God Raises Us Up Again (Judges 16:28–31)
God Raises Us Up Again (Judges 16:28–31) 6/28/2026
This is the final message on Samson. We have reflected on how God set Samson apart, how He blessed him, and how He enabled him to overcome his enemies. Through Samson’s blessed life, God revealed His own glory and delivered the suffering nation of Israel. In the same way, God has set us apart, desires to bless us, and helps us live victoriously as His redeemed people in this age.
Sadly, however, Samson, who had been used so greatly by God, failed and suffered devastating humiliation. Deceived by Delilah, he fell completely. This was not merely Samson’s disgrace; it also brought dishonor to God’s glory.
At this point, we must ask an important question: Since Samson disappointed God so greatly and became seemingly useless, should God have discarded him?
Although Samson’s own sinful choices led him into shame before his enemies, God never abandoned or gave up on him. In verse 28, when Samson cried out to God in prayer, God granted him one final opportunity. God restored his strength, enabling him to destroy more Philistine rulers and people than he had during his entire life (v. 30). Then the account of Samson concludes by reminding us that he had served as Israel’s judge for twenty years (v. 31).
Why does Scripture repeatedly record stories like this? What is God teaching us through these events?
When the Bible records Israel’s failures in the wilderness, it tells us that these things were written as warnings for those living in the last days. “If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall” (1 Corinthians 10:11). We are also told to remain spiritually alert because we never know how Satan may attack us (1 Peter 5:8). But there is an even deeper message. God is showing us how He raises up those whom He has established as His covenant people.
- Through these events, God reveals who He is.
1) God reveals Himself as the Creator and Sovereign Lord of all creation. The Bible teaches that after creating everything, God left His heart and fingerprints inside all creation (Romans 1:20). He created all things to praise Him, and He created mankind to rule over creation according to His will.
① God created mankind within the eternal purpose of the Triune God (Genesis 1:26). Human life has always existed within God’s absolute plan.
② He placed His own image within humanity so that we might exercise dominion over creation (Genesis 1:27). He entrusted us with His absolute authority. Though our physical bodies were formed from the dust, God breathed His own breath into our spirits. This became “life” (Genesis 2:7).
③ Then God blessed mankind. “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over it.” (Genesis 1:28) Human beings were created within God’s blessing from the very beginning. Yet all of these blessings were lost through the Fall (Genesis 3). A person who loses God’s purpose for life no longer knows where he came from, why he lives, or where he is going. Humanity lost God’s heart, His character, and His image. As a result, mankind continues to fall deeper into corruption, and darkness fills the earth. Life became filled with suffering, curse, and ultimately hell. To restore what had been lost, God promised the coming of Christ.
2) In Christ is God’s unfailing promise of love toward humanity. God promised that the offspring of the woman would crush the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15). This pointed to God Himself coming in the form of His Son. To cover Adam and Eve’s shame and fear, God killed an animal and clothed them with garments of skin (Genesis 3:21), giving them the promise of atonement (Hebrews 9:12).
① Within this, is God’s love that cannot give up on our lives. And within this promise, are both Samson and us. In the Old Testament, this is the meaning of the Hebrew word hesed. It is covenant love that refuses to abandon its object because of God’s promise. Our English Bibles often translate this as God’s “steadfast love” or “loving kindness” (Psalm 136), but the richness of the word goes far beyond those expressions.
② Although the first Israel (Jews) even participated in putting Christ to death, God did not cast them away. It is because God had already made a covenant with them (Romans 9:4). This is one reason some interpret the “ends of the earth” in God’s redemptive plan as ultimately including Israel. Likewise, Christ faithfully leads His redeemed people to the very end and completes their salvation (Philippians 1:6; Romans 8:31–39). Theologically, this doctrine is known as “the perseverance of the saints,” a central conclusion emphasized by John Calvin during the Protestant Reformation.
- What is God continually doing through Christ today?
1) He plants the covenant of salvation within us. Evangelism is delivering this covenant (Romans 10:14–15). Evangelism is far more than simply bringing someone to church. It is planting Christ’s covenant into the hearts of people wandering without answers, crushed by sin, bound by destiny, and living under the curse leading to hell.
2) The Holy Spirit works within us so that we do not lose this blessing. When we hear and believe the gospel of Christ, we are sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who guarantees every spiritual blessing and our inheritance (Ephesians 1:13–14). Once we were without God and without His promises, but now we have become God’s covenant people (Ephesians 2:19). Through God’s Word, the Holy Spirit continually helps us understand, remember, and apply His promises (John 14:26).
3) God never ceases working even now to fulfill His covenant (Isaiah 62:6–7).
① God continually protects us, helps us, and fights for us. We call that the “absolute bartizan”.
② Even if we forget God or wander away from Him, He never loses us (John 10:29).
③ This is the conclusion and climax of David’s confession in Psalm 23. It was a testimony born through unjust suffering, personal failure, and deep repentance. “Surely goodness and mercy (hesed) shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23:6) The word “follow” is especially significant. In Hebrew(rādaph), it means God relentlessly pursues or chases after us. Satan also pursues us in order to destroy us. But because the God of the covenant pursues us with even greater power, we overcome.
- When does God work in this way? These are blessings we must experience even in difficult circumstances, painful realities, and times of failure.
1) Spend deep, personal time with God. This is why we worship and meditate on God’s Word. We must enter an age of meditation in our own lives. During those times, the Holy Spirit engraves God’s covenant upon our hearts until it becomes deeply rooted and part of our spiritual nature. God fulfills everything He has promised. The pulpit messages become powerful when we receive them as God’s promises (cf. Ephesians 2:13).
2) Have you failed like Samson and entered a season of suffering? Failure itself brings shame and pain without anyone needing to point it out. If there is sin to confess, confess it honestly before God and seek His forgiveness (1 John 1:9; Hebrews 8:12). If you have harmed someone else, seek to make restitution in whatever way is appropriate (Matthew 5:23-24, Matthew 5:25; Luke 19:8).
3) Repentance is not complete only by recognizing and stopping our mistakes. We must challenge a new beginning. Like Samson, though ashamed, seek God’s grace and strength, and dream once again about what God desires to accomplish through the remainder of your life (v. 28).
Conclusion – God is the One who raises us up again and continues to use us until the very end. May this become the lifelong blessing that each of us experiences.
6.28.26 God Raises Us Up Again