So He Thought

Jane Chin, China

Our current lives are a product of our ability to self-reflect and intentionally realign our steps back to the will of God. As we look toward the future, there are some valuable reflections we can take away from the life of Samson. 

 “Now the temple was crowded with men and women; all the rulers of the Philistines were there, and on the roof were about three thousand men and women watching Samson perform. Then Samson prayed to the Lord, ‘Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.’ ” (Judges 16:27-28)

The aftermath must have been breath-taking and heart-breaking at the same time. The rubble heaps of the Philistine temple finally lay eerily silent. In the heat of the day, it had been the scene of a victory celebration for the enemy of Israel; a wicked nation that had gathered to openly gloat over the defeat of Samson the strong. The cause of their death was buried with them as well. He was Samson the Danite, judge of Israel, deliverer of the oppressed, servant of God from birth and one of the most tragic characters in the Bible.

Samson’s story began as God’s loving act of salvation. He was born to parents who were eager to have a child and humbled by this miracle (Judges 13). God destined Samson for a privileged purpose of delivering Israel out of the hand of the Philistines. As God’s chosen vessel for ending 40 years of Philistine oppression, what then could possibly go wrong?

From birth, Samson was “set apart” as a Nazirite. In faithful obedience to this vow, God granted Samson supernatural strength. We read about his many feats of otherworldly strength with lions, donkeys and rope (Judges 14, 15). When the Spirit of God came upon Samson, he was unstoppable and incomparable. His beginnings were full of strength, purpose and promise.
Parallel this to our becoming a committed disciple and being gifted with incomparable privileges of forgiveness, transformation and faith. Likewise, we too have the honor of being “set apart” to serve God’s greater purposes. So, what then could possibly go wrong?

He thought

These two words echo pride and, over time, had a lasting impact on a great man of strength. “After putting him to sleep on her lap, she called for someone to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him. And his strength left him. Then she called, ‘Samson, the Philistines are upon you!’ He awoke from his sleep and thought, ‘I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.’ But he did not know that the Lord had left him” (Judges 16:19-20).

Samson’s downfall are summed up in these words “he thought.” Pride and indifference cast him on a downward spiral of his short life to his utterly tragic death. We shake our heads and think, Samson should have known better, should have been more aware, should have been more grateful. Easy for us to judge in hindsight until we consider our own walk with God. In the aftermath of pandemic fears, isolation and social upheaval, many of our plans and hopes lie silent and lifeless. Our spirits are scarred and idealism is worn down. Our strength is sapped as we face many unknowns and uncertainties. We have felt discouraged and grieved by loss. Our reliance on normalcy disrupted. Our reasoning and reactions are tested in the face of crisis. So it isn’t too off the mark to find ourselves like Samson, being rudely awakened to the reality that our hearts, thoughts and assumptions may have truly drifted far from the will of God. But this is a long journey and we, too, can easily find ourselves thinking in our hearts “I thought” instead of “God thinks.”

As we reflect and revisit Samson’s story, what were the factors that contributed to the progression toward his spiritual impasse?

Took it all for granted

Everything that made Samson unique and special in the eyes of others was all too familiar and routine from his perspective. Samson had access to his superpower whenever he needed it, but he treated this extraordinary gift of strength as just ordinary. Samson took for granted the accessible presence of God in his life. He had never known any other way; to him, that was just how life worked. And, as a result, Samson continually flouted the Nazirite lifestyle on a personal quest for pleasure and revenge. Time and again, Samson entered into intimate relations with pagan women, recklessly neglecting not only his responsibilities as a Nazirite but also the sacred love and law of God Himself. Ultimately, this careless disregard led him to forfeit his strength and brought about his own captivity (Judges 16:21).

This is where we can falter as well. We were baptized and born into the kingdom, and that birth right came with a clear oath of allegiance to God and His Word. Like Samson, we were “set apart” for a higher purpose. Along with our abilities and the strength of the Holy Spirit which gives us incredible power, we are called in our lifetime to fulfill His ultimate will. Even so, we can easily become numb to how amazingly “abnormal” our Christian lives really are; how much of the world doesn’t get to experience what we experience everyday of our lives. We live our days and moments underwhelmed and in the fog of our spiritual mediocrity and entitlement.

Has being a disciple become a burden or an unwanted inconvenience? Has our first love been boxed into obligation and our commitment just a time card to be stamped? Does being obedient to God produce greater struggle and stress than in our young Christian days? If you have answered “yes,” you may have taken it for granted. It is easy to view our disciple’s life as incredibly normal. But it is the farthest thing from normal. Be reminded that I’m not entitled to these gifts. I don’t deserve this grace. Not everyone has this walk with God. This was entrusted to me and, if I’m not careful, I can lose it. If I want to keep it, God expects me to use it wisely.

Spiritual leakage

As Samson became increasingly desensitized to his spiritual condition, he became less and less resistant to matters of morality and more and more bent towards compromise. Usually our beliefs influence our behavior and if we are tempted to change our behavior and do something that we once believed was wrong, then how do we deal with this tension between our values and our changed actions? This is what writer Oswald Chambers coins as “spiritual leakage.” Being a Nazirite from the womb meant that Samson was bound by a different set of lifestyle boundaries and convictions from day one. But as he matured, his faith did not. His spiritual leakage became increasingly evident in his reckless and audacious choices that compromised his heart, conscience and relationship with God.

What about us? Are there places we go, relationships we get close to, freedoms we enjoy that slowly eat away at the foundation of our faith? Have our choices blurred the once clear convictions and commands of the Bible? Are we getting casually comfortable living within the grey areas and tolerating social trends that clash with being “set apart”? Because if we are, be warned. In those situations, sin and Satan desires at all costs to get the final win from us. Satan will wear us down like Delilah did to Samson and, unless we intentionally remove ourselves, it will sever our spiritual strength. We think we can handle it with our strength of will. But sadly, like Samson, none of us are strong enough to invite the world into our lives and not pay the spiritual price. However, if we are willing, it is never too late to repent, repair and stop the drain and damage caused by making compromises.

Isolation

Samson’s story seems to carry the element of isolation. His family relationships were lukewarm and seem to bear little impact in his life. There was definitely a lack of spiritual advice, accountability and clear direction. Surprisingly, there is no mention of Samson fighting battles with other companions such as the many examples we see in the Bible. (i.e., Jonathan and his armour bearer). Instead, we see Samson surrounded by the Philistines, prostitutes and toxic relationships which were a huge stumbling block to his strength and his purpose. Samson seemed too often isolate himself from God. We rarely read that he prayed, repented or, in his leadership role as judge, sought God’s will. Rather, Samson chose Delilah as his intimate companion. Her daily pestering wore Samson down. He was in a place and in a relationship that was a deeply toxic. He had no intention of removing himself because, after all, he was in complete control and strong. So he thought. This left the door wide open to be fully persuaded by his own thoughts, feelings and self-gratification.

How have the past two years changed you? The unexpected isolation from the pandemic has affected all of lives from outside and within. There have been some unintended consequences, however subtle, as we find ourselves a bit wary to come back and worship face to face. Instead of seeking spiritual companions or discipling, we may have found ourselves self-isolating in the privacy of our own fears, old habits and spiritual lukewarmness. Coming out of spiritual isolation takes deliberate initiative in grabbing opportunities to let God and our spiritual family influence our continual quest for personal growth and spiritual intimacy.

Comfort

Each of us comes into the world with an insatiable need for love and comfort. But only God is big enough to satisfy that need. And this need only increases when we experience great pain, hurt or stress in our lives. Samson unfortunately chose to settle for the substitute of empty pleasures and superficial love. Why? Samson’s upbringing gives us insight into the factors that may have contributed to his pain. Being “set apart” and labelled as different could have caused alienation and being mocked by his peers. Perhaps he was left emotionally scarred by the betrayal of his wife, in-laws and even his own people. Samson’s distance from God and his failure to deal with past pain and anger clouded his discernment and caused a domino effect of making a host of impulsive bad decisions. His solution for finding comfort on his own terms drove him to seek solace in the arms of Delilah, a temporary relief from his then present pain.

Is there a hurt you are holding onto now? God often uses the platform of our pain and need for love and comfort as a way of bringing us back to Him. Only He can take the brokenness of our lives and bring true healing and comfort. And when we are strengthened, we can in turn help others walk through their pain and despair.

Higher purpose

The last time we see Samson, he is blind and in chains. He’s a captive of the very people he felt so comfortable hanging around. Since God took his strength away that very last time, he has been powerless to escape. He truly lost sight of life and of death. His once purposeful strength withered to using his strength for self-gratification, egotistical boasting, petty revenge and lust. Samson thought that even after giving up his secret, God would still be with him and his gift would remain intact. After all, he had already been using the gift of his strength for so long to soothe his bruised ego. He had consistently broken the valued oath of his birth right without any seemingly obvious consequences. So at this point in life, what was one more trivial compromise? Where was the harm in disregarding one more warning? He never conceived or even had an inkling that God had left him. Samson considered God’s gift to be his own immutable possession. He may have thought that his great strength and cleverness actually belonged to him. And that his entitlement to this grace could NOT be taken away or be revoked by anyone, including God. Even if Samson didn’t get that, we must. Only in the dire hour when Samson faced death, did he come back around to focus on his spiritual calling. And when that opportunity presented itself, he finally exercised his God‑given strength for God’s purpose. Brought out in chains to entertain the elite of the Philistines during a ritual sacrifice to their god, Samson cries out a short and heartfelt prayer “O Lord God, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God … ” (Judges 16:28). One last time, with the strength of God upon him, the temple fell on the Philistines.

“Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived” (Judges 16:30). Samson, for maybe the first time in his life, finally acknowledged that his strength came from God and that he was powerless without Him, that he needed Him. The one bright spot of reflection is that in death, Samson chose to stand with God and die fulfilling God’s purpose.

That’s how Samson’s story ends – buried under rubble. One last victory and then deafening silence. How different would Samson’s story have been if he had obeyed God consistently; if he had kept himself from the lure of rash temptations and spiritual indifference. What if he had not continually given his heart to those who did not share his faith convictions? What could God have done with a man of spiritual strength solely dedicated to seeking Him instead of his own desires and pride? Samson’s story is over and recorded in history. His story presents the irony of a powerful and yet absolutely spiritually powerless man. God gave Samson incredible physical strength but neither it nor his will could overcome his sin. Samson followed his own rules and missed out on the better story God had in store for him.

Our story, though, isn’t over. Samson’s devastating downfall was the end of a long chain of regrettable and impulsive decisions. His redeeming moment hinged on his realization that his strength came from God and God alone. What if we make a concerted effort to not take what God has given us for granted? What if we resolutely remain in awe of our relationship with God and worship Him only? What if we meticulously guard our hearts from pride and humbly treasure this incredible life and calling as a disciple? For those of us like me, who have been in the kingdom for a while, we are generational disciples. We, who from day one, counted the cost of discipleship and agreed to the Lordship of Jesus and embraced our vow with joy and determination to live a standard that the world around us rejects and criticizes. Have we, at this present time, witnessed all that the Spirit of God has been actively working in our lives? Or have we grown accustomed to this greatest miracle and rebirth of our life in Christ? Has what was so “different” somehow blended and succumbed into just the ordinary? Could it be that we have become less in awe of the unlimited and unfettered access to God and his amazing grace? We have the chance to pass on a different legacy of our lives as disciples. We can exemplify how our lives and gifts can continue to glorify God despite the challenges and crises of life. Leaning into God as the source of true strength can lead us to finishing strong. As generational disciples, this can be our lasting legacy and saving impact on the younger generation to come.

In Him, jane chin

Author’s profile of spiritual highlights:
Baptized in Boston campus ministry July 1982. 
Married Steve Chin in August 1987. Three daughters: Asiana, Chyna & Xiana. Baptized in Taipei, Hong Kong & Boston respectively. 
Both became interns in Boston in 1985/1986. 
Mission team to HK September 1987. Mission team to Taipei in January 1991. 
Served in Greater China churches 1987 until present. 
Motto: ‘Soli Deo Honor et Gloria’ all honor & glory to God

作者簡介 :
於1982年七月在波士頓校園團契受浸
在1987年八月和覃思源結婚，育有三名女兒Asiana，Chyna 和Xiana，他們分別於台北、香港和波士頓受洗成為門徒
和丈夫分別於1985年及1986年在波士頓全職侍奉教會

在1987年九月參加香港傳道團

於1991年帶領傳道團到台北建立教會
自1987年至今服侍大中華基督教會
格言 : 將所有榮耀尊貴歸與神