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1 CHRONICLES: DAVID AND THE ARK OF GOD

by Ray C. Stedman

The books of Chronicles cover the same historical ground that the books of
Samuel and Kings do, but from quite a different point of view. These books
can be compared to the Gospel of John in the New Testament. If you are
familiar with the four Gospels, you know that the first three -- Matthew,
Mark, and Luke -- are what we call the Synoptical Gospels. These three
parallel each other and cover the same general incidents, often from the
same general viewpoint. But the Gospel of John is something quite
different. When John sat down to write his Gospel, the last New Testament
book written (probably about 90 or 95 A.D.), he employed a deliberately
selective process. He says, "Jesus did many other signs ... which are not
written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is
the Christ, the Son of God ..." (John 20:30-31 RSV). He made no attempt to
cover the whole of the Lord's ministry. Instead, John carefully selected
certain things out of Christ's ministry to illustrate the great point that he
wished to make -- here is the one who fulfilled all the divine predictions of
the coming of Messiah, the Christ, and furthermore, he is the Son of the
living God. This was his purpose. The books of First and Second
Chronicles are similar in their selective process.

The central points around which everything in these books gather are the
king and the temple. The king was David. In one sense, he is the only king
that appears in these two books. He is God's king. The first book centers
on him completely. The second book of Chronicles follows the house of
David down through the time of the captivity, almost totally ignoring the
northern kingdom, because this is the book of God's king and the temple.

It is clearly evident that First Chronicles was written after the seventy years
of Israel's captivity in Babylon. It was probably written by Ezra, the priest,
who also wrote the book that bears his name. Ezra was one of the great
figures to come back with the captives to re-establish the temple and the
worship of Jehovah in Jerusalem. It is with emphasis upon the re-
establishment of the worship of Jehovah that this book is written, as well as
for the purpose of covering the historical events.
The selective character of First Chronicles is evident right in the opening
chapters. The first nine chapters are given over to a long list of
genealogies. These are not merely the stringing together of a lot of names,
however; these genealogies are of great importance. For one thing, they
are some of the most helpful material available for anybody attempting to
study the problem of biblical chronology. If you are working in this area, you
will certainly spend a great deal of time in these opening chapters of
Chronicles. But they are far more than that.

I know sometimes we are tempted to hurry by these long lists of Bible

names. We feel so much like a dear old Scotch preacher who was reading
from the opening chapter of Matthew. He started out reading, "Abraham
begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judah and his
brethren," (Matt 1:2 KJV). Then he said, "They kept on begatting one
another all the way down this side of the page and clear on to the other
side." And he picked up the reading and went on from there.

Some of us also would like to dismiss these genealogies, but they are too
important for that. If we read them in a hurry, we will miss the point of this
whole passage. If you look carefully at them you will see that God is
choosing and selecting, excluding and including, working toward an
ultimate goal.

This genealogy is recorded so that we might see both the goal toward
which the Lord works in human history and the principle by which he
includes or excludes events. It goes clear back to the dawn of human
history and lists the sons and descendants of Adam -- Seth, Enosh, Kenan,
Mahalalel. We know the sons of Adam to be Cain, Abel and Seth, but here,
immediately, Cain and Abel are excluded. There is no mention of them.
The whole focus is upon the descendants of Seth, for from him eventually
came the family of Abraham and the Israelites. Here is the principle of
exclusion in action.

Then the line of Seth is traced down to Enoch and to Noah. The three sons
of Noah are given -- Shem, Ham, and Japheth. But Ham and Japheth are
dismissed with just a brief word and the attention is focused on the line of
Shem.

From Shem we trace on down to Abraham and his family. There is this
constant narrowing process which then excludes Ishmael, the son of
Abraham, and Esau, the son of Isaac, and focuses on Jacob's twelve sons,
who became the fathers of the twelve tribes of Israel.

As the genealogy goes on, it selects the tribes of Judah and Levi -- the
tribes of the king and the priestly line:
It traces the tribe of Judah down to David, to Solomon and then to the kings
of the house of David, into captivity. The tribe of Levi is traced down to
Aaron, the first of the priests, and then to the priests who were prominent in
the kingdom at the time of David.

In all of these genealogies there is one very choice incident that stands out.
It is found in Chapter 4, Verses 9-10, where we read of Jabez:
Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying,
"Because I bore him in pain." [Jabez means "pain."] Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying,
"Oh that thou wouldst bless me and enlarge my border, and that thy hand might be with me,
and that thou wouldst keep me from harm so that it might not hurt me!" And God granted what
he asked. {1 Chr 4:9-10 RSV}

That little incident is put right down in the midst of a whole long string of
names as a kind of spotlight on this individual.

Now there is always one principle that God follows in this process of
selectivity:

He includes a man whenever he finds an obedient heart. All the native

disability of that man is canceled out and he is immediately made an
effectual instrument for the working of God in human history. When God
excludes a name, when he turns from a line or a family, it is always on the
basis of the appearance of a disobedient heart. On that basis God excludes
a man, regardless of rank or ancestry or privilege of any kind.

Wherever there is an obedient heart God begins a new line with him.
Wherever disobedience occurs, that name is dropped. You can trace this
principle throughout this entire genealogy.

This sets the pattern for the rest of the book. In Chapter 10 there is a brief
account that completely covers the life of King Saul, the first of Israel's
kings. Saul is dismissed in only fourteen verses. The reason is given in
Verses 13 and 14:
So Saul died for his unfaithfulness; he was unfaithful to the Lord in that he did not keep the
command of the Lord, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance, and did not seek
guidance from the Lord. Therefore the Lord slew him, and turned the kingdom over to David
the son of Jesse. {1 Chr 10:13-14 RSV}

The rest of the book is all about David. David was a king after God's own
heart -- a king with an obedient heart. The book traces the whole course of
David's life from the moment he was anointed king. In other words, this is
the book that emphasizes God's king. David's first act after coming to the
place of kingship in Israel is to take over the pagan stronghold of the
Jebusites, the city of Jerusalem -- God's city. This is the place where God
had chosen to put his name among the tribes of Israel. Immediately
following is a flashback to the time of David's exile and to the mighty men
gathered around him there. These were men of faith and passion who were
attracted to David by the character that he displayed. (One of my favorite
Bible stories occurs here in Chapter 11, Verse 22. This is the story of
Benaiah, Jehoiada's son, who, among other things, slew a lion in a pit on a
snowy day.) These mighty men who gathered about David and shared his
exile eventually became the leaders in his kingdom. All of this is a picture
for us of the reign of the Lord Jesus in his coming to earth again. We are
promised that we who share his sufferings now will also share his glory
when he comes to rule over the earth to establish his kingdom of
righteousness. Then the righteousness of God shall cover the earth as the
waters cover the sea. In the beautifully descriptive language of the
prophets, "they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears
into pruning hooks" {Isa 2:4b RSV}; "neither shall they learn war any more,"
{Isa 2:4d RSV}; and "They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy
mountain," {Isa 11:9a RSV}. This is pictured for us by the magnificence,
glory, and majesty of the reign of David as he gathers his mighty men and
brings them to the throne to share his kingly power and glory.

The second emphasis of this book is on the ark of God. In Chapter 13 we

are told how David went down to the Philistine city where the ark was being
held captive, took it upon a cart and tried to bring it back to Jerusalem. The
unwitting departure of David from the principle of obedience is recorded for
us here. He knew the Law commanded that the ark be carried only by the
Levites, but in the exuberance of his joy and his zeal for God's cause, he
thought God wouldn't mind if the ark was carried in another way. And what
was the result? When Uzzah, walking along beside the ark, saw it shaking
as it passed over a rough spot in the road, he reached out to steady it.
When his hand touched the ark, he immediately dropped dead. David was
tremendously shaken by this. But as he thought it over and prayed about it,
he realized that it was all his own fault. He had neglected the word of the
Lord.

There is no incident from the Old Testament that teaches more clearly the
importance of a careful, precise obedience to what the Word of God says. I
think it also teaches us that God is able to take care of his own cause.
There are many today who, like Uzzah, are trying to steady the ark of God.
They think it is going to be defeated by some challenge that is issued
against it, and they become self-appointed defenders of the faith, little
realizing that God is quite able to defend his own cause.

But David learned his lesson. He returned to obedience and asked the
Levites to bring up the ark according to the Law; then the ark came into
Jerusalem. Now here is a most remarkable and significant point: the
tabernacle, which had been the home of the ark through all the journeyings
in the wilderness, and the central place of worship for Israel during the time
of the judges and the reign of Saul, was not located in Jerusalem. The
tabernacle was located in the city of Gibeon. One would think that the ark
should be returned to that tabernacle, since it had been taken from there.
The ark belonged in the Holy of Holies in that tabernacle. But when David
brings the ark back, he doesn't return it to the tabernacle. He brings it to the
city of Jerusalem, the city of the king, and, by his own authority, he sets up
a center of worship on the very site where later the temple was to be built.
Thus he replaces the authority of the priests by the authority of the king.

These Old Testament books are beautifully designed by the Holy Spirit to
be an application to our own spiritual life. They cover the warfare that we
engage in, the battles, The kingdom over which we rule, the difficulties
which we encounter, and the spiritual principles by which victory is won.
These events are very significant to us.

The tabernacle was, of course, movable. It followed the people wherever

they went throughout the wilderness journeys. It is a picture of God's grace
that is ready to follow the believer despite the fact that he may be
wandering about sometimes in a wilderness, sometimes in the land,
sometimes in the desert -- sometimes up and sometimes down. God's
grace is still ready to follow, ready to support, and ready to minister in the
priestly ministry of confession and forgiveness of sin.

Inevitably, in every Christian's experience, there is this up-and-down, trial-

and-error time when we are so grateful for the priestly ministry of
confession, of cleansing and forgiveness. But, at last, as we are led by the
Spirit of God, we come to the place where we recognize the problem. The
reason for this wave of up-and-down experience is that we have refused to
allow the Lord Jesus to exercise his kingly lordship in our life. When at last
we are led by the Spirit to the place where our stubborn will is broken, and
we give up, once and for all, our insistence on running our own affairs, we
recognize that this is the principle of God by which we must live. Now we
may not always follow it faithfully even from there, but at least we realize
that God is ruler over our life and Jesus Christ is Lord. In other words, "You
are not your own, you are bought with a price" {1 Cor 6:19b-20a RSV}.
Your life is no longer yours to plan, to program, or to work out in advance.
You belong to the Lord and he becomes king in your life.

At that very moment, what is pictured here is fulfilled. When the king
comes, the ark is fixed in the temple and is immovable from then on. All the
blessing of God then flows to the heart that is in full submission to the
lordship of Christ. The result is that the temple is a new beginning. It is no
longer a continuation of the tabernacle -- though much of the temple is like
the tabernacle in its plan and design. As David made the new temple
furniture, it was different in many ways from the furniture in the tabernacle.
This was a new beginning, a total change of government, resulting in a total
change of behavior. Beginning in Chapter 18, where the ark is brought
back and placed at the site of the temple, David's conquest over all his
enemies throughout the whole of the kingdom of Judah is immediately
recorded. Chapters 18, 19, and 20 are devoted to the victories of King
David, beautifully describing what happens in the heart if Christ is crowned
king.

The only dark picture in the book is in Chapter 21. One interlude is brought
before us of David's sin; that of numbering the people of Israel. It is
remarkable that the double sin of David -- when he took the wife of Uriah
the Hittite in an adulterous relationship and arranged the murder of her
husband by sending him out in the forefront of battle -- is passed over in
total silence. That was David's personal sin as a man. That sin was his own
weakness, his foolish willfulness as an individual. It had nothing to do with
his reign as a king. But this sin of numbering Israel is an abrupt departure
from the principle of dependence upon the strength and glory of God. Why
did he number the people? He wanted to glory and gloat in the number of
people that were available to him as king. He wanted to see his strength.

This is always the problem in any Christian circle when men begin to
depend upon numbers. One of the great principles that runs through the
Bible from beginning to end is that God never wins his battles by majority
vote. When we think that the cause of Christ is losing because the number
of Christians is decreasing in proportion to the population of the world, we
have succumbed to the false philosophy that God wins his battles by
numbers. He doesn't need numbers. He needs quality. Many, many times
that is taught to us in the Word of God. Thirty-two thousand men respond to
Gideon's call to the army. When Gideon looks out at them, he says, "That
is a good number. I think we ought to be able to do something with that."
But God says, "I am sorry Gideon, there are far too many. I can't work with
that many." So Gideon sends those home who have just recently been
married and the ones who are afraid. Neither of them are any good for
battle. Twenty-two thousand went home. They had a large number of
weddings! It must have been the middle of June or July in Israel. Gideon
said, "Well Lord, you have whittled me down to ten thousand men. I guess
that will be enough." God said, "No Gideon. It is still too many." They were
put to the test until the army was whittled down to three hundred men. And,
with three hundred men, God delivered the nation (Judges 7:2ff).

How many times we are taught this. Once the whole army of Israel stood in
gloom and despair before the tauntings and the struttings of the giant
Goliath as he paraded up and down before the camp, mocking the soldiers
of Israel. But one little shepherd boy came with his sling, and with a single
rock from the brook, God delivered the people. With the jaw of an ass in the
hands of Samson, God slew the Philistines. All through Chronicles this
same principle is repeated again and again. God's method is quality --
never quantity.

As a result of David's departure from this principle and because the whole
nation looked to him as king for an example by which they learned the
principles of God, judgment was exceedingly severe upon David. A prophet
was sent to David (1 Chr 21:10-17) and he said, "I will give you three
choices. God has said that you can have three years of famine or three
months for your enemies to overcome you and run rife through the land or
three days of the plague and pestilence." David did the wise thing. He said,
"Who am I to determine anything like this. I will simply cast myself into the
hands of the Lord. God is a God of great mercy. Let him do what he thinks
is best." The angel of the Lord came into the midst of the people and for
three days he slew with pestilence throughout the nation. David saw the
angel with his sword stretched out over the city of Jerusalem ready to slay
there also, but David pleaded with God: "It is my fault. Why do you take
vengeance upon these others? I am the one to blame." Then God
instructed him to buy the cattle and the threshing floor of Ornan and on
these he erected an altar and worshipped God. The temple was later built
on that site and the altar was placed where the angel of God stayed his
hand from judgment. So the grace of God, you see, came even at a time of
disobedience, and turned the judgment that fell upon David into grace and
blessing.

The rest of the book tells of David's passion for the building of the temple.
Because he understood that a nation without a temple could never be a
nation, he longed to see this temple built. A people without God in their
midst will never amount to anything. But David was a man of war, and God
wanted a man of peace to rule over the nations of the earth (1 Chr 22:6-
19). So God said to David, "No, it is your son who will build the temple. He
will be a man of peace and he shall build it." David had learned the
principle of obedience so well that he said, "Yes, Lord, if that is what you
want. Much as it is a disappointment to me, I will accept that."

In grace, however, God allowed David to do everything for the temple but
actually build it. He drew the plans. He designed the furniture. He collected
the materials. He made the arrangements. He set up the order and ritual.
He brought down the cedar poles from Mt. Hermon and Mt. Lebanon in the
north. He dug up the rock and quarried the stones. He gathered in the gold,
the silver, and the iron. He gathered it all together and then the book closes
as the anointed Solomon and David reign side by side -- a complete picture
of the ministry of the Lord Jesus. Christ is both the mighty warrior, David,
and the man of peace, Solomon.
What is the message of this book? It is the supreme importance of the
temple in our lives; the authority of God. Over the three great doors of the
cathedral in Milan, Italy, are three inscriptions:

Over the right hand door is carved a wreath of flowers and over it is written,
"All that pleases is but for a moment."

On the left hand door is a cross and over it is written, "All the trouble is but
for a moment."

Over the main entrance are simply the words, "Nothing is important save
that which is eternal."

This is the very lesson of the book of Chronicles. It is the lesson of the
whole of the Bible, "Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the
name of [by the authority of and by the ability of] the Lord Jesus [king in his
temple]," (Col 3:17a RSV).

Prayer:

Our Father, may the lesson of this Old Testament book be written deeply in
our hearts. May we recognize that the marvel of this book is that it conveys
in human language and through human institutions the revelation of thy
workings in history, in individual lives and in our lives. May we, like David,
be kings after thy own heart, ready to walk in obedience to the very words
of Scripture itself that we may demonstrate, as he demonstrated it, the
glory of the kingdom over which Jesus Christ is king. In his name we pray,
Amen.

Title: 1 Chronicles: David and the Ark of God

By: Ray C. Stedman
Scripture: 1 Chronicles 1 - 29
Date: April 4, 1965
Series: Adventuring through the Bible
Message No: 13
Catalog No: 213

series: Adventuring through the Bible

next message: 2 Chronicles: God's King in God's House
Library previous message: 2 Kings: A Wasted Life
formats: pdf, mp3

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Sermon #1607[1] Miscellaneous Notes

Title: SAMSON AS A TYPE OF CHRIST

Text: Judges 13-16

Subject: Samson as a Type of Christ

Reading: Judges 13:1-25

Introduction:

I hardly know where to begin this message. If I had a couple of hours

to preach, I would like to simply begin in Judges 13, read through
chapter sixteen, and preach the whole life of this great man, Samson,
who is named by God the Holy Spirit as one of the great heroes of
faith in Hebrews 11. But, you will be relieved to know, I do not plan
to preach for two hours. So that is out of the question.

TYPICAL OF BELIEVERS

Without question, Samson was a man of remarkable faith,

remarkable strength, and remarkable weaknesses. As such he stands
as a vivid example of believers in this world. When preachers preach
about him and Sunday School teachers teach about him, he is held
up as an example of what we ought not be and do. We have all heard
sermons from Judges 16
about the binding, blinding, grinding power of sin. Such sermons are
certainly proper, legitimate uses of Samson’s life story.

But I am convinced that there is much more to be found in this story.

I want to preach to you about Samson as a type and picture of our
Lord Jesus Christ. That statement in itself will be shocking to some. I
recognize that this man was not a perfect type of Christ, any more
than the paschal lamb was. The fact is, there are no perfect types of
our Savior. All fall far short of giving us a perfect picture of our great
Redeemer. That is precisely the reason so many are given. But
Samson (like Adam, Moses, David, and Solomon) stands before us in
the Word of God as a very vivid type of our great Savior. So, let’s look
at this great deliverer of Israel, as he is set before us in Judges 13-16
as a type of our blessed Savior, the great Deliverer of Israel, the Lord
Jesus Christ. We will begin in Judges 14:1.

Judges 14:1 “And Samson went down to Timnath, and

saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the
Philistines.”

Proposition: In his birth, in his life, and in his death, Samson

portrayed our Lord Jesus Christ in many ways.
Divisions: Stay with me, here in Judges 13-16. I want to show you an
obvious fivefold comparison of Samson and the Lord Jesus Christ, our
great Savior. Samson was a type and picture of Christ in…

1. His Coming.

2. His Commission.

3. His Consecration.

4. His Choices.

5. His Conquests.

HIS COMING

IV. First, Samson was typical of our great Savior in his coming in to
this world. He was born to deliver Israel.

Many things about Samson’s birth, his coming into this world, show
him to be a type of our Lord Jesus Christ in his birth.

In chapter thirteen, we read how that “the Angel of

the LORD” appeared to Manoah and his wife. This “Angel” who
appeared in the form of a man, was none other than the Lord Jesus
Christ himself, in one of his special, pre-incarnate appearances. It
was Christ himself who graciously appeared to Manoah and his wife
and promised that Samson would be born to this barren woman.

A. Like our Savior’s, Samson’s birth was miraculous.

 1. His mother was barren.

2. He was the special gift of God.

3. His birth was accomplished by divine intervention.

A. Samson’s birth was also foretold by an Angel of the LORD.

Just as the angel came to Mary first and then to her husband Joseph,
so here the Angel of the LORD came first to Manoah’s wife and then
to him.

B. Everything about Samson, everything about his birth, his life,

and his death, was intimately connected with three things.

If you miss everything else I say in this message, be sure you do not
miss this. Everything about Samson, and everything about Christ was
intimately connected with a promise, a sacrifice, and a name.

A PROMISE

1. Samson was born, lived and died according to the merciful

promise and purpose of God to save his people (Jud. 13:5).

Judges 13:5 “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.”

So it was with our Lord Jesus Christ. He came into this world on an
errand of mercy, to save his people, because God promised eternal
life to his elect before the world began (2 Tim. 1:1; Tit. 1:2).

2 Timothy 1:1 “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the

will of God, according to the promise of life which is in
Christ Jesus,”

Titus 1:2 “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot
lie, promised before the world began;”

A NAME

2. Everything about this man was related to and for the glory of
the name by which the Angel of the LORD revealed himself to
Manoah and his wife (Jud. 13:18).

Judges 13:18 “And the angel of the LORD said unto him,
Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?”

If you look in the marginal reference of your Bible, you will notice
that the word “secret” here is really “WONDERFUL.”

You know whose name that is. It belongs to our Savior (Isa. 9:6), for
whom and by whom all things are. Everything is designed to bring
honor and glory to the Lord Jesus Christ, our Samson, whose name is
Wonderful. Most particularly, the work of redemption and salvation is
to the praise, honor and glory of his Wonderful name (Rev. 4 and 5).

V. It is his name which is the name of salvation (Acts 4:12).

VI. It is in his name that we are accepted of God and forgiven (Eph.
4:32; Rom. 12:1-3; 1 Pet. 2:5).

A SACRIFICE

1. Everything Samson was and did for Israel was connected with,
arose from, and pointed to a sacrifice (Jud. 13:19-21).

Judges 13:19-21 “So Manoah took a kid with a meat

offering, and offered it upon a rock unto the LORD: and
the angel did wonderously; and Manoah and his wife
looked on. 20 For it came to pass, when the flame went up
toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the
LORD ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and
his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground.
21 But the angel of the LORD did no more appear to
Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was
an angel of the LORD.”

There is no difficulty determining what this refers to. It speaks of the

great, sin-atoning sacrifice of our Samson, our all-glorious Christ,
when he laid down his life for us at Calvary.
VII. The offering Manoah made, the slain lamb, is a picture of Christ,
the Lamb of God who was sacrificed for us.

VIII. Once the sacrifice was made to the LORD, “the Angel did
wondrously.” Once justice was satisfied by the precious blood of
the Son of God, our crucified Savior did a wondrous thing. He was
resurrected from the grave.

IX. Next, we are told that the Angel of the Lord “ascended in the
flame of the altar.” Even so, our great Savior ascended up into
heaven, obtained eternal redemption for us, and took his seat at
the right hand of the Majesty on high by the merit of his
sacrifice, “in the flame of the altar!”

HIS COMMISSION

X. Second, Samson was typical of our blessed Savior in his

commission from God as the deliverer of Israel.

When the Angel of the LORD announced the birth of Samson, he also
declared that this great deliverer would come into the world with a
special commission from the Lord (Jud. 13:5). In that commission, he
was also typical of Christ.

Look at the last sentence of verse five in this thirteenth chapter. “He
shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.”
You know the parallel text in the New Testament. You can all quote
it, I am sure. The Angel who announced the coming of our great
Redeemer said almost the very same thing in Matthew 1:21. Just as
Samson came to deliver Israel from the Philistines, the Son of God
came into this world to save his people from their sins.

Matthew 1:21 “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou
shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people
from their sins.”

IV. Before ever he came into the world, indeed, from all eternity, the
Lord Jesus Christ had a people called his people, the elect of God.

V. The Son of God came specifically to save his people, the Israel of
God, from their sins.

VI. Just as Samson, before he left this world, delivered his people, so
the Lord Jesus, as he was leaving this world, saved his people,
everyone of them, by the sacrifice of himself.

HIS CONSECRATION

IV. Third, Samson was also a type and picture of Christ in his
consecration to God from his mother’s womb, as a Nazarite
(Jud. 13:5-7).
As such he was typical of him of whom all Nazarites and the law of
the Nazarites (Num. 6) spoke. — “Jesus the Nazarene!”

Judges 13:5 “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.”

(Judges 13:7) But he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt

conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor
strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing: for the child
shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his
death.

“A NAZARITE was a man or woman who, under Hebrew law, bound

himself to abstain from wine and all products of the grape, to wear
long, uncut hair, and to observe various forms of purification in the
service of the LORD.” Henry Mahan

You can read about this vow in Numbers 6:1-21. In Samson’s case,
this vow was to be a matter of lifelong consecration to the LORD. So
it was with our blessed Savior who, from his conception in the womb
of the virgin to his last breath upon the cursed tree, did always those
things that pleased and honored his Father. Samson had the vow.
Christ fulfilled it!

WHAT WAS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SAMSON’S LONG HAIR? A

Nazarite was required never to cut his hair. But why? This seems
rather strange to me. The Scriptures give explicit, clear instructions
that a man who wears long hair behaves in a most shameful manner.
The appearance of effeminance in a man is obnoxious to God and
ought to be to us. Why, then, was Samson required to wear long hair
as a Nazarite?

It was a symbol of his consecration to God. In order to be consecrated

to God, he had to be willing to appear before men in a manner that
other people would despise. His long hair, for which he no doubt
suffered much secret mockery as a boy and a man, was the symbol of
his complete surrender to the will of God, a mark of complete
dedication to the Lord and complete separation from the world.

I agree fully with B. A. Ramsbottom, who wrote, “Samson’s strength,

which he received from God, did not literally lie in his hair. It lay in
his separation and sanctification and complete dedication to his God
and Savior.”

Samson’s strength, like our Savior’s strength as a man, was his

consecration to God. What a lesson there is for us in this. Children of
God, here is your strength in this world, consecration to God our
Savior. Let us be true Nazarites to God.

“Emptied of earth I fain would be,

The world, myself, and all but Thee;

Only reserved for Christ that died,

Surrendered to the Crucified!”

HIS CHOICES

IV. The fourth point of comparison, the fourth way in which Samson
was a beautiful, clear, blessed picture of Christ, was in his choices,
particularly his choices in the women he loved.

This otherwise great man seemed to have an insatiable love for

harlots. First, he took a Philistine (Gentile) woman to wife (Jud. 14:1),
in direct violation of God’s law. Next, he went in unto a harlot (Jud.
16:1). Then, he laid his head in the lap of Delilah, who was so well
known as a harlot that the Philistines did not hesitate to ask her to
entice him to her bed (Jud. 16:4).

NOTE: The word translated “woman” here means “a wild, adulteress

woman.” Delilah means “languishing.” Some suggest that Delilah was
a name given to her by the men of the city because of her
reputation.

In Samson’s case, his choice of harlots was a terrible evil, just as was
his choice of a Philistine (Gentile) woman. Both were forbidden by
God’s holy law. Yet, even in this, perhaps most in this, he was a type
of our blessed Savior. I do not see why anyone who knows the grace
of God would object to that, but many do.

A. The Scriptures tell us plainly that this too was of the LORD (Jud.
14:1-4).
 Judges 14:1-4 “And Samson went down to Timnath, and
saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the
Philistines. 2 And he came up, and told his father and his
mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the
daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me
to wife. 3 Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is
there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren,
or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of
the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his
father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well. 4 But his
father and his mother knew not that it was of the
LORD, that he sought an occasion against the
Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion
over Israel.”

Samson did wickedly in choosing the women he chose and suffered

greatly for it. But our great, glorious, sovereign and merciful God
wisely overruled evil for good for the salvation of his people and the
glory of his name (Ps. 76:10).

In much the same way, all that was done by the Jews and the
Romans in crucifying our dear Savior was horribly evil; but it was
indeed of the Lord (Acts 2:23; 4:27-28; 13:27-29).

B. When the Lord Jesus Christ came into this world to get a bride
for himself, he chose publicans, Gentiles, harlots and sinners as
the objects of his love and grace.
 1. In his family tree, by birth, our blessed Lord identified himself
with such.

His grandmothers were Tamar an incestuous adulteress, Rahab the

harlot, Ruth the Moabitess, and Bathsheba an adulteress.

2. This may shock the pants off some good, self-righteous,

religious folks, but I am here today, preaching this message to
you, because my great Samson, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son
of God has, to this day, an insatiable love for harlots like us!

In Samson’s case, this was his greatest shame. In Christ’s case, this is
his greatest honor. You will always find him in the company of
publicans, harlots, and sinners. Can you take your place in this
crowd?

Much more could be said here, but I must move on to show you
another part of this man’s representation of Christ as a type.

HIS CONQUESTS

V. In chapters 14-16 there are numerous pictures of the great power

that Samson possessed. Let me just show you some of his mighty
conquests, which typified the great conquests of our all-glorious
Christ.
A. The Slaughter of the Young Lion (Jud. 14:5-9)

Judges 14:5-9 “Then went Samson down, and his father

and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of
Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared against him. 6
And the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and
he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had
nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother
what he had done. 7 And he went down, and talked with
the woman; and she pleased Samson well. 8 And after a
time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the
carcase of the lion: and, behold, there was a swarm of bees
and honey in the carcase of the lion. 9 And he took thereof
in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his father
and mother, and he gave them, and they did eat: but he
told not them that he had taken the honey out of the
carcase of the lion.”

As Samson rent this lion as a young kid, with nothing but his bare
hands, so the Lord Jesus has crushed the serpent’s head and
destroyed forever our accuser who is as a roaring lion, seeking whom
he may devour.

NOTE: When he comes again to take his bride home, our mighty
Samson will eat honey out of this lion’s carcass, and will give honey
to his Father as well!

B. The Slaughter of a Thousand Philistines with the Jawbone of An

Ass (Jud. 15:15-16)
 Judges 15:15-16 “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.”

Much has been said about this, but nothing better than what I heard
from a preacher when I was just eighteen years old. He said, “The
Lord still uses the jawbones of asses to do his work.” You may think,
“That is not a very complimentary way to talk about preachers.” You
are right. But it is most complimentary of our great Samson. He still
takes men who are as empty, worthless, and useless as an ass’s dried
jawbone and uses them as instruments of great good in his
omnipotent hands!

C. The Slaughter of the Philistines in His Voluntary Death (Jud.

16:28-30)

Judges 16:28-30 “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.”
Like Samson, our great Redeemer…

 Voluntarily laid down his life for us.

 Destroyed forever all those who would destroy us (Sin — Satan —

Death — Hell — and the Grave).

Now, look at chapter sixteen, verses one through three. When our
great Samson died for us, he did what is pictured here.

A. The Carrying Away of the Gates of the City of Gaza (Jud. 16:1-3)

Judges 16:1-3 “Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw

there an harlot, and went in unto her. 2 And it was told the
Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they
compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the
gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, In the
morning, when it is day, we shall kill him. 3 And Samson
lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors
of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away
with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders,
and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before
Hebron.”

Our accusers, those who would condemn us, secured us as prisoners,

and locked us behind the gates of the city of despair. They laid in
wait all night for our Beloved, saying, “In the morning we shall kill
him.” In the case of our Samson, they did kill him. But he awoke on
the third day and carried away the gates of the city (bolt, bar, and
posts!) unto a high mountain.
The gates we are told were ninety feet across. Samson snatched
them out of the ground, carried them on his shoulders up a
mountain next to Hebron, some twenty miles! But, by comparison,
that was nothing!

Our all-glorious Christ was laid in the sepulchre. It was sealed with a
huge stone. Soldiers were appointed to keep watch over the tomb,
while all hell trembled. Yet, at the appointed time, he arose from the
dead, broke the iron bars of death, hell, and the grave, and ascended
up into heaven, and laid claim to GLORY LAND as our Representative
and Forerunner, declaring himself the victorious, all-glorious Son of
God, the Sun of Righteousness arisen with healing under his wings!
And, as my friend, Bro. Larry Brown, put it, “You know what? Under
all that weight and burden of my sin, He never even staggered!”

Application: What more can I say?

Romans 8:31-39 “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.”

AMEN.

[1]
Sermon #1319 A Similar Message
Date: Danville — Sunday Morning — March 29, 1998

Louisville, KY — Redeemer Baptist Church — May 1998

This Message

Bible Baptist Church — Madisonville, KY (PM-02/09/05)

Tape # U-59b

Fulfilling Your Destiny!

 Plain Text File + Related Bible Study + Home Page + Subscribe + Copyright + Cover Letter

By David Wilkerson
July 8, 1996
__________

What is "destiny"? In simple terms, destiny is God's purpose for your life. It is
your appointed or ordained future. Destiny is what God has predetermined you to
be and to become, in His divine will.

I get sad when I read of the many godly men and women in Scripture who missed
their destiny. God chose a destined work or ministry for each of them -- but they
ended up aborting His plan. They started out right, moving for a while in the power
of their calling. But in the end, they died in shame and ruin -- missing God's
destiny for their lives!

So, tell me: Is it possible for such Christians to be so pressed down and troubled, to
be in such despair and despondency, they become convinced they're not going to
make it?

Saul Was a Man Who Missed His Destiny!

God Himself chose Saul to lead Israel out of bondage to the Philistines. When the
prophet Samuel first laid eyes on Saul, the Lord said, "...Behold the man whom I
spake to thee of! this same shall reign over my people" (1 Samuel 9:17). The Lord
was saying, "Take a good look, Samuel. This is the man I have chosen to lead
Israel!"

Samuel didn't choose Saul. Nor did Israel choose him at this time. Rather, God
said, "I have appointed this man!" The Bible says of Saul: "And the Spirit of the
Lord will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy...and shalt be turned into
another man" (10:6).

Indeed, Saul was transformed by God's touch on his life: "...God gave him another
heart..." (verse 9). Then Samuel said something wonderful to him: "...God is with
thee"(verse 7). In other words: "Go with confidence, Saul -- for God is with you!"

Here was a man appointed by God, moved upon by the Holy Spirit, gifted with a
spirit of prophecy, destined by God to lead Israel -- and God was with him. What
more wonderful things could be said about him?
And Saul started out right. For a while he lived his destiny, walking in the fear of
God. He quickly won a great battle against the Ammonites. And the people came
home praising God, saying: "...Who is he that said, Shall Saul reign over us? bring
the men, that we may put them to death. And Saul said, There shall not a man be
put to death this day: for to day the Lord hath wrought salvation in Israel"(11:12-
13).

Saul was appointed king over Israel. Yet, one of the most tragic pictures in all of
Scripture is when this man began to fall apart. He had walked in his destiny for
only a short time -- yet God fully intended that Saul live out his days with the
Lord's blessing. He had desired that Saul be remembered as the man who delivered
Israel from the bondage of the Philistines. But Saul missed his destiny! He began
to disintegrate, caving in to his need for human applause and acceptance. He made
compromises to attain these things -- and he missed the plan God had for him.

It is so sad to see Saul toward the end of is life. As he faced one of Israel's greatest
military battles, his heart smote him with fear. He ended up consulting with the
evil witch of Endor! He told her, "...God is departed from me,and answereth me no
more,neither by prophets, nor by dreams..." (28:15).

By Saul's own confession, God was no longer with him. What a chilling, frightful
thought! A person can be called to a great, divine purpose, walking in God's
blessing and anointing -- and then suddenly go off on a tangent, serving himself
and ending up abandoned by God.

That is the picture of Saul here. This king ended up prostrating himself before a
witch. And he died in shame -- forsaken by God. These words might easily have
been written on his tombstone: "The man who missed his destiny."

Samson Was Another Man Destined to Greatness

for God -- But He Missed His Destiny!

Samson is yet another tragic figure in the Old Testament. His destiny was known
before he was born. According to Scripture, "...he shall begin to deliver Israelout of
the hand of the Philistines"(Judges 13:5).

Angels announced this man's birth, giving his parents detailed instructions on how
to raise him. Samson was to be a Nazarite -- meaning, he was to be given
completely to God's service for his entire lifetime. He was never to drink wine or
cut his hair. And he was never to touch anything dead. He couldn't even go to the
funeral of a near relative.
Samson was raised under strict training. And at a young age he experienced the
moving of God's Spirit upon him: "...the Spirit of the Lord began to move him at
times..."(verse 25).

I know what that is like. The Holy Spirit first moved on me at an old-fashioned
camp meeting when I was eight years old. And He continued to move on me
throughout my teenage years. I would go into my room and pray, and I would feel
God's Spirit come upon me.

I ask you -- what is the first thing the Holy Spirit does when He moves on us? He
convicts of sin, righteousness and judgment. Then He guides, comforts and teaches
us. And He prays through us with cries, groanings, supplications.

You can be sure God's Spirit convicted Samson. And the boy was also taught,
guided and comforted by the Spirit. If you had met Samson when he was just nine
or ten years old, he might have told you, "God said I am someone special. They say
an angel announced my birth. I've had God's Spirit on me, and He has called me to
be a Nazarite. One day I'm going to help Israel become a free country!"

Samson knew he had a destiny. He was born for a purpose -- to begin Israel's
deliverance from bondage to the Philistines! And for twenty years, Samson walked
in the authority of his destiny. He judged Israel. And he harassed the Philistines,
bringing a ray of hope to the nation.

You have to understand here -- Samson's strength was not in his hair, but in the
moving of God's Spirit upon him. Scripture says the Holy Spirit would come upon
Samson, and he would do exploits. Without the Spirit, Samson would have been as
weak as you or I.

God had fully intended to bless the rest of Samson's years with greater victories.
His Spirit would remain upon him to his dying hour. History would say of Samson,
"He was faithful to the end. He did all that God appointed for him -- living and
dying in honor to the Lord. He fulfilled his destiny!"

But not so! Samson aborted his destiny -- because his heart was black with sin! He
kept up an outward holiness, but he chased after harlots. When he went down to
see Delilah, he knowingly flirted with danger. Although the Spirit moved upon
him, this man never allowed the Spirit to touch his inner man. Samson had no truth
dwelling within him.

Here is yet another tragic picture of a man who missed his destiny. After twenty
years of walking in God's calling, Samson began to degenerate. He became a
sensuous man -- and he lost the respect of his own people.
Samson should have lived out his days in dignity, as a vessel of honor. There
should have been one victory after another for this man and for Israel. We should
be able to read of how Samson built strength upon strength, and grew in the power
and anointing of God's Spirit.

Instead, we read of a man who ended up one of the most pitiful weaklings in
biblical history. In the end, we see Samson strapped into a harness like a dumb ox,
grinding away at a Philistine mill. His eyes are gouged out, and he has lost all his
strength. He is the laughingstock of the heathen. And his own people have turned
against him.

Even in his dying day, when Samson brought down the Philistine temple, it was
not a great victory. Why? His desire was all about personal revenge. His prayer
that day wasn't about avenging the name of God. Rather, he prayed, "God, give me
strength one more time -- that I may avenge my eyes!"

Samson died in utter deception, having missed his destiny. His tombstone also
might have read, "The man who missed his destiny."

Solomon Also Was a Man Who Missed His Destiny!

If ever there appeared to be a man of destiny, it was Solomon. He was the wisest,
richest, most respected man of his time. And his destiny was clearly laid out for
him. He would be the king who once and for all rid Israel of idolatry! Solomon
promised both his father and the Lord that he would bring down every idol in the
land.

For a while, Solomon walked in his destiny. At one point, the visiting Queen of
Sheba was breathless at the mere sight of Solomon's reverence as he ascended to
the temple. But something happened in Solomon's life -- and he too missed his
destiny!

This man amassed some 900 wives and concubines, many from other nations. And
to appease them, he built an "embassy row" of heathen temple after heathen
temple. Soon, the man who had been called to rid Israel of idolatry had become an
idolater. He accompanied one wife after another to their temples, bowing before
heathen idols.

Solomon ended up missing his destiny -- a disillusioned, decrepit, immoral man.

He entered eternity crying, "All is vanity and vexation of spirit. It's worthless!"
Like Solomon before him, King Uzziah also missed his destiny. This man had
come to the throne at age sixteen, destined to be one of the greatest kings of Judah.
He received counsel from the prophet Zechariah. He received visions from the
Lord. He was mightily blessed by God.

The Bible says Uzziah sought the Lord -- and God caused him to prosper and
become strong: "And God helped him..."(2 Chronicles 26:7). "...And his name
spread far abroad; for he was marvellously helped, till he was strong"(verse 15).

Except for Solomon, Uzziah had the greatest reputation of any king over Judah. He
was anointed of God. He brought about revival in the land, tearing down idols and
walking according to God's Word. When this bold king rode his chariot down the
streets, he was given awe and respect. He received gifts and tributes from all over
the world.

But, Scripture says: "...when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his
destruction: for he transgressed against the Lord his God, and went into the temple
of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense" (verse 16)

Pride overcame this man of destiny. He wanted to be priest as well as king! In

disobedience, Uzziah entered the temple and began to wave the incense before the
altar. He received a rebuke for this -- and when he pointed an angry finger in
response, his hand immediately began to wither. It suddenly became leprous.
Uzziah had to be cast out of the temple of God!

Oh, the shame of it! One of the greatest, richest kings in Judah's history now had to
be isolated. He was taken to a small house where he spent the rest of his days as a
leper: "And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a
several house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the Lord..."
(verse 21).

Uzziah died in isolation -- cut off from every blessing of God!

When this once-great man died, multitudes should have been gathered around him.
His passing should have been an honor to the Lord's name. Instead, he died a near-
unknown man, his body eaten up with leprosy. Uzziah missed his destiny!

In the Old Testament, Every Person

Had His Own Individual Destiny!

There were as many destinies in the Old Testament as there were kings, priest,
prophets and even ordinary saints. Even the lowliest people -- those called to be
servants, worshipers, shepherds, tentmakers -- had his or her own destiny. And as
we look at their lives, we are to be convicted by them. We are to learn from the
failures of these past saints who either missed or fulfilled their destinies.

But we cannot compare our destiny to that of any person in the Old Testament!
You see, in the New Testament, God has done an entirely new thing. He no longer
measures our destiny as He did those under the Old Covenant. Their lives have
nothing to do with our destiny, since the Cross of Jesus Christ.

At the Cross, God gathered up all the individual destinies of humankind into one
grand purpose -- and He placed them all in His Son: "That in the dispensation of
the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which
are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him" (Ephesians 1:10)..

God gathered up all our destinies in Jesus -- so that His Son would have
preeminence!

Today, there are no more individual destinies, but one destiny for all believers.
Yes, you do have a destiny -- and it is the same as mine. It doesn't matter whether
you're a waitress or the captain of an ocean liner. We have all the same fixed,
predetermined destiny, given to us before the world was formed.

What is this single, grand and glorious destiny given to all last-day saints? The
apostle Paul reveals it to us in the book of Ephesians: "According as he hath
chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and
without blame before him in love: having predestinated us unto the adoption of
children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to
the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the
beloved" (verses 4-6).

God says, in essense: "In the last days, in the fullness of time, I have one divine
purpose. And that is for every follower of Mine to come into adoption by Jesus
Christ -- and to live blameless, as a praise and glory to My name!"

"In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to

the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: that
we should be to the praise of his glory" (verses 11-12).

Our destiny is to be an adopted child of God! We have been adopted by the

heavenly Father -- and the devil no longer has any claim on us. Now we are to live
for our Lord, blameless and holy, by the power of God's Spirit. Our single purpose
on this earth is to live our lives as a praise and glory to Him!
Do you get what Paul is saying here? No person's destiny is measured by his great
works, his achievements and exploits, his special accomplishments. No one's
destiny ultimately is to build successful ministries, institutions or churches.

You might say, "Wait a minute, Brother Dave. Do you mean it wasn't your destiny
to raise up Teen Challenge, the worldwide ministry to drug addicts and alcoholics?
Do you mean it wasn't your destiny to come to New York and start Times Square
Church?"

I thank God He allowed me to be the father of these works. Today there are some
300 Teen Challenge rehab centers worldwide. And now there is also a center of
praise for Jesus on Broadway, at the crossroads of the world. But neither of these
things was my destiny!

My destiny has little to do with the things God has allowed me to do. My destiny
has always been to reach lost souls and bring them into the fullness of Jesus, to the
praise and glory of God. My destiny also was to walk as an adopted son of God --
living before the world blameless, all to His praise and glory.

When I came to New York, nothing changed. My destiny had remained to build up
the body of Christ -- and to walk before the Lord as his adopted son! Some day,
not a single building that our ministry has built will be standing -- not the
incorporated institutions, not the Bible schools, not the rehab houses. They all will
decay and vanish. And when I stand on Judgment Day, I won't be able to take any
of those things with me.

These ministries are simply "burdens of the Lord" that God has allowed us to share
and undertake, while walking in our destiny of doing His perfect will. And I
believe He has blessed these ministries because we have lived in our destiny.

Dear saint, God is not requiring some great accomplishment from you. The Bible
makes this very clear: "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth
the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly
with thy God..." (Micah 6:8).

Paul was very certain about what his destiny was:"...that we may present every
man perfect in Christ Jesus: whereunto I also labour, striving according to his
working, which worketh in me mightily" (Colossians 1:28-29).

This is my destiny as well, as a minister of the Lord. It is that I become conformed

more and more to the image of Jesus -- and that I also see you become more like
Him!

I feel sorry for many of the young ministers who call, write and visit me from all
over the country. Most are striving to live up to a destiny that is an invention of
their own flesh. Some of them pastor small churches, pouring our their hearts in
ministry to their congregations. But then another pastor may come to town and
suddenly build a church of 1,000.

These young men compare themselves to the newcomer, thinking, "Surely I'm
destined to do great things, as he is doing. What's wrong with me? Why am I not
blessed with greater results? He's attracting huge numbers of people -- and I have
only a handful each Sunday." They don't realize -- that is not their destiny! Their
destiny is to get to know Christ better -- to have God's hand on them -- to walk
blameless before Him in their city. The man with true power is the one who has a
personal knowledge of Christ!

I see many Christian musicians striving to find a little acclaim, hoping their destiny
is to write that one hit song that will put them over the top. Likewise, many
Christian writers want to produce that one, great book. And many Christian
businesspeople look for the big break that will distinguish them in their field.

But, beloved, if you're going to walk in your destiny, the only thing that will set
you apart is your desire to surpass all others in the knowledge of Jesus. No one will
spend more time alone with Him than you; no one will accept his wonderful
adoption more eagerly than you. That is greatness!

I Want to Talk Now About the Destiny of

Wives and Mothers -- and of Husbands and Fathers!

I am talking now not to ministers, but to laypeople. I want to show you what it
means to fulfill your fixed destiny!

Christian, it doesn't matter how successful you are outside your home. You are
missing your destiny if you are not becoming more and more like Jesus in your
household. If you are not becoming sweeter, more loving and considerate to your
family -- if you are not growing in the love and knowledge of Christ at home -- you
are not fulfilling your destiny!

Wives and mothers: Before the world existed, God foresaw you in this present
place and time. He knew what your address would be. And He had a
predetermined plan for your life!

At times you may say to yourself, "I'm just a housewife. All I do is cook, clean the
house and raise my kids. How can that be destiny?" But you do not understand
how important your place is in God. You are a great success in His eyes if you can
stand before Him one day and present your children to Him in righteousness!

God has always known how many children He would loan you. He knew their
names and personalities. He numbered their body members and hairs. And he
destined you to raise them in a home filled with the power and presence of Jesus!
Your children are not toys or live-in dolls. They are an investment God has
entrusted to you. They are part of your destiny!

I ask you: Do your children say to your neighbor's kids, "My mother prays for me.
She's sweet to me." Or do they say, "Oh, boy, there she goes again -- yelling her
head off!" Does your husband look at you with great respect? Does he tell you,
"We may have our differences -- but I always feel you want to heal, not divide.
You always run to prayer!"

Your destiny is to raise your children in a home where prayer is commonplace --

where your life and marriage are a praise and glory to the God!

Husbands and fathers: Can you imagine your wife saying of you, "My husband is
human. He makes mistakes. But he is a praying man -- and he is constantly
becoming more like Jesus! He practices what he preaches. I know -- because every
day he's kinder to me, gentler, more considerate of my needs."

I am not boasting here. But it was one of the great thrills of my life to hear my wife
say, "David has a temper, but he's working on it. I don't care what anybody says --
I know he walks with God." I hope that can be said of me to my dying day. That is
destiny!

Many preachers' wives have told Gwen and me, "It's all I can do to sit in church
and listen to my husband preach. He's always smiling out at the congregation -- but
he's selfish and mean to me at home. Sometimes I just want to scream!"

I know of one minister who did great works for God. He wrote many wonderful
books. He built institutions at home and overseas. He was in demand as a speaker
all over the world. He was called a man of faith and vision -- a man of destiny.

But one day his son, a young minister, called me, crestfallen. He said, "Brother
David, I'm so hurt. My dad isn't what people think he is. He doesn't know how to
tell the truth! Most of the stories he tells about miracles are lies. When I
approached him about it, he admitted it to me. But he won't quit!"

I ended up talking to the father. He told me, "Yes, David, I'm a habitual liar. I don't
even know what the truth is anymore." I prayed with the man -- but there was no
change. His son called me later to say things were only getting worse. His father
apparently had committed himself to his sin.
This man is not a man of destiny. When he stands before the Lord at the judgment,
all of his works will burn; all of his writings will judge him. None of those things
was ever his destiny. Rather, his destiny was to become more like Jesus -- to grow
in holiness, righteousness, purity, with no lies. He may boast about being a "man of
destiny." But he has missed his true destiny!

So many Christians are striving to accomplish wonderful things for God. But the
Lord boils it all down to this simple thing: Are you changing from glory to glory?
Are you becoming more like Jesus? "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" (Romans 8:29).

On Judgment Day, not one word will be said of mighty works. There will be no
notice of personal fame, success or human accomplishments. Instead, the question
will be: Did you grow in Christ? Did you allow the Holy Spirit to teach you to
serve others, to give up your rights? What were you like at home?

So, dear saint -- are you fulfilling your destiny? Are you more like Jesus this year
than you were last year? Is your marriage growing or deteriorating? Do your
children see you as tender and kind, or as a grouch? Do the people who know you
see the love of Christ in you?

What will be written on your tombstone: "The man who missed his destiny"? Or,
"The man who walked humbly with his God"?

Sermon #1607[1] Miscellaneous Notes

Title: SAMSON AS A TYPE OF CHRIST

Text: Judges 13-16

Subject: Samson as a Type of Christ

Reading: Judges 13:1-25

Introduction:
I hardly know where to begin this message. If I had a couple of hours
to preach, I would like to simply begin in Judges 13, read through
chapter sixteen, and preach the whole life of this great man, Samson,
who is named by God the Holy Spirit as one of the great heroes of
faith in Hebrews 11. But, you will be relieved to know, I do not plan
to preach for two hours. So that is out of the question.

TYPICAL OF BELIEVERS

Without question, Samson was a man of remarkable faith,

remarkable strength, and remarkable weaknesses. As such he stands
as a vivid example of believers in this world. When preachers preach
about him and Sunday School teachers teach about him, he is held
up as an example of what we ought not be and do. We have all heard
sermons from Judges 16
about the binding, blinding, grinding power of sin. Such sermons are
certainly proper, legitimate uses of Samson’s life story.

But I am convinced that there is much more to be found in this story.

I want to preach to you about Samson as a type and picture of our
Lord Jesus Christ. That statement in itself will be shocking to some. I
recognize that this man was not a perfect type of Christ, any more
than the paschal lamb was. The fact is, there are no perfect types of
our Savior. All fall far short of giving us a perfect picture of our great
Redeemer. That is precisely the reason so many are given. But
Samson (like Adam, Moses, David, and Solomon) stands before us in
the Word of God as a very vivid type of our great Savior. So, let’s look
at this great deliverer of Israel, as he is set before us in Judges 13-16
as a type of our blessed Savior, the great Deliverer of Israel, the Lord
Jesus Christ. We will begin in Judges 14:1.

Judges 14:1 “And Samson went down to Timnath, and

saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the
Philistines.”

Proposition: In his birth, in his life, and in his death, Samson

portrayed our Lord Jesus Christ in many ways.

Divisions: Stay with me, here in Judges 13-16. I want to show you an
obvious fivefold comparison of Samson and the Lord Jesus Christ, our
great Savior. Samson was a type and picture of Christ in…

1. His Coming.

2. His Commission.

3. His Consecration.

4. His Choices.

5. His Conquests.

HIS COMING

IV. First, Samson was typical of our great Savior in his coming in to
this world. He was born to deliver Israel.
Many things about Samson’s birth, his coming into this world, show
him to be a type of our Lord Jesus Christ in his birth.

In chapter thirteen, we read how that “the Angel of

the LORD” appeared to Manoah and his wife. This “Angel” who
appeared in the form of a man, was none other than the Lord Jesus
Christ himself, in one of his special, pre-incarnate appearances. It
was Christ himself who graciously appeared to Manoah and his wife
and promised that Samson would be born to this barren woman.

A. Like our Savior’s, Samson’s birth was miraculous.

1. His mother was barren.

2. He was the special gift of God.

3. His birth was accomplished by divine intervention.

A. Samson’s birth was also foretold by an Angel of the LORD.

Just as the angel came to Mary first and then to her husband Joseph,
so here the Angel of the LORD came first to Manoah’s wife and then
to him.

B. Everything about Samson, everything about his birth, his life,

and his death, was intimately connected with three things.
If you miss everything else I say in this message, be sure you do not
miss this. Everything about Samson, and everything about Christ was
intimately connected with a promise, a sacrifice, and a name.

A PROMISE

1. Samson was born, lived and died according to the merciful

promise and purpose of God to save his people (Jud. 13:5).

Judges 13:5 “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.”

So it was with our Lord Jesus Christ. He came into this world on an
errand of mercy, to save his people, because God promised eternal
life to his elect before the world began (2 Tim. 1:1; Tit. 1:2).

2 Timothy 1:1 “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the

will of God, according to the promise of life which is in
Christ Jesus,”

Titus 1:2 “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot
lie, promised before the world began;”

A NAME
 2. Everything about this man was related to and for the glory of
the name by which the Angel of the LORD revealed himself to
Manoah and his wife (Jud. 13:18).

Judges 13:18 “And the angel of the LORD said unto him,
Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?”

If you look in the marginal reference of your Bible, you will notice
that the word “secret” here is really “WONDERFUL.”

You know whose name that is. It belongs to our Savior (Isa. 9:6), for
whom and by whom all things are. Everything is designed to bring
honor and glory to the Lord Jesus Christ, our Samson, whose name is
Wonderful. Most particularly, the work of redemption and salvation is
to the praise, honor and glory of his Wonderful name (Rev. 4 and 5).

V. It is his name which is the name of salvation (Acts 4:12).

VI. It is in his name that we are accepted of God and forgiven (Eph.
4:32; Rom. 12:1-3; 1 Pet. 2:5).

A SACRIFICE

1. Everything Samson was and did for Israel was connected with,
arose from, and pointed to a sacrifice (Jud. 13:19-21).

Judges 13:19-21 “So Manoah took a kid with a meat

offering, and offered it upon a rock unto the LORD: and
 the angel did wonderously; and Manoah and his wife
looked on. 20 For it came to pass, when the flame went up
toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the
LORD ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and
his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground.
21 But the angel of the LORD did no more appear to
Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was
an angel of the LORD.”

There is no difficulty determining what this refers to. It speaks of the

great, sin-atoning sacrifice of our Samson, our all-glorious Christ,
when he laid down his life for us at Calvary.

VII. The offering Manoah made, the slain lamb, is a picture of Christ,
the Lamb of God who was sacrificed for us.

VIII. Once the sacrifice was made to the LORD, “the Angel did
wondrously.” Once justice was satisfied by the precious blood of
the Son of God, our crucified Savior did a wondrous thing. He was
resurrected from the grave.

IX. Next, we are told that the Angel of the Lord “ascended in the
flame of the altar.” Even so, our great Savior ascended up into
heaven, obtained eternal redemption for us, and took his seat at
the right hand of the Majesty on high by the merit of his
sacrifice, “in the flame of the altar!”
HIS COMMISSION

X. Second, Samson was typical of our blessed Savior in his

commission from God as the deliverer of Israel.

When the Angel of the LORD announced the birth of Samson, he also
declared that this great deliverer would come into the world with a
special commission from the Lord (Jud. 13:5). In that commission, he
was also typical of Christ.

Look at the last sentence of verse five in this thirteenth chapter. “He
shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.”

You know the parallel text in the New Testament. You can all quote
it, I am sure. The Angel who announced the coming of our great
Redeemer said almost the very same thing in Matthew 1:21. Just as
Samson came to deliver Israel from the Philistines, the Son of God
came into this world to save his people from their sins.

Matthew 1:21 “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou
shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people
from their sins.”

IV. Before ever he came into the world, indeed, from all eternity, the
Lord Jesus Christ had a people called his people, the elect of God.
V. The Son of God came specifically to save his people, the Israel of
God, from their sins.

VI. Just as Samson, before he left this world, delivered his people, so
the Lord Jesus, as he was leaving this world, saved his people,
everyone of them, by the sacrifice of himself.

HIS CONSECRATION

IV. Third, Samson was also a type and picture of Christ in his
consecration to God from his mother’s womb, as a Nazarite
(Jud. 13:5-7).

As such he was typical of him of whom all Nazarites and the law of
the Nazarites (Num. 6) spoke. — “Jesus the Nazarene!”

Judges 13:5 “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.”

(Judges 13:7) But he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt

conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor
strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing: for the child
shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his
death.

“A NAZARITE was a man or woman who, under Hebrew law, bound

himself to abstain from wine and all products of the grape, to wear
long, uncut hair, and to observe various forms of purification in the
service of the LORD.” Henry Mahan

You can read about this vow in Numbers 6:1-21. In Samson’s case,
this vow was to be a matter of lifelong consecration to the LORD. So
it was with our blessed Savior who, from his conception in the womb
of the virgin to his last breath upon the cursed tree, did always those
things that pleased and honored his Father. Samson had the vow.
Christ fulfilled it!

WHAT WAS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SAMSON’S LONG HAIR? A

Nazarite was required never to cut his hair. But why? This seems
rather strange to me. The Scriptures give explicit, clear instructions
that a man who wears long hair behaves in a most shameful manner.
The appearance of effeminance in a man is obnoxious to God and
ought to be to us. Why, then, was Samson required to wear long hair
as a Nazarite?

It was a symbol of his consecration to God. In order to be consecrated

to God, he had to be willing to appear before men in a manner that
other people would despise. His long hair, for which he no doubt
suffered much secret mockery as a boy and a man, was the symbol of
his complete surrender to the will of God, a mark of complete
dedication to the Lord and complete separation from the world.

I agree fully with B. A. Ramsbottom, who wrote, “Samson’s strength,

which he received from God, did not literally lie in his hair. It lay in
his separation and sanctification and complete dedication to his God
and Savior.”
Samson’s strength, like our Savior’s strength as a man, was his
consecration to God. What a lesson there is for us in this. Children of
God, here is your strength in this world, consecration to God our
Savior. Let us be true Nazarites to God.

“Emptied of earth I fain would be,

The world, myself, and all but Thee;

Only reserved for Christ that died,

Surrendered to the Crucified!”

HIS CHOICES

IV. The fourth point of comparison, the fourth way in which Samson
was a beautiful, clear, blessed picture of Christ, was in his choices,
particularly his choices in the women he loved.

This otherwise great man seemed to have an insatiable love for

harlots. First, he took a Philistine (Gentile) woman to wife (Jud. 14:1),
in direct violation of God’s law. Next, he went in unto a harlot (Jud.
16:1). Then, he laid his head in the lap of Delilah, who was so well
known as a harlot that the Philistines did not hesitate to ask her to
entice him to her bed (Jud. 16:4).
NOTE: The word translated “woman” here means “a wild, adulteress
woman.” Delilah means “languishing.” Some suggest that Delilah was
a name given to her by the men of the city because of her
reputation.

In Samson’s case, his choice of harlots was a terrible evil, just as was
his choice of a Philistine (Gentile) woman. Both were forbidden by
God’s holy law. Yet, even in this, perhaps most in this, he was a type
of our blessed Savior. I do not see why anyone who knows the grace
of God would object to that, but many do.

A. The Scriptures tell us plainly that this too was of the LORD (Jud.
14:1-4).

Judges 14:1-4 “And Samson went down to Timnath, and

saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the
Philistines. 2 And he came up, and told his father and his
mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the
daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me
to wife. 3 Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is
there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren,
or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of
the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his
father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well. 4 But his
father and his mother knew not that it was of the
LORD, that he sought an occasion against the
Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion
over Israel.”
Samson did wickedly in choosing the women he chose and suffered
greatly for it. But our great, glorious, sovereign and merciful God
wisely overruled evil for good for the salvation of his people and the
glory of his name (Ps. 76:10).

In much the same way, all that was done by the Jews and the
Romans in crucifying our dear Savior was horribly evil; but it was
indeed of the Lord (Acts 2:23; 4:27-28; 13:27-29).

B. When the Lord Jesus Christ came into this world to get a bride
for himself, he chose publicans, Gentiles, harlots and sinners as
the objects of his love and grace.

1. In his family tree, by birth, our blessed Lord identified himself

with such.

His grandmothers were Tamar an incestuous adulteress, Rahab the

harlot, Ruth the Moabitess, and Bathsheba an adulteress.

2. This may shock the pants off some good, self-righteous,

religious folks, but I am here today, preaching this message to
you, because my great Samson, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son
of God has, to this day, an insatiable love for harlots like us!

In Samson’s case, this was his greatest shame. In Christ’s case, this is
his greatest honor. You will always find him in the company of
publicans, harlots, and sinners. Can you take your place in this
crowd?

Much more could be said here, but I must move on to show you
another part of this man’s representation of Christ as a type.

HIS CONQUESTS

V. In chapters 14-16 there are numerous pictures of the great power

that Samson possessed. Let me just show you some of his mighty
conquests, which typified the great conquests of our all-glorious
Christ.

A. The Slaughter of the Young Lion (Jud. 14:5-9)

Judges 14:5-9 “Then went Samson down, and his father

and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of
Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared against him. 6
And the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and
he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had
nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother
what he had done. 7 And he went down, and talked with
the woman; and she pleased Samson well. 8 And after a
time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the
carcase of the lion: and, behold, there was a swarm of bees
and honey in the carcase of the lion. 9 And he took thereof
in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his father
and mother, and he gave them, and they did eat: but he
told not them that he had taken the honey out of the
carcase of the lion.”
As Samson rent this lion as a young kid, with nothing but his bare
hands, so the Lord Jesus has crushed the serpent’s head and
destroyed forever our accuser who is as a roaring lion, seeking whom
he may devour.

NOTE: When he comes again to take his bride home, our mighty
Samson will eat honey out of this lion’s carcass, and will give honey
to his Father as well!

B. The Slaughter of a Thousand Philistines with the Jawbone of An

Ass (Jud. 15:15-16)

Judges 15:15-16 “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.”

Much has been said about this, but nothing better than what I heard
from a preacher when I was just eighteen years old. He said, “The
Lord still uses the jawbones of asses to do his work.” You may think,
“That is not a very complimentary way to talk about preachers.” You
are right. But it is most complimentary of our great Samson. He still
takes men who are as empty, worthless, and useless as an ass’s dried
jawbone and uses them as instruments of great good in his
omnipotent hands!
C. The Slaughter of the Philistines in His Voluntary Death (Jud.
16:28-30)

Judges 16:28-30 “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.”

Like Samson, our great Redeemer…

 Voluntarily laid down his life for us.

 Destroyed forever all those who would destroy us (Sin — Satan —

Death — Hell — and the Grave).

Now, look at chapter sixteen, verses one through three. When our
great Samson died for us, he did what is pictured here.

A. The Carrying Away of the Gates of the City of Gaza (Jud. 16:1-3)
 Judges 16:1-3 “Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw
there an harlot, and went in unto her. 2 And it was told the
Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they
compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the
gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, In the
morning, when it is day, we shall kill him. 3 And Samson
lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors
of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away
with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders,
and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before
Hebron.”

Our accusers, those who would condemn us, secured us as prisoners,

and locked us behind the gates of the city of despair. They laid in
wait all night for our Beloved, saying, “In the morning we shall kill
him.” In the case of our Samson, they did kill him. But he awoke on
the third day and carried away the gates of the city (bolt, bar, and
posts!) unto a high mountain.

The gates we are told were ninety feet across. Samson snatched
them out of the ground, carried them on his shoulders up a
mountain next to Hebron, some twenty miles! But, by comparison,
that was nothing!

Our all-glorious Christ was laid in the sepulchre. It was sealed with a
huge stone. Soldiers were appointed to keep watch over the tomb,
while all hell trembled. Yet, at the appointed time, he arose from the
dead, broke the iron bars of death, hell, and the grave, and ascended
up into heaven, and laid claim to GLORY LAND as our Representative
and Forerunner, declaring himself the victorious, all-glorious Son of
God, the Sun of Righteousness arisen with healing under his wings!
And, as my friend, Bro. Larry Brown, put it, “You know what? Under
all that weight and burden of my sin, He never even staggered!”

Application: What more can I say?

Romans 8:31-39 “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.”

AMEN.

[1]
Sermon #1319 A Similar Message
Date: Danville — Sunday Morning — March 29, 1998
 Louisville, KY — Redeemer Baptist Church — May 1998

This Message

Bible Baptist Church — Madisonville, KY (PM-02/09/05)

Tape # U-59b