His story begins in Judges 13.
The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. So, God gave them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years! The Philistines were the enemies of both God and the children of Israel. Aggressive and warmongering people given to pagan worship.
There was a man named Manoah, from the tribe of Dan, who's wife was barren. One day, an angel of the Lord came to her and said,
“Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. Therefore be careful and drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.”
I am sure this woman was excited! She ran and told her husband these things!
Then she obeyed the commands given, and gave birth to Samson. He grew and God blessed him!
After you read the rest of the story of the life of Samson, you can't help but cringe. Samson's life can be summed up with these words, "He did what was right in his OWN eyes."
And it all began with a simple choice in chapter 14.
Samson SAW a daughter of the Philistines and determined in his heart that he was going to have her as his wife. His parents even questioned his decision and tried to encourage him to look for a wife from their own people. But Samson declared in verse 3, “Get her for me, for she is right in my eyes.”
It is clear from the beginning that Samson was not living his life to please God, but rather to please himself. I wonder what would have happened if he had chosen a wife from his own people as his parents tried to encourage him to do, or to do what was right in God's eyes. It is a simple choice, but one that can alter our future greatly!
The next mishap comes while he goes down to meet this woman of the Philistines. A lion comes upon him and he tears it to pieces with the strength that God has given him. According to Old Testament law, he would have been unclean at this point. But he continued on and did not tell his parents what had happened. Because he was unclean from touching the carcass of a dead animal he needed to go through the ritual of cleansing. But he did not. And again, after some time he passes by the carcass of the lion and sees a beehive and fresh honey inside the carcass. He then takes and eats the honey and gives to his parents to eat it too. He does not tell his parents where it has come from. Again, he is unclean and disobeys the law of cleanliness because he is choosing to do what is right in his own eyes!
While he is at the feast of his marriage to the Philistine woman he seems to make a bet of sorts with the thirty companions at the feast. He tells them a riddle and bets thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothes that they cannot figure out the riddle by the end of seven days. He is then swindled by his new wife to tell her the answer to the riddle. She then tells the companions. Obviously, there is a lack of trust in this new marriage. So, Samson, in his hot anger, goes and strikes down thirty men and takes their spoils and returns back to his fathers house. His wife is then given to his best man to be his wife. A consequence of doing what is right in his own eyes.
After some time, Samson seeks out his wife to go in unto her, but her father steps in his way and tells him that she is not his wife anymore and tries to give Her sister to Samson. Again, he reacts in anger and ties together the tails of 300 foxes and sets them on fire and lets them loose in the fields of grain and olive orchards. Destroying the crop of the Philistines. As a result, his wife and his father in law are burned with fire.
By this point, you are begging Samson to see the results of his actions and turn and seek what is right in God's eyes! But let's continue on.
When the Philistines come to Judah to find Samson and get rid of him, he uses the strength God has given him and kills 1,000 men with the jawbone of a donkey.
Then in verse 18 of chapter 15 of Judges:
And he was very thirsty, and he called upon the Lord and said, “You have granted this great salvation by the hand of your servant, and shall I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” And God split open the hollow place that is at Lehi, and water came out from it. And when he drank, his spirit returned, and he revived.
Again, Samson could only give himself credit for what was done. Everything was all about himself. He did not give God the glory for what was done.
And it only goes down hill from there....
Chapter 16 begins with him making use of a prostitute and then he lays eyes on Delilah. For the first time it says he loved a woman. Unfortunately, she would be the end of Samson. Delilah was approached by the lords of the Philistines who offed her 1,100 pieces of silver if she could tell them Samson's weakness. So, she seduces and presses Samson 3 times. The first two times he does not tell her the truth and he gets out of his bindings, but the third time he shares that his hair has never seen a razor and if it does he will lose his strength. So, while he sleeps she has a man shave his head and then she wakes him by once again saying that the Philistines are upon him! He rises and, not knowing that his strength has left him, goes out to fight them and is subdued by the Philistines. They pluck out his eyes and bind him with bronze shackles.
After this, the lords of the Philistines hold a grand feast to celebrate how their pagan gods allowed them to conquer Samson. Over 3,000 men and women were on the roof celebrating and they brought Samson bound before them to entertain them. Samson was brought forth and he asked the man who held him if he could lean against the pillars of the house.
Then Samson called to the Lord and said, “O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes.”
And Samson then leaned on those two pillars and put all of his weight into it and he brought the whole house down and killed himself and all those 3,000 of the lords of the Philistines. The number of those he killed with him was more than he had killed in his life.
Even in his last cry to God, Samson's focus was on himself and what he could do instead of on God and what God could do. His focus was off. As I read the story of Samson, I couldn't help but go back to the beginning and wonder what would this story be like if Samson had a focus on God and what would have happened if his choices were God centered choices instead of self centered choices? I do believe that he could have been used in a greater way for the glory of God! Yes, Samson still began to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines as the angel had declared in chapter 13, but Samson wanted the glory for himself.
Samson also made it into the "Hall of Faith" in Hebrews chapter 11:
And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.
Samson was made strong out of weakness and was used to begin the salvation of Israel from the hand of the Philistines. Despite Samson's misplaced focus, he was greatly used by God. We may also have a misplaced focus in our lives like Samson did. Does that mean God can't use us? No! But I do believe if we have a God centered focus, God can use us in greater ways! Let us begin today to give God the glory for EVERYTHING! It is only through Him that we have the gifts of strength, compassion, helps, prophecy, etc! Where is your focus? Let it be on God alone!
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. I Corinthians 10:31
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