Bible Character Spotlight: Samson

The Bible has its share of heroes. It also has at least one bonafide superhero: Samson. He would fit in well alongside comic superheroes like the Hulk. His life was full of incredible feats. When he was still young, he killed a lion with his bare hands (Judges 14:6). He single handedly beat up 30 men who cheated some other people in a contest to answer a riddle that Samson posed (Judges 14:19). He killed a thousand Philistines with a donkey’s jawbone when they attempted to attack him (Judges 15:14). His strength couldn’t be denied. In that regard, he’s drawn comparisons to characters from great stories from mythologies around the world, such as Hercules. In fact, many may not realize this, but Samson and Hercules actually met. Well...not in the Bible of course, but Hollywood has a way of making the strangest things happen, and the two characters were brought together in a movie called Hercules, Samson, and Ulysses. We’ve seen that type of thing before. There are several biblical stories and characters that are known to the masses regardless of whether or not they are believers because their stories are that intriguing.

Little quirks and comparisons like that might be interesting, but there is a difference between Biblical characters and characters from other stories. The Biblical stories don’t exist just to entertain. We are supposed to learn important lessons from them, and the story of Samson is no different. He wasn’t gifted with power because of a science experiment gone wrong like the Hulk. He wasn’t a demigod like Hercules. Samson was much closer to us in that his power wasn’t his own. It came from another source. Just look at the leadup to the incident with the 1000 Philistines:

As he approached Lehi, the Philistines came toward him shouting. The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax, and the bindings dropped from his hands. - Judges 15:14

Samson had great strength, but that strength was given to him by God. Everything he was able to do was because the Lord had blessed him. Samson knew that and kept the Lord at the head of his life...until he didn’t. Samson was heroic, but he wasn’t perfect and neither was his devotion to God. God gave Samson’s parents an instruction before he was even born.

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. - Judges 13:5

Back in Moses’ time, the Nazrites were introduced as a group that would take a vow and offer a special level of dedication to God. Part of the vow was abstaining from cutting one’s hair.

“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. - Numbers 6:5

Samson faithfully kept that vow, partially because he knew the secret of his power was in keeping that vow. However, he let his love for a woman, Delilah, override his better sense. He told her the secret of his power even after she had showed on more than one occasion that she wanted to find a weakness to exploit. Unsurprisingly, she used that information against him, and he paid the price for it.

Biblical heroes are flawed. This blog has noted that fact before. However, the realism expressed in those characters goes farther than that. Fictional heroes can be flawed too. Ironman had a drinking problem. Batman is constantly forced to joust with the morality of his violent vigilantism. They go through trials, but in the end they always come out on top, and they get to continue being heroes. We know that isn’t always the case for our real life heroes, and it isn't the case for biblical heroes either. Samson is a good example. He suffered greatly for his disobedience and foolish act with Delilah.

Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding grain in the prison. - Judges 16:21

The same happens with us. We’re not always obedient to God, and many times when we disobey his commands, misfortune finds us as a result. That doesn’t necessarily mean God is punishing us, although that might be the case. The truth is God’s commands were put in place largely to keep us safe from ourselves. When we break those commands we reap the negativity from which God was trying to protect us.

Samson was a true hero though, and to some extent, he was like the comic book heroes. He made a mistake, but in the end he did the right thing. He put his faith in God. He prayed, and he offered to sacrifice his life to strike out at God’s enemies just one more time. God granted his prayer, and Samson was allowed one more act of heroism before his death.

We can learn two very important lessons from Samson’s story. First, we should obey God, not just because it’s the right thing to do, but also because it’s what’s best for us. Second, even when we fall short, God is still with us. We need only reach back out to him, and we can be restored. Samson was a strong man, but not because of how much physical power he had. He was strong because he was a faithful servant of God, and each of us can demonstrate that same strength if that is what we desire.

Chris Lawyer

Image Courtesy of http://www.churchofjesuschrist.org