Joel M Bradshaw

28Then Samson called to the LORD and said, “O Lord GOD, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes.” 29And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other.

30And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.” Then he bowed with all his strength, and the house fell upon the lords and upon all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life. 31Then his brothers and all his family came down and took him and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had judged Israel twenty years.–Judges 16

These three are my opinions.

1. SAMSON WASN’T A HUGE GUY. The Philistines spend so many verses trying to figure out the secret to his strength. If Samson really was huge, couldn’t he have simply flexed his 60-inch biceps? No, I think he was a regular looking guy that was performing feats well beyond his means. And his strength really was a secret.
2. SAMSON DIDN’T HAVE MAGICAL HAIR. Samson was a Nazirite and he wasn’t supposed to cut his hair in order to honor God. But at no point did Samson care about honoring God. The secret to Samson’s strength wasn’t in his hair. I know that’s what Samson said and I know that God chose that moment to leave Samson, but that doesn’t make it right. We also don’t believe Nebuchadnezzar when we said that the fourth figure in the fire looked like a son of the gods (Daniel 3:25). This was not trustworthy theology. God doesn’t operate according to magical manipulation. It makes more sense that God in his grace chose to play that ‘hair’ game with Samson and his captors in order to provide the final deliverance through Samson (despite Samson!).
3. SAMSON IS IRONICALLY IN HEBREWS 11. This again reminds us that God is able to use whatever faith is present. But Samson died as he lived–selfish. Ironically more faithful in his death than in his life. He could have shown faith at the end and humbly offered his life to save Israel. All Samson wanted was to avenge his eyes! And yet, God used whatever faith was present to deliver Israel. Samson’s feat feels ironic.–JMB