Hair Strength

“Then she let him fall asleep on her lap and called a man to shave off the seven braids on his head. In this way she made him helpless, and his strength left him… He said, ‘I will escape as I did before and shake myself free.’ But he did not know that the Lord had left him.” (Judges 16:19-20)

So, Samson’s strength was in his hair? Really?

Samson had to have known that this Delilah thing was going to end badly. Her previous three attempts at making him weak had to have been patently clear to him. Why he then told her the “secret” of his strength is perplexing. Nevertheless, he did.

Delilah had Samson’s hair cut off as he slept, and his strength left him. At her call, the same as before, the Philistines attacked and bound Samson. When he then tried to escape he did not know that the Lord had left him. But was it because of a haircut?

Samson was to be a “nazirite” from birth. The nazirite vow meant no alcohol, no touching of anything dead, and no cutting of the hair. Never having had a haircut, that meant some serious “dreadlocks” for Samson. He apparently braided his hair into seven braids and piled them on his head. Visualize that one.

Samson – and no doubt many others – assumed that the great strength he possessed came from never having had a haircut, that he strength came from his hair. But the Scripture says that Samson was weak because the Lord left him, and the Lord left him because Samson allowed his hair to be cut. Oh yes, but he did allow it! He knew this had to be coming. There is no other way to explain it.

Samson’s strength did not come from his hair. His hair was only a symbol of the spiritual reality he was supposed to be living. Samson’s strength came purely from the Lord. It was only when the Lord left him that he lost his strength.

Lord, Help us never to be misled into believing that any strength we have as believers comes from any source other than You. You alone are the Source of our strength. Amen.