When searching the Bible for examples of “finishing strong,” my top choice would have to be Samson.
“Say what? Are you talking about sinful Samson?”
Samson doesn’t seem to be a guy that many Christians talk about as a Bible superhero. Sure, he’s portrayed as a big, muscular man (much like the superheroes we see in movies), but Judges 13-16 fo-cuses on the life of Samson and never once do we read that he was big and muscular. We do know, however, that Samson’s strength came from his hair—not weightlifting or conditioning. His strength, through long hair, was a God thing. We also know, sadly, that Samson was pretty rebellious. He’s not exactly considered the poster boy for a good Christian role model.
Samson’s life got messy in a hurry. He was very rude to his faithful parents, who previously could not bear children. He was a gambler. He demanded to marry—for looks only—outside his faith. His future wife wasn’t trustworthy, putting Samson in danger by sharing private information. Samson then referred to her as a heifer (cow), and she was given to his best man at his wedding.
But then, after all that, an interesting revelation appears in Judges 14:19: “and the spirit of the Lord rushed upon him…”
Hmm. Go figure. Why would God take a young man who had flagrantly violated his faith and fill him with His Spirit? One thing I’ve learned over the years: God is NOT as legalistic as I am.
God’s Spirit lifted Samson up with great power and he dominated his enemies, the Philistines. In Judges 15 we are reminded what God’s Spirit can do with one man versus any opposition. This mess of a man was used by God to defeat Israel’s enemies and be the nations’ judge for 20 years.
Now, one might think Samson had learned and matured from the disobedient days of his youth, but lust and deceit took hold of him again when he slept with a prostitute. Not done yet, he falls for another woman outside his faith—we all know her as Delilah—and the Philistines, aware of this relationship, command her to seduce Samson and discover the source of his great strength. Eventually, once the secret was out, the Philistines took Samson captive.
In the midst of all the crazy behavior, Samson never loses sight of his God and asks Him for one more shot of power to destroy the Philistines and their idolatry. God grants him this request, and Samson proceeds to take down more Philistines than at any other moment in his life, which comes to an end during that process.
Over the years, my attitude about Samson has changed. I used to struggle with his performance and behavior and question why God placed him in prominence. But now, as I’ve matured, I see the vanity of performance and “good behavior.”
So often I’ve measured fellow Christians by their actions. Do they swear? Smoke? Drink? Watch soap operas? Do they have a church home? Do they attend on Wednesday night, too? The bottom line is that both you and I are Samson when it comes to performance and behavior. How many Christian children in America are raised in the “do this; don’t do that” manner? Stay out of trouble—it’s a poor witness. It’s all just another way of saying, “Don’t get caught.” There’s nothing about it that helps with finishing well, because there is no starting point with this thinking.
Our Christian life is about who we are, not what we look like as a witness. It starts with genuine birth into the Kingdom where we admit our sin, confess to God and call on the Savior, Jesus, whose death and resurrection are our only hope to live eternally with an authentic repentance filled with brokenness, sorrow and change of direction. That’s the start and the finish. Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega. That relationship with God through Christ gives us the Holy Spirit’s empowerment to live out of faith—not modifying our behavior or comparing our performance notes.
You and I are Samson, quite frankly. Our performance stinks in God’s eyes and our attempts at “good behavior” often reveal a lack of intimate connection with Jesus.
God spoke through the writer of Hebrews and included Samson in the famous “Hall of Faith” in chapter 11. I believe that’s because Samson finished strong, dying a martyr’s death while publicly upholding the God of Israel.
I’m personally tired of “good behavior” being the barometer of how mature we are in Christ. It’s a lousy measurement, because God looks at the heart while man looks at outward appearance. Don’t get me wrong, Samson rebelled against God and suffered consequences for it. And so do you and I. We may avoid looking bad to the world because our behavior appears good, but what does our heart and moti-vation look like?
When God looked into Samson He saw something worthy, authentic and powerful enough to set as a godly example of finishing strong.
Originally Published: November 2013