Samson

June 25, 2017 Background Scripture: Judges 13 – 16 Lesson Passage: Judges 13:1 – 7, 24, 25 As a child, I never knew whether Samson was a real person or just another superhero like Hercules. For many years into my adulthood, I thought the two were of the same ilk. After all, both were known for their superhuman strength. I admit to being surprised when I learned that Samson was a real person after all. He wasn’t just someone who showed up to fight the bad guys when trouble arose and then quickly disappeared. Samson served as a judge—a military and civil leader of God’s people. His exploits are legendary as if he were a superhero. He even had the background that is so befitting of a superhero. He was groomed from a baby to be a special person dedicated for the Lord’s use. His birth was special because his mother was barren unto the angel of the Lord told her that God was going to give her a child but she had to adhere to some very strict prenatal instructions. She could not drink strong drink or eat unclean food during her pregnancy. The child at birth had to be separated unto God and reared as a Nazirite. This was unusual because normally a person would make a personal vow as an adult and set himself apart as a Nazirite. Instead, this was done for Samson by his mother who followed the instructions from the angel of the Lord. She was cautioned to keep a razor from his head and he would become a deliverer of Israel to overthrow the oppression of the Philistines. Samson was destined to be a real-life superhero type. Even before conception, his path in life had already been chosen for him by God. In spite of all of this, Samson was still a real person. He had his share of personal issues and hang-ups. That’s one of the things I really like about the historical narratives in the scriptures. Those narratives allow us to see the real side of people—even though they were handpicked and chosen by God. The scriptures do not attempt to hide their human frailties. Two of Samson’s personal challenges—that we can perceive from the scriptures—were his overconfidence in times of peril and his weakness for women. Satan used both flaws to attack and eventually bring Samson’s ministry to an end. In spite of his tragic death, Samson had a reasonably long tenure as a judge in Israel. He served in that capacity for twenty years. Throughout this time, Israel remained at war with the Philistines. This was complicated by the fact that Samson had taken one of the daughters of the Philistines to be his wife. After the Philistines murdered her and her father, Samson killed one thousand men of their army. It was his desire and love for her that caused him to despise the Philistines. After this he met another woman who was an untrustworthy harlot. (Samson really knew how to pick them.) The Philistines used her to bring Samson down by convincing her to discover the secret of his incredible strength. At the end of his tenure as judge, Samson killed more Philistines in an act of suicide than he killed during his twenty years as a judge. So, he even died a superhero’s death. Robert C. Hudson April 20, 2017