Readings for today: Judges 14-18
I grew up in church. Sunday school every weekend. Learning the Bible stories via flannel board. Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Noah on his ark. Moses parting the Red Sea. Joshua and the battle of Jericho. One of my favorites was Samson. For a young boy, what’s not to like? Strength. Power. One man winning victory after victory culminating in a final heroic act of self-sacrifice where Samson literally brings the roof down on his enemies!
As I got older, I began to learn about all the stuff my Sunday school teachers left out. Rightfully, by the way, as I was too young to understand. Adam and Eve’s rebellion and descent into sin. Noah and his family being saved but at incredible cost. Moses parting the Red Sea but often ending up in these violent clashes that would end in entire families being wiped out. Joshua devoting entire cities to destruction. And Samson. A moral train wreck of a man. Selfish. Immature. A man who seems to use his God-given gifts for his own gain and self-gratification. What are we to make of such heroes? The Bible seems full of them. Broken, frail, sinful men and women who are subsequently enshrined in the great “Hall of Fame” of faith in Hebrews 11?
First and foremost, we are to see them as they are...not as we wish they would be. They are human beings. As such, they are sinners just like us. People whom God chooses to use despite their shortcomings and failings. By the way, this is one of the best arguments for the trustworthiness of Scripture. It paints an honest picture of God’s chosen people. Putting their weaknesses on display right alongside their strengths. Compare that to the sacred writings of other major world religions where heroes are whitewashed to perfection.
Second, we are to look beyond them to the true source of their strength. The true source of their wisdom. The true source of all their miracles and great victories. It is the Spirit of the Lord that rushes on Samson and gives him the ability to tear a lion apart. Kill a bunch of Philistines with the jawbone of an ass. Trap and tie torches to hundreds of foxes. Tear off a city gate. Bring an entire building down around him. This is not Samson’s doing. It has very little to do with the length of his hair. That’s superstitious nonsense! Not cutting his hair was simply an outward sign of the Nazirite Vow his parents had taken on his behalf before he was even conceived. (Judges 13:2-5) Keeping the vow was a sign of his devotion and dedication to the Lord, the true source of his strength. When he treated his vow casually by allowing his wife to manipulate him, his strength left him. Again, not because of his hair but because he had despised the Lord.
Finally, the entire book of Judges is meant to lead us to despair. Each judge over Israel seems less and less capable of leading well. They are increasingly morally compromised. Increasingly they lose sight of the One True God. Increasingly they abandon the ways of the Lord and follow their own paths. In fact, the city of Dan - a major city in the Northern Kingdom of Israel - will continue to be a city known for its idolatry. Jeroboam will put one of his golden calves here in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles. So what begins with violence and idolatry by the tribe of Dan will continue until the day God sends the Assyrians to wipe out the northern kingdom altogether.
Why drive us to such despair? To teach us yet again of our need for God. Over and over again, the same narrative is reinforced. Humanity is hopeless. From Adam and Eve to the Great Flood. From Noah to the Tower of Babel. From Abraham to slavery in Egypt. From Moses to the end of Judges. With each generation, man’s inhumanity to man only grows. Only increases. Only becomes more pervasive. And we would be lost except for God. He continues to pursue us. He continues to reach out to us. He continues to be faithful even in the face of our unfaithfulness. The climax of the Biblical story is, of course, something we celebrate on Holy Week. Jesus’ suffering and death and resurrection is God’s ultimate and final victory over humanity’s sin and the curse of death.
Readings for tomorrow: Judges 19-21