David and Samson

You may not have connected David and Samson before. Samson was born in Zorah, which is about 5 miles west of Bethlehem, David’s hometown (Judges 13-16). David fought Goliath in the valley of Elah between Azekah and Socoh, which is about  five miles south of Zorah. Samson roamed this area, having several skirmishes with the Philistines and David fought the Philistine armies in this same area of Israel.

But David and Samson were very different. Samson was very strong and yet very weak. Before he was born the angel told his mother that he would be a Nazirite his whole life. This meant that he was not to drink any wine or strong drink, not cut his hair, nor go near anything dead (Numbers 6). But Samson was always hanging around Philistine parties (I’m sure they had stuff stronger than sparkling grape juice), he would eat honey out of the carcass of a lion, he killed people with dead donkey bones; but he did have long hair! His strength was a blessing from the Lord but was strictly physical. He was weak morally and spiritually.

David, on the other hand, was small and seemed weak, and yet was very strong. As a boy, he went up against Goliath and took on the whole army of the Philistines, with nothing but the Name of the LORD of hosts, which was enough. In his weakness he was strong in the LORD.  Samson, strong and yet weak; David, weak and yet strong.

I look at our nation and I see a Samson, strong and yet very weak. I look at the little nation of Israel and I see a David, small and yet very strong. Our nation started out small and weak and yet strong in the Lord, but has become strong in itself and weak in the Lord. We must not wait until the end, like Samson, to cry out to God.

Today is the day of salvation for our nation. We must repent of our moral and spiritual failures and depend upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Let’s not trust in our blessings, let’s trust in the One who has graciously blessed us. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. God has blessed America. It is past time for America to bless God, again, like we started out; in our weakness our strength was in the Lord!