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)
III. Coherence (Exegetical
Meaning, Part Two)
A. Text-linguistic Structure
Judges 14:1 begins with the verb dr,Yew-
"went down" (waw-consecutive+imperfect).
The setting changes from 13:25 with v. 1 beginning with a waw-conjunctive plus Qal
Imperfect and a change of setting for the story. There is a unity to the
structure of the narrative with the repetition of the verb yarad (14:1,5,7,10). Two
sections begin with "behold" (14: 5,8)
which point the reader to pay attention to what Samson encounters: the lion
and the later the swarm of bees. Samson also sees the woman from Timnah (14: 2,3,7) and she
"pleases him well" (v.3). The author uses this verb raah to indicate where Samson's sights or eyes were
directed - -at foreign women (cf. Dt. 7:3ff).
There is also a repetition of nagad, or three reports he gives or denies his parents
(v. 14: 2,6,9). The second and third report's
importance is what he avoids telling them. In v. 4, the reader is taken out
of the narrative with a waw+disjunctive+non-verb,
to tell the reader that YHWH, the Sovereign God is behind the action- - but
Samson and his parents are unaware of this at the time. The section ends
with v.10 because the v.11 begins with a yhiy>w indicating a passage of time, plus there is
another change in the setting of the narrative.
The plot outline is basically
Samson seeing a Philistine woman and finding her pleasing, demanding from
his parents that they give her to him, killing a lion, breaking his Nazirite vow and desecrating himself and his parents.
Ultimately, the plot is a commentary of the theology of Deuteronomy in
specifically two main points: 1) Samson and his parents had forgotten what
their eyes had seen in the works of God performed in the Exodus; 2)
Samson's parents do not seem to be passing on the covenantal instructions
of YHWH to their child Samson, and therefore Samson does not know his
consecrated and covenantal identity (cf. Gideon's father in Judges
6:25-27).
A. Literary Features
These two issues from the Book of Deuteronomy concerning not forgetting
YHWH and passing it on to the next generation give a commentary of the low
spiritual state of Israel in the days of the judges, and they foreshadow
the curses that follow in Samson and Israel's life because of covenantal
disobedience.
The text is a bit ambiguous in
chapter 14 as to whether Samson knows his identity as consecrated to the
LORD; that is, have his parents been faithful in passing on their children
what Moses had instructed them to do in Deuteronomy 4? The Messenger of
YHWH tells his parents in chapter 13 three times the importance of his
consecration, but there is silence in chapter 14, no word of his Nazirite vow (Judges 13:5, 7, 14; cf. Num. 6:1-21).
In Judges 14:4, YHWH is "seeking an occasion against the
Philistines." The author tells us some "behind the scenes"
information: YHWH is at work providentially! hn"a]t
is a difficult word to translate, looks like the Hebrew word for fig tree,
but it means an "occasion" (KJV, NKJV, NIV, NASB, RSV) or it can
be translated as "time of heat" or "sexual drive" (see
also Jeremiah 2:24 for the same use of word). The author may use this word
to mean mere "occasion" or he could be using it satirically to
describe God's purposes in light of Samson's desires for wanting the woman
from Timnah. However, we do not want to make too
much of this, but merely observe the use of the word.
In v. 8, Samson sees a
"congregation of bees" in the carcass of the dead lion. ~yrIAbD> td;[- 'edah is used for the swarm of bees (trans.
"swarm" in KJV, NIV, NKJV, RSV), but perhaps the author used this
word purposely, rather than the more normal usage referring to a swarm,
which is 'arob used of the flies in Exodus 8. 'edah is the word used of Israel as a congregation
before the LORD (cf. Ex. 12; 16; 17; 35; Lev. 4:13; 16:5; Num. 8; 14; Josh.
22; 1Kings 8:5; 2Chronicles 5:5). Nowhere else is the word used of a swarm
of bees or insects. It is usually used when
referring to the congregation of Israel which might be the author's way of
communicating the presence of YHWH working providentially in spite of the
Israelites' disobedience.
The first thing that occurs in
the narrative is that Samson "sees" the woman in Timnah (v.1). Samson explains to his parents that he
desires this woman because he "saw" her (v.2). Later Samson
speaks with her and she still pleases him (v.7). This is the irony given
the fact that Samson was set apart or consecrated for the service of YHWH
with a Nazirite vow (Judges 13; cf. Num. 6) and
does not seem to know his consecrated identity, but seems to be
"blind" to the things of YHWH. The author is provoking the reader
to ask, "Why is a Nazirite looking at a
foreign woman, hanging out in vineyards and "scooping" honey from
a dead carcass?" (cf. Num. 6:9ff)- -this is
too close for comfort; this is forbidden.
In v. 5, we are told
"behold" or "surprise" as a young lion rushes onto the
stage to attack Samson. He comes from nowhere and Samson kills the lion
easily by the Spirit of YHWH, just as King David (1 Sam. 17:36,37). However, in contrast to David who
learns of the YHWH's power against the a Philistine giant (1 Sam. 17:37- "YHWH will deliver me from the
Philistine as from the paw of the lion"), Samson does not realize his
strength to resist a Philistine woman. At this point the reader wonders if
Samson knows he is a "Mighty warrior" or deliverer of Israel at all. However, YHWH is faithful to not
only deliver Israel, but through suffering and trial to make
Samson realize his identity by the time the narrative concludes in chapter
16. Judges 14:4 tells us that YHWH was behind the scenes despite Samson being
"clueless to his call," and was working through Samson to have an
occasion to ultimately defeat the Philistines. One of the most important
narrative analogies in Judges 14:1-10 is Samson being compared to David: he
slays the lion in the strength of the Spirit of YHWH and he is also
distracted by "seeing" a foreign woman which causes him to sin
(cf. 2 Sam. 11:1ff). More of this will be discussed in Section 4.
C. Conclusion
The overall theme in this section is that as Samson is seduced through
seeing a Philistine woman, he is blind to the things that Moses had told
the Israelites to "remember what their eyes had seen" in
Deuteronomy 4 and the warnings of covenant unfaithfulness and idolatry
which would follow.
As Israel is oblivious in the
Book of Judges to their calling, so Samson, a "little Israel" in
microcosmic form is set apart to be holy to YHWH by a Nazirite
vow and has the Spirit of YHWH upon him, still he knows not his identity.
In fact, the text does not tell of blatant disobedience in Samson just that
he is unaware of his identity as consecrated to YHWH. In the same way that
Samson "sees" a foreign woman and is taken captive by her, Israel
has been taken captive in the Book of Judges by forgetting what their eyes
had seen (Dt. 4) and are following after foreign
women and being seduced by their gods (Dt.
7:3ff). Israel does what is right in their own eyes
(Judges 17:6), and does evil in the sight of the LORD (Judges 2:11; 3:7,12; 4:1;
6:1; 10:6; 13:1). In contrast to the other cycles of Israel doing evil and crying out to YHWH, they
do not cry out to YHWH this time (13:1), but YHWH is faithful to deliver
them in spite of their spiritual insensitivity.
IV. Connections (Exegetical
Meaning, Part Three)
A. Connections to
text-literary structure
Samson does what is right in his own eyes by
desiring the foreign Philistine woman. The author uses similar verbs
throughout the book such as raah. As a microcosm
of Israel's disobedience and ignorance of their
identity as a consecrated people, they are going after foreign women and
gods (Dt. 7:3ff). This suggests that as Israel had forgotten what their "eyes had
seen" (Dt. 4), so Samson does not know his
calling and goes after "what his eyes saw" which was evil in the
sight of YHWH. Also, it seems that not only had Samson and Israel forgotten what their eyes had seen, but
his parents had apparently forgotten Moses' words for parents to pass on
the Torah of Moses to their children (cf. Dt. 4;
Judges 13).
It is also interesting to note
the use of the verb yarad at the beginning of
Samson's adult life. This is very similar to the story of Jonah and his
continuously "going down" to escape God's call to proclaim
repentance to the Ninevites. As Jonah flees and
"goes down" away from YHWH's call, so
Samson "goes down" and seems unaware of his calling. The author
uses Samson's sight to highlight Israel's blindness to the things of YHWH: his
commandments and his deeds on their behalf. Samson's mind was on foreign women which leads to foreign gods. and
spiritual adultery (cf. 7:3ff; Omri and Ahab
given to Jezebel in Kings; Hosea's prophecy of Israel playing the harlot).
Samson plays the adulterer and chases foreign women.
B. Connections to literary
features
In the time of the Judges, Israel has slipped away from YHWH, they have
lost their consecrated identity and do not even realize by chapter 13 that
they are in need of a deliverer when they sin, just as the Samson narrative
reveals. Israel is doing evil in the sight of YHWH and does not realize
their need of repentance. However, Judges 14:4 tells us that YHWH is still
faithful to his covenant people; although they do not know they need
deliverance from the threat of the Philistines (both physical and
spiritual), YHWH is faithful to "seek an occasion" to destroy
them by his sovereignty.
In the Samson narrative of
chapters 13-16, Samson's parents are not faithful in passing on the faith
to Samson as Moses had commanded in Deuteronomy 4. Therefore Samson is
blind to YHWH's setting him apart; he does not
seem to know of his identity as a covenant child; Samson's sin of
"seeing" the woman at Timnah in 14: 1,2
causes him to sin and eventually leads to his eyes being gouged out so that
he is literally blind in the eyes. This blindness is a blindness that all
of Israel has at this time; a blindness of the past in what YHWH had done
for them, but also a present blindness to their own identity as a covenant
people. This comes to a great climax in the chapters concerning Samson.
C. Narrative analogy
Samson is compared to Othniel (Judges 3:7-11) and Gideon (Judges 6-8). The
Spirit of YHWH comes upon all three of these Judges. Othniel
and Gideon seem to be paving the way in the narrative for a great Prophet
and King like Moses who was expected to come (cf. Dt.
18:15-18). Although the land enjoys rest for forty years under Othniel and Gideon, and they served Israel as
deliverers for forty years, Samson only delivers Israel for twenty years.
But the irony of this is that the Spirit of YHWH comes upon Samson three
times (more times than any other Judge in Israel's history). His narrative
is situated as the climatic conclusion that was failed to be reached in the
narrative of Gideon. The reader reads on, and by chapter 13 he has hopes
that Samson is to be the King, however he is painfully disappointed in the
conclusion of the narrative. The Angel/Messenger of YHWH appears to
Samson's parents as he does to Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3 and
Gideon at the terebinth tree in Ophrah in Judges 6 (it should be noted that the
Angel/Messenger of YHWH appears in the Samson narrative to a woman just
like he would later do to Mary).
Samson is compared to King David
in the Book of Samuel. Not only does he kill a lion with his bare hands
like David (cf. 2 Sam. 17), but also he uses the incident for a riddle that
will eventually lead to his shameful, blind death. In contrast, David
remembers the incident as evidence that YHWH's
Spirit is powerful upon him and he can defeat the Philistine giant, Goliath
of Gath. Samson is ultimately taught by YHWH his
identity, but not without pain, trial and suffering narrated in chapters
14-16. Like David, he sees a foreign woman,
seduces her and sins against YHWH, but in the end YHWH's
mercy and forgiveness is evident because in death he accomplishes his work
on Israel's behalf (defeating the Philistines in Judges, and building the
Temple through Solomon in the Book of Kings).
D. Conclusion for internal
connections to Judges
Israel's continual
disobedience evident in the cycles in Judges shows that YHWH is still faithful
to deliver them in spite of their sins. The Samson narrative in light of
the whole of Judges is a microcosm of Israel's sin as a nation: forgetting
what he has seen, going after foreign women; ultimately, doing what is
right in his own eyes (17:6)- - yet YHWH is
faithful to his covenant people in spite of their sins and even makes
Samson some kind of ironic hero in his death.
In Judges chapter 6 in the
Gideon narrative the author constructs a literary narrative that is similar
to the LORD appearing to Moses in Exodus 3. By the end of the story, the
reader is disappointed that this is not the prophet "like Moses"
that was described in Dt. 18. In fact, the
reader's hopes are dashed by the end of the story. In Judges 13-16 there
are similarities: the Angel of the LORD appears to Samson's parents, he is
set apart to be deliverer, he has the Spirit of the LORD come upon him
three times, but he is not to be the other Moses to come. In fact, God is
glorified through Samson despite his parent's not passing on to him his
identity and Samson's disobedience and blindness. In the end of Judges 16,
God destroys Dagon, the Philistines and their Temple through a man who is
blind, bound, without strength and in the "underworld" beneath
the Temple of Dagon.
The Samson Narrative is a sad
conclusion to Israel's deliverers in the Book of Judges. Samson does what
is right in his own eyes and Israel is taught to be warned for covenant
disobedience. Although YHWH is faithful in placing His Spirit upon
deliverers, and raising them up to deliver Israel from their sins, Israel
has been blinded by their sins and does not even know of their need for
such a deliverer. What sets the Samson narrative
apart is that in all the other cycles Israel does what is evil…YHWH
gives them into the hands of their enemies…and they cry out to YHWH
for a deliverer. However, in the story of Samson, the Israelites do not cry
out for a deliverer because they have become blind to their sins (13:1).
There is a sad and very long silence between Judges 13:1 and 13:2; the same
kind of silence found in Judges 13:25 and 14:1.
God will deliver Israel because
of his faithfulness, but he will also judge her as he judges Samson in
chapter 16, but he preserves his people later even in the exile. Samson
does not know his consecrated identity; he knows not where his strength
comes from until later; he knows not God's promises and curses that his
parents apparently neglected to tell him. Moses had taught the Israelites
to tell their children to "remember" and to avoid apostasy from
the LORD their God (Dt. 4). In Samson's bondage
and "exile" he turns from evil and cries out to the LORD (Judges
16:28ff); in the same way, the remnant of Israel will turn from their sins
later in the Exile and return to the LORD their God (cf. 2 Chronicles 34;
Ezra-Nehemiah).
E. Connections to existing
canonical OT
Samson is not to be the prophet greater than Moses that
Deuteronomy 18 foretold. In comparison to Moses' telling the Israelites to
remember what their eyes had seen and what God had done for them and
passing on their faith to their children, this is not found in the Samson
narrative (cf. Deut. 4). God is glorified and delivers Israel in spite of
this (cf. Deut. 30:1-10).
Samson is compared to the kings
of Israel. He is compared particularly to Saul in Judges 13-16 because he
has the Spirit of the LORD upon him, but because of his disobedience to his
Nazirite vow, the LORD removes his Spirit from
him as he does with Saul (cf. 1 Sam. 16:14). Samson is contrasted to David,
and David is more faithful as king and leader of Israel, he fights with a
lion and overcomes the Philistines, but he is also caught in the sin of
adultery with Bathsheba because of his
"seeing" a woman that was pleasing to him (cf. 2 Sam. 11:1-5ff).
As with Samson, the later OT
books of Kings, Chronicles, and the Prophets (particularly Isaiah and Hosea
who both prophesied during the time prior to the Exile), warn Israel of her
sins of forgetting her covenant with the LORD, marrying foreign women and
the Exile that will come upon them for their disobedience in forgetting
what their eyes had seen and not passing on the covenant to their children.
In the prophecy of Isaiah, he speaks of God's judgment of blindness on his
people (Is. 6:9-10; 29:9-10; cf. Is. 29:18; 35:5; 42:16). Isaiah, as
covenant prosecutor, recalls to the Israelites part of the curses foretold
in Deuteronomy 28:28-29. This gives further canonical understanding on
Samson's blindness to the things of God and to his consecration to YWHW.
Because of Israel's blindness as a people, they did what was evil in their
own eyes and they did evil in the sight of the LORD.
B. Conclusion to the
Exegetical Section
1. Main point
The main point of the
passage is one of identity and sight. Samson does not know who he is as YHWH's set-apart , or
consecrated man (just as Israel does not know her identity any longer).
Samson has "forgotten what his eyes" had seen and followed after
foreign women who Moses warned Israel about (just as Israel has forgotten).
Because of this, YHWH puts Samson through turmoil and trial to bring to his
remembrance who he is (just as he will do to
Israel) because of YHWH's covenantal faithfulness
in spite of Israel's covenantal disobedience.
2. Key details and
circumstances
1) Samson saw, he desired,
he went after it, he sinned, it led to his death- - sin when it is full
grown leads to death; 2) Samson has the power to kill a lion with his bare
hands yet he does not have the power to resist a Philistine woman; 3)
Samson has the Spirit of YHWH upon him, he is set apart from birth to be
consecrated, yet he does not know his covenantal identity.
V. Redemptive Historical
Connections (Canonical Meaning, Part One)
A. Connections to later OT
canon
Later in the OT, as
mentioned briefly in the last section, Isaiah's prophecy is
about blindness in the people of Israel. Not only does he prosecute them
according to the words of Deuteronomy 28:28-29, but YHWH tells Isaiah that
part of his prophetic mission is to: "Go, and say to this people:
'Hear and hear, but do not understand; see and see, but do not
perceive…make their eyes heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see
with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.'" Part of Isaiah's mission was to blind the
people of Israel further because of their covenantal disobedience.
In the prophecy of Hosea, YHWH
tells him to take a prostitute for himself because this shows Israel how
they have followed after foreign woman and forsaken his commands. Hosea is
a picture of YHWH with Israel as the adulterous wife, just as Samson
because he was blind and did not know his identity, although consecrated,
went after foreign Philistine wives which ultimate brought him defeat.
B. NT and Christ
The Angel/Messenger of
YHWH appears to Mary to announce the conception by the Holy Spirit in her
womb, the one who will come and obey all the teachings of Moses, but also
will successfully deliver Israel (Luke 1:30ff). Christ is set apart from
the womb to deliver God's people: he is faithful, turns water to wine in Cana to foreshadow the great eschatological wedding
feast of the church and himself; the dead carcass he approaches at Bethany
is to raise Lazarus from the dead and foreshadow his own death and
resurrection, including the eschatological resurrection of all his people;
he remembered the covenant and fulfilled the Law and the prophets.
As Samson was disobedient unto
death (even though God defeated Israel's enemies in spite of him), so
Christ was obedient unto death and ultimately and finally delivered Israel
not only from their sins, but from the enemies of God whom he crushed in
the land: death, hell, and the devil (Heb. 2:14-18; cf. Rom. 16:20). As
YHWH the Divine Warrior challenged and crushed Dagon of the Philistines, so
YHWH Jesus crushed the evil spirit behind Dagon and all false gods and
idols of this age in his death and resurrection (Rev. 19:11ff). As YHWH was
faithful to secure Israel's inheritance in spite of Samuel's disobedience,
how much more did he secure Israel's eternal inheritance through the
obedience of His Son.
The Samson narrative is further
understood in light of further NT revelation. In James 1: 13-15, James
speaks of God not tempting anyone but when we are enticed, then desire is
conceived and it gives birth to sin, which when full grown brings death.
This is exactly what happened to Samson and something the people of God can
remember today. We should never forget to lay aside every sin that so easily
besets and fix our eyes on Jesus YHWH, the Pioneer and Perfector
of our faith (Heb. 12:1-2). As Hebrews 11:32ff teaches, Samson ultimately
did fix his eyes on YWHW rather than Philistine women, and by faith
believed that the LORD could deliver him. However imperfect was his life,
YHWH was glorified and made him perfect through his sufferings. All the
people of God should know that when we suffer for doing wrong in a
covenantal context, YHWH is faithful and will chastise us as sons (Heb.
12:7ff). Samson endured chastening and was brought to repentance, but the
people had to wait until the light of NT revelation made this clear. Christ
in the Sermon on the Mount tells the people to avoid sin and covenant
breaking at all costs- - even to the point of "gouging out one's
eyes" if they cause us to sin and break God's commandments.
VI. Application (Canonical
Meaning, Part Two)
1) Although we as a church are
surrounded by this age and the ways of our culture, we should never forget
how the LORD has healed our blindness to our sins and has shed the light of
his truth in our hearts; we have passed from the Kingdom of darkness into
the Kingdom of Light, in the Son whom YHWH loves. As the Apostle Paul
teaches to the church at Corinth, the god of this age has blinded those who
disbelieve (2 Cor. 4:4). We must always be aware
of our covenantal identity, while remembering God's faithfulness to us in
Christ, the one who made both physical and spiritual eyes to see.
2) The church must avoid worship
of any idols, that is anything that keeps us from
obedience to the LORD for what he has done. The Apostle Paul reminds us
that the gods of this world are no gods at all, but demons (1 Cor. 8:4ff). Like Samson, the church must remember it
is the Bride of Christ and therefore there should be no spiritual adultery
or the marrying of foreign women. The Apostle Paul calls this joining our
bodies to a harlot (1 Cor. 6:12-20). Therefore
since we have been bought with a price, we ought to offer our bodies to God
because we are the Temple of the Holy Spirit.
3) The church is called to be a
holy and consecrated people to the LORD; we must remember our identity as
we be not conformed to the mold of this age, but be transformed by the
renewing of our minds so that we might do the will of God and fulfill the
commands of God by the Spirit living within us (Rom 12:1ff). Now, the
Apostle Paul teaches the people of God to stand in the power of YHWH and of
his might, and to resist the devil and his forces
of evil (Eph. 6:10ff). As the covenant people of God, we must remember the
benediction of the Book of Hebrews in 13:20-21: "Now may the God of
peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of
the sheep, through the blood of the eternal covenant, make you complete
(perfect) in every good work to do his will, working in you what is well
pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and
ever. Amen."
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