Text: Judges 13-16
Theme: Samson and Israel
Part 1
Introduction:
Now we will concentrate on the character of Samson. A muscle man with a weakness for the ladies. Samson is Israel's final, most dramatic, and most violent judge. Samson broke vows, married outside of the people of Israel twice, and functioned as a fallen leader. We can divide it as before and after his love with Delilah. Samson's story reminds us of the apostasy and oppression (Judges 13:1). Samson was a “Charismatic Leader”, one endowed with the “Spirit of the Lord (Judges 13:25, 14:6, 19, 15:14), and a Judge of Dan (Judges 16:31).
Beginnings of Samson:
In Hebrew, he was called Shimshon. He was a legendary Israelite warrior, and judge, or divinely inspired leader for twenty years, renowned for the prodigious strength that he derived from his uncut hair. An angel foretold his birth to his mother and then to his parents. Judges 13 tells that Manoah who was from the tribe-land of Dan and his wife, who was barren had the theophany. One day, an angel of God appeared to Manoah’s wife promising that she would bear a son. But that came with a warning that She could not contaminate her body with any alcohol because her child would be a Nazirite (dedicated to God from birth). Samson’s story skipped from his birth to his adulthood. Samson married a Philistine woman to have opportunities to infiltrate and fight the Philistines, who were the current oppressors of the Israelites.
Strength of Samson:
Samson first discovers his super-human strength by encountering, overpowering, and killing a young lion that is roaring at him with the spirit of the Lord (Judges 14:5-6). Then, he used his strength to kill 30 Philistine men in a fit of rage (Judges 14:19). The most famous of all of Samson’s attacks against the Philistines comes in chapter 15. He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, reached down, and took it, and with it, he killed a thousand men (Judges 15:14-15). Samson led no army, but acted entirely on his own, fuelled by his super-human ability (Jewish Learnings). Samson possessed extraordinary physical strength, and the moral of his saga relates the disastrous loss of his power to his violation of the Nazirite vow.
Philistine, a people of Aegean origin who settled on the southern coast of Palestine in the 12th century BCE, about the time of the arrival of the Israelites. According to biblical tradition (Deuteronomy 2:23; Jeremiah 47:4) the Philistines came from Caphtor (Crete). The Pentapolis of the Philistine confederacy of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Gath, and Ekron were known as Philistia or the Land of the Philistines. The Philistines expanded into neighboring areas and came into conflict with the Israelites. Possessing superior arms and military organization, the Philistines were able (c. 1050 BCE) to occupy part of the Judaean hill country. The Philistines’ local monopoly on smithing iron (I Samuel 13:19), a skill they probably acquired in Anatolia, was likely a factor in their military dominance during this period. (Encyclopaedia of Britannica). The Philistines oppressed Israel for forty years.
Discussion: Does anointing continue on the servants of God in spite of sins?
Part 2
Breaking the Nazarite Vow:
Samson committed to a special ceremony of dedication to be a Nazirite all his life as per the norms of Numbers 6:2–21. Normally three regulations were involved for a Nazarite: 1. to abstain from alcohol consumption; 2. to refrain from cutting their hair; and 3. prohibited from touching a corpse. Samson was under oath to touch nothing unclean or dead, to neither eat grapes nor drink wine, and never cut his hair (Judges 13:5, 7). Samson broke all of them. First, Samson broke it by touching the carcass of a lion (Judges 14:5-9). Secondly, he was hosting an extravagant celebration with wine in Judges 14:10. Thirdly he allowed his enemies to cut his hair. Samson was selfish. God placed him in a position of authority, but he was a bad example as a leader. He ignored the disastrous consequences of sin, both in his own life and its effect on his country.
Delilah, also spelled Dalila, in the Old Testament, is the central figure of Samson’s last love story (Judges 16). She was a Philistine who was bribed to entrap Samson. Three times she begged to know the secret of his strength, and three times he lied to her. Finally, after Delilah nags persistently, he confesses the secret and is caught. (Judges 16:17).
End of Samson:
A person who started with great potential but squandered it on self-indulgence and sinful living. He first broke all his religious obligations. He finally fell victim to his foes through the love of Delilah, who captivated him into revealing the secret of the strength of his long Nazirite hair. As he slept, Delilah had his hair cut and betrayed him. Samson proved to be a disappointment. His incredible strength was not paired with an exemplary character. He had a miraculous birth but a miserable death.
Samson’s death ends up being his greatest victory against the Philistines. The Philistines brought Samson down to Gaza and bound him to two pillars in their temple as a display for the amusement of the Philistine worshipers. Samson prayed asking for his strength to return to him one more time (Judges 16:28). God responded by sending Samson a final burst of strength, and Samson pushed against the pillars and brought the entire temple down, killing himself and all those in the temple with him (Judges 16:30). According to the Book of Hebrews, Samson was a part of the cloud of Witnesses, the Martyr (Hebrews 11:32).
Conclusion:
Samson may have followed his own inclinations; however, the master plan was from God. His motivations may have been questionable, but Samson was still an important hero at a troubled time for the Israelites (Talmud). One Mishnah paints him in a negative light, saying that Samson’s eyes were gouged out as punishment for having followed the desires of his eyes. Samson never overcame his moral failures. Whatever he learned from his vendetta against the Philistines didn't dampen his weakness for women, or make him more resistant to their manipulations. There is no doubt his life was marred by sin and stupid decisions, yet there is likewise no doubt that he served to further God's will in that moment.
Discussion: Share the failure lessons you learned through Samson.
(Ref: Encyclopaedia of Britannica; my Jewish learnings; bible hub; bible study tools; Bethany bible; family-times)
