Topical Bible: Miracles: Catalogue of Samson's Strength

◄ Miracles: Catalogue of Samson's Strength ►

Topical Encyclopedia

Samson, a judge of Israel, is renowned for his extraordinary feats of strength, which are attributed to the Spirit of the LORD coming upon him. His life and acts are chronicled in the Book of Judges, chapters 13 to 16. Samson's strength is a divine gift, symbolized by his uncut hair, as he was a Nazirite from birth. Below is a catalogue of the miraculous demonstrations of his strength as recorded in the Scriptures.

1. The Lion of Timnah: As Samson traveled to Timnah, a young lion attacked him. "The Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon him, and he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as one would tear a young goat" (Judges 14:6). This act was the first recorded instance of his supernatural strength.

2. The Riddle and the Philistines: During his wedding feast, Samson posed a riddle to the Philistines, which they solved by coercing his wife. In response, "the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon him. He went down to Ashkelon, struck down thirty of their men, took their belongings, and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle" (Judges 14:19).

3. The Foxes and the Philistine Fields: In retaliation for his wife being given to another man, Samson caught three hundred foxes, tied their tails together in pairs, and set torches between each pair. He released them into the Philistine grain fields, vineyards, and olive groves, causing widespread destruction (Judges 15:4-5).

4. The Jawbone of a Donkey: When the Philistines came to arrest him, "the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon him. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax, and the bindings dropped from his hands. Finding a fresh jawbone of a donkey, he grabbed it and struck down a thousand men" (Judges 15:14-15).

5. The Gates of Gaza: Samson visited a prostitute in Gaza, and the Philistines planned to ambush him. However, he arose at midnight, "took hold of the doors of the city gate, along with the two gateposts, and pulled them out, bar and all. He lifted them onto his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron" (Judges 16:3).

6. The Temple of Dagon: In his final act, after being captured and blinded by the Philistines, Samson was brought to entertain them in the temple of Dagon. He prayed to the LORD for strength one last time. "Samson reached out for the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on one and his left hand on the other, Samson said, 'Let me die with the Philistines.' Then he pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the lords and all the people in it. So in his death, he killed more than he had killed in his life" (Judges 16:29-30).

Samson's life serves as a testament to the power of God working through an individual, despite personal flaws and failures. His strength was not merely physical but was a manifestation of divine empowerment for the deliverance of Israel from Philistine oppression.

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Judges 14:6
And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily on him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.
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Judges 16:3,29,30
And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put them on his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron.
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