Samson's Strength
God's Power
Judges 13-16about 2 minutes to read aloud
Before Samson was born, an angel told his mother, "Your son will be set apart for God. A razor must never touch his head. He will begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines."
Samson grew strong — stronger than any man. Once, a lion came roaring at him, and he tore it apart with his bare hands. Once, with only the jawbone of a donkey, he struck down a thousand enemy soldiers.
But Samson did not always walk carefully. He loved a woman named Delilah, and the Philistine rulers paid her to find out the secret of his strength. Night after night, she asked him. At last he told her the truth.
"My hair has never been cut. I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother's womb. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me." While Samson slept, Delilah called a man to shave his head.
When Samson woke, he did not know the Lord had left him. The Philistines seized him. They put out his eyes, bound him with chains, and made him grind grain in prison. But his hair began to grow again.
At a great Philistine feast in the temple of their god, Samson was brought out for sport. He stood between the two center pillars. "O Lord," he prayed, "remember me and strengthen me once more." He pushed with all his might, and the temple fell. The Lord had answered the prayer of a humbled man.
Questions to talk about
What was the secret of Samson's strength?
Show the answer
Samson was a Nazirite; his uncut hair was the sign of his vow to God.
Who tricked Samson into revealing his secret?
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Delilah was paid by the Philistine rulers to learn his secret.
What happened at the end of Samson's life?
Show the answer
Samson prayed for strength one last time, and God answered even then.
The lesson
Our strength is not our own. It is the Lord's, and His mercy reaches even those who have wandered far.
