Introduction to Samson+Fun-Roe, Louisiana+Traveling Updates
There are charismatic figures in the Bible, such as Joseph, David, and Solomon. But the book of Judges gives us an image of a monumental figure by the name of Samson who is not like the others.
Nuntium
It’s about 99 degrees today here in Monroe, LA. However, the good news is that we can expect to see the weather in the 100s in the days ahead. So, I am trying to cheer up. Further misery is coming. Nevertheless, what is happening inside the facility of Church of the Redeemer is nothing short of incredible. The 11th Jubilate Deo Music Camp is underway, with nearly 400 students, parents, and guests in attendance. It’s a spectacle. You can see a glimpse of this in the morning chapter I lead:
An Introduction to Israel’s Nazarite
There are biblical characters that are so compelling and charismatic that they require a second look. They may appear righteous but end up unrighteous, or they may appear to be unrighteous and end up as messianic figures in the story. The great stories we love follow this pattern. They make you despise people like Edmund in The Chronicles of Narnia, but by the end, you are singing his praises. Or, to make matters even more complex, what if the life of these characters is a life of profound error and simultaneous blessing on a community?
There are charismatic figures in the Bible, such as Joseph, David, and Solomon. But the book of Judges gives us an image of a monumental figure by the name of Samson. As an introduction to Samson, I’d like to portray him in three categories. My readers will note that these are Frame’s tri-perspectival categories—situational, normative, and existential (the order varies).
Situational
The situational perspective refers to the specific historical context within which the narrative is set. We remember that the cycle of Israel’s history in the days of the Judges is a cycle of idolatry, punishment, repentance, and deliverance. This is a deadly cycle in Israel’s history. There is a remnant, but Israel’s history is plagued with corruption. And that’s because they are of their father, the Devil. Satan is the father of lies; the first idolater. He is the one who exchanged the worship of God for self-worship. And now Israel follows in the steps of the first Adam, whom the Serpent deceived. Israel did not provide a worthy opponent to the Devil. It was easier to join his team. Many have tried, and many succeeded temporarily, but Satan had Israel under captivity.[1]
It seems hopeless and futile. It is even more despairing when you consider the history of the Judges. But in God’s providence, God’s people are not alone. God will give glimpses of a more excellent opponent to the Devil. The Song of Deborah ends in Judges 5: “So may all your enemies perish, O Yahweh but let your friends shine like the sun.”
Normative
So, that’s Israel’s situation. This is the story of God destroying His enemies and elevating his friends through salvation and deliverance. His instrument is a charismatic, chiseled, and committed killer of serpents by the name of Samson. Now, the normative perspective will elaborate on Samson’s biography in the Book of Judges.
In Judges 13, we read in verse one a familiar refrain: “And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, so Yahweh gave them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.” This is the context of the Samson story. The people of Israel believed that following the customs of the false gods would bring them a certain satisfaction and rest. You can’t sample the culture of the gods while not being influenced by it. Christians need to guard their hearts against these deceptive traps. In the case of Israel, their sin led Yahweh to give them over to the Philistines for forty years as slaves. He placed them under an evil culture. You are what you worship, and you become a slave to what you worship. This is repeated in Romans 1, where God gives people over to a reprobate mind. “Do you want this life? I will give you all of it. Its culture will shackle you.”
So, God gives the Israelites into the hands of the Philistines. The Philistines are described in Genesis 10:14 as being descended from the Egyptians. Now, if you are an Israelite, what does that remind you of? It reminds you of your bondage in Egypt. Yahweh is once again giving them over to Egypt-like people. Notice also how long they are given into bondage. Forty-years. Another reminder of their wilderness wandering, another reminder that their unfaithfulness has given them what they wanted. Symbolically, we know that forty represents wilderness and testing. The Israelites are being given another time of testing. Will they turn to Yahweh, or will they become enculturated in Philistine ideology? This is a test for Israel.
The Israelites are accursed under Philistine bondage. But in Judges 13, there is a promise that accompanies that curse. That promise has a birth story. In verse 2: “There was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. And his wife was barren and had no children.” This certain man of Zorah (which can mean “Light” or “Dawn”) is named Manoah from the tribe of the Danites. “Manoah” means “rest.” You can see that the promise brings light and rest—a very fitting way to begin a book or a promise.
He is from the tribe of the Danites, who were known for their compromise (1:34-36, chapters 17-18). So, in one verse, you have a promise and a curse. In the Psalms, when a people are living in bondage, they compose Psalms of deliverance:
“How long, O Lord! O Lord, how long will you forget me and my song?”
This time, the people are not crying out for deliverance. Instead, they are a people seemingly so used to bondage that they do not even call out for relief (15:11). But here is the grace of God. God is greater than all of our stupidity and sin. He takes the initiative, even if it requires a miracle.”[2] What we know about Manoah is that he may have commanded a military post at the camp of Dan.[3] So, whoever this child is, he comes from a warrior line.
But there is one problem—his wife was barren and had no children. Notice the pattern: Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel, now the wife of Manoah, are grieving because they cannot have children. Satan is doing everything he can to stop the birth of the seed of the woman.[4] And in typical biblical fashion, the same promise of the seed is presented for us in verse 3: “And the angel of Yahweh appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son.” We have a similar story in Luke one where Elizabeth was known as the “barren one” who conceived and had a son. We know him as John the Forerunner. What do we know about John the Forerunner? We know that he was a Nazarite. And now we have a barren woman; the wife of Manoah gets a heavenly, angelic introduction to what it means to be a Nazarite son in verses 4-8.
Existential
Before we begin Samson’s story, we need to understand this Nazarite background in the Bible.[5] Samson is the “preeminent Nazarite.”[6] To understand what a Nazarite vow is, we go to the central passage in the Bible dealing with the Nazarite vow, which is Numbers 6. Those of you who come from liturgical traditions are used to hearing that read on Sunday mornings at the benediction: “May the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.” But before the benediction, we have 21 verses dealing with the Nazarite vow.
Nazirite Defined
The very word “nazarite” comes from the Hebrew “nazir,” which primarily means “separated” or “consecrated.” It is not used too often in the Bible, so it is vital to give it proper attention when it is used. A “Nazarite was an Israelite who took a special vow and became a special temporary priest.”[7] What does a priest do? A priest protects and guards the Bride/Land from evil. He usually does this in wartime. But unlike the specific call of God for priests in the Old Covenant, being a Nazarite makes you a different type of priest. He doesn’t offer sacrifices. He specializes in making people angry. And to assume this office, he had vows to keep.
And what are these vows? We see a summary of this in verse 4 of Judges 13:
“Therefore be careful and drink no wine or strong drink…” but we get a complete picture in Numbers 6:3:
He shall drink no vinegar made from wine or strong drink and shall not drink any juice of grapes or eat grapes, fresh or dried.
In this first vow, there are two elements to refrain from—alcohol and grapes. We need to set aside our 19th-century unbiblical prejudices against alcohol,[8] which is one reason American evangelicals are such poor biblical interpreters.
What does the Bible say about wine? It says that wine is for the joy of man (Judges 9:13; Psalm 104:15). But there is something else. In Judges 9, the text states that wine also cheers God. In Psalm 104, we are told that wine gladdens the heart. It accomplishes its purpose when it is used for rest and to celebrate God’s deeds. Wine warms the body. As James Jordan has said before, “wine is omega food.” You begin your morning with alpha food: toast, orange juice, and coffee, and end your day with omega food, giving you rest from your labors. That is the purpose of wine.
In the Bible, wine is a picture of restoration. When there is a curse on the ground with thorns and thistles, that curse is overcome when the vine flourishes and produces grapes to make wine. It points us to a time when man’s work is finished; when man can relax in the presence of God.[9] When the people complete their task, God grants them rest, and he gives them wine to drink. But if wine is so good, why was the priest forbidden to “enjoy a little Sabbath wine in God’s presence?”[10] The answer is that the Sabbath had not yet come. The Nazarite/priest had not accomplished and fulfilled his task. He needed to guard the holy places from defilement.[11] The Nazarite had to stay away from alcohol as a sign that Israel had not come to the Sabbath in the final sense.
In the Old Covenant, the labor of the priest was never finished, so he never sat down and rested. This is the mission of the Nazarites recorded in the Bible until the coming of the true Nazarite who would sit down and rest from his labor and finally say, “It is finished.”[12] The Nazirite could not sit and drink wine until a true priest came to fulfill the Nazarite vow. Who has become rest for His people? Who sits at the Father’s right hand for his people? Who drinks with his people at the table? The Lord Sabbaoth, Jesus Christ. He has completed the task that no Nazarite or priest could ever accomplish. Jesus is the only rest for our souls, and we drink wine and feast because his work is completed. We are united to him, thus, to his Manoah his rest.
[1] This is one reason the Gospel rarely goes beyond Israel in the days of the Old Covenant Church. There is the occasional Jonah who goes to Nineveh, but by and large, the Gospel remains within Israel; even within Israel—as we see again and again—evil piles on evil.
[2] Dave Hatcher, Sermon Notes on Judges.
[3] Commentary on Judges, Andrew Robert Fausset,
http://books.google.com
[4] Reference made in the sermon on Genesis 3:15. You can find them on wordmp3.com
[5] Most observations on the Nazarite come from James B. Jordan’s commentary on Judges, pg. 221 ff.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Ibid. 222
[9] We see this in Deuteronomy 14 at the Feast of the Tabernacles, where Israel was encouraged to drink wine and strong drink in God’s presence:
[10] Ibid. 222.
[11] Ibid. The priests were like “cherubim, guarding the door of Eden.”
[12] Ibid. 223. “The priest took upon himself the curse of endless toil, so that God’s people might rest.”