30. Samson Saves the Israelites

Judges 14 – 16

The Israelites were in big trouble (again). They had stopped obeying God (again). So God had let their enemies defeat them (again).

God gave his people a leader called Samson and gave him great strength to fight their enemies, the Philistines. But Samson did not want to fight the Philistines. Instead, he fell in love with one of them. She was called Delilah.

The Philistine leaders promised Delilah: “Tell us the secret of Samson’s great strength, and we will make you rich.” So Delilah asked Samson, “Why are you so strong?” Samson would not tell. But Delilah asked again, and again, and again. At last Samson told her: “God made me strong, and I must show I am his servant by never cutting my hair. If my hair is cut off, I will lose my strength.”

Delilah waited till Samson was asleep… and then cut his hair off. Philistine soldiers came to grab Samson, and now he was too weak to fight them. Samson was thrown into prison. And his hair started to grow again.

One day, the Philistines were having a party. “Bring out Samson so we can laugh at him!” they shouted.

Out came Samson. He was standing next to the pillars that held the building’s roof up. “God, make me strong one last time so that I can fight the Philistines,” he prayed. He pushed the pillars as hard as he could…