Let’s wrap this up.
When Samson lost his power, his enemies began to gloat, and ,well, I don’t blame them. This man killed 1000 of their people armed with a donkey’s jawbone. Now look at him – grinding the grain.
23 Now the lords of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice, for they said,
“Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hands.”
24 When the people saw him, they praised their god, for they said,
“Our god has given our enemy into our hands,
Even the destroyer of our country,
Who has slain many of us.”
It was already unfortunate that a servant of the Lord, raised in a godly home, dedicated from birth was now the humiliated slave of the enemy. But even worse, the Philistines gave glory to their god Dagon for helping them capture their great enemy. Samson was purposed to bring glory to the God of Israel; however, he had now given the enemy an opportunity to honour their false gods. Dagon was the god of grain, and certainly the Philistines remembered what Samson had done to their fields, so this was poetic justice (See Judges 15:1-5).
There is an interesting lesson to learn from the Philistines though. They remark “Our god has given our enemy into our hands,” though they knew that he was betrayed into their hands by Delilah. We may laugh at their foolish attribution to their god, yet we should note that if even a Philistine credits their victories to their idol gods, how much more are we compelled to pay a similar tribute to our God, and give Him the glory of every great and good work done by us, in us, or for us.
We read in verse 22 “however, the hair of his head began to grow again after it was shaved off.” We thank God, because He really is gracious. Sin made sure to see to the cutting of Samson’s hair, but day by day as the Philistines continued to mock him, Samson’s hair started growing back. When we find Samson again growing strong, we are compelled to believe that it was not because his hair grew; but because he repented of his past misconduct. If we are seeking God and asking Him to restore our joy, peace, hope or whatever it is we have lost, repentance is key.
Regrettably, Samson had not been fully restored, remaining a prisoner under Philistine rule. It got tough. If we were to look at verse 25 to 27 we see that it even got to the point where they called for Samson from the prison and presented him as entertainment, for the men and women, with the lords of the Philistines being among them. There was about 3,000 on the roof alone, not to even mention the rest of the temple.
28 Then Samson called to the Lord and said, “O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me just this time, O God, that I may at once be avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.” 29 Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and braced himself against them, the one with his right hand and the other with his left. 30 And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” And he bent withall his might so that the house fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So, the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he killed in his life. (Judges 16:28-30)
At Samson’s death, he did more than he had done in 20 years of serving as judge over Israel. In the darkest of times, Samson stood blind, bound and grinding, yet God still used him to accomplish more than he did in the 20 years at his peak.
Samson cried out to God and said, “God, remember me” and God did remember him. Why? Because God never forgot him. God did not go away but was always there, waiting… and that was all He needed to hear. That is all He needs to hear from you and me. The proud refuses to bow and cry “Help”. Only the humble one will cry out from the heart (see Matthew 15:25-28, Mark 9:22-25, Proverbs 18:10 and Psalms 107:6). It does not matter how desperate the situation is. God is more than enough.
Samson said, “Lord, please strengthen me,” because he knew where strength came from. God was still going to be praised even amid Samson’s sin. Samson wanted to be strengthened so he could avenge himself on the Philistines who gouged out his eyes, but God says, “No, I’ve had enough of that mentality. I’ll strengthen you so that I can fulfil what I began in your life – to begin to deliver Israel from the Philistines. So in spite of your sin I am still going to fulfil My plan.”
Whether it is Samson, Moses, Jonah, David, Peter, Paul or even Rahab, God really has a way of redeeming what has been lost. I think I’m finally starting get why Samson was included in the Bible and the Hebrews 11 Hall of Faith. He was a man of faith because despite his failures, in the end, He still looked to God to fulfil His purpose in faith. When everything around him was literal darkness, he still was able to find the light in God.
And we could end it right thee, but, there are some truths which do need to be addressed:
- Forgiveness vs Restoration – Forgiveness focuses on the sin of the person and restoration focuses on service and trust. Forgiveness is immediate; restoration is gradual. It took time for Samson’s hair to grow back. We should hold fast in our restorative process.
- God forgives, but very often the consequences of sin are not erased – Samson grew new hair, but he didn’t receive new eyes. When we finally repent of our sins, God does not automatically obliterate the past, and very often, though blameless in the eyes of the Lord, we may still be held to our past failures.
- God restores failures, but we are not necessarily restored to our original usefulness for the Lord – Samson was forgiven and restored, but he was never able to do what he could have done if he had not sinned. A person’s desire to serve the Lord may return, but opportunity to serve may not be the same. Dedication may be restored, but the confidence of others in you may never return.
Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no delight in them”; (Ecclesiastes 12:1)
Samson and Delilah: Complete.
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My Sunday Skl 