DO
YOU know the name of the strongest man who ever lived? He is a judge named
Samson. It is Jehovah who gives Samson his strength. Even before Samson is
born, Jehovah tells his mother: ‘Soon you will have a son. He will take a lead
in saving Israel from the Phi·lis´tines.’
The Phi·lis´tines are bad people who live
in Ca´naan. They have many fighting men, and they really hurt the Israelites.
Once, when Samson is on his way to where the Phi·lis´tines live, a big lion
comes roaring out to meet him. But Samson kills the lion with only his bare
hands. He also kills hundreds of bad Phi·lis´tines.
Later Samson falls in love with a woman named De·li´lah. The
Phi·lis´tine leaders promise that each of them will give De·li´lah 1,100 pieces
of silver if she tells them what makes Samson so strong. De·li´lah wants all
that money. She is not a true friend of Samson, or of God’s people. So she
keeps asking Samson what it is that makes him so strong
Finally, De·li´lah gets Samson to tell her
the secret of his strength. ‘My hair has never been cut,’ he says. ‘From the
time that I was born, God chose me to be a special servant of his called a
Naz´i·rite. If my hair was cut, I would lose my strength.’
Well, when De·li´lah learns this, she has
Samson go to sleep on her lap. Then she calls a man to come in and cut his
hair. When Samson wakes up, he has lost his strength. The Phi·lis´tines then
come in and capture him. They put out both his eyes, and make him their slave.
One day the Phi·lis´tines have a big party
to worship their god Dagon, and they bring Samson out of prison to make fun of
him. In the meantime, Samson’s hair has grown again. Samson says to the boy who
is leading him by the hand: ‘Let me touch the pillars that hold the building
up.’ Then Samson prays to Jehovah for strength, and takes hold of the pillars.
He cries out: ‘Let me die with the Phi·lis´tines.’ There are 3,000
Phi·lis´tines at the party, and when Samson bends himself against the pillars
the building falls down and kills all these bad people.
See The Bible Chapter:Judges chapters 13 to 16.
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