Samson Pt.1

The story of Samson, certainly the most well-known of the judges, is a testimony of the utter depravity of Israel that has come as a result of generations failing to teach and train their children in the way of the Lord.  Samson exemplifies this disconnect between what the Lord had commanded Israel and what they actually did.  Samson's story is longer than any of the other judge narratives, indicating his importance in history.  Because of this, Samson's life will be examined in two brief articles.

Samson's story begins in the same context as the other judges: an entire generation did evil in the sight of the Lord, who gives them over to the hand of their oppressive enemies, in this case ht Philistines.  The people then cry out to the Lord for deliverance and God provides for them Samson.  However, Samson's story is unique in that, before he was born, he was prophesied to be born to a barren woman and dedicated to the Lord as a strick Nazirite.

The vow of the Nazirite, as told in Numbers 6, involved three basic things: it was a voluntary vow of intense faithful pursuit of God, it was to last a set amount of time, and the person was to have absolutely no contact whatsoever with the dead.  Additionally, the Nazirite vow of Samson prohibited any consumption of alcohol and any razor touching his hair.

Interestingly, Samson did not volunteer as he was dedicated before he was born, and there was no set time as he was to be a Nazirite the whole length of his life.  Additionally, in regards to the prohibitive requirements of the vow, to never come into contact with death of any sort, to not imbibe, and to never have his locks cut, he disobeyed each of those.

Although Samson was to be the picturesque example of obedience and faithfulness to God, and his Nazirite vow was to form the very core of who he was as a person, but yet he failed in every single area that he was required to be faithful.  In this way, Samson represents a nation that was so disinterested in the things of God that they treated their vows as petty peripheries.  Samson is an example of everything wrong with Israel during the time of the judges.  But praise be to God that the story does not end with Samson!