Judges 13:1

XII. SAMSON (Judges 13-16)

THE CONCEPTION AND BIRTH OF SAMSON;

AN INTRODUCTION

"And the children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah; and Jehovah delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years."

This introduction for the story of Samson is very brief, because a much longer introduction had already been given for all of the judgeships from Gideon and afterward in Judges 6:1-10. (See my comment on those ten verses.)

There is a missing note here. Whereas, in the introductory paragraph for each of the other judges, there is the record of Israel's distress leading to their cries unto God for deliverance. Nothing like that occurred here. The encroachment of the Philistines was benevolent enough in character that Israel seemingly consented to it, not realizing the awful danger of losing their identity by an amalgamation with the Philistines.

"And God gave them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years" (Judges 13:1). "This forty years lasted at least unto the second battle of Ebenezer (1 Samuel 7:10ff)."[1]

THE HISTORY OF THE PHILISTINES

In the history of Israel, the Philistines appeared very early as an obstacle in the way of what Israel desired to do. When Moses led Israel out of Egypt, the Philistines were spread out along the coastal strip between Egypt and Gaza, causing Moses to detour inland to "avoid the way of the Philistines" (Exodus 13:17), the date of the Exodus being 1441 B.C.

"Much earlier (circa 1600-1525 B.C.), the Philistines, a people descended from Mizraim, a son of Ham, had arrived on the seacoast of western Palestine from Crete (the Hebrew Caphtor) via Cyprus. By the year 1200 B.C. they were strong enough to attempt an invasion of Egypt, but were forced back, eventually entrenching themselves in their Big Five cities, each of which was ruled by a "lord."[2] These were Gaza, Gath, Ekron, Ashdod and Ashkelon.

Even as early as the days of Abraham, the Philistines were in Palestine. Both Abraham and Isaac came in contact with Abimelech (a dynastic title) the king of Gerar and ruler of the Philistines, whose armed forces were commanded by a general named Phicol (Genesis 20; Genesis 21; and Genesis 26). The names Abimelech and Phicol were also the names of similar rulers in the times of Isaac, there being two incidents involved, not merely one.

It is amazing that the Philistines gave their name to the Holy Land, Palestine. In the times of the Judges, which we are studying, the Philistines were strong enough to be a continual threat to Israel. Shamgar had opposed them earlier, but the defeat of the powerful Ephraimites by Jephthah had effectively removed any significant opposition to the Philistines. And they dominated Israel for a long period of time reaching down through the judgeship of Samuel, the kingship of Saul, and until the times of David who completely subdued them.

However, not even the victories of David removed the Philistines from their five cities, which they retained until the times of Nebuchadnezzar who found them allied with Egypt in the battle of Carchemish. "Nebuchadnezzar stamped out any remaining sparks of Philistine independence, deporting both the rulers and the people in 604 B.C."[3] The religion of the Philistines was a constant threat to the Israelites. The Philistines, of course, had in a large measure adopted the Baalim cults of ancient Canaan. "There were temples of Dagon in Gaza and Ashdod, one of Ashtoreth in Ashkelon according to Herodotus and one to Baalzebub in Ekron. Some of these existed as late as the times of the Maccabees."[4] The tragedy was that Israel even adopted these gods of the Philistines (Judges 10:6-7).

No complete "salvation" of Israel from the Philistine influence would occur in the judgeship of Samson. As the Angel of Jehovah stated it, "He would `begin to save' Israel."

There is not sufficient data available to provide an exact date for the judgeship of Samson, but Boling placed it, "Somewhere between the space of 1160,1100 B.C."[5]

REGARDING SAMSON'S JUDGESHIP

It is difficult indeed to provide any kind of an accurate estimate regarding the value of Samson's judgeship. He was a man of the most astounding physical ability, a man endowed with the special blessing of God in a most remarkable and wonderful manner, but his lustful and immoral behavior cast a sad shadow over his tragic life. We cannot avoid the feeling that his exploits, wonderful as they were, fell far short of what might have been expected of him. All of the scholars whose works we have consulted find this same difficulty.

"His actions not only bear the stamp of adventure, foolhardiness and willfulness, but they are almost all associated with love affairs, and it looks as if Samson dishonored and fooled away the gift entrusted to him, by making it subservient to his sensual lusts, and thus prepared the way for his ruin, without bringing any essential help to God's people."[6]

Campbell stated that, "Along with his physical strength there was moral weakness ... Many a man, like Samson, has loved some woman in the Valley of Sorek, and the whole world is a valley of Sorek' to weak men ... His unbridled passion and overwhelming desires made him a child in morals ... He failed to live up to his potential and ended his life in disgrace."[7]

In this light, we might ask, What was God's purpose in calling such a person as Samson to the judgeship? (1) God was not yet ready for the complete subjugation of the Philistines, for God would use them to destroy the corrupt kingdom of Saul. (2) Furthermore, Samson would be a constant and unanswerable testimony before the Israelites and the Philistines alike of the superiority of Jehovah over the pagan deities of the Philistines, and Israel desperately needed that witness. (3) Also, Samson's life would provide illustrated answers for many questions that arose among God's people.

"Samson's story teaches:

(1) the evils of mixed or foreign marriages,

(2) the folly of loose sexual relations and playing with temptation,

(3) that bodily strength, like all gifts, is of God, and

(4) that its retention is dependent upon one's obedience to God's laws."[8]

Despite the multiple tragedies that marked the life of this ancient judge of Israel, his name, nevertheless, stands in the roster of the faithful, alongside the names of the most illustrious leaders of Israel's history (Hebrews 11:32).

"Because Samson's feats were so unusual, liberal scholars have suggested that Samson's story is only a Hebrew version of the legend of Hercules, the Greek strong man."[9] However, Boling assures us that there is no sufficient reason to doubt that, "A firm basis of fact underlies ... the Samson saga."[10]