"The Woman Bare a Son, and Called His Name Samson"

Judges 13-16. 

Manoah and his wife couldn’t have children. Manoah’s wife prayed for a child. An angel of the Lord told Manoah and wife that they would have a son, but that he was to “be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines” (Judges 13:5).  They later had a child and they named him Samson.

Samson was to be a great man. The Lord chose him to be a leader and deliver of Israel like other leaders before him. In the chart below are some promises and blessings that Samson was given as well as some sins that he committed that did not allow him to keep his covenant with the Lord.                                                

Promises and Blessings	Sins
He would be a Nazarite	Ate honey from a lion he had killed, which was unclean, and kept it from his parents
He would free Israel from the Philistines	Defied his parents by marrying a Philistine girl from Timnath. He was to destroy the Philistines not mingle with them
Blessed with mighty strength	Used his strength for his personal desires, and revenges but never to deliver Israel out of the hands of the Philistines
Blessed with strength, which resulted in the deaths of many Philistines and even his.	Never kept his covenants, and sought after women and pleasures that made him break the law of chastity

Samson was a well-favored man not only by people, but by the Lord as well. Because of his great talents, Samson believed he was impervious to damage. He relied on his own strength and was less inclined to seek the Lord for guidance. In this similar way, some people, whom have so much potential, make such bad decisions. They rely on their accomplishments, and success, and forget of who blessed them with these talents. They rely on their strengths; become prideful, and stop serving the Lord and serving others. Instead they seek for personal gains, and pride in their own accomplishments, and start making bad decisions.

As a Nazarite since birth, Samson had certain requirements to uphold.  In order to be a Nazarite, one must “separate themselves unto the Lord” (Numbers 6:2). Meaning one had to make a special vow to separate themselves from any unclean thing, and live a life dedicated to the Lord. In the Old Testament in Numbers 6:1-9, it explains of three special requirements of a Nazarite: (1) abstain from wine or any strong drink, (2) not let a razor near their head, but instead to let it grow, (3) stay away from unclean and dead body, even that of a family member. We know that Samson broke his vow when he shared with Delilah where he obtained his strength. She told the Philistines who later cut Samson’s hair. For breaking his vow, Samson paid with his eyesight, and even his life.  

In learning of Samson’s life, there are things we can do to avoid yielding to temptation in our lives. It is easy for us to fall into temptations, and choose to do things that please us even though they may not be right. Sin can be attractive and desirable, and we must learn to commit to always keeping the commandments, and developing self-discipline. One thing I commit to do is to stay humble, and to always remember that all my gifts, and talents, are blessings that the Lord has given me to help Him carry His mission in this world. Let us not get sidetracked and always remember who we are, what we have, and what we are here on earth for.