AUGUST  30

WHAT’S YOUR SECRET?

JUDGES 16:4-20



“Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth.” (Judg. 16:5)

Samson is renowned for his great strength. He killed a lion with his bare hands. He defeated thousands of enemy troops with the jawbone of an ass. Anything the people could bind him with was broken in two like flax touched by a flame. He took the gates of the city, including the side posts, and carried them to the top of a nearby hill. He also pulled an entire theater down, killing thousands of people who were seated there.

Most pictures of Samson portray him as a man with massive muscles. If that were accurate, why then would everyone be trying to find out the secret of his great strength? If he was muscle-bound, they’d know why he was so strong. However, the truth is that Samson didn’t look like a weightlifter. Thinking he did causes us to miss the real miracle of this story.

Samson’s strength was not natural; he wasn’t a strong man in himself. It was when the Spirit of the Lord came upon him that Samson manifested supernatural strength. Samson probably looked like an average man. It was God’s supernatural ability, based on a covenant He’d made with Samson’s parents, that Samson believed in and followed, that gave him his strength.

Likewise, it’s not our own strength that produces victory in our lives. Thinking that we must have some superior power in ourselves and we just need to trust God for a little extra help is the very reason why most Christians fail. God’s power is manifested perfectly when we realize our complete weakness (2 Cor. 12:9-10). Our critics should be astounded like Samson’s enemies were, wondering what the secret is of our great power. Unlike Samson, we can tell them, “The strength of my life is faith in Christ.” (AW)