Let's go back to examine something the angel of the Lord told Samson's unnamed mother about her unborn son:
"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).
First, the angel clearly defined Samson's life purpose: he would lead the people to freedom from the Philistines. Then He said he was to be a Nazirite, a status involving a vow that a person would neither drink or eat anything made from grapes nor would they cut their hair for a period of time—which in Samson's case was for a lifetime. What was the significance of that vow?
Grapes are the main ingredient in wine, and wine almost always signifies joy throughout the Bible. The vow was symbolic that Samson's purpose power was not to emanate from any thing except his service as God's chosen leader—the joy of the Lord was to be his strength. But then what about not cutting his hair?
When you think of it, a person has nothing to do with their hair. Its color, texture, rate of growth, and quantity are all predetermined by God. Once someone's hair grows, then they can shape and color it as they wish, but before that, everything about it comes from who and how God created them to be. Perhaps God was saying through this Nazirite vow, "This person is who they are by my choice, and no one is to try to make them who I did not intend them to be."
Are you accepting your inner life and purpose as, symbolized by your hair, as the work of God? If you are a writer, are you writing? A builder and thus are you building? A singer and therefore singing? Are you allowing the purpose hair of those closest to you to grow as God chooses? Is the joy of the Lord the main motivator and power in your life?
Samson's mother was told not to interfere or intervene with the work of God in her son's life. That's still good advice for you as you seek to cooperate with the grace of God's call in your life and the lives of those around you.
Comments