In the thrilling climax of the 2013 Superman movie “Man of Steel”, United States Air Force Officer Colonel Hardy (not to be confused with Messiah member Matt Harding) faces off against the genetically enhanced Kryptonian warrior Faora. Colonel Hardy faces his vastly superior opponent with nothing but a blade in his hand. Faora, recognizing his bravery in the face of certain death, tells him, “a good death is its own reward”. Predictably Colonel Hardy due to the impeccable timing of Superman escapes death at Faora’s hands. That is until a few scenes latter when Colonel Hardy once again faces Faora, but this time instead of a blade he is holding the yoke of a C130 in his hand and is piloting it into the Kryptonian command ship. Before making a sacrifice that will save the people of planet earth Colonel Hardy reinterprets Faora’s phrase and says, “a good death is its own reward”.
I am fully aware of how big of a nerd I am. As I was writing this introduction It dawned on me that I need to read more books, but the concept of dying a good death is not limited to comic book heroes. Warriors, throughout history, have sought a good death. From the ancient Greeks depicted in Homer’s Iliad and the Vikings of Norse antiquity to the modern-day Marine, it seems all warriors desire a good death. But what does that mean? For the Kryptonian Faora it meant a death that brought honor and glory to self. For Colonel Hardy it meant sacrifice in the service to others. What does a “good death” mean to you?
Today I want to explore the concept of a good death. To guide us in our discussion we are going to take a look at the death of Samson, the last of the Israelite Judges and one of the greatest warriors of all time. The death of Samson is recorded for us in Judges 16:23-31.
As you read through the book of Judges the phrase “the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD” is sadly repeated seven times. Each time there follows a period of oppression intended to bring the Israelites to repentance. Once the Israelites begin to repent of the evil they have done, the LORD provides a judge to deliver them from the oppressor.
The last oppressors mentioned in the book of Judges are the Philistines. The Philistines are the ancient antagonists of the Israelites. They inhabited the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea along the western borders of the promised land. It is thought that they were the descendants of the Greeks, which would explain their mastery of the sea and their subsequent worship of the fish god Dagon and also their desire for conquest and control over the Israelites.
For forty years the Israelites have been oppressed by the Philistines when the preincarnate Christ appears to Manoah and announces that she will give birth to a son who will “begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”[1] Manoah is told her son is to be a Nazarite from birth; that is he is not permitted to come into contact with a dead body, have fermented drink, nor cut his hair. These outward observances would serve as symbols that the boy was set aside for service to the LORD.
No doubt there was a great deal of excitement that surrounded this promised deliverer, which is why Manoah gives him the name Samson which means sunshine. Samson was to be a ray of hope for the oppressed people of Israel. However, Manoah’s little sunny boy didn’t shine so brightly. To the disappointment of his parents and in disobedience to God’s command not to marry among people from the pagan nations[2], Samson falls in lust with a Philistine girl and proceeds to marry her. On his way to the wedding Samson scoops honey out of the dead body of a lion, thus breaking the first observance of his Nazarite vow. While at the wedding, Samson “made a feast, as was customary for bridegrooms”[3]; meaning he threw a drinking party and thereby broke the second observance of his Nazarite vow.
Shock and surprise Samson’s marriage, that was founded on lust for a pagan woman, did not last. It ended badly and when I say badly, I mean scorched earth and burnt bride badly. In defense of his honor Samson ties torches to the tails of 300 foxes and burns down the grain field of the Philistines. In response to the burned grain fields, the Philistines burn Samson’s bride to death. Samson retaliates to this insult by killing 1,000 Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey and then gloats about it saying, “with a donkey’s jawbone I have made donkeys of them”[4]. (feel free to insert a modern translation to get the full effect of the insult)
Sadly, Samson learns nothing from this encounter. Rather, in the next chapter we see Samson seeking comfort from a pagan prostitute named Delilah. No doubt he impressed her when he taunted the townspeople of Gaza by ripping their gate from its foundation and carrying it to the top of a nearby hill. However, like his previous relationship, this one also ends badly, well not for Delilah, she walks away with about half a million dollars. Delilah gains a great deal form this relationship, but Samson gains nothing, in fact, he loses almost everything. Delilah convinces Samson to tell her the secret of his strength. Samson tells her how his hair has never been cut out of observance to his Nazarite vow which showed him to be a servant of the LORD. Well, as you know, the first chance Delilah gets she cuts Samson’s hair, thus breaking the third and final observance of his Nazarite vow.
Before we see what happens to Samson, lets pause to consider that up to this point, we have seen Samson do some amazing things, but did you notice who he did them for? Samson who was set apart for service to the LORD has spent his life in service to himself. He burnt the Philistine grainfields in defense of his own honor. He slaughtered a 1,000 Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey for his own satisfaction. He tore down the gate at Gaza for his own amusement. Up to this point any service Solomon has given to the LORD has been secondary to the service of self.
Y’all know where I am headed with this, right? I have to ask, the life you have been living, have you been living it in service to the LORD or have you been living it in service to self? If you aren’t sure, it’s not difficult to figure out. Just think about your relationship with possessions, pleasures, and people. Your relationship with possessions is the easy one. Do you exhaust your efforts in the pursuit of possessions; meaning do you care more about your house, car, or clothing than you do about serving the LORD? Next examine your relationship with pleasure. You see possessions aren’t the only idols that tempt people away from service to the LORD. Less obvious but just as damnable is the pursuit of pleasure that comes from an experience, activity, or event. Ask yourself, do you pursue pleasure over service to the LORD. Finally, examine your relationship with people. This is perhaps the most subtle of self-services. I think our self-service is seen more often when it comes to our relationships with people than it does to possessions and pleasures. Ask yourself, what are you willing to do in order to gain the admiration, approval, and praise of people. Are you more concerned about what people think of you than you are about serving the LORD?
As I asked myself those questions, I must confess I found that I had a great deal in common with the self-serving Samson. Which is concerning because self-service didn’t turn out well for Samson. Having shown himself unwilling to serve anyone but himself, the LORD left Samson to himself. Without the LORD Samson was easily captured by the Philistines. In Judges 16:21 we are told, “the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding in the prison.” In his commentary on the book of Judges, Dr. John Lawrenz describes the irony of Samson’s situation like this, “He who had made donkeys of the Philistines at Lehi was a donkey. He who carried away the gates at Gaza was locked in prison. He who set fire to the standing grain of the Philistines was making flour for their bread.”
As our text for today begins, the self-serving Samson is at his lowest point. But, as is often the case when we are at our lowest, the LORD is at work on Samson’s heart. Though Samson could not see, the LORD allowed him to hear what his life of self-service had accomplished. In verses 23-24 we read, “23 Now the rulers of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to celebrate, saying, “Our god has delivered Samson, our enemy, into our hands.” 24 When the people saw him, they praised their god, saying, “Our god has delivered our enemy into our hands, the one who laid waste our land and multiplied our slain.” From the mouths of pagans, Samson heard shouts of “halleluiah” addressed, not to the God of Israel but, to the Philistine fish god Dagon. Not only had his life of self-service brought shame to himself but it provided the pagans an opportunity for blasphemy. My dear friends, it would be naive of us to think that our lives of self-service will have a different result.
The LORD allowed Samson to hear what his life of self-service had accomplished, and what Samson heard brought him to repentance. In verse 28 Samson prayed, “O Sovereign LORD, remember me. O God, please strengthen me…” Samson prays to his “Sovereign”, in so doing he acknowledges his position as that of a servant and finds his purpose in service to the LORD who is ruler of heaven and earth. Samson prays to LORD, using the name of the covenant God who set his people free from slavery and delivered them from death, Samson asks to be “remembered”. Samson knows his sins have driven the LORD away; he knows he deserve to be grouped with those who stand outside knocking and pleading, “Sir open the door for us”[5]. Only to hear the LORD say, “I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!”[6] Before it is too late, before the door is closed, Samson asked the God of grace to remember him. Finally, Samson prays to be “strengthened”. He asks for the honor and opportunity to live his life in service no longer to himself, but rather, in service to the LORD. Samson’s prayer for forgiveness is short but sweet, which is fortunate for those of us who so often have an occasion to pray it ourselves.
The LORD heard Samson’s prayer. For the sake of the Savior the LORD remembered Samson and forgave his sin. Additionally, the LORD allowed Samson one last opportunity to serve and in verses 29-30 we see that Samson made the most of that opportunity. There we read, “29 Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other, 30 Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus, he killed many more when he died than while he lived.” All the secondary service Samson had offered the LORD up to this point was nothing compared to what he was able to accomplish when service to the LORD became his primary focus. The five lords of the Philistine pentapolis along with their military strategists, political leaders, and wealthiest citizens were all buried under the rubble of the pagan temple. Though they would continue to afflict the Israelites to the time of the kings, the Philistines never really recovered from this. Samson’s sacrifice in service to the LORD was, for the Philistines, the beginning of the end. Samson may not have lived a good life, but by the grace and mercy of the Sovereign LORD, Samson had a good death.
Considering what Samson was able to accomplish at the moment of his death, can you imagine what Samson could have accomplished if had lived his life in service to the LORD? Maybe we don’t have to imagine it. Maybe we can find out for ourselves. Maybe we don’t have to wait till the end of our lives to make service to our LORD a priority. The LORD has preserved the account of Samson to warn us about the self-serving life. He has called us to repentance and for the sake of His Son our Savior Jesus the LORD has chosen to forgive our sins. All this has been done for us while we still have days, weeks, months, years, decades of life before us. Why not see what can be accomplished when we make service to the LORD our top priority? We can worry about what it means to have a good death latter. Let us focus our attention on having a good life; a life that is lived not for self but a life that is lived for the LORD. Let our lives be more reflective of the way Samson died than the way he lived. O God please strengthen us to this end. Amen.
[1] Judges 13:5
[2] Deuteronomy 7:1-6
[3] Judges 14:10
[4] Judges 15:16
[5] Luke 13:25
[6] Luke 13:27