Samson: the Wayward Nazirite

By: Jon Straumfjord

... Manoah's ... wife was barren and had no children. And the Angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, "... you shall conceive and bear a son. ... be careful not to drink wine or similar drink, and not to eat anything unclean. For ... you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines." (Judges 13:2-5, NKJV)

So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering, and offered it upon the rock to the LORD.... as the flame went up toward heaven from the altar — the Angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar! When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell on their faces to the ground. (Judges 13:19-20, NKJV)

So the woman bore a son and called his name Samson; and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him. And the Spirit of the LORD began to move upon him ... (Judges 13:24-25, NKJV)

So Delilah said to Samson, "Please tell me where your great strength lies, and with what you may be bound to afflict you." (Judges 16:6, NKJV)

Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza. They bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison. However, the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaven. (Judges 16:21-22, NKJV)

... they called for Samson from the prison, and he performed for them....

Then Samson called to the LORD, saying, "O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God, that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes!" And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars which supported the temple, and he braced himself against them, one on his right and the other on his left. ... he pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on ... all the people who were in it. So the dead that he killed at his death were more than he had killed in his life. (Judges 16:25, 28-30, NKJV)

Samson's conception and birth was a result of divine intervention on behalf of his godly parents. He was to be a Nazirite (Numbers 6:1-21) from his birth, to refrain from cutting his hair, from consuming alcoholic beverages, and eating any ceremonially unclean foods. The Nazirite was to refrain from consuming anything made from grapes, whether wine, the juice, the grapes themselves, the seeds, or even the skin of the grapes, or any other part of anything that could possibly be obtained from a grape vine. He was also to keep away from all dead bodies, even those of his closest relatives. Every Nazirite was to constantly maintain the highest degree of holiness before men and God. However, probably the only one of these requirements that Samson regularly observed was refraining from cutting his hair, at least until it was involuntarily cut by the Philistines after Delilah's betrayal. Certainly it would be difficult to consider him a Nazirite, or even a genuine man of faith, at least until the last few minutes of his life.

Samson had always known that the Lord was his true source of strength, and was well aware of the Lord's requirements on his life, even though he regularly failed to meet those requirements. After a long life of prideful living, and the physical and emotional humiliation he had suffered at the hands of his enemies, Samson was finally willing to humble himself and cry out to the Lord for help.

Since he was not living during the dispensation of grace, he felt no compulsion to either seek or extend mercy to others; his only desire was for revenge. Since Samson was now moving in humility and faith, the Lord granted his request and empowered him to take the lives of his enemies, at the cost of his own life.

So what can Samson teach us about faith? The Lord will gladly respond to a sincere and humble expression of faith, even if it represents the final words of one who has lived a life of continual conscious rebellion. Yes, the Lord will hear every sincere cry of faith, no matter what kind of person the individual was previously.

Copyright (c) 2008 Jon Straumfjord

About Author:

Jon Straumfjord is the author of numerous articles about the Seven Spirits of God and the God of the Bible. He is also the creator of the website http://www.7-spirits.com , and is the author of the book "The Seven Spirits of God."