Every time I have read about the life of Samson recorded in the book of Judges, I looked with criticism at the way he lived and the choices he made—focusing on his weaknesses rather than seeing him as a man of faith, which the book of Hebrews proclaims him to be.  (And truly, it is much easier to recognize the weaknesses of someone else rather than my own!)  Recently God has given me a view from a different angle—it came from a phrase I read in Judges 14:4, His father and mother did not know that it was from the Lord….

WHAT!!!???!!!  Samson went down to a Philistine city—a place he should not go!—and met a woman he should not desire.  Get her for me for she is right in my eyes (14:3) seemed to be his spoiled, “I want what I want when I want it” attitude.

I think Samson needed to have his eyes checked, for God instructed the Israelites, Take heed to yourself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it be a snare in your midst (Exodus 34:12).  So the whole premise of Samson consummating the covenant of marriage with this Philistine woman contradicted God’s command that His people not make covenants with the people of the land—it certainly turned out to be a snare for him!  How could this alliance possibly be from the Lord?

God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind (Numbers 23:19).  God does not contradict himself, so how could it be His intention for Samson to marry this woman?

I believe that there is a message of grace in this story—God knew Samson intimately, and in His sovereignty, was able to work through Samson’s weaknesses.  God working through Samson’s broken vows and wandering eyes still was able to bring about victories over the enemy.  Ideal?  No.  But our Father knows the stuff we are made of and His grace is sufficient to accomplish His purposes through frail human beings.

Samson was a judge in Israel for twenty years but we have a record of only a few incidents in this man’s life.  There are several places where the scripture tells us that “the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him” and he was able to perform strong, powerful acts, acts that seemed to supersede the extra physical strength represented by his long hair.  Fresh bowstrings, new ropes, and a weaver’s loom could not bind Samson, but the weakness of his flesh and his desires held him captive and brought about his destruction.

In spite of his physical strength, he was spiritually weak.  He lost sight of his calling and the vision of his life purpose; he lacked discernment and the ability to withstand the enticements of the enemy.  However, he was a man of faith and he cried out to God in his deepest point of despair—although his motives seem questionable, God answered him and gave Samson one last victory.

How can the story of this broken man bring hope to our lives?  It really has everything to do with the resurrection of Jesus.  If we can, for a moment, recognize ourselves, our lives, our weaknesses, our questionable motives in the life of Samson, then we are in a perfect place to receive the gift of redemption through the Savior.  Our selfish desires, our willful attitudes, our sinful nature hold us captive, and until we release them to God, we will lose vision and experience defeat.

In the Old Testament there are many recorded instances where the Spirit of the Lord came upon people and they accomplished great things.  In the New Testament, under the New Covenant of grace, the Holy Spirit dwells inside of people and lives are powerfully changed.  He starts by giving us life:  If the Spirit of him who raise Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through the Spirit who dwells in you (Romans 8:11).

He gives us inner strength, teaches us about the remarkable love of Christ, and fills us with the fullness of God:  For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 4:14-19).

Experiencing all the fullness of God starts with faith, and knowing the love of Christ.  The love of Christ starts with Calvary and the cruel death he suffered—the powerful indwelling of the Holy Spirit starts with the resurrection of our Savior, and faith begins with His Spirit.   We are being changed, gloriously, by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit—and we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another (2 Cor. 3:18).

The beauty of grace is that He loves us.  He restores our sight; he gives each one of us a purpose and destiny.  He loves our faith; He hears our prayers, and He changes our lives.  He understands our weaknesses, and He loves our willing hearts.  He gives us beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness so that we may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified (Isaiah 61:3).

Hallelujah!