Samson Remember Me, Lord!

Samson’s parents prayed for a child, and promised to dedicate his life to God’s service. They agreed Samson’s hair would never be cut, and the boy would never drink wine. In return, Samson had superhuman strength that allowed him to wreak havoc on Israel’s enemies, the Philistines.

But while Samson kept his vows when it came to hair and drink, he allowed himself to be tempted by the idolatrous pagans around him. Samson insisted on marrying one of the Philistine women, even though she would quickly betray him on several levels.

Instead of learning from that experience, Samson found a prostitute named Delilah, who enticed him, and pleaded, and begged, until Samson revealed the secret of his power—his long hair. While he slept, Delilah shaved his head, and the Philistines attacked. Samson couldn’t overcome them, at which point he learned “the Lord had departed from him” (Judges 16:20).

They bound him, put his eyes out, and sentenced him to hard labor in Gaza. He had been a judge of Israel, but now he was an object of ridicule and scorn. Yet his devastation would lead to deliverance. It was while he was bound as a blind servant that his eyes were opened and his heart was broken. In weakness, he rediscovered his strength in God.

That bit of news was kept from his Philistine captors, who decided to make Samson the centerpiece of a festival celebrating their fish-god, Dagon. Thousands of worshippers thronged the temple, and ultimately Samson was brought out for show and to be scorned by the pagan crowd. This is when Samson uttered the prayer in Judges 16:28: “Strengthen me, I pray, just this once … that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines!”

God answered this request and he “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. … And he pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the lords and 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 16:29, 30).

Reflect: Can you recall any modern stories of a prodigal whose repentance brought a surprising result? God can do wonders with humble hearts when we admit we are blind.

Key Bible Texts

And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, 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. (Judges 16:28 KJV)