God’s Foot
Then the woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson; and the child grew up and the Lord blessed him. And the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol. Judges 13:24-25 NASB
To stir – Samson. We know the story, don’t we? At least we know the highlights. Don’t forget the lion and the bees, the two hundred foreskins and, most of all, Delilah. But those climactic episodes tend to overlook the flaws in Samson’s character and the way God is involved in this representation of flawed Israel. And it all begins here, with Samson’s name, childhood and the Spirit.
“The usual verb for the descent of the spirit on a judge—a verb which will be applied to Samson at 14:19—is ṣālaḥ. Only here do we have the verb pa’em, and, indeed, only here in the entire Bible is that verb used in a transitive (pi’el) form. The basic meaning of the root, from a term meaning ‘foot,’ is to stamp or pound (thus the sundry modern translations that render it here as ‘to move’ are rather weak) . . . [T]he only other times that the root pa’em occurs in the Bible as a verb are to indicate the inner turmoil of a dreamer awakening from a disturbing dream (Gen. 41:8 and . . . Dan. 2:1 and 3.”[1]
In other words, it’s God who gets the ball rolling. In fact, we might even question whether or not Samson would have done any of his mighty acts against the Philistines if it were not for God kicking him into gear. Samson turns out to be a self-possessed, arrogant, headstrong rebel, against his enemies and against God’s purposes. But time and again YHVH intervenes and pushes him into action, often in ways that Samson seems not to be able to resist. The results are disastrous for the Philistines, but Samson looks more like a tool in God’s hand than a self-aware, freely willing agent. In the full story, Samson makes a deliberate choice to align himself with God’s purposes only in his death.
Samson is the last of the judges. After his life, Israel collapses into near anarchy. The book of Judges catalogues the decline of Israel through apostasy until at last the people reach the place where they cry out for a king (also not the intention of YHVH) simply to bring some sort of order to existence. But Samson is more than this. He is also a living example of a man whose denial of God’s claim on his life led to terrible external and internal conflicts. He is one of us when we decide that our way is the better choice. Perhaps we should read the Samson story, not for its feats of strength and cunning but for its pathos—a man struggling to find God in the midst of pain, power and rebellion.
In the end, Samson is mentioned among the heroes of the faith (Hebrews 11:32). So are several other men in Judges. All of them seem to be outside our usual parameters. But maybe God isn’t quite as strict as we are. Sometimes He just gives a swift kick.
Topical Index: Samson, ṣālaḥ, rush, pa’em, to stamp, Judges 13:25
[1] Robert Alter as cited in Barry Webb, The Book of Judges, p. 359.
A person who aligns themselves outside of God’s purpose has no real purpose of their own. They exist as a chip on the current; reacting to life instead of lining up with it. Samson was one step behind his entire life. There was no order to his life; it was one random event after another. It appears he had no domestic bliss, no children, and no legacy. At that point, the humblest shepherd was probably better off than he, personally. What a miserable existence. Still, being a tool in the hand of God is better than being one in the hand of the devil. In the end, Samson embraced his tool status (humbled up to the reality of his life). He died at the one most alive moment of his life. He finally had learned HOW to live. May we all figure out how to live before we die, too.
Heroism is at best a person choosing to act on or out of the influence of many factors, “inherited” natural and divine abilities, timing, and circumstances, etc., and may have very little to do with the “greatness” of the person him- or herself. The “heroes” of the faith are more a reflection and testimony of the “Great One” Himself than the one being called the “hero”.
“For by grace you have been saved THROUGH FAITH. And THIS IS NOT FROM YOURSELVES—IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD. It is NOT BASED ON DEEDS, so that NO ONE MAY BOAST. For we are HIS WORKMANSHIP—CREATED in Messiah Yeshua FOR GOOD DEEDS, WHICH GOD PREPARED BEFOREHAND so we might walk in them.” [Eph 2:8-10]
We are, largely, all He has to work with, besides every other created being in the cosmos, with all our warts, wanderings, and weaknesses. Yet, we boast, either in secret or more brazenly right out in the open before YHWH and man.
Even today, I read an invitation in my inbox about an event being planned to “honor” a man who founded an international coaching organization by which I was trained to train and coach leaders in ministry, business and personal life. During this event he is inviting others to come and honor his past, present, and future legacy, while continuing to promote the advancement his and his “disciples” business-ministry for money and the advancing of “the kingdom of god”. Though I am no longer affiliated, I have yet personally benefited from the training I received from this man and organization., and so do others through the work that I do in serving them.
GO FIGURE! All esteem be unto HIM, THE GREAT ONE, THE TRUE HERO OF OUR FAITH!
I have tended to us the concept of hitting about the head and shoulders with a 2×4. But then, I did more with wood than I did with football.
Rabbi Jacob Rosenberg gave an insightful sermon on Sampson last year. Only 5 times does the Bible mention, “and the Spirit of the Lord stirred him.” Sampson’s story is one of those 5 times. Sampson was one of the Judges of Israel and probably the most self destructive person in Scripture. But his story is also a reminder of how the Lord never leaves or forsakes us. Throughout his life, Sampson has vision, but ironically, it’s not until he is physically blind at the end that he actually “sees” (and actually prays.) The sermon can be heard at AdatHatikvah(dot)org Then click on “Sermons” near the top. Then, at the very bottom, click on p. 5 (in the black bar.) It will be the sermon on July 30, 2016: The Holy Spirit: Stirred Up. It’s excellent.
I wonder if Samson’s story is more about YHVH’s refusing to let him go than it is about never leaving him. Samson does everything to reject his calling and each time YHVH interferes by causing Samson to act in violent way, inciting the anger of the Philistines. If it weren’t for this interference, Samson would have happily accommodated himself to the way of life of the invaders. God pushes him over the edge. That means, of course, that God doesn’t leave him, but it seems to me that this is not out of care for Samson but rather out of determination to fulfill His purposes despite the consequences to Samson.
Perhaps God’s purposes in our lives are 3-fold…to love us, to teach us and to use us simultaneously. The “teaching” was harsh for Sampson, but in the end, the Philistines were destroyed, and Sampson finally understood and embraced his God appointed role as Judge. I believe he died knowing he had been used by God and also loved in spite of all his self destructive choices along the way. That should be an “upper” for all of us to reflect on. ?
interesting comment–a little beyond the average which is that Samson was a good example of a bad example. Perhaps it is best to say that Samson is presented in the narrative as a symbol of Israel. Like Israel God used him to accomplish great things, and like Israel he was constantly following his flesh, as shown in his 3 ill-fated romances. The really great part about Samson is that he is also a type of Christ. The hallmarks of his recorded life are repeated betrayals and unrequited love–same things Christ got from Israel. Samson was betrayed by his fiancee’, by his best man, by 3,000 men of Judah, and by Delilah. He never received love in response to his devotion or deeds. His greatest victory was gained in his death. Delilah represents Israel as the languishing vine that should have produced grapes like those which were also grown in Eschol. The number 3 has high repetition in the Samson narrative. One of these is in the repetition of the phrase “then I would become powerless; I would become like any other man.” The Lord Jesus became like any other man when He died for our sins.