Samson

 I am so grateful for perspectives I have gained this year reading through the Old Testament, especially concerning Judges.  In previous times I have read through Judges, I wondered why these characters were considered Bible heroes, when they were not really very righteous or even moral.  This time, through, I have come to realize that they are not supposed to be heroes, they are supposed to be examples of what happens when people don't keep their covenants.  My favorite podcast about this this week was Talking Scriptures with Mike Day and Bryce Dunford. Bryce points out that each of the "judges" were actually clan leaders who were called upon to save different houses of Israel when they were in captivity. Each of them were in some way non-standard, showing that Israel, though still God's covenant people, were not living up to their covenants.  Ehud was non-standard because he was a Benjaminite (Benjamin means son of the right hand) who was left-handed.  Deborah was non-standard because she was a woman leading an army in a male dominated society. Jephthah makes a rash vow, and ends of sacrificing his daughter.  The best example of being a righteous judge is Gideon, but even he inadvertantly starts a idolitrous cult in the end.  The worst example of a covenant keeping was Samson. 

So what are we to think of Samson?  He starts out like other great Israelite leaders, in that he has a miraculous birth foretold by an angel, and is designated a Nazarite from birth. When he becomes an adult he has super-human strength, but uses it for his own gain and systematically breaks all the Nazarite vows.  Nazarites are not supposed to touch anything that is dead, but Samson scoops honey from a dead lion's carcus and eats it.  Nazarites are not supposed to drink wine, but when Samson is to marry the daughter of a Philistine he throws a drinking party (Judges 14:10, the word is translated "feast" but suggests a drinking party). The last vow of a Nazarite is that he not cut his hair.  When he has an affair with Delilah he tells her about his hair and she cuts it while he sleeps.  This leads to his capture, blindness, and death. 

As with the stories of the Pentateuch, the most useful question to ask is not if they happened the way they were written, but why they were  written that way.  I believe the story of Samson is a commentary on the fall of the House of Israel. Like Samson, Israel is "born" miraculously by being lead through the Red Sea.  Like him, they make a covenant, the ten commandments, early on in their history. Then as they reach their maturity by crossing into the promised land, they begin to break each one of their covenants. They break the first three commandments by worshiping other Gods and forgetting the Lord.  As they do, bad things befall them.  They, too, fall into captivity, are blinded to the knowledge of the true god, and are often destroyed by their enemies. 

Yet there is a hopeful side to the story of Samson, too.  Even though Samson breaks all of his covenants, whenever he remembers to call on God for help, the Lord sends help.  That is the message of the whole book of Judges. Even though Israel has turned from God and broken their covenants, whenever they are in captivity and need help, God sends a deliverer, however imperfect, to help them.