Today, we are going to take quite the ride. What is the connection between Samson’s hair and baptism? Samson’s hair is symbolic of the connection he has with God; it is the symbol of the covenant that his parents made with God and that he (by and large) kept. So, the hair was not the “thing,” but it was the outward sign of “thing.” In the same way, our wedding rings are that visible symbol and reminder of our wedding vows; his hair is that. And for us, as Christians, our baptism is that exact same thing. Remember your baptism.

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Good morning! It’s good to be with you on this Monday morning as we continue in our time together through the book of Judges.

It’s great to be back in a normal rhythm after a few busy weeks. Summer is here, but even in summer, we have routines, don’t we? So let’s buckle in and keep going together.

Today, we’re looking at a passage you probably know well—the story of Samson’s hair. You’ve likely heard the broad outline before, but maybe not the full story or all the small details. I spent a little extra time studying this one to make sure I understood it clearly before sharing it with you, because if it doesn’t make sense to me, it’s hard for me to make it make sense for you! Let’s walk through Judges 16:1–22, and listen like it’s the first time.

We start with Samson heading to Gaza, where he visits a prostitute. The Gazites hear he’s there and wait to ambush him in the morning. But Samson leaves at midnight—ripping the city gates off their hinges and carrying them away. Then he falls in love with a woman named Delilah in the Valley of Sorek.

The Philistines bribe Delilah to find out the secret of Samson’s strength. She asks him directly, and he plays games with her. He lies—says if he’s tied up with fresh bowstrings, he’ll be weak. She tries it, and he breaks free. Then he says new ropes. She tries that—again, nothing. Then he says weaving his hair into a loom. Still nothing.

You’d think by now Samson would catch on—Delilah is trying to betray him. But he’s arrogant. He thinks he’s invincible. And he keeps going back.

Finally, she nags him “day after day until he was tired to death.” He gives in. He tells her everything: “No razor has ever touched my head. I’ve been a Nazarite, set apart to God from birth. If my head is shaved, my strength will leave me.”

Delilah knows it’s the truth. She calls in the Philistines. Samson falls asleep in her lap, his hair is shaved, and his strength leaves him. He wakes up thinking, “I’ll break free like always.” But Scripture says, “He did not know that the Lord had left him.” They seize him, gouge out his eyes, bind him in bronze shackles, and put him to grinding grain in prison. But then we get a hint of hope: “But the hair of his head began to grow again.”

What’s going on with the hair? Samson was a Nazarite, set apart to God by a vow outlined in Numbers 6. He wasn’t to drink wine, touch dead bodies, or cut his hair. That hair wasn’t magical—it was symbolic. It represented his consecration to God. It was a visible sign of his calling.

Earlier in the story, we saw Samson break other parts of his vow—eating honey from a lion’s carcass, living recklessly. The hair was the last thing left. The final visible part of his vow. And when that was gone, the connection was broken—not because God was petty, but because Samson had stopped honoring the very thing that kept him close to God.

It’s like a wedding ring. I wear one every day. It’s not just jewelry—it’s a visible reminder of my covenant with Holly. Samson’s hair was that for him. And when it was gone, he forgot the source of his strength. He forgot where his power came from.

But here’s the good news for us: we all have something even more powerful than hair. We have our baptism.

Whether you were baptized as a baby or later in life, your baptism is your mark. It’s your identity. It’s your reminder that you belong to God. Every so often at St. Matthew’s, we do a baptismal renewal. We touch the water. We remember who we are. That’s a powerful thing—to physically remember the grace that claimed us.

Don’t take that for granted. Don’t forget that you are set apart. Consecrated. Chosen.

Your strength doesn’t come from your abilities, your knowledge, your status, or your success. Your strength comes from God—from the grace poured out on you. That’s what your baptism reminds you of every day.

So today, remember who you are. Remember who called you. Remember where your strength comes from. Remember your baptism—and live like someone who knows they are claimed by God.

Thanks for being with us. Tomorrow, we’ll read what happens next in Samson’s story—his final act. It’s quite the ending.

Have a great day. See you tomorrow.