The Final Act of Samson’s Life

Judges 16:4-5 (NKJV) ⁴ Afterward it happened that he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. ⁵ And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Entice him, and find out where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and every one of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.”

(I apologize for taking so long to finish the story of Samson’s life. I have been teaching at Blue Ridge Chapel School of the Prophets in Rocky Mount Virginia. Pastor’s Phil and Gina Crandall head a great work there that includes a bible school where many young, and some not so young, people have been greatly blessed of God. If you or someone you know would like a bible school education in an uncompromising atmosphere with a powerful anointing of the Holy Spirit, this might be the place for you. You can check them out at http://blueridgebiblecollege.org. I had a few minutes so I thought I would at least finish my thoughts on Samson.)

We have been studying the life of Samson as a contrast to the life of Samuel. Samuel was one of the finest characters in the Word of God. He served Israel his whole life as both judge and prophet. There is nothing we can find in Samuel that is not of the finest quality. Samson, on the other hand, is different. He is very gifted. He is like a superhero in the Old Testament. When the Lord anoints him, he has supernatural physical strength. Yet with all his gifting, he really did very little for his people.

We have examined his behavior and character and found a number of things that were problems in his life. You can go back and look at the list for yourself, but it includes things like selfishness and a tendency to give in to the flesh. When he used his great strength, his attitude was not to bless or free his people, but to satisfy his own needs.

One of the worst character flaws in his life had to do with women. At the beginning of chapter 16, we see that this weakness had grown to a major problem.

Judges 16:1 (NKJV) ¹ Now Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there, and went in to her.

There is no scenario or circumstance where this kind of behavior can be acceptable for a man of God. I do not believe it can ever be acceptable for any believer. The bible clearly says that Samson paid a prostitute for sex. The language is much more refined than that but it means the same thing. His weakness for women had caused him to sin.

We must realize that weaknesses must not be ignored. When we find something in our lives that is a compromise of the Word of God, we must address it. As soon as we realize we have sinned, we must repent. We must go to God and ask him for forgiveness. He promises he will give it and that he will cleanse us of unrighteousness. If we do not recognize compromise and repent of it, sin will eventually destroy us. Samson is about to learn that hard lesson.

The Philistine people of Gaza hear that Samson has come to their city and they surround the place where Samson is. The anointing comes upon him again and he defeats his enemies once more. However, he is one-step closer to disaster. He could have recognized that his compromised lifestyle had put him at risk. He should have gone to God in repentance and asked for help with his sin. He did not. Instead, he repeated it.

Many times, we think that sin is not really harming us. We think that compromise is OK. We need to understand that the wages of sin is always death. Every time we allow the flesh to win, we become weaker. Samson was under the false impression that he could do whatever he wanted and the anointing would be there. He was greatly mistaken.

He falls in love with yet another woman of the Philistines. Although it does not say he was in a sexual relationship with Delilah, I believe his behavior indicates that this was likely. The “lords of the Philistines” see their opportunity and demand that Delilah find out why Samson is so strong.

This story harkens back to the story of his first Philistine wife and the riddle. She kept nagging him about the answer to the riddle until she finally said, “If you loved me you would tell me.” He gave in to her and told his secret which led to great bloodshed. This time he falls for the same tact but it ends much worse for him.

Delilah asks what the source of his great strength is. He tells her a number of lies. Each time she shouts, “The Philistines are upon you!” Each time he defeats the thing he said would bind him. She continues to nag him just as his wife had done. Eventually she uses the same tactic. “If you really loved me you would tell me your secret.”

Samson relents and tells her that the secret of his strength is his sacred vow never to cut his hair. While he sleeps, she cuts his hair. When the Philistines come for him, he expects the anointing to come upon him as before but he has gone too far. He is captured, his eyes are poked out and he ends up in slavery, treading grain like an animal.

Do not let the devil deceive you into thinking that you can transgress the principles of God and never reap the consequences. God is long-suffering with his people. The bible tells us his mercy is new every morning. However, when we continue to allow sin and compromise in our lives, there will come a time where the fruit of death will be produced. I am not saying that you will not go to heaven or that you will be beyond repentance. I also not saying those things are impossible. I am saying that when we open the door to death of our own accord, death has a right to bring problems into our lives.

The story of Samson does not quite end here. In his time of slavery, his hair grows back. He regains his great strength. He cannot regain his eyes. When we allow sin and compromise, we may come to the point of repentance and God will forgive us. However, what we lose during our time of rebellion or foolishness may not be so easily recovered. I have witnessed people do things I knew were wrong. Thy repented and God received them back, but their children were gone. Their marriage was destroyed. Some other precious thing that could not be restored was lost.

Samson is brought out as a spectacle during a Philistine celebration. He asks someone to help him place him between the pillars of the temple. He prays one more time to God. I think it is worth hearing his prayer.

Judges 16:28 (NKJV) ²⁸ Then Samson called to the LORD, saying, “O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God, that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes!”

God did indeed strengthen him and use him to destroy many of the enemies of Israel. However, I cannot help but be saddened by the nature of his prayer. He did not pray, forgive me for my sin and strengthen me once more that I might help my people. Instead, he prays for strength that he might get vengeance for his eyes. To the end, the sin and compromise in Samson’s life dominated the gift God had given him.

I know that Samson is in the hall of fame of faith in Hebrews 11. I have to admit that he must have done something right. He did begin to deliver his people. I cannot help but wonder how much more he could have done if his character and integrity matched his gift. I know one thing. As for me and mine, give me greater holiness, righteousness and character and lesser gifts. I believe I will do more and lose less along the way.