Lonesome Loser

Lonesome Loser

Judges 16:17 ESV

“And he told her all his heart…”

Every time I read the story of Samson I am pushed. The story of Samson has always had a special place in my heart. Perhaps because of my youth when I first read it from the pages of scripture. A man of supreme strength and ability who is overcome by his love for a woman and whose life ends in glory and sorrow. Over the years the Spirit reveals more and more of the life of Samson as I read through my bible. It is easy to see him as a giant oaf, strong and stupid. Unable to see or recognize a conniving woman. Yet, as I read it this time my heart broke for the loneliness of this man.

He was truly something remarkable. Watching as he rips lions apart and overwhelms armies with nothing but the jaw bone of an ass. A young man who let his eyes get the better of him and looked on a beautiful woman and fell in love. Having a spat on his honeymoon he leaves in a rage and when he comes back she is another man’s wife. The town then murders her and her father for what happens, and he is denied the woman he loves.

As I read through all the judges up to this point it was always armies that followed. Even Abimelech, the wicked son of Gideon, was able to garner men around him, but not Samson, none are willing to fight with him, he is called to fight alone. As God gives to other judges’ wives and children heart ache and loneness are given to Samson. He finds a “woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah” whom he loved and loved to the point he “told her all his heart”. How many women look for a man that trusts them with all his heart and never find it, how many men look for a woman they can trust with all their heart, truly the curse on the woman that she would desire to rule her husband but he would rule her has plagued homes since it was first placed on the woman in the garden. Yet, his love and openness are reciprocated with betrayal, he was sold for silver.

Samson’s eyes are what started his heart ache as we read “she is right in my eyes” (14:3) and “she was right in Samson’s eyes” (14:7) and when his eyes are removed by the Philistines he starts to become the man of faith we read of in Hebrews. Loneliness plagues Samson for twenty years. None are willing to follow him into battle, he is not able to conquer alone, and finally the opportunity is lost. Samson is dead in a pile of Philistine Lord’s. So, cowardly are the Danites that they would not follow Samson into battle and then when the Lord’s and nobility of the Philistines are decimated in the Temple of Dagon, the Danites run north to conquer a people who live at peace without walls.

Many men and women in the church fall into sin like Samson. Tired of eating meals alone in empty houses, watching beautiful sun rises and sunsets in solitude, disgruntled with God’s provision, choosing to go with Samson and find someone instead of waiting for God to provide someone. Samson waited twenty years before he fell, I don’t believe I could wait so long. This then is when the call of the church is to shine the brightest, we are to be a hundred times better family than any earthly family. How many meals have we allowed our brothers and sisters to eat in solitude. Job committed himself to never eating a meal alone, going so far as to say to do so would make all of his lose and trouble completely justified. Will we stand as members in a church and work hard to overcome our, and our brothers’, American individualism, so that we can be what God has called us to be? Or simply let our eternal family eat alone until they are overcome by and fall into sin, because we would not eat with them.

CORAM DEO