Sometimes God chose the least likely men and women to work for him. THERE was Sam-a rough, wild man with a short temper- who was fo ever getting into trouble with his own people, the Israelites, and his enemies,the philistines.
But he had been marked out by God from the start.Before he was born his mother was visited by an angel."You shall have a son," he had said to her, " who will beling to God. HE will marked out from other people by his hair. It will make him as strong as a lion, and for that reason it must never be cut."
God's words came true.The baby was born and the woman named him Samson.He grew into a fine young man,larger and stronger than any around him,One day, he told to his parents he wanted to marry a Philistine girl whom he had seen in the neighbouring town of Timnath.They were not pleased because the Philistine were their enenmies, but Samson insisted. As he was walking through the vineyards on his way to Timnath, he was attacked by a lion. He had no waepin, but God gave him the strenght to kill the lion with his bare hands. He left the carcass lying there and went on to visit the girl.The marriage was arranged to take place in a few weeks. At the wedding feast Samson boasted that he would set guests a riddle that none of them could answer. "Out of the eater came something to eat, Out of the strong came something sweet," he said. (Oh the way to the feast he had seen that bees had made a nest inside the carcass of the lion he had killed, and built a honey-comb.)
The guests could not answer the riddle. In the end, tired of guessing, they persuaded his bride to ask him what the answer was. He told her, and in no time at all the girl had disclosed it to the Philistines.They came back to him, shouting:
"What is sweeter than honey?
What is stringer than lion?"
Samson was so angrgy at what his wife had done that he killed 30 young men and burned ghe Philistines' crops in revenge. They in turn killed the treacherous bride and her father. Ill feeling between the two tribes had reached a peak. Then one day Samson disappearex and went to live high up in the mountains, in a cave.The Philistines turned on Samson's people and gave them more trouble than before. In the end, in return for peace, they forced the peopleto say where Samson was hiding, and to bring him down from the mountains, tied up with ropes.
When samson came face to face with his enemies again his old anger returned. He strained at the ropes that held him down, and they snapped like gut strings. He looked around for some weapon, and snatched up the jawbone from a dead donkey lying besisde the road. With it he attacked the Philistine so fiercely that 1000 men fell dead under his blows, and the rest fled in terror. Still Samson's enemies were determined to capture hom. The Philistines knew that they would never catch him by force, for he was stronger than any man. He could tear down doors and break through chains. His strenght had been given him by God, and it was this secret power that the Philistines were determined to break.They went to a beautiful woman named Delilah, and told her to spy on him. "Find out by what magic means he remains so strong," they said. "If you can make him weak like other men, we will give you 1100 pieces of silver."
It did not take Delilah long to make Samson come and see her. It took her even less ling to make him fall in love with her, and to promise to give her whatever she asked fo.
"Tell me the secret of your great strenght, Samson," she asked.
"Tie me up with new bow strings, and I will grow weak like other men," he said. So Delilah waited until he was asleep and then tied him up with the strings.
"The Philistines are attacking you, Samson!" she cried.
Samson awoke instantly and freed himself with one quick wrench. Then he stood there laughing at Delilah for pretending to capture him.
She asked him again, "Tell me the secret of your strenght, Samson." "Tie me up with new rope, and i will grow weak like other men," he said.
Again she waited until he was asleep, and again she tied him up. " The Philistine are attacking you!" She cried. Samson woke, and broke through the rope as if it had been a thread.
At last he told her the truth. " I am one of the people chosen by God," he said. "My strenght lies in my hair; it must never be cut.If it is, I will become as weak as other men."
Delilah drugged his wine and cradled him to sleep on her lap. Then she cut of his hair. She called in the Philistines and they bound him blinded him and threw him into prison. They paid Delilah the silver. Samson was put to work like an animal, grinding grain. Now that he was blind and weak, the Philistines decided to put him on show to the public in the temple. The people crowded into the temple of their god, Dagon, celebrating Samson's downfall. When they saw their old enemy they jeered. "O Lord." God guided him to the two central pillars that supported the temple. Samson took hold of one pillar with his right arm, and the Philistines," he prayed, andthen he heaved at the pillars with all his strength.
The pillars cracked, then they broke, and with a roar like that of an earthquaje the whole temple collapsed, burying everyone in it under a heap of stones.The people who mocked Samson were killed, and so was he.