A comb and scissors

Where would you normally see these items together? Probably the place where you get your hair cut, right? How many of you like getting haircuts? How many of you hate haircuts? Those of you who just said yes, I want you to remember something. This is something you can tell your mum the next time she tells you to get a haircut. Are you ready?

There’s only one time in the entire Bible that mentions someone getting a haircut, and that guy ended up getting his eyes gouged out!

It’s true! His name was Samson, and he lived in Israel in the time between Moses and King David. Back then, Israel did not have a king. God appointed judges to rule over his people, and Samson was one of those judges. Before he was born, God told Samson’s parents that he had a plan for Samson. He instructed his parents to raise him as a Nazirite—a special person set aside to serve the Lord. Nazirites were supposed to follow a number of strict rules. Can you guess what one of those rules was? He could never cut his hair!

Before Samson came along, the Israelites were living in constant fear of their neighbours, especially the fierce warriors known as the Philistines. But when Samson was born, the tables turned quickly. Samson grew up to be strong and powerful. He was a fearsome warrior who struck fear in the hearts of Israel’s enemies. 
Samson won many battles against the Philistines, and he became a great hero. But over time, Samson became a very proud person. He forgot that it was God who had made him strong and given him a purpose. Samson trusted in his strength and his size more than he trusted in the Lord and that led him into trouble.

Samson married a Philistine woman named Delilah. Samson loved Delilah, but Delilah’s people forced her to betray her husband. It was Delilah who was able to get Samson to reveal the secret of his strength. “If you cut off my hair, I will become as weak as any man,” he told her. Delilah cut Samson’s hair off while he slept, and when he woke up, he was as weak as he said he would be. The Philistines took him prisoner, cut out his eyes, and made him a slave. 
But that’s not the end of the story. One night after he was made a slave, Samson was put on display at a party for the Philistine leaders. He had a little boy lead him to where the two main support columns for the building stood. He called on God to give him strength one last time. Samson knocked down the pillars, killing himself and hundreds of Israel’s enemies.

A lot of people fall into the same trap as Samson. When good things happen, it’s easy to forget about God and to think we need to depend only on ourselves. But the good news is that God is always willing to forgive and give us a second chance, just like he did for Samson. Let’s ask the Lord to help us remember the blessings he’s given us and never take them for granted.