One more time

Then Samson called to the LORD, saying, "O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God, that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes!" – Judges 16v28

Samson did not have the best record. Though conceived with divine help and called by God from before his conception to deliver Israel he had quite a life. He killed Philistines with the jawbone of an ass. He destroyed crops by tying torches to foxes tails. He killed a lion bare handed. He ate honey from the carcass of that lion. His life would make a great film!

Problem is most of us would not go see the film because he had a life long problem with women. All it took was a ‘pretty face’ to turn his head and affection. He got himself in trouble several times with women. Finally he falls for a gal named Delilah. This was a problem because she was a spy for the Philistines, but judging from the rest of his life I don’t think even if he knew he would have cared.

Her job was to find out the reason for his great strength. She asked him a couple of times and he lied to her, but eventually her tears and ‘womanly wiles’ won out and he told her. She shaved his head accordingly and the Philistines captured him. They bound him, blinded him, made him a slave, and used him for their amusement.

Gradually his hair grew back and he must have remembered what he was supposed to do. We know the story. He was taken to the great temple of the Philistines so the people could laugh at him. Once there he asked a boy to lead him to the main support pillars.

He found the pillars and called out to His God. ‘Lord, just this once, give me the strength I need.’ Even now his motivation was not totally right because his goal was to get revenge for being blinded.

Still, God’s plan was about to be accomplished. He was going to deliver Israel through Samson. Even though Samson never seems to have fully understood His purpose God knew His purpose.

God will get his work done even with imperfect vessels. Samson’s flaws are obvious to us with history and perspective, but our flaws are there to.

Praise God He can use me in spite of my flaws.