(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Judges 16:22–31, “Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven. Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand. And when the people saw him, they praised their god: for they said, Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, which slew many of us. And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them sport: and they set him between the pillars. And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I may lean upon them. Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport. And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes. And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left. And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life. Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the buryingplace of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years.”
The Philistines thought that they had finally and completely dealt with Samson but this wasn’t true because his hair began to grow again. Samson had not understood his responsibilities, before the Lord, as Israel’s leader. Their contract of the Land presupposed obedience to the Law or the penalty clauses would be invoked. Samson thought that he could do whatever he wanted to do because of his great strength and the fact that the Lord had given him many great victories. On the other hand, the Philistines believed that their God Dagon had defeated the Lord so they celebrated to give the glory to their own god. While they were celebrating their god they decided to mock Samson and Samson’s God. They called Samson into the Temple and place in the middle of their celebration. It is interesting to note that recent archaeological investigation has shown that Philistine Temples were built around two middle posts that held the entire structure. Samson was placed between these two middle pillars so that he could be mocked. He asked the boy who led him to place each of his hands on these two pillars. He prayed to the Lord and the pushed the pillars with all his great strength that had returned to him. The pillars and the temple collapsed and everyone who was praising the god Dagon was killed in the collapse. Samson did more damage to the Philistines when he died than he did during his entire lifetime.
No comments:
Post a Comment