When Your Hair Grows Back

“Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven.” (Jud 16:22 AV)

We are speaking of Samson here.  As you are very well aware of the account, Samson took a Nazarite vow from his conception.  His mother kept him from the dead, anything made from the fruit of the vine, and never allowed his hair to be cut.  Samson violated his vow one step at a time.  He traveled through a vineyard and this violated his vow not to come into contact with anything of the vine.  He received honey from the carcass of a dead lion.  But it wasn’t until he lost his hair to the wiles of Delilah that the Holy Spirit departed from him and he lost his superhuman strength.  The Philistines were able to bind him and they tied him to the pillars of a great house wherein the lords of the Philistines were entertained at the agony of their enemy.  Over time, Samson’s hair grew back.  Because the vow was again in force, God gave Samson the strength to bring the house down by collapsing the pillars upon which the building rested.  It is said that Samson killed more of the enemy by this one act than all the other skirmishes he fought combined.  As I read this I wondered if the strength of Samson returned commensurate with the length of his hair.  In other words, did his strength return incrementally as his hair grew longer and longer?  And, if so, did he notice it?  Then I was reminded that his strength did not return until he prayed for it.  Samson may have had the conditions of his vow restored, but it wasn’t until he prayed for God’s hand that he once again became useful to the LORD.

This time of year, social media outlets are filled with people complaining about fireworks.  Their precious little dog cannot cope with the loud noises.  I have such a puppy.  He is a Cavalier.  Cavaliers are rather timid breeds that are sensitive to much.  This is why they make great lap dogs.  Last year, someone right up the street, lit off a string of firecrackers.  It was all it took for him to hide during this festive time of year.  Over time, he forgot all about it until this year.  All he had to do was to hear one firework go off, and getting him to go outside after dark became a chore.  When one peruses social media postings, by and large, most want to outlaw all loud noises.  If they could, they would petition God to end all thunderstorms.  Don’t get me wrong.  I am not cruel to my dog.  However, these loud noises, although unpleasant, will not hurt him.  Unless, of course, he is right next to the explosive and it damages his hearing.  I had a rescue lab a while back.  That dog was afraid of everything.  When I came into the room every Sunday morning in a suit, he would bark at me and run to his cage.  If we placed something on the dining room table, he would bark at it and run to his cage.  He was terrified of steps, hard floors, thunderstorms that were eight hours away, and a host of other things.  Something happened in the past that caused him great anxiety about everything.  Over time, with love and patience, we were able to get him over most of his fears.  He slowly returned to the normal personality of a lab.  It took leaving the experiences and failures of the past in the past.  He had to learn to live for today and take confidence in the one leading him.

I have seen saints who have fallen from the grace of God never recover.  Even after the LORD has healed them.  They remain defeated.  They simply cannot get over the mistakes of the past and allow the scars of their choices to determine their usefulness.  There is another point to be made here.  Samson had two choices.  Either he could be used by the LORD to exact revenge on the enemies of God, or he could allow his past to make him miserable in the present and the future.  If he doesn’t pray for the strength to bring the house down, for as long as he lived, he would be the subject of abuse and mockery by those who held him captive.  We have all made mistakes.  The Bible says the just man rises one more time than he falls.  We have too many saints who are idle and frozen because an overly guilty conscience or the devil has convinced them their mistake was too big to overcome.  Or, they fear if they recommit to be used by God, they may make even bigger mistakes.  Whatever the reason, we have two choices.  Remaining uncommitted is not a choice.  This only ends in misery.  We can either ask the LORD to use us and strengthen us despite what we have done, or we can wilt away and become a mockery for the adversary to abuse.  The choice is ours.