March 23

Judges 13-16

Samson the Strong Man

I remember going to Sunday school when I was a child and learning about famous people from the Bible (Adam and Eve, Noah's Ark, Moses parting the Red Sea, etc.). I clearly remember learning about Samson and Delilah. God blessed Samson with superhuman strength, he demonstrates his strength against his enemies, he tells his secret to Delilah, she betrays him, he is imprisoned, God gives him strength on last time to defeat the Philistines, dying along with them.

This is a very well known story that took place a long time ago. There are some important things we can learn that still are relevant to our lives today:

1) God is faithful even when we are not.

2) God uses flawed, sinful people to carry out His purposes, ultimately giving Him glory.

3) God will forgive us, no matter how much we have sinned.

4) We need to be careful who we are influenced by and who we spend our time with.

Samson achieved amazing things that most of us could only dream about, but he could have done nothing without God giving him the strength. Despite his flaws and sins, God blessed him and used him in His plan for Israel. Because of his carelessness he lost his strength for a time, but God never left or gave up on Samson. He was with him until the end.