Observation: The story of Samson ends with Samson, imprisoned and seemingly defeated by the enemies of Israel--the Philistines--praying to God for one last burst of strength to destroy them all, and himself, by toppling the supporting pillars of their temple. Samson believes his amazing strength came from the uncut hair on his head, which was a sign of his Nazirite vow of faithfulness to God. Now that the Philistines have cut his hair, he doesn't know if God will grant his request. But in one last show of force, God gives Samson the power to kill himself and three thousand Philistines, "more than he had killed during his life."
Application: The story of Samson has always given me some heartburn. Maybe it's the brutal violence itself, or the fact that the violence is cloaked in love of country and faith in God. I don't get an urge to stand up and cheer when Samson wins his final victory against his enemies, especially not at a time when our nation is still reeling from yet another horrendous mass shooting, and we seem either unwilling or unable to come together and find a way to stop the next one.
Samson reminds me of Superman in a way--in fact, if I remember correctly, the Biblical hero may have been part inspiration for Superman's creators, both of whom were Jewish. Just as cutting Samson's hair takes away his strength, kryptonite renders Superman powerless. But unlike Superman, Samson learns something new about his strength, even after it's taken away. The text does say his hair began to grow again after he was captured. But what really gave him his strength was his faith in God. First he prays, then the house comes down.
Like Samson, we may be living in a culture that is mistaking where our real power comes from. We seem to think that strength comes from anger and fear. We are so, so worried that if we show even the smallest amount of weakness, someone will cut our hair--someone will take away all our strength, and make us vulnerable--and like Samson, we'll lose our power.
Our strength doesn't come from fear. It doesn't come from brute force. It doesn't come from having the right guns, and knowing we can blow away anyone who breaks into our house, or defend ourselves against an unjust government. It doesn't even come from the false security of knowing our country has the strongest and largest military on the face of the earth. We may think it does, but it doesn't. If all that were to go away, our power would remain.
As people of faith, our power comes from the Resurrection. The promise that death does not have the final say in human history, or the final say in our lives. The sure and certain hope that just as brute force could not destroy Jesus, our Messiah, it can not destroy those who were gunned down this week, and it can't destroy us. The true victory is Jesus' victory over death. And because we place our trust in him, fear does not rule our lives. This faith is our strength. Let's not hide it, especially at a time like this. Let's share it with a world held captive to fear.
Prayer: God, help us to trust in you--and only in you--for our strength. Amen.
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