Characters

Samson

Heroes in BibleForce

Known As

Gods Strong Man & Nazarite Holy Man

Lessons in the BibleFroce Bible

Where in the Bible?

The Books of Judges

Stories in the BibleFroce Bible

Did You Know

Samson was far from perfect—he was foolish and disobedient, and allowed his lust to lead him astray

Bio – Samson

c. 11th century BC

Samson was the son of Manoah. Manoah and his wife had long hoped for a child, but Manoah’s wife was barren. Then an angel appeared and told them that they would have a child who would deliver the Israelites from their enemies, the Philistines. The angel told them that they should bring the child up as a Nazarite—he must not drink alcohol or eat unclean foods, and no razor should ever touch his head.

Samson grew up to be unbelievably strong and courageous. No razor touched his head and his strength grew and grew. He was filled with the spirit of the Lord repeatedly during his lifetime. But Samson fell prey to many human weaknesses, including anger and vengefulness. His weakness for Philistine women would ultimately be his undoing. God had warned the Israelites not to mix with those who worshipped false gods and idols, yet over and over again Samson was drawn towards these exotic women. Finally, he fell in love with a Philistine woman named Delilah. She was very beautiful, but treacherous, and she agreed to help her countrymen find out the secret of his great strength.

To begin with, Samson told her lies, hoping that she would give up, but she cajoled and upbraided him incessantly, and at last he told her the truth—that his strength lay in his hair. That night he was captured by the Philistines, who cut his hair and put out his eyes, and kept him a prisoner, not noticing that his hair had begun to grow back.

One day, he was brought to a temple to be displayed as a trophy at a great gathering of Philistines. Samson prayed to God to give him strength one last time, and then, with a mighty effort, he toppled the huge pillars which supported the temple, dying himself, but also killing more of his enemies in this last act of rebellion than he had in his entire lifetime. No doubt, with this act Samson weakened the power of the Philistines over Israel for some time to come.

Time and time again, God has shown us that he can choose the most unlikely individuals to be champions for his people. Samson was far from perfect—he was foolish and disobedient, and allowed his lust to lead him astray. But he experienced clear consequences for his sinfulness, and his faith in God, and his willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice and to lay down his own life to save his people, made him a true hero.

Copyright ©2020 International Publishing Services (IPS) Sydney Australia

Samson - Gods Strong Man & Nazarite Holy Man

Bible Verses About Samson

Judges 13:5

“For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.”

Judges 16:17

“No razor has ever come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaven, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.”

Judges 16:20

And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” So he awoke from his sleep, and said, “I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!” But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him.

Judges 16:30

Then Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” And he pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So the dead that he killed at his death were more than he had killed in his life.

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