Samson struggled with this difference. He seemed to not identify very well with the plight of his people. While accepting the constraints of his covenant his saw his talent not as an opportunity to bless the Israelites but as a means of opening doors for himself in the wealthy circles of the Philistines. It was his ticket out of poverty and subjugation.
Unfortunately the Philistines while revering his talent (perhaps regarding him as a freak), did not think him an equal. While he could make them fear him, he would never get their love nor respect. His own people too maybe felt his talent embarrassed them. He never quite found his place and seemed to be a little lost and very lonely.
In Delilah he thought he had finally found love. Someone with whom he could share the burden of his position and the missed opportunities of his life. It was bitter realisation that in choosing her, he would break his covenant and lose all that he had.
But in his humble slavery to the Philistines he came to know his God, and the great source of strength behind all covenants. He accepted his destiny, delivered his people and gave his own life in the process.
The story of Samson is a interesting metaphor of our own pride when we benefit from our obedience. We can be blessed with such great talent that we shine in a very dull world. We can be singled out for authorships and promotions, beauty pageants and sports scholarships, record deals and political office - the light of the gospel shining bright in our eyes, not yet hollow from addiction, not cast low by indulgence, not burdened by regret.
When the accolades and money flow who will we praise and who will we deliver?
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| Samson's death was the fulfillment of the promise at his birth. |
The story of Samson is very inspiring to me. In a family where I am the only member, I can slightly relate to this story. In my family I am often asked to participate in activities where I feel uncomfortable, and I know that in those situations I can not feel the Spirit as strongly. My beliefs sometimes make it hard to spend time with my family( something that I love to do). Even though I can reccomendation alternatives, my family chooses to use words that are offensive to me and participate in behaviors that I choose not to. While I love to spend time with my famil, I like Samson need to contemplate the benefits of staying true to myself.
ReplyDeleteI actually really enjoyed the story of Samson and Delilah because it helped me to relate to a lot of the struggles that go along with being a high school senior. Like Olivia was talking about it was difficult for Samson to really fit in anywhere because he didn't get along so well with his own people but he really wanted to be with the "cool kids" or the Philistines. This is really unfortunate because in my own opinion I feel that he almost just settled for Delilah because it sounds like she was probably one of the only people that really even accepted him and maybe even understood him for that matter. As Brother Cherian was talking about in class Samson had some anger issues and because it so hard for people to be around him; with Delilah it was probably the closest thing to love he could experience besides his immediate family of course. But again I feel that a lot of these kind of struggles happen in everyday life. For example on the basketball team it is not uncommon to be almost split between two groups of people like Samson. Fortunately when I was playing on the team there was a lot of members but a lot of the time you had to make decisions between participating in activities that were not very good or stand up for what you believe in. Samson also had to choose between two groups that influenced his life. When Samson asked for forgiveness and uses his strength against the pillars it reminds me that what is most important is truly standing up for your own beliefs and letting others know the happiness you receive from doing that.
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