In this chapter, Samson is finally betrayed by his indiscretions and is captured by the Philistines.
This is something we should have seen coming for the last two chapters. Even in the midst of all Samson's sins, the Lord was still blessing him with great strength, and he used his power to fight in revenge of his own personal interests rather than advancing the interests of his countrymen.
Probably the best analogy to what happens here is the life of Adam. We are told that Adam sinned and was condemned to death in Genesis 3, but he nevertheless continued to live until he was 930 years old. So it took time for the consequences of his actions to catch up with him, but it eventually did.
In the same way, Judges 16 is the inevitable day of reckoning for Samson when his mistakes catch up with him, and it's basically the same issue; sexual desire for Philistine women.
This story has always confused me a little. I guess what I don't understand is why Samson keeps going back to Delilah. From the story, we can infer that he slept with her for at least 4 nights, and he knew that on 3 separate occasions Delilah betrayed him by trying to bind him to remove his strength. It's not just that she keeps asking him how his strength may be "afflicted", but that she also does the things that he tells her. Why is Samson continuing to go back to Delilah when he knows that she's trying to harm him? That's what I don't understand. You'd think even with a selfish heart, Samson would realize she is trying to kill him.
In the end, Samson reveals that his strength came from his Nazirite dedication. Of course, we already knew this. But it's strange to me that his power is derived from his unshaved hair. It's true that this is one of the signs of the Nazirite, but I believe the Nazirite vow means so many other things, like obeying the whole law. The law that forbids intermarrying with Canaanites, which is what Samson has been doing all this time. Shaving his consecrated hair is really the last step of breaking his Nazirite vow, not the first.
The way this story is normally understood is that verse 19 is considered Samson's fall from grace, when the "LORD departed from him". Verse 22, when his hair starts to grow back, is an allusion to Samson's redemption. The conclusion, when "the dead whom [Samson] killed in his death were more than those whom he killed in his life", is meant to reflect his redemption and return to grace. In particular, we can tell that as his hair regrew, his strength also returned, and that was how he destroyed the temple where he was brought to entertain the Philistines.
So that is the story arc in how Samson is normally interpreted. And I think that's mostly true. However, I would like to point out how Samson is still motivated by personal revenge. Like he prays in v. 28, he wants revenge "for my two eyes". So I guess I don't really feel that Samson ever turned away from the selfishness that dictated his actions in life. But what is clear is that the LORD used him to harm the Philistines, to try to free Israel from their oppressors. What's not clear is if the Israelites were even freed. We know that Samson killed a bunch of people, but it doesn't say that Israel was liberated through this.
So here's my personal opinion on Samson. This conclusion to his life and his story is indeed a sort of redemption. The LORD slowly began to return his strength to him, and he used it in a final act of vengeance against the Philistines. I don't know if Samson's heart was ever turned back to his calling and destiny, or his Nazirite vow. And he did some good for his people, but only incidentally to his own desire for personal revenge. It's evident that Samson never really walked into his destiny, and it's not because he lacked power, it's because he lacked character. Even in Samson's redemption, he never really returned to do what he was born to do. That's my opinion.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Bible Commentary - Judges 15
In this chapter, Samson kills a bunch of Philistines, then gets captured, then kills a bunch more.
This chapter partly explains how Samson's wife was given to another man. Apparently he just ran off without her and left her in her father's house, and while he was gone the woman's father gave her to another man instead. It's kinda crazy, but this entire historical period is pretty crazy. That's one of the themes in Judges, which I was talk about more later.
At this point, Samson gets into tit-for-tat revenge against the Philistines, first burning up their crops during harvest. Then they kill his ex-fiance, presumably because they could not harm Samson directly. He responds by killing a bunch of Philistines. This is somewhat ironic because Samson was just responding to something that his wife's father did, and when the other Philistines kill him for it, he gets even more angry.
Once again, the Philistines find they cannot harm Samson, so they go to attack Judah unless Judah delivers Samson over to them. Judah does this, but Samson once again breaks out and kills a bunch more Philistines, this time using a jawbone as a weapon.
This, and many other details from Samson's life, is meant to exemplify how powerful he was, how the LORD "came upon him mightily". Killing a thousand men with a donkey's jawbone is one such example, juxtaposing the power of his actions with the feebleness of his weapon. Samson's song reinforces this, alternating between mentioning the "heaps upon heaps" and the jawbone. In addition, the Hebrew words for "donkey" and "heap" share the same root, so this is also a play upon words.
We know that Samson was powerful, one of the most powerful fighters in the bible. But we can also see how Samson is misusing his power, since he is fighting to avenge himself personally rather than fighting on behalf of Judah or the LORD. Indeed, his actions served more to imperil Judah than anything else, because the Philistines nearly attacked Judah in reprisal. Samson is a story of great power used in misguided and selfish ways. He could have been a great deliverer to Israel, but he betrayed his own destiny through selfishness.
That is a glib, but accurate, summary of Samson's life. Indeed, that is probably what the author had in mind, pointing out how Samson had a callous disregard for the Law's dietary restrictions (i.e. kashrut). This entire chapter is a result of Samson's desire to marry a Philistine, which is also contrary to the Law. So that's the glib summary, the common parable that is drawn by Sunday school teachers worldwide.
What I always wonder though, is what kind of circumstances and decisions brought Samson to this place? Somewhere between the great promises of Judges 13 and Samson's disastrous intentions in Judges 14 there must have been something that shaped him in this way. I asked the same sort of question about Moses, who passed 40 years in the Midianite desert and came out of it a righteous man. I also wonder about Abraham, who in Genesis 11 lived in idolatry with his father and relatives in Haran, but in Genesis 12 he obeyed the voice of the LORD, left everything he knew and went into the land of Canaan.
I am in awe and wonder at such decisions, both the good (Moses and Abraham) and the bad (Samson). The stories themselves make for glib pronouncements ("look at the faith of Abraham!", "look at the selfishness of Samson!"). But I marvel at the stories that aren't told, what mysterious forces shape the hearts of man in all those secret years. All those years that passed with hardly a mention, with a sentence at most, but those are the untold stories that created the greatness of the heroes we know, and the sinfulness of the villains we know. In some ways I am more interested in Moses's years in Midian than in his days on Sinai. The 40 days on Sinai were the product of Moses's 40 years in Midian, tending to sheep, caring for his wife and raising his children. Moses didn't climb Mount Sinai a sinner and come down a saint; he climbed Mount Sinai with humility and love, and he descended with glory. God honors the humble and meek, but what a mystery is humility! How is this force produced, and how is it tendered? Certainly God honors humility, but where does that humility come from?
This is the mystery I've been trying to solve for the past 6 years or so, trying to discover the source of humility, faith and love. It's not something I can really address in the context of Samson's life. But I will say that I think Samson's selfishness is just as big a mystery as Moses's humility. The glib interpretation is to warn us, "do not be selfish!", without bothering to tell us just how to do that. It can honestly be irritating sometimes. Even if I know what selfishness is, how can I just "not do it"? That doesn't even make sense to me, telling you to avoid something without explaining how. Hopefully this is something that I'll get to explore more as we go through the bible.
I do think there are answers, but my honest opinion is that a large part of becoming humble is the process of learning about humility and seeking it. Humility isn't like an equation that you can read in a book and suddenly "know it". It has to becoming part of you, like mixing yeast into a lump of dough. Desiring humility and trying to find it is how you get it. But it takes time, and often it seems that is what makes it so hard for people. Of course, by "people" what I mean is "me". Maybe others too, but mostly just me. But this is just my own personal musings and philosophy. I didn't want to ask a broad question like, "how do you attain humility" without making some sort of effort to answer it, but the truth is that it's a really hard question and I'm still trying to figure it out myself. If anybody else has a really easy and simple answer, let me know and I'll just do that. :)
This chapter partly explains how Samson's wife was given to another man. Apparently he just ran off without her and left her in her father's house, and while he was gone the woman's father gave her to another man instead. It's kinda crazy, but this entire historical period is pretty crazy. That's one of the themes in Judges, which I was talk about more later.
At this point, Samson gets into tit-for-tat revenge against the Philistines, first burning up their crops during harvest. Then they kill his ex-fiance, presumably because they could not harm Samson directly. He responds by killing a bunch of Philistines. This is somewhat ironic because Samson was just responding to something that his wife's father did, and when the other Philistines kill him for it, he gets even more angry.
Once again, the Philistines find they cannot harm Samson, so they go to attack Judah unless Judah delivers Samson over to them. Judah does this, but Samson once again breaks out and kills a bunch more Philistines, this time using a jawbone as a weapon.
This, and many other details from Samson's life, is meant to exemplify how powerful he was, how the LORD "came upon him mightily". Killing a thousand men with a donkey's jawbone is one such example, juxtaposing the power of his actions with the feebleness of his weapon. Samson's song reinforces this, alternating between mentioning the "heaps upon heaps" and the jawbone. In addition, the Hebrew words for "donkey" and "heap" share the same root, so this is also a play upon words.
We know that Samson was powerful, one of the most powerful fighters in the bible. But we can also see how Samson is misusing his power, since he is fighting to avenge himself personally rather than fighting on behalf of Judah or the LORD. Indeed, his actions served more to imperil Judah than anything else, because the Philistines nearly attacked Judah in reprisal. Samson is a story of great power used in misguided and selfish ways. He could have been a great deliverer to Israel, but he betrayed his own destiny through selfishness.
That is a glib, but accurate, summary of Samson's life. Indeed, that is probably what the author had in mind, pointing out how Samson had a callous disregard for the Law's dietary restrictions (i.e. kashrut). This entire chapter is a result of Samson's desire to marry a Philistine, which is also contrary to the Law. So that's the glib summary, the common parable that is drawn by Sunday school teachers worldwide.
What I always wonder though, is what kind of circumstances and decisions brought Samson to this place? Somewhere between the great promises of Judges 13 and Samson's disastrous intentions in Judges 14 there must have been something that shaped him in this way. I asked the same sort of question about Moses, who passed 40 years in the Midianite desert and came out of it a righteous man. I also wonder about Abraham, who in Genesis 11 lived in idolatry with his father and relatives in Haran, but in Genesis 12 he obeyed the voice of the LORD, left everything he knew and went into the land of Canaan.
I am in awe and wonder at such decisions, both the good (Moses and Abraham) and the bad (Samson). The stories themselves make for glib pronouncements ("look at the faith of Abraham!", "look at the selfishness of Samson!"). But I marvel at the stories that aren't told, what mysterious forces shape the hearts of man in all those secret years. All those years that passed with hardly a mention, with a sentence at most, but those are the untold stories that created the greatness of the heroes we know, and the sinfulness of the villains we know. In some ways I am more interested in Moses's years in Midian than in his days on Sinai. The 40 days on Sinai were the product of Moses's 40 years in Midian, tending to sheep, caring for his wife and raising his children. Moses didn't climb Mount Sinai a sinner and come down a saint; he climbed Mount Sinai with humility and love, and he descended with glory. God honors the humble and meek, but what a mystery is humility! How is this force produced, and how is it tendered? Certainly God honors humility, but where does that humility come from?
This is the mystery I've been trying to solve for the past 6 years or so, trying to discover the source of humility, faith and love. It's not something I can really address in the context of Samson's life. But I will say that I think Samson's selfishness is just as big a mystery as Moses's humility. The glib interpretation is to warn us, "do not be selfish!", without bothering to tell us just how to do that. It can honestly be irritating sometimes. Even if I know what selfishness is, how can I just "not do it"? That doesn't even make sense to me, telling you to avoid something without explaining how. Hopefully this is something that I'll get to explore more as we go through the bible.
I do think there are answers, but my honest opinion is that a large part of becoming humble is the process of learning about humility and seeking it. Humility isn't like an equation that you can read in a book and suddenly "know it". It has to becoming part of you, like mixing yeast into a lump of dough. Desiring humility and trying to find it is how you get it. But it takes time, and often it seems that is what makes it so hard for people. Of course, by "people" what I mean is "me". Maybe others too, but mostly just me. But this is just my own personal musings and philosophy. I didn't want to ask a broad question like, "how do you attain humility" without making some sort of effort to answer it, but the truth is that it's a really hard question and I'm still trying to figure it out myself. If anybody else has a really easy and simple answer, let me know and I'll just do that. :)
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Bible Commentary - Judges 14
In this chapter, Samson marries a Philistine; and other escapades.
In the last chapter, we learned about Samson's great destiny, how he is to bring about Israel's deliverance, the LORD's blessing upon his life. In this chapter... we learn how it all comes crashing down.
This chapter starts off on (what is to me) a grim note; Samson desires to marry a Philistine. We should already know this is a problem because it runs completely contrary to the biblical command against intermarrying with the tribes of Canaan (Deut 7:3). Samson's own parents discourage him from marrying a Philistine, but he insists and they reluctantly go along with it. This is a pretty serious issue already, because of what it says in Deut 7:4, that marrying with the Philistines would lead the Israelites into sin. Samson is supposed to save his people, but he's falling into the same sins that led them into bondage in the first place.
The next part of this chapter is little better. Samson demonstrates his fantastic gifting by tearing a lion to pieces with his bare hands. This is remarkable by any standard, and it shows us how much Samson is capable of. Although it says that Samson went down with his parents, he must have been alone when he fought the lion because his parents are unaware of what he did. When he goes back and sees the lion, he finds there is honey within the lion. This is also pretty miraculous, because bees do not normally transport honey to animal carcasses. It's not unreasonable for bees to be near the lion (because many kinds of wasps eat meat), but it is unreasonable that the bees would bring their honey to the lion.
But that's not the important part here. The important part is that Exodus 22:31 commands the Israelites against eating the flesh of torn animals. That prohibition would clearly expand to eating the honey from the lion, because the lion's flesh would be intermingled with the honey. This is the second commandment Samson has broken in the span of 9 verses. Even worse, he also feeds it to his parents. It's hard to describe how abominable it is that Samson would not only make himself unclean, but he then feeds this same unclean food to his parents without telling them where he got it. Verse 9 says that "he did not tell them" where he got the honey, because if they knew they wouldn't have eaten it. The author of this chapter is implying that it would have been unkosher, and that's why Samson was concealing it.
Given that his parents seem relatively pious, Samson would have almost definitely known that eating the honey would violate his ceremonial purity. But this is a man who is intentionally marrying a Philistine.
We don't really know why Samson is breaking the covenant. That's not part of this story. But I can already say that Israel is unlikely to be saved by Samson. What God has shown over and over, through Moses and Gideon and others is that he doesn't want to bring deliverance through the strongest or wisest of men, but through the faithful. Samson is strong, but he is not faithful, and it's going to cost him sooner or later. It is not bad that Samson is strong (nor is it bad that any man be strong or wise or rich or powerful), but if he doesn't combine that strength with faithfulness, humility and righteousness, then the LORD will not act through him.
The last part of this chapter is also pretty weird, with the men of Timnah threatening Samson's wife to get the answer to the riddle, and in the end Samson doesn't even marry her, as she is "given to his companion". I don't exactly understand how that happened; she must have departed with the 30 men while Samson was off killing their countrymen to pay off the wager? For whatever reason, it seems that she did not go with Samson after their marriage feast.
The other thing that kinda confused me is verse 4, which says that marrying the Philistine woman was "of the LORD", since it was indeed contrary to the Law. What I guess this means is that the LORD was intending to use this event to his advantage, but not that the LORD desired for Samson to marry a Philistine. The LORD wanted to deliver the Israelites, and that's why he raised up Samson. But if Samson wasn't going to work along with the LORD (like Moses), then he would work with the LORD in a more difficult way. I guess this is analogous to Pharaoh, whose "heart was hardened" by the LORD. Pharaoh did not choose or desire to work with the LORD to bring the Israelites out of Egypt, so the LORD used Pharaoh against his will. In the same sense that it was "of the LORD" for Pharaoh to harden his heart, it is also "of the LORD" that Samson would marry a Philistine. I don't think the LORD creates or desires these situations, but he does take advantage of them when they come up. That's my opinion anyway.
In the last chapter, we learned about Samson's great destiny, how he is to bring about Israel's deliverance, the LORD's blessing upon his life. In this chapter... we learn how it all comes crashing down.
This chapter starts off on (what is to me) a grim note; Samson desires to marry a Philistine. We should already know this is a problem because it runs completely contrary to the biblical command against intermarrying with the tribes of Canaan (Deut 7:3). Samson's own parents discourage him from marrying a Philistine, but he insists and they reluctantly go along with it. This is a pretty serious issue already, because of what it says in Deut 7:4, that marrying with the Philistines would lead the Israelites into sin. Samson is supposed to save his people, but he's falling into the same sins that led them into bondage in the first place.
The next part of this chapter is little better. Samson demonstrates his fantastic gifting by tearing a lion to pieces with his bare hands. This is remarkable by any standard, and it shows us how much Samson is capable of. Although it says that Samson went down with his parents, he must have been alone when he fought the lion because his parents are unaware of what he did. When he goes back and sees the lion, he finds there is honey within the lion. This is also pretty miraculous, because bees do not normally transport honey to animal carcasses. It's not unreasonable for bees to be near the lion (because many kinds of wasps eat meat), but it is unreasonable that the bees would bring their honey to the lion.
But that's not the important part here. The important part is that Exodus 22:31 commands the Israelites against eating the flesh of torn animals. That prohibition would clearly expand to eating the honey from the lion, because the lion's flesh would be intermingled with the honey. This is the second commandment Samson has broken in the span of 9 verses. Even worse, he also feeds it to his parents. It's hard to describe how abominable it is that Samson would not only make himself unclean, but he then feeds this same unclean food to his parents without telling them where he got it. Verse 9 says that "he did not tell them" where he got the honey, because if they knew they wouldn't have eaten it. The author of this chapter is implying that it would have been unkosher, and that's why Samson was concealing it.
Given that his parents seem relatively pious, Samson would have almost definitely known that eating the honey would violate his ceremonial purity. But this is a man who is intentionally marrying a Philistine.
We don't really know why Samson is breaking the covenant. That's not part of this story. But I can already say that Israel is unlikely to be saved by Samson. What God has shown over and over, through Moses and Gideon and others is that he doesn't want to bring deliverance through the strongest or wisest of men, but through the faithful. Samson is strong, but he is not faithful, and it's going to cost him sooner or later. It is not bad that Samson is strong (nor is it bad that any man be strong or wise or rich or powerful), but if he doesn't combine that strength with faithfulness, humility and righteousness, then the LORD will not act through him.
The last part of this chapter is also pretty weird, with the men of Timnah threatening Samson's wife to get the answer to the riddle, and in the end Samson doesn't even marry her, as she is "given to his companion". I don't exactly understand how that happened; she must have departed with the 30 men while Samson was off killing their countrymen to pay off the wager? For whatever reason, it seems that she did not go with Samson after their marriage feast.
The other thing that kinda confused me is verse 4, which says that marrying the Philistine woman was "of the LORD", since it was indeed contrary to the Law. What I guess this means is that the LORD was intending to use this event to his advantage, but not that the LORD desired for Samson to marry a Philistine. The LORD wanted to deliver the Israelites, and that's why he raised up Samson. But if Samson wasn't going to work along with the LORD (like Moses), then he would work with the LORD in a more difficult way. I guess this is analogous to Pharaoh, whose "heart was hardened" by the LORD. Pharaoh did not choose or desire to work with the LORD to bring the Israelites out of Egypt, so the LORD used Pharaoh against his will. In the same sense that it was "of the LORD" for Pharaoh to harden his heart, it is also "of the LORD" that Samson would marry a Philistine. I don't think the LORD creates or desires these situations, but he does take advantage of them when they come up. That's my opinion anyway.
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Bible Commentary - Judges 13
In this chapter, Samson is born.
Samson is the most famous of all the judges, and also one of the more tragic figures in the OT.
There are a lot of cool things about this story. First of all, I want to point out the recurring theme of barrenness again. Back in Genesis we were told that Sarah, Rebekah and Rachel were all barren (Gen 11:30, 25:21 and 29:31). Manoah's wife (who is unnamed in this story) is also barren, and like her ancestors, she will also play a pivotal role in Israel's history. This, combined with the angelic visit, strongly suggests that Samson has an inherent greatness, that he has so much potential in his future. This whole story recalls us to the angelic visit to Abraham and Sarah, when the LORD predicted Sarah would give birth to a son who carries on Abraham's family line and the divine promise from Gen 15.
Where the story goes different is that Samson just doesn't stay true to the LORD or follow his destiny. But more on that later.
For now, a second point I want to bring up is that Samson is the first Nazirite in the OT. There are only a few Nazirites in the bible, and Samson is the only person in the bible who is explicitly called a Nazirite. It is implied that Samuel and John the Baptist are Nazirites (1 Samuel 1:11, Luke 1:15), but that's pretty much it. To remind my readers, the Nazirite vow was specified in Num 6 as a special vow of dedication to the LORD, and you see that kind of language of dedication here. The requirements of a Nazirite vow are to avoid grapes and wine of every kind, to avoid shaving your head and to avoid dead bodies. Normally the Nazirite vow is a temporary, personal declaration. It is not required by the law of Moses; it is completely voluntary. Here, Samson is being dedicated as a Nazirite from birth for the rest of his life, before his birth and without his consent.
Samuel and John are also vaguely implied to be Nazirites for life as well (and in similar circumstances: children of barren mothers and John's birth is also predicted by an angel). So every reference to a Nazirite in the bible is to one of these lifetime Nazirites. There are no references to the temporary, seasonal Nazirite vow that is instituted in Num 6.
Samson is expected to live a life of strict dedication, but we can expect that the LORD will grant him corresponding power to free the Israelites from their Philistine oppressors. Even Gideon, the other great judge, did not have this level of dedication. However, the story of Samson's calling reminds me of Gideon because of the sacrificial offering. In Judges 6, Gideon prepares an offering to the LORD, when the angel sets it on fire with his staff and disappears. In this chapter, Manoah offers a sacrifice to the LORD and the angel ascends in the smoke of it and disappears. In both cases, Manoah and Gideon fear they will die from seeing the face of the LORD (v. 22 here and Judges 6:22 for Gideon).
So in all of these ways the story of Gideon is similar to that of Samson, and v. 24 tells us that the LORD blesses Samson. In the next chapter we will discover how Samson responds to his calling. Until now, the story has only been about Samson's parents. Samson himself must accept or reject the path set before him.
The last point I want to address is verses 17-18 when Manoah asks the angel for his name and the angel responds, "why do you ask my name when it is beyond your understanding?" This reminds me of Ex 34 when the LORD passes in front of Moses and proclaims his name. Names are significant in the bible (and to some extent in the real world) because they signify identity. The LORD's name is more than just what he is called, it's also who he is. Ex 33:19 says that "my goodness [will] pass before you, and [I] will proclaim the name of the LORD before you..." This is in response to Moses asking to see the LORD's glory. So the LORD is equating his glory, his goodness and his name all together, along with his grace and compassion (in the rest of the verse). Therefore his name is an expression of his character and attributes, what I call identity.
With all that as the background, the angel is saying, "who I am is too great for you to understand." To Manoah, this seems like a rejection, but to us who have access to the whole bible, I see it as an invitation to seek those truths that define who God is, and by understanding his character and nature we can learn about his name. His name is great and beyond understanding, but it is one of the mysteries of God that we can ponder the unponderable and approach the unapproachable, through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit who lives within believers. That it is God with us who helps us to approach God and learn more about God, which no human strength could ever do alone.
Samson is the most famous of all the judges, and also one of the more tragic figures in the OT.
There are a lot of cool things about this story. First of all, I want to point out the recurring theme of barrenness again. Back in Genesis we were told that Sarah, Rebekah and Rachel were all barren (Gen 11:30, 25:21 and 29:31). Manoah's wife (who is unnamed in this story) is also barren, and like her ancestors, she will also play a pivotal role in Israel's history. This, combined with the angelic visit, strongly suggests that Samson has an inherent greatness, that he has so much potential in his future. This whole story recalls us to the angelic visit to Abraham and Sarah, when the LORD predicted Sarah would give birth to a son who carries on Abraham's family line and the divine promise from Gen 15.
Where the story goes different is that Samson just doesn't stay true to the LORD or follow his destiny. But more on that later.
For now, a second point I want to bring up is that Samson is the first Nazirite in the OT. There are only a few Nazirites in the bible, and Samson is the only person in the bible who is explicitly called a Nazirite. It is implied that Samuel and John the Baptist are Nazirites (1 Samuel 1:11, Luke 1:15), but that's pretty much it. To remind my readers, the Nazirite vow was specified in Num 6 as a special vow of dedication to the LORD, and you see that kind of language of dedication here. The requirements of a Nazirite vow are to avoid grapes and wine of every kind, to avoid shaving your head and to avoid dead bodies. Normally the Nazirite vow is a temporary, personal declaration. It is not required by the law of Moses; it is completely voluntary. Here, Samson is being dedicated as a Nazirite from birth for the rest of his life, before his birth and without his consent.
Samuel and John are also vaguely implied to be Nazirites for life as well (and in similar circumstances: children of barren mothers and John's birth is also predicted by an angel). So every reference to a Nazirite in the bible is to one of these lifetime Nazirites. There are no references to the temporary, seasonal Nazirite vow that is instituted in Num 6.
Samson is expected to live a life of strict dedication, but we can expect that the LORD will grant him corresponding power to free the Israelites from their Philistine oppressors. Even Gideon, the other great judge, did not have this level of dedication. However, the story of Samson's calling reminds me of Gideon because of the sacrificial offering. In Judges 6, Gideon prepares an offering to the LORD, when the angel sets it on fire with his staff and disappears. In this chapter, Manoah offers a sacrifice to the LORD and the angel ascends in the smoke of it and disappears. In both cases, Manoah and Gideon fear they will die from seeing the face of the LORD (v. 22 here and Judges 6:22 for Gideon).
So in all of these ways the story of Gideon is similar to that of Samson, and v. 24 tells us that the LORD blesses Samson. In the next chapter we will discover how Samson responds to his calling. Until now, the story has only been about Samson's parents. Samson himself must accept or reject the path set before him.
The last point I want to address is verses 17-18 when Manoah asks the angel for his name and the angel responds, "why do you ask my name when it is beyond your understanding?" This reminds me of Ex 34 when the LORD passes in front of Moses and proclaims his name. Names are significant in the bible (and to some extent in the real world) because they signify identity. The LORD's name is more than just what he is called, it's also who he is. Ex 33:19 says that "my goodness [will] pass before you, and [I] will proclaim the name of the LORD before you..." This is in response to Moses asking to see the LORD's glory. So the LORD is equating his glory, his goodness and his name all together, along with his grace and compassion (in the rest of the verse). Therefore his name is an expression of his character and attributes, what I call identity.
With all that as the background, the angel is saying, "who I am is too great for you to understand." To Manoah, this seems like a rejection, but to us who have access to the whole bible, I see it as an invitation to seek those truths that define who God is, and by understanding his character and nature we can learn about his name. His name is great and beyond understanding, but it is one of the mysteries of God that we can ponder the unponderable and approach the unapproachable, through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit who lives within believers. That it is God with us who helps us to approach God and learn more about God, which no human strength could ever do alone.
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Bible Commentary - Judges 12
In this chapter, Jephthah and his Gileadite clansmen get into a war with Ephraim.
Remember when I said in Judges 9 that the loose affiliation between the tribes of Israel was falling apart? In this chapter it becomes an all-out war between Manasseh and Ephraim. Specifically it is the Transjordan Gileadite clan, the largest and most powerful clan of Manasseh, which has been the source of at least one other judge (Jair, and possibly Gideon who is a Manassite but not necessarily from Gilead).
In general, I think this story is a very strong parallel to when the men of Ephraim (again) complained to Gideon about this exact same issue, that they did not get "called up" to fight against the invaders of their time (in that case, Midianites; in this case, Ammonites).
The Ephraimites are correct in one sense; they didn't get called up to fight against the Ammonites. In another sense, Jephthah is also correct; the Ammonites have been stomping around in Israelite territory for something like 17 years and there is no indication Ephraim has done anything about it in that time. Why should Jephthah be obligated to invite the Ephraimites whenever Gilead goes to fight their national enemies? The Ephraimites are probably seeking both the honor of victory and the spoils of war, so now they respond with jealousy and anger towards the Gileadites.
I think Jephthah is largely correct in what he says, but at the same time, his words resulted in a battle between Gilead and Ephraim. Gilead was victorious, but Israel (as a whole) was defeated. There is no victory in destroying a brother tribe, and while Jephthah was victorious over Ammon, this is yet another grim conclusion to what was otherwise a victory for the people of Israel.
In addition, this story is commonly contrasted with the very similar event in Judges 8 when the men of Ephraim contended against Gideon for the same reason. The big difference is that Gideon was able to assuage their hurt feelings by emphasizing their glory in killing the two kings of Midian. In this story, Jephthah responds with anger, which is perhaps justified, but nevertheless results in a war between two tribes. This is another example of how things are progressively getting worse in Israel as time passes. Many commentators view Gideon favorably compared to Jephthah for this reason, although Gideon had some issues of his own (which I also discussed in Judges 8).
There are a few judges after Jephthah in this chapter, but all of them are relatively inconsequential (and never mentioned again).
The last thing I will mention about this chapter is the funny little story about "shibboleth". As obscure as this story may seem, it is the origin of an English phrase, "shibboleth", which means basically like a password or code phrase of some kind. Sometimes, as here, it refers to particular regional pronunciations of a word that reveal the hometown of the speaker. I think I have also heard it used in reference to authentication techniques in computer security. So this is just another way that biblical stories have influenced modern English idiom.
Remember when I said in Judges 9 that the loose affiliation between the tribes of Israel was falling apart? In this chapter it becomes an all-out war between Manasseh and Ephraim. Specifically it is the Transjordan Gileadite clan, the largest and most powerful clan of Manasseh, which has been the source of at least one other judge (Jair, and possibly Gideon who is a Manassite but not necessarily from Gilead).
In general, I think this story is a very strong parallel to when the men of Ephraim (again) complained to Gideon about this exact same issue, that they did not get "called up" to fight against the invaders of their time (in that case, Midianites; in this case, Ammonites).
The Ephraimites are correct in one sense; they didn't get called up to fight against the Ammonites. In another sense, Jephthah is also correct; the Ammonites have been stomping around in Israelite territory for something like 17 years and there is no indication Ephraim has done anything about it in that time. Why should Jephthah be obligated to invite the Ephraimites whenever Gilead goes to fight their national enemies? The Ephraimites are probably seeking both the honor of victory and the spoils of war, so now they respond with jealousy and anger towards the Gileadites.
I think Jephthah is largely correct in what he says, but at the same time, his words resulted in a battle between Gilead and Ephraim. Gilead was victorious, but Israel (as a whole) was defeated. There is no victory in destroying a brother tribe, and while Jephthah was victorious over Ammon, this is yet another grim conclusion to what was otherwise a victory for the people of Israel.
In addition, this story is commonly contrasted with the very similar event in Judges 8 when the men of Ephraim contended against Gideon for the same reason. The big difference is that Gideon was able to assuage their hurt feelings by emphasizing their glory in killing the two kings of Midian. In this story, Jephthah responds with anger, which is perhaps justified, but nevertheless results in a war between two tribes. This is another example of how things are progressively getting worse in Israel as time passes. Many commentators view Gideon favorably compared to Jephthah for this reason, although Gideon had some issues of his own (which I also discussed in Judges 8).
There are a few judges after Jephthah in this chapter, but all of them are relatively inconsequential (and never mentioned again).
The last thing I will mention about this chapter is the funny little story about "shibboleth". As obscure as this story may seem, it is the origin of an English phrase, "shibboleth", which means basically like a password or code phrase of some kind. Sometimes, as here, it refers to particular regional pronunciations of a word that reveal the hometown of the speaker. I think I have also heard it used in reference to authentication techniques in computer security. So this is just another way that biblical stories have influenced modern English idiom.
Bible Commentary - Judges 11
In this chapter, Jephthah saves Israel from the Ammonites, but unintentionally vows to sacrifice his daughter to the LORD.
First of all, verses 1-3 seem to imply that Jephthah is literally the son of Gilead, but I think this is very unlikely because of the timeline involved. According to Num 26:29, Gilead is a grandson of Manasseh, who died in Egypt roughly 400 years before the Exodus. It should be obvious then that Jephthah is not literally the son of Gilead, but much more likely a descendant of Gilead, and verses 2-3 are almost certainly referring to other descendants of Gilead. It's possible they are literally Jephthah's brothers, but it's also possibly a reference to just Gileadite clansmen in general, who drive him out of the land of Gilead (which is collectively their inheritance).
We have never heard of the land of Tob before. Presumably it's just one of the many wastelands in this arid region.
It's not really clear from the story why the Gileadites thought that Jephthah would make a good leader. He must have had some sort of reputation for feats of strength, but if so we never learn of them. The main point seems to be the inconsistency between the Gileadites driving Jephthah out because he's the son of a prostitute, but then coming back to him in their time of need.
After that, Jephthah argues briefly with the king of Ammon. Basically, this dispute is over the land of Sihon, which is the territory southeast of the Jordan. The land of Bashan was the northeast territory, and that's where Gilead (and Manasseh) are. Ammon is trying to claim the land south of that which is the home of the Reubenites and Gadites. Gilead is probably not directly attacking, but what was clear from the prior chapter was that Ammon is threatening most of Israel, including crossing the Jordan to attack Judah, Benjamin and Ephraim. Giving the land of Gad and Reuben would probably not stop Ammon from attacking the remaining tribes of Israel.
What happened was that the Amorites captured this land from the Ammonites, and as Jephthah recites, Israel conquered it from the Amorites on their way through to the promised land. Although Israel never attacked the Ammonites, the Ammonites are now seeking to reclaim the land that they once possessed before the Amorites took it from them.
But let's be realistic. Israel has fought many, many wars that neither had, nor required, any provocation. The Midianites, Moabites, Amalekites, Philistines, etc. have all attacked Israel without any prior provocation. One could reasonably suggest the Israelites' invasion itself had no provocation. The Mideast in this time is definitely a "might makes right" sort of place. Every war is justified by victory. Jephthah himself implies this in v. 24 when he says "Do you not possess when Chemosh your god gives you to possess?" This statement (and those that follow it) implies that any land you possess is given to you by your nation's god, which in turn justifies your possession of it. If your god is strong enough to take a land, then you deserve to possess it.
The second implication is something I have stated before, which is the notion that every god in the OT is inherently a national god. The LORD is the national god of Israel, Chemosh is the god of Ammon, and Judges 10:6 lists "the gods" of many different nations, without specifically naming them. This was a concept I discussed several times (what I call "patron gods"), and it is very important in many places in the OT, such as here. Because Israel's god is stronger, they defeated the Canaanites in their invasion. Because Israel's god is stronger, they drove out the Amorites from the Transjordan region and killed Sihon, king of the Amorites. And it is the strength of the LORD that will preserve the Israelites against the Ammonites now.
Jephthah brings up another point, which is that the Israelites have possessed this land for generations now (80 years after Ehud alone, Judges 3:30, another 40 years after Deborah and 40 years after Gideon), what he calls 300 years. I'm not going to bother working out the chronology, but this is probably reasonably accurate given how many judges have already come and gone. What this shows is that the Ammonites attacking now is opportunistic. They aren't attacking because they think they have a right to this land, but because they think they can win it. The Ammonites' reason for invading is almost entirely pretense.
Anyway, Jephthah destroys the Ammonites as we should all expect by this point, but with a pretty twisted conclusion: he promises to sacrifice whatever (or whoever) comes out of his house to greet him after his victory, and by chance it is his only daughter. Like Gideon's ephod, this shows that even the judges of Israel can and do make serious mistakes, and the least I can do is call this vow a serious mistake. Fulfilling it (as he does) is not to Jephthah's credit.
God commanded Abraham to kill his only son, but then relented and stopped him from doing so. Deut 18:10 specifically commands the Israelites to not offer their sons or daughters as sacrifices, and one can speculate that it is from Canaanite human sacrifices that Jephthah got his idea to make this vow. It is unlikely that Jephthah expected an animal to walk out of his home's front door to greet him upon his return; although he might not have desired his daughter's death, he must have known or thought it would be a person, perhaps a servant or other relative. But it doesn't matter: the law of Moses makes no provision for human sacrifice. Leviticus 20:2-5 puts this in even stronger terms, demanding that anyone who sacrifices his children to Molech should be put to death. Jephthah doesn't sacrifice his children to Molech, but there can be little doubt that it was contrary to the law.
If Jephthah sinned and violated the law, why did the LORD save Israel through him? There are many reasons, but the most relevant is that the LORD didn't save Israel for Jephthah, he did it for Israel. But you could similarly ask why the LORD passed the covenant on to Jacob, who stole his brothers blessing, why Judah is the chosen tribe for the kingship when Judah himself married a Canaanite, and the list could go on and on. Just because "a hero" does something doesn't mean that the LORD approves of their action, and just because the LORD works through somebody doesn't mean they're perfect. The LORD is working to bring redemption to the earth, and that means by definition the people being worked through are not themselves yet redeemed. More often than not, people are purified and redeemed by being worked through, when the LORD is bringing redemption through them to other people. Why some people are chosen as vessels of redemption, while others are chosen as recipients, is beyond my understanding or wisdom. But I have learned enough to recognize that more often than not, this is how the LORD works.
In the case of Jephthah, as with many others throughout the bible, we see both the redemption that they bring (such as rescuing Israel) and the spots where they also need redemption (such as here, where Jephthah inexplicably vows to perform a human sacrifice).
First of all, verses 1-3 seem to imply that Jephthah is literally the son of Gilead, but I think this is very unlikely because of the timeline involved. According to Num 26:29, Gilead is a grandson of Manasseh, who died in Egypt roughly 400 years before the Exodus. It should be obvious then that Jephthah is not literally the son of Gilead, but much more likely a descendant of Gilead, and verses 2-3 are almost certainly referring to other descendants of Gilead. It's possible they are literally Jephthah's brothers, but it's also possibly a reference to just Gileadite clansmen in general, who drive him out of the land of Gilead (which is collectively their inheritance).
We have never heard of the land of Tob before. Presumably it's just one of the many wastelands in this arid region.
It's not really clear from the story why the Gileadites thought that Jephthah would make a good leader. He must have had some sort of reputation for feats of strength, but if so we never learn of them. The main point seems to be the inconsistency between the Gileadites driving Jephthah out because he's the son of a prostitute, but then coming back to him in their time of need.
After that, Jephthah argues briefly with the king of Ammon. Basically, this dispute is over the land of Sihon, which is the territory southeast of the Jordan. The land of Bashan was the northeast territory, and that's where Gilead (and Manasseh) are. Ammon is trying to claim the land south of that which is the home of the Reubenites and Gadites. Gilead is probably not directly attacking, but what was clear from the prior chapter was that Ammon is threatening most of Israel, including crossing the Jordan to attack Judah, Benjamin and Ephraim. Giving the land of Gad and Reuben would probably not stop Ammon from attacking the remaining tribes of Israel.
What happened was that the Amorites captured this land from the Ammonites, and as Jephthah recites, Israel conquered it from the Amorites on their way through to the promised land. Although Israel never attacked the Ammonites, the Ammonites are now seeking to reclaim the land that they once possessed before the Amorites took it from them.
But let's be realistic. Israel has fought many, many wars that neither had, nor required, any provocation. The Midianites, Moabites, Amalekites, Philistines, etc. have all attacked Israel without any prior provocation. One could reasonably suggest the Israelites' invasion itself had no provocation. The Mideast in this time is definitely a "might makes right" sort of place. Every war is justified by victory. Jephthah himself implies this in v. 24 when he says "Do you not possess when Chemosh your god gives you to possess?" This statement (and those that follow it) implies that any land you possess is given to you by your nation's god, which in turn justifies your possession of it. If your god is strong enough to take a land, then you deserve to possess it.
The second implication is something I have stated before, which is the notion that every god in the OT is inherently a national god. The LORD is the national god of Israel, Chemosh is the god of Ammon, and Judges 10:6 lists "the gods" of many different nations, without specifically naming them. This was a concept I discussed several times (what I call "patron gods"), and it is very important in many places in the OT, such as here. Because Israel's god is stronger, they defeated the Canaanites in their invasion. Because Israel's god is stronger, they drove out the Amorites from the Transjordan region and killed Sihon, king of the Amorites. And it is the strength of the LORD that will preserve the Israelites against the Ammonites now.
Jephthah brings up another point, which is that the Israelites have possessed this land for generations now (80 years after Ehud alone, Judges 3:30, another 40 years after Deborah and 40 years after Gideon), what he calls 300 years. I'm not going to bother working out the chronology, but this is probably reasonably accurate given how many judges have already come and gone. What this shows is that the Ammonites attacking now is opportunistic. They aren't attacking because they think they have a right to this land, but because they think they can win it. The Ammonites' reason for invading is almost entirely pretense.
Anyway, Jephthah destroys the Ammonites as we should all expect by this point, but with a pretty twisted conclusion: he promises to sacrifice whatever (or whoever) comes out of his house to greet him after his victory, and by chance it is his only daughter. Like Gideon's ephod, this shows that even the judges of Israel can and do make serious mistakes, and the least I can do is call this vow a serious mistake. Fulfilling it (as he does) is not to Jephthah's credit.
God commanded Abraham to kill his only son, but then relented and stopped him from doing so. Deut 18:10 specifically commands the Israelites to not offer their sons or daughters as sacrifices, and one can speculate that it is from Canaanite human sacrifices that Jephthah got his idea to make this vow. It is unlikely that Jephthah expected an animal to walk out of his home's front door to greet him upon his return; although he might not have desired his daughter's death, he must have known or thought it would be a person, perhaps a servant or other relative. But it doesn't matter: the law of Moses makes no provision for human sacrifice. Leviticus 20:2-5 puts this in even stronger terms, demanding that anyone who sacrifices his children to Molech should be put to death. Jephthah doesn't sacrifice his children to Molech, but there can be little doubt that it was contrary to the law.
If Jephthah sinned and violated the law, why did the LORD save Israel through him? There are many reasons, but the most relevant is that the LORD didn't save Israel for Jephthah, he did it for Israel. But you could similarly ask why the LORD passed the covenant on to Jacob, who stole his brothers blessing, why Judah is the chosen tribe for the kingship when Judah himself married a Canaanite, and the list could go on and on. Just because "a hero" does something doesn't mean that the LORD approves of their action, and just because the LORD works through somebody doesn't mean they're perfect. The LORD is working to bring redemption to the earth, and that means by definition the people being worked through are not themselves yet redeemed. More often than not, people are purified and redeemed by being worked through, when the LORD is bringing redemption through them to other people. Why some people are chosen as vessels of redemption, while others are chosen as recipients, is beyond my understanding or wisdom. But I have learned enough to recognize that more often than not, this is how the LORD works.
In the case of Jephthah, as with many others throughout the bible, we see both the redemption that they bring (such as rescuing Israel) and the spots where they also need redemption (such as here, where Jephthah inexplicably vows to perform a human sacrifice).
Bible Commentary - Judges 10
In this chapter, Israel turns back to idolatry and the LORD gives them over to the Philistines and Ammonites.
The story here should be getting very familiar. It starts off with two heroes who "save Israel" from various troubles, and again both of them are from northern Israel (one is from Issachar, the other from Gilead in Manasseh). This whole book seems to be biased towards northern Israel and especially Gilead. We can suspect that the author might be from northern Israel or Manasseh.
After these two heroes die, Israel returns to idolatry, serving the gods of all the nations around Israel and from within the land, which is again very familiar.
Before the LORD sent Gideon to save the people, he also sent an unnamed prophet to rebuke the people for their idolatry. This time the LORD rebukes them again, telling them to ask their new gods for help if those are the gods they wish to serve. This chapter doesn't tell us how the LORD shared this message, but it was most likely through a prophet or something similar.
Most of the enemies listed here are nations that attacked Israel earlier in Judges, such as the Amalekites, Ammonites and Philistines. The LORD also mentions the Egyptians, who haven't fought against Israel since they departed during the exodus. The LORD further mentions the Sidonians and Maonites (the people from Maon, a town in Judah, Joshua 15:55), which we haven't heard had been oppressing Israel. It's possible they were lesser allies of earlier oppressors. Who knows, it's not really that significant.
The main purpose of this chapter is to set us up for the next chapter, when the next hero of Israel emerges to save them from their enemies on behalf of the LORD. Having "put away the foreign gods from among them", it seems inevitable at this point that the LORD will indeed save them. I can only ask for how long it will remain thus, before Israel returns to sin. Honestly I would say more but this is a pattern we have seen multiple times now and it's really the same thing all over again.
The story here should be getting very familiar. It starts off with two heroes who "save Israel" from various troubles, and again both of them are from northern Israel (one is from Issachar, the other from Gilead in Manasseh). This whole book seems to be biased towards northern Israel and especially Gilead. We can suspect that the author might be from northern Israel or Manasseh.
After these two heroes die, Israel returns to idolatry, serving the gods of all the nations around Israel and from within the land, which is again very familiar.
Before the LORD sent Gideon to save the people, he also sent an unnamed prophet to rebuke the people for their idolatry. This time the LORD rebukes them again, telling them to ask their new gods for help if those are the gods they wish to serve. This chapter doesn't tell us how the LORD shared this message, but it was most likely through a prophet or something similar.
Most of the enemies listed here are nations that attacked Israel earlier in Judges, such as the Amalekites, Ammonites and Philistines. The LORD also mentions the Egyptians, who haven't fought against Israel since they departed during the exodus. The LORD further mentions the Sidonians and Maonites (the people from Maon, a town in Judah, Joshua 15:55), which we haven't heard had been oppressing Israel. It's possible they were lesser allies of earlier oppressors. Who knows, it's not really that significant.
The main purpose of this chapter is to set us up for the next chapter, when the next hero of Israel emerges to save them from their enemies on behalf of the LORD. Having "put away the foreign gods from among them", it seems inevitable at this point that the LORD will indeed save them. I can only ask for how long it will remain thus, before Israel returns to sin. Honestly I would say more but this is a pattern we have seen multiple times now and it's really the same thing all over again.
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