He killed a lion with his bare hands and once knocked a thousand men off their feet with the jawbone of a donkey. No army could stop him, no rope could bind him, and no prison could hold him. Samson was the biblical hero who ruled the Philistines for twenty years. But then Samson met Delilah, and his life fell apart.
A Child Set Apart
Samson, the Bible reminds us, was set apart from birth. An angel announced the birth of a son who would begin to deliver Israel from the Philistines; however, the baby would have to grow up under a Nazirite vow. This vow prohibited Samson from drinking wine, eating unclean food, and cutting his hair. Samson's Nazirite vow was to be a perpetual anointing from his dedication to God.
Strength was granted to Samson in the proportion of his commitment to God. Samson had amazing feats of strength, tearing a lion in two with his bare hands and killing a thousand men with the jawbone of a horse. He also broke heavy ropes with his hands and overcame all who tried to tie him up. When Samson kept his Nazirite vow, no one was too strong for him.
Before Samson was born, an angel told his parents he would be set apart as a Nazirite from birth — never to cut his hair, never to drink wine, dedicated to God and to the deliverance of Israel.
A Reckless Leader
Despite his amazing powers, Samson had several character flaws, which the Bible reveals to us. Samson was rash, violent, and often got involved in altercations with the Philistines. He showed his poor judgment when he took concubines and wives from the hated enemies of Israel. Samson's actions led to personal feuds rather than a unified front against the Philistines. His impulsive nature led to his capturing foxes, fastening a torch to their tails, and setting them loose to ravage the Philistine's grain, vineyards, and olive trees.
Samson was a man, gifted by God, who wasted his energies on selfish impulses. Samson's exploits, however, were legendary. The Philistines, unable to conquer Israel, were determined to find some way to destroy Samson. They began searching for weaknesses, and they found one in Samson's heart.
Samson's feats of strength were legendary — he killed a lion bare-handed, slew a thousand men with a donkey's jawbone, and snapped ropes as if they were threads. But his character never matched his power.
Delilah's Bargain
Samson fell in love with a Philistine woman by the name of Delilah. The Philistine rulers, believing they had found a way to capture Samson, agreed to pay Delilah a large sum of silver if she would discover the secret of Samson's strength and tell them how they could conquer the mighty warrior. Delilah agreed to the bargain and began her endless torment of Samson.
Delilah tried to persuade him to tell her the secret of his strength, saying the Philistines would pay him if he did. Samson, however, kept refusing her and told her that the secret was known only to him. Samson then warned her that he would be as weak as any other man if his hair were cut. When Delilah tried to bind him with fresh bowstrings while she pretended to watch over his men, Samson was not bound, but easily broke the bowstrings. She continued to plead and torment him over his secret, telling him she would not let him go until he told her, and he continued to evade her questions. She finally made Samson laugh and said she would try something different to get the secret from him. Three times Delilah tried to get Samson to tell her the secret of his strength, but each time she was disappointed in her efforts. She finally got Samson to give the secret to her, telling her of the Nazirite vow.
The Philistine lords offered Delilah silver to find Samson's weakness. Three times he deceived her, and three times she went back. She did not stop until she had the truth.
Worn Down
Delilah's weapon was patience. She simply nagged and nagged and nagged Samson until he was "exceedingly weary of it." Samson finally confessed the secret of his strength to her and told her that no razor had touched his head since his youth. Delilah realized then that Samson had told her the truth because she knew the Nazirite vow meant that his strength was given by God and his head of hair was God's mark of His anointing. She also knew the Philistines would never capture Samson until she got the secret of the Nazirite vow from him. Delilah, however, did not believe Samson and continued to torment him over the secret of his strength.
Samson's final mistake was his confession to Delilah. The Bible says that Delilah caused him to fall asleep on her lap and that her maid cut off his seven braids of hair. Delilah then shouted to all the Philistines that Samson was their enemy and she told them how they might capture and conquer the mighty warrior Samson. Samson, trying to shake himself free as he always did, was surprised to find that he was powerless to do so. The Bible says most poignantly that he did not know that the Lord had left him.
Captured, Blinded, and Bound
The mighty Samson was captured and blinded by the Philistines. The mighty warrior was bound and imprisoned and made to do menial work such as grinding grain at the mill. Samson, the mightiest of men, was disgraced and humiliated and chained like a common slave. Such was the end of Samson, the man who had wasted his abilities and his talents and died in disgrace. The Bible, however, gives us another ending to Samson and his life. The hair on his head began to grow again.
A Final Display of Strength
The Philistines held a great celebration in the house of their god Dagon to celebrate their victory over Samson. They held a great feast and made many sacrifices to Dagon, their national god. The Bible tells us that there was a great congregation of the people of Philistia and that there was an assembly of about 3,000 persons only on the roof of the house. The Philistines brought Samson to the feast so that he might perform for them and entertain the great gathering. Samson, his eyes bound with a leather thong, asked the servant that led him where he should find the pillars of the house of Dagon so that he might lean against them. After the servant had brought him to the pillars of the house of Dagon, the Bible tells us of Samson's final prayer and plea for strength from the Lord. Samson, leaning on the two pillars of the house, called out to the Lord and asked that He remember him and grant him strength one final time. Samson, using all of his remaining strength, pushed and shoved the pillars of the house of Dagon, crying out, and let me die with the Philistines. The pillars collapsed and Samson killed all the people present and himself. Samson, in the last act of his life, used the strength God had given him to kill more Philistines than he had in the twenty years of his life. The mighty Samson, the last of the judges, died in the service of Israel. Samson was buried in the sepulcher of his father.
Blind, bound, and mocked before three thousand Philistines, Samson prayed one last time. He braced against the two central pillars of the temple of Dagon and brought the building down, killing more enemies in his death than in twenty years of life.
Who Were the Philistines?
Samson's life was a confrontation with the Philistines, and the Bible gives us the information we need to understand who they were. The Philistines were one of the Sea Peoples and were one of Israel's most fearsome enemies. The Philistines were among the most feared and dangerous enemies of Israel because they were walled cities ruled by powerful princes. The five great Philistine cities were Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, and Gath. These princes ruled their cities and joined together when facing a common enemy like Samson. The Philistines were also feared because they had superior military strength and were experts at making iron implements during a time when iron was considered a precious metal. The Philistines had their own gods, and the most revered god among them was Dagon, whose temple Samson brought down on the heads of his enemies.
The Lessons of Samson's Life
Samson's life was a tragic one because he had so many gifts and talents and wasted his life away in his battles with the Philistines. The most important lesson we learn, however, is that no matter how talented and equipped we may be, we cannot overcome life or its demands if we do not have wisdom, fortitude, and a steadfast faith in God. The strength of Samson was wasted because he misjudged the values and the worth of his life and his gifts. We are reminded that our lives are precious and should be used to accomplish great feats of faith. Samson's final act was also a message to us, saying that it was never too late to change or to redeem ourselves for our past mistakes. Samson lived to be a great judge for the people of Israel, and although his death is not as glorious as we might wish, his final prayer brings us a measure of hope that we may have the same faith and belief in God's deliverance.
