Engage in spiritual warfare

We’re going to see in this strange chapter about what it means for you to engage in spiritual warfare.

You may well have wondered what on earth the account is about when it was read: What’s going on? How on earth is this supposed to point anyone to Jesus? And what does it have to do with me?

It feels like a big riddle. But it’s all carefully ordered – brilliantly written! – and when we look at Jesus’ life we will see parallels.

Parallels that will help you engage in spiritual warfare!

These notes accompany a sermon on YouTube delivered at Bromborough Evangelical Church, Wirral, in June 2026. You can find more in the series in our sermon index.

Unpick the riddle

The chapter is carefully put together in five movements, and each one is signalled by somebody going “down” somewhere.

Read Judges 14:1,5.

In verses 1 to 4, Samson goes down to Timnah – a town in Philistia. He saw a Philistine woman he wanted to marry so he told his parents to organise it. They were mortified! “Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines for a wife?” Oh dear! But there’s something they don’t know.

I said there were five movements in the chapter: The first four all contain a secret, something that others don’t know. And in v1-4, Samson’s parents don’t know that Samson’s choice of a Philistine wife is actually within God’s plan. Read Judges 14:4.

That’s actually the controlling thought for the whole chapter. We’ll come back to it.

The second movement in the chapter is in v5-6. The Spirit of the LORD comes on Samson enabling him to overcome the lion. And the secret here is that he doesn’t tell his parents.

The third movement is in v7-9. The CSB says in v7 “Then he went and spoke to the woman” but the verb is literally “Then he went down and spoke to the woman.” This time the secret is about the honey. He ate some and even gave some to his parents, but he didn’t tell them where it came from.

The fourth movement is the big one: The disastrous wedding week in v10-18. Again, v10 is literally “His father went down to visit the woman.” And the secret is obviously Samson’s riddle. He’s unreasonable to set an impossible riddle. But then again, they accepted the challenge.

Samson’s weakness

His poor wife came under terrible pressure to get the answer out of Samson: Read Judges 14:14-15. It wasn’t an idle threat. They were a murderous bunch. You’ll see that in the next chapter.

So she nagged and nagged, and Samson’s weakness begins to poke through: He told her. Surprise surprise, she then told them.

They wait until the last moment, and then: Read Judges 14:18. They answer his riddle with one of their own! Samson’s reply was as rude then as it is now.

He was enraged, so in the power of the Spirit of God he went down to Ashkelon, killed thirty men, and brought their clothes back to keep his side of the bet. That’s the fifth and final movement in the chapter (v19-20).

So, what’s going on?

Samson’s parents were told in Judges 13:5 that he would “begin to free Israel from the power of the Philistines.” And what we’ve read is Samson’s first engagement with the Philistines. And the whole account is carefully ordered to draw attention to things that people don’t know or understand. The biggest of all of those was back in v4. Read Judges 14:4 again.

God intended to free his people from their enemy. Israel weren’t even crying out to God anymore; they’d accepted foreign rule. Samson choosing a Philistine wife was obnoxious, but probably not unique. But she was good in his eyes. Samson was just a mirror of the whole nation: Choosing a foreign wife because it seemed good to him.

But what happened? Samson ended up back in Israel without his foreign wife. And there was tension (to say the least) with the Philistines. The enemy has been provoked. That’s the key outcome.

Right at the start of Samson’s work. And the coming chapters will follow that to its conclusion. The enemy will fight against this champion rescuer, and it will look like they’ve got the better of him. But in his death, he will begin to rescue Israel from their enemies. And it was all God’s plan.

The events of Chapter 14 are from God, sovereignly in control over the crazy events of lions, wonky heroes, and enemies.

Because when God acts for his people, he succeeds. So now:

Fast forward

We can draw a parallel with Jesus’ life surprisingly easily. Read Mark 1:9-13.

I’ve read from Mark just because it’s the shortest account of Jesus being tempted in the desert (Matthew & Luke are longer). Jesus was baptised in the River Jordan. At that moment, he was anointed by the Holy Spirit of God. He was declared to be the Son of God, and the Messiah (anointed king). And the very first thing he did was enter the wilderness, engage with the enemy, and provoke him to war.

Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness wasn’t a passive activity. He was actively entering enemy territory to engage with Satan in battle. Jesus would succeed where Adam and later Israel failed.

Why? Because this was God’s plan to save his people. And when God acts for his people, he succeeds.

And 1 John 3:8 is a key verse: “The Son of God was revealed for this purpose: to destroy the devil’s works.”

So there are certain parallels we can draw between Jesus’ work and what Samson did as they both began to engage with the enemy and provoke him to action.

Parallels

First, they were both sent by God.

Samson’s actions were under the will of God “to provide an opportunity for confrontation” (Judges 14:4).

Again, “The Son of God was revealed for this purpose: to destroy the devil’s works.” Satan wasn’t destroyed or defeated in the wilderness, but he was bruised. He retreated to strike more forcefully another time.

Second, notice that both were empowered by the Holy Spirit. Samson’s ability to fight came directly (twice in Judges 14) from the Holy Spirit rushing on him. It’s obviously a mysterious feature of Jesus’ incarnation that he should be empowered by the Spirit, but he was.

Third, both Samson and Jesus engaged with the enemy on their own turf. Samson went to Philistia. Jesus entered the wilderness, which is really a biblical metaphor for the lost wild world separate from God’s promised blessing. It’s a picture of Jesus entering this sinful world to take on the devil’s works.

Again, Jesus wasn’t passive in this. He was deliberate.

But where Samson was weak and sinful, Jesus was perfectly in control of himself at all times – even in the world.

Fourth, there is an expectation of suspicion and opposition. The thirty men assigned to Samson weren’t just drinking buddies – there was an element of military guard going on too. And when Christ battled with Satan in the wilderness, he fought with what Ephesians calls the “sword of the Spirit” – he used the Bible. When Satan tried to tempt him, Jesus quoted scripture right back at him. The Bible is the powerful word of God. God speaks when you quote it. Satan knows it’s true, so he’ll try to twist it. He tried that even with Jesus, but Jesus got the better of him.

Provoked to action

And when Satan retreated that day, he was heavily provoked. That would culminate in the day Satan finally had Jesus put to death. But since the whole ministry of Christ was to die to take the punishment his people deserve, it was all God’s plan. And, in the end, absolute crushing victory over Satan.

So think about this for a moment.

Samson – in all his craziness and selfishness – was actually working out God’s plan to save his people from their enemies.
Jesus – in all his purity and purpose – was obediently and perfectly working God the Father’s plan to save you from the greatest enemies you have: Satan, sin, and death.

But when God acts for his people, he succeeds. And he now invites you to eternal life, not eternal death. Turn from your sin, ask his forgiveness, and live. And then:

The bizarre events of Judges 14 are written in a way that draws attention to unknowns: In particular, the unknown fact that it was all God’s work to save his people. When people look at Jesus’ life, they often have the same fact unknown in their brain. They don’t know that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Or that he came to destroy the works of the devil. All God’s work.

So now the risen Christ still works to save sinners, and he does it by his people (you and me) telling others about him.

And the parallels we saw between Samson and Jesus actually flow out through you too, as God works to proclaim salvation through you:

Parallels continue

First, you’re also sent by God. Jesus has commanded you to make disciples, even to season your conversation with salt (Christian witness), to always be ready to explain the hope you have, and to love one another here with gospel intent.

No Christian is outside those commands. We’re all in.

Second, you have the same Holy Spirit in you as rushed on Samson and descended on Jesus at his baptism.

Whatever excuses you like to make up (and we all do), you can’t deny that you have astonishing supernatural power in the Holy Spirit ready to work through you. Be encouraged and empowered!

Thirdly, just as Samson went to Philistine territory and Jesus went into the wilderness to take on Satan, you are to engage with the unbelieving world. Jesus prayed that you’d be protected in the world. He prayed that you’d be sanctified, set apart from the world, even as you witnessed to the world. If you’re not engaging with unbelieving people in your life, how can Christ’s own prayer for you ever be answered?

Join clubs and societies, mix with neighbours, spend quality time with people who don’t know Christ. Engage.

But fourthly, just as Samson and Jesus experienced, you can also expect opposition.

Satan does not want you to obey God, and he hates the idea of anyone being saved. He hates you.
But the God who is in you is greater than he is.
And he has given you armour.
Just as Jesus used the sword of the Spirit (the Bible) to attack Satan, so can you.
In Ephesians 6:11, Paul tells you to “Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil.”
Your armour is truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, the Bible.
And you put each piece of armour on with prayer.

And finally

And just to add a final comparison between Samson and you, think on this: God used even Samson to bring salvation to Israel.

If he can use wild Samson, he can use you. You can say the same about so many Bible people, like weak Gideon, or Saul the Christian-hunter. God has chosen you to do his work. He has not chosen you to watch others work.

You’re nobody’s saviour, but Jesus is. And Jesus will use you to grow his kingdom.

So be obedient to his call to go. Remember that you’re empowered by the Spirit. Engage with the lost world around you. Go into enemy territory. Jesus has already secured the victory. Expect opposition, but go in prayer, clear about the gospel.

You might think you can’t witness, you need more training, or better tools. But your testimony is a better witness than anything Samson could say.