Samson’s story captured our attention with daring exploits, romantic betrayal, and a last-minute plot twist. It’s clear, however, that Samson is not the hero of the tale. He walked contrary to God’s ways and took God’s gifts for granted. His life offers warnings about the dangers of compromise and presuming on the Lord’s kindness.
Our covenant-keeping God is the real hero of Samson’s story. God strengthened Samson for his acts of Philistine judgment. God disciplined his people and Samson, allowing them to see how blind and enslaved they had become. Then, in a display of great mercy, God began to deliver them from the Philistines. That story of mercy parallels every believer’s story. God sent his son to deliver his people from the power of sin and death.
Jesus is our greater judge and champion. He said in Matthew 16:18, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Whether the metaphor works because Jesus broke the power of sin that would lock us into hell or because the gates represent the strength of evil powers that issue from it, Jesus declared that the final victory belongs to him. What a Savior!
