Judges (7) Pt. 4 | Life Of Samson (Ch.13-16)

We are going to be introduced to Samson, basically the Biblical Hercules.

Barren Mother Given Help

Ch. 13 – As in the past, Israel had done evil in the sight of God, and God had them handed over to the Philistines.

Samson’s mother was barren, and the angel of the Lord appeared to her. He told her that she would bear a son, but she needed not to drink. If she followed what the angel of the Lord told her, and no razor would touch his head. Her son would deliver them from the Philistines.

Samson’s Riddle

Ch. 14- Samson grows up and falls in love with a woman. He desires to have her as his wife. But his parents knowing she isn’t of Israel try to persuade him to marry someone else. However, God wanted this to happen in Samson’s life. He made his way back towards the woman’s home, and a lion approaches him. Samson tears the lion’s apart with his bare hands, but he doesn’t tell his parents. The woman is pleased with him.

Later on, a few days later, Samson passes by the carcass of the lion; within the lion, bees are swarming around honey.

He took some of the honey, ate some, and later gave some to his parents. He didn’t tell them where the honey came from.

Remember, Israelites were not supposed to touch dead carcasses, let alone eat something from within the carcass.

Samson was married by this time, and he held a feast. Thirty companions are invited. Samson gets the idea to pose a riddle. Should anyone figure it out he would give them thirty garments, but should he win, he would receive the garments.

The companions couldn’t figure it out, and being Philistines they threaten Samson’s wife, telling her they will kill her if she doesn’t find out the answer.

She then pleads to Samson to tell her the answer, saying that he hates her if he doesn’t tell her. After a week, on the last day, Samson finally tells her after bearing with her. The companions then answer him the riddle. Samson retorts back to them if they had not bothered his wife, they wouldn’t have known.

He proceeds to kill thirty men, and take garments of the ones who explained the riddle. During this time, his wife is given to one of the companions.

Samson’s Revenge 

Ch. 15– Samson goes to the father of his wife, and wants to be with his wife. Her father was convinced he hated her, so she was given away as someone’s wife. The father tells Samson he could have the younger sister. Instead, Samson ties up foxes with torches and the foxes run through the Philistine’s fields, destroying the grain.

The Philistines become angry, wondering what happened. When they find out it was Samson’s doing they burn his wife, and her father with fire.

Samson seeks revenge.

The Philistines talk to the people of Judah demanding Samson be turned over to them. As the people have already been oppressed they tell Samson they will arrest him, and hand him over.

Samson makes them promise they will not kill him, and they agree. They won’t kill him but bound him.

That’s all Samson needs.

Given over to the Philistines, the Spirit of the Lord comes over him. The ropes easily broke around him. Samson takes the jaw bone of a donkey and kills one thousand men.

As soon as this happens, Samson becomes extremely thirsty and complains to God that now he will die in the land. God has water shoot up from the water, and Samson quenches his thirst.

Samson judged for twenty years.

Fall Of Samson 

Ch.16- Samson eventually falls for a woman named Delilah. She is told to find out Samson’s weakness. Delilah tries to manipulate him saying to him, “You don’t love me.” He first tells her if he is bound by new ropes, then his strength with go. She ties him up, and he easily escapes. She says he is mocking her. He then says if his hair is tied in looms, which she does, and he escapes. At this point, she continues to say he doesn’t love her.

Eventually, as scripture says, he was vexed to death, so he tells her the truth. His hair has never been cut.

Delilah lulls him to sleep and has men cut the seven locks on his head. She tortures him, and then, as before, tells him the Philistines are upon him. Only this time, he couldn’t escape, the Lord had departed from him.

Samson’s eyes are taken, and he is blind. He becomes a prisoner, but his hair does start to grow back again.

The Philistines believe that their god handed Samson over them. They celebrated in their temple and had Samson brought out to perform for them. After he was done, he requested to lean against the temple’s pillar. He cries out to the Lord for God to remember him, and strengthen him. For this last time, let him have revenge for them taking his eyes. Let them die with him.

Strength is given to him, and he knocks down the pillar, making the whole temple fall.

The number who died that day was the largest Samson had ever defeated combined.

• Something we can definitely take away from these chapters is that though Samson broke rules, God still used him. Though the Lord departed from him in the end, Samson was not utterly forsaken. He was remembered, and God helped him in the end.

---

We are almost done!!!

What do you like about Samson’s story?

 

 

 

Advertisement