…and Delilah. You can’t have one without the other.
There’s a lot more to Samson than Delilah.
I have a problem with Samson. Despite everything he had going for him, and he had a lot going for him, he lacked the strength to resist. It’s disappointing isn’t it. I mean this guy was smart, strong, handsome, confident. And anointed!
Don’t forget he rose to be a leader over Israel for 20 years.
But we can’t ignore the fact that Samson had a major weakness: women. If I’m being honest, I somewhat question why Samson is even in the Bible. What are we supposed to learn from a guy who lost everything because he was tricked by a woman? Is it a warning?
You may even wonder why God chose to include Samson in Hebrews 11 alongside Moses, Abraham and Joseph. Those were the champions of faith. At a first glance, Samson may look as if he doesn’t belong.
Yet he’s there. Included among the great men and women of faith. Why? Is there like a prelude to his interaction with Delilah where he does something amazing in faith, so we can forget the whole Delilah debacle?
Well, let’s see.
In Judges 13:3-5, we are introduced to Samson when the angel of the Lord speaks to his mother.
3 The angel of the LORD appeared to her and said, “You are barren and childless, but you are going to become pregnant and give birth to a son. 4 Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean. 5 You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”
The angel of the Lord appeared to Samson’s mother, and told her that her son would be “dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”
Wouldn’t it be fair to say that Samson was literally born with a ridiculous amount of anointing?
Well, yes and no. Samson was required to be a Nazirite to attain such a blessing.
All that meant is that he couldn’t cut his hair, right? That’s not too bad.
A Nazirite was an Israelite who had taken a special vow of dedication to God; as such they were required to do three specific things.
Numbers 6:1-21 breaks down the vow. First, they were to abstain from wine.
3 They must abstain from wine and other fermented drink and must not drink vinegar made from wine or other fermented drink. They must not drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins. 4 As long as they remain under their Nazirite vow, they must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or skins.
In the Old Testament, this was more than just avoiding your average pint at the pub. Wine and grape juice were often seen as a symbol, an indication of gladness and joy. As a result, a Nazarite was seen to willingly abstain from this particular thing which would be known to bring pleasure to themselves.
That’s kind of similar to Luke 9:23, isn’t it?
23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.
Secondly, a Nazirite was not to cut his hair.
5 “‘During the entire period of their Nazirite vow, no razor may be used on their head. They must be holy until the period of their dedication to the LORD is over; they must let their hair grow long.
Well, I think long hair is pretty trendy. Just throw it into a little man-bun. I see guys do it all the time.
Maybe today it is acceptable, and even cool, but during those times, I doubt they felt the same way.
Why?
Paul does say in 1 Corinthians 11:14 that having long hair was seen as a disgrace for a man. Furthermore, “a Nazirite’s willingness to wear his hair long in a culture that didn’t respect that attribute in a man was an outward indication of his dedication and his ability to overcome his own pride” according to Dr Evans.
Finally, a Nazirite was not to come into contact with a dead body.
Okay, I get the first two, but how is this even a sacrifice? Who would want to be in contact with a dead body?
6 “‘Throughout the period of their dedication to the Lord, the Nazirite must not go near a dead body. 7 Even if their own father or mother or brother or sister dies, they must not make themselves ceremonially unclean on account of them, because the symbol of their dedication to God is on their head. 8 Throughout the period of their dedication, they are consecrated to the Lord.
This vow prohibited the Nazirite from experiencing the cultural tradition of grieving, with the idea being that, through separation, the Nazirite learns how to avoid worldly entanglements and maintain focussed on an eternal perspective. It sounds rough, I know, but if we were to look at Matthew 8:18-22, we’ll see Jesus invoke a similar command.
Hmm, I guess I am starting to see why Samson was included, but he still messed up big-time.
I understand that, but he also sacrificed a lot. It is clear that a Nazirite vow covered so many areas of importance in a person’s life. This lifetime dedication was all-encompassing. As a result, this would often be a decision made by the Nazirite himself. In spite of this, Samson’s dedication was decided before he was even born. Samson was to be uniquely set apart for God to “begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”
I guess, you could say he didn’t choose this life. This life chose him. Ha. Carry on…
We know how important names are in the Bible, and maybe it is because of what we associate Samson with today, but doesn’t the name simply invoke strength? Look around. Even today Samson is known as this herculean figure. A man who could do the unnatural. A man who could pull of superhuman feats. Samson was like “The Rock” …but with more hair, a lot more hair. I guess it was only natural for things to get to Samson’s head.
However, there was something that kept him grounded. Samson was told repeatedly that his strength belonged to God. Him being alive was even a supernatural feat from God. His mother was barren, yet she was able to conceive and give birth to a child full of purpose – to deliver Israel from oppression. In other words, Samson’s birth was conditional, just like his strength.
Wow, that’s cool and all… but when does he meet Delilah?
We’ve still got a lot of life to get through.
My Sunday Skl 