Ep. 64 - Samson (Part 1)

Last we left the Israelites, they had just been delivered from the Ammonites by the judge Jephthah. Jephthah was Israel’s 8^th judge and he judged Israel for 6 years, after which he died and was buried in Gilead. After Jephthah came three more judges that we don’t know very much about. First came a man named Ibzan from Judah, who judged Israel for 7 years. Then came a man named Elon from Zebulun, who judged Israel for 10 years. And then came a man named Abdon from Ephraim, who judged Israel 8 years. These were the 9^th, 10^th, and 11^th judges of Israel. How these men lead Israel, and how God helped them to do great things, we have no idea. What we do know is that the never-ending merry-go-round of doom never stopped.

After the last judge died, the Bible says, “Again the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.” (Judges 13:1) If you kidzos will remember, in the last episode we saw that the Philistines were already attacking Israel, and we said that they were going to be a thorn in Israel’s side for a long time. Well, here we are! Of all the oppressors who had come before, the longest any of them had oppressed Israel was 20 years. But the Philistines oppressed Israel for 40 years…a long time! It was the same length of time that the Israelites had wondered in the wilderness…long enough that hardly anyone was still alive who remembered what Israel was like before the Philistine oppression…and long enough that most Israelites had given up and thought that the Philistines ruling over them was just life. But even though the Israelites had given up on themselves, God hadn’t given up on them. Even in the early years of the Philistine rule, God was already moving His plans forward to help the Israelites.

And the Bible says, “Now there was a certain man from Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren and had no children.” (13:2) So this man, Manoah, and his wife lived in a town called Zorah in the tribe of Dan. This town was just next to the Philistine territory…probably within easy walking distance of the border. So this little family would have known much about Philistine oppression. Not only that, but Manoah’s wife couldn’t have any children…which was a big deal back in those says. So a double whammy. But one day, things started to turn around. And the Bible says, “And the Angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, "Indeed now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and bear a son.” (13:3) So an angel appeared to Manoah’s wife (and not just any angel…I’m sure you kidzos noticed that it was the Angel of the Lord…that is to say Jesus) and the Angel told her that she was going to have a son. Wow…great news! But the good news didn’t stop there. And the Angel continued, “Now therefore, please be careful not to drink wine or similar drink, and not to eat anything unclean.  (5)  For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.” (12:4-5) Okay…so not only was this little family finally going to have a child, but this child would be the one to start fighting against the Philistines! Wow…so double good news!

And just in case Manoah’s wife didn’t catch all that, the Angel of the Lord appeared again and repeated the whole thing to Manoah. But what is all this Nazirite business about? And what’s the deal about not drinking wine and not cutting the kid’s hair? Well, back in the time of Moses, God had given the Israelites something called the “Vow of the Nazirite”. This was something you could do if you, say, really wanted to connect with God about something…like maybe you really wanted to know what God’s will for your life (kinda like what people do now with fasting). It was also something you could do to set yourself aside for God’s special purpose…whatever that might be. You could decide for yourself how long you wanted to take the Nazarite vow…maybe a month…maybe a year. And to take the vow you had to do to some special sacrifices at the temple. After that, for as long as you were still under the vow, all you had to do was not cut your hair, stay away from dead bodies, and not drink any wine or eat or drink anything grape related (including grape juice, grape skins, grape seeds, or even raisins). So, what the angel is telling Manoah’s wife is that her son is going to be set aside for God’s special purpose…that he was going to take the Vow of the Nazirite…not for a month…not for a year…but for his whole life. From birth until death. So this kid is going to be something really special. And as time went on, Manoah’s wife got pregnant and, as far we can tell, she was super careful to follow everything that the Angel told her. And then the Bible goes on to say, “So the woman bore a son and called his name Samson; and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.” (13:24)

As Samson grew up, his parents would have been careful to make sure that Samson kept the Nazirite vow…especially being careful that his hair wasn’t cut. And because of all the fuss, Samson would have been super aware that he was no ordinary kid…that he was born to fight against the Philistines…to “begin to deliver” the Israelites from their oppressors. And this would have become super obvious when, as the Bible says, “the Spirit of the LORD began to move upon him…” (13:25) (BTW kidzos, in the story of Samson, when the Bible says that the Spirit of the Lord moved on Samson…that’s code for Samson becoming super strong.) So somewhere in his late-teens and early twenties, Samson started to get super strong. Like super-duper strong. And the Bible doesn’t give us any details, but you can just imagine the stories. Like maybe Samson was playing football, and he goes to throw the ball into the end-zone, and he throws it as hard as he can…and sends the ball flying clear to the next town. Or like maybe something like a horse fell on his father, and without thinking Samson lifts the horse clear off the ground with one hand while his father scrambles out of there. But while the Bible doesn’t tell us any of these stories of how Samson discovered his strength, we do know that his strength came to him at a young age. And both Samson and his parents well-knew that Samson’s strength didn’t come from super strong muscles…but from God…through his Nazirite vow.

And it was right around this time, just when Samson was supposed to be coming into his own, to become a judge, and to lead the fight against the Philistines, that Samson started to…go off the reservation. Now, the Bible doesn’t exactly tell us what happened here, but the Bible does hint at what the problem was. It seems that Samson didn’t really see the need to fight the Philistines. Yah…seems crazy right. I mean, Samson wouldn’t even exist if it weren’t for the need to fight the Philistines. How Samson came to think this, we have no idea. Who knows, maybe Samson ran into some Philistines and didn’t think there was anything wrong with them, or maybe he had somehow made some Philistine friends…and thought they were awesome. Something else that might have helped Samson think like this is that most of the Israelites (as we shall see in the next episode) didn’t seem to have any problem with the Philistines ruling over them. To them, they’d lived their whole lives with the Philistines in charge…and didn’t see why that should change. Crazy right? So maybe Samson just didn’t want to fight against both the Philistines and his own people. (Which, now that Papa thinks about it, maybe that’s the reason why God gave Samson his super-strength…because Samson was only ever going to be on his own when fighting the Philistines.)

With Samson being on friendly terms with the Philistines, the Bible tells us that one day, Samson decided to go visit a Philistine town – a place called Timnah – which was just down the road from where he lived and just within the Philistine territory (don’t forget that Samson grew up in a town right next to the Philistines). And while visiting this town, the Bible says that Samson, “saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines.” (14:1) So while Samson was looking around, bam, a super pretty Philistine girl walks by. And Samson was like, “Whoa!” This girl is prettier than any girl than I’ve ever seen before. And before you know it, whatever the reason was that he was visiting that Philistine town, he’d totally forgotten about it. Now all Samson could think about was the girl. And this is where we discover that while Samson was super strong, Samson had one huge weakness – pretty Philistine girls. (I’m sure you kidzos are thinking…what is the big deal with a pretty girl…why should Samson care so much about that? Well, trust me kidzos, you’ll understand better a little later in life.) Samson, completely taken by this girl, quickly ran home and went to his parents to tell them the exciting news. And he said, “I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife.” (14:2)

Samson’s parents were totally shocked. Never mind that that back in those days it was the parents who usually picked a husband or wife for their kids, never mind that God had told the Israelites that they were never to marry the heathens, but Samson was supposed to be fighting the Philistines…not marrying them! Of course, Samson’s parents tried to convince him to change his mind. And his parents said to him, “Is there no woman among the daughters of your brethren, or among all my people, that you must go and get a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” (14:3) His parents tried their best to stop him from going down this path, but Samson just wouldn’t budge. All he could think about was how much he wanted this Philistine girl. And he told his parents, “Get her for me, for she pleases me well.” (14:3) And eventually Samson’s parents gave in, and with heavy hearts, his father, and his mother went with Samson to Timnah to arrange the reckless marriage.

After the three of them arrived in the town, Samson went off to tell the Philistine girl that he was there with his parents and that he wanted to get married. But on the way, while he was walking through a vineyard, he was suddenly attacked. At first, he probably couldn’t tell what it was that was attacking him…something was on top of him and biting him…and then Samson realized…it was a lion! Oh boy…he was dead for sure. But then the Bible says that, “the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him” (14:5). And you kidzos know what that means right? Yah, Samson got extra super-duper strong. And feeling this strength flowing through him, Samson turned to the huge lion, somehow got a hold of it, and…tore it apart with his bare hands like it was nothing…like he was ripping a piece of paper! Wow! That was crazy!

Now even though something incredible had happened, it seems that Samson didn’t know quite what to make of it. Because after the lion was dead, he just continued on his way. And when he found the Philistine girl, he didn’t even mention it to her. And then when he went back to his parents, he didn’t mention it to them either. Later when he went to visit the girl again, he decided to visit the dead body of the lion…and weirdly…he found a bee hive inside the body of the lion. And Samson took some of the honey out of the carcass and shared it with his parents…still not telling them anything about the lion (though probably this time it was because the Israelites weren’t supposed to eat anything that had touched a dead body…minor detail, right?).

But Samson didn’t forget about the whole lion thing, because later on, Samson would use it in a bet. Samson’s father eventually went down with him one more time to see the Philistine girl to get everything arranged for the wedding. And when they got to the girl’s house, Samson put together a 7-day wedding feast…which was kinda what they did in those days when getting married. And when some of the Philistine guests started arriving, seeing that Samson hadn’t been able to bring any friends (and probably seeing how big and strong Samson was), they decided that it might be a good idea to provide Samson with some friends. And so 30 young men came to be Samson’s “friends”…who were probably more like “back up”…ya know…just to make sure that nothing crazy happened with this big strong Israelite. And just as the feast was getting started, Samson decided that he wanted to have a little fun with his 30 supposed friends. And, as they did back in those days, Samson proposed a bet. And Samson said, “Let me pose a riddle to you. If you can correctly solve and explain it to me within the seven days of the feast, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing.  But if you cannot explain it to me, then you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing.” (14:12-13) So, if the Philistines answered his riddle correctly, then Samson would give them 30 outfits…one for each of his “friends”. But if they couldn’t answer his riddle, then they would all give Samson 30 outfits…probably the ones that they were wearing right at that very moment. The Philistines kinda looked at each other, and not wanting to back down from a challenge from an Israelite, said to him, “Pose your riddle.” (14:13)

And so, Samson posed the riddle to them, and said, “Out of the eater came something to eat, And out of the strong came something sweet.” (14:14) Now of course kidzos, we know exactly what Samson’s riddle is about…the dead lion with the honey in it. But the Philistines had never seen anything like that before. So for three days they wracked their brains trying to figure out what the answer could possibly be. What was something that eats, is strong, and gives something sweet? Nothing…ah! And by the end of the third day of the seven-day feast, the Philistines had become embarrassed and super frustrated…and they decided they were going to find out the answer to Samson’s riddle one way or the other. So, they went to Samson’s new wife and said, “Entice your husband, that he may explain the riddle to us, or else we will burn you and your father's house with fire. Have you invited us in order to take what is ours? Is that not so?” (14:15) So the Philistines basically told her, either find out the answer to the riddle, or we will burn you and your whole family to death. Yikes!

Of course, not wanting to die, Samson’s wife pushed him for the answer. And she said to him, “You only hate me! You do not love me! You have posed a riddle to the sons of my people, but you have not explained it to me.” (14:16) Samson, of course, was suspicious and basically told her that he hadn’t told the answer to anyone…not even his parents. So it wasn’t that he was just wasn’t telling her, but he wasn’t telling anyone. But this is where we learn that Samson’s weakness for pretty Philistine girls wasn’t just about rashly chasing after them…but that they could manipulate him…that if they pushed enough they could make him do whatever they wanted him to do. And Samson’s Philistine wife kept pestering him and pestering him for the answer, and the Bible says that “it happened on the seventh day that he told her, because she pressed him so much.” (14:17) Now, once Samson’s wife knew the answer to the riddle, what do you think she did? Yah that’s right…she immediately gave the answer to the Philistines. And on the seventh day of the feast, just as the sun was setting, within minutes the feast ending, the Philistines confidently strode up to Samson and told him the answer to his riddle. And they said, “What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?” (14:18) By hook or by crook, the Philistines had answered Samson’s riddle, and now Samson owed them 30 outfits.

Because Samson had only told one person the answer to his riddle, right away he knew what had happened…the Philistines had used his wife to get the answer. But even though the Philistines had kinda cheated, Samson still had to follow through with the bet. Samson had given his word…and you kidzos know what that means…Samson had to keep his word no matter what. But Samson was beyond angry. So, he said to himself, you know what…if they want 30 outfits…I’ll give them 30 outfits. And the Bible says that Samson, “went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty of their men, took their apparel, and gave the changes of clothing to those who had explained the riddle” (14:19) The Philistines had five capital cities – Ekron, Eglon, Ashdod, Gaza, and Ashkelon…the last being the city Samson went to. So Samson, livid with anger, just strode into one of the Philistine capital cities, killed 30 men, took their clothes, and walked all the way back to Timnah to make good on his bet. Pretty bold right? And after that, still angry from the whole thing, and feeling betrayed by his new wife, Samson just left them all and went back to his parent’s place to stew until he cooled off.

Wow so this Samson guy…he’s pretty intense, right? Interestingly, the Bible says that God, at least in part, had intended for much of this to happen. Back when Samson was first talking to his parents about marrying the Philistine girl, the Bible says that “it was of the Lord” because God was, “seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines.” (14:4) That is to say, because Samson had become friends with the Philistines, and because he didn’t really want to fight them like he was born to do, God needed Samson to go through an experience that would change his mind. And through this experience with the marriage feast, God showed Samson who his Philistines friend truly were…a brutal and treacherous people. A people who wouldn’t bat an eye at burning an innocent woman and her whole family to death…just to win a bet. But now that Samson knew the true nature of the Philistines, what was he going to do? Would he finally take the fight to the Philistines like he was born to do? Or would he stay friends with the Philistines? Well, we will find out all about it…next time.