The more we study about the life of Samson, putting aside his extraordinary strength and the fact that he was called by God to be a Judge for Israel, we discover that he was just a normal person. He was relatively young, living only a short life. “And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years” (Judges 15:20).

With this understanding of Samson, I believe we can say that Samson was just like you and me. Then what made him so special?

Samson had a special calling; “The child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines” (Judges 13:5).

Despite being called to do such a great work, Samson was given the freedom to make his own decisions in life. “God’s providential care had been over Samson, that he might be prepared to accomplish the work which he was called to do. At the very outset of life he was surrounded with favorable conditions for physical strength, intellectual vigor, and moral purity. But under the influence of wicked associates he let go that hold upon God which is man’s only safeguard, and he was swept away by the tide of evil. Those who in the way of duty are brought into trial may be sure that God will preserve them; but if men willfully place themselves under the power of temptation, they will fall sooner or later.”—The Adventist Home, p. 460.

“Samson in his peril had the same source of strength as had Joseph. He could choose the right or the wrong as he pleased. But instead of taking hold of the strength of God, he permitted the wild passions of his nature to have full sway. The reasoning powers were perverted, the morals corrupted.”—Conflict and Courage, p. 131.

How did Samson compromise his faith?

I am sure we all may know the saying: “With great power comes great responsibility.” Samson had an important calling with a divine gift of physical strength, yet he decided to be irresponsible with it. There is not much said about Samson’s life as a child; however, I believe that his parents followed the instructions given them by God. So, what went wrong?

“Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners” (1 Corinthians 15:33). “My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not” (Proverbs 1:10). “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14).

The Spirt of Prophecy points out that, “The town of Zorah being near the country of the Philistines, Samson came to mingle with them on friendly terms. Thus in his youth intimacies sprang up, the influence of which darkened his whole life. A young woman dwelling in the Philistine town of Timnath engaged Samson’s affections, and he determined to make her his wife. To his God-fearing parents, who endeavored to dissuade him from his purpose, his only answer was, ‘She pleaseth me well.’ The parents at last yielded to his wishes, and the marriage took place.”—Ibid., p. 131.

Here we can see that through the uncontrolled practice of free will, Samson allowed the influence of his companions to direct his attentions further and further away from the calling God had made for his life, until there was a complete compromise of his beliefs and faith.

“Just as he was entering upon manhood, the time when he must execute his divine mission—the time above all others when he should have been true to God—Samson connected himself with the enemies of Israel. He did not ask whether he could better glorify God when united with the object of his choice, or whether he was placing himself in a position where he could not fulfill the purpose to be accomplished by his life. To all who seek first to honor Him, God has promised wisdom; but there is no promise to those who are bent upon self-pleasing.”—Ibid.

In short, Samson was influenced to compromise through his friendships with the enemies of God and the infatuation he had with his wives. One thing to note is that compromising is a gradual process until it is too late.

What happens after compromise?

In the story of Samson’s life many successes are recorded—how he killed the lion with his bare hands, the killing of 30 men in Ashkelon, removing the city gates with their posts in Gaza and defeating 1,000 men with the jawbone of a donkey, just to mention a few.

However, the consequences of his compromising decisions led him to the point where he was eventually defeated, captured, tortured, and imprisoned.

“And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee. . . .

“And Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound. . . .

“And Delilah said unto Samson, Hitherto thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound. . . .

“And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth. And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death; That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother’s womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man. And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath shewed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand. And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him. And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the Lord was departed from him.

“But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house” (Judges 16:6, 10, 13, 15–21).

“But the blinding passions which make even the strongest weak, had gained control of reason and of conscience. . . . Samson’s infatuation seems almost incredible. At first he was not so wholly enthralled as to reveal the secret; but he had deliberately walked into the net of the betrayer of souls, and its meshes were drawing close about him at every step.”—Ibid., p. 133.

“Samson, that mighty man of valor, was under a solemn vow to be a Nazarite during the period of his life; but becoming infatuated by the charms of a lewd woman, he rashly broke that sacred pledge. Satan worked through his agents to destroy this ruler of Israel, that the mysterious power which he possessed might no longer intimidate the enemies of God’s people. It was the influence of this bold woman that separated him from God, her artifices that proved his ruin. The love and service which God claims, Samson gave to this woman. This was idolatry. He lost all sense of the sacred character and work of God, and sacrificed honor, conscience, and every valuable interest, to base passion.”—The SDA Bible Commentary [E. G. White Comments], vol. 2, p. 1007.

“Had Samson’s head been shaven without fault on his part, his strength would have remained. But his course had shown contempt for the favor and authority of God as much as if he had in disdain himself severed his locks from his head. Therefore God left him to endure the results of his own folly.”—Conflict and Courage, p. 134.

“We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8, 9). “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief” (Proverbs 24:16).

“The contest, instead of being between Samson and the Philistines, was now between Jehovah and Dagon, and thus the Lord was moved to assert His almighty power and His supreme authority.”—The SDA Bible Commentary [E. G. White Comments], vol. 2, p. 1007.

“In suffering and humiliation, a sport for the Philistines, Samson learned more of his own weakness than he had ever known before; and his afflictions led him to repentance. As his hair grew, his power gradually returned. . . .

“A feast was appointed in honor of Dagon, the fish god, ‘the protector of the sea.’ . . . Samson was brought in. Shouts of exultation greeted his appearance. People and rulers mocked his misery and adored the god who had overthrown ‘the destroyer of their country.’ After a time, as if weary, Samson asked permission to rest against the two central pillars which supported the temple roof. Then he silently uttered the prayer, ‘O Lord God, remember me, I pray Thee, and strengthen me, I pray Thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines.’ With these words he encircled the pillars with his mighty arms; and crying, ‘Let me die with the Philistines!’ he bowed himself, and the roof fell, destroying at one crash all that vast multitude. ‘So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.’ . . .

“God’s promise that through Samson He would ‘begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines’ was fulfilled; but how dark and terrible the record of that life which might have been a praise to God and a glory to the nation! Had Samson been true to his divine calling, the purpose of God could have been accomplished in his honor and exaltation. But he yielded to temptation and proved untrue to his trust, and his mission was fulfilled in defeat, bondage, and death.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 566, 567.

Today, in many respects, the experience of Samson is not unlike our own. We are actively being targeted by the enemy of God’s people. The warning to us is given: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

The question we should be asking ourselves is, have I allowed myself to compromise?

If yes, we have an opportunity now to repent and turn to God for help. The same way God showed mercy to Samson, He will do the same for us. No matter our age, as we go through life let our motto be with every decision: “How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9, last part).

Sadly, Israel, too, “had basely neglected the work which God had commanded them to perform with diligence, thoroughness, and valor; not only failing to dispossess the heathen, but uniting with them in their degrading practices. . . . When at last the tyrant power was triumphant, Israel submitted to the degradation which they might have escaped, had they only obeyed God. Even when the Lord raised up a deliverer for them, they would frequently desert the one chosen to set things in order, and would unite with their bitterest oppressors.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 564. What a sad reality it must have been for Samson!

Dear friend, “ ‘Press together, press together, be of one mind, of one judgment,’ Christ is the leader, and you are brethren; follow Him.”—Evangelism, p. 102. Amen.