Samson Finally gets it Right
by Bob PetersonThe people of Israel were stressed and oppressed
So, they cried out to God and He heard their distress.
He sent them a man that was strong as an ox,
Whose hair trailed down well past his boon-dox.
To never drink wine or cut the hair from his brow,
Dedicated to God by the Nazarite vow,
Samson grew up with neither sister, nor brothers.
And he spent his time serving the needs of . . . himself.
While he should have done right, Samson often did wrong.
His control a might weak and his pride way too strong.
What he wanted, he wanted and would not be denied.
Like the pagan woman he chose for his bride.
On his way to his wedding, he killed a great beast.
Then used the story as a riddle, which he told at his feast.
Who could answer riddle? He wagered there would be none.
Then came back later for the winnings he'd . . . lost.
For he had shared the answer with his new wife,
Who then told another in fear for her life.
Samson left his wife for spoiling his game,
And when she married another, set their fields all aflame.
The Philistines raged about what he had done.
They swore to get even with that Son-of-a-gun.
Here was Samson's chance for rebellion to raise.
And Israelites flocked to him to offer him . . . to the Philistines.
For rather than leading those on the Lord's side,
Samson ran to the desert to find somewhere to hide.
So, when the Philistines came in a show of great might
His people gave him up without even a fight.
But God used the chance for His power to show
And gave Samson the strength to strike down his foe.
With God delivering him there from his plight
From that day on, Samson chose to do . . . wrong again.
Though he became a judge and a leader of men
He could not seem to stop his pursuit of sin.
Samson later was trapped in a Philistine town
Because the wrong people he was hanging around.
Samson thought he'd sneak out in the dark of the night.
So, he crept through the streets, staying out of the light.
He made it to the gate with no one in sight,
And gave a sigh of relief as things finally went . . . wrong once again.
For the gates were both barred and Samson locked in.
His enemies advanced, sure now that they'd win.
He grabbed hold of the gates, side pillars and all,
And with God given strength ripped them out of the wall.
God had saved Samson from his folly again.
But no, he did not turn away from his sin.
As most people age their wisdom will rise.
As Samson got older, he grew to be . . . just older.
He could not seem to learn how beauty can deceive,
Or the dangers of chasing those daughters of Eve.
He met another woman, Delilah by name,
A beautiful, deceitful, ungodly dame.
The Philistine lords paid her a fee,
To find how to beat Samson, then tell them the key.
So, she wooed and she cooed and she batted her eyes.
But to fall for her schemes, Samson was too . . . eager.
He first told her a weakness, which was really a lie,
Which she told the Philistines, who gave it a try.
'Though the trap didn't work, you'd think he'd have learned,
If he stayed with Delilah, he was bound to get burned .
But trusting his strength, he stayed with her there,
And eventually told of not cutting his hair.
As he later dozed, she trimmed his hair length.
When he awoke to a trap, he fought back with his . . . weakness.
Time and again, Samson chose to do wrong.
Now, breaking his vow, he was no longer strong.
They blinded his eyes and bound him with a chain,
Put him deep in a dungeon and there to remain.
Then finally in the darkness as he sat day by day,
He bowed to the Lord and started to pray.
Having lost his strength, his freedom and sight,
He finally saw clear and chose what was . . . right.
As time went on and Samson's hair grew,
He knew there was something which he needed to do.
He understood his mistakes had helped cause his fate.
So, prayed for a chance to set matters straight.
Then it happened the Philistines gathered one day
To drink and party in their Philistine way.
In a huge building two stories tall,
Packed in like sardines, they stood wall to wall.
Then some drunk called, "Let's bring Samson out!"
And the rest of the crowd, then took up the shout.
They marched him out center, to mock and abuse.
Using gestures and language one ought not to use.
Samson stood tall in the midst of the fray.
Then he bowed his head and started to pray.
"My Lord, I surrender my life now to You.
Please give me the strength for what I need to do."
Then he placed his hands on the pillars each side,
And with the great strength which the Lord then supplied,
He toppled the pillars with a thunderous sound.
And the walls and the ceiling all came crashing down.
There in his weakness, he accomplished far more
Than his strength had achieved in his whole life before.
Failing time and again when he trusted his might,
By confessing his weakness, Samson finally got it right.
