Samson

Origin around divine activity.

Samson’s birth was of divine orchestration. An angel comes to visit Manoah and his wife (who are childless) and proclaims God’s divine favor on them. The angel foretells of the birth of Samson and that Samson will be the instrument of God in throwing out Philistine oppression over the Israelites. Divine birth narratives: Isaac, Samuel, John The Baptist, and Jesus.

God uses ordinary people to accomplish His will.

Samson was a member of the tribe of Dan. His parents were of no renown. When visited by the angel of the Lord they offered to prepare a young goat. Goat offerings came from poorer families. He was a judge. He was a Nazirite. Numbers 6:1-21.

Didn’t drink wine or eat grapes.

Didn’t defile touching dead things.

Didn’t cut his hair.

Samson is an anti-hero. An anti-hero is a her that lacks conventional heroic attributes.

Batman, Jack Sparrow, Jack Bauer, Walter White, and John Rambo.

Have some deep character flaws but this is where Samson fits.

Samson breaks every vow of the Nazirite.

Samson blatantly disregards any commands of God or observes Levitical Law and does not concern himself with how he affects those around him.

Samson is the only Nazirite that has a life long consecration to this life.

Before birth even his mother was not to drink fermented grapes.

Samson, breaks every law concerning the vow.

He eats honey from the carcass of a lion and even gives some to his parents. (He corrupts)

He is a drunkard

He allows his head to be shaved.

Samson’s story is Israel’s

Samson was set apart to be holy in service to God’s plan and to serve the people Israel through bringing them freedom and separation from the Philistines that had encroached upon and over them.

Samson, instead of committing himself to the authority of God and exalted himself to his own will.

Samson’s outward strength was matched by his inward weakness.

Thus the willful breaking of the Nazirite Code.

Samson lived for his own satisfaction and bodily hungers.

The story of Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel reverberate as a foreshadowing.

His arrogance and self reliance allowed him to be subdued and captured.

Ate from a carcass of a dead lion. Drank wine, and sought a Philistine wife.

He entertained prostitutes

Samson defiled himself in every way.

The story of Samson parallels the Israel. Samson, was chosen before his birth to be a Nazirite and Judges ends with “the people lived as they saw was right in their own eyes”

Samson in his last days repented (hair regrowth is symbolic) and submitted to God’s righteous power and with it he was empowered to exact a victory over the Philistines that weakened their hold over the people Israel.

Samson had belief in God but did not believe God. Samson’s life was of selfish, childish, undisciplined behavior. Unchecked power that cause massive amounts of grief. But in the end despite all that Samson had down wrong and how far away he held God, in the darkness of the cell, in the struggle of pushing a mill stone, in the darkness of his life he realized, he needed God. When all of his strength was gone. When there was no rescue, no way out, no hope he reached out to God. And you know something God was there. That’s the thing, we can ditch God all we want and we can live like God is nothing in our lives but when that darkness finally comes and we realize our great need, we can cry out, we can reach out, and God will be there.

God gives Samson inward power that pours out in extraordinary ability.

What can we learn?

As Christians we are called by God to lead holy lives.

Matt 5:48, 1 Peter 1:14-15

OT holiness: Wholeness and Purity

The OT concept of perfection involves two main ideas: wholeness and purity. Wholeness is related to perfection because when someone or something is perfect, that person or thing is complete and entire. Hence, perfection means that nothing is lacking, and bringing something to its full measure means making it perfect.

11 Adriani Milli Rodrigues, “Perfection,” ed. Douglas Mangum et al., Lexham Theological Wordbook, Lexham Bible Reference Series (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014).

How can we avoid the slippery slope of pride and ego that Samson embraced?

Guard your heart. Phil. 4:-6-7, Prov. 4:23, Luke 21:34

Set your hearts on the things of God: Eph. 4:1, Col. 3:2, Phil 4:8, Prov. 4:7

Methodism is designed to propagate holiness.

With God’s help we can!

We cannot rely on our appetites and strength for we are prone to sinfulness. Submit to God and crucify everything that is against God that is within us.