The analysis of Samson in the Bible

Literary study 4. Theological study 5. Recommendation and conclusion 6. References Historical background The story of Samson started when the Israelites had offended God by doing very many evil things; God, therefore, decided to hand them to the control of the Philistines. At that particular period, there was no king in the land of Israel. He had to deliver them from the hand of the Philistines. God chose Samson to be a Nazarite since his early days in the mother’s womb. God blessed Samson with strength right from his birth; he was supposed to undertake great assignments assigned by the lord which most importantly entailed fighting on behalf of the Israelites and deliver victory to them against the wishes of the Philistines. Instead of adhering to his call to the world, Samson wasted most of his time pursuing ungodly things which never pleased God.

He is regarded to be unique to the other judges regarding character. The angel of the Lord told her that she would conceive and give birth to a baby boy. Besides that, she was told other conditions that had to be followed. She was warned from taking any strong drink or wine. Secondly, she was cautioned from eating anything which was not clean. She was also told never to shave the hair of Samson. This kind of disobedience signified something unusual would happen as a result of consuming contaminated food (Johnson, 2010). Manoah’s wife was told never to shave Samson’s hair in the head since his hair had a significant impact on his divine life. According to many authors, his hair was the source of his strength and was supposed to be kept as a big secret.

If his hair was shaved, then it meant he would lose the strength and would be powerless. This is evident when Delilah cut off his hair; Samson became powerless and lost all his strength. This was not recommended since he was supposed to marry from his tribe according to the culture. These are the same women who later facilitated his loss of power, sight and finally his death. It is argued that his total disobedience to the advice by parents led to his ultimate powerlessness (Johnson, 2010). Samson failed to use his power for the right reasons as intended by God. It is noted that his efforts in killing the Philistines were in pursuance of self-desires and not for the benefit of the Israelites.

Delilah's persistence made Samson to reveal the source of his strength. She used to insist on knowing the secret of his strength. Samson lied twice to her, but she persisted. Samson knew Delilah as a lover and never thought that she could have evil intentions over his life. On the other hand, Delilah knew that Samson would give in some time because he loved her. This is evident when he decided to eat unclean food and to associate himself with Philistine women, yet he knew this was not the will of God. In the end, Samson never fulfilled his divine role of rescuing the Israelites. Hamilton reiterates that “Samson represents a prize catch for the Philistines, the end of all their ravage, or so they think.

It is appropriate, therefore, that they celebrate the power and victory of Dagon their god, while the Philistines could easily have killed Samson, he is at the moment of more value to them alive than dead. A hapless entertainer is more fun than a corpse. That is why he was blessed with extraordinary strength. The downfall of Samson entirely relied on disobedience to God. He was meant to be a hero because his purpose since birth was already defined and he knew it. He understood his mandate was to act as a savior of Israelites who had been oppressed for long. Instead, he was trapped with lust towards the Philistine women. He, therefore, fell into the trap of the Philistine women who later necessitated his downfall.