Samson -- God Can Even Use Sinful Men!

Q:  

“What is the 'moral' of the story of Sampson? It seems he often made use of anger and revenge, and was clearly a sinful man. But the Bible also seems to hold him up as a type of ‘hero’ -- why is that?”

A:  

   Samson stands as one of the sorriest examples in the Old Testament.  He was a person who started with tremendous potential but he squandered it on self-centeredness and an immoral and sinful lifestyle. Yet  astoundingly, he is listed among the Hall of Faith greats in Hebrews 11, honored alongside Gideon, David, and Samuel.

   Even Samson’s birth was a miracle. Samson started out as a man with Great promise. His mother was barren, but an angel came to her and told her she would give birth to a son. He was to be a Nazirite all his life. Nazirites took a vow to abstain from wine and grapes, to not cut their hair or beard, and to avoid contact with dead bodies.  But when he attained manhood, Samson’s own lusts overtook him. He married a Philistine woman, from the pagan conquerors of Israel. That led to a confrontation, and Samson began to try to destroy Philistines.  On one occasion, he took up the jawbone of a donkey and killed 1,000 men who were sent against him.

   Instead of honoring his vows of purity to God, Samson went to a prostitute. The Philistines saw Samson&rsq ...

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