I have grown up in the church, and that has meant a lot of different types of churches. Sunday school lessons have ranged from high tech presentations to flannel graphs and coloring books.
I believe strongly that Samson has never gotten a fair portrayal.
Poor Samson is always presented as a muscly doofus who is not able to comprehend that Delilah is trying to screw him over. I read the text, and I'd like to think I feel it.
First of all, I don't think he was muscly or the Holy Spirit being his power wouldn't be such a big deal. God usually expresses his power through weakness, so people will know it was Him.
More importantly, I don't think he is stupid at all, I just think he is a total mess. Samson's story should always be seen as a story about massive trouble with the ladies, and the power of a woman's nagging.
I think I feel it because as a fool with women, I have acted just as stupidly against my own upbringing and convictions as Samson has. Plus, dudes wife betrayed him, was given to his "best man", then got burned, that'll mess you up. Furthermore, at the marrying age, emotions can be tricky. Ask all the youths out there who are being incredibly stupid about their boy or girl. Survey how many of them believe that their squeeze is bad for them. How many of those surveyed continue to act stupidly and march on into their self-destructive relationship? Knowing Better isn't enough, and all of us troubled idiot kids listening to lovesick music and writing poetry all over our backpacks have been there.
Now, is Samson a high school kid? Probably not. He begins looking for a wife but once the violence starts it says he judged Israel for 20 years. It says this after his jawbone slaughter and repeats it after his death. I imagine that was the length of time he was killing Philistines. Whatever age he was, I feel like I know Samson, and though what I describe may still sound like stupidity, it is not brainless doofiness. It's my kind of stupidity. My problem is he is portrayed as an oblivious brainless meat head.
About his "stupidity" first of all consider that Samson is NOT telling Delilah his secrets. He is making crap up, because he knows what she wants, but he's trying not to give in. Read this:
"It came about when she pressed him daily with her words and urged him, that his soul was annoyed to death." Judges 16:16
That's not a dummy letting slip a detail, that is a wreck of a man giving up in what he KNOWS is a self-destructive relationship. I imagine she was hot and cuddly, and as a weak bastard he felt sick about it. I feel like some of us can relate to that better than we admit.
A N Y W A Y S
The unimportant pet peeve is that his hair is NEVER right. I hope it is right somewhere and I just haven't seen it yet, but in my life no one has ever done even a half decent job portraying his hair.
"Then the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, 'Behold now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and give birth to a son. Now therefore, be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing. For behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son, and no razor shall come upon his head, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines.'" Judges 13:3-5
Here is the problem.
Here is a boy who has never cut his hair. He is 5.
To this day, among famous artists and ancient depictions alike I have never seen a Samson with hair longer than this. Now imagine you decided Samson is around 20. Remember, Samson had 7 locks.
"She made him sleep on her knees, and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his hair. Then she began to afflict him, and his strength left him." Judges 16:19
If that means braids or whatever, fine, but simply imagine your idea of a marrying aged man (then maybe add 20 years to that) whose hair is made of 7 locks with this guy who has 20 year old dreadlocks.
If your idea of Samson is not at least as grizzly as this guy, I think you aren't picturing him right.
I leave you with this beer:
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