Make Your Mark by Brad Gray l Samson and Delilah l Samson in the Bible l Christianity Books l Samson Bible Story l Lessons from Samson Bible Story l Themes from Samson Bible Story

"Why did God answer Samson's prayer for strength to knock those pillars off the bases and rbeak his Nazirite vow?"

We assume God answers Samson's prayer because of what happened. But the text never tells us that. What the text does tell us is that Samson's strength is connected to his hair, and whie he's prison, his hair begin gorwing back. Just beause Samson prays a prayer doesn't mean God answers it, even if the end result is Samson's desire.

God gave Samson a gift. His gift was his strength, connected to his hair. As long as he has his haor, he has his gift. And he can use that gift however he desires. That's the nature of the gifts we posses. We can use them for good or we can use them for ill.

Seventy-Seven Times

It begins with a single lion. It moves to thiry men of Ashkelon. It progresses to the slaughtering of an unidentified number of people(?). It advances to a thousand men near Lehi. It then culminates with three thousnad men and women at the temple of Dagon in Gaza, including himself.

This is the trajectory of revenge when the cycle continues unbroken. It's lethal, and it's barbaric.

For some of us, Samson's story is deeply convicting. Others of us read a story like Samson;s and think, "Wow, I'm so glad I'm not like that." Or we hear a story about a shepherd who wants the blood of a man for accidentally killing his animals, and we're appalled by such rationale. And yet how often do we do the same thing? How often do we exact a punishment beyond what was done to us? How often do we get back at someone for something they did to us?

Gotta Have Blue Eyes

Samson set a precedent. He set an example others followed. He took his eyes off what was right, chose to do what was right in his own eyes, and subsequently did not do what was right in God's eyes.

The effects of Samson's choices were devastating, not only to his life, but to the lives of those around him, and those who followed after him. Samson led an entire generation astray because of the choiecs he made.

It's easy to get aught up in the notion that our choices don't affect others. We fall prey to believing we can do what we want and it won't impact others. But it does.

What we do matters. We may not have the smae clout as Samson, but we will affect those around us and, to one varying degree or another, those who come after us.

There's a lot at stake. Not only for us, and for those we impact, but also for God.