Day 1: Consecration—Receive a Word

For the next 40 days we are participating in a consecration. What does that mean? We are essentially making ourselves ready for God to work in and through us. Samson’s parents were told before he was born that he was to be consecrated to deliver Israel from their enemy, the Philistines. “Consecration” was a sacred Hebrew practice of dedicating an individual, a corporate group, or even material items (such as temple articles) for God’s purposes. Those consecrated hoped to 1) Receive a word from God (Exodus), 2) Perform acts/duties of worship (Exodus/Leviticus), and/or 3) Take promise land territory from the enemy (Joshua). Over the next couple days, we will look at why consecration is important for us. Today, focus on preparing to 1) Receive a word. Take time to read Judges 13 and notice all involved with Samson’s consecration. Welcome God to speak, even if the word He has for you may be unsettling. Prepare to receive His word and to obey.

Day 2: Consecration--Preparing for Worship

Priests entering the temple were commanded to practice consecration before worship duties. The priests were to properly handle sacrifices, cutting and laying the animal pieces on the altar according to the prescribed laws so that God’s voice and presence could continue to direct Israel. The tribe of Levi were designated as priests, starting with Moses’ brother, Aaron and Aaron’s sons. The Levites were to stand at the ready, positioned before the Lord, clean and prepared so that God’s people could also be clean and prepared for kingdom work. Leviticus 8:1-6 describes in detail the ceremonial washing. Perhaps this regular practice might have become tedious at times. Yet, God asked that each step be followed to remove anything earthly from their flesh and even their clothing. This symbolic washing was carried on into the new covenant by John the Baptist and Jesus as they baptized new believers. Jesus ordained the disciples as priests of the New Testament church by washing their feet. Under Christ’s new covenant, we too are commanded to be baptized, symbolizing that we are a kingdom of priests (Hebrews). Of course, Jesus is less concerned with our outward filth and more concerned with removing anything earthly/worldly from our hearts. We are to practice a continual “washing of the word” (Eph 5), which is “alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword. It penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow” (Heb 4:12). Daily reading will tune us to God’s voice so his presence can continue to direct our path. We must also properly handle how we lay ourselves on His altar. Paul urges us in Romans 12:1 to “offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper act of worship.” What must be cut away, burned, or cast out as unacceptable or unclean? We must strive to stand at the ready before him, clean and prepared, willingly carrying out his specific instructions, no matter how tedious. Death was the punishment for any priest who entered the temple without consecration. How dare we enter the sanctuary as worship leaders without washing away what is unholy? God may not strike us dead, and none of us will stand on stage perfect, but deliberate acts of consecration will invite his presence into our sacrifice of worship. 

Day 3—Consecration—Taking Enemy Territory

Israel practiced consecration before taking promised land territory from the enemy who had possessed it far too long. We, too, are at war to expand the Kingdom and to root out evil and idolatry. No doubt, enemy strongholds prevent each of us from all the Lord would have us possess, both externally (ministry impact) and internally (within our spirits). Most of us operate from a defensive position when it comes to the enemy, but God would have us be on the offensive. As Joshua prepared God’s people for offensive moves into the promised land, he commanded, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you” (Joshua 3:5). In our offensive effort, we must take up this same command, for God is about to do amazing things among you! Ask God to prepare you for the territory He wants you to take. Ask for a big picture perspective and consider what the enemy has taken possession of in our current culture. Ask God for geographic places and areas of morality to pray over. Ask God for a list of individuals with whom you can share the Gospel. God has territory he wants claimed by prayer and a well-planned offensive. How is he positioning you? In your school, your ball team, your organization, your workplace, your family, your church (Yes! Even your church has enemy strongholds), your town, your state, your country, or foreign countries? Consider Joshua 11:23: “So Joshua took the entire land, just as the Lord had directed Moses, and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions. Then the land had rest from war.”   

Day 4: Conceive and Deliver 

The process of birthing a creation, from idea conception to a concrete existence, is exhausting. It is a painful birthing process, pressing and pushing us beyond our comfort zone. Much is required of us physically, emotionally, and mentally, as we join with God in making something out of nothing. Besides the work, we often face the fears that it will not be good enough, we are not worthy, or we cannot finish well. When the angel came to Samson’s mother, he said, “You are barren and childless, but you are going to become pregnant and give birth to a son.” She was specifically instructed not to drink wine or fermented drink or eat anything unclean (Judges 13:3-4), and her husband is told, “she must do everything I have commanded her” (Judges 13:11-14). This same impossible promise of conception was given to Jesus’ mother, Mary. Perhaps, Mary drew courage from the story of Samson’s mother. Mary did not respond with fear, argue, or worry about all the details of “how” this conception would become a reality. Instead, she said, “Be it unto me according to your word“ (Luke 1:38). Samson’s mother and Mary were among the first in their times to be told a Deliverer was coming. Bear with this comparison for a moment. If we are called to bring God’s truth to life with our art, we can understand a little of how these women felt. We have been told a Deliverer is coming and to play a part in the birthing process. However, we live in a world where the enemy seems to control much of what is celebrated as “art,” and as Christians, we may view our art as secondary because it does not always pull the same audiences or acclaim as worldly presentations. So what? If God blesses us with a vision, an idea, a creative spark, then it is up to Him to flame it into a consuming fire, changing the landscape of minds and hearts. Whatever your gift in this production, trust Him for impossible conception, press and push beyond your comfort zone, and look forward to a miraculous delivery. Do as He specifically commands, and watch Him do more than you could ask or imagine! “An artist at work is in a condition of complete and total faith” (L’Engle). 1 Chron 28:20 “Be strong and courageous and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work…is finished.”

Day 5: Starting Samson 

This devotion is an unprecedented act of faith for me, for not one word of a Samson script is yet written. Today is June 17, 2019. I do not have the first word or song. Like a detective, I am in the process of digging--researching, asking questions, finding clues, discovering truths--yet before me is still an unsolved mystery. I am asking God for direction, as Samson’s parents did. Judges 13:8 records, “’Pardon your servant, Lord. I beg you to let the man of God you sent to us come again to teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born.’” Like Samson’s folks, I feel barren, past my prime, in over my head, and ill-fit for the task at hand. I have had no angelic vision as Samson’s parents did, though such a heavenly, confirming experience would be extremely helpful. Yet, I feel God is showing me the birth of Samson’s story is imminent, despite my being unequipped to parent it. I came across a quote that encouraged me: “God will not fail some way or other to guide those by his counsel that are sincerely desirous to know their duty and apply themselves to him to teach them” (toughquestionsanswered.org). If this devotion entry is going out to staff and cast for a show currently in the labor of production, it is proof of God’s faithfulness. That means my weaknesses have not limited God’s ability to use me. When called to a project beyond our abilities, we would be wise to do as Samson’s parents did: 1) Let the promise overshadow doubt. 2) Ask for guidance and confirmation. 3) Worship, offering gifts and sacrifices. Journal or write in the margin of your Bible a promise, a work, or task God is calling you to fulfill that you doubt is possible. Date it. Then pray as the father of the demon-possessed boy, “Lord, help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24). Make 2 notes in your phone calendar: 1) Mark the date 40 days from today 2) Mark the date 40 weeks from today (time from conception to birth). Claim the promise, ask for guidance, worship, and SEE what God does from now until those dates. (Interestingly, Louis and recorded the lyrics to the last song I had to write on March 21, 2020, approximately 40 weeks from the June 17 date above, and I am blown away!) Phil 1:6 “[Be] confident in this, he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion…”

Day 6: Uprooting the Enemy

Under Joshua’s leadership, Israel’s tribes claimed their promised-land territories. But, because the tribes disobeyed the Lord by not completely driving the enemy out, it remained to cause problems. [See Judges 1:19-35]. The enemy contaminated and hindered Israel’s tribes, including Samson’s tribe of Dan. Judges 1:34 states, “The Amorites confined the Danites to the hill country, not allowing them to come down into the plain.” Notice the enemy objective was to “confine” the Danites and to “not allow” them full occupation of their territory. Many of us live in the same condition in the kingdom of God. We fail to cleanse our promised-land territory of enemy holdings, so we are hindered and not allowed full possession. We may think we can allow the enemy to have a small area and maintain control. Unfortunately, when we give our enemy an inch, he creates a foothold to take 100 miles. Israel’s tribes learned the hard way that obedience to the Lord is not to be viewed as optional. When sin and idolatry replace obedience to God, the enemy’s strength and power to oppress us increases. In what area of your life does the enemy hold ground? How is hindering you and not allowing you to flourish spiritually? Isn’t it about time you sent him packing? Eph 4:27: “Do not give the devil a foothold.”

Day 7: Breaking the Pattern

Because they allowed the enemy to remain, the nation of Israel had a thorn in its side. Consider this pattern: “Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for [Israel, God] was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord had compassion on them as they groaned under those who oppressed and afflicted them. But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their fathers, following other gods and serving and worshipping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways” (Judges 2:18-19). Are we not the same? Do we go along with our own agenda until circumstances or sin overpower us, then groan to the Lord in our affliction? With compassion God has provided Christ, our redeeming judge, to save us and overpower our enemy. We pull close to Him when in trouble. Yet, once the latest threat is gone, we often return to our old patterns, carving deeper ruts with our old habits and tendencies. However, God can use even this pattern of weakness for our good. God used Israel’s enemies “to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience…They were left to test the Israelites to see whether they would obey the Lord’s commands” (Judges 2:23-3:2.) None of us are perfect when we come to know Christ, but as we become aware of enemy strongholds trying to confine or defeat us, God teaches us to engage in spiritual warfare. I Peter 1:3-4 tells us, “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” Our patterns of weakness can be broken as we become aware of them and transform into spiritual soldiers, removing sin and defensively fighting to keep it out. Eph 6:10-18: “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes…”    

Day 8: Strong-Willed Samson

Imagine what was Samson like as a child. From his behavior as an adult, he must have been the epitome of “strong-willed.” Did his wise, elderly parents do all the angel advised and seek the Lord with each behavioral challenge, only to find “little” Samson was too strong for them. Picture evenings where Manoah and his wife sat across from Samson at the dinner table, gently trying to give him cautionary advice, praying he would not overturn the clay pots and dishes, or pound his devastating fists on the table in a tantrum. Were they constantly at the mercy of his childish rampages and exhausted by him in every way? Before we judge Samson too harshly (pun intended), we must consider our own stubborn strong wills which the most patient instruction and discipline cannot tame. As the Lord sits across from us, gently addressing our indulgent behavior, what childish emotions surface? Do we stick our fingers in our spiritual ears and drown out the sound of His voice with our own, “La, la, la, I can’t hear you!” Or do we stomp away from the table and find a hiding place far from His presence? Even during this time of consecration, we may get into a spiritual tug-of-war with the Lord as He tries to remove unhealthy attachments from our sticky grasps. I Cor 13:11 says, “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish things.” Samson could not make this claim, but can we? Spend some time considering your reactions when certain behaviors or areas of your life are confronted by the Lord or someone close to you. What will you not relinquish? What do you childishly protect with emotional tantrums? I spent a long time in addiction, and whenever someone tried to point it out or pull it away, my irrational defenses rose almost uncontrollably. Thankfully, the Lord made it clear I could have as much of my addiction as I wanted, but it would limit how much of Him I could experience. This revelation helped deliver me from my childish thing, which was never worth what it cost and could have cost. Let’s take our fingers out of our ears, stop pounding our fists, listen to His patient voice, and grow up! 

Day 9: Obstacle Course

I’ve never started a production without encountering a major obstacle, a poorly timed circumstance, or some climb which threatened to drain the life out of me while I carried the weight of a show on my back. Physical limitations and injuries have plagued me. Familial issues have threatened to bury me like an avalanche. Battles of spiritual warfare have torn at my footing which, even today, I cannot fully explain. I have learned to expect that as soon as I hit print on a final draft and production dates are inked on the calendar, the rumblings of a trial will start shaking the ground beneath my feet. I try to prepare for the worst, yet with this production, unprecedented, earth-shattering events have brought me to my knees. We are now in the second year of trying to “Save Samson,” and during this time, my husband’s mom lost a devastating bout with cancer, COVID hit HARD, election turmoil rocked our nation, my children were devastated with cancellations of once-in-a-lifetime events, my oldest son moved away, and we lost some key pieces of this show. Most of he time, I have seen these trials as negatives. I’ve asked God, “Why? Why now? How am I supposed to handle all this at once?” Of course, God wants my dependence upon him, and each battle brings me to rely on the Lord for Samson-sized strength. But at many moments over the past year, I have wondered, “Will I get up from this one?” Daily, I have faced the same choice--Will I cry? Or will I create? Is it possible for my desperate, searching, and sorrowful heart to dare move in a forward, hopeful direction with inspiration? I believe the Lord is speaking to and thru us in this dark time, saying “Let there be light!” In a time when destruction is palpable and the shadow of death is tangible, the only way out is through creation. The composer of “Is He Worthy,” Andrew Peterson writes, “I began to understand the peril of asking God to let you write songs that would comfort the lonely and broken-hearted—peril, because the only way to do that is to walk through the dark forest of loneliness and heartbreak.” If our call and prayer is to speak hope into a hopeless world, we must be willing to climb the mountain and face the darkness as Moses did. His people couldn’t take it. That kind of obedience terrified them. Exodus records, “When the people saw thunder and lightning…and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, ‘Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die’” (20:18-19). At the end of the passage, there is a description of Moses walking to the mountain that I did not understand until this season: “The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was” (20:21). Apparently approaching God’s glory requires a trek through thick darkness. As we endure present trials and anticipate those that may come, we each face the same choice—Will I cry out in fear? Or will I start the difficult climb toward creation?    

Day 10: Enduring or Entitled?

In Judges 14, we see that when Samson set his sights on something or someone he wanted, reasoning with him was hopeless. When he saw the woman of Timnah, he went to his parents with marriage plans. Judges 14:3 “His father and mother replied, ‘Isn't there an acceptable woman among your relatives or among all our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife?’ But Samson said to his father, ‘Get her for me. She's the right one for me.” Samson represents his entitled culture, which mirrors our own. A spirit of entitlement pervades our society, singing into our ears, “I see it, I like it, I want it, I got it!” Ads tell us we deserve to have what we want when we want it. My little nephew, when asked why he should get a treat, would simply answer, “Because I deeeserrrve.” This entitlement carries into our relationship with the Lord. We think, “Obey? Ok, what’s in it immediately for me?” I love a book about Jeremiah, entitled “A Long Obedience in the Same Direction.” If the author had lengthened the title, he might have added, “Without Any Immediate Result.” Samson was not made of the such enduring fabric. Are we? When we pray or fast, bringing a dilemma or desire before the Lord, how quickly are we discouraged when an immediate answer does not come? How submissive are we to the Lord’s timing? Or do we take matters into our own hands? Consider the results of Samson’s impatience in the instance with the woman of Timnah. He ended up creating enemies, hurting families, destroying property and future provisions, burning innocent fox tails, and eventually getting the woman of Timnah and her family consumed in his crossfire with the Philistines. We would be wise not to let fiery entitlement burn away the growth of our spiritual fruit of patience. Isaiah 40:31: “They that wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not grow weary. They shall walk and not grow faint.”

Day 11: The Sign of the Lion

The lion Samson wrestles is a symbol. The lion is a Jewish icon, built into statues in Solomon’s temple, appearing in Daniel’s den, threatening David’s sheep, pictured in Ezekiel’s visions and even roaring in John’s Revelation. The lion represented Judah, David’s tribe, of which Jesus was the lion. The lion represents power, strength, majesty, royalty, dominance, heroics, leadership, kingship, and God’s might. To the other extreme, the lion also represents Satan, the spirit of temptation. The lion is a predator, lying in wait in darkness to break the bones of its prey. I Peter 5:8 warns, “Be sober-minded and alert. Your enemy prowls around like roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” Christians in Paul’s time would have associated lions with the persecution of Christians torn apart in Nero’s arenas. So, when Samson wrestled his young lion, it symbolizes two contrasting concepts: 1) The lion demonstrates Samson’s strength, a reminder of God’s power. 2) The lion demonstrates Samson’s vulnerability to his enemy, a warning sent by God. When Samson encounters the lion, he is headed in the tempting direction of enemy territory, a.k.a. the woman of Timnah. Picture the lion pouncing into Samson’s path, a reminder of the power and majesty God has bestowed on Samson. He should have respected this power, realized his misdirection, and turned back showing repentance. Instead, Samson sees the lion as a challenge to his will and desires. He literally tackles God’s warning like a linebacker. A few days pass, and Samson heads down the same road, intent on marrying himself to the forbidden, unclean Philistine woman. So, God adds to his warning of the lion, sending bees complete with honey hive inside the carcass. Like the honey, sin can often taste sweet at first, but indulging means contact with the sting of spiritual death. Samson, missing the warning again, boldly reaches into a dead carcass. Violating his Nazarite vow, he takes the sweetness, passes uncleanness to his parents, and heads on toward the fulfillment of his desire. Avoiding God’s symbolic warnings, Samson believed he had a right to barrel down his own path and consequences would never leave an impact. Are we ever guilty of such stubbornness? Ever been on the path toward temptation when God sent a warning? Do we tackle or ignore such roadblocks? Are we convinced we can taste the sweetness of sin without the sting of consequences? Perhaps we should heed the warning before sticking our hands into the bee’s nest within the deadly jaws of sin. Matthew 7:13-14: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

Day 12: Risky Business

Working on songs for this musical has involved taking some great risks. When the Lord pressed that Samson would rap, I had serious doubts. I had never written that style and taking on this musical genre was a leap of faith. Yet, it forced me to collaborate with Louis and forced both of us to research new styles and sounds. Risks can be an exhilarating opportunity, or they can scare us into paralysis. The only way I know to take such a risk with hope is to constantly seek God’s word and continually worship. For me, risks require constant confirmation. I am truly floored by Samson, who literally took on armies with no prep or adequate weaponry and came out successful. How? Why? The answer is simply this: It was God’s will that the Philistines be punished through Samson. God’s hand was upon him, and despite Samson’s willfulness, God allowed reward for most of the risks Samson took. This should encourage us not to fear taking risks when they are in line with God’s will. God is good and patient to help our faith increase with each risk we take in His name. As we take on little things and grow toward larger projects, our boldness increases in our gifts, talents, and callings. Of course, aligning with His will is key. And when we might want to shrink back from risks that seem insurmountable, we need to get in the word, sing praises to God, and believe the reward will be worth the risk. After all, no risk, no real faith. “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Heb 11:1). Consider what risks of faith you are taking.  Ask God for confirmation and spend time in worship, recognizing how far He has already brought you and believing Him for how far you can go. 

Day 13: Time in Timnah

The woman of Timnah is unnamed, for it seems her location is the more important detail. Timnah was on the border between Philistine territory and Samson’s tribal territory of Dan. The valley was known for producing grapes, a forbidden fruit for Samson (more on that later). Timnah had been conquered by the Philistines though it once belonged to Judah. Timnah means “allotment” or “portion,” so it was likely a disputed place, which Judah surrendered to the Philistines in some type of agreement. The name also means “restraint,” “holding in check,” and “forbidden.” By entering Timnah, Samson was violating the boundary agreement of his people, and he offended the Philistines further by taking one of their women as a wife. This explains why the Philistines are so violent when they threaten the woman of Timnah and her family. She is walking the tight rope of a traitor, and the Philistines want to cut her ties with Samson (pun intended). Samson’s parents also oppose the match, but God has a plan to use this situation. “His parents did not know that this was from the Lord, who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines” (Judges 14:4). God knows the offense would give Samson an opportunity to regain lost ground or, at the very least, show the Philistines the strength they would face if they invaded further into Judah or Dan. When they see Samson, strong and formidable, the Philistines would hopefully reevaluate going to war with an entire tribe of such soldiers. A similar tactic was employed by Eisenhower during the cold war. A strategy called “Brinkmanship” involved showing off weapons or military force in order to intimidate the enemy into backing down. God showed the Philistines the power of his secret weapon so the Philistines would shrink back. As Christians, we will be allowed to confront the enemy. We are given power by the Holy Spirit so that when the enemy sees the mark of Christ on us, he should reevaluate treading on our territory. We are new creation intimidators, reminding the enemy of his defeat. Do we see ourselves like this, or are we the ones who shrink back? Consider the words of the writer of Hebrews: “Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For, ‘In just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay.’ And, ‘But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.’ But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved” (Hebrews 10:32-39).

Day 14:  Code Breaker

The problem with Samson, God’s intimidating weapon, was that he tended to go off before the red button was pushed. At his wedding banquet in Timnah, he provokes the enemy with a little of his military intelligence, offering them a riddle. He sets before them an encrypted code with the economic reward of 30 garments of linen if they solve it. And then he trusts an enemy spy, his new wife no less, with the code. Her espionage should be obvious to Samson as she wears no disguise, but rather wears him down, continuing to “press him” (Judges 14:17). Somehow, Samson expects to deceive his enemy, hold more influence over his wife than his enemy, and receive gain from his enemy. Do we ever do the same? Do we think we can outsmart our enemy? Play with fire? Engage in relationships with people who clearly belong to the enemy, no disguise necessary? Do we ever use the argument we are trying to win others to the Lord by walking into enemy territory, daring temptation to decode our encrypted weaknesses? Do we think we can make gains from the enemy when we play games instead of taking the threat seriously? In Samson’s case, the enemy makes a fool of him, using the one person he thinks he can trust, and it costs him more than he wanted to pay. Samson simply underestimates his enemy. Why should we expect a different result if we attempt to play mind games with temptation-- letting in thoughts that we should take captive, associating with those we know to be dangerous, and believing we will not pay the cost? Robby Zaccharias wisely warned: “Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.” (Ironically, this man’s legacy of ministry has recently been discredited because he failed to heed his own warning.)

Day 15: Disobedience in Discontentment

The root of much of our disobedience is discontentment. Think about it. Staying still in one place is hard for us. 2020 has taught us all that lesson. Contentment, especially when we long for change, is not a natural state for us. This is the reason Paul says he had to learn to be content. Phil 4:11-13: “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation…I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” Samson was known for strength of flesh, but not strength of spirit. He might have practiced some exceptional training in physical workouts, but he never trained to be content in spirit. He either jumped ahead of God into disobedience or fell back into fleshly temptations. Do we not fall toward these extremes when life does not move according to expected plan or pace? Think of Abraham who was not content to wait for God to give him his promised child. He jumped the gun and had a child with his servant Hagar, who proved to be a perpetual enemy for the promised son and his future offspring, the nation of Israel. Jumping ahead of God can give the enemy a foothold. Reverting to past behaviors can also have detrimental effects. Consider the Israelites who were not content in the wilderness and begged to go back to slavery in Egypt! The writer of Hebrews says of them, “And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief” (3:18-19). When discontent tempts us to back track into bondage, we may sacrifice future promised land. The season of COVID has caused all of us some measure of discontent. Pain, loss, and disappointment may make us want to jump forward, if that’s even possible, or revert back to sins we were freed from. Yet, this is an opportunity to learn contentment. As unmotivated as we may be to work out weak spiritual muscles, we must ask God to train us to have contentment in this wilderness. “Be content with such as you have, for he, himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). “But Godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Tim 6:6). 

Day 16: Mood Swings

Among other weapons he wielded, Samson selfishly slung his moods around, and they often hit just as hard as that jawbone of a donkey. When humiliated, anger flew out from him with drastic results. He struck down 30 men when the Philistines used his wife to decode his riddle. Imagine Samson, tossing thirty linen garments, still bloody from their former owners, at the feet of Philistine rulers. Picture the sweeping toss of his majestic locks as he turned to stomp his way back home. Surely his parents were thrilled to have their son home again, storming back into their lives, slamming into his old place at their table, and smashing any hope they had of peace. Can you hear the dialogue—Manoah: Son, what happened? Samson: I don’t want to TALK ABOUT IT!... A few days pass, and perhaps his parents “suggest” he go back to his new wife. Shocked that they encourage he reconcile (because why would they ever want him to move out?), he takes a young goat and returns to his wife, expecting a warm welcome. When told his wife had been given to another, his arrow of anger is again drawn back by the bow of humiliation, and this time it’s on fire. Fire symbolizes Samson’s anger which burns his enemy’s harvest to the ground. Notice “at the time of wheat harvest” he paired foxes with torches in their tails and “let the foxes loose in the standing grain of the Philistines. He burned up the shocks and standing grain, together with the vineyards and olive groves” (Judges 15:1, 15:5). Anger truly was a fire in Samson’s soul that raged out of control. Samson’s humiliation was his own fault, a result of his pride, yet In Samson’s mind, his humiliation was someone else’s fault and so he justified his unchecked anger. As a result, consequences fell on others around him. The extremes to which Samson went throw up a fiery red flag, don’t they? His reaction escalated matters, as the Philistines made good on their earlier threat, burning his wife and her family. The lesson is obvious: Unchecked emotions lead to rash action, and the consequences can be irreparable. If someone has hurt us by abuse, betrayal, or deception, we may feel justified in wanting their destruction or even acting to cause it. Yet, satisfying as that might seem, our consecrated position as believers demands we extinguish burning arrows and torches and submit our emotions to God. “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one” (Ephesians 6:16). “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord” (Romans 12:17-20).

Day 17: Crazy like a fox

The fox is a symbol of craftiness and trickery. Jesus calls Herod “that fox” to point out Herod’s sly, underhanded, yet clever politics. Foxes are typically thieving varmints who ravage whatever food sources they come upon. Samson found them to be perfect allies in his savage destruction of the Philistine fields, which were ripe for the harvest. He used these quiet, sneaky critters, which were prevalent among the grape vines, having a particular taste for nature’s vintage. Samson may have envied these undeserving creatures who could steal a taste of fruit he was forbidden to enjoy. Whatever his feelings about the critters, he found their conniving nature and availability useful. He “caught 300 foxes and tied them tail to tail in pairs. He then fastened a torch to every pair of tails, lit the torches and let the foxes loose…” (Judges 15:4-5). One commentator believes this action took place over a long period of time, reasoning that Samson could not possibly have caught all 300 to set them out at once. I happen to believe Samson’s anger and desire for revenge gave him the ability tie up all his misdeeds in one night. He was an unstoppable force when highly motivated, so I do not doubt his productivity in this fiery destruction. As a kid, I always felt sorry for the foxes, and even today, I have convinced myself that the torches were tied in a way that only singed their little tails so that they were not burned up along with the shocks. (Thankfully, the Bible gives no graphic description of their end.) One thing is certain, they are one of the strangest armies ever called upon in the Bible. Whenever a land was turned over to judgement, the prophets speaking of its devastation would mention that jackals or foxes would plunder and haunt it. These critters thrived in desolate places. Like the lion, they symbolically tell of the state of Samson’s heart. His motivation for revenge kept him from asking God or other Israelites for wisdom. Instead, his anger drove him to animalistic ferocity on his road to perdition. His desolate heart became the perfect breeding ground for crafty, contemptable thievery. He sounds like the disobedient ones Isaiah describes: “Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; desolation and destruction are in their paths” (59:7) We must be careful not to harbor emotions that bring desolation to our spirits, else we allow our fiery emotions to run crazy like a fox. 

Day 18: Not My Brother’s Keeper

After Samson’s fiery temper brings death to his wife from the Philistines, he vows, “I won’t stop until I get my revenge on you” (Judges 15:7). He proceeds to attack and slaughter many Philistines, ending up “in a cave in the rock of Etam” on Judah’s tribal land. This brings the enemy Philistines to camp in Judah. Judah is suddenly thrust in the position of a parent between two reactive siblings. When the people of Judah ask the Philistines why they have assembled, the Philistines explain, “We have come to take Samson prisoner…to do to him as he did to us.” When the Philistines then ask Samson what he has done, he responds similarly, “I merely did to them what they did to me” (Judges 15:9-11). What happens next is fascinating. You would expect Judah to side with Samson, their fearless leader, but they do not. Again, like a parent with two unreasonable kids, Judah puts the two alone together to fight out their differences. Judah is essentially willing to sacrifice Samson to stay out of the fight. They know his volatile temper has caused this situation, and they want no part in it. They do not support him in any way other than in not killing him themselves. Samson pleads, “Swear to me that you won’t kill me yourselves.” This shows Samson has garnered no loyalty, no honor, no respect and no value for himself from his brothers. He has successfully alienated himself because of his selfish actions. What role do you play more often? That of Judah--the wise parent or that of Samson--the selfish toddler? Proverbs 15:18 “A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.” Do we ever stir up a conflict and then expect others to take our side, only to discover no one will? Has our selfishness has run a predictable course through the lives of others? Maybe one measure of how unselfish or selfish we are in a situation, is to look at who stands with us…or who does not. James 4:1-2 “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.” 

Day 19:  The Donkey’s Jawbone

Yes, I have acquired the Jawbone of a donkey! After holding it in my hands, seeing its size, feeling its weight, and swinging it around my living room, I could easily understand how Samson used it as a formidable weapon. It is actually a musical instrument, and Samson sure made it sing!  Facial bones are especially hard to break, especially the jawbone, and this one laying out drying in the sun from some unfortunate donkey, became a sledgehammer in Samson’s flexed arm. The use of this weapon was so significant that the battlefield was named “Lehi” meaning Jawbone, for “he threw away the jawbone; and the place was called Ramath Lehi.” The name has a double meaning, as Samson was also placed in the “jaw” of his enemy. Yet, remember again what is he not to have contact with? Dead or unclean things. Despite it being from a dead thing, God uses Samson and this unlikely weapon, for “the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him” so that his bindings dropped and he “struck down a thousand men” (Judges 15:14-15). However, this scenario, just like the weapon, are not ideal. God’s grace allows Samson’s salvation according to His will, yet Samson must desperately lash out defensively with a somewhat inadequate weapon. He could have brought Kingdom victory with less difficulty had he been obedient, leading others and garnering the respect of his Israelite brothers to engage the Philistines with a strategic battle plan. Instead of conquering, Samson is just surviving. Picture him standing at the end of the battle, jawbone lifted high, feeling so victorious, shouting essentially, “Look what I did with just this jawbone!” I wonder, as God watched, did he think, “How pitiful? You could have had an army of thousands with you, armor, and swords! My weapons were at your disposal, but you waged this battle on your own pitiful terms.” Do you think he ever looks at us with the same grief? How many of us settle for just surviving, using fleshly, inadequate weapons, when we could be conquering for the Kingdom with spiritual armor? Do we really want to reach eternity only by the skin of our donkey teeth? Psalm 144:1-2 “Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.”

Day 20: “I Thirst”

Judges 15:18-20--“Must I die now of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” Samson has killed a thousand Philistines through God’s strength. Now God gives him a reminder of the weakness of his flesh. Thirst threatens to take the champion down. Notice, he has not cried out to God before this, as if he has become entitled with the strength God gave him. We can all be guilty of reveling in the works of our hands and coming dangerously close to taking His fueling of our works for granted. But God has put us in “earthly tents” to keep us humble. Our flesh--our minds that forget, our bodies which tire, our stomachs that hunger, our hands and feet vulnerable to injury, our failing eyes and ears, our aching joints, and various other physical frailties remind us of our dependence on God for every breath. When Jesus cried, “I thirst!” from the cross, it was the cry of his humanity, bound by the weakness of the flesh. Perhaps God uses our bodies and their various injuries and adversities to keep us humble, ever mindful of Who we depend upon. Crying to Him is a good thing, for we acknowledge our weakness and humble ourselves before Him. Then He can pour forth to supply our need. “God opened up the hollow place in Lehi, and water came out of it.” Samson called the spring “En Hakkore”—fountain of the crier. Paul knew what it was like to come to a place like this. He had been given “surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7). He asked 3 times that it be removed, and God spoke to him: “My grace is sufficient for thee for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (12:9). Paul responded, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” Like Paul, we should be thankful when we “thirst,” so that we may come to our own “fountain of the crier” to draw living water. 

Day 21: Rules were made to be broken?

Strong-will + Rules = Frustration for Everyone. Samson was given rules before he was even conceived. What does that tell you about what God foreknew about Samson? This guy was going to need rules. His parents were anxious for guidelines as well. Manoah asks the angelic visitor, “What is to be the rule that governs the boy’s life and work?” (Judges 13:12). The Nazirite vow of restraint was practiced in addition to the Levitical law given to the Jews. The law was not just restriction, but for protection. God was putting an extra layer of padding on this boy’s defensive uniform so that when Samson encountered temptation, he could bust thru it and score against the enemy. We are not told what transpired in Samson’s young life that turned him out on the playing field without a helmet, almost baiting the opposition. Was he overprotected so when he got freedom, he went wild? Did he think he was invincible because of the God’s special promises? Or was he simply uninterested in fulfilling the call of God on his life (#personalsabotage)? The jury is still out as to why this judge did not go by the rules, but we all have our reasons for bucking God’s parameters. Take for example the request that we add to our show season this time of fasting…Is it not enough we are pressing all the juice we can out of our gifts? Is it not enough we have devoted our waking hours to ministry and obedient disciplines? Must we add a season of fasting? Are we adverse to extra restriction like Samson? When it comes to obedience that sets us apart and closes in our margins in pursuit of holiness, do we buck the rules? Is it possible this season of fasting is a way God is adding a layer of protection on us so we can score against the enemy? As you persist in obeying your fast at this half-way mark, consider this promise: Duet 10:22-25: “If you carefully observe all these commands I am giving you to follow—to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him and to hold fast to him— then the Lord will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations larger and stronger than you. Every place where you set your foot will be yours…. No one will be able to stand against you. The Lord your God, as he promised you, will put the terror and fear of you on the whole land, wherever you go.” May none of us only half-way obey.

Day 22: “Unclean!”

“All the days of his separation he is holy to the Lord” (Num 6:8). This was the declaration over the Nazarite, and Samson was to be a walking reminder that God’s people are set apart. Consider a contrasting example. The lepers of Jesus’ day had to declare their contagious disease, shouting “Unclean! Unclean!” wherever they went. Although this was a terrible disgrace for sick people to endure, would it not be wonderful if unclean (sinful) people and things could shout out such a label as a warning. We get some of those warnings—an “E” next to songs with bad language on Spotify, “M” warning for mature audiences on Netflix shows, etc. But often, we are exposed to the vile and unclean without warning. When my children go off to college or even attend a high school sporting event, I pray for them to discern signs of “Unclean! Unclean!” before they are infected by destructive influences. While complete quarantine from the unclean is not always possible, the word and the holy spirit can help us identify and avoid the spread of infection. The problem, however, is that like Samson, we often ignore the warnings even when the Holy Spirit is shouting to us: “Unclean! Unclean!” Samson was to be a walking sign of abstinence. His long hair and “set-apart” status should have shouted “Clean! Clean!” wherever he walked. However, for Samson it was as if being so set apart made the unclean even more irresistible. Are we the same? Our sinful nature tends to want what it is told not to touch. We are all still constantly facing the same choice given in the Garden of Eden. In this time of fasting, you may have found that calling something “forbidden” makes you want it even more. Consider the lie being told to you as you reach out toward the forbidden. Consider the warning--what will partaking cost? What declaration would you have shouted to identify you as you walk with the Lord in this world? “Clean!” or “Unclean!” Consider Isaiah’s end times prophesy: “And there will be a highway called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not travel it--only those who walk in the Way--and fools will not stray onto it” (35:8).

Day 23: The Gate Keeper

Judges 16:3 “Samson lay there only until the middle of the night. Then he got up and took hold of the doors of the city gate, together with the two posts, and tore them loose, bar and all. He lifted them to his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron.” This is one heavy verse (pun intended), and finding its meaning is a push (pun intended). Note that Hebron is 40 miles from Gaza, the city whose Gate Samson decided to take as a souvenir. (Try getting this one in the overhead bin.) Commentators have estimated the gate weighed anywhere from half a ton to 4 tons. Even carrying 40 pounds for 40 miles up into the mountains of Hebron would be impressive, but tons?! This is another feat of Samson’s supernatural strength. Samson was no writer or master of elocution (speaking), but he sure knew how to send a message and craft a legend. When he dropped that gate at Hebron, it was the exclamation point to his message for his enemies: “You cannot lock me out, and you cannot lock me in!” Is this not Samson’s life mantra? He basically ran a marathon with a gate on his back to prove he was no one’s captive and his strength could outmatch the strongest stronghold. What if we treated enemy strongholds the same way, whether those strongholds are built on sin or false teachings and arguments? Are we not given the supernatural power to tear them loose, carry them to the mountain of God’s presence, and leave them there, shouting to our enemy he has no hold on us? I love that Samson performed this marathon alone. No one else knew how heavy or how hard this was. When he first lifted the gate, did he have any idea how far he would go or how steep the climb would be? He persisted with an endurance only God could grant. The same is true for us when we take on the task of tearing down an enemy stronghold. We must bear the weight alone in the marathon of removing sin that has taken hold. Or we must endure in researching and studying the word to tear down arguments aimed at our faith. In all cases, like Samson, we have supernatural strength through the spirit of God. “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds” (2 Cor 10:4).

Day 24: Valley of Choice

As we follow Samson down his tragic path, his most intriguing encounter is with Delilah, with whom he falls in love. Before Delilah, love is not mentioned. His actions and words towards his parents do not seem loving. He basically orders them around, and his relationship to the woman of Timnah, which we examined before, was a volatile back and forth with a final fiery end. Samson’s anger and lust seem easily provoked, but the Bible tells us Delilah coaxed love from this Herculean warrior. Scholars are uncertain as to whether Delilah was a Philistine or an Israelite. Like the woman of Timnah, she lived right along the Valley of Sorek, on the border between Philistia and the south of Samson’s tribal territory of Dan and running along the northwest territory of Judah. Sorek was “an open, fertile valley well-suited for vineyards” (biblestudytools.com). In fact, Sorek means “vine,” and is “the name of a vine bearing small grapes but very sweet and without seeds” (bibliatodo.com). Sorek is translated from the Hebrew to mean “choice,” and some put the two concepts together so that Sorek means “choice vine” (bibliatodo.com). These meanings speak into Samson’s choice to wander again too close to enemy territory into a fertile valley of grapes he was not to touch. While this valley was controlled by the Philistines at the time, Delilah may have been Philistine or Israelite. Her choice to live in this borderline valley could mean that she, like Samson, enjoyed living on the edge. Maybe this is the reason Samson found a love connection with her. Perhaps both she and Samson enjoyed getting close to forbidden vines and then “falling” entangled in them. Interestingly, Sorek also means “hissing.” Yes, as in the hissing of the snake in the garden of Eden. Delilah, initially appearing as a tempting vine, became a snake wrapped around Samson, squeezing out his strength. Are we like him, walking just on the edge of enemy territory, tempting our own weak flesh to reach out and pluck the forbidden fruit? If so, we cannot blame God or anyone else when we are poisoned by the snake. James 1:13-15: “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin when it is full grown, gives birth to death.”  

Day 25: A rose by any other name…

De”li”lah is a volatile character. Since no other women in Samson’s life are given a name, the fact that she is given a name is significant. In Hebrew, her name means “delicate.” Dalal or Dal, the first part of her name has associations with “hang” as water hangs in a bucket after being drawn out of a well or as in a hanging, balanced between two extremes.   Also, “dalla” refers to a drooping bundle of hair or hanging threads as if from a loom. The last part of her name, “lilah” (layela), means “night.” Some have called her the “Queen of the Night,” who overcame Samson, the “sun” born near Bethshemesh (house of the sun).  All these pieces create a word puzzle implying quite a lot. Delilah was indeed delicate when handling a very hot-tempered man. She also held his life in the balance and drew out the truth from him. His hair was also suspended in her loom and later in her grasp as she cut off 7 bundles of it. Identifying her with darkness and deeds done in the night is no stretch for our imagination, and she certainly took the light from Samson’s eyes. She is iconic in that her character imprints meaning on the name so that even today, a particularly deceptive, seductive woman might be labeled "a Delilah.” The name literally rolls off the tongue and immediately conjures up a vivid picture of the wily temptress. Women seek the kind of fame she garnered…to create an identity so powerful that only one name is required to refer to them—Madonna, Fergie, Mariah, Beyonce, Whitney (a.k.a Queen of the Night), etc. On the flip side, her name also carries the weight of shame. For the same reason, we don’t often hear parents hollering for “Judas” at the playground, we also do not often hear the name “Delilah.” After all, who wants to shackle their baby girl with the name synonymous with her crimes? Meaning is attached to our names because of our actions and our character as well. When our name is spoken, whether it rolls off the tongue or not, it creates an image in the minds of those who know us. What meaning or qualities does your name conjure up for those who know you well? Psalm 115:1: ”Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.” Isaiah 42:8: “’I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols.’”

Day 26: “Tell me the secret of your great strength.”

Samson had reputation, right? Did not all Israel and the Philistines know who he was? For 20 years he had been the mascot for Israel’s strength, yet his relationship with the Lord, his consecration, his dependence on God was not touted as much as his physical feats. He was not living a life in which he was vocal or submissive about his dedication to God. The first foot he put forward was usually guided by his fleshly desires or reactions, not his obedience to please and honor God. Even in reading the account of his life, we find few times when Samson called upon God or spoke of Him. In those instances, Samson’s words were self-centered, not God-centered. Samson’s faith, to whatever degree it happened to be warmed to at the time, did not burn bright so that others, even those closest could see. Consider the contrasts of David who declared openly, “Some trust in Chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God” (Psalm 20:7)…. Or Caleb who at 85 said of his tribal allotment, “the Lord is helping me, I will drive [the enemy] out just as he said” (Joshua 14:12). Samson, however, was content to have everyone attribute his accomplishments to him. Are we ever guilty of such? Is our first foot forward guided by the Lord or our selfish desires? Do we give credit where credit is due? Do we expose our weaknesses by continually letting others know we rely on His strength? Or do we hide our faith so that others have no idea who we belong to? Is our reputation more important to us than God’s name? Consider if your light is hidden under the bowl of your reputation, it will eventually be snuffed out. “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

Day 27: R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

Whether she was one of them or not, the Philistines apparently knew Delilah and even respected her, for they did not command her with threats as they did Samson’s wife. Instead, she is offered a handsome sum of silver from each ruler, 1100 shekels X 5 rulers = 5,500 shekels. This price indicates the Philistines knew Delilah well enough to know her skills in cunning and manipulation. They also knew she was not virtuous enough to be hindered by conscience. If Samson was Israel’s secret weapon, Delilah was the stealthy double agent who could not only uncover his design but diffuse him by cutting the right cords. No husband or parents of Delilah are mentioned which poses the question:  How did she come to be alone, independent, and of strong enough standing to be worthy of such payment and trust? My drama brain crafts a backstory for her that includes many men of various types who became her mentors in manipulation and deception. Perhaps she was hurt many times by men, betrayed by their lies, promised forever and then denied, used, and/or abused at their whims. Maybe she was hardened by it all until she realized she could outplay, outwit, and outlast any who dared gamble with the heart. She strikes me as one who always kept an ace up her sleeve and a perfect poker face. Perhaps Samson, hardened as he was, presented a challenge for her. The money offered by the Philistines raised the stakes, and she played all her cards with callous intention. She repeatedly told Samson he was making a fool of her. From Delilah, such a claim was a threat. She asked, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when you won’t confide in me? This is the third time you have made a fool of me and haven’t told me the secret of your great strength” (Judges 15:15). Understand, she is not whining and playing the weeping victim like the woman of Timnah. Delilah would not grovel. She is standing her ground and effectively warning Samson: “I will leave you if you do not treat me with R.E.S.P.E.C.T. as a trusted equal.” Well, she got her secret and her silver. Application? Respect the skill, and beware the intention of your hardened adversary, the devil. Like Delilah, your enemy knows full well, “The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast. He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly” (Proverbs 5:22).

Day 28: Expect Delays

2020 has become synonymous with disappointments, cancellations, and delays. None were in our control, and the consequential frustration has been nearly impossible to process. Because of sin, death and disease will continually plague us in this fallen world. But we do have control over one thing even when the world comes to a standstill--our obedience. However, when we behave like Samson, not setting ourselves apart, but falling in with this fallen world, we have ourselves to blame for delays. When we expose ourselves to the unclean and patterns leading to spiritual sickness, our blessings and our fulfillment of purpose are put on pause. Our walk with God simply cannot move forward as long we let sin have a dragging hold on our feet. A holding pattern of sin and disobedience will keep us in a constant state of frustration. We may blame God or others for our unfulfillment while the fault is ours as we refuse to leave enemy territory. Samson is frustrating to observe as he makes the same mistakes over and over, when clearly, he is gifted and capable of so much more. Do you think God ever gets frustrated watching us? The world will cause us enough frustrating hinderances. Do not add to its ability to hinder you, but instead, obey without delay. Eph 5:15-16: “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” Hebrews 12:1: “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”  

Day 29: “You’re Getting Warmer…”

I saw a Samson production where the trickster in Samson was played up complete with a silly laugh when he set forth a riddle and extra pranks. Perhaps, Samson was the kid who put buckets of water over door frames, plastic wrap over toilets, and rubber snakes in his father’s shoes. He certainly enjoyed a play on words and teasing others to guess information only he had. When he discovers Delilah’s desire to know the secret of his strength, the trickster in him walks precariously closer and closer to her trap, progressively giving away elements of truth. Notice first he tells her 7 new bow strings will hold him. Second, he tells her new ropes would hold him, braided ropes. Third, he tells her the 7 braids of his hair must be woven into a loom. Samson gives 3 solid clues: 7 + braided + hair. He is flirting with disaster. If you are not good at keeping secrets, you can relate to Samson giving pieces of the secret and hoping her correct guess would save him the blame for giving it away. Yet, Samson should have calculated better and realized Delilah is preparing to act on the true answer. Each time he tells her a lie, Delilah tries her hand at binding him. He should have known the actual truth would have sent her running with scissors. Yet, as she wore him down, he not only gave up the game but foolishly fell asleep in her lap. What was he thinking? And why did this actually work? There was no magic in his hair. Wasn’t it just an outward sign? It seems Samson was not the only one worn down. God had grown weary of Samson’s foolish games and lack of respect for the sacred. God does not take kindly to desecrating the holy. In Daniel’s time when King Belshazzar took the goblets from the temple to use for a less-than-holy party in Babylon, the party was interrupted. Handwriting appeared on the wall essentially saying, “You have been weighed and measured and found wanting. Your time is up!” Samson had reached the end of the rope of God’s patience for his disrespect of the Nazarite vow. How often do we creep closer and closer toward disrespecting the holy? Perhaps we compromise our purity more and more until none remains. Or we tell a small lie and then have add another and then another until we become deceivers on a grand scale. We must be on our guard and not compromise on even one element when protecting the holy, or we may offend God and bring the razor of judgement a little too close. 1 Cor 6:19-20 “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies.”  

Day 30: An Eye for an Eye

“Samson…saw a young Philistine woman,” “he turned aside to look at the lion’s carcass, and in it he saw…some honey,” and in “Gaza….he saw a prostitute.” Samson was definitely a man led by the lust of the eyes. You can almost hear the enemy whisper in Samson’s ear, “Feast your eyes on this!” The horrific punishment Samson endures fits his crimes. His eyes were gouged out, literally torn from their sockets. Gouging out one eye was a common punishment done to humiliate the victim. One gouged eye would have mutilated and crippled Samson, making him a warning and reminding all who saw him of his defeat and shame. Two gouged eyes made him helpless and doubly shamed. Yet, by removing his eyes, the Philistines made it possible for Samson to have no other distraction for his flesh. Though blind, he was perhaps for the first time able to see God, his sin, and that his physical strength was worthless without spiritual dependence upon God. This strong man had to reach rock bottom as a prisoner and slave, blind and bound, before he would submit to God. Again, he is the epitome of the strong will. How many of us push our boundaries and force our way into bondage before we can see the light? Why was this necessary for Samson, and is it necessary for us? What must be torn away before we submit to the Lordship of Christ in our walk? Jesus tells us it is possible for us to deal with the weakness of our flesh before they cause us shame, prison, and slavery to sin. Matthew 5:29-30: “If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.” Of course, this is figurative in our application, but denying our flesh does involve choosing to undergo intense amputation. But don’t worry, it is nothing a wooden operating table and 3 nails in the hands of our Great Physician can’t handle.   

Day 31: It's all about the hair!

The Nazirite vow was centered around abstinence, the practice of restraint. Samson was to live under restraint, not just for the prescribed 30 to 60 days, but for his entire life. Numbers 6 outlines the following requirements: No drinking of wine or any produce from the grape including seeds and skins. No use of a razor upon the head. No contact with dead bodies (including relatives). Since this vow was to govern Samson’s life, his contrary behavior appears especially willful and disobedient. Samson shows little to no restraint in his indulgences and temper. His violation of just one requirement illustrates his tendency to venture outside the lines. Today, it’s all about the hair, Samson’s outward symbol of inward dedication to God (Num 6:18). When the hair was cut, the Nazirite vow ended. If the hair was contaminated by exposure to a dead body, it had to be cut off and the vow period restarted. The Nazirite, himself, was to cut the hair in front of the tabernacle (or the temple) in the presence of priests who would then burn it to conclude or restart the vow. Thirty or sixty days might have rendered a considerable length of hair, unkempt and noticeable. However, hair grown for a lifetime on a healthy, oversized, outdoorsy, young man would have been a considerable sight. Imagine Samson wrestling a lion, each sporting a wild mane. Picture his locks flying savagely as he swings the jawbone of a donkey into Philistine attackers. In those instances, victory is in his tresses, but so also is the contamination of death. Yet, Samson does not cut off the contamination, restart, or rededicate himself. After violent actions or vile women, Samson practices no cleansing, so contamination continues to compromise his dedication. Now, visualize those wild strands of hair bound into 7 braids, laying lifeless in Delilah’s hands. Delilah certainly is no priest. The symbol of dedication becomes a symbol of defeat in the hands of the enemy. What a violation! Immediately, Samson’s dedication period ends, but the cutting is not by his own hands. Consequently, he does not even realize the Lord has left him (Judges 16:20). Have we let contamination build in our lives time as unconfessed sin goes uncleansed, uncut? What dedicated gifts from God lie bound and lifeless in the hands of our enemy? Romans 6:12-13 “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.”

Day 32: Nose to the Grindstone

Taken down to Gaza in bronze shackles, Samson is set to the work of a mule, “grinding grain in the prison” (Judges 16:21). Samson had demanded to go his own way, yet now he is forced to trudge the same circular path without the strength to bust free. He can literally not even SEE a way out, as his enemy, who promised pleasure, betrayed and humiliated him. We would be wise to visualize Samson in these consequences when our flesh demands its way shouting, “FREEDOM!” and our enemy says, “Feast your eyes!” Our destiny is determined by the lies or truths we believe. We can literally become slaves to our animal instincts, circling around and around defeated ground, or we can allow our gifts to be infused by the Holy Spirit, go forward with vision, and conquer kingdom territory.  We will serve either the deceiver or the redeemer. Consider Paul’s warning: “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness” (Romans 6:15-23). 

Day 33: “How did I get here?”

The Cell---darkness all around… bronze chains cutting into wrists… no friend… mutilation compounds humiliation… cold stone walls bring no comfort… hunger…. thirst… restlessness… regret—intense regret. What longings would bring tears? What thoughts would rise as tormentors? Perhaps Covid Quarantine is the closest we ever get to physical prison, but most of us have served some time in a sinner’s prison…no matter how long you have known the Lord. As fleshly humans, we cannot help but run up against boundaries, believe we can outsmart deception, and dig our own pits. The bible does not show us one day in Samson’s cell. Perhaps God keeps this time hidden because 1) Our prisons would allow us to imagine Samson’s, and 2) What goes on in prison is intensely personal. Prison is where we become accountants…reckoning the cost of our deeds and assessing redemption is beyond our impoverished state. Prison is where we become lawyers…arguing it was someone else’s fault and bargaining for release. And, finally, prison is where we become broken, stripped down, humble, and (hopefully) repentant. Yet, not all prisoners repent. Some act as if they were not even incarcerated, creating new criminal playgrounds behind bars, hardening to such a degree that release must be denied. But repentance is the goal of prison, isn’t it? To bring a rebellious soul to its knees? When God shuts the cell door, we can be assured, His desire is to open it again. I picture him as a gentle Judge walking past the barred window each day checking our progress and wondering how long before He can set us free to become who He created us to be. How long will it take us to do the calculations, get past our closing arguments, and finally fall on our knees in front of Him? Samson is listed as a hero of faith in Hebrews 11:32 and associated with the phrase “whose weakness was turned to strength” (34). Prison is often required for this kind of transformation. Yet even in prison we still have choice. Do we let prison further harden us so that release is denied? How long will our stubbornness resist true repentance? We don’t know what took place in Samson’s heart while in prison, but perhaps his prayer and ours might resound with David’s in Psalm 40:11-13, “Do not withhold your mercy from me, Lord; may your love and faithfulness always protect me. For troubles without number surround me; my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart fails within me. Be pleased to save me, Lord; come quickly, Lord, to help me.”  

Day 34: Price of Entertainment

A costly sacrifice was required by the Nazarite vow, including a burnt offering, a sin offering, a fellowship offering, grain and drink offerings, as well as “whatever else they can afford” (Num 6:21). These were to be offered at the temple (or tabernacle) and handled by the priests to conclude the vow. However, Samson’s sacrifice, takes place at the pagan temple of Dagon with the Philistines doing the honors. Note that the rulers of the Philistines who had paid Delilah to deliver Samson to them were all present on the roof (Judges 16:27). Praising their god, the Philistines bring Samson out for their entertainment (Judges 16:25). How tragic! Yet, the mercy of God is still present, for Samson’s locks have begun to grow back (Judges 16:22). With a final cry for God to “remember” his dedication, Samson indeed gives all he can afford, sacrificing his own life. The resulting death of 3,000 Philistines is more than he killed while battling them alive. This is a victory of sorts, yet not decisive, as it leaves unfinished business. Because Samson failed to completely annihilate the Philistines, Israel’s future kings continued to battle them (Saul and David). Because his vow was compromised, so was his legacy. We would be wise to learn from Samson in fully carrying out God’s call to obedience concerning whatever stronghold we are to demolish, abstinence we are to practice, or dedications we are to maintain. Otherwise, we too will leave unfinished business in our wake. This can affect our physical and spiritual offspring. What do we need to fully annihilate so that those following behind us do not face the same battles? What kind of legacy are we leaving? Thankfully, Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice, obeying God’s guidelines exactly, so that those following behind us can be fully victorious. Yet we are still called to exemplify a victorious life for their benefit. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might…. You shall teach (God’s word) diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise” (Deut 6:5-7).

Day 35:  Motivation

For years, I have been bothered by young men in various types of venues, looking down, checked out, unengaged…lost. These “lost boys” began to weigh on my spirit. Who was teaching them to be men? Who was noticing their lack of interest, lack of motivation? Who could break the spell of loneliness that hid behind eyes that seemed to shut out the light? These “lost boys,” soon-to-be young men, meant-to-be leaders, were the motivation for Saving Samson. Warner’s story is based on the lives of young men I’ve watched struggle, trying to find their way in this sin filled world, feeling worthless, trying to find identity, trying to matter, watching nearly every man they looked up to fail, and longing…longing in a way I’m not sure I could ever understand. These young men are under enemy attack almost 24/7. They were meant to lead, and the enemy knows if he can just beat them down with abuse, distract them with worthless toys, or shackle them with addiction as they try to find what it is that makes a man a man, then he has them. His goal is to minimize their gifts in their own eyes, deaden them to the things of God, destroy their kingdom work before it even starts, and bind them with psychological labels and wounds that seem insurmountable. I cannot say I have a singe clue as to how to undo damage already done to these young men… to my own sons… to my brothers. I just had to try and say something. Actually, I tried to SHOUT something… loud enough that one of them might hear and be saved from terrible consequences. The most important thing I would want the “lost boys” to hear would be, “Jesus loves you!” That little song we all learned… If we could just grasp it and teach it to those boys in a way they could truly get it… Maybe some walls would come down? Join with me in praying God uses this project to speak to those He would reach with his love and hope. “Truly, I tell you, whatever you did for the one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40).