His name means: "Little Sun"
His work: To deliver Israel from the Philistines.
His character: Samson's erotic attachments to foreign
women eventually led to his death. A man of mythic strength, he was
inwardly weak, given to anger and unfaithful to his Nazirite vows. His
prayers as well as his actions against the Philistines seem to have been
motivated by the desire for personal vengeance.
His sorrow: To have been blinded and imprisoned by his lifelong enemies.
His triumph: To have killed more Philistines by his death than he had while living.
Key Scriptures: Judges 13-16
A Look at the Man
One of the first Bible stories children hear is the story of Samson,
the man who defeated his enemies with a superhuman feat of strength. But
it is such an unsavory story that we find ourselves leaving out certain
details, for example, Samson's boasting, his visits to prostitutes, or
his murderous rage. Even the man's prayers were selfish, focused as they
were on his own desire for revenge rather than on God's glory.
Why would God, knowing the future, choose such a person to play such a
role, even sending an angel to announce his birth? The question is not
easily answered. But it is certainly true that Samson would have been a
better man had he paid attention to the call God had placed on his life.
Instead, he seems to have squandered the promise of his life by living
it in a self-centered, self-directed way.
Ironically, the pattern of his life formed a vivid picture of
Israel's own unfaithfulness during a period when it seemed incapable of
resisting the allurement of foreign gods. And so the people God had set
apart and called his own, the nation he intended to build up and make
strong, grew progressively weaker in the land he had promised.
Samson's story reminds us of God's faithfulness, of his ability to
deliver his people regardless of the circumstances and despite their
sins. It also reminds us of what can happen when we allow ourselves to
become attached to things and people, however enticing, that might end
in our own self-destruction.
Reflect On: Judges 16:23–31
Praise God: For his sovereignty.
Offer Thanks: For God’s strength working within you.
Confess: Any promises you have made to God and not kept.
Ask God: To make you a person who is strong on the inside.
Today's reading is a brief excerpt from Men of the Bible: A One-Year Devotional Study of Men in Scripture
by Ann Spangler and Robert Wolgemuth (Zondervan). © 2010 by Ann
Spangler. Used with permission. All rights reserved. Enjoy the complete
book by purchasing your own copy at the Bible Gateway Store. The book's title must be included when sharing the above content on social media. Coming this fall: watch for Wicked Women of the Bible by Ann Spangler.
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