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Faith Goes It Alone
SamsonFaith Goes It Alone
"Woe
to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not
another to help him up."—Ecclesiastes 4:10
By
Richard Evans
As the age of
the Judges came to a close, God found it necessary to
again chasten his people."And the children of Israel
did evil again in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of
the Philistines forty years."—Judges 13:1
Shortly
thereafter an angel of Jehovah appeared unto a barren
woman, the wife of Manoah, of the tribe of Dan (Judg.
13:2), and announced the birth of a child [probably about
the same time Hannah petitioned Eli]. "For, lo, thou
shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come
on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God
from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out
of the hand of the Philistines."—Judges 13:5
Thus, even as
God began his punishment of Israel, he set in motion a
plan that would moderate that punishment and ultimately
bring about deliverance.
A
Good Report
Then Old
Testament account of this miracle child is brief. Besides
the angelic announcement only three episodes are
recounted from a life that spanned nearly forty years:
1. His
courtship and marriage to a daughter of the
Philistines, his fight with a lion, his wife’s
death, and the conflict with the Philistines [a
period of months.]
2. His visit
to Gaza and the taking of the city gate [one day.]
3. His
courtship of Delilah, her betrayal and his capture,
and his victory in death [another period of months.]
Thankfully, the
writer of the epistle to the Hebrews added important
insight into this brief record. "And what shall I
more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon,
and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David
also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: who through faith
subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained
promises, stopped the mouth of lions, ... out of weakness
were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to
flight the armies of the aliens."—Hebrews
11:32-34
The writer
continued: "And these all, having obtained a good
report through faith" (Heb. 11:39). Through his
faith Samson was given a good report. This good report
was not gratuitous. Samson believed God and lived his
life accordingly. For example, following his battle with
the Philistines at Lehi he had a life-threatening thirst.
With complete certainty he called upon the God of Israel
and water came forth (Judg. 15:19). God had promised
Samson he was to do a work. His faith in that promise
gave him the boldness to ask for the water. Believing
God, he knew he would not be allowed to perish. It was
this same faith that gave him the confidence to face a
lion with no weapon and to face a thousand Philistines
with only the jawbone of an ass.
A
Nazarite?
When studying
the account of Samson care must be taken not to be
confused by the King James translation. In the birth
announcement (Judg. 13:5), for instance, the KJV can lead one to believe that
Samson was subject to the conditions of the vow given in
Numbers 6:1-21. The Hebrew word translated
"Nazarite" means separated, set aside,
consecrated. Rotherham’s rendering makes clear the
relationship Samson enjoyed. "For lo! thou art about
to conceive and bare a son, and no razor shall come on
his head, for one separate unto God shall the boy be from
his birth—and he shall begin to save Israel out of
the hand of the Philistines" (Jud. 13:5, Rotherham).
The only
condition placed on Samson’s separation concerned
his hair. There was no prohibition concerning wine,
strong drink, or touching a dead body. Also this
relationship was not something Samson freely elected, nor
was it for a short term. On the other hand the vow in
Numbers 6 involved all these things. There is no
indication that Samson took such a vow or was obligated
to live within its requirements. In fact, while under the
direction of the spirit of the Lord he killed over a
thousand men (Judg. 14:19; 15:8, 14, 16). If he was under
the vow this would present a serious dilemma.
His
Marriage
When Samson was
in his late teens, he was led by the Lord to marry a
daughter of the Philistines. "And Samson said unto
his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well. But
his father and mother knew not that it was the LORD, that he sought occasion against
the Philistines" (Jud. 14:3, 4).
Here again the KJV may cause confusion. The use of
the word pleaseth could lead to the thought that
Samson’s motivation was selfish and lustful. The
marginal reading presents the literal and more correct
rendering. "Get her for me, for she is right in mine
eye" (Jud. 14:3, Margin). She was right for Samson
because it was the Lord’s will for him. It would
provide an occasion against the Philistines.
The events that
grew out of the wedding feast proved that assertion.
Samson had the opportunity to do much damage to the
Philistines; and it was done in such a way as not to
bring down the wrath of the Philistines on his
countrymen. At that time [probably after Israel’s
great defeat at Ebenezer and the loss of the Ark], the
people were demoralized and unable to challenge the
intruders. So the marriage provided a means of limiting
the incursion while restricting the conflict to Samson.
He alone would incur the ire of the enemy. He alone would
be pursued.
He
Was Different
Though brief,
the account highlights a number of differences between
Samson and other men used by God. Others were raised as a
result of a time of repentance by Israel, and a turning
to God for help. Their task was one of leadership. They
did not fight alone, but led the men of Israel. No such
turning to God for help, however, preceded Samson’s
separation. As a result the people were not ready to
receive him or rally to his support. Unlike the others,
Samson was not to lead Israel into battle. He was to
fight alone. Unlike the others, national repentance came
after his judgeship, after his victory in death [see
box].
His singlehanded
defeat of a thousand men, his burning of the Philistine
fields, vineyards, and orchards, some twenty years into
their dominion over Israel, must have had a moderating
effect on their conduct. The economic impact must have
weakened them. Following on the heels of their experience
with the Ark (1 Sam. 5:1-6:21), the Philistines, no
doubt, exercised a bit more caution in their dealings
with Israel.
Gaza
During his Judgeship
Samson went down
to Gaza. We are not told the reason for the visit. The
unfortunate rendering by the KJV discussed above could easily lead
to an assumption that it was lust since he chose the
house of a harlot for his rest (Jud. 16:1). Nothing in
the account, however, supports such a conclusion.
Apparently it was not uncommon in that day for the houses
of harlots to function as inns, just as in the days of
Joshua when the spies stayed with Rahab in Jericho (Josh.
2:1). There was probably a very practical, but less
sensational, reason for the visit.
"Now there
was no smith found throughout the land of Israel; for the
Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords or
spears: But all the Israelites went down to the
Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his
coulter, and his axe, and his mattock."—1
Samuel 13:19, 20
The Philistines
enjoyed a technological edge and they very jealously
guarded it. Their iron was greatly superior to the brass
of Israel. Though much to their chagrin, no doubt, their
iron did not stand up to Shamgar’s ox goad,
Samson’s jawbone of an ass, or David’s stone
from a brook. Whatever the reason for Samson going to
Gaza, the removal of the city gate once more demonstrated
to the Philistines the great power of the God of Israel.
Though God was using them to punish his people he was not
going to let them have complete freedom to do as they
willed. The Bible does not indicate the time of the visit
but it was probably near the end of Samson’s twenty
year judgeship. His great defeats against the Philistines
would have faded in their memories. The removal of the
gate would have jarred them and renewed in them a desire
to get rid of him. So their subsequent bribery of Delilah
may have been a direct outcome of Samson’s visit to
Gaza.
Delilah
As his time came
to a close Samson did let the love of a woman come
between him and his relationship with God. The silence of
the Bible indicates that they both were unmarried at the
time. There is nothing said about Delilah’s race or
religion. She could have been a Hebrew. Both peoples
lived in the valley of Sorek, and the name Delilah is
Semitic in form.
When a broad
view is taken of Samson’s life, his failure because
of love is understandable. Though married at an early
age, before he could enjoy the fruits of that
relationship it was lost. Shortly thereafter his
countrymen rejected him. They take him captive and turn
him over to the enemy. Apparently he then lived alone for
twenty years, carrying the burden of his loss and his
rejection. He probably had few friends as most would be
in awe of his great strength. There is little wonder,
then, that he would be blinded by this love for a woman,
a relationship that provided much needed human
companionship. . . . and, he did love Delilah.
"And it
came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the
valley of Sorek, whose name was
Delilah."—Judges 16:4
Because of his
love Samson was not able to see Delilah’s weakness.
His love led him to share a confidence she could not
keep. So God departed from him. He was taken captive and
blinded.
His
Victory
In the end,
however, Samson accomplished God’s purpose for him.
He called upon God with the confidence he had had in the
past with the faith he had had, and he was heard (Judg.
16:28). The destruction of the temple of Dagon and the
death of a great number that were in it set in motion the
events that led to the Israelite defeat of the
Philistines at Mizpeh.
"So the
Philistines were subdued, and they came no more into the
coast of Israel."—1 Samuel 7:13
As the angel had
declared, Samson did begin to deliver Israel out of the
had of the Philistines (Judg. 13:5). Abraham, Isaac,
Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon—all the faithful
of old—believed God, believed in his promise. So did
Samson. His life reflected that belief. Jehovah is not
ashamed to be called the God of Samson (Heb. 11:16).
When Did Samson Live?
To fully
understand the story of Samson it is necessary to
correlate events in his life with events in the
contemporary history of Israel. The beginning point for
such a quest is the birth announcement. The angel
declared Samson would begin to deliver Israel out of the
hand of the Philistines (Judg. 13:5). This indicates that
the announcement and Samson’s birth was subsequent
to the beginning of the forty year punishment of Judges
13:1.
Though by no
means absolute, the Scriptural testimony seems to
indicate the end point of that forty year period was
Israel’s victory at Mizpeh under the leadership of
Samuel.
"So the
Philistines were subdued, and they came no more into the
coast of Israel: and the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all
the days of Samuel."—1 Samuel 7:13
This Israelite
victory was preceded by a twenty year period during which
the Ark of the Covenant rested in the home of Abinadab (1
Sam. 7:1, 2). The Ark had been placed there after its
return by the Philistines. Its capture had been brought
about by Israel’s defeat at Ebenezer, and its loss
resulted in the death of Eli (1 Samuel 4).
Hence
Samson’s twenty years of judging in the days of the
Philistines (Jud. 15:20; 14:4) must have taken place
during the latter half of that forty year period
following Eli’s death and during the time the Ark
rested in the house of Abinadab. His marriage must have
been at the midpoint of that period when he was in his
late teens—about the time of the Ark’s capture.
If this scenario
be correct, the defeat of Israel at Ebenezer took place a
short time before the capture of Samson by the men of
Judah. This would explain their great fear of the
Philistines and their willingness to turn Samson over to
their enemies.
"Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of
the rock Etam, and said to Samson, Knowest thou not that
the Philistines are rulers over us? What is this that
thou hast done unto us?" (Judg. 15:11).
Also this
scenario would place the destruction of the temple of
Dagon, along with that of a great number of Philistines,
shortly before Israel’s victory at Mizpeh, and would
thus explain an otherwise inexplicable text. Israel had
gathered at Mizpeh not to do battle, but to pray (1 Sam.
7:5)—a consequence of a great change that had come
over the people.
"And it
came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjath-jearim, that
the time was long, for it was twenty years: and all the
house of Israel lamented after the LORD."—1 Samuel 7:2
That last clause
was dropped in the text without explanation. There is no
indication of any kind of the cause of Israel’s
sudden change of heart. If Samson’s victory in death
happened just before this change, as seems to be the
case, then we have the answer. Samson’s great act of
self-sacrifice would have been the catalyst that brought
on Israel’s lament and thus the subsequent
deliverance from the hand of the Philistines (Jud. 13:1;
1 Sam. 7:13).
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