“Well, how much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah and David and Samuel and all the other prophets” (Hebrews 11:32 TLB).
Our next member of the Hebrews 11 “Faith Hall Of Fame” is Samson, a man whose life story begins in Judges chapter thirteen. Unlike some of the other individuals mentioned in Hebrews chapter eleven, Samson is a name that is probably familiar to most, even those who are unfamiliar with the Biblical Scriptures.
While many are undoubtedly aware of Samson’s great physical strength, a closer look at his life tells us that he demonstrated that strength in a variety of ways. For example, Samson once defeated a thousand enemy fighters with nothing more than a jawbone (Judges 15:15). Samson also killed a lion with his bare hands (Judges 14:5-6), and could easily split ropes that were used to tie him (Judges 16:12). In light of these feats, it’s not surprising to learn that Samson served as Israel’s leader for twenty years (Judges 15:20).
Unfortunately, Samson entered into some personal relationships that were very bad for him. We can find the best-known example of that tendency in Judges 16:4-21. That portion of Scripture relates the account of a woman named Delilah, and how she convinced Samson to share the secret of his strength. Once she persuaded Samson to reveal his secret, she immediately betrayed him to his enemies.
Following Delilah’s betrayal, the Scriptures tell us that Samson’s enemies captured him, dug out his eyes, tied him up with bronze chains, imprisoned him, and set him to work milling grain. So how could someone like Samson, a man who was set apart by God and served as Israel’s national leader for twenty years, end up in that state?
Well, the unfortunate truth is Samson made several bad choices that ultimately led to disastrous consequences. Thus, he serves as a living embodiment of the cautionary message given to us in Galatians 6:7: “Do not deceive yourselves; no one makes a fool of God. You will reap exactly what you plant” (GNT).
Nevertheless, Samson’s experience finds an unlikely parallel in the life of Gideon, another member of the “Faith Hall Of Fame.” Much like Gideon, Samson’s example reminds us that it is not necessarily how we start, but how we finish that counts. After a life of recklessness and imprudence that ultimately led to imprisonment at the hands of his enemies, Samson turned to God in faith. We’ll examine that portion of Samson’s life next.