Samson On His Cross

     I’ve been told that unless teaching does not deal with salvation, do not teach it. That is ignorance for the entire Bible is about Jesus, grace, and salvation. All the reader need think while reading is, What has this to do with Jesus? Today we’ll study Samson, not his entire life, but the most important event in his life:

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.” 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.  And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.” (Jud 16:28-30)

     Samson was a Nazarite judge. Judges were deciders of the law, governors, and generals. There job was to serve and preserve the Israelite people, or in the King James Version, “to dress and keep” the Garden with the Garden representing the living souls of God’s “peculiar” people. (Note that Christians are called “peculiar” from the Greek, and Jews “chosen” from the Hebrew, but the Hebrew word also means “peculiar.”)

     Usually, the people went to the person and chose him or her (Debora) as judge. In the case of Samson only, his position as judge was ordained by the Lord before he was ever conceived. Of course, all the judges were chosen by God, but Samson was groomed for that position and the Holy Spirit grew within him as he grew.

     Samson was born of a barren woman – the wife of Manoah – who was told by “Jesus” that Samson would be a Nazarite. “The Angel of the Lord” was revealed to Manoah and his wife as the Lord Himself. Anytime in scripture wherein God is manifested, that “manifestation” is pre-incarnate Jesus. It is important to note that God is not one in three “persons” but three substances with one Person and one Personality. The Flesh of God was Jesus, or God in Person. The manifestation of God in the Old Testament was God in Angel form. Both God’s Person and His Angel were His messengers. Jesus’s purpose was to present the gospel “message” and then die to redeem mankind.  It is imperative to understand the nature and supra-nature of God. Jesus IS God. To think otherwise is the Arian heresy.

     Jesus, then, ordained Samson to be a Nazarite to serve and preserve the Israelites. It is to be noted that Jesus is the Supreme Judge, and as such, he was surely a Nazarite of which Samson was an imperfect copy, made only in the image of Jesus. We see from his experiences that he was an imperfect Nazarite: He failed on all three Nazarite ordinances. Yes, he likely drank wine at the feast (Jud 14:10), he touched a dead animal and became unclean, and he allowed his hair to be cut. By grace, God still used Samson to defeat “Satan.” The Philistines are symbolic of Satan just as were the Egyptians in earlier times.

     Before we get to the key verse, although Samson is the only named Nazarite (see Numbers 6 for the description), other prophets may have been as well. Samuel may have been and John the Baptist and Jesus surely were as they were both ordained for the Lord before they were conceived. (No, Jesus never drank wine; he was only accused of doing so!)

Jesus the Nazarene, born of a virgin, was certainly a Nazarite. Like Manoah’s wife, Mary was born “clean” but in both a spiritual and physical sense. (Note: That Mary was by immaculate conception is not scriptural; it is a catholic supposition.)

     Samson was symbolic of Jesus. Both were “king of the Jews” because in the time before kings, judges were the rulers. Samson was set apart or sanctified for his position. Likewise, Jesus was born to save mankind as Samson was born to save the Israelites. Samson’s salvation was for one time only to keep the promise of a Savior alive through his people. Jesus’s salvation was one time for all time for everyone. Jesus died on the Holy Cross to finalize his mission. Samson died on an unholy cross to serve and preserve his people. Now read the key verse again. He stood under the pillars and said, “Let me die with the Philistines.”

     If you remember from the Passover story, the Hebrews who painted their doorposts and lentels with blood would be safe from the Angel of Death. (Exod 12). Structures such as the doorposts and the building pillars around the main door of their fortress represent the cross of Jesus. Samson bore the weight of the pillars which supported the entire fortress to save the Hebrews and the promise of Jesus, just as Jesus bore the weight of the sins of all mankind to save them from perishing.

Samson did what all “peculiar” people are to do:

And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. (Mark 8:34).

     Samson was taking up his cross – the burden of serving and preserving the Hebrews – and followed what The Angel of the Lord (Jesus) ordained him to do. “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.” What do you see in that passage? I see Samson’s arms stretched out in the form of a cross, the very position in which Jesus was nailed to the Cross. Samson the Nazarite was a foreshadowing of Jesus the Nazarene.

     Nazarite and The Nazarene are important. Both represent being set apart from the world and purity. That is called “sanctification” in scripture:

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thes 5:23), and Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. (Hebrews 13:12)

     Samson was sanctified by God to be holy and pure… and he failed. However, he was redeemed of failing when he denied himself and took up his cross and died with the Philistines. How he lived was of little consequence to God but what he was willing to do. When Samson bore the cross for Jesus, God forgot all his impurities. When we live for God, he forgets all our sins if we are willing to die for the love of Him. (Heb 8:12). Samson usurped Satan’s plan to displace God when he sacrificed himself. When Christians are set apart (sanctified) they also usurp Satan’s plan to replace God as king. Samson failed at sanctification; he was imperfect. Likewise, when Christians are sanctified, that does not mean perfection!

     What did Samson’s willingness to die for God do?

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. (Isa 14:12-13).

     Samson put Satan down, and Jesus cut Satan down to the ground! When we die for Christ, we live for Jesus, and when we live for Christ, we diminish Satan. Ironically, our flesh represents Satan and when we diminish ourselves, we diminish Satan. Samson did the ultimate diminishing of himself. He elevated God by dying as a service to Him – to preserve the promise of Jesus.