Transcript
From the book of Judges: “Lord God, remember me and strengthen me only this once, O God, so that with this one act of revenge I may pay back the Philistines for my two eyes.” In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
I secretly love superhero movies. Maybe you do, too. Fantastic cinematography, soaring soundtracks and characters with superhuman powers we could only dream of having. There’s usually some big, looming end-of-the-world disaster and only someone with those superhuman abilities can possibly save the day. And in the end, the good guys always win.
Samson is the closest thing the Bible has to a superhero. I mean who else is strong enough to rip a lion apart with his bare hands or slay his enemies with a donkey’s jaw? When I was thirteen years old, Samson was this really cool character with superhuman strength. But that’s about all I knew about him. Maybe, like me, you haven’t stopped to give the story of Samson a second thought recently.
So here’s a really quick recap of Samson’s life. Hopefully I don’t miss too many details. Before he’s born, the Israelites were doing “what was evil in the sight of the Lord.” Israel was controlled by another, more powerful people—the Philistines. Samson’s parents couldn’t have children. An angel came to his mother and said, “You shall conceive and bear a son. But be careful, your son is to be set apart because he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hand of the Philistines.” Samson made a lifelong vow to not drink alcohol, to not eat anything unclean according to God’s and most importantly, Samson was never to cut his hair.
Samson grew up and the Spirit of the Lord gave him superhuman strength. Samson judged Israel for twenty years, until the secret to his strength got out. The Philistines lay a trap, they cut his hair, and Samson lost his strength. They humiliated and imprisoned Samson, until one day, the Philistines brought him to their temple so that Samson may entertain them. Samson’s hair had grown back. He cried out, “God, give me strength, just one last time.” And God heard his prayer. Samson approached the two middle pillars of the temple, pushed out against them and the temple collapsed on him and three thousand Philistines. Does anyone else see a superhero?
I don’t know about you, but I also see some parallels between Samson and Jesus. Angels appear to their moms before they’re born. They were both set apart to bring deliverance to Israel. Samson tears down the Philistine’s temple. Jesus says he will tear down this temple in three days, and when he dies, the temple curtain is torn in two. They both have sacrificial deaths. I mean, Samson has two pillars on either side of him when he dies, which seems an awful lot like the two thieves on either side of Jesus at Calvary. That’s gotta mean something, too, right? The parallels are uncanny. Samson has to be a foreshadowing character to Jesus, a type of Christ if you will. Right?
No. In fact, I’d argue the exact opposite. You might find that surprising. And I understand that. Somewhere lurking in a forgotten corner of the internet is a video of me as a kid, belting out a song my brothers and I learned at summer camp. One of the lines was, “Let me see your Samson’s muscles.” If you stumble upon it, I’m sorry in advance.
I share that story because I think it encapsulates how we generally view Samson. He’s celebrated for his strength, but we often gloss over the other parts of his character. Here are the parts of Samson’s story that I initially left out. This is where the whole Samson as superhero thing falls apart. The first thing we hear about Samson himself is in chapter 14, where he marries a Philistine—a woman from the very people oppressing the Israelites. Samson also repeatedly breaks the purity vow he’s made to God. Throughout his story, we observe Samson having relationships with women who are not his wife. He’s a liar, a cheater, and arrogant as can be. Superman, Samson is not.
Samson’s story peaks when the woman he’s in love with sells his secret to the Philistines: “If my head were shaved, then my strength would leave me.” Samson falls asleep in her lap and a Philistine man shaves Samson’s head. Samson’s strength leaves him immediately. They seize him, gouge his eyes out and imprison Samson.
But Samson can still redeem himself in the end, right? Listen to Samson’s last prayer: “Lord God, remember us and strengthen us only this once, O God, so that your glory may be restored to the house of Israel and all may know the power of Yahweh.” Sounds great, right? It would be… if that’s what he prayed.
Here’s what Samson actually said: “Lord God, remember me and strengthen me only this once, O God, so that with this one act of revenge I may pay back the Philistines for my two eyes.” I honestly feel bad for the guy. Samson’s completely forgotten his original purpose and identity. He was supposed to be a deliverer, a judge, a hero. Instead, even in death, Samson’s focused on personal revenge.
Contrast that with what Paul writes about Jesus in his letter to the Philippians: “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” Both of them died sacrificially. But their motivations and results could not be further apart. Samson wants to avenge himself and everyone dies with him. Jesus sacrifices himself so that everyone may live. Samson isn’t a foreshadowing of Jesus, he’s a foil to Jesus.
I know I sound like I’m harping on Samson. And admittedly, I am. So, I want us to zoom out for a moment and remember two things. First thing: If you remember from the beginning of this series, Fr Matthew described Judges as a downward spiral. This is the bottom of that spiral. This is as bad as it gets.
Here’s the second thing that always blows me away: God doesn’t abandon Samson. Even after everything that Samson has done. Even though he’s forgotten his identity. Even after he prays the most self-centered prayer I’ve ever heard. God still answers Samson’s prayer. He gives Samson his strength back. If that isn’t grace, I don’t know what is.
Maybe you’re listening to this sermon and you feel like Samson. I know what that feels like. Here’s some hope. The same God who didn’t abandon Samson will not abandon you. Cry out to God and he will answer.
Hold onto that piece of hope because we have something else to explore in this text. And it’s sobering because it directly applies to you and me. Samson’s humiliation didn’t lead to humility. I don’t know about you, but I’ve always assumed they were both linked together. I think this story is telling us that isn’t true. Samson’s eyes were gouged out, his strength was gone, he was forced to grind flour and entertain the Philistines. But Samson’s humiliation did not lead to a reorientation of his heart. He didn’t realize that true strength lies in a humble reliance upon God for everything.
External humiliation doesn’t guarantee internal humility. You can have your eyes gouged out but your heart can stay exactly the same.
So that leads to my next question: how do we change our hearts? Do we just have to work at being humble, whiteknuckling our way to doing better? I don’t think that’s the right question. Christian growth isn’t about us modifying our behaviour. Our spiritual growth comes through walking with Jesus, and allowing him to transform our hearts.
One practical way to do this is by finding people who demonstrate the strength and humility of Jesus and following their example. Maybe there’s someone who popped into your head immediately when I said that? For me, it’s my Uncle Brian. He’s not my uncle by blood; he’s a close family friend. I’ve always admired the way he lives with humility. The first thing you’d notice when meeting him is his thoughtful, insightful questions and undivided presence. After retiring last year, he and my Auntie Leanne spent an entire summer mentoring young men at a Christian camp, helping the director—his daughter. What am I trying to tell you with this story? First, a challenge. Every church needs more Uncle Brians and Auntie Leannes. Secondly, I want to be like Uncle Brian when I grow up. Who’s your Uncle Brian? Whose example of Christ-like humility do you want to learn from?
I want to remind us all, we can’t do this alone. This growth only comes through the Holy Spirit drawing our hearts towards Jesus through the gift of grace. Please do not hear this as a word of condemnation. It’s not. It’s an invitation to experience spiritual renewal and transformation. And it’s available to you today. Come and receive.
One final thought. Remember Samson’s last words? “Lord God, remember me and strengthen me only this once, O God, so that with this one act of revenge I may pay back the Philistines for my two eyes.” Compare that to some of Jesus’ last words on the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Even in death, Christ had a singleness of heart towards those he loved, even those who betrayed him.
That is the Lord we serve. He is our righteous Judge. Jesus is King.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
