Samson’s story is routinely summarized as that of a young strong man who fell in love with the wrong person and subsequently lost his strength and life. But there is so much more to learn from this great man…
Samson knew that he was extraordinary. Others knew it too; his parents, the philistines to whom he was a thorn in the flesh, and his kinsmen (the Israelites). Sometimes a person knows that he/she has potential but other people do not agree. Other times, the individual may not see the potential in him/herself even though others clearly do. Low self esteem, insecurities, socio-economic circumstances, among other things, may make a person feel that he/she cannot achieve greatness. As Christians, we are extraordinary. We are called to mount up with wings as eagles, run and not get weary, walk and not faint. We are talented, blessed beyond measure, the head and not the tail, above only. We do not have the spirit of fear in us and there is nothing we cannot achieve.
Samson knew that nothing could hold him down- he knew how physically strong he was. He knew that braided hair, freshly cut ropes, and an army of philistines could not hold him down. As Christians, we should not yield our bodies to those things which previously enslaved us (when we were not born-again). Do you not know that he who the son of man has set free is free indeed? We cannot be comfortable having ropes around us when we can get up and the ropes will fall off like burnt flax.
Samson was filled with the Spirit of God. The spirit of God gave him extraordinary physical strength that empowered him for everyday battles. Today we may have some physical challenges in our marriages, relationships, work place, finances, health, etc and we have been trying with our physical strength but to no avail. If we truly are filled with the Spirit of God, then we can ask us for extraordinary strength to help us in these areas.
Samson knew the source of his strength. He knew that he would lose his strength when he lost his hair, so he kept his hair growing. I am not sure what made him tell Delilah the source of his strength. I mean he had no reason to trust her because she had betrayed him more than once. Love, they say, makes us do stupid things. Or maybe he was proud? Maybe he thought later on that even without his hair he would be strong enough to defeat the philistines on his own? Pride is a terrible thing and has caused the downfall of many men and women. As Christians we have to be extra careful because the devil lurks around looking for whom he can devour. He knows that he has already lost the war because of the victory on the cross and tries to get us as far away from Christ as possible. We should never ignore the sources of our strength- praying, reading the Bible, caring for one another, truly loving our brothers and sisters, evangelizing, fellowship with God and one another, worship, etc- and try to do stuff on our own. Remember, the word of God says ‘by strength shall no man prevail’ and ‘without Him we can do nothing’. Do not go into battle without THE WHOLE ARMOUR OF GOD.
Samson’s hair grew again. Samson lost his strength and was taken into captivity by the philistines. Those who were weaker than him held him bound and removed his eyes. BUT HIS HAIR GREW AGAIN. And when he prayed ‘Oh lord, give me strength just one more time’, his strength came back. What could have ended as a sad story did not. He died with a smile on his face knowing that He who said He would never leave him nor forsake him, never did. In his dying moments, he achieved much more of what he was sent to do than he did when he was alive. In his weakest moment, he was able to do much more than he did at his strongest point. Someone said that we may lose fellowship with God because of our sin BUT his covenant remains certain and sure. It doesn't matter how far you have gone or how long you have been away or how many times you have fallen, his arms are open wide to receive you and your hair will grow again. Are you weak and heavy laden, trust in the Lord today and he will strengthen you.
Today, I am Samson- extraordinary, indomitable, filled with the spirit of God, totally dependent on God, and strong.
Bible reference: Judges 13 - 16
