Who was Samson? Was he good or bad?
Here's the answer:
Samson was called by God to be a protector of Israel when they were being ruled by the Philistines. God gave Samson super strength that allowed him to defeat hundreds of Israel's enemies all by himself. But many times, Samson forgot that his power came from God and tried to take too much credit for himself.
Samson was captured because of his pride. He had long hair that had never been cut. His hair didn't give him power, but was a symbol of his promise to serve God. He was so sure no one could beat him, he even told an enemy how he could be made powerless by shaving his hair. And so Samson's enemies cut off his hair while he was sleeping and attacked him. Judges 16:20 is the saddest verse in Samson's story. It tells us Samson thought he would easily defeat his enemies once again, but he didn't know that God wasn't going to help him this time.
God later showed Samson grace when he admitted to God that he couldn't do things by himself. And towards the end of Samson's life, God used him to defeat the Philistines and rescue Israel.
Just like us today, Samson had some good moments and some bad moments. Samson's story reminds us to always remember that God is the source of great power and He has a special plan for our lives. Whatever we can do alone is never better than what God can do with us!
Bible Truth
"…'I will go out just as I did before. I’ll shake myself free.’ But he didn't know that the LORD had left him" (Judges 16:20).
"Then he prayed to the LORD. Samson said, 'LORD and King, show me that you still have concern for me. Please, God, make me strong just one more time...'" (Judges 16:28).
