False Full Pt. 3 Lost Cows and Bald Heads

(This is the third in a three part series on being satisfied in God as we continue on in the story of God and Samson in Judges, chapters 13-16.)

"She (Delilah) made him sleep on her knees. And she called a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him. And she said, 'The Philistines are upon you, Samson!' And he awoke from his sleep and said, 'I will go out as at other other times and shake myself free.' But he did not know that the Lord had left him. And the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles. And he ground at the mill in the prison. But the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaved." (Judges 16:19-22)

Samson was blessed by God as the first action hero and he served as protection for God's people. God blessed Samson with an amazing gift of strength but at some point, even though his beginnings were humble and his raisin' was good by what we in the south refer to as "good, God-fearin' folk", Samson got lost.

In his book, Messy Spirituality, Mike Yaconelli recounts the experience of driving down a California highway and suddenly coming face to face with a large cow meandering down the middle of the highway. Unable to make headway on the narrow road, Mike soon found the cow's owner. Asking the farmer how his cow got into the middle of the road, the farmer explained,

"The cow sees a tuft of grass near the fence, so he eats it. Then he sees another tuft on the other side of the fence, so he makes his way around the fence. The cow keeps going from one tuft of grass to another until suddenly he looks up and he's far away from home." The old farmer finished up with the statement, "The cow doesn't intend to get lost, it just happens."

Samson didn't set out to get lost. He started hanging out at the wrong places, with the wrong people, at the wrong times. Before I left for college, the wisest man I know told me, "Son, if you play on the creek banks long enough, you're bound to get wet." Maybe Samson's dad should have told his son the same thing, because Samson spent a lot of time playing on the wrong banks and he ended up soaking wet, neck deep in trouble with a girl named Delilah. You can read the whole story in the book of Judges, chapters 13-16 .

Samson played around and eventually told Delilah his weakness. He thought nothing of it because he had forgotten where the source of his strength really came from.

Samson's hair was not the source of his strength, it was the result of a vow to God (13:5). Samson had already broken an earlier vow by eating unclean, (14:9) yet he still remained strong. Before Samson's feats of strength, he did not wash his hair in special shampoo- because his source of strength came from something deeper. When Samson needed strength, the spirit of the Lord would come upon him (14:6, 14:19, 15:14). As time passed, Samson spent his days and nights with Delilah and God was moved to the backseat. Life goes on and we begin to see less God and more Samson. One tuft of grass to another... until he is so lost that he never even knew that the Spirit of God had left him (16:20). Without God, he became a prisoner to the enemy, full of shame and void of power. So that's it right? He blew it. The ballad of Samson, so much promise but in the end, such small results.

Ever feel like that? Maybe God blessed you with talent or opportunity. Maybe He blessed you with a skill-set and you feel like you have not used it in the way that you should have. Maybe God gave you a family, a friendship or a relationship that has been neglected over time or fractured with an impulse decision that you can't take back. Whatever it was that you thought you once had... it's gone. And now you feel like the moment has passed. Worse, you feel like a prisoner to the mistakes.

You no longer feel like you're part of the game. You've made mistakes and you feel like you just can't be forgiven, not by the people that you've wronged and certainly not by God. If there was ever a poster child for having it all and throwing it all away, its Samson. What could God possibly do with him now?

This is where the Bible is so cool. It just sneaks this little glimpse of hope into a story of despair. Check out the passage, it's looking pretty dim, the curtain is about to close and then - verse twenty two:

"But the hair on his head began to grow again..."

Now I dig this for lots of reasons- one, there may be hope that the hair on my head will one day grow again. But the main reason I dig this is because just when it seems like the story is over, God begins a new one.

Remember, his hair wasn't the source of his strength, it was a visible sign that he was connected to the one who provided his strength. He was getting stronger.

The Philistines threw a party, in part to honor their god, Dagon, and in part to parade a captive Samson out in front of the crowd as a trophy. But Samson had been spending time with God so he prayed for strength and Samson brought the house down on over three thousand Philistines. The bible says that it was Samson's greatest accomplishment. He did more in that one act than in all others combined. (16:30) It's amazing what God accomplishes when everyone else thinks our story is over.

Samson's story ended with that final act, yours doesn't have to. The bible says that nothing can separate us from the Love of God that is in Christ, Jesus. Seriously - Nothing. (Romans 8:38-39) God still loves you. Did you hear that? You, the person who got it wrong. The one who acted in private and the shame still stings. God loves You - in the middle of your guilt and despair. God still loves you. Shame, sin, persecution, confusion, embarrassment... those things lost all of their power when Jesus showed up. You are loved with an everlasting love. (Jer 31:3), and He is not finished with you yet.

Do you feel like you went the wrong direction in life and now you're stuck? When Samson got stuck, the hair on his head began to grow and so did His relationship with God. Can I share something with you? When you lose your way, whether intentional or not, ask God to come get you, He will come running! (Luke 15:20)

God is not after you to exact revenge. He's God! If he wanted revenge, He would just give the Thanos snap and it would be over for all of us. He's after you because He loves you and He's not finished with you yet. (Phil. 1:6)

God does His greatest work with people who are too old (Moses was well past his prime and well into retirement), too insignificant (David was a shepherd - the least among his brothers) too mean (Paul was a murderer... David was too come to think of it), too impatient (Peter, seriously- like every example of Peter in the Gospels) - the list of inadequate believers is long.

If you think you're too late, too far gone or not equipped... well, you're right. All alone, you will stay imprisoned to your fears and your mistakes. Ask Jesus to meet you where you are- you will be made whole. Heck, maybe your hair will even begin to grow!

Thanks God- You rock.