Samson

In short

He is basically a superhero. He “judged Israel twenty years” (Jdg 16:31), but “judged” in this sense means he was a warrior-leader.

Why he is important

Well, he is mentioned alongside David and others as an icon of faith in Hebrews 11:32-33. So that’s pretty good. But as we talked about yesterday, he also did some heinous things.

Some stories about Samson

Birth and dedication (Judges 13). The angel of the LORD comes to Samson’s parents, who were childless then, and tells the mother that she is with child; he later tells the father also. Big thing for Samson is his Nazirite vow: He must not shave his head and his mother was to “drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean” (Jdg 13:7). (A Nazirite himself also was forbidden from “fruit of the vine,” Num 6:2-6.) *

Married a Philistine woman (Jdg 14:1-4)

Killed a lion and tore it to pieces barehanded. Then ate from the dead animal. (Jdg 14:5-9)

Captured 300 foxes and tied their tails together with a torch in the middle in order to set fire to Philistine property (Jdg 15:4-5). Some debate this translation.

Broke through “new ropes” and killed 1,000 Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey (Jdg 15:10-15).

Slept with a prostitute (Jdg 16:1).

Delilah (not his wife, and not the prostitute, but a woman “he loved”) vexes him until he gives up the secret of his strength – his long hair – and sold him to the Philistines (Jdg 16:4-21).

Died in captivity as he committed suicide and killed 3,000 Philisitnes in the process (Jdg 16:22-30).

Theology and doctrine

Again, it can be very hard to navigate the morals of these stories. Some things are clearly sinful (visiting the prostitute). Others are understandable (defeating Israel’s enemies). And much is in between.

He didn’t touch a dead body of a person (forbidden as a Nazirite), but he did kill people, and he touched (and ate from) a dead animal.

He married a foreign woman, but “Philistines” are not one of the seven nations in Deut 7:1-4, unless they fall under one of those seven.

I think one of the most important things to remember is that Samson was praised for his faith in Hebrews 11, and he did indeed have faith. But that does not make him perfect or give approval to what he did.

Footnote

* Lots of parallels to John the Baptist’s birth in Luke 1. I don’t know what to make of that….