Bible Verse: “Then Samson prayed to the Lord, ‘Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.’” (Judges 16:28)
Scripture Reading: Judges 13:1–16:31
We come to the character who used to be my hero in Scripture.
When I was a child, I was fascinated by the strength of Samson…though I was never tempted to imitate the hair. But as I have grown up and learned to read Scripture better, I have realized that the flannelgraph version of the strongman was just a fairytale.
The real story of the man whose strength was tied to his hair (though the hair was merely symbolic and not magical) is a dark and sad tale of an immoral and selfish man.
Samson’s life was ruled by his baser urges. It was his sex drive and his ego, not the suffering of his own people, that was the driving factor behind his assaults on the Philistines who were oppressing Israel.
Samson’s libido even led him to marry a Philistine woman! We should read that with a slack jaw. God’s chosen deliverer marrying someone from the oppressing people!
Samson’s story illustrates just how bad things have gotten in Israel. Samson’s concern is not God’s honour or Israel’s safety and well-being. Samson is the paradigm of a narcissist. He is consumed with his own desires and ego; he takes lethal vengeance on those who damage his ego.
At no point in his short and violent life do we see any sort of commitment to God (other than not cutting his hair, but that is arguably a commitment for selfish reasons). Make no mistake, God still uses him, but Samson’s story is meant to be the culmination (bottoming out?) of the story of Israel at this time.
Even in his death, Samson was only concerned for himself and his ego. “Then Samson prayed to the Lord, ‘Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes’” (Judges 16:28, emphasis added). Samson is not concerned with avenging God or freeing Israel from oppression, but only himself.
He is far from God, but God is not far from him or from Israel. He never was/is.
Prayer: God, if I’m honest, there are selfish motives behind many things I do. I am concerned about my own reputation and pride. I follow the desires of my moment without considering what You may want. Help me see my motivations clearly and surrender them to You. Amen.
Reflection: What have you been asking God for? Why?
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