Samson — Covenant Strength

This morning I read the story of Samson in Judges 13–16: the prophetic announcement to his mother of his birth, the promises given by God, and eventually his tragic fall. As I read, I couldn’t help but see a parallel to our own covenant relationship with Heavenly Father.

Samson’s strength did not come from his hair any more than our strength comes from wearing our temple garment. His hair was a symbol of a covenant with God. The garment is also a symbol—a reminder of the covenants we have made. The power was never in the object. The power was always in the covenant.

We are told in scripture that God will not be mocked. I believe that principle was just as true for Samson as it is for us today. But how did Samson mock God?

The pattern actually began early in the story. When people asked about the source of his strength, Samson toyed with them. Three different times he misled them and escaped their traps. At first it almost reads like a game. Samson delighted in his strength and in outsmarting the Philistines.

But eventually Delilah wore him down with her taunting and discovered the truth. When his hair was cut, he lost his strength and became powerless.

The tragedy wasn’t really about hair. It was about how we treat sacred things.

Samson repeatedly placed himself in situations that compromised the covenant he had made. He flirted with danger until danger finally overcame him.

That made me think about something from my Patriarchal Blessing. I was counseled to “choose my company with care.” Someone should have given Samson that counsel. Again and again he placed himself in the wrong company and in compromising circumstances, and eventually it led to his humiliation and destruction. I can't deny I experienced a similar experience. I thank God daily for the gift of repentance and the blessing it has been in my life.

Mocking God is a serious offense. If we treat sacred covenants casually, we too can find ourselves spiritually powerless—just as Samson did.

Of course this does not mean we avoid people who need the gospel. Christ never did that. But it does mean we hold our covenants close and treat them with reverence while seeking guidance from the Holy Ghost in our relationships.

Each day as we put on the temple garment, we are reminded of those covenants. We promise to obey, to sacrifice, to live the law of the gospel, to be chaste, and to consecrate our talents—even our strengths—to the Lord’s work.

When you look at that list, it actually sounds quite simple.

And yet those are the very things that so often trip us up.

Samson’s story leaves us with some powerful life lessons:

·       Don’t boast in your own strength (see Doctrine and Covenants 3).

·       Choose relationships—and marriage—wisely.

·       Keep covenants at all costs.

·       Never treat sacred things lightly.

Covenants are the real source of strength.

And when we honor them, the Lord’s strength becomes our strength.