He Found Courage in a Time of Weakness

SAMSON could see nothing. But he could hear the taunts and the jeers of the crowd of Philistines. How did he get here? He had foolishly divulged the secret of his God-given strength; then he had been captured, blinded, bound, imprisoned, and forced into slave labor. Now the Philistines were laughing at him and, undoubtedly, at his God, Jehovah. Samson knew that much of this was his own fault. He had always been a man of great courage. Now, that courage was being tested to its very limit.

For 20 years, Samson had served over Israel as a judge, although a most unusual one. Other judges, such as Barak, Gideon, and Jephthah, had led armies into battle against God’s enemies. Not Samson. Again and again, he was the army! Jehovah used him to defeat great numbers of Philistines, single-handedly. How?

At God’s direction, Samson’s parents dedicated him to a life of service to Jehovah as a Nazirite. So he never cut his hair. As long as he stayed true to that vow of service, Jehovah blessed him with extraordinary strength. Once, Samson even tore a lion in two with his bare hands! Samson used that God-given might against the Philistines, who were dominating God’s wayward people in Israel.

On one occasion, Samson’s own fearful people bound him and turned him over to the Philistines. But Samson tore his bonds apart as if they were linen threads and then struck down 1,000 Philistines, using only the jawbone of a donkey. Later, when Samson was in the city of Gaza, his enemies lay in ambush, planning to kill him at dawn. But he arose at midnight, pulled down the massive doors, the side posts, and the bar from the city gate. Then he hoisted them onto his shoulders and carried them some 60 kilometers (37 mi) to a mountaintop near Hebron!

Again and again, Samson proved unbeatable. He showed the Philistines that their gods, such as Dagon, were powerless against a faithful servant of Jehovah. However, the Philistines did find an effective weapon​—her name was Delilah.

Samson fell in love with her, but she was disloyal and conniving. She accepted a bribe from the Philistines to learn the secret of Samson’s great strength. She pressured him incessantly. Finally, Samson was worn down, and he revealed his secret. He said that if his hair was cut, he would be no stronger than an ordinary man. So Delilah waited until he slept; then she had his long locks cut. “Jehovah,” we read, “left him.” Thus, Samson’s strength drained away. The Philistines rushed in, seized him, and blinded him.

Samson was forced to grind grain for his enemies, a grueling task. The Philistines were exultant. Their once mighty foe was now merely a slave in copper fetters. They arranged a huge festival to honor Dagon. When the day came, many thousands crowded into a great temple. About 3,000 of the celebrants were on the roof. The Philistines decided to use Samson as entertainment, so they ordered that he be brought out, and they stationed him between two great pillars. By then, the repentant judge had once more grown a luxuriant head of hair.

After touching the pillars, he asked Jehovah to restore his former strength. He prayed: “Remember me, please, and strengthen me, please, just this once, O God,” and he called out: “Let me die with the Philistines!” Imagine his every muscle straining until the huge pillars budged, then moved apart. Before the Philistines could stop him, the pillars toppled and the whole temple came crashing down! It was Samson’s final act. In one blow, he put to death more of God’s enemies than he had throughout his life.

Centuries later, when the apostle Paul listed men of great faith, he included Samson. Paul wrote of those who “from a weak state were made powerful,” and he surely had that courageous judge in mind.​—Heb. 11:32-34.

Read the Bible account:

• Judges 13:1–16:31

For discussion:

In what ways did Samson show courage?

Dig Deeper

1. 1. Why could Samson touch dead bodies and still remain a Nazirite? (w05 1/15 30 ¶1–31 ¶1)

   Your answer

2. 2. What shows that Samson needed God’s holy spirit to carry the doors and the side posts from Gaza to Hebron? (w04 10/15 15 ¶7-8) A

   Your answer

   

3. 3. What indicates that Delilah might have been an Israelite? (w05 3/15 28 ¶3)

   Your answer

4. 4. Why did Samson pray to take revenge for only “one of [his] two eyes”? (Judg. 16:28; it “Samson” ¶10)

   Your answer

Reflect on the Lessons

• Under pressure, Samson revealed confidential information to Delilah. What can elders and their wives learn from this? B

  Your answer

  

• Samson made a serious mistake, but Jehovah later used him mightily. If a Christian today makes a mistake, how may the example of Samson motivate him not to give up?

  Your answer

• How might you imitate the courage of Samson in your life?

  Your answer

Meditate on the Bigger Picture

• What does this account teach me about Jehovah?

  Your answer

• How does the account tie in with Jehovah’s purposes?

  Your answer

• What would I like to ask Samson in the resurrection?

  Your answer

Learn More

Teach your children what made Samson one of the strongest men of all time.

“Holy Spirit Empowers Samson” (ijwis article 14)

What other lessons can we learn from the story of Samson?

“Rely on Jehovah, as Samson Did” (w23.09 2-7)