Remember Me Again
Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “Sovereign Lord, remember me again. O God, please strengthen me just one more time.”
Judges 13–15 recounts the birth and early exploits of Samson. When an angel announced to the wife of Manoah that they would have a son, they consecrated him to God as a Nazirite. Yet, as an adult, Samson's troubled relationships with the Philistines led to betrayal, and escalating violence. When wrongs were committed against him by the Philistines, Samson retaliated with punitive acts. God was empowering him with extraordinary strength to strike Israel's oppressors; demonstrating His sovereign purpose to deliver Israel from Philistine domination.
The story of Sampson and Delilah is recorded in Judges 16. Amid the many twists and conflicts of the account, Delilah relentlessly questions Samson about the source of his strength. Acting on behalf of the Philistine lords, Delilah wearied Samson, and after two unsuccessful efforts to learn how he might be subdued, he finally gave way under her persistent nagging. With his head in her lap, Delilah summoned men to shave Sampson’s head, “In this way she began to torment him, and his strength left him.” (Judges 16:19) Having completely cast aside his consecration to the Lord, Sampson found himself left without divine empowerment.
Sampson’s life was marked by serious failures, nevertheless, he is counted among the heroes of faith, (Hebrews 11:32–34), as one who "out of weakness were made strong." Judges 16:28, says, “he prayed to the Lord, “Sovereign Lord, remember me again. O God, please strengthen me just one more time.” Sampson may have squandered the strength and privilege that came with his consecration, but God mercifully answered his prayer. “The temple crashed down on the Philistine rulers and all the people. So, Sampson killed more when he died than he had during his entire lifetime.”
In Sampson, we see that strength of body and strength of character are two very different things. Sampson experienced physical victory over his enemies, but his moral failures were a constant source of compromise to his vows of consecration. He grew confident in his own strength, but he lost his confidence in the Lord’s empowerment. When all his strength was gone, he remembered where his true strength came from. “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.” (Psalm 118:8).
“Likewise, the Spirit (of God) also helps in our weaknesses.” (Romans 8:26) “But we are those who walk in the Spirit, and do not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16) We must take the tragedy of Sampson’s life and apply the lesson to our own; “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the originator and perfecter of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)
Read: Judges 16; Psalm 118:5-9; Romans 8:26-30; Galatians 5:16-26
Listen: Lord, Remember Me