The Bible story of Samson is one of its best known stories. This story has been turned into films and remains popular with many because of its curious events and its messages. Children are often particularly taken with this story and the great feats of strength that Samson can achieve.
Samson’s story starts with his parents. An angel appears to the couple and informs then that they will be blessed with a son even though they have thus far been unable to conceive. They are told, however, that their child must be dedicated to God’s service under a Nazarite oath and must not ever cut its hair or shave. The child is destined to have great strength and the ability to deliver the Israelites from their Philistine shackles.
As an adult Samson leaves his parents to go to the Philistine cites. At this stage he meets a Philistine woman, falls in love and decides to get married. This is revealed as part of God’s plan to bring down the Philistines. Samson goes to propose to the woman but is attacked by a lion on the way. Strengthened by the power of God, he simply rips the animal apart.
Having won the agreement to marry we quickly come to the wedding and the wedding feast. So far Samson has told nobody about what happened with the lion. As he passes it on the way to get married he eats some honey that bees have made by nesting in the lion’s carcass. At the feast itself he challenges his 30 Philistine groomsmen to answer a riddle - ‘Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet’. If they get it right, he will give them fine linens and garments.
Obviously nobody knows about the lion’s attack or the honey in the carcass. The Philistines, keen to get the prize and angry at Samson, threaten to kill his wife and her father’s house if she doesn’t find out the answer and tell them. She does this, making Samson so angry with the Philistines that he goes out and kills thirty other Philistines to give their clothing to his groomsmen.
Meanwhile Samson’s bride’s father refuses to let Samson see her and tries to encourage him to marry her younger sister. Enraged, Samson gets 300 foxes and puts torches on their tails then lets them loose to run all over the crop fields of the Philistines. When the Philistines find out why Samson did this, they kill his wife and her father.
This only serves to make Samson even angrier and he runs riot through the area killing Philistines in his wake. Eventually he takes rest in a cave. The Philistines raise an army and demand that the men of Judah deliver Samson to them. He agrees and they tie him up and hand him over. He breaks free of his ropes easily and uses the jaw bone of an ass to slay another 1000 Philistines.
In time Samson goes to Gaza where he falls in love with Delilah. The Philistines, however, offer her money to find out the secret behind Samson’s strength so that they can defeat him. He jokingly tells her various lies about where his strength comes from all of which she tries on him as he sleeps but to no avail. Eventually he tells her the truth - if he cuts his hair, he’ll lose his strength.
Delilah then shaves off Samson’s hair while he sleeps. This breaks the oath his parents made with God and he loses his strength. The Philistines capture him, put out his eyes and put him to slave labour. At a later date the Philistines bring him back to the city as they celebrate his capture at a temple. Samson’s hair has grown back and a plea to God gives him back his strength as well. He pulls down the pillars of the temple killing everyone in it as well as himself.