Receiving Grace in the Tough Places

For twenty years Samson judged Israel (Judges 16:31) and for all of those years he was on the Philistines' most wanted list. For one of whom the angel announced to his mother would be a Nazarite, set apart to God from birth, and would "begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines" (Judges 13:5, NIV), he had a tremendous weakness for Philistine women. At a time when the Philistines had dominion over Israel, he had married a Philistine woman (14:1-7), later hooked up with a Philistine prostitute (16:1), and then there was Delilah (16:4).

The details of Samson's life and his foolish choices around these women and the resulting consequences are immortalized in Judges chapters 13-16. A man of incredible strength who once slew one thousand men with the jaw bone of an ass (15:15-16), he fell victim to the charm of Delilah. She was approached by the five Philistine lords with the promise of wealth to "entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him" (16:5). After three failed attempts, and with Samson inexplicably clueless, she finally got him to disclose the needed information which she gladly passed on to her leaders. After he fell asleep on her knees (v.18), "she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him" (v.19).

After twenty years, the Philistines finally had their man. After gouging out his eyes, they imprisoned him, and thanked their god, Dagon, for their good fortune. At a celebratory event, "Everyone was feeling high and someone said, 'Get Samson! Let him show us his stuff!' They got Samson from the prison and he put on a show for them. They had him standing between the pillars" (v. 25, The Message). But prior to that something happened that somehow the Philistines inexplicably missed. According to the narrative, while he was slaving away in the prison house, "the hair of his head began to grow again" (v.22, KJV). That was all Samson needed. He prayed, "O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes" (v.28) and with that he bowed his head, pushed against the pillars with all his might, "and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life" (v. 30).

What does all of this have to do with us? Everything! While the lessons from Samson's life are many, one of the most important is that no matter how much we make a mess of our lives, we are not beyond being used by God. After everything Samson had done that was contrary to the will of God, the growth of his hair while in prison was a demonstration of God's grace. Like Samson we may still suffer the consequences of our actions, but the plans and purposes of God will not be denied. In death, the promise of the angel that Samson would "begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines" was fulfilled. What he started, David would later complete.

No matter the number of mistakes we have made, God is still in the business of using those who make themselves available to Him. No one is so far gone that they are out of His reach; no one whose life is so messed up to whom He will not extend His grace. For that my heart bursts with gratitude. How about yours?