1. Samson grew up in the belief that he was consecrated to God, that there was a definite, divinely-appointed work for him to do, and that God would endow him for that work with all the necessary strength. “And the child grew,” we are told, “and the Lord blessed him. And the Spirit of the Lord began to move him at times in the camp of Dan.” Of Joshua we read that by the hands of Moses he was filled with the spirit of wisdom for his great leadership; but this was not the case with Samson; he was moved by the Spirit to great miracles of strength, but there was no wisdom to guide a nation, or indeed his own steps. His gift from “the Spirit of the Lord” was simply physical strength, and it was associated with the defects of his qualities. His passions were strong, and apparently uncontrolled. He had no moral elevation or religious fervour. To help to preserve his race from the contamination of Philistine intercourse was the ambition of Samson's youth, and the final ideal to which he dedicated himself in death-the highest patriotism possible to the Hebrews at the time. Yet he does not seem to have attempted to organize any general effort to throw off the Philistine yoke; his course was in this very unlike that of Gideon, or Jephthah, or Barak. He acted alone, as if he could calculate on no help from others, or would even have been embarrassed by it.
His gift was not of the highest kind. It was far below that of other judges in Israel, and it did not produce any great results; the country was never emancipated by his single-handed desultory blows; nevertheless, he did, and did earnestly, what lay in him to do, and it served some purpose. At times, and in certain places, amongst his father's tombs and amidst the recollections of his father's exploits, Samson was moved by the Spirit, and for a time would be filled with spiritual enthusiasm; and then again he would relapse into lazy, self-indulgent ways, a prey to every evil power. So he never produced any impression on the people at large. His own countrymen, in spite of their admiration of his courage and wit, must have felt that he did the cause of Israel more harm than good. True, he was their champion, called of God; but he never seems to have acted as their leader; we do not know that he organized a single expedition, and he certainly never delivered his country.
2. Samson's chief value lay, perhaps, in the one inspiring thought which his prowess awakened-the thought that God was there. He simply crystallizes, in his titanic figure, the idea of strength through obedience to God. If by obedience to the mere vow of the Nazirite Samson was invincible, how invincible, as a nation and as a church, might Israel become if obedient to the whole moral law which God had given her. By the happy though unnatural strength of this Nazirite the Hebrews were taught to stand in reverence before Jehovah, and to seek for help again in Him by disobeying whom all their disasters had been brought about.
Who is the strong man? Is he the man who passes through society with the battle-axe of Richard Cœur de Lion? The child sees a man lift a great weight with his teeth, and at once he exclaims, What a strong man! Is the child right? He would have been right had he said, What a strong animal! Such poor power wastes itself day by day; the man's teeth perish, where is the giant then? Here are two men under circumstances of equal provocation: the one man instantly resents the insult which has been inflicted upon him; in a moment he is in a paroxysm of rage, asserting his dignity, and smiting his opponent; men who are standing by admire the fire of his character; they say, What a strong man! The other man shows no sign of rage, holds himself in the severest self-control; instead of resisting evil, he answers not again, and persons who look only on the surface of things declare him a coward. Solomon would have declared him a strong man, and so would Jesus Christ. The strength of manhood is to be judged by the depth and solidity of moral foundation.1 [Note: Joseph Parker.]
Love alone is great in might,
Makes the heavy burden light,
Smooths rough ways to weary feet,
Makes the bitter morsel sweet:
Love alone is strength!
Might that is not born of Love
Is not Might born from above
Has its birthplace down below
Where they neither reap nor sow:
Love alone is strength!
Love is stronger than all force,
Is its own eternal source;
Might is always in decay,
Love grows fresher every day:
Love alone is strength!2 [Note: George MacDonald, Poetical Works, ii. 130.]
