Samson- Judges 13 - 16.
Once again, those who trusted and followed the Creator lost
their way. They became corrupt and
greedy. Their community was oppressed
and declined for 40 years.
In those days there was a man called Noah. He and his wife had not been able to have any
children. One day Noah’s wife witnessed
a vision. A visitor came to her and told
her that she was to give birth to a boy who would restore the fortunes of their
community. The person instructed her to
dedicate her son to the Creator from birth, and for the family to refrain from using
alcohol or any drugs. The child was
never to cut his hair as a sign of his commitment to the Creator. Noah’s wife was deeply troubled and
immediately found her husband to discuss what this might mean. Noah looked up to the sky and cried out to the
Creator asking for an explanation and a confirmation that this was real.
Once again Noah’s wife was visited by the strange shining
person. This time she asked that Noah be
present too, and this was agreed. The
person explained that their child would be the one to restore strength and hope
to the believing community. Noah asked
if the visitor could stay, at least for a meal.
‘Not a meal’, was the reply, ‘but it would be appropriate for you to
honour and praise the Creator.’ Noah and
his wife got on their knees and praised the Creator. The place was filled with the awe and
presence of the Creator.
The visitor left in a most mysterious way, by rising up into
the sky. Noah and his wife looked at
each other is terror. “We’re doomed”,
said Noah. “Don’t be stupid”, retorted
his wife. “We’ve got a job to do.”
Samson was born a lively and healthy child. His parents did not cut his hair when other one-year
old’s were expected to have their heads shaved.
This caused a stir in their community, but much more was to come.
One day, as an impulsive young man, Samson was chatting with
women down in the town bar. He fell very
much in love with a beautiful girl and decided she was the one for him. Samson’s parents could see what Samson could
not. ‘You have no idea what you are
letting yourself in for’ they said.
Samson was smitten, and the young lady in question seemed
keen too. A parents meeting was
arranged. Samson and his family walked
together into town to arrange things. On
the way, something caught Samson’s eye, and he veered off to investigate. From behind some bins, Samson saw the glint
of a knife. Within seconds he was being
attacked by a thief. Samson picked up
the large steel bin, too heavy for four men to lift, and brought it down on the
attacker’s head. He then returned, as
calm as you like, to meet his future in-laws.
The meeting went well, and a date for a wedding was set. Sometime later Samson passed the scene of the
mugging. The incident had caused a stir,
but no one suspected his involvement. The
wreckage of the bin was still there as he had left it, and strangely also,
Samson noticed a swarm of bees had made a home in the upturned remains. There was honeycomb suspended from the cavernous
interior. Samson broke off a piece and
hurried on. Samson’s family were
delighted to share in the fresh honey, little suspecting where it had been
harvested.
Samson met up with his fiancées family to discuss who was
paying for what. “Let’s make it fun”,
said Samson, impetuous as ever, “I will pay for everything myself if you can
solve the riddle I have for you.” For
the People in that town a ‘riddling and a gambling’ were the height of culture. The wager was set.
“Out of filth
came forth perfection.”
“Out of the
discarded came the delectable.”
With cheers and back slapping, Samson’s in-laws departed to
scratch their heads and consult in small group into the wee hours. No one had a clue, and soon their worries
turned to the impending bill. Weddings
in that town were mighty affairs. Samson’s
fiancée would have to pump for the truth.
She agreed to come to her family’s rescue, and with tears and emotional
manipulation, she pleaded with Samson to reveal the meaning of the riddle. Eventually Samson gave in. No sooner had he told her, she nipped off to
give the intelligence to her family.
In triumph Samson’s father-in-law presented Samson with the
solution. Samson was furious. He knew that he had been dupped. “You won’t have slept so well if you hadn’t
sneaked into my bed,” he retorted.
In a fury, Samson broke into his father-in-law’s business
and took the money needed for the wedding.
He paid all the debts and retuned home in a mood.
The following month Samson decided to see if he could make
amends with his fiancée. Arriving at his
father-in-law’s house, he was surprised to hear that the weeding had gone ahead,
but that his best man had become the groom.
Samson’s father-in-law was afraid, and offered Samson another daughter
in marriage, ‘very much more beautiful...’
Samson’s rage returned and that night, many factories and
businesses mysteriously went up in flames.
Everyone knew that Samson behind this, and people plotted what they
could do bring him down.
The atmosphere in the town had turned ugly. Anyone now mixed with Samson was likely to be
kneecapped. Believers in the Creator were especially targeted. These people pleaded with Samson to moderate
his behaviour and submit to the authorities. They asked him to hand himself in.
Eventually Samson agreed to face the police. He was only concerned to be dealt with
justly. The people agreed, and together
they went to the police. Samson was greeted
with delight and was immediately handcuffed.
It was clear that the police had been waiting for this moment. Samson noticed officers brandishing all sorts
of weapons. The presence of the Creator
come on Samson, and he pulled the handcuffs apart like plasticine. With a purloined police truncation in hand,
blows came raining down. In no time at
all the police station was in mayhem.
Bruised and defeated bodies lay everywhere.
Samson walked out of the station and down the street. No one touched him or considered it worth
trying.
“With a Police cudgel I have cajoled my enemies.” Samson exclaimed, throwing aside the blooded Truncheon. Even today this place is known as ‘Baton
Rouge’.
For twenty years Samson was able to stand up for the downtrodden,
and the people looked to him as the only counter to the corruption and tyranny about
them.
One day Samson came into town to spend the night with a
woman he knew. The word went round that
he was on his own, and a gang surrounded the house, keeping constant
watch. Samson knew what was going
on. He could see that the road had been
blocked with cars. Samson, full of
power, rushed at the barricade, and took hold of the fender of a large and expensive
car and dragged it away from the town for about one mile.
It wasn’t long before Samson was in love again. This time with Delilah. Everyone knew that Delilah was like playing
with fire. Those who hated Samson
offered Delilah a great reward for helping to trap Samson and bring him
down. Samson was smitten, and soon he
was involved in a passionate affair with Delilah, and her charms.
Oh you’re so strong!
What is it that makes you so much stronger that the riff raff round
here?
Again Delilah tried her charms. Samson playfully suggested brand-new climbing
ropes would defeet his powers. Delilah
was doubtful, but what do you know, Samson woke the next morning tied up like a
turkey, with these precise ropes. Samson
called out angrily to Delilah “you seriously want to do me harm?” He noticed a
scurrying away of intruders as he stood ripping apart the bonds like tissue
paper.
Samson knew what she was about. “Tie me up with piano wire and I’m a gonna”
laughed Samson. Strangely again, in the
night Samson discovered that he had been trussed up with wire. “How inconvenient” sighed Samson as he pulled
the wire apart.
“You lie to me all the time” wailed Delilah. “I can’t trust you in anything.”
Delilah continued in her quest to undo Samson and his
community. Samson continued to be under
her spell. Eventually after much
pestering Samson informed Delilah that his strength was located in his hair. ‘Now we are getting somewhere’, she thought, ‘it’s
not an obvious, so it’s more likely to be correct.’
“Braid my hair in a loom, and I’m converted from lion to
lamb.” It was now not a surprise to find
on awaking, Delilah hard at work weaving with Samson’s hair. With an angry laugh Samson pulled his hair
from the loom. “Don’t break it” She
screamed. “I know you are intent on bringing me down, but you will never
succeed” Samson replied.
It was not long before the actual truth did come out. Delilah could spot that the blurred picture
was coming into focus. ‘I shall not cut my hair as it is part of my oath of
obedience to the Creator.’ That’s it - I
have him at last. thought Delilah, thumped her fist into her palm, and sneaked
off to her weary relatives. Rather
unconvinced, Delilah’s family fell in.
They could see the flash in Delilah’s eyes.
That night Delilah shaved Samson’s hair from his head. When Samson woke this time, be sensed that
his was all alone. The presence of the
Creator had left him. He was at the
hands of his enemies.
Samson was hauled out of the house and beaten badly. He had his eyes ripped out and he was left
barely alive. “He could be useful down
your uncles yard?” called out one man. “Might
as well get his to pay us back for years of trouble.”
That was the end of Samson.
He was not seen of or heard of again.
That is, until one of the gang leaders got married. He threw a massive party to show off the
extraordinary wealth he had accumulated.
Oligarchs and mafia barons gathered from across the globe. The press were out, along with a luxuriant
red carpet.
As was the custom with this company, amusements were prepare
in the form of gladiator fights. The
name of Samson was recalled. That once feared
man would make a perfect sparing partner against their campion. “Let find him and rekindle the old days. Once he was ‘Top Dog’. Now he is just a dog.” Samson was brought forward, a broken and
stooping man. He could hear the laughter
and jeers as he arrived. He groped his
way forward resting beside a pillar. His
hair had grown and was back to the dread locks of old. Little did his adversary’s know that that all
with it the word dread had returned.
Samson looked up and whispered to the Creator. “Give me back my strength once more, and I
will be your judge and prosecutioner once more.” Samson felt strength come back into his
frame. He stood tall. The people around him noticed this change,
and shrank back. The vast hall slowing
became quiet and subdued. Without a
word, Samson pushed at the pillar he was standing by. An ear splitting crack
was heard high above them. All were
frozen. The in a moment, the ceiling
gave way. Tonnes of concrete began to
fall, and with a mighty rumble of the chaos, screams, metallic cracking, and smashing
plate windows, the build began to fall down.
A gas mains exploded. The upper
floors of the building began falling in is if struck by a mighty earthquake or
bomb. Now the building and all within it
had changed completely. Silence
descended, except for a thousand car alarms carried over the evening air.
That was the end of Samson.
But those who believed in the Creator also lost their oppressors. They were able to meet together and their
lives became more stable.
The End
