The Story of Samson s Hair Bible Stories for Kids

Minnow Laugh and Grow Bible Judges Many, many years after leading the Israelites to the Promised Land, Joshua died. That's sad. He was a good leader, right? Oh, yes. Joshua had always encouraged the people to trust in God. He was a very good leader. And it would be a very long time before there would be another leader like him. A long time? Uh, how long? Oh, about 250 years. That's a really long time to be without a leader. Well, during that time, instead of having one leader that could help Israel follow God, Israel had a whole bunch of leaders, called judges, who were raised up by God when there was trouble and then disappeared when the trouble was over. So, a judge was a leader for a short time. I get it. How many did Israel have? Well, there are 12 of these leaders named in the Bible. Some of those are pretty funny names. They are. And God helped some of them do pretty amazing things. Oh, really? Like what? First, there was a wise and brave leader named... Deborah. I led the Israelites to victory when we were attacked by the Canaanites. Wow! She must have been very brave. She was. She led Israel for 40 years. Then there was... Me, Gideon. I was chosen by God to lead a tiny army into battle. I trusted God and used trumpets, torches, and jars to surprise our enemies. Whoa! That's a story I'd like to hear someday. Gideon also led Israel for 40 years. But not everyone led for that long. Jephthah was another brave leader who only led Israel for six years. And then there was... Me, Samson. Wow! He really looks big and strong. Yes, so strong that he defeated Israel's biggest enemy, the Philistines. And killed a lion with his bare hands. And knocked down a temple. I'm big! I'm strong! I'm bold! And I've got really great hair. Wow! What a great guy! Yes, Samson was great in many ways. Except one. He was not very great at following God. Uh-oh. What do you mean? You see, Samson wasn't just an ordinary Israelite. He was a Nazirite. Nazir... Nazirite? To be a Nazirite meant that you were extra set apart for God. Extra holy, like ninja holy. As a Nazirite, he could never drink wine, or touch anything dead, or cut his hair. So, he just had to let it grow? And grow, and grow. It was a way for Nazirites to show others that they had given their life to God. And that's where Samson got into big trouble. He did? How? Samson was really good at using his muscles, but really bad at keeping his Nazirite promises. Once, he killed a bunch of Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey. Wow! A dead donkey. Which meant that he had touched something dead. A Nazirite no-no. Oh, wow. He also ate honey from a beehive. Yum! That he found inside the body of a dead lion. Another no-no. Oh, well. Okay, I think I get the picture. And then came his biggest broken promise of all. You see, there was a woman named... Delilah. And Samson thinks I'm... Really cute. Delilah was also a Philistine, which meant that she was part of Israel's enemies. But that didn't stop Samson from falling so in love with her that one day when she asked him... Oh, Samson, you are so strong. Yep, I am. Is there anything that will take your great strength away? Hmm, I don't think I should tell you. Why not? You can trust me. Well... Pretty please? Okay, but promise you won't tell. Cross my heart. Oh, well. Here goes. If my hair is cut... I'll lose my strength and be like any other guy. Huh? He told her? He did. And then... He fell asleep. And you can guess what Delilah did. She cut his hair? You cut my hair? Take him away, boys. But, but... God took Samson's strength away because as great as he was at fighting the Philistines, he really wasn't great at following God. That's sad. It is. But while he was in prison, Samson realized how wrong he had been. He asked God for forgiveness. That's good. It was. And it was also good that his faith grew. Along with his hair. One day, the Philistines were worshipping their made-up God and one of them said, Let's bring out Samson and make fun of him. The Philistines didn't realize that Samson's strength was back. And with his bare hands, he destroyed the temple and defeated the Philistines. Wow! Just like Samson, all of Israel was messing up over and over, breaking their promises to God. And try as they might, not one of the twelve judges was able to help Israel for very long. I guess they needed a strong leader. Yes. If the Israelites were going to be God's holy people and stay around long enough as a nation to bless the whole world, well, they would need a leader who would listen to God. Unlike Samson. Someone who would teach them how to be God's holy people. Someone who would bless the whole world.