Gospel

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We all know the gospels start in the New Testament, yet the story of Samson is “Good News” for anyone who has ever struggled to know and understand God. Samson’s name means “strong” or “distinguished” and he was certainly strong physically. In Judges 13: 3-5 an angel told Manoah’s wife that she would have a son who would “begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.” He was to be a Nazirite to God, and should never cut his hair. She was to drink no wine or eat anything that was unclean during her pregnancy. Samson’s parents were given more rules for raising him than anyone in their time, yet Jehovah extended grace to Samson more than any other Judge of Israel. You’ve heard some of the story of Samson, about his great strength and his big mistake. But the interesting thing about Samson was his faults - because Samson wasn’t known for his great strength of character. Neither was he saved by his works - God extended a lot of mercy in Samson’s life.

And he judged Israel for 20 years in a somewhat stable way. But it was his moral weaknesses we all know about. He had a wife, then a prostitute, and finally a girlfriend. Yet God’s Spirit didn’t leave him. In spite of his sleeping with a prostitute, God didn’t abandon him. Judges 16: 1- 3 (Message Bible) tells one amazing story: “Samson went to Gaza and saw a prostitute. He went to her. The news got around: "Samson's here." They gathered around in hiding, waiting all night for him at the city gate, quiet as mice, thinking, "At sunrise we'll kill him." Samson was in bed with the woman until midnight. Then he got up, seized the doors of the city gate and the two gateposts, bolts and all, hefted them on his shoulder, and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron” (Italics supplied.) God gave him power to carry the gate of the city away with him – after he had spent the night with a harlot - can you imagine that? And Gaza appears to be well over 25 miles from Hebron – where Samson set the city gates down! God was rubbing it in the faces of the Philistines, to give his judge that kind of power! What kind of compassion – some would call it cheap grace, is that? But God is love and He is very faithful. And in spite of that fact that Samson then went to his girlfriend, God’s Presence didn’t leave Sampson. He kept telling Delilah lies. Yet God didn’t abandon him for that, either. She was prompted by the city leaders to keep asking why he was so strong, and he kept giving her false answers. Yet God’s power remained with him. It wasn’t until his hair was cut, in violation of God’s direct command, that God’s Spirit left Samson and he only had the strength of a normal man.

Without the power of God to make Sampson physically special, his heart finally began to grow strong. After all the years of independence, Sampson finally learned to submit to Yahweh’s leading. The “good news” of the story of Sampson is that God is there - not only for the spiritually strong, but Jehovah is there for the spiritual weaklings, too. God has just as much care, compassion and love for the foolish and the erring as he does for the moral giants. It is a good thing, because there are a lot more humans who are spiritually palsied than there are buff religious giants in the land. Hallelujah and hosanna - good news!

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