In Honor of the God of Hope

Sermon on Judges 16:23-31

Introduction

Someone describes Samson’s death as “one final climatic act of violence”[1]! Some has called it “Holy Revenge” (Joost van den Vondel)! Was Samson’s death a victory or a tragedy? If it is a victory, why would a morally good God vindicate someone as immoral as Samson? Not just a personal vindication, but in full splendid glory in his death? If it is seen as a tragedy, and that he died in shame together with the Philistines, why was his name amongst the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11? What is the significance of Samson’s death?

Let’s look carefully at the passage and see what it reveals to us. Today’s story seems rather straight forward. On a broad stroke, it can be divided into three sections: 1) Philistines’ Celebration (vv. 23-28), 2) Samson’s Prayer (v. 28), and 3) God’s Vindication (vv. 29-31). But if we dig deeper, there are some questions yet to be answered. The moral character of Samson is no longer in question. After last week’s comprehensive sermon preached by Pastor Daniel, one could easily imagine Samson to be possibly the worst judge in the history of Israel. He is lustful, violent, quick-tempered, self-centered and vindictive! Over the course of his life, we have seen the downward spiral of his decline, and also of Israel’s. From killing of 30 men at Ashkelon to killing 1000 men with just a jawbone of a donkey, Samson was a terror to the Philistines. He has an unquenchable appetite for destruction!

Philistines’ Celebration

At last, we arrive at the final chapter of Samson’s life. Samson is now blind and has lost his super-human strength. But the saddest part of his life is that he did not even realize that the Lord has left him (v. 20). After revealing the secret of his strength to Delilah, the Philistines captured him, shaved his head and tortured him. The mighty Samson has fallen. To the one who laid waste their land and had slain many Philistines, it’s finally pay-back time. All the rulers of the Philistines were present, a total of about 3000 men and women were on the roof watching Samson perform on that fateful day. But instead of killing Samson when they had the chance to, they ridiculed him. While they were in high spirits, they shouted “Bring out Samson to entertain us”. They made a mockery out of him. This is when they made the mistake of underestimating Samson. He may be blind and weak, but he is not stupid. He is not without a plan. Sweet revenge is on his mind.

He tricked the servant who held his hand, and was supporting him. Samson asked him to put him at where he could feel the pillars of the temple. Hidden behind an innocent request to lean against the central pillars for support, lies a devious plan for revenge.

Samson’s Prayer

28 Then Samson prayed to the LORD, "O Sovereign LORD, remember me. O God, please strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes." The first part of Samson’s prayer was beautiful. “O Sovereign Lord, remember me.” A simple and earnest prayer to God to remember us in our despair. Ps. 106:4 has something similar, 4Remember me, O LORD, when you show favour to your people, come to my aid when you save them.” But what follows is a vindictive prayer. Revengeful! Samson was getting personal! Give me back my strength so that I can take revenge for my eyes! For Samson, whose name bears the meaning of being “of the sun”; to be made blind is an unspeakable insult! The bearer of light is now blind.

Many in history have personified Samson as a type of Christ. Samson and Christ suffered under the hands of their enemies. The Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson just as it came upon Jesus in the wilderness during the temptation by Satan. And so, in v. 30, “Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived,” would be interpreted as a vindication of Samson. Just as how God has vindicated Christ on the cross, God had also vindicated Samson. That in the end, just like how Christ delivered all sinners through his death on the cross, Samson also delivered Israel through his death at the Temple of Dagon. This is theologically unsound. A common mistake faced by preachers. This happens when we try to see the person Christ in every passage of the Bible, esp. in the OT. By doing so, we would have misinterpreted the meaning or the message of the text. We can and should preach about Christ at every opportunity but it is wrong to see Christ present in every part of the Bible.

While there may be some similarities between Samson and Christ, for the most part, Samson’s self-gratifying and self-centered life contrasts sharply against Christ’s self-giving and self-sacrificial life. As Israel’s deliverer, Samson has failed at all counts. He is no Messiah; he is no Christ. Samson has been an antithesis to who he was supposed to be.

Even his prayer fails in comparison with the Philistines. They gave thanks to their God as a nation, but Samson’s prayer has no corporate sense. There is no thought for the nation he is supposed to deliver. Samson started his prayer well, asking God to remember him and strengthen him once more, but it quickly became a prayer for personal revenge! In a way it is fair to say that Samson never saw himself as Israel’s deliverer. In these twenty years as the last judge of Israel, Samson never once led Israel as their military leader, unlike Barak or Gideon. His battles were almost always personal. Samson was also the only judge to have died in battle with the enemy.

God’s Vindication

As a Nazirite, he was supposed to be set apart for God’s work of deliverance from the Philistines, but instead, he lived like one of them, in total assimilation to their culture. Even in his death, he wants to die with them. In v. 30, Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” One commentator puts it rather succinctly. “Samson wanted to “live” with the Philistines in life and wants to die with them in death.” Can you believe this guy? In an ironical way, even his death wish was to be with them. Samson is no hero in the traditional sense. But yet Hebrews 11 lists his name as one of the heroes of faith? Why? Was Samson a hero? Was he faithful? The question we ask is why did God, knowing full well that Samson’s final request was self-centered and revengeful, vindicate Samson?

The heroes of faith listed in Hebrews 11 are not examples of spiritual faithfulness. The writer of Hebrews is simply picking names which are familiar to his audience. The writer is not making evaluative statements concerning each and is not ranking them in any order of spirituality. As the writer summarizes the history of God’s dealing with the human race, especially in the history of the nation of Israel, these individuals have been commended for their faith in some ways.

Not every aspect of their lives is an example for us to follow. But rather, it tells us that somehow these individuals have manifested faith, even Samson, at the smallest degree. Even Samson had shown faith in God. Samson is not the most faithful when you compare him with Abraham or Moses, but he did have faith as small as a mustard seed. He did cry out to God in his final prayer, even though it was self-centered and revengeful. He believed in God even when he has lost faith in himself. Samson was commended for his faith as one “whose weakness was turned to strength” by God (Heb. 11:34).

In Judges 16:22, the text tells us specifically that his hair grew back. Why such a special mention by the author? Did Samson get back his strength because his hair grew back? Does the source of his strength reside in his hair? Definitely not! Samson’s strength does not come from his hair, but from the Lord. His growing hair is a symbol of hope in the midst of darkness. It is light for the blind. Even though God has left him, God’s grace and mercy came back for Samson. All is not lost, even for someone as terrible and unfaithful as Samson, God has restored him.

Conclusion: What does it mean for us today?

The story of Samson is both a tragedy and also a victory. Samson’s tragedy is also God’s glorious victory. Samson accomplishes more for God dead than alive. This brings the climax of Samson’s story to a high point in Israel’s history. This is why Samson is recognized as one of Israel’s heroes of faith. Not because he was heroic in any ways nor particularly faithful, but the impact of his death shook the rest of Israel from their spiritual slumber. The true hero is Yahweh.

Samson’s death also brings an end to the system of judges. Israel will come to realize that “its future and hope lie not in a particular institution of leadership (whether judges or kings) or in its own strength or virtue. The future of God’s people lies in trusting and worshipping the one God who is worthy of such trust.”

On one level, the passage tells us that Yahweh is the true God! He is more powerful than Dagon, the Philistine god of the grains. The purpose of God’s vindication of Samson is not to satisfy Samson’s thirst for revenge but to declare to the world that He is the true and living God. Thus, in spite of Samson’s personal motive for revenge, Yahweh uses Samson to begin his deliverance of Israel, not so much in the political sense as in the theological sphere. The end of Samson is not the end of the story of Israel, but the start of God’s deliverance. Samson is the spark plug which initiates the engine of salvation of Israel.

On a superficial level, the Philistines were celebrating that their pagan god, Dagon is more powerful than Samson’s God, Yahweh. The Philistines believe that it was their god who was responsible for Samson’s capture. In contrast, the self-centered Samson never once gave thanks to Yahweh for his victory. As a nation they offered sacrifices to Dagon, while Samson only fought for his own glory!

On a deeper level, one may realize that it was part of Yahweh‘s plan for Samson to be captured by the Philistines. It is not that God approves of Samson’s behaviors or morals, but that God used Samson’s downfall to bring down the Philistines. Strictly speaking, Samson is not good enough for God. It is precisely because he is not good enough that God is able to work through him. God has turned his weakness into strength. Samson’s assimilation into the Philistines’ culture was intended by God to break the threat of assimilation for the future of Israel. Because of what Samson has done, or more importantly, what God has done through Samson, Israel has hope. Through Samson’s death, future Israel celebrates God’s faithfulness. If there is hope for Samson, then there is hope for Israel.

Our God is a God of hope. It tells us that there is hope even for someone as hopeless as Samson, there is hope for all of us. Samson is far from perfect. We are just as far. It is only when Samson reaches the end of the rope and has nothing left to live for except his total dependence on God, that he comes to realize his desperate need for God’s help. God hears our prayer even though our prayers may be totally self-serving, self-gratifying and self-centered. Deut. 32.36 tells us that, “Indeed the Lord will vindicate his people, who have compassion on his servants, when he sees that their power is gone” (NRSV).
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[1] Clay Daniel’s Death in Milton's poetry, p. 84