One stanza of Martin Luther’s hymn A Mighty Fortress is our God sets the stage for today’s ongoing examination of the victory we have in Jesus Christ:
Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.
https://hymnary.org/text/a_mighty_fortress_is_our_god_a_bulwark
Question 1. This verse of the hymn A Mighty Fortress is our God teaches us two particularly important truths. What are they?
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The hymn teaches us two essential truths: our inability to save ourselves and Christ's ability to save us. It states that striving in our own strength is losing, but Jesus Christ wins the battle for us. Martin Luther knew the horrible weakness of the flesh, as well as how to depend upon Jesus for victory. He understood that the way to lose the battle would be to trust in his own strength because Jesus Christ alone must "win the battle." Dr. Luther was singing the truth found in 1 Samuel 17:47 and Zechariah 4:6:
“...and that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hand.” 1 Samuel 17:47
“Then he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.” Zechariah 4:6
For years I attempted to fight in my own strength and only met with defeat. I tried to overpower an enemy much more potent than I and received many wounds at his hands for my efforts. I tried to subdue my flesh by my own "might and power," and in the end, I believed I would never win the battle over sin, self, and Satan. And I still haven't. But Jesus has! He came to me as conquering King and won my heart. Jesus defeated the power of Satan and subdued my rebellious flesh. In every believer's heart and life, "He must win the battle." Yes, Jesus wins; He must!
Some say "a picture is worth a thousand words", and God gives us many pictures of the cross in the Old Testament. One of the most vivid images of victory at the cross is recorded for us in Judges 16.
“Samson went to Gaza, and there he saw a prostitute, and he went in to her. 2 The Gazites were told, "Samson has come here." And they surrounded the place and set an ambush for him all night at the gate of the city. They kept quiet all night, saying, "Let us wait till the light of the morning; then we will kill him." 3 But Samson lay till midnight, and at midnight he arose and took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two posts, and pulled them up, bar and all, and put them on his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that is in front of Hebron.” Judges 16:1-3
Samson was at war with the Philistines most of his life. He outwitted them with riddles, set the tails of foxes on fire in their fields, killed hundreds of their men with only the jawbone of a donkey. The Philistines hated Samson on every level and plotted to take his life repeatedly. In the account of Judges 16:1-3, Samson took hold of the doors of the city gate and the two posts, put them on his shoulders, and carried them to the top of the hill in Hebron as a sign of superiority and victory.
We can imagine Samson carrying the wood of the doors, and the two large posts, on his back as he makes his way up the hill. Substantial as he was, he, no doubt, strained under the load, but he intended to show the Philistines a thing or two and to make a demonstration of victory over them.
"And He must win the battle."
Interestingly, Samson's display of victory on the hill in front of Hebron was followed up with a tremendous victory for the entire Israelite camp. Only it was not in a manner that Samson had envisioned or desired. We read the following in the remaining verses of this same chapter:
“And the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles. And he ground at the mill in the prison. 22 But the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaved. 23 Now the lords of the Philistines gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to rejoice, and they said, "Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hand." 24 And when the people saw him, they praised their god. For they said, "Our god has given our enemy into our hand, the ravager of our country, who has killed many of us." 25 And when their hearts were merry, they said, "Call Samson, that he may entertain us." So they called Samson out of the prison, and he entertained them. They made him stand between the pillars. 26And Samson said to the young man who held him by the hand, "Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, that I may lean against them." 27 Now the house was full of men and women. All the lords of the Philistines were there, and on the roof there were about 3,000 men and women, who looked on while Samson entertained. 28 Then Samson called to the LORD and said, "O Lord GOD, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes." 29 And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other. 30 And Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines." Then he bowed with all his strength, and the house fell upon the lords and upon all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life.” Judges 16:21-30
Question 2. According to Judges 16:29, what was the physical positioning of Samson’s body when he died?
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The Bible is careful to record Samson's physical position when he died: his arms are outstretched! His right hand on one pillar and his left on the other. In this, we see Samson pointing forward to Jesus' work on the cross!
Question 3. According to the record of Samson’s death in Judges 16:30, what did the death of Samson accomplish?
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Jesus went to the cross, where His arms were outstretched and nailed to the tree, and there He defeated our enemies!