Judges 15:1-20 KJV
1 But it came to pass within a while after, in the time of wheat harvest, that Samson visited his wife with a kid; and he said, I will go in to my wife into the chamber. But her father would not suffer him to go in.
2 And her father said, I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to thy companion: is not her younger sister fairer than she? take her, I pray thee, instead of her.
3 And Samson said concerning them, Now shall I be more blameless than the Philistines, though I do them a displeasure.
4 And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between two tails.
5 And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into the standing corn of the Philistines, and burnt up both the shocks, and also the standing corn, with the vineyards and olives.
6 Then the Philistines said, Who hath done this? And they answered, Samson, the son in law of the Timnite, because he had taken his wife, and given her to his companion. And the Philistines came up, and burnt her and her father with fire.
7 And Samson said unto them, Though ye have done this, yet will I be avenged of you, and after that I will cease.
8 And he smote them hip and thigh with a great slaughter: and he went down and dwelt in the top of the rock Etam.
9 Then the Philistines went up, and pitched in Judah, and spread themselves in Lehi.
10 And the men of Judah said, Why are ye come up against us? And they answered, To bind Samson are we come up, to do to him as he hath done to us.
11 Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock Etam, and said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us? what is this that thou hast done unto us? And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so have I done unto them.
12 And they said unto him, We are come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said unto them, Swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon me yourselves.
13 And they spake unto him, saying, No; but we will bind thee fast, and deliver thee into their hand: but surely we will not kill thee. And they bound him with two new cords, and brought him up from the rock.
14 And when he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him: and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and the cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands.
15 And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew a thousand men therewith.
16 And Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men.
17 And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking, that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand, and called that place Ramathlehi.
18 And he was sore athirst, and called on the LORD, and said, Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant: and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?
19 But God clave an hollow place that was in the jaw, and there came water thereout; and when he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived: wherefore he called the name thereof Enhakkore, which is in Lehi unto this day.
20 And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.

The deliver of Israel coming in the time of war. A type of Messiah but not the Messiah of eternal salvation. Why mention him at all. Yesterday I talked about the raising of the dead from ancient days of the Prophet Elisha and time of Christ. Christ would be the Prince of Peace. King David a king of war and peace. Samson a judge and one of violance and eye for eye and tooth for a tooth mentality in his time of authority, because Philistines understood no other way. Judges were establish at the time of Moses and the law, to help govern the people. Yet Israel no longer under God's rule, but under the rule of the Philistines. God was going to deliver them out of the hands of the Philistine through the deliver God had established. Samson would be a nazarite by birth. A man who would never let a razor touch his head, for his strength would be in his hair. I think how thick and how much hair did he have when he married his wife who was a Philistine by birth. The problem between Samson and his wife people, when his father in law gave his wife to another man of his tribe. Samson angry, caused him to take three foxes and tie their tails together and destroy their crop fields of corn, vineyards, and olive orchard. Philistines were in control and rule and came to get Samson binding him with rope to take him to trial. He would break his ropes and win against his enemies with a jaw bone of ass he found. This deliver is not one of peace but of war. One of anger not of friendhsip, though he did try to be friends with his inlaws.

How many can say the love their inlaws this morning? Some find peace with their inlaws because they have so much in common with each other including their faith. Some are in disagreement to the point you wonder how the married couple landed up married to each other. Some inlaws from both sides never meet each other. What is unity and what is war, war because of marriage springing forth and revenge coming from the Philistines through a harlot that would lead to Samson final tactic of war against the Philistines, after time a in prison. I can not help but think Samson is not the type of judge God would call to deliver Israel, until we find Samson in the enemies' temple being mocked and on display before the world of being weak and over come by the enemy who believed in the god called Dagon. Only because Samson hair had grown back he was able to repent to God of Israel and pull down the pillars of Dagon Temple that caused it crushed all that were inside. There he became a deliverer to Israel for Israel was bullied by the Philistines. Samson seems the opposite of a godly man, opposite of the call of Nazarite on his life. Yet at the time he pulls down the pillars in the temple we see his heart of the Nazarite and his duty coming forth through even his own death.

What is my point in today's lesson the deliver came with war, came with behavior not fitting a believer and yet God used him and called him to deliver Israel out of the enemies hands. Many of us watch westerns and not everytime is the one rescuing the people all that he should be as the bounty hunter, but he carries a since of the law with him, that defies the natural law that keeps the people shackled by these criminals in their town. Samson tying the fox tails together was an eye for eye vindication of his father inlaw's act of betrayals of giving his wife away. A way of showing the Philistine the value of their own law was destruction. Yet God's law lead to the death of Samson as he pulled the pillars down in the temple. When Islamic extremist attack our nation on 911 we fail to see one thing they thought our nation was built apon money. Our nation has the fruit of wealth, greed and so forth in it, but their are many godly people here that believe in God as a nation. One way to defeat the enemy is to use their own tactics of war, or tactics of peace. Our nation killed Bin Ladin, and no one thought much about it even today beyond the fact the terrorist was dead. Even Islam does not like some of their people.

Who is the anti christ but those that fear not God. The anti christ is everywhere in the world, but the power of God is able to deliver his people out of the hands of the antichrist. Christ came to redemn his people but went to the cross as a savior to the world. Demonstrating the laws of man would kill even God's people but the law could not destroy God's law for Christ would rise from the grave. Devils will rise up in nations and think they can not be destroyed, but in truth they will be, as in time of Samson the people died in their own temple to their false god who had no power to hold the pillars up. Christ was cut down in the form of death and was and is the pillar of Christianity for He rose again, no man could keep Christ in the grave. The soldiers had a huge stone across the grave and angel rolled the stone away. Samson asked God to take his life, perhaps because of his sin though he repented in his time of victory. God gave him the ability to deliver his people once more and his heart desire to go with the pillars being pulled down.

We fight the battle of faith for God not in acts of terror. Yet their terrorist groups that claim to work for God, can we justify acts of war in the name of God if Christ came in peace to deliver us in the way of peace. If we are to follow in Christ footsteps do we come in peace to share the good news of faith. "How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!" Yet there will always be preachers of war and violence as well. God uses who he will for his purpose whether in war or in peace. Yet we see ourselves as conquerors to those that are in Christ Jesus. "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us(Romans 8:37)." We are called to be peacemakers, but Samson was called to be deliver through war. The difference of war and peace is simple enough. War means we have enemy most likely for life to come in peace sooner or later your enemies will lay down in peace. The idea of two types of Saviors to deliver, and yet only one complete his work through the cross and resurrection. The Deliver of war can only win with a finale of a final war of destruction. God final war is one of destruction. We talk about destruction of God only to see the grusomeness of God's warfare in the human life, and one ask how then can you love God. God is a God of mercy to all that call upon him, but also a God of hope through His salvation plan through belief in Christ Jesus. Samson offer no hope in himself as deliver but only one of destruction. King David a man of war offered peace and war to the nation around him as a leader. If you followed in the ways of Samson it would lead to death, and if you followed in the ways of Christ it will lead you to your eternity with God. How does obeying God bring you eternity, it never well, faith in Christ Jesus is who you need to be saved. Our obedience does not come with us destroying things. It comes with our will to believe with obedience to the Spirit of God. No, our deliverance in obedience comes with our desire to obey the one we believe in. Did Samson obey God by destroying the temple of Dagon. Sounds like a terrorist act in our world today. It would be judge as a terrorist act in the world today. Christ came in peace so we need not to tear anything down but to speak peace, the hope of faith, the hope only faith in Christ can bring. Is Samson story one of terror depends on if you are a Philistine or a Jew. Could Dagon himself hurt anyone, the answer is no. Could the names Samson was called hurt him? The answer is no. The deliverance from the Philistines is what Samson was going to do. Yet it was war of who God was mightier. God will always win. For christians our war is not over until God's finale curtain call upon the earth and the final destruction occurs. We have no part in the destruction of the earth, other then to be watchers of the final curtain call. If we can allow God to revenge his enemies, we can understand our call is peace. If we are soldiers to battle our call is a call to protect God's people. If we are called to peace and die to the enemy then we are mayrters of faith. If mayrters people of hope to others that fight with the sword of peace and not war. Can you carry the Gospel with the message of peace and not be peaceful. Samuel stood up to kings, Paul went before a King preaching, and Christ opened not his mouth before Caesar Augusta. Samson a man of valor to the call of God in his life. His call to stand for the Lord as a Nazarite. Only way in his old age to do so was act of war. His life style said it all. Israel need not another Moses but a war hero. Another leader and the priesthood would rise once more in Israel with the defeat of Philistines for a time. Israel would rule its people once more.

Let us preach peace in hope of no war, but let stand by the laws we have to protect ourselves, if we can, and if not bare the cross that God has called us to in our humanity. Let peace reign by God's power and might. Let the hope of faith rule in our hearts as man's laws protect people in opposition to God's ways and our ways. Let our act of peace be act of hope for peace. Let us be conquerors with love and peace of God and the weapons of war. Let God rule in our hearts today and only use the weapons of war to protect ourselves as Samsons call to protect the people from the enemy, to be deliverer of violence against our own.

Dear Heavenly Father, you call us to walk in faith as Christ would on the earth. You call men and women to be soldiers but never men of violence for violence sake. Lord help us as believers to remember our call to carry our cross is one of peace despite the cost. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study: Judges 13:3-5 KJV
3 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.
4 Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing:
5 For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

Judges 16:22-31 KJV
22 Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven.
23 Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.
24 And when the people saw him, they praised their god: for they said, Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, which slew many of us.
25 And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them sport: and they set him between the pillars.
26 And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I may lean upon them.
27 Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport.
28 And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.
29 And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left.
30 And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all 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.
31 Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the buryingplace of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years.

Romans 10:15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

Romans 8:27-39 KJV
27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.
34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.