What purpose does Samson's story from the Bible serve?

The entire Old Testament (including the Book of Judges where Samson's deeds are recorded) is all about Jesus Christ and our salvation in Him. A quick background:

Christ Himself taught the Gospel from the Old Testament on resurrection day. Here's what He did as He walked with the two despondent disciples on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24-

"27 Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures."

That same evening, the two disciples went to Jerusalem to share their experience of Christ with the other disciples. Jesus appeared to them there; check out what He did in verse 45 (MSG)-

“He went on to open their understanding of the Word of God, showing them how to read their Bibles this way.”

There was no New Testament at this time. Christ taught His disciples about Himself from the Old Testament. Christ teaches us to read the Old Testament by bringing Him out of all the Scriptures.

In one of the most popular passages of the New Testament, Christ Himself made reference to Himself in the Old Testament: the bronze serpent that Moses lifted up in the wilderness is a picture of Christ lifted up to save the world from sin and death. Here's more on Christ's typology: Toyin Olamide Obire's answer to What's the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament?

Back to Samson: Do you know how Delilah was able to convince Samson to tell her the secret of his great strength? It was with these words in Judges 16:15 -

“How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and have not told me where your great strength lies.”

Samson's heart was with Delilah. Judges 16:4 tells us:

“Some time later, he fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who lived in the Sorek Valley.”

Delilah was a Philistine: given the customs of his people, Samson (an Israelite) must have had to jump through blazing hoops of fire in order to be with this Philistine woman- an enemy of Israel. Just imagine his parents' disappointment at his choice. See Judges 14-

“Samson went down to Timnah and saw a young Philistine woman there. 2 He went back and told his father and his mother: “I have seen a young Philistine woman in Timnah. Now get her for me as a wife.”3 But his father and mother said to him, “Can’t you find a young woman among your relatives or among any of our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines for a wife?””But Samson told his father, “Get her for me, because I want her.”

The woman in question here was not Delilah, but the picture gives us an idea of what the Israelites thought of the Philistines.

Samson loved Delilah, yet, under the influence of her handlers, she pressed Samson day and night to prove his love for her with some action- specifically telling her the source of his great strength. In order to deliver him to the Philistines and thus destroy him, she needed Samson to prove what he knew to be true with some action (works) so that she could cut him off his Source.

This is the same technique that the devil deployed during the temptation of our Lord Jesus Christ in the wilderness: trying to get our Saviour to do something to prove that He is the Son of God when He forever is. To the world, Christ's circumstances did not portray His glory and majesty as the Son of God. He was hungry, but jumping down from the pinnacle of the temple or doing anything at all to prove that He is the Son of God definitely wasn't on our Saviour's agenda. He knew that He is the Son of God and didn't have to kow-tow to the demands of the world to prove it.

How do these things connect to our lives in Christ today? Romans 5:9 tells us how God sees all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ:

"And there is still much more to say of His unfailing love for us! For through the blood of Jesus we have heard the powerful declaration, “You are now righteous in My sight.” And because of the sacrifice of Jesus, you will never experience the wrath of God."

God's gift of righteousness to all who believe in Jesus Christ is apart from our works. In Christ, our forever status before God is “righteous," even though we are guilty of many sins: Romans 5:16-

"And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins.”

This is not so that we should continue to wallow in sins as antichrist preachers like to imply with fallen human logic. According to the Wisdom of God, it is so that we should live in triumph over sin and death-

"And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one Man, Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:16-17.

Recall that under the influence of her handlers, Delilah's song to Samson was: “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and have not told me where your great strength lies.”

Samson loved Delilah, but she claimed that he did not love her based on one thing that Samson did not do. Likewise, false doctrine preachers who are under the influence of Satan their handler ask the question:

“How can you say you are a child of God and righteous in God's sight when you have not done xyz?”

Romans 5:9, 19 tells us how we are made righteous in God's sight: through the blood of Jesus and nothing else. John 1:12 says- “But to as many as did receive Him, to those who put their trust in His person and power, He gave the right to become children of God,”

But false doctrine preachers who have Satan as their handler badger believers with variations of Satan's “If you are the Son of God…” refrain, e.g:

“How can you say, ‘I am a child of God, righteous in His sight through the blood of Jesus,’ when you have not done xyz? If you really are a child of God and righteous in His sight, you must do xyz to prove it.”

This is not to say that we who are under Grace just sit idly without works to show for our faith and commit sins with reckless abandon as false doctrine preachers imply. Being in Christ without having works of faith to show for it is akin to being submerged in water unclad without getting wet. And our works are never done to prove that we are righteous in God's sight. They are the evidences of our salvation in Christ.

As Delilah did with Samson whose love for her was already proven in so many ways (an Israelite judge being with a Philistine heathen,) these false doctrine preachers ignore the fruits of the Spirit that are evident in the life of believers in Christ, latch on to particular works (of the law) and say that you couldn't possibly be righteous in God's sight because you have not done those one or two things that they are demanding of you, just as Satan did with Christ whose wilderness circumstances did not portray His glory and majesty as the Son of God that He forever is.

The moment a person starts doing what they prescribe in order to “prove his faith" or to become/show that he is righteous or godly aka indulging in works of the law to prove that they are godly, he gets a haircut like Samson: such a person is cut off the Source of his strength who is Jesus Christ. See this in Galatians 5:4-

"For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God's grace."

Fallen from Grace and under Law (human striving at obedience or proving anything) where sin has dominion (Romans 6:14) and where there is the curse-

“But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under His curse, for the Scriptures say, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.” Galatians 3:10.

No more abundance of Grace and God's gift of righteousness (Samson's hair) by which we live in triumph over sin and death in Christ here. Smack where Satan wants everyone to be.

Unfortunately, this false doctrine of “Now that you are saved by Grace, you have to do your best to do works (of the law) to prove your faith or else you have dead faith” is prevalent in many places of worship. Today's “Delilahs” are pastoring churches and are very busy helping the devil do his work of accusing believers of unrighteousness because of something that they did or didn't do and saying that believers need to accomplish some will-power/human effort-driven activities in order to prove their faith and their right-standing with God. A common refrain of such “Delilah pastors” is the horrid and twisted misinterpretation of “Faith without works is dead.”

Without his hair (for believers, the Lord Jesus Christ as our Righteousness and Strength) and in his own strength, Samson was easy prey for the Philistines (today, oppression, depression, sickness, lack and all earthly ills aka symptoms of death.) Like Samson, many churchgoers are being deceived into doing works by human effort (obeying the Law) in order to prove that they are godly/righteous and of the faith. Such are blinded and imprisoned under the law where there is the curse and judgment! Recall Galatians 5:4-

"For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God's grace."

Like Samson after he was cut off from the Source of his great strength, some churchgoers have been been shorn of their right-standing with God in Christ because of their futile attempts at trying to prove that they are of the faith by doing works of the Law. Some have been reduced to prison grinders: going around in circles, blinded by false doctrine preachers, living life oppressed by Philistines of earthly ills, stuck in a vicious cycle of going from one deliverance session to the other in search of salvation and trying to earn or merit Salvation that God freely gives to all who believe.

There is no rest that Christ promised here. No “My peace I give to you.” No “Let not your heart be troubled….” No “free indeed.” It is a non-stop cycle of fear, anxiety, stress, depression and attacks all wrapped up in dependence on human effort at trying to ward of these ungodly symptoms; trying to be like God. It is a lot of motion without much movement; a lot of activity without much progress, just like the shorn and blind Samson working the grinder in his Gaza prison (image below.) Even the smallest Philistine child with a whip (oppression, depression and earthly ills in general) could do plenty of damage to him. All because he did the eauivalent of try to prove that one has faith by doing works in his own strength.

Christ's gift of “neither do I condemn you” through the righteousness of faith is what makes us “go and sin no more.” In Him, we have God's abundance of Grace and His gift of righteousness by which we live in triumph over sin and death (Romans 5:17.)

Believer, by God's Grace, don't let anyone preach a haircut into your life like Samson with their horrid and very selective false doctrine that says:

“faith without works is dead so you have to do xyz to prove that you have faith.”

Faith without works is dead but what works are we doing? Is it works of the lawwhich man can boast about, gives sin dominion (Romans 6:14,) gets one cut off from Christ (Galatians 5:4) and conscripts one to living under the curse (Galatians 3:10) or is it works of faith which are done in us, through us, for us and by Christ in us? The difference is our mindset concerning how we get to do these works.

The doer of works of the Law thinks that his works are being done by his own strength/will-power and out of the good in him making him able to boast, look down on the weak and feel entitled to the Father's blessings like the older brother of the prodigal son. This is akin to Samson thinking that he could achieve anything at all by his own strength. He has no idea that the reason why he isn't wallowing in sins is because God did not allow him to get tempted beyond what he can bear, like Peter who boasted in his strength to stand but denied Christ copiously afterwards when he got separated from Christ his Strength.

In Christ, we are doers of the word (of faith) and not doers of works of the Law. “The letter (law) kills but the Spirit gives life" is a very popular Bible verse. With the Spirit of the Lord, it is neither by (human) might nor by power. It is impossible for doers of works of the Law to deceive themselves in this matter: if you knew and believed that it is Christ in you doing the works and not your own might and power, it would be difficult for you to point accusing fingers at others who are still held captive by sin and threaten them with judgment if they don't change. Rather, you would see how helpless man is to overcome sins and produce good works and point such to Christ who saves from sins and transforms the sinner who truly believes to live right as He is doing for you.

But with works of faith, Christ gets all the glory for the many good works that we get to do and which the world can see. We know that without Christ our Righteousness and Strength working in us, we would all collapse into the sins-ridden and helpless mass of flesh that we are of ourselves. Like Samson, we know that Christ our Righteousness and Strength is the “skeleton" that keeps us upright and makes us able to do exploits. Without Him, we can do nothing.

The Law (human effort at obedience/proving our faith by human effort-driven works) is not of Faith. By Grace, let's keep on believing who God's word says we are in Christ (Righteous by faith) and never kow-tow to the pressure of giving up on our precious faith.

Believer, like Samson when he had his hair (Christ as our Righteousness and Strength,) whenever pulpit-manning Delilahs tell you that you are not godly and try to get you to “prove your faith” by doing things that they say will make you godly (be like God - just as Satan did with Eve,) know that Christ suffered and died to make you godly. Isaiah prophesied of Christ's suffering for us in Isaiah 53. See the result of His decease which He accomplished for us in Isaiah 53:11-

"After He has suffered, He will see the light of life. And He will be satisfied. My godly servant will make many people godly because of what He will accomplish. He will be punished for their sins."

This is right believing. When your believing in Jesus is right, right living will follow. If there is any demand or imperfection in your life, He is the Supply of salvation from sins and imperfection. Matthew 1:21-

“She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

When Satan the handler of those Delilah-type pastors try to tie you up with guilt and condemnation for what you did or have not done in your moments of weakness in their bid to subject you to the Philistines of life (acts of sin, lack, depression, sickness and earthly ills in general,) remember and confess with your mouth Whose and who you are in Christ: the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21.) The Lord Himself will fight for you and set you free.

Not our strength but Christ's.