in trouble.

We have already seen a weak point in Samson during his wedding celebration when he had told thirty Philistines a riddle they could not solve (Judg. 14:14-18).  When they couldn’t solve the riddle, the Philistines went to his wife to have her get the answer out of him.  Samson’s wife wept, saying that he didn’t love her, and Samson relented, giving her the answer.

Well, that even now repeats itself with Delilah this time.  In Judges 16:15, we read that Delilah said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and have not told me where your great strength lies.”  

Then, Judges 16:16 tells us that Delilah pestered Samson daily with her words, pressing him, and vexing his soul to death.”  This was the same tactic that his wife had used to get an answer out of him about a riddle, but this time, it is about his strength.  As strong as Samson was physically, he was incredibly weak mentally, emotionally, and definitely spiritually.

So, Samson broke. In Judges 16:17, we read that he told her, “No razor has ever come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaven, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.”

In Judges 16:18-19, the scripture tells us that Delilah, having won the battle, then called for the lords of the Philistines.  When she had lulled him to sleep on her knees, that’s when the men entered and shaved his head.  The scripture tells that she began to torment him, and his strength left him.

Now, I’m not certain what kind of torment Delilah had inflicted because Judges 16:20 speaks of Samson awakening after Delilah had spoken to him.  One could consider that her calling in someone to cut Samson’s locs to be a form of torment, with her commanding it to be done.  

Something that should be made clear from all of this is that while Samson may have had an infatuation with Delilah, that love was not returned.  Delilah did not love Samson.  The only reason Delilah was there was because she had been paid 1,100 pieces of silver to entice Samson.

Judges 16:20-22 – How One Loses Their Anointing

So, Delilah woke Samson up by saying to him, in Judges 16:20, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!”  Samson believed he would be able to shake free as he had always done, but this time he couldn’t.  Judges 6:21 tells us that the Philistines took him, put out his eyes, bound him, and threw him into prison.  Samson’s strength, his anointing, was gone.

We must understand what caused Samson to lose his strength and anointing because what this reveals to us is that an anointing can be lost.  Yes, you can lose your anointing – do not confuse your anointing with your salvation, as an anointing and your salvation are not the same.

Salvation is deliverance from sin, which has been promised by God and assured to all who have believed through the shed blood of Jesus.  An anointing is a gift that one receives from God through the Holy Spirit.  The promised salvation cannot be lost as that would cause God to be unfaithful to His promise.  However, one’s anointing works quite differently, as the anointing, again, is a gift.

In Judges 16:20, we are told that as Samson tried to free himself from the Philistines, “He did not know that the Lord had departed from him.”  The Lord was always Samson’s source of strength (Judg. 13:25).

In Judges 14:5-6, when the young lion came against him, we are told that it was the Spirit of the Lord coming upon Samson mightily that he was able to tear the lion apart.  In Judges 14:19, when Samson had killed thirty Philistines, he did so because, again, the Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily.  In Judges 15:14, before he killed a thousand Philistines, the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him.

It was when the Spirit of the Lord departed from him that Samson lost his strength, his anointing.  You see, I don’t believe Samson ever realized that the Lord was with him.  Samson genuinely believed that the source of his strength was through the Nazirite vow and his hair.

Samson, not understanding the source of his strength, was why he lost his anointing.  One will lose their anointing when they don’t understand the source of their anointing.  

Not only did Samson not understand the source of his strength, he also never fully understood the purpose for his strength.  Samson was supposed to deliver Israel from the Philistines, but he always used his strength to deliver himself from the Philistines.  Samson wasn’t faithful to his anointing, and therefore, he lost his anointing.  One who isn’t faithful to their anointing will lose their anointing.

An anointing is lost when one misuses it.  An anointing is lost when one seeks only to glorify oneself.  An anointing is lost when one does not recognize the Lord.  The manner in which Samson had lost his strength, his anointing, is the same way that King Saul lost his anointing.  God’ anointed must always ensure that they are not misusing their anointing for personal gain, but rather, are using their anointing to fulfill the Lord’s desires.

Judges 16:23-31 – Samson’s Tragic End

Many build up Samson’s death as a heroic death, but I have to be honest with you, Samson’s end is rather tragic.  One ought not believe that this is what God had in mind for the life and end of Samson – at least I can’t make myself believe that.

Judges 16:23-24 tells us of how the Philistines used Samson to praise their gods.  Do you really think God had it in mind that Samson would be used by the Philistines to praise their idol gods?

Then, in Judges 16:25, after they had Samson work as a prisoner, they brought him forth to be entertainment at their celebration.  Judges 16:27 tells us that the temple was filled with about 3,000 men and women of the Philistines.  It was in that moment that Samson called on the Lord, but I want you to pay close attention to his prayer.

Judges 6:28 reads, “Then Samson called to the Lord, saying, “O Lord God, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God, that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes!”

Some suggest that this is a prayer of repentance, but notice what he prayed for.  Rather than praying to fulfill his anointing and to deliver Israel from the Philistines, he asks to be able to take vengeance for his two eyes.  Even in all of this, he was still thinking about himself.

Judges 6:30 tells us that Samson then said, “Let me die with the Philistines!”  Scripture goes on to tell us that Samson pushed with all his might, and the temple collapsed upon him and the Philistines.

A few words I must share.  I genuinely don’t believe Samson’s anointing returned to him in that moment.  I believe that had the Spirit of the Lord come upon him, scripture would have made mention of it, and I believe he would have been able to easily fight his way out of the temple.

To back up my thoughts on this matter, I will refer to Judges 6:30, telling us that Samson pushed “with all his might.”  The prayer I do believe was answered by God was Samson dying with the Philistines.

Judges 16:30 ends Samson’s story by telling us that he had judged Israel for 20 years.  I will point out that the scripture does not speak of deliverance from the Philistines, nor does it mention there being peace in the land.  The reason why scripture does not mention those things is because Samson did not deliver Israel from the Philistines.  Israel wasn’t delivered from the Philistines until the days of David’s reign as king.

Again, Samson’s end was tragic.  Samson’s life was a failure, which is truly a sad thing to say about one who had been anointed before birth.  While the Lord’s thoughts towards us are of peace, not evil, a future and a hope, we still have to move within that desire.  If we faithfully move within God’s will, our anointing will remain, and we will be able to fulfill the Lord’s will.

However, when we live according to our will and desire, doing what we please, then it doesn’t matter what God’s thoughts are towards us.  When we live according to our own way, destruction will be our end.  As Proverbs 14:12 tells us, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”