The View From 1776

Sunday’s sermon at Black Rock - Long Ridge Congregational Church (North Stamford, Connecticut) was preached by Rev. Steve Treash.  His subject – the Samson syndrome – was taken from Judges, chapters 13 through 16.

Therein is recounted the story of Samson’s birth and his consecration to the holy life of a Nazerite, a calling described in Numbers 6:1-8:

The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘If a man or woman wants to make a special vow, a vow of separation to the LORD as a Nazirite, he must abstain from wine and other fermented drink and must not drink vinegar made from wine or from other fermented drink. He must not drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins.  As long as he is a Nazirite, he must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or skins.

During the entire period of his vow of separation no razor may be used on his head. He must be holy until the period of his separation to the LORD is over; he must let the hair of his head grow long.  Throughout the period of his separation to the LORD he must not go near a dead body.  Even if his own father or mother or brother or sister dies, he must not make himself ceremonially unclean on account of them, because the symbol of his separation to God is on his head.  Throughout the period of his separation he is consecrated to the LORD.

Samson was the Israelites’ leader for twenty years during a period when the Philistines dominated them.  He was blessed with superhuman strength, but to a distressing degree he exhibited self-centered moral weakness. Eventually that moral weakness led to his downfall.

Despite the Lord’s prohibition on a Nazerite’s association with death, Samson personally slew thousands of Philistines.  Needless to say, the Philistines repeatedly tried to capture him.

Their opportunity arose from Samson’s moral weakness for sexual promiscuity. 

One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute. He went in to spend the night with her.  The people of Gaza were told, “Samson is here!” So they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the city gate. They made no move during the night, saying, “At dawn we’ll kill him.”

Some time later, he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah. The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, “See if you can lure him into showing you the secret of his great strength and how we can overpower him so we may tie him up and subdue him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver. (Judges 16:1-5)

After repeated attempts to discover the secret of Samson’s strength, Delilah at last learned that, were his hair cut, he would lose his great strength.  As he slept, she called the Philistines to shave his head.  They then took Samson prisoner and blinded him.

Samson’s redemption and death are described in Judges 16:23-30.

Now the rulers of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to celebrate, saying, “Our god has delivered Samson, our enemy, into our hands.”

While they were in high spirits, they shouted, “Bring out Samson to entertain us.” So they called Samson out of the prison, and he performed for them.

When they stood him among the pillars, Samson said to the servant who held his hand, “Put me where I can feel the pillars that support the temple, so that I may lean against them.” Now the temple was crowded with men and women; all the rulers of the Philistines were there, and on the roof were about three thousand men and women watching Samson perform. Then Samson prayed to the LORD, “O Sovereign LORD, remember me. O God, please strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.” Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other, Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived.

The lessons drawn from this story apply with especial force to us today, living as we do in the midst of great wealth, with social custom, education, and the media extolling licentious sensual gratification and acquisition of material goods.

The sign of the Samson syndrome is inner weakness, inability to resist temptation.  The model to emulate is Jesus’s refusal to succumb to temptation by Satan during his forty days in the wilderness. (Matthew 4:1-11)

We require spiritual strength and contentment with what God has given to us.

When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each of you is tempted when you are dragged away by your own evil desire and enticed.  Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. (James 1:13-15)

The antidote to the Samson syndrome is turning to God, as did Samson when he brought down the Philistine temple.  Armed with a burning spiritual desire to follow God’s will, we can lead a good life.

Again, our model is Jesus:

Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:36-39)