Mercy that is too good to believe

God's mercy even to the almost total failure-Samson

Heb 11:32-34  And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.

 Hebrews 11 is the great list of the faithful... all the heroes of the Old Testament are listed here. And did you notice that Samson is included? WHAT! Samson didn't do anything right.

Samson was a special child, promised to a childless couple, chosen before birth to serve God in a special way, set apart as consecrated to God. God told his mother that she would have a child, and from this moment to not drink strong drink or touch anything unclean, and that the child’s hair should never be cut. These were the conditions of anyone taking the Nazarite vow to be consecrated to God.

First glimpse of Samson we get is in Judges 14:1-3.

Samson went down to Timnah, and at Timnah he saw one of the daughters of the Philistines.   Then he came up and told his father and mother, "I saw one of the daughters of the Philistines at Timnah. Now get her for me as my wife." But his father and mother said to him, "Is there not a woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you must go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?" But Samson said to his father, "Get her for me, for she is right in my eyes."

Based on these verses, we see that Samson was headstrong, rebellious, and ruled by the lust of the flesh. If you read the next 2 chapters, you can see that this glimpse is truly representative of his life.

 Samson did nothing right. He had supernatural strength from God, but he fought the enemy for selfish revenge, or in anger. He pursued pagan women who were not Israelites, who worshiped idols. He seemed to care nothing for God, for God’s laws, for God’s people. He did not even value the special gift that God had given him enough to hold it sacred. His exploits read like a bad romance novel.

Everyone knows the name Deliah.

Jdg 16:4-9  After this he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, "Seduce him, and see where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to humble him. And we will each give you 1,100 pieces of silver." So Delilah said to Samson, "Please tell me where your great strength lies, and how you might be bound, that one could subdue you. Samson said to her, "If they bind me with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, then I shall become weak and be like any other man." Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she bound him with them. Now she had men lying in ambush in an inner chamber. And she said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" But he snapped the bowstrings, as a thread of flax snaps when it touches the fire. So the secret of his strength was not known.

 One would think that Samson would have learned a hard lesson with this experience, but he apparently was so smitten with Delilah that he had no sense left. He stayed with her. She kept after him to tell her his secret. He told her that if he were bound with seven new bow strings he would lose his strength. She tried it, called his enemies in, but he was still strong. She kept nagging, until her told her to try seven new ropes, which did not affect him. He then told her to weave his hair into a loom. Amazingly, he kept coming back, and she finally wore him down.

Jdg 16:15-21  And she said to him, "How can you say, 'I love you,' when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and you have not told me where your great strength lies."  And when she pressed him hard with her words day after day, and urged him, his soul was vexed to death. And he told her all his heart, and said to her, "A razor has never come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother's womb. If my head is shaved, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak and be like any other man." When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called the lords of the Philistines, saying, "Come up again, for he has told me all his heart." Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hands. She made him sleep on her knees. And she called a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him. And she said, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" And he awoke from his sleep and said, "I will go out as at other times and shake myself free." But he did not know that the LORD had left him.  And the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles. And he ground at the mill in the prison.

 It is hard to understand how Samson fell into this trap. Was he so proud that he thought that even if he broke the vow of the Nazarene that he would remain strong? Did he think that he was invincible on his own? Samson ends up blind, shackled, working like an ox in the mill for the enemy.

”But the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.” (Jdg 16:22)

One day, as the Philistines were celebrating a great feast in honor of their god, who they said gave them this great victory, they decided to bring in Samson for entertainment. They had him stand between the two pillars that supported the building.

 

Jdg 16:26-30  And Samson said to the young man who held him by the hand, "Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, that I may lean against them."  Now the house was full of men and women. All the lords of the Philistines were there, and on the roof there were about 3,000 men and women, who looked on while Samson entertained. Then Samson called to the LORD and said, "O Lord GOD, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes."

And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other.
And Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines." Then he bowed with all his strength, and the house fell upon the lords and upon all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life.

In  verse 28, Samson prayed. This is the only recorded time that Samson prayed or called out to God.

But, he did, and God, this amazing, merciful God, answered his prayer. And, because of this one act of faith he is recorded in Hebrews 11 as one who God called faithful.

What amazing grace and mercy. This is shocking. One who we would call a failure, God calls faithful.