The Samson story is one of the more memorable and fantastic stories in all of Judges. It’s got raging testosterone, feats of strength, flaming lust, bloody violence, clever riddles–all the stuff that inspires us to read the Bible. Am I right?
Yet, somehow, God is present in all the messy humanness of the story orchestrating a Bigger Picture. Somehow God redeems the stupid choices of Samson to save God’s people.
An element we don’t often remember of the story is the story of his parents in chapter 13. In hero stories, the origin of the hero speaks to the ultimate character of the hero. Samson is the only of the judges to get an origin story like this.
But while it’s unique in Judges, the barren-woman/miracle-birth story is far from unique in the Bible. Remember Isaac, Samuel, John the Baptist, even Jesus. The biblical writer wants us to remember God’s salvation plan from the very beginning of Samson’s life.
God can use even a wild man for his plan.
Fiftyeight 