Samson!

When I was a little boy I had a book about Samson. It had great pictures and told the stories—he captured 300 foxes, tied their tails together in pairs with a torch between them, and set them loose to burn the Philistines’ grain. He killed a thousand men with a donkey’s jawbone, and more.

I loved those stories. I thought Samson was a great hero. And what an amazing story of heroes we have in the Bible: Adam, the first man; Noah, the great ark builder; Moses the law giver; Joshua the warrior; David the giant-slayer and king. But Samson—wow. You have to admit—the Bible has an amazing cast of characters!

When I got older, I learned Samson was not such a perfect hero. He was selfish and had a weakness for beautiful women. He had no self-denial or self-discipline. And for a while he protected the secret of his God-given power (he had never broken his Nazirite vow). But when Delilah kept begging and whining, he gave in. Three times he made up lies—and she DID exactly the thing he told her would weaken him. Then the fourth time, he told her the true secret and, predictably, she cut off his hair. Suddenly he found himself captured and his eyes gouged out. Now he was humiliated, and all was lost. He broke God’s rule, and God’s power left him. Worse than that, it was his own fault.

“The Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes. They brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles and he was forced to grind grain in the prison [he was harnessed like a donkey, pulling a grinding wheel around in a circle]. But his hair began to grow back.” Judges 16:21-22.

HIS HAIR BEGAN TO GROW BACK.

That is grace. That sentence is one of my favorite sentences about God’s grace: His hair began to grow back. More importantly, God’s strength returned to Samson. God used him to destroy the pagan temple and “the dead he killed in his death were more than those he killed in his life” v.30.

When you fail God, repent, confess, and focus on God’s grace. Your hair will grow back. God’s blessings will return. God’s grace is still with you. He still loves you, He still has a plan for you. He will still use you. He will bless you again. All may seem lost—but all is not lost when you love Jesus. God’s grace remains—and God’s power will return. He is not finished with you. Embrace Him and embrace His amazing grace, no matter what you may have done. God is for you and God will bless you again!

ΑΩ