Samson
Strength and weakness
A Nazirite of extraordinary strength, betrayed by Delilah; blind and humiliated, he cries out to God one last time.
Set apart before birth
Samson was a Nazirite from the womb, set apart for God, with extraordinary strength tied to the vow of not cutting his hair. His life is a mix of impressive power and impulsive choices.
Strength and weakness
He killed a lion with his bare hands and a thousand men with a jawbone, but he was defeated by his own passions. Delilah pries out his secret, his hair is cut and he loses his strength, “But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him” (Judges 16:20). The greatest danger is not noticing when we drift away from God.
Victory in defeat
Imprisoned and blind, Samson feels his hair growing back and prays one last prayer. By bringing down the temple of the Philistines, he kills more in his death than in his life, a flawed hero who, by giving up his own life, defeats the enemy: a distant shadow of what Christ would do perfectly.
Where to read in the Bible
- Judges 13–16
Connections
- foreshadows Jesus of Nazareth · editorial reading · Judges 16:30