13:1–16:31 Samson’s story is the last in the cycles of the judges. He had great promise. He was a Nazirite from the womb, and his birth was a supernatural gift to barren parents; like the great judge Gideon, the Angel of the Lord appeared at his calling; unlike any other judge, he was called from the womb; and more than any other judge, he experienced the Spirit coming upon him (13:25; 14:6, 19; 15:14). Yet, of all the judges, Samson was most clearly a rogue. Having taken the vow to be a Nazirite (13:4–5, 7, 14; 16:17; Num. 6:1–21), he kept only the part about not cutting his hair. He repeatedly broke God’s covenant and his vow by seeking foreign wives, sleeping with prostitutes, touching dead things, and drinking wine. He showed no interest in delivering Israel. The fanfare of his calling and the circumstances surrounding his birth and life only heighten the tragedy of his life and emphasize the depths to which Israel had descended. But God had raised him up to deliver Israel from the Philistines (v. 5), and He used even the sins of Samson as an occasion against them (14:4).

Samson was not like Gideon or Samuel. Though the Spirit came upon him repeatedly, this had no impact on his character. Like Saul, Samson lost the Spirit’s empowerment as a result of God’s judgment. Yet the account of the end of his life (16:25–31) reflects a renewal of his faith while a prisoner of his (and God’s) enemies. Heb. 11:32 lists Samson on the honor roll of faith.