Samson's Grace
A Word on Faith and Grace
Let’s look at Samson. (Judges 13:1-Judges 16:31) He is one of the Bible characters, whose entire life proves that it is all about God.
Samson
was born by promise, and was made a Nazarite at birth. His parents obeyed the
Word of the Lord given to them by the angel. Samson did nothing at all. It was
all done for him and without his power; much like our salvation. We are called
by God, we hear His Word about Jesus Christ, passed down to us through the elders,
and we believe, confessing Him as Lord. It’s that simple.
Samson
lived a sinful life, yet God was with him. His source of power was not his
hair. God was his source of power. His hair is a picture of something that grows,
which is not controlled by man, other than the power to cut it off. Faith
grows, and God works in our lives, as long as we continue to have faith in Him,
despite our sinful actions.
He waged
war against the enemies of God who were oppressing the people. Remember, God
let the Philistines take over Israel, because of their falling away from God.
But, when they turned to God, He raised up Samson to fight their enemies.
Samson was sinful, Israel was sinful, and the Philistines were sinful. The
difference lies in who turned to and trusted God, and the promises God has made. When we trust God and turn to
Him, He is with us no matter what. But, when we turn away from Him, the enemy
can take over. This has nothing to do with sinful behavior. It has to do with
whether you are turning to God, because only God can fix our sinfulness, and
failures. Abiding in Him, leads to growth, like Samson’s hair. It grows and we
don’t even notice.
Samson
was tricked by Delilah which allowed the Philistines the ability to overcome
him. Samson already had Delilah sexually, this was not the first time he had
seen her, or been with her, as the story implies. So, sex was not the reason he
gave up his secret. He gave up his secret, because he became convinced of his
invincibility, and trusted something or someone other than God. His secret is God.
His hair is the works God has done for Him and the faith He had in God. Samson
gave up the one thing that kept him safe; the one thing that kept Him alive and
prospered him. The particulars are irrelevant. Samson stopped trusting God. He stopped
abiding in Him.
He was
captured and tortured and locked up. Much like Israel, who had lost faith in
God, and turned from Him. The enemy was able to overcome him. This led to
Samson, and Israel being broken, which led to the crying out to God, which is
what we should do when we are being broken. Our pride makes us believe we can
do it alone. Pride must be broken. Samson’s hair began to grow back. His faith
began to grow in that rock bottom place.
And after
he was broken, he cried out to God, and God gave him a tremendous victory. God
did not abandon Him. Samson did not lose his salvation. God was always there,
waiting for Samson to cry out in faith, and God moved in a mighty way. God
fulfilled his own purpose through Samson, which was the destruction of the
enemy, and setting His people free. That is God’s purpose always; to defeat the
enemy and set us free in Him.
Remember,
“ALL things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the
called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
So, no matter what, remember that you are called, and abide in Christ.
Pray, praise, speak faith, confess your sins to Him, and watch Him work. Follow
the Holy Spirit as He guides you, and you will see things moving and happening.
Eventually one day you will look up and you will be different, and it will be
just like growing hair. It’ll be slow and steady, and without your help. Then,
you will see that it was all God. You will see that He loves you, and that
everything is Ok, and your faith will grow.
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Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois. He
has published in several magazines, and has written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook
called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“ His newest book is called
"The Future is
Coming"
and is a collection of dystopian short stories. Photo by the Author. A small courtyard near the Capitol Building in Washington D. C.
Follow Him on Medium: https://chris-bunton.medium.com/
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Photo by the Author. A small courtyard near the Capitol Building in Washington D. C.
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