Deuteronomy 7:3-4

#26 Question: What did SAMSON learn 20 years too late?

  Sometimes adults look back on mistakes made years earlier and wish they could go back and correct them. Unfortunately, that is not possible.

Consider Samson, one of the judges of Israel. He began life with distinct advantages. When the Philistines ruled Israel, an angel of the Lord appeared to a barren Israelite woman and told her that she would give birth to a special child who would be a Nazirite and should never cut his hair.

As a Nazirite, Samson was imbued by God with superior strength for his assigned task of saving the people from the Philistines. Unfortunately, Samson could not control his eyes and sexual appetites. For example, as a young man he saw a Philistine girl that he wanted to marry—a choice in direct conflict with the law of God, Deuteronomy 7:3-4:

“You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods.”

When Samson and his parents went to arrange the wedding, Samson killed a lion with his bare hands but told no one. Later, Samson saw that bees had made a hive inside the carcass. Samson ate some of the honey but told no one.

Samson put a riddle to 30 young Philistines provided as companions, Judges 14:14:

“And he said to them, “Out of the eater came something to eat. Out of the strong came something sweet.”

He promised to provide thirty changes of clothing if they could solve the riddle.

They could not and used Samson’s soon-to-be-wife to get the answer. After a week, her constant weeping caused Samson to tell her. She then told the young men. This infuriated Samson. So, he went to Ashkelon, killed 30 Philistines, took their clothes, and paid his debt.

Samson judged Israel 20 years and irritated and killed many Philistines. Then, he took up residency with a prostitute, Delilah. For money from his enemies, she enticed Samson to reveal the source of his strength: his long hair. (Since he was a Nazirite, cutting his hair would violate this vow.) She managed to cut his hair and turn him over to the Philistines. Without his hair, Samsom was weak and defenseless.

The Philistines blinded him and made him grind at the prison mill like a donkey. After a time, his hair grew back.

When the Philistines celebrated a gigantic feast to their idol, Dagon, they called for Samson and made sport of him. Samson prayed to God for strength once again and pushed apart the pillars of the temple to make it fall. By this deed, He killed more Philistines than he had during his earlier time as a judge.

During his blindness, Samson probably thought many times that he should have obeyed God and never associated with the Philistine women.

We can learn valuable lessons from Samson.

  1. We should always obey God’s laws.
  2. Fraternalizing with the wicked is dangerous and can lead to sin.
  3. Never take a chance and marry someone who is not a Christian and who will not help you obey God and go to heaven.

We do not know the answer to the question in the title. But it is highly likely that Samson bitterly learned the above 3 lessons.

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