Strength of Samson

Samson was a man who, by faith in God, stopped the mouth of a lion, waxed valiant in battle, and out of weakness was made strong.  As I observe the life of Samson in the book of Judges, the majority of the time it seems he took the supernatural strength provided by the Holy Spirit for granted.  Without uttering a prayer or making a request to God, the Holy Spirit came mightily upon him, his bonds put up the resistance of ash, and he defeated numerous Philistines.  After he was made weak as any other man, he cried out to God who remembered and strengthened him to fulfil God's purpose to wreak havoc on the Philistines who oppressed Israel.

God's plan and purposes for Samson were revealed when he sought a wife of the Philistines--much to the dismay of his God-fearing parents.  Judges 14:4 says, "But his father and mother did not know that it was of the LORD--that He was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines. For at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel."  For 20 years Samson judged Israel and terrorised the Philistines with his great strength provided by God's grace.  The life of Samson is often criticised for his lack of morality because the Bible presents an unvarnished account of his going into a harlot in Gaza, living with a lover Delilah while unmarried and taking vengeance on the Philistines.  While sin is never justified, Samson's faith in the LORD God is commendable and ought to be emulated.

After much pestering, Samson revealed the secret of his strength to be his hair which had not been cut from his birth in obedience to the LORD.  Delilah betrayed him into the hands of the Philistines by having Samson shaved while he slept.  His hair, however, was not his true source of strength:  it was the Holy Spirit who had strengthened Samson during his life.  When his hair was cut, Samson did not realise the Holy Spirit departed from him.  It is God who is to be praised for the strength and marvelous exploits of Samson--despite his moral failings.  God ought to be glorified for using a crude implement to supply a miraculous deliverance for His people.  After his capture, Samson cried out to God for strength once more to be avenged on his enemies for His eyes, and God graciously did this to fulfil his designs for Samson's life.

Faith in God is what our LORD God requires of us, and our faith ought to be shown by obedience to Him.  We might assume it is God's will for us to walk in victory over evil in this world, yet victory springs from our faith God.  That is how Samson prevailed over the Philistines with foxes, the jawbone of a donkey, and by collapsing the temple of Dagon by muscling up on the supporting pillars:  faith in God.  We can make victory our aim when God desires we would exercise faith in Him.  Walking in victory is the result of faith, for without faith in God we are weak as the most pathetic.  In recognition of our chronic weakness, it is faith in God that makes us strong to endure and prevail--even if it is the last thing we do.