Study Questions:
1. What is the meaning of the name Samson?
2. How long did the Philistines oppress Israel? (Judges 13:1)
3. What did the Nazirite vow entail? (Judges 13:14)
Commentary and Reflection:
The judgeship of Samson, the judge of Israel before last, is filled with much drama. His story has fascinated us all since childhood. Regarding his name, it comes from the Hebrew Shemesh (Sun) and is common among peoples of Mesopotamian origin. Although gifted by God with supernatural strength, Samson was what I call “a feeble giant.” It seems that his most obvious weakness was allowing himself to be dominated by carnal passions, leading to the sin of uncontrolled sexuality.
His life illustrates the reality that minor sins lead to greater sins and persisting in getting one’s way (14:3) ultimately results in a ruined life. As Solomon says, “Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines”, Song of Salomons 2:15. However, Samson repented before his death, and in Hebrews 11:32, he appears as one who sacrificed himself to vindicate the name of the Lord before blasphemous pagans. I use the word “sacrifice” to differentiate it from the concept of suicide. If God answered his prayer for vengeance against the Philistines, then it could not have been the act of a hopeless individual committing suicide.
Let’s talk a bit about the Philistines, who were the most formidable enemies that oppressed Israel among all the Canaanite peoples (for 40 years). The Philistines originated from the island of Caphtor and the island of Crete. They were part of the Sea Peoples, who, when rejected by the Egyptians, settled in the territory of the tribes of Dan and Judah. Samson’s liberation from the Philistines was not definitive, as they harassed Israel until the time of David.
Judges 13:5 says that Samson would be a “Nazirite from birth.” Samson is the first of the three most famous Nazirites in the Bible: Samson, Samuel, and John the Baptist.
According to Numbers 6:2, a Nazirite was a man or woman who dedicated themselves to God for a special work during their life. In Samson’s case, he was dedicated from his mother’s womb by the instruction of the Angel of the Lord. Among the Nazirite prohibitions are abstaining from alcoholic beverages and wine, not approaching any dead body, not cutting one’s hair, and abstaining from any grape product.
These restrictions would last as long as the vow was in effect. Just to clarify, “Nazirite” should not be confused with “Nazarene.” One thing has nothing to do with the other. A “Nazarene” is a native of Nazareth.
What a pity we don’t have the name of Manoah’s wife! For God, that is not the most important thing. For all those noble women like Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Manoah’s wife, Hannah, the Shunammite, and Elizabeth, God rewarded their faith by giving them special children.
Sister White declares,
“The child will be affected for good or for evil by the habits of the mother. She must herself be controlled by principle and must practice temperance and self-denial, if she would seek the welfare of her child. Unwise advisers will urge upon the mother the necessity of gratifying every wish and impulse, but such teaching is false and mischievous. The mother is by the command of God himself placed under the most solemn obligation to exercise self-control.” (Patriarchs and Prophets 561)
The following guidelines apply to both parents,
“Both parents transmit their own characteristics, mental and physical, their dispositions and appetites, to their children. As the result of parental intemperance children often lack physical strength and mental and moral power.” (Patriarchs and Prophets 561)
