13 March | Youth
«Samson had judged Israel for twenty years.» Judges 16:31, NLT
Samson’s story is one of the most fantastic and saddest there are in the Bible. The young Hebrew man had everything to be a great leader of Israel, recognized for his strength in the fight against the Philistines. However, he wasted great opportunities in the arms of lust and pleasure.
A Nazirite from the womb, Samson had to keep away from grapes, corpses, unclean meat, and he could not cut his hair. If he kept this vow before God, he would be bestowed with the gift of strength. And it wasn't just any strength, like a weightlifter, for example. Samson became a true superman, capable of carrying gigantic doors, capturing hundreds of foxes, and even defeating an entire army –all through the power of the Holy Spirit.
In the Hebrew language, the word Samson means “little sun.” A beautiful meaning for the strongest man in the world, isn't it? However, the long-haired man of Israel had a weakness: his eyes shone when he saw Philistine women. God had told the children of Israel not to marry foreign women, as they might have their hearts perverted. However, the “little sun” of Israel gave way to the “infrared” influence of sin.
The “kryptonite” of seduction undermined the strength of Israel's superman, making him the weakest of mortals. Ellen White wrote: “He who is mastered by his passions is a weak man. The real greatness and nobility of the man is measured by his power to subdue his feelings, not by the power of his feelings to subdue him.” (Messages to Young People, p. 412).
After lying in Delilah's arms, Samson lost his hair, his strength and the last thread of consecration. By breaking his vow, Israel's sun went out. With his eyes hollowed out, he only had one chance: to look at the Creator of the Sun. In his last appearance, on the day of the feast of Dagon, Samson prayed asking the Lord for strength. Graciously, the Father of lights granted his request and gave him strength one more time. On that day, Samson killed more enemies than he had in his entire life, and also defeated his greatest adversary: himself.
Samson could have done much more if he had been faithful to the Lord. And you? What do you need to master in order to allow God to use you more?