–William MacLeod Raine  (Sons of the Saddle)

       “God gave his approval to people in days of old because of their faith….it is impossible to please God without faith.”

                    –Hebrews 11:2, 6 (NLT)
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                    “And what other examples shall I give?  There is not time to continue by telling the stories of…Samson…  Through their faith these men conquered kingdoms, rules in justice and proved the truth of God’s promises…  From being weaklings they became strong men and mighty warriors; they routed whole armies of foreigners…”
                              –Hebrews 11:32-34 (Phillips)

I can imagine a boy showing Samson off to his friends as Samson ground the grain going round and round working the grindstone.  He pointed the blind man out–“that used to be Samson,” and they all laughed.  Samson was a man who lost because of the company he kept.  He didn’t realize or perhaps didn’t want to realize his weakness.  Gary Inrig writes, “It is bad to be weak because of sin, but it is tragic not to even know it.”  Samson had finally succumbed to Deliah’s wooing and now his plight was to grind the grain for his enemies while they jeered him.
       There were two principles of life that Samson ignored.  The first, when we toy with temptation, it eventually traps us.  And second, self-confidence blinds us to reality.  Samson played with temptation, and ended up blind, physically and spiritually.  He was the man written about in Proverbs 25:28, “Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls.”  Samson, for some reason, believed the strength was his own until that day when the Spirit left him and he was captured by his enemies.
       Now, he was mocked, ridiculed, and not only Samson but God as well.  Samson, the man who dealt so much destruction to the Philistines, the enemies of God, had given them the opportunity to honor their false god, Dagon.  They feasted, reveled in glorifying Dagon at the expense of God’s reputation and that of Samson.  He had become a slave to his enemy who was now saying that it was their god who gave him over to them.  “Our god has delivered our enemy to us!  The one who killed so many of us is now in our power!” (Judges 16:24, NLT)
       Hour by hour, Samson worked, slaved, to grind the grain to feed his enemies.  I have never tried to get inside his head wondering his thoughts.  At first they may have been, “You big dummy!  Stupid, stupid, stupid.”  And thoughts along that vein.  But there is indication that Samson began to dwell on thoughts of God.  His hair began to grow back the Bible says.  In his hair there was not strength, but it was the symbol of his strength.    Samson, while he was grinding must have thought of his foolishness.  He had to realize that moral compromise always makes a person vulnerable, and that temptation comes in attractive packages.  He probably recognized the fact that temptation comes when we choose the wrong company, and as Wiersbe says, “It’s a dangerous thing to linger at the enemy’s border; you might get caught,” which was what happened to Samson.  Gary Inrig brings us this vital truth in regard to Samson, “There is nothing that shapes our character more than the people with whom we choose to spend our time.”  Think on it friend.
       In the midst of their partying and feasting they wanted to look at the man who was once the mighty Samson.  He was brought and asked that he be placed next to two pillars.  We are told that the leaders of the Philistines were there, and that there were three thousand people on the roof looking down at him.  We are not told how many were in the temple.  Did they laugh when he was paraded by them?  Did they jeer at his stumbling because he was blind?  But what’s more important, we should look at the prayer of Samson.  With the growth of his hair, there must have also been repentance.  In his prayer we do not see the boastful, mighty Samson, but a contrite humble man.  “Sovereign LORD, remember me again:  O God, please strengthen me one more time so that I may pay back the Philistines for the loss of my eyes.” (16:28, NLT)
       God strengthened Samson for He is not mocked.  There was still a final duty for Samson to fulfill.  Through his prayer he regained his strength.  His hair was growing out which was only natural, but Samson had developed a relationship with God.  He now was filled with His strength once more and as he prayed, “He put his hands on the center pillars of the temple and pushed against them with all his might.  ‘Let me die with the Philistines,’ he prayed.  And the temple crashed down on the Philistine leaders and all the people.” (16:29-30, NLT)
       Samson, judge him harshly if you want.  Samson, a mighty man for sure.  Samson, a man who God used despite his failures; a man who disregarded the importance of being separate.  One thing we do know is that he is named among those in the great chapter of faith in Hebrews 11.  Faith, mind you–Samson a man of faith.  And never forget that “God is able to turn the consequences of our sin into instruments for His glory.” (Inrig)

                         –Lou Bradshaw  (Man With No Face)

       “Fools mock at sin, but among the upright there is favor.”

                         –Proverbs 14:9 (NKJV)
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               “Well, how much more do I need to say?  It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of…Samson… These people all trusted God and as a result won battles, overthrew kingdoms, ruled their people well, and received what God had promised them…”
                           –Hebrews 11:32-33  (Living Bible)

       We have left Samson wandering the streets of Gaza.  Why he was there Scripture doesn’t say.  Probably to look at the girls and to get into trouble, both of which he did.  He really had no business there, but how many times do we find ourselves in places where we should not be?  I had a friend growing up.  He was several years older than me and he related that he and his brother would go into the various towns in Nebraska where he grew up and find the town bully(ies) and fight.  That might have been Samson.  Samson didn’t really need anyone or anything to tempt him, but as Wiersbe points out, Samson tempted himself.
       Samson seemed to be courting danger.  He thrived on the battle and got himself into trouble.  “Whenever Samson went into enemy territory, he ‘went down’ both geographically and spiritually.” (Wiersbe)  Samson found a girl, a prostitute, then woke to find that the gates had been shut, and he was trapped inside the city much to the delight of his enemies.  I can imagine him smiling at his adversity, for he went over and hoisted the gates from their moorings and carried them forty miles.  While the enemies stood at the now vacant and vulnerable entrance to the city, Samson was far away laughing.
       Later we find him again courting temptation and danger, this time in the form of Delilah.  If you think of the names of the women you know from the Bible most likely Delilah is one of them.  We’re not sure if she was a Philistine or not, but they paid her handsomely to help them capture Samson.  She toyed and tempted him, as he toyed and teased her back.  Here Samson is acting out the fool.  Gary Inrig says, “Samson had power without purity and strength without self-control.”  What a man!  What a fool!
       He didn’t realize, was he that blind (pun not intended, yet)?  Delilah was making a fool of him.  He should have been back in Israel tending to his duties as a judge.  That seems to be a common trend.  When a person isn’t attending to responsibilities and duties given him by God he tends to get him/herself in trouble.  His Nazarite vow must have meant little to him as he continued to act contrary to it.  In fact, as Dan and other tribes were losing their identity because of compromise, Samson was becoming like them without realizing it.
       Woe to the man whom the Spirit has left.  This is what happened to Samson.  As the two cavorted with each other toying and teasing Samson each time came closer to telling her the truth.  Finally, for “true love” (ha) he told her the secret to his strength.  Samson, a man who didn’t know his own heart, finally turned the truth over to Delilah who in turn gave him over to the Philistines.  Immediately they blinded him.  No strength and now no sight.  They put him to doing the work of a donkey grinding at the stone.
       Let’s look briefly at Samson and darkness.  The following is from the writings of Warren W. Wiersbe, “Samson is one of three men in Scripture who are especially identified with the darkness.  The other two are King Saul, who went out in the darkness to get last-minute help from a witch (1 Samuel 28), and Judas, who ‘went immediately out: and it was night’ (John 13:30).  Saul lived for the world, Samson yielded to the flesh, and Judas gave himself to the Devil (John 13:2, 27), and all three ended up taking their own lives.”
       Samson, the mighty man, the judge of Israel is now grinding the grain.  Look at him trod, blind, his strength gone, his pride gone, his reputation now past.  Pathetically, once a slave to his passions, now he is a slave to his enemies.

                           –Louis L’Amour  (Last Stand at Papago Wells)

       “Our great desire is that you will keep right on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true.  Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent….”

                         –Hebrews 6:11-12(NLT) 
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Psalm 89 is one of those special psalms which should be contemplated and meditated upon.  It is powerful and one that should stir our very souls.  Today’s portion holds some vital truths that we would do to get into our hearts and minds.

          8 — O LORD God of hosts, who is mighty like You, O LORD?  Your faithfulness also surrounds You.”
          9 — You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, You still them.
        10 — You have broken Rahab in pieces, as one who is slain; You have scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm.
        11 — The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; the world and all its fullness, You have founded them.
        12 — The north and the south, You have created them; Tabor and Hermon rejoice in Your name.
        13 — You have a mighty arm; strong is Your hand, and high is Your right hand.
        14 — Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; mercy and truth go before Your face.
        15 — Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound!  They walk, O LORD, in the light of Your countenance.
        16 — In Your name they rejoice all day long, and in Your righteousness they are exalted.
        17 — For You are the glory of their strength, and in Your favor our horn is exalted.
        18 — For our shield belongs to the LORD, and our king to the Holy One of Israel.  (NKJV)

Grasp the thought of verse 8–faithfulness.  It has been translated “steady” or “faith” in other portions of the Old Testament.  Faithfulness is at the very core of God’s character!  He will not try to do what He promises like we humans do, but He is mighty enough to do them.  He doesn’t need helpers.  Oh, He might use angels to help, He might use us as His instruments, but none of us are capable of keeping the promises of God.  
       There are other characteristics of God we see in this portion:  righteousness, justice, unfailing love, truth.  Think of this–characteristics of God that we can count on.  When things seem to be falling apart in our lives or in the world around us we can rely upon the character of God to see us through.  Just realize that God can do only that which is right, just, equitable, and fair.  We can trust Him!  We can count on Him!  He will never fail us!
       One great theologian, Alexander Maclaren said that verse 15 should be paraphrased thusly, “Oh!  How blessed are the people who are sure that they have God with them, and who, being sure, bow before Him in loving worship.”  Are you sure?  As His children we can be sure that He is steady; He is faithful.  He will guide and care for us, and will be that shield when the enemy attacks.  “As we steadily trust in God’s steadiness and faithfulness, we find life, even when the powers of death surround us.  He holds us up in his mighty arms, and he will not let us down.”  (William Petersen)
 
               “Firm as His throne His promise stands,
               And He can well secure
               What I’ve committed to His hands
               Till the decisive hour.”
                        –Isaac Watts