Samson and Ruth

In sports I love watching athletes that make the most of their physical abilities. Conversely I do not enjoy watching the ultra-talented underachieve. The rare athlete that is supremely gifted and driven to succeed (Michael Jordan, Muhammed Ali, etc.) is a joy to behold.

As a pastor I hate seeing people not living up to the greatness they have inside of them. I also LOVE seeing people take whatever talents they do have and go all out using them for God. I often see people with seemingly less natural ability or charisma that do great things for God because they persevere and use whatever they do have for His kingdom.

The book of Judges reveals Samson as someone that had all the physical characteristics a man could want. His strength was without rival. He did not have the character to match his gifting. He was hot headed, stubborn, a womanizer, and intensely selfish. The only thing that equalled his strength were his moral deficiencies.

He also wasn't being recruited by MIT. For example, doesn't it seem like he should have caught on to Delilah after she betrayed him for the BILLIONTH time? How many times does someone have to hear, "Samson the Philistines are upon you!" before wondering if this is a good person to be vulnerable with?

The captivity of Samson caused the pagan Philistines to celebrate and honor their false God. Instead of his life provoking people to honor the God of Israel the opposite took place. To quote Pastor John, "Power without character is creepy." Yep.


The book of Ruth immediately follows Judges in the Old Testament. Ruth is the anti-Samson. She had a grand total of zippo going for her in life. She was a unmarried widow in a culture that didn't afford women the opportunity to prosper apart from a man. She was a foreigner in a very closed society that did not have good relations with her people.

She chose to devote her life to her aging mother in law even though she was not obligated to do so. Surely Ruth could have had a better life among her own family in her own country than she would have in Israel as a caregiver. She gave up her life for the betterment of another person's.

God not only blessed Ruth with a husband and a family, but she has become the standard bearer of what loyalty looks like. It's funny to me, the words "where you go I go" seem way stronger than a guy pushing pillars down.


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