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A Case for Samson

Samson has been viewed severally as a misfit. He is often ignorantly disrespected by various writers, scholars, and teachers alike. Honestly, one may not be able to dissociate him from such disdains due to the lust that he could not overcome but eventually overcame him. To this end, many, like those called by the landlord in the early hours of the day (Matthew 20:1-16), as was portrayed in the hirer-hiree relationship relayed by our Lord Jesus, would often question why Samson was mentioned in Faith’s Hall of fame detailed in Hebrews 11. It would be appalling to many why Samson could have been squizzed in like one employed in the 11th hour while a wittingly respected Solomon was omitted. This calls for pondering!

Indeed, Samson has untowardly behaved himself. He, like many, had to be hurt before he knew what was right. Samson had so much to learn from regrets than the application of common sense. He could have achieved what he achieved at the end of his life more respectably earlier and in good time - so many think 🤔! And so many are tempted to believe Samson was a conquered conqueror whose conquest came after he was crushed.

Truly his feat happened after he had been defeated. But the crushing defeat, I opine, is not the loss of sight. Nor subjection to menial milling amongst those who must have become war prisoners for their failure to apprehend Samson, regardless of the heavy financial investment of the Philistines’ 5 lords.

The victory that followed this supposed Samson’s defeat was a more incredible achievement to God. God remarked that the dangerous young fighter killed many more than when his sight was in-form (Judges 16:30). Which is then the right victory? Victory over himself or prolonged victory over his enemies?

Let’s observe together that the Bible says greater is the man that has rule over his spirit than one who conquers a city (Proverbs 16:32). Samson took the town of Gaza with spine-shivering acts at the gates, but little could he control the gates of his heart against the invasion of sexual desires. These were greater irresistible forces than a million army physically gathering around him.

With these forces in dictatorship over his spirit, he could cherish Delilah’s laps than military camps, cuddling and crouching than military 🪖 strategizing. These innumerable inner forces of lust drove him insensibly down the valleys of forbidden 🚫 routes. He had power over iron bars but was weak against heartthrobs. There was a greater enemy to be conquered in him. If destroyed, the conquest God sought to achieve would be seamlessly easy.

For God’s Glory

There was a more significant victory beyond his blindness. I wonder how much more God would prefer Samson in this seemingly bodily deformed state. Yet, at the same time, he maintains a greater victory deadness to sexual lust. Ah, before sight loss, the young man had no value for consecration. But after his sinful passion had been defeated with bodily pain and reputation loss, he lost value for any pleasure. All that throbbed in his heart henceforth was the glory of God. More decided was he for the glory of God as a blind man than when seeing. The siege was broken. The dragnet of sexual lust had lost its power to capture. It is shattered. Not for an impression will he fight any longer, but for the defence of the glory of Israel’s God.

He was used by God all Samson would release himself before the advent of death to sexual lust. But afterwards, he was used all God could. Both his body was zealously and willingly given as a sacrifice that the kingdom of God may come, someday, as promised to Israel and that His will may be done in it. Before, he only fought convenient battles and delighted in self-exalting victories.

But afterwards, his physical loss - blindness - resulted in his eternal gain. He was blind and bodily defeated as one who had lost the whole world but was now on the verge of gaining his soul back. His blindness opened his sight to a sublimer spiritual reality. So, happy is that deformed man, if and only if his deformation leads to a more significant spiritual gain. And like Franny Cosby could send chords of happiness down the heart of seeing men through all the generations of spiritual blindness. Or, like George Matterson, become the blind guard of the physically seeing.

I reckon that God will prefer one’s physical deformation if such advances his spiritual state. He will pick the loss of our loved one if such loss will lead us to detachment from men whilst offering up more genuine love to him. Abraham was in this class of men (Gen 11:31-32 cf. Gen 12:1a). God will prefer the loss of sight to its restoration if, like Samson, that will end in more tremendous defeat in the enemy’s camp. He will prefer a Jacob limping with broken ties if the breakage results in reliance on His omnipotence.

If not for the greater good lying ahead, God would have condescended too cheaply to have allowed Samson’s loss to his enemies.

The reclining head-supportive laps of Delilah on which anointed Samson lulled can be replaced or refurbished by many other earthly things that ensure our security. Samson lost nothing but consecration to Delilah’s lap. He was an example of a man who totally lost his first love, as indicated by his blind state. And had to find it as with a blind man tracing his step on an unknown rocky street. This search was as burdensome as the stones he had to move around to grind corns and millet for prisoners to have their day’s meal.

Suddenly, he found a Nazarite afar off in a blind state. His blindness became a passage to bright spiritual sight. Speculating, he begged for a little of the zeal He (Christ would exhibit). His devotion, that is, Samson’s first love, was identified and grew again. His hair growth was infallible proof.