Samson: Strong Man, Weak Will

INTRO

We all know Samson for his incredible strength — but strength without surrender leads to ruin. Samson’s story is one of potential, power, pride, pain, and, finally, repentance!

Samson was the strongest man to ever live — yet he fell, not because his enemies were mighty, but because his heart wandered from God.

It’s a warning to every believer: What God gives for His glory, we can waste for our own — unless His grace keeps or restores us.

Samsons Birth / A Promise From God

Judges 13:1–5 ESV

1 And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord gave them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years. 2 There was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. And his wife was barren and had no children. 3 And the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. 4 Therefore be careful and drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, 5 for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.”

Israel once again did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, and God handed them over to the Philistines for forty years.

But God raised up hope through a barren woman — a miraculous birth and a divine promise.

Even Samson’s birth was a work of grace. Before he ever acted, God had a purpose for him — to begin delivering Israel from bondage.

Manoah asks the angel, “What is your name?” The angel replies, “Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?”(Judges 13:17–18)…. This story begins not with Samson’s strength, but with God’s wonder.

Your need for a strong deliverer! One who fights for you with supernatural strength… one who was set apart for and to God… one who would and did give His life for yours… Jesus of Nazareth!!

1 Peter 2:9 “9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

Seven Lessons to take from Samson to be Stronger !!

PRAYER

1) Samson Forsook His Forebears

Judges 14:1–3 ESV

1 Samson went down to Timnah, and at Timnah he saw one of the daughters of the Philistines. 2 Then he came up and told his father and mother, “I saw one of the daughters of the Philistines at Timnah. Now get her for me as my wife.” 3 But his father and mother said to him, “Is there not a woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you must go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she is right in my eyes.”

Ephesians 6:1–3 “1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.””

Deuteronomy 7:3 “3 You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons,”

Amos 3:3 “3 “Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?”

2 Corinthians 6:14 “14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?”

Samson saw a Philistine woman and demanded, “Get her for me, for she is right in my eyes.”

He ignored his parents’ counsel and God’s clear command against intermarriage with pagans (Deut. 7:3).

Samson’s first mistake was trusting his eyes over God’s Word.

Samson forsook the faith of his fathers — and started down the road of compromise.

Samson’s downfall began not in Delilah’s lap, but in Timnah, when he followed his own desires instead of God’s direction.

Application: When our desires guide us more than our devotion, we will always wander from God’s plan.

What teaching are you tossing??… what wisdom are you wasting??

2) Samson Rejected His Requirements

Judges 14:5–10 ESV

5 Then Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah, and they came to the vineyards of Timnah. And behold, a young lion came toward him roaring. 6 Then the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and although he had nothing in his hand, he tore the lion in pieces as one tears a young goat. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done. 7 Then he went down and talked with the woman, and she was right in Samson’s eyes. 8 After some days he returned to take her. And he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion, and behold, there was a swarm of bees in the body of the lion, and honey. 9 He scraped it out into his hands and went on, eating as he went. And he came to his father and mother and gave some to them, and they ate. But he did not tell them that he had scraped the honey from the carcass of the lion. 10 His father went down to the woman, and Samson prepared a feast there, for so the young men used to do.

(Num 6.1-8) Samson was called to be a Nazirite, set apart for God — no wine, no juice, no grapes!! No unclean food, no contact with the dead… of course no haircuts!!

Yet we find him walking through vineyards, touching and even eating from a lion’s carcass, and later hosting a feast (likely with wine).

Each act was a small compromise — but together, they revealed a heart drifting from holiness.

1 Peter 1:16 “16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.””

1 Corinthians 6:20 “20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

He kept the outward appearance of a Nazirite but ignored the inward devotion it required… It’s possible to look set apart while living carelessly.

What Requirements are you rejecting?

3) Samson Perverted His Purpose

Judges 15:1–8 ESV

1 After some days, at the time of wheat harvest, Samson went to visit his wife with a young goat. And he said, “I will go in to my wife in the chamber.” But her father would not allow him to go in. 2 And her father said, “I really thought that you utterly hated her, so I gave her to your companion. Is not her younger sister more beautiful than she? Please take her instead.” 3 And Samson said to them, “This time I shall be innocent in regard to the Philistines, when I do them harm.” 4 So Samson went and caught 300 foxes and took torches. And he turned them tail to tail and put a torch between each pair of tails. 5 And when he had set fire to the torches, he let the foxes go into the standing grain of the Philistines and set fire to the stacked grain and the standing grain, as well as the olive orchards. 6 Then the Philistines said, “Who has done this?” And they said, “Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he has taken his wife and given her to his companion.” And the Philistines came up and burned her and her father with fire. 7 And Samson said to them, “If this is what you do, I swear I will be avenged on you, and after that I will quit.” 8 And he struck them hip and thigh with a great blow, and he went down and stayed in the cleft of the rock of Etam.

When his Philistine wife was given away, Samson’s anger flared. He caught 300 foxes, tied their tails with torches, and burned the Philistines’ fields.

He was meant to deliver Israel from their enemies — not avenge his pride.

Samson’s strength, given by God, became a weapon for personal revenge.

He used God’s gift for personal satisfaction rather than divine service.

When we use God’s gifts for our own ends, we pervert the very purpose for which He gave them.

Romans 12:19 “19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.””

1 Peter 4:10 “10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:”

Application: The most dangerous compromises are often the smallest ones we justify.

What is your Purpose? … Are you fulfilling it?

4) Samson Corrupted His Character

Judges 16:1–4 ESV

1 Samson went to Gaza, and there he saw a prostitute, and he went in to her. 2 The Gazites were told, “Samson has come here.” And they surrounded the place and set an ambush for him all night at the gate of the city. They kept quiet all night, saying, “Let us wait till the light of the morning; then we will kill him.” 3 But Samson lay till midnight, and at midnight he arose and took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two posts, and pulled them up, bar and all, and put them on his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that is in front of Hebron. 4 After this he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.

Proverbs 5:3–6 “3 For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, 4 but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. 5 Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol; 6 she does not ponder the path of life; her ways wander, and she does not know it.”

Proverbs 6:32–33 “32 He who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself. 33 He will get wounds and dishonor, and his disgrace will not be wiped away.”

Samson went to Gaza and slept with a prostitute, then fell in love with Delilah.

Each step took him further from his calling and deeper into sin.

Samson could carry city gates — but he dropped his Integrity. The strongest man in Israel became an illustration of weak character!

Are you seeking to Keep your Character or allowing Corruption to Kill it?

Set up accountability… Pursue discipleship relationships

5) Samson Sabotaged His Strength

Judges 16:4 “4 After this he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.”

Judges 16:15–20 ESV

15 And she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and you have not told me where your great strength lies.” 16 And when she pressed him hard with her words day after day, and urged him, his soul was vexed to death. 17 And he told her all his heart, and said to her, “A razor has never come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If my head is shaved, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak and be like any other man.” 18 When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called the lords of the Philistines, saying, “Come up again, for he has told me all his heart.” Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hands. 19 She 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. 20 And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him.

V - 20 = “I WILL”… not Thy Will !!

Judges 13:3–5 “3 And the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. 4 Therefore be careful and drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, 5 for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.””

His downfall wasn’t about his hair — it was about his heart… He trusted his power more than his Provider.

Samson lost the last part of his vow… his outward appearance!!

Application: This is often how it goes, all the inward transformation has already happened and we finally drop the act and show who we are on the outside too!

Where and how are you sabotaging yourself for Kingdom effectiveness?

Where are you trusting in your own strength?

Where are you taking God for granted!?

6) Samson Tarnished His Testimony

Judges 16:21–24 ESV

21 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. 22 But the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaved. 23 Now the lords of the Philistines gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to rejoice, and they said, “Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hand.” 24 And when the people saw him, they praised their god. For they said, “Our god has given our enemy into our hand, the ravager of our country, who has killed many of us.”

The Philistines captured him, gouged out his eyes, and chained him to a mill.

The one called to deliver Israel now entertains his enemies !!

And worse — God’s name was mocked. “Dagon has given us our enemy,” they said.

He disgraced his God

Deuteronomy 4:34 “34 Or has any god ever attempted to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, and by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by great deeds of terror, all of which the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?”

The Theology in the Ancient World

Judges 11:24 “24 Will you not possess what Chemosh your god gives you to possess? And all that the Lord our God has dispossessed before us, we will possess.”

Ephesians 6:12 “12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

Luke 8:39 “39 “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.”

When the people of God fall, the world celebrates — not just because we stumble, but because they think our God has failed. Our testimony matters because it tells the watching world what kind of God we serve.

Are you letting the things of this world tarnish your testimony?

What can we do to polish our principles

Shine our servanthood

Gloss His glory

7) Samson Eroded His Effectiveness

Judges 16:25–30 ESV

25 And when their hearts were merry, they said, “Call Samson, that he may entertain us.” So they called Samson out of the prison, and he entertained them. They made him stand between the pillars. 26 And Samson said to the young man who held him by the hand, “Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, that I may lean against them.” 27 Now the house was full of men and women. All the lords of the Philistines were there, and on the roof there were about 3,000 men and women, who looked on while Samson entertained. 28 Then Samson called to the Lord and said, “O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes.” 29 And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other. 30 And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.” Then he bowed with all his strength, and the house fell upon the lords and upon all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life.

In the end, Samson prayed one last time:

“O Lord God, remember me… strengthen me only this once.”

He pushed the pillars, and in his death destroyed more enemies than in his life…. But how tragic that his greatest victory came in his weakest moment.

Samson could have lived as a deliverer — instead, he died as a cautionary tale.

He is saved by grace, yet scarred by his choices.

Matthew 13:8 “8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

Matthew 13:58 “58 And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.”

1 Corinthians 3:12–15 “12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.”

APPLICATION

We need new eyes to see

not what is right in your eyes but what is right in Gods

We need His strength to fight

Our battle is not against flesh and blood

You were never enough on your own… thats OK

We need to be humble to be Holy

Strength without surrender always leads to a fall

We are never to far gone!

Even in the darkness of failure, Samson prayed — and God heard.

CLOSE

God is not looking for perfect people — He’s looking for surrendered ones.

Samson had great strength, but little self-control.

Yet in the end, his final prayer became his finest hour.

Let’s be a people who don’t wait for collapse to call on God — but who walk daily in His strength, His will, and His holiness.

PRAYER

Small Group Questions

Read Judges 13:1–5. What stands out to you about the way God began Samson’s story? What does this tell us about God’s grace and calling even in seasons of national or personal failure?

Samson was set apart as a Nazirite from birth. What does it mean for believers today to be “set apart” for God? (See Romans 12:1–2 and 1 Peter 2:9.)

In Judges 14:3, Samson demanded what was “right in his own eyes.” What are some ways we might also make decisions based on our own desires instead of God’s direction? How can we guard our hearts against that?

Samson’s strength came from the Spirit of the Lord, yet he often acted in pride. What’s the difference between using our gifts for God’s glory and using them for our own gain? How can we tell the difference in our own lives or ministries?

In the story of the lion and the honey (Judges 14:5–9), Samson broke his vow but hid it from his parents. Why do we sometimes try to hide compromise? What happens when we justify “small sins”?

Read Judges 15:1–8 and Romans 12:19. Why is revenge so tempting when we’ve been wronged? What does God’s Word teach about trusting Him for justice instead of taking matters into our own hands?

Samson’s downfall with Delilah began long before she cut his hair — it began when he ignored God’s warnings. What warning signs does God give us today when we’re heading toward spiritual danger? How can we respond early rather than late?

Read Judges 16:20. “But he did not know that the Lord had left him.” What does this verse teach us about spiritual drift? How can we stay sensitive to God’s presence and leading?

Even after Samson’s failure, God still heard his final prayer (Judges 16:28). What does this reveal about repentance and God’s mercy? How does this truth give you hope personally?

Reflect on the closing application: “We need new eyes to see, His strength to fight, humility to be holy, and to remember we’re never too far gone.” Which of those four truths do you most need to apply right now, and what specific step can you take this week to do it?