HE’S NO HERCULES

Judges 16:20 KJV

And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him.

Of all of those Bible stories children get to hear, none likely are more exciting than the story of the Bible’s original strong man, Samson.

Even today, stories of strong men fire up the imagination:

·       Superman, more powerful than a locomotive

·       Arnold Schwarzeneggar ("Hasta La Vista, Baby!") or

·       Hercules, The legendary Journeys

Hercules is probably the legendary strong man most similar to Samson.

Half man and half god, the stories surrounding Hercules occur in roughly the same period of time and Samson lived.

Because mythical Hercules was half god he possessed great strength but because his mother was a human he also possessed weaknesses and fell into temptations.

As much as a person might want to equate the two, Samson was no Hercules.[1]

Hercules is a myth, a legendary figure who

·       never was,

·       never lived and whose existence

·       could never have been.

He is a fictional character they make movies and cartoons about.

Samson, on the other hand, was a historical person who actually lived. His parents were real. His “adventures” were real.

I have very little against using imagination.

I think it can be fun – it can help a person develop the discipline and abilities to think up inventions that don’t exist yet.

·       Aren’t you glad somebody imagined a world with lightbulbs?

·       Aren’t you glad somebody thought, what if we could talk to people who are in the room with us?

·       Aren’t you glad somebody asked, “What would happen if we strapped some kind of motor on top of four round things and let it carry us places”?

I have nothing at all against using our imaginations.

But I do draw this line; nothing in the Bible is a work of imagination.

Hercules is a work of man’s imagination

Samson is a man who really lived a long time ago

I want to tell his story under three headings:

I. SAMSON’S PARENTS

Judges 13:2-3 KJV

And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not.

And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.

This was a certain man named Manoah

• He was from the tribe of Dan and
• His father was a man named Zorah

We do not know his mother’s name, but we do know that Manoah and she had some heartache and pain; she had not been able to have any children.

There comes a day when the angel of the Lord announced to the two of them that they would have a baby.

They were given very specific instructions on the raising of that baby.

·       God had a purpose for him and

·       They were to help prepare him for that purpose

One of the lessons in the account of Samson is for parents.

·       Every parent ought to consider every child a gift from God

·       Every parent ought to realize that every child has a purpose from God and

·       Every parent ought to raise their children to prepare them to meet that purpose

God has some very specific instructions for parents today.

We are to raise our children in the nurture and the admonition of the Lord.

·       We are to raise them to be unlike this world and

·       We are to raise them not to like this world

The instructions God gave Samson’s parents would have made him completely different than anyone around him.

·       He did not look the same

·       He did not enjoy the same foods

There were things that Samson’s parents taught him that never left him.

In the end, Samson demonstrated the same faith as his mom and dad

But Mom and Dad could not make him believe.

·       They could keep certain food away from him

·       They could force him to dress and look a particular way

But they could not make him believe anything.

I think one of the mistakes his parents made was in expecting that making him conform to what the angel told them, would make him believe what the angel told them.

Our job as parents is much more involved than:

·       Making our kids come to church

·       Making our kids memorize verses

·       Making our kids behave a certain way

·       Expecting our kids to say a prayer for salvation

One of the most important things we do is teach our kids why we believe.

·       It is easy to teach them to act a certain way when we are around

·       It is much more difficult to show them that our actions are a reflection of what we believe.

II. SAMSON’S POWER

There are five powerful things that Samson did in his lifetime”

A. Killed a lion with his bare hands

Judges 14:5-6 KJV

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.

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.

B. Killed thirty men in combat

Judges 14:19 KJV

And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave change of garments unto them which expounded the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father's house.

C. Caught 300 foxes and tied their tails together

Judges 15:4-5 KJV

And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between two tails.

And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into the standing corn of the Philistines, and burnt up both the shocks, and also the standing corn, with the vineyards and olives.

D. Killed 1000 enemies with the jawbone of an ass

Judges 15:13-15 KJV

And they spake unto him, saying, No; but we will bind thee fast, and deliver thee into their hand: but surely we will not kill thee. And they bound him with two new cords, and brought him up from the rock.

And when he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him: and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and the cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands.

And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew a thousand men therewith.

E. Pulled down a building by himself

Judges 16:28-30 KJV

And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.

And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left.

And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. 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.

There is only one of these that is so super human that only Samson ever did it – that is when he pulled down the building on himself.

·       King David killed both a lion and a bear with his bare hands

·       David’s 37 mighty men did many of the things Samson did

III. SAMSON’S PROBLEM

Judges 16:20 KJV

And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him.

I believe Samson’s problem is one that a lot of people I know have.

·       It is a problem that would have destroyed the whole nation of Israel except for the grace of God

·       It is especially a problem among those who view themselves a successful

Samson really believed he was someone special.

·       He thought he was strong

·       He thought he could never be beaten

·       He thought God would always bless him

Samson forgot that, unless the Lord was with him, he was no different than anyone else.

·       He forgot to seek the Lord in his life

·       He forgot to obey God

·       He forgot to do right

He just assumed that he could do anything he wanted and nothing bad could ever happen to him.

His own pride destroyed him.

Listen and I am through:

The only thing special about any of us is what God has given us.

We have no reason to be proud or to think of ourselves more highly than other people.

So:

·       Every day we ought to wake up and thank God that we have that day.

·       Every day we ought to read the Bible and learn what God’s Word is to us

·       Every day we ought to hear from those spiritual leaders God has given to us

·       Every day we ought to remember to obey the Lord and

·       Every day we ought to take the time to make sure that the Spirit of the Lord is with us

---

[1] He isn’t like Jesus either.

·       Hercules was said to be half god and half man.

·       Jesus is all God and all man.

WHEN LIBERTY WAS LOST

Genesis 3:1-10 

Though the great majority of people who moved from Europe to this continent in the 1600’s did so fleeing religious oppression and hoping for the freedom to worship God according to the dictates of their own consciences, each of them came to this new land to charter a government authorized by England 

          

and each of them prided themselves in being English free men. 

The fact was, they were not so free as they imagined:
Each colony except Rhode Island and Pennsylvania forced the inhabitants to worship God according to the dictates of their own charter and there was very much persecution of those dwelling in those colonies who worshiped some way other than the charter allowed. 

                                                                              

Baptists were persecuted from Massachusetts all the way down to South Carolina. 

Baptists were never free men on this continent until after the signing of the Bill of Rights. 

But the majority of the inhabitants of the colonies considered themselves English free men. 

And the English prided themselves on being free men. 

                                                                                                                                    

You have to consider that those in the American colonies fought to be thought of on equal footing as their brothers and sisters in England. 

They were citizens of England, but they were like step children or half brothers and sisters. 

They were English free men, just on a lower scale. 

And they longed to be respected by 

England. 

• They loved England 
• They were proud to be English
• They revered everything that was English 

But like a boy who reveres his father and would do anything to make him proud, only to discover there is nothing they can do to make his father proud, the English free men in America could, in the eyes of the national Englishman, never measure up to true British standards. 

• They loved their king
• They loved their Parliament
• They loved their system of government 

Because, as they understood it, they always had the right to take any 

                          

grievances they might have with their government directly to the Parliament (or to the King, depending upon the circumstances). 

Then comes a series of taxes placed upon the American produced goods; taxes the Americans felt were unfairly charged upon them 

• England was at war with France and it was costing them a fortune. 
• Plus, England had had to bring troops to America to fight off the Indians during the French and Indian war, and that had been no small expense – so, in England’s mind, the Americans ought to pay for it. 

                                                    

Everything is probably OK at this point. 

The Americans were unhappy about the taxes and they sent diplomats to England to do exactly what they have always believed was their right to do, address their grievances and have them fairly considered. 

That isn’t what happened. 

They were, in their opinions, snubbed as second-class citizens before the English Parliament. 

                                                                                                  

At this point they do what they have also believed was their right to do as English free men, they protested. 

The protest turned ugly and shots were fired – people died. 

So they took the next step of an English free man – they raised a 

militia. 

It was at this point the lights began to turn on and the thought came to their minds, “Our liberty has been lost.” 

                                                                           

To which the British responded by sending troops to confiscate their arms in Concord. 

Right about now, March 23, 1775, Patrick Henry stood and delivered his famous “Give me liberty or give me death speech, the last part of which said, 

“They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall we gather strength by 

irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance, by lying supinely on our backs, and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot? Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power. Three millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. 

Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations; and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave. Besides, sir, we have no election. If we were base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from the contest. There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of 

Boston! The war is inevitable and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come. 

It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”1 

Adam and Eve were perfectly free in the Garden of Eden but their liberty was lost. 

Let me give you several observations from the passage where Adam and Even lost their liberty. 

1http://www.history.org/almanack/life/politics/giveme.cfm 

              

I. THEIR LIBERTY WAS 

LOST WHEN THEY 

DISOBEYED GOD 

Genesis 2:16-17 

And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. 

Adam and Eve were perfectly free inside the Garden. 

True, the garden would have had perimeters.
I do not know how large the Garden of Eden was. Nobody does. 

I read a short piece from Ken Ham of Answers In Genesis where he says that nobody really knows even where the Garden of Eden was. 

The earth was so different before the Flood that it is impossible to say. 

If we don’t know where it was, we surely don’t know how big it was. 

• It could have been huge.
• It could have covered half the earth 

(I don’t know that, I am simply exaggerating to make a point.) 

The point is that no matter how large the Garden of Eden was, there was an end to the Garden; a border, which, once crossed, placed them outside of paradise. 

Then there was this one limitation God gave them – a command – one thing they could not eat. 

They were absolutely free
So long as they stayed inside the Garden and so long as they did not eat that one fruit. 

But they disobeyed God and found themselves banned from the Garden of Eden. 

A person could argue that now they were free 

• They knew the difference between good and evil 
• They ate the one thing they couldn’t eat and 
• They were now outside of God’s restrictions 

They were absolutely free of God’s rule, and they were miserable. 

They were their own masters, and they hated it. 

I see people in bondage all around me: 

• Bondage to sin 
• Bondage to fears 
• Bondage to emotions 
• Bondage to guilt 

And in every case the thing that binds them is their refusal to obey God. 

Secondly 

II. THEIR LIBERTY 

WAS LOST AS THE 

RESULT OF AN ENEMY 

Genesis 3:1-5 

Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 

And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 

But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 

And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 

• There are a lot of unexplained situations right here, aren’t there? 
• How did the serpent speak?
• In what ways was it more subtil than 
• other beasts (did they talk too?)
• Where was Adam when this whole 
• conversation was going on?
• Why did he eat the fruit knowing it was wrong? 

There is one thing about the passage that strike me more than any other – 

The serpent, who is later revealed as the Devil2 was an enemy to their liberty. 

Here’s your takeaway: 

• Anyone 
• Anything 
• Anyplace 

2 Revelation 20:2 

And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 

  

That tempts you to pull away from God is not your friend – he is an enemy. 

• He may say nice things
• He may appear to be on your side
• He may give you what you think are 
• reasonable things to think about 

But if he, or it, tends to draw you away from God, count he or it an enemy! 

You can’t afford to be kind to an enemy. 

• You don’t have to hate him
• You don’t have to hold a grudge against him 
• You don’t have to think evil things about him 

But you can’t ever trust an enemy. 

Christmas just got over.
My wife likes to turn the car radio onto a station that plays Christmas music of all sorts. 

One of the songs is about Snoopy and the Bloody Red Baron.
It’s Christmas Eve when they meet in the skies 

The Red Baron gets the better on Snoopy and he’s going down for sure 

But for whatever reason, maybe it was the Christmas bells ringing below; the Red Baron chooses not to shoot Snoopy down. He forces him to land behind enemy lines where he brings Snoopy a drink and they toast to Christmas. 

Snoopy then flies away, knowing the two would meet in the air another day – the next time one of the two would die. 

Whatever or whomever tries to pull you away from the close and personal walk with God is an enemy. 

• Count him as such and 
• Treat him as such. 

Third 

III. THEIR LIBERTY 

WAS LOST AS A 

RESULT OF THEIR 

OWN ACTIONS 

Genesis 3:6 

And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 

If you are familiar with the passage you know that there is a whole lot of blaming that goes on pretty soon. 

• Adam blames Eve
• Eve blames the serpent and
• The serpent just crawls on his belly 

But the fact of the matter is that: 

• Eve listened to the serpent’s temptations ïEve looked at the fruit and decided to eat it
• Adam took the fruit from Eve and chose to eat it too 

When Bohannan was very young he got into trouble and I gave him a spanking for it. 

Afterward he was pretty upset. He told me he hated the devil for making him do that. 

My answer was that the devil did not make him do anything. He got in trouble all on his own. 

The Devil will tempt us to disobey God but he can’t make us – especially if we are Christians – 

when we sin, we do that of our own choosing. 

IV. THE 

CONSEQUENCES OF 

LOST LIBERTY WAS 

GREATER THAN THEY 

WANTED TO PAY 

Genesis 3:14-19 

And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 

And I will put enmity between thee and the 

woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. 

And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 

Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. 

Genesis 3:22-24 

And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: 

Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. 

The most unhappy people I know are those who are out of fellowship with God. Whether they are: 

• Unsaved and living without hope of eternal life or 
• Saved and living in opposition to the revealed will of God 

No one is happy without the liberty found in Jesus Christ, 

Finally 

V. LIBERTY IS 

REGAINED IN THE 

GRACIOUS PROMISE 

OF GOD 

Genesis 3:15 

And I will put enmity between thee and the 

woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. 

This is one of the greatest verses in the Bible, but maybe one of the least esteemed. 

It is the very first gospel promise and it was preached by none other than God Himself. 

Adam and Eve had lost their liberty, but they were not left without hope. 

God’s promise was that one day there would come One who would destroy their enemy and restore their liberty. 

We know that One to be Jesus Christ. 

John 8:36 

If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. 

Conclusion 

The founders of our country realized they had lost their liberty, but they too were not without hope. 

Liberty was worth having, even if the price to gain it was a high one. 

Liberty of the soul too is worth having. It is worth fighting for. It is worth sacrificing self so that I and may children may be free in Jesus Christ.