Samson Chapters Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen,

Samson

Chapters thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, and sixteen from the Book of Judges offer a thorough account regarding the biblical character of Samson. The Ancient Israelite was an actual Judge, considering that the angel of the Lord watched over him as he grew and assisted his parents in preparing him for the job. While most Judges in Ancient Israel were typically the same in character, Samson was unique, as he did not express a desire to lead his country's armies in warfare and never presided over Israel as the Judges that preceded and succeeded him. His main interest appeared to be in Philistines and in exploiting them to the fullest, a task that in most cases involved murdering them in large numbers (The Disciplined Order of Christ).

In spite of the fact that he comes to rule over Israel, Samson has no leadership abilities, as his main asset is his supernatural strength, which assists him in performing warfare against Israel's enemies, the Philistines. Samson is a warrior in character, thus his lack of hesitation to use violence whenever he encounters difficulty in making use of his intelligence (Elazar).

One would expect Samson to have performed a greater number of acts to help his nation, given that the supernatural powers God provided him with could assist him in doing this. Instead, it appears that he somewhat wasted his powers on rather insignificant activities, which were mainly related to his own interests. The Ancient Israelite is most probably a reference to the fact that the people of Israel were initially pressured by the Philistines. Samson's story involves a moral, showing how his extraordinary physical power was initially used inconsiderately and eventually lost because of Samson's nature (Merriam-Webster's encyclopedia of literature).

Samson's story is intriguing because of the fact that his mission is already clear to his parents before he is actually born. God's angel informs his tutors regarding the fact that their son is meant to start an era of deliverance, separating the people of Israel from the oppressive Philistines (Jackson).

In view of the fact that Samson's mission is quite glorious and that he is carefully prepared for it by God's angel and by his parents, it would seem perfectly natural for this individual to complete his task painstakingly and go through great efforts in order to put across his loyalty toward God. Instead, the character dissatisfies most expectations and proves to be guided mainly by his personal interests; for the most part disregarding God and the mission he was given (Jackson).

Samson is unique because of a series of elements relating to his existence. First of all, he is the only Judge whom the Book of Judges thoroughly describes, as his whole life is related to in the document. The angel presenting itself before Samson's mother insists on the fact that the man needs to remain a Nazirite in order for him to keep his powers, meaning that "Samson is placed even before he is born under a vow meant to safeguard his life and guarantee his power" (Nelson 52). Samson is shown as being God's tool, meant to serve His creator by defeating the Philistines.

The events described in chapters fourteen and fifteen from the Book of Judges provide a comprehensive account on the subject of Samson's involvement in punishing the Philistines. During these episodes Samson's takes on his mission and Israel's tyrants feel God's power through him. Samson's desire to marry a non-Israelite is perceived by most (including his parents) as being a direct insult to all that the Ancient Israelite society stood for. However, it is obviously God's intention for Samson to do so, since this makes it possible for him to initiate a conflict with the Philistines (Nelson 53).

The scene when Samson kills an attacking lion proves the man's character, given that he is shown to respond with violence only when he is directly threatened. This strengthens the belief that Samson is actually noble in his character, given that it is his sole intention to live in peace. In spite of his noble character, Samson's behavior mainly has destructive consequences, both for himself and for the people around him. The lion's killing proves that Samson is not a tyrant, but that he merely wants to protect himself when left with no other option than to do so. The lion is also the reason for which he is forced to use his destructive power against the Philistines. Samson does not hesitate to present the guests at his wedding with an interesting riddle related to the lion's carcass. However, he does not understand the risks he faces by attempting to deal with the Philistines, since they prove to be perverted in character. In view of the fact that it is impossible for them to generate the answer to the riddle without making use of their wickedness, the Philistines resort to intimidating Samson's wife in an attempt to force her get the riddle's answer from him (Nelson 54).

Samson proves to be no match for his wife and immediately tells the answer to the riddle, directly exposing himself before his enemies. The Philistines are thus able to resolve the riddle and win the bet, making Samson aware of his wife's weak nature. However, proving that he is a very intelligent individual, Samson quickly responds to their success with another riddle relating to how he is conscious of the fact that the Philistines were not honorable in admitting their defeat. Even when he accepts having lost the bet, Samson is unwilling to produce the garments promised to the Philistines and instead kills thirty Philistines he comes across with the purpose of stealing their clothing.

Israel's enemies once again express their despicability through rejecting Samson's right to marry the women he wishes, allowing her to marry someone else instead and further influencing Samson's anger. The Nazirite is unwilling to accept compromise when the father of her loved one tries to offer the hand of his younger daughter to him. As a reaction to the tainted nature conveyed by the Philistines, Samson takes three hundred foxes and attaches fire to their tails, releasing them onto the Philistine fields with the intention of destroying their crops and thus their source of food. Infuriated by this act, the Philistines respond irrationally and murder both Samson's loved one and her father. Samson's answer is terrible, as he proceeds to murder Philistines in large numbers (Jackson).

The fact that Samson was a good strategist is once again visible when his own people are ordered to take him to the Philistines (who then ruled over Israel) and he appears to show no reluctance to accept this. When the Philistines believe that they have him however, he breaks away from his detention and kills one thousand of his enemies with the jawbone of a donkey. God apparently encouraged this mass-murder, since it was Him who assisted Samson in going through with the act (Jackson).

Samson's courage is perfectly exemplified when he travels to Gaza, which was then one of the most imposing Philistine strongholds. Hearing that Samson is in their most praised cities the Philistines attempt to capture him, but he escapes, further adding to their irritation as he removes the gates from the stronghold's entrance (Jackson).

In spite of his determination to impose his standpoint over the Philistines Samson demonstrates his weakness once again when he falls in love with Delilah. From the very first moments of their relationship is seems that Delilah feels little to no attraction toward Samson, as she is more interested in exploiting their connection (The Disciplined Order of Christ) While it seems illogical for God to support an individual who is more interested in his personal affairs than in helping his people and thus accomplishing his mission, matters gradually become clearer as it is revealed that God uses Samson's weakness as a method of punishing the Philistines. According to human regulations God's actions are difficult to understand, but seeing the aftermath of his actions one can observe that the divine is always rights.

From the very first moments when Samson decides to go against the laws of his people one can see that God is not necessarily interested in the hero's well-being, as He simply wants Samson to be His instrument. Samson's parents are unaware that it is actually God's intention to have Samson involved with a Philistine woman and they are reluctant to support him in doing this.

It is however not clear whether God influenced Samson in choosing a Philistine as his bride or if God only attempts to get the best out of a morally wrong situation. The most probable relationship between God and Samson in the latter's decision to marry a Philistine was that God did not wish to influence Samson in any way, as He presented Samson with freedom of choice. In spite of that fact that Samson made a wrong choice, God nonetheless managed to use it to its full potential so as to have his subject fight the Philistines.

It is difficult to determine whether or not Samson was a real life character whose attributes were amplified in the Book of Judges. Even with that, it is very likely that he actually existed, given that it would be irrational for someone to write regarding an Israelite who committed acts that were morally wrong.