Hosanna Restoration Church

As I read the story of Samson in Judges, chapters 13-16, I am amazed, encouraged, and warned concerning the importance of getting the truth and not letting go of it. Samson was sent by God to be a deliver in much the same way that Jesus was. The angel of Lord came and told them they would have a son and the son was to be dedicated to the Lord from birth. Unlike Jesus however, it does appear that he did not live his life in obedience to God but God still managed to accomplish what He planned. In fact, if it were not for the fact that we see Samson in the hall of faith from Hebrews chapter 11, we would wonder if he did anything in actual obedience to the Lord.

The first official thing we see him do is long for a girl that his parents do not want him to have and that goes against his Nazirite calling in the first place. Still he insisted and as we see, God used his misdirected lust to accomplish the first step of their deliverance. Scripture says the Lord was at work. Ultimately God did arrange that he never did marry that Philistine woman. I seriously doubt that God needed Samson to go against his parents and his heritage in order to deliver Israel, but it is nice to know that God can and will accomplish what He plans and often times it is in spite of our actions. So, while I am amazed that Samson got away with this, I am encouraged that God is able even when we are wrong, and warned of the dangers of compromising the truth.

Well we would think that Samson would learn after the trouble that his rebellion caused, but as we read on we see that obviously he did not. He moves on to prostitutes and falling in love with Delilah who he allows to betray him not once, but three times, and finally on the fourth time he actually gives her the information that resulted ultimately in his death.

I have to wonder why in the world he did not run away the first time she betrayed him. But then I think, why do we stumble into sin and then justify it. Why do we become weak and lose site of the truth time and time again until we are spiritually blind before we will finally cry out from the prison we are locked in and ask God to rescue us.

Every word in the Bible is intended to help us. It is intended to warn us, to instruct us, and to encourage us. We need to read and hear the word and act on it. We need to ask God to teach us each time we pick it up to read or sit down to listen. Samson was a Nazirite sent by God. He could have been a righteous man and perhaps lived longer. He could have done what was right in the sight of God but it does not appear that he held very strongly to the truth. What more could he have done? We will never know. But we do know that we can learn and grow if we are determined to be more that Christians just in name but in actions as well. Let’s gird ourselves up in the truth.