Samson : Sunday School Stories part 6

Samson: The Rise and Fall of God’s Anti-Hero : Judges 13-16

As we examine this famous story of Samson, it will help to put Samson in the context of Judges, the book and Israel’s history. As for Israel, they have settled in the Promised Land, however during the time of Joshua’s leadership, they failed to purge the land of the various Canaanite tribes as the Lord told them. Thus, Judges tells the story of how God’s warning comes to fulfillment. The Lord told them to rid the region of the Canaanites, otherwise Israel will be snared by idolatry and be taken in by false religions. Judges tells the story of how this happened.

In Judges, there is a cycle of apostasy -> oppression -> cry -> deliverance that connects the series of stories surrounding the ‘judges’. Now, the English ‘judge’ carries a connotation that doesn’t fully translate what the biblical judges were, but thousands of years of tradition isn’t going away overnight. The ‘judges’ were essentially tribal leaders in the civic sense. In a theological sense, they were instruments for God’s salvation and executioners of judgement against Israel’s oppressors. Thus, ‘judges’ certainly works for being the primary means of mediation, execution, and deliverance, however we cannot think of the biblical judges as simply judicial operators. To summarize, it is easier to think of them as “instruments of God’s judgement” rather than simple earthly leaders/judges.

Now, as we move to the specific story of Samson, we can note at the outset the story of Samson is a microcosm of the wider story of Judges. This cycle of apostasy -> oppression -> cry -> deliverance repeats with subtle nuances and complexities at each step. But, what we find in Samson’s story is a more elaborate story that demonstrates Israel’s rebellion against God epitomized in one person. As we read excerpts from Samson’s story, let’s see how Samson’s life demonstrates God’s patience for His people, which in turn reminds us of God’s patience for us today.

Selected from Birth : Judges 13:1-7, 24-25

And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord gave them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.

2 There was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. And his wife was barren and had no children. 3 And the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. 4 Therefore be careful and drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, 5 for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.” 6 Then the woman came and told her husband, “A man of God came to me, and his appearance was like the appearance of the angel of God, very awesome. I did not ask him where he was from, and he did not tell me his name, 7 but he said to me, ‘Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. So then drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.’”

…

24 And the woman bore a son and called his name Samson. And the young man grew, and the Lord blessed him. 25 And the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

Samson’s birth is marked as a miraculous work of God. Several times in the Bible, characters have been born to women who were believed to be barren. Sarah at a age too old for children had Isaac. Isaac’s wife, Rebekah conceived after Isaac pleaded with God. Jacob’s wife, Rachel also needed God’s help. And, in the New Testament, Elizabeth, John the Baptist’s mother, was barren before conceiving John. We also see at the end of the Judges period, Hannah prays for a child that she will dedicate to God, and God gives her Samuel. Each of these examples are noteworthy because it is through the children of these women that God fulfills His purpose of redemption.

But, Samson’s dedication goes one step further. He is to be a Nazirite from birth. Now, this should not be confused with Nazareth, the area of Jesus’ childhood, but rather the Nazirite vow which is found in Numbers 6:1-8. The vow was a voluntary, temporary dedication for a person. Typically, it had to do with consecrating a task or a person to specific work in the tabernacle/temple. The vow consisted of three things, 1) abstinence from alcohol, 2) shaving the head and then not cutting it during the time of the vow, and 3) avoiding contact with a corpse.

A few comparisons to the standard vow of Numbers 6 with God’s declaration are needed here. First, Samson does not take this vow voluntarily. His mother is told she will bear a child, and this child should be treated as a Nazirite, even while she is pregnant. Second, the Nazirite vow does not include abstinence from unclean food, because every Israelite was to avoid unclean food. However, it would appear that among many of the sins Israel has fallen into, they have also not upheld the dietary laws. Third, Samson appears to have immunity against the restrictions around corpses, because as we will see, Samson is going to be around a lot of dead Philistines in his life. Last, Samson’s Nazirite vow was to last his whole life. His entire life is dedicated to God for the purpose of “beginning to save Israel from the Philistines.”

Samson was to be a Nazirite from birth marking him as selected by God for the purpose of initiating salvation from the Philistines.

The last note comes from the final verses of the chapter. Notice the child grows, the Lord blesses him, but also note how the Spirit of the Lord stirs him up. Samson’s strength comes from God. It is the Spirit of the Lord that allows the feats of strength that we will see.

Samson’s strength was from the Spirit of the Lord, not in himself.

Samson chooses a Wife : Judges 14:1-4

Samson went down to Timnah, and at Timnah he saw one of the daughters of the Philistines. 2 Then he came up and told his father and mother, “I saw one of the daughters of the Philistines at Timnah. Now get her for me as my wife.” 3 But his father and mother said to him, “Is there not a woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you must go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she is right in my eyes.”

4 His father and mother did not know that it was from the Lord, for he was seeking an opportunity against the Philistines. At that time the Philistines ruled over Israel.

Samson’s choice for a wife presents us with a summation of all that is wrong with Israel at this time. Let’s look closely at this conversation so that we can notice what is absent and how that demonstrates the current spiritual climate for Israel.

First, Samson goes to the Timnites to find a wife. He sees one who is “right in [his] eyes.” Now, this doesn’t just mean that Samson likes what he sees, but it also foreshadows what the narrator will say about all of Israel at the end of Judges, “Israel did what was right in their own eyes.” In other words, just as Israel did whatever they thought was a good idea at the time without regard for God’s Law, so here, Samson has decided this woman is what he wants in a wife, regardless of his dedicated life to God.

Second, his parents respond that she is not among his own people. Notice, though, they do not bring up the angel, the Nazirite vow, Samson’s purpose is to deliver Israel from the Philistines (certainly not marry one of them), or any such thing. They are strictly annoyed by his decision, because she is among the uncircumcised Philistines.

Third, and interestingly enough, none of the characters seem to know that God is at work in Samson’s choice. Samson has disrespected his parents, and his parents live among people who have disregarded God’s Law, and yet, none of them seem too bothered by this. In fact, the people have not cried out to God for deliverance. God is seeking an opportunity against the Philistines, and we only have the narrator to tell us this.

Samson’s choice in a wife is representative of Israel’s choice to forsake their true God in favor of foreign gods.

When we read the rest of chapter 14, we see Samson’s parents go along with his request, and this decision leads to the conflict between Samson and the Philistines. But, if Samson had not chosen the Timnite woman, there would be no conflict. No one in Israel has asked Samson to come to their deliverance. Samson may have chosen poorly for his wife, however his poor choices will be used by God to bring about a severe disruption between Israel and the Philistines.

If we have chosen stagnation and comfort instead of God’s purpose for us, we can expect God to disrupt our lives to move us in a better direction.

The Height of Samson’s Fame : Judges 15:14-20

14 When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting to meet him. Then the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and the ropes that were on his arms became as flax that has caught fire, and his bonds melted off his hands. 15 And he found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, and put out his hand and took it, and with it he struck 1,000 men. 16 And Samson said,

“With the jawbone of a donkey,
    heaps upon heaps,
with the jawbone of a donkey
    have I struck down a thousand men.”

17 As soon as he had finished speaking, he threw away the jawbone out of his hand. And that place was called Ramath-lehi.

18 And he was very thirsty, and he called upon the Lord and said, “You have granted this great salvation by the hand of your servant, and shall I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” 19 And God split open the hollow place that is at Lehi, and water came out from it. And when he drank, his spirit returned, and he revived. Therefore the name of it was called En-hakkore; it is at Lehi to this day. 20 And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.

As we come to the top of Samson’s career, we see a man who continues to demonstrate poor character, and yet he is the chosen vessel to disrupt the Philistine’s hold on Israel. Samson’s own people have tied him up and led him to the enemy army in order to keep the peace, but Samson allows it in order take on more Philistines.

His desire to kill the Philistines has come because of what happened to his chosen wife. Through a series of events that we have skipped for the sake of time, she was killed by the Philistines in retaliation of Samson’s attack, which consequently was retaliation for his wife going to a friend, which only happened because Samson went back to his father’s house in a hissy-fit.

But, as we examine this part of the story, notice the absolute arrogance of Samson. He only acknowledges God’s provision of salvation after composing a rather vulgar song and commemorating the hill of his victory.

The hill is named Ramah-lehi, which if you have a footnoted Bible will tell you it means “Hill of the Jawbone”. The song is fairly harmless in the English, though if one thinks about it long enough, its wordplay can be found. In the Hebrew, it is more obvious, because the words for ‘donkey’ and ‘heaps’ sound the same. The King James Version is especially helpful here, because it uses ‘ass’ for ‘donkey’, and so the reader discovers Samson’s limerick is “With the jawbone of an ass donkey, I have made many ... heaps.” This presents us with a truth of Scripture:

God can use us for His glory, despite our failings.

Now, that is not an excuse for us to continue in sin or arrogance, but it is a reminder that God does not expect us to be perfect in our service, only willing. The narrator does not condone Samson’s attitude, and in fact, reading through the story a couple of times leads to the conclusion the narrator wants us to see just how unworthy Samson is for his chosen task. This is why I have named Samson, God’s Anti-Hero. He is not a hero in the traditional, virtuous sense. He is a hero despite his character, or lack thereof.

Delilah’s Seduction : Judges 16:15-22

15 And she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and you have not told me where your great strength lies.” 16 And when she pressed him hard with her words day after day, and urged him, his soul was vexed to death. 17 And he told her all his heart, and said to her, “A razor has never come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother's womb. If my head is shaved, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak and be like any other man.”

18 When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called the lords of the Philistines, saying, “Come up again, for he has told me all his heart.” Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hands. 19 She made him sleep on her knees. And she called a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him. 20 And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him. 21 And the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles. And he ground at the mill in the prison. 22 But the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.

Samson has once again chosen poorly for a wife, and it will prove to be in undoing. She has tried multiple times to understand what gives Samson his strength, and though he has made up numerous stories, he finally relents. Why he relents is anyone’s guess, as she has proven herself to be a tool for his enemies. Perhaps Samson’s arrogance had reach such a huge proportion that he believed he was impervious even in disobedience. Regardless,

Though God can use us despite our failings, we are not impervious to the consequences of our failings.

We cannot allow ourselves to fall under the false belief that because God has placed a special call on our lives that we are impervious to the consequences of poor decisions. The Lord provides for His children, but if we squander the money God has given us, we will still be destitute as anyone else. The Lord heals, but if we fail to take care of our bodies, we will still be sickly like anyone else.

Wisdom is necessary for right-living, and to believe we are exceptions to laws of wisdom is be very unwise indeed.

Bringing Down the House : Judges 16:23-31

23 Now the lords of the Philistines gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to rejoice, and they said, “Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hand.” 24 And when the people saw him, they praised their god. For they said, “Our god has given our enemy into our hand, the ravager of our country, who has killed many of us.” 25 And when their hearts were merry, they said, “Call Samson, that he may entertain us.” So they called Samson out of the prison, and he entertained them. They made him stand between the pillars. 26 And Samson said to the young man who held him by the hand, “Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, that I may lean against them.” 27 Now the house was full of men and women. All the lords of the Philistines were there, and on the roof there were about 3,000 men and women, who looked on while Samson entertained.

28 Then Samson called to the Lord and said, “O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes.” 29 And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other. 30 And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.” Then he bowed with all his strength, and the house fell upon the lords and upon all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life. 31 Then his brothers and all his family came down and took him and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had judged Israel twenty years.

As the life of Samson concludes, we see the picture of humiliation. But this picture is not just about Samson. I stated earlier Samson represents the spiritual status of Israel, and here it becomes very clear. Despite being set apart by God for His purpose, Israel has not lived as though they are God’s people. Samson, despite being set apart to free Israel, has not actually served God or Israel, but himself, his whole life. Consider that like Israel:

Samson was miraculously brought forth by the Lord.

Samson was called to a high life of separation and devotion to the Lord.

Samson is rash and immature.

Samson is consistently drawn to foreign women, like Israel drawn to foreign gods.

Samson experiences bondage and oppression of the enemy. Samson cries out to the Lord form his oppression.

Samson is blinded.

Samson is abandoned by God’s Spirit and does not know it.

It is only in Samson’s humiliation and willingness to cry out for mercy that the Spirit of God returns to Samson and gives the strength needed to bring down the house of Dagon.

Arrogance comes before the fall, and humiliation must come before exaltation.

God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

It is at our lowest moments in life that God is able to cut through the noise of life and teach us what is most valuable. And it is at those moments that we are able to become the person that God has intended us to be our whole lives.

As we close on the story of Samson, we must also remember that Samson is not meant to be an example to follow. As I said, he is an anti-hero. He is remembered for his feats, but certainly should not be imitated in character. It took Samson being blinded, jailed, and eventually buried under the house of a false god in order for Samson to realize his full potential gifted to him by God.

For the Christian, this lesson does not need to be so hard, but the similarities for the Church today and Samson are quite glaring.

Like Samson, much of the Church has been blinded by the enemy of this world.

Like Samson, many Christians have found themselves chained in houses of foreign gods—gods who may not have giant statues or temples, but have conquered our time and attention nevertheless.

Like Samson, many Christians have had the arrogance that because God has put His calling on our lives that we are somehow immune to the consequences of foolish living.

Thus, as we close, let us remember that Christians are to live wisely in this age, in fact we are called to be wisest among others because we have access to the wisdom of God.

Let us remember that foolish living, and chasing after the pleasures of this world will not end well for us. Consider, if we did not have the narrator to remind us Samson was an Israelite, would we have known? What evidence marks us as people of God other than our own self-narration? Consequences for foolishness land on both the foolish Christian and the foolish unbeliever alike. Do not wait until you are on death’s doorstep to realize you have squandered your life in foolish pursuits.