Samson fought many battles against the Philistines. He was proud of his great strength. The Philistines hated Samson because of the damage he caused to their cities and fields. One day he removed the huge gates of the city and carried them away on his shoulders. Samson set their fields afire and ruined their crops. In one battle he slew 1000 of the Philistines himself using a jawbone of a donkey that he found nearby. After this great victory he became very thirsty and prayed to God reminding Him of that great victory fought in God’s name. Sampson wanted god to provide him with some water to drink, so that he wouldn’t die of thirst.
God answered Samson’s prayer by splitting open the ground next to him at the place called Lehi. A spring of cool, clean water flowed from that split in the ground. This spring was a source of water for hundreds of years after. Because of this great battle, God gave peace to the children of Israel. Samson became a judge who ruled the country for twenty years.
Sampson began to brake all of his Nazarite vows by drinking wine, eating grapes, and touching a dead body. He no longer dedicated himself totally to God. After touching a dead body, he found honey in the dead body of a lion. He ate some of the honey and took the rest to his parents, not telling them where he got it.
Sampson had a weakness for beautiful women. One in particular by the name of Delilah. He would visit and spend hours with her. He was very much in love with her for her great beauty and charm. The Philistines promised Delilah a great deal of money if she could find out the secret the Sampson strength. Every single day, she would beg and tease him about the origins of his strength. He began tell lies to her to get her off his back. On one such occasion he told her that if he was tied up with seven bowstrings he would lose his power. Well while Sampson slept, she tied him with seven bowstrings. She woke him up crying that the Philistines were upon them. Sampson broke through the bowstrings and fought off the Philistines beating them again single-handedly. Realizing that Sampson had lied to her, Delilah begged and cried more and more. She told him that he didn’t really love her if he didn’t tell the truth about his secret. He lied once more and said if he was tied with seven new bowstrings he would lose his power. She tied him up again with seven new bowstrings and contacted the Philistines. Sampson awoke and fought them off again. He lied to her again and said that if his seven locks of hair was woven with a loom, he would lose his power. She wove his hair with a loom and awakened him saying that the Philistines were upon them as before. Sampson awoke and fought them off once again to her surprise.
By now Sampson should have realized that Delilah couldn’t be trusted. Nonetheless, he continued to visit her and she continued to beg him for his secret to great strength. He eventually gave in just to keep peace and told her his secret. If you cut off his hair, he would be as weak as any other man. While he slept with his head in her lap, she cut off his hair and beckoned the philistines. They bounded Sampson and took him prisoner. They beat him badly and poker out his eyes chaining him to a stone wheel used to grind grain into flour. They had Sampson doing the work of a mighty ox all day long. The townspeople would throw at him and call him names.
One day Sampson felt the wind blow through his hair. It was beginning to grow back. He knew that there was going to be a celebration in the temple with all the leaders. They would be worshipping Dagon, the false God. So, he asked god to forgive him his sins and grant him the strenghth to pull down that temple and destroy the Phillistines. He strected his arms and pulled with great might. He strected his arms around the two pillars The temple fell and huge stones upon Sampson’s head and killed him along with 3000 Phillistines.
All of the powerful leaders were killed. Many children of Israel were killed by the hands of the Phillistines. Due to the loss of great leaders, the Phillistines became weak and were overpowered by the Children of Israel. They regained their land that God had given them.
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