riddle and went back to his home. The contrast is striking: the Spirit of the Lord gave Samson a ‘sudden accession of irresistible strength’16 but he returned home ‘burning with anger’ (v. 19). God was using Samson in spite of his failings, not because of his faithfulness. The Old Testament is often described as an anticipation of Jesus, but we might look at Samson and wonder how he would fit in with this. The answer is that his life was a contrast to that of Jesus. While the Spirit of the Lord ‘rushed’