Samson's Beginning
The first biblical hero was a guy named Samson. Just like all super heroes, he had exceptional strength and fighting capabilities, but there's always that one thing that makes them, weak, vulnerable: human. Samson was another product of a miracle, his father and mother had tried to conceive for years, never could until they received directions from an angel. In return Samson's life was to be dedicated for God, and his hair never to be cut. His parents asked the angel to stay in their lives and help give guidance on raising the young child, but the angel denied. The story picks up with Samson, a young man at this time, going into a town named Timmah, finding a young Philistine. The Philistines at the time have rule and dominion over the Israelites, making this an almost impossible task for Samson's father to provide.
Samson's First Marriage
Samson is on his way back to Timmah after telling his parents about this woman and they walk together back to Timmah. Along the way the three were separated and a young lion roared and began to attack Samson. With his bare hands, Samson destroyed the lion, the first act of his super hero strength. Samson returned to the lion's carcass sometime later to find that bees had made their home and produced honey. With his bare hands again, he scooped down and took the honey, ate it on the way back into town and shared some with his parents.
A feast had been prepared for the marriage of Samson and the young Philistine and seeing his opportunity to impose his wit, Samson offered the Philistines a riddle. On the line, 30 of the finest garments, if the people could determine the answer it was theirs and if not vice versa. The riddle was, "Out of the eater came something to eat. Out of the strong came something sweet." Of course Samson was referring to the lion and the honey, but he had told no one, this was a riddle he should've surely won.
After 3 days of bothersome guessing, the men finally came up to Samson's wife, who still doesn't have a name, and said, "Tell us the answer or we're gonna bun you and your father's house in a fire." His wife came up to Samson and said "You hate me. Why haven't you told me the answer to the riddle?"
Samson replied, "I haven't even told my parents, why would I tell you." Remember Samson doesn't really know her. They haven't dated, they just met each other and were now married. His wife cried for the rest of the days, knowing her death was on the way until Samson broke down and finally told her.
The men came to Samson with the answer, and Samson was enraged. "If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have found out my riddle." Being true to his word Samson went into a nearby city, beat down 30 men, took their finest garments and returned them to the Philistines. Pissed, Samson returned to his father's house and his father gave his wife to his best friend. Savage.
With that anger bestowed upon him, revenge was on his mind. Samson wanted to pay a visit to his (former I guess) wife, but his father stopped him. "I gave your wife to your best friend, why not go for her little sister? Isn't she more attractive?"
Samson's Vengeance
Samson with revenge on his mind, caught 300 foxes and tied them by their tails in pairs together. He then carried them into Philistine, lit their tails on fire and set them free through the grains of the city. The whole place was on fire, and all the food for the Philistines had been burned up. The Philistines in retaliation burned his wife and father up. In response, Samson went through town beating and killing many of the Philistine's men.
Samson ran off to a nearby city Judah and hid in a cave. The Philistines of course came looking for Samson and the people of Judah came to deliver Samson over. After being promised that the Judah people wouldn't kill him their selves, Samson agreed to meet the Philistines. With a donkey jaw bone, Samson killed 1,000 Philistines. After doing such he said, "With a donkey's jawbone I have made donkeys of them. With a donkey's jawbone, I have killed a thousand men."
Samson "The Playa"
For the next 20 years Samson led the Israelite army. He came upon a city called Gaza where he saw a prostitute. Intrigued, Samson pitched a tent and allowed her to work. The people saw that Samson was in there city and vowed to kill him in the morning. Samson in the middle of the night decided to get up. He then took the doors of the city, still intact, ripped them apart and carried them up a hill that faced Hebron.
The first biblical hero was a guy named Samson. Just like all super heroes, he had exceptional strength and fighting capabilities, but there's always that one thing that makes them, weak, vulnerable: human. Samson was another product of a miracle, his father and mother had tried to conceive for years, never could until they received directions from an angel. In return Samson's life was to be dedicated for God, and his hair never to be cut. His parents asked the angel to stay in their lives and help give guidance on raising the young child, but the angel denied. The story picks up with Samson, a young man at this time, going into a town named Timmah, finding a young Philistine. The Philistines at the time have rule and dominion over the Israelites, making this an almost impossible task for Samson's father to provide.
Samson's First Marriage
Samson is on his way back to Timmah after telling his parents about this woman and they walk together back to Timmah. Along the way the three were separated and a young lion roared and began to attack Samson. With his bare hands, Samson destroyed the lion, the first act of his super hero strength. Samson returned to the lion's carcass sometime later to find that bees had made their home and produced honey. With his bare hands again, he scooped down and took the honey, ate it on the way back into town and shared some with his parents.
A feast had been prepared for the marriage of Samson and the young Philistine and seeing his opportunity to impose his wit, Samson offered the Philistines a riddle. On the line, 30 of the finest garments, if the people could determine the answer it was theirs and if not vice versa. The riddle was, "Out of the eater came something to eat. Out of the strong came something sweet." Of course Samson was referring to the lion and the honey, but he had told no one, this was a riddle he should've surely won.
After 3 days of bothersome guessing, the men finally came up to Samson's wife, who still doesn't have a name, and said, "Tell us the answer or we're gonna bun you and your father's house in a fire." His wife came up to Samson and said "You hate me. Why haven't you told me the answer to the riddle?"
Samson replied, "I haven't even told my parents, why would I tell you." Remember Samson doesn't really know her. They haven't dated, they just met each other and were now married. His wife cried for the rest of the days, knowing her death was on the way until Samson broke down and finally told her.
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| How Samson was depicted from the series, "The Bible." |
The men came to Samson with the answer, and Samson was enraged. "If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have found out my riddle." Being true to his word Samson went into a nearby city, beat down 30 men, took their finest garments and returned them to the Philistines. Pissed, Samson returned to his father's house and his father gave his wife to his best friend. Savage.
With that anger bestowed upon him, revenge was on his mind. Samson wanted to pay a visit to his (former I guess) wife, but his father stopped him. "I gave your wife to your best friend, why not go for her little sister? Isn't she more attractive?"
Samson's Vengeance
Samson with revenge on his mind, caught 300 foxes and tied them by their tails in pairs together. He then carried them into Philistine, lit their tails on fire and set them free through the grains of the city. The whole place was on fire, and all the food for the Philistines had been burned up. The Philistines in retaliation burned his wife and father up. In response, Samson went through town beating and killing many of the Philistine's men.
Samson ran off to a nearby city Judah and hid in a cave. The Philistines of course came looking for Samson and the people of Judah came to deliver Samson over. After being promised that the Judah people wouldn't kill him their selves, Samson agreed to meet the Philistines. With a donkey jaw bone, Samson killed 1,000 Philistines. After doing such he said, "With a donkey's jawbone I have made donkeys of them. With a donkey's jawbone, I have killed a thousand men."
Samson "The Playa"
For the next 20 years Samson led the Israelite army. He came upon a city called Gaza where he saw a prostitute. Intrigued, Samson pitched a tent and allowed her to work. The people saw that Samson was in there city and vowed to kill him in the morning. Samson in the middle of the night decided to get up. He then took the doors of the city, still intact, ripped them apart and carried them up a hill that faced Hebron.
Samson and Delilah
Along his travels Samson stopped in a place called Sorek and there he fell in love with a woman named Delilah. The two courted openly, enough for the Philistine men to notice. They stopped Delilah one day and told her to find out the truth about Samson's super strength, offering a large amount of money, hoping to defeat him. Delilah simply asked Samson one day where do you get your strength from, and with no hesitation, Samson lied and told her that if anyone ties him with 7 bow strings I'll become weak. Of course Delilah reported the news to the Philistines and they attacked. Samson snapped the bow strings like wet tissue paper. Delilah, on her mission to get her money, asked again and was met again with another lie. Samson told her this time to use new rope that has never been used before. When the Philistines showed again, just like the last time Samson ripped the new rope and defeated the men. Saddened, but still money hungry, Delilah tries again, Samson lies again, this time saying if you braid his hair it will make him weak. Again Samson's strength held true. Delilah nagged and cried and complained until the point where Samson told her the truth. Delilah took a sword and shaved Samson bald and when the Philistines came to capture him they succeeded. They gouged his eyes out and threw him into prison.
Samson's Death
Samson's hair began to grow back in prison, and so did the Lord and his strength. The people mocked Samson, used him as entertainment. While performing, Samson asked to be moved close to the pillars of the temple the men and women were watching. Samson said one last quick prayer, asking for the strength to finish his task. Samson placed his self between the two pillars and with his hands pushed the pillars apart, collapsing the building on to himself and to all the people. He killed all the rulers and all men and women who were attendance. He killed more Philistines there, then he killed people throughout his life.
My Takeaways
1. God uses all sorts of people to achieve his will. Samson by no means was perfect, nor was he smart. He isn't morally Good like, Joseph from last week, but still God found a way to use the large brute to defeat the Philistines for his glory. It's cool to see God use what he wants to get what he wants. Of course God could've made the Israelites strong fighting people and destroyed the Philistines, but the way he uses different people in different ways to achieve his goal is a direct correlation of how we don't have to fit a certain mold to be used by God.
2. "P***Y is undefeated." One of my favorite quotes from older men stands true in this story. The two time Samson took major losses in his life came from a woman. Both situations he held steadfast, but in the end he couldn't deny those women.
Along his travels Samson stopped in a place called Sorek and there he fell in love with a woman named Delilah. The two courted openly, enough for the Philistine men to notice. They stopped Delilah one day and told her to find out the truth about Samson's super strength, offering a large amount of money, hoping to defeat him. Delilah simply asked Samson one day where do you get your strength from, and with no hesitation, Samson lied and told her that if anyone ties him with 7 bow strings I'll become weak. Of course Delilah reported the news to the Philistines and they attacked. Samson snapped the bow strings like wet tissue paper. Delilah, on her mission to get her money, asked again and was met again with another lie. Samson told her this time to use new rope that has never been used before. When the Philistines showed again, just like the last time Samson ripped the new rope and defeated the men. Saddened, but still money hungry, Delilah tries again, Samson lies again, this time saying if you braid his hair it will make him weak. Again Samson's strength held true. Delilah nagged and cried and complained until the point where Samson told her the truth. Delilah took a sword and shaved Samson bald and when the Philistines came to capture him they succeeded. They gouged his eyes out and threw him into prison.
Samson's Death
Samson's hair began to grow back in prison, and so did the Lord and his strength. The people mocked Samson, used him as entertainment. While performing, Samson asked to be moved close to the pillars of the temple the men and women were watching. Samson said one last quick prayer, asking for the strength to finish his task. Samson placed his self between the two pillars and with his hands pushed the pillars apart, collapsing the building on to himself and to all the people. He killed all the rulers and all men and women who were attendance. He killed more Philistines there, then he killed people throughout his life.
My Takeaways
1. God uses all sorts of people to achieve his will. Samson by no means was perfect, nor was he smart. He isn't morally Good like, Joseph from last week, but still God found a way to use the large brute to defeat the Philistines for his glory. It's cool to see God use what he wants to get what he wants. Of course God could've made the Israelites strong fighting people and destroyed the Philistines, but the way he uses different people in different ways to achieve his goal is a direct correlation of how we don't have to fit a certain mold to be used by God.
2. "P***Y is undefeated." One of my favorite quotes from older men stands true in this story. The two time Samson took major losses in his life came from a woman. Both situations he held steadfast, but in the end he couldn't deny those women.
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