Bethel Adekogbe

You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.
Judges 13:5 (NIV)

You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever, his kingdom will never end.
Luke 1:31-33 (NIV)

In Judges and Luke, we read of two different babies foretold by angels. Both babies have destinies of being leaders and belong to Yahweh from the womb. What ended up being the difference between them? Samson gave his life for hate while Jesus gave His life for love.

Samson was born at a time when the Philistines were oppressing God’s chosen people. He was blessed with immense strength to deal with the Philistines in a way that no one else in the entire bible was ever recorded doing.

He was a literal superhero for God’s chosen people. However, Samson’s heart was not the heart of a hero. The four chapters detailing his life (Judges 13-16) are riddled with selfishness and a lack of regard for God’s instructions. Finally, he died with his arms outstretched for his revenge against his enemies.

Jesus was also born at a time when God’s people were under tyranny. He too was blessed with power unlike anyone before or after Him. However, in the case of Jesus, He spent His years on the earth healing the sick and inviting people into a deeper understanding of Him. Jesus died with His arms outstretched ready to carry all the sins of the world (friend and enemy alike); and in the greatest miracle ever recorded, He raised Himself from the dead and us along with Him.

From this tremendous feat of love, we now have access to everlasting life through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Reflection: How blessed are we that the Son born to us was willing to give His life for us?

Prayer: Yahweh, thank you for the grace we receive through Your Holy Spirit. We thank You for Your life which You gave on the cross for the cleansing of our sins. Help us to live gracious lives. Amen!