“Samson and His Pride.” By Jeff Phillips

​God created Samson with great strength for a specific reason in mind, to release the Israelites from under the oppression of the Philistines. Even though Samson had great strength that was given him by God, his pride in himself and his hair is what caused him to fall. Samson’s pride nearly caused him to fail at the task that he was created for.

​The angel of Lord promised the wife of Mannoah, which was barren, that she would bear a son. That promise came with requirements. Those requirements included abstaining from wine and strong drink, abstaining from eating of any unclean thing, and her son was not to cut his hair. God blessed Samson as a Nazarite with great strength to deliver Israel from out of hand of the Philistines. Samson developed a pride in his strength, his hair, and himself to where he thought nothing could happen to him. That pride caused him to eat the unclean honey from the rotting carcass of a lion, and allowed himself to be tricked into telling Delilah, the Philistine Harlot, that his strength was in his hair. The only way that God could get through to him was to humble him when he lost his strength, captured by the Philistines and had his eyes gouged out. In fact there are two moments that Samson was to weak to go on and turned to God. One was when he had just slain a thousand men and was sore of thirst. He then prayed to God and was provided water from the donkey jaw bone. The second time was when he was imprisoned by the Philistines with his eyes gouged out and ridiculed. He prayed for strength one last time. God provided that strength in a big way, where he slew more in his death than he slew during his life.

​Pride is a very sinful trait. Pride will cause a person to hold grudges when they feel they in the right. Pride will cause one person to think that they are better that everyone else. Pride will cause a person change their focus on God to the focus on the accomplishments and themselves. It is very easy to fall into the trap of self-pride, but we have to remember where the glory of every trial and victory belongs. The glory and praise belongs to God.