May 2, 2024 - Strength in Humility

Judges 15:1-16:31

John 2:1-25

Psalm 103:1-22

Proverbs 14:17-19

One Year Bible Audio & Daily Reading (oneyearbibleonline.com)

Judges 16:17 So he told her everything. “No razor has ever been used on my head,” he said, “because I have been a Nazirite dedicated to God from my mother’s womb. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man.” 18 When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines, “Come back once more; he has told me everything.” So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands. 19 After putting him to sleep on her lap, she called for someone to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him. And his strength left him.

This story always bothers me because he knows that she is going to call the Philistines to come and tie him up. Why would he tell her the truth? He can't possibly know that shaving his head would do it. She pestered and pestered him until he blurted out the truth of being a Nazirite. I speculate that he may have been speculating on his hair having something to do with it but he didn't know for sure.

Judges 16:20 Then she called, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!”

He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him.

Had he known for sure that shaving his hair would made the Lord leave him and take away his strength he would not have woke thinking that he would shake his bonds free as before. God had given him his strength and put him where he was every step of the way. I think God left him because the time was right for him to be captured not really because they shaved his hair. But I am sure that by shaving his head first it made the Philistines feel much more confident in their power over Sampson.

Judges 16:24 When the people saw him, they praised their god, saying,

“Our god has delivered our enemy into our hands, the one who laid waste our land and multiplied our slain.”

They attributed their ability to capture him to their god who was not able to subdue him in any of the previous attempts. Instead it is Sampson's God who had the power. In their pride and confidence that they had stopped Sampson they did not consider that you can't stop Sampson's God.

Judges 16:28 Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.”

In their confidence they put Sampson right where God needed him to be to wipe out the Philistines while they were celebrating and worshiping another god. Sampson trusted God and knew his eternal destiny. He knew that his strength could only come from God and he humbly came before him and asked for it. He had no fear of death and wanted to be the vessel that God used to defeat the enemy. And God allowed him to do just that.

Judges 16:30 Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived.

He was stronger in his humility than he was in times of his greatest strength.

Also makes me smile to think that God can use even the most foolish decisions we make to do mighty things.