Samson: One Last Prayer

Samson was still a prisoner in Gaza.

He could no longer see. Every day, he had to work grinding grain.

The millstone turned slowly.

But his hair, which had been cut off, was beginning to grow again.

His story was not over yet.

One day, the Philistine leaders planned a big celebration.

They gathered in the temple of Dagon, the god they worshiped.

They thought Dagon had handed Samson over to them.

The building filled with men and women. Thousands of people were also on the roof.

Inside the hall, there were conversations and laughter.

The leaders ordered Samson to be brought from prison.

They wanted him to stand before everyone so they could make fun of him.

Making fun of someone who is suffering is wrong. Samson deserved to be treated with respect, even though he had made mistakes.

A boy was holding his hand.

The two walked slowly through the hall.

The boy helped Samson find his way because Samson could not see it.

In the middle of the building stood two large pillars.

They were very important: they held up the roof.

Samson asked the boy:

“Please, take me next to the pillars. I want to lean on them.”

The boy took him there.

Samson reached out and felt the stone.

He placed one hand on one pillar and his other hand on the second.

He could not see the people around him, but he knew they were there.

He had lost his freedom. He had lost his sight. He had made choices that had brought him great sadness.

Now he turned to God again.

Samson prayed:

“Lord God, remember me. Please, give me strength one more time.”

Samson wanted to face the Philistines who had hurt him one last time.

He prayed in a moment of deep suffering.

His story does not teach us to get revenge when someone hurts us. We can ask for help, find safety, and talk to someone who cares for us.

God gave Samson strength one more time.

Samson leaned firmly against the two pillars.

He pushed with all his strength.

The stone began to crack.

The pillars moved, and the building lost its support.

Then the roof and the building came crashing down.

It was a very sad ending. Samson died there, along with many of the Philistines gathered in the temple.

The Bible says that in that last fight, he defeated more enemies than during the rest of his life.

When his family heard what had happened, his brothers and other relatives came to find him.

They took him back to his homeland.

They buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol, in the place where his father, Manoah, was buried.

His family said goodbye with sadness.

The wind moved the leaves, and birds could be heard far away.

Samson had been a judge of Israel for twenty years.

Before he was born, God had given him a special mission.

He received amazing strength, but he did not always choose wisely.

His choices remind us that what we do can help us or hurt us. It can also affect other people.

Being strong does not mean we can do everything alone.

We also need to listen, keep our promises, and ask for help.

And when we make mistakes, we can speak honestly to God again.

Here ends the story of Samson.