Samson has been called by God, and in this week’s text, we begin to see Samson live out his calling. This is certainly an odd text; filled with riddles, murder, a strong man ripping apart a lion “as one tears a young goat” (as if that were simple), and a bunch of foxes with their tales on fire. While it can be easy to get lost in the wild, superhero-like story of Samson, it’s important to remember the pattern of the book of Judges. Last week’s text (about Samson’s parents) began with the first step in our cycle, and this week’s text continues the cycle. Make sure not to “lose the forest for the trees” this week as you study, remembering the downward spiral of the Israelites, who are beginning to look exactly like their Canaanite (or more specifically to this text, Philistine) enemies.
Secrets and the Battle of Jawbone Hill
Judges 14:1-15:20
November 7, 2021 • Luke Hendrix
Life and Death in the Kingdom of Men
November 28, 2021 • Andrew Murch
The saying goes, “two wrongs do not make a right.” We see this reality playing out every day. After forgetting to do the dishes, lying about it won’t make them suddenly clean. When one sibling steals from another, stealing a toy of theirs won’t ‘right’ anything. This week’s passage not only horrifically confirms this idea, it also shines a brutal light on all of Israel in one of the darkest nights for the people of God. The end of Judges displays wrong after wrong after wrong as the people of Israel move further and further from the holy ways of the LORD that they were taught. And without warning, the book of Judges ends. “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”
Following Your Heart Off a Cliff
November 21, 2021 • Andrew Murch
After the death of Samson, the book of Judges takes a weird turn. The vicious cycle of chapters 3-16 has culminated in Samson, and the narrator seeks to bring home the central thesis of the book by means of a double conclusion. The conclusion of the book takes the form of two longer narratives (chapters 17-18 and chapters 19-21, respectively) that repeat the author’s thesis statement throughout. These two narratives mirror the opening of the book (we will examine more on this next week). By zooming in on the odd saga of “a man of the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Micah” (Judges 17:1), the author of Judges will drive home the point, “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6, 18:1, 19:1, 21:25). These are days of subjective religion. Among the Israelites, a people called by God to worship and serve him as a light to the nations, darkness covers the land. After being saved by God again and again, chapters 17-21 give an intimate picture of just how far they have degenerated. They didn’t drive out the Canaanites, instead they have become like them. They did what was right in their own eyes. Relativism, counterfeit religion, and godlessness abound.
The Final Judge
November 14, 2021 • Andrew Murch
Welcome to part three of the Samson saga. Our first week was filled with angels and animal sacrifice. Week two contained ripping lions apart with bare hands and foxes tied together to be used as weapons. It’s been quite the journey, and the story isn’t over yet. Part three contains sin, seduction, and even more amazing feats of strength. But behind all the theatrics that could fill a Marvel trilogy is the story of a people falling deeper and deeper away from their God, modeled in the character of our book’s last main judge, Samson.