The book of Judges ends with what many consider to be the most horrific story in the Old Testament. Having lost their religious bearings, the nation of Israel soon plummets into dark immorality. With no righteous king to lead them, Israel is left to determine morality on their own.

The book of Judges draws to a close by examining what the religious and moral climate of Israel was like "on the ground." Religiously, Israel looks more like the pagan nations around them than they do the chosen people of God. They have lost their faith in a personal God and have ended up with a dead religiosity devoid of any real meaning. With every man doing what is right in his own eyes, religion is just another way Israel expressed the hopelessness of the strong dominating the weak.

Samson was a man of extraordinary strength, due to God's selection of him as Israel's twelfth deliverer in the book of Judges. But Samson had one fatal flaw—his pre-occupation with himself and his own sensual passions. Although God used this man to achieve his purposes, Samson's ultimate disregard for his sacred calling left him defeated before his enemies. The life of Samson is an urgent plea for God's people to employ their God-given gifts for God's glory rather than their own.