After We’ve Had a Chance to Think

Judges 16:23–31

²³ Now the lords of the Philistines gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to rejoice, and they said, “Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hand.” ²⁴ And when the people saw him, they praised their god. For they said, “Our god has given our enemy into our hand, the ravager of our country, who has killed many of us.” ²⁵ And when their hearts were merry, they said, “Call Samson, that he may entertain us.” So they called Samson out of the prison, and he entertained them. They made him stand between the pillars. ²⁶ And Samson said to the young man who held him by the hand, “Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, that I may lean against them.” ²⁷ Now the house was full of men and women. All the lords of the Philistines were there, and on the roof there were about 3,000 men and women, who looked on while Samson entertained. ²⁸ Then Samson called to the Lord and said, “O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes.” ²⁹ And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other. ³⁰ And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.” Then he bowed with all his strength, and the house fell upon the lords and upon all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life. ³¹ Then his brothers and all his family came down and took him and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had judged Israel twenty years.

We are now introduced to a new Samson. He has ground grain for a few years and had a chance to think through his life. He is paraded through a party designed to extol the greatness of the Philistine god, Dagon. Samson is seen as the entertainment; the strongman brought in to either amaze the crowd with is strength or (more likely) to be taunted and jeered at in his weakened condition. Either way, he’s in a crowded temple to a pagan god filled with enemies. After his prolonged time of quiet meditation, he is prepared for his final act of vengeance against the enemies of God.

There have been many ideas put forth as to what this temple may have looked like. The most likely description is of an open porch, surrounded on all four sides with a second story balcony that would look down into the center. With people standing on that second floor, it is a situation ripe for the plucking for Samson. When he brings down two of the pillars supporting that second story a domino effect happens and the whole place comes down. It is brilliant. I wonder as well if this wasn’t a building that Samson had already seen before they took his eyes. He would have already known just where to stand to achieve the greatest effect.

The most moving part of this story is not Samson’s death but his heart-felt and repentant prayer before he places his hands on those two pillars. We had only seen Samson pray one other time in his entire story and that was for a drink of water. This time, he uses the name for God that acknowledges His true role as God and Creator of all; Lord God. The words “please remember me” are poignant and indicate that the once proud and arrogant Samson is gone and in his place is a humble man who bows before the Almighty. This is the Samson one would love to meet. This is the Samson who stands in Hebrews 11 as one of the heroes of the faith. While his death is tragic we are heartened to know that he continued to evolve in his faith even though it had to happen with the loss of his freedom and his eyesight. While he was brought low by his enemies he raised up the name of the Lord and God triumphs in the end.