The Power of Grace

The God of Forgiveness.
Read Judges 16
“then Samson called to the Lord and said, ‘O Lord GOD, please remember me and please strengthen me just this time, O God, that I may at once be avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.”

We can only imagine how godly parents grieved at the folly of their son. They had given up hope of having children when an angel of the Lord appeared and announced they would have a son. Furthermore, the angel announced their son would be a Nazirite (see Numbers 6:1-21). A Nazirite was a person (either male or female) who was not part of the priestly line but desired to devote themselves to the service of God. It was a voluntary act composed of three regulations. First, they were not to touch any dead body. Second, they were to abstain from alcohol. Last, they were to keep their hair uncut as an outward sign of their devotion to God. So they prayed that their son would walk faithful to his vows  (13:1-9).
 
Despite his parent’s prayers, we read he soon wavered. First, in 14:9, he broke the first requirement, not to touch a dead body, by eating honey from the body of a lion he had previously killed. Then in verse 10, we find he broke the second vow by holding a feast to celebrate his marriage. The word feast refers to a seven-day drinking binge at the home of the bride’s parents.
Samson would eventually fall for another Philistine beauty named Delilah. However her love was merely an illusion. Through her enticements and deception, she would discover the secret of his strength was bound together with the length of his hair. Setting a trap for his downfall, she made him fall asleep and called in his enemies to cut his hair, the final act of breaking the Nazarite vow. Consequently, when his enemies came in to bind him, he no longer had his super-human power. However, in verse 20, we read that the issue was not the loss of his hair but the Holy Spirit leaving him because he had broken his vow. No longer a threat, blinded by his captors,  he became an object of ridicule by the Philistine noblemen as they mocked Samson and his God. The man known for his superhuman strength now became known as the fool who gave away everything to satisfy his physical desires. For the parents, it must have been a heartbreak.

However, the story does not end. In a final act of contrition and repentance, Samson calls out to the Lord. In verse 28, he appeals to God for one more moment of strength to bring judgment upon the Philistines and deliverance for the Jews. God responds and restores him to his calling so he might fulfill his lifelong purpose in his death.

In Hebrews 11:32, there is an important footnote in the book of Hebrews. The man who wasted his life pursuing pleasure is commended for his faith. In his final hours, his faith was restored, and forgiveness and restoration were obtained. Ultimately, he accomplished his purpose of being a deliverer of Israel.

This is not just a story for children about a man with superhuman strength. This is a story of how a man who failed miserably in his faith yet found restoration after repentance. This is the lesson for us. No matter how far we stray, how entrenched we are in sin, and how much we have wasted our life in the past, forgiveness and restoration are possible through the power of God’s grace. In the end, Sampson was remembered not as a man who failed but a man of faith. In the end, his parents could rejoice because Samson achieved God’s purpose. The story is never over until the last chapter is written. That is the power and wonder of God’s grace.