“The Story of Samson” (Part One)

His Spiritual Legacy

Everyone seems to know about Samson, if not from the Bible perhaps from a Hollywood movie. His story is found in the Bible in the book of Judges. He is the last of the judges in Israel—a line that begins with Gideon and ends with this strong man, Samson, who was a colossal failure as a leader. And yet he had a rich spiritual legacy:

• His parents were godly. If there is a hero in this story, it’s Samson’s mother. And, strangely, she is unnamed. Samson’s father, Manoah, seems to be playing catch up spiritually throughout the story. But his wife is on the cutting edge.
• His birth is unique. There are four mothers in the Old Testament— Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, and Hannah—who were childless and then through prayer and the intervention of God later gave birth to a famous son: Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Samuel. So when a divine intervention occurs for the wife of Manoah, it is expected that her son will be famous. Honesty says he was a failure.
• His lifestyle was unique. When the angel of God appeared, this was his announcement: “Indeed now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. Now therefore, please be careful not to drink wine or similar drink, and not to eat anything unclean. 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” (Judges 13:3-5).

The standards of the Nazirite vow introduce us to the topic of biblical separation. Today it continues to remain a topic of vital interest to the church. Dr. William Brown, President of Cedarville University, wrote in the school magazine that there are three possible approaches to the question of separation: We can be disgusted and isolate, be delighted and assimilate, or be distressed and engage today’s culture. A cursory reading of the story of Samson reveals that his approach was to be assimilated into Philistine culture mainly through marriages. This led to spiritual disaster.

Next time we will continue exploring the story of Samson and pursue the topic of fatal attractions. Your comments are welcome.