gouge away

Having a lot of Samson refrences flying around lately I thought I might put in my two cents.

God was punishing the Israelites. Samsons birth is the begining of their deliverance. The S man was a judge for some 20 years. Samson has problems I.E. was a sucker for not one, but several different philistine women. The first was engaged to be his wife. You know the famous riddle... "Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet." solved by his groomsmen after they "plowed with his heifer". His groomsmen solved the riddle because his betrothed gave them the answer. He killed 30 men to pay his wager. His fiance was later given to his best man and in his anger he tied the torches to the foxes and burned the fields. and then, she was burned by the Philistines along with her father for angering Samson and causing the whole mess. The second is a prostitute at Gaza with the whole carrying off the gates buisiness. And finally, the third is the infamous Delilah that cut his 7 locks of hair. It is after this that he is bound, blinded and grinds the grain. Later, he is allowed by God to extract his revenge for one of his two eyes and dies in the process. Tradition states he was removed from the rubble and he is buried near the tomb of his father Manoah.

The story is complex because I believe both Samson and the Philistines are doing the will of God. God is using the Philistines to punish Israel as well as using Samson to punish the Philistines. Fun Questions abound, like why is God's judge, (Israel had judges then instead of kings) wagering, visiting prostitutes and killing people out of anger, etc. But it seems to me that the point of the story has more to do with humility, Gods will and are inability to see it folow it or even comprehend it. We may have to suffer thru it. Perhaps even dying in the process. Some people believe the reason he lost his eyes is his temptation by/with the female, but I do not believe the women were ever really the problem or are even the point of the story. Yes, perhaps he was decieved by women, but more likely he let them take advantage of him because of his arrogance. Before he told Delilah how to take his strength away, he lied to her about it the first three times. First he is bound with fresh bowstrings. Then he is bound with new ropes. Thirdly he says he can be bound if his locks are woven together. She weaves them together, but he undoes them when he wakes. It sounds like he is the one deceiving her to me. Eventually Samson tells her his strength is in his uncut hair. Only a fool would think that she wasn't going to cut it. I mean, afterall, this is the fourth time with Delilah at least, remember he had secrets given away before with his betrothed. He was never decieved. He walked in wide eyed and left without them. I believe the loss of strength is from his arrogance, not literaly the cutting of his hair. It was never even his vow. His mother made it. He lived it. He got cocky. After being humbled his strength was returned when he looked to God for it. I also think his vengence for his eyes is what cost him his life nothing else.



Odi et amo. Quare id faciam fortasse requiris.
Nescio, sed fieri sentio, et excrucior. - Catullus - poem 85