YOUR DEBTS AND SAMSON

If you have debt problems, think of Samson. Samson lived in Israel about 1200 B.C. Before he was born, the Israelites betrayed the one true God again by going back to their ungodly ways. God punished the Israelites by delivering them over to the Philistines who worshipped the false god Dagon. Thus, the Israelites were living under the yoke of Philistine rule for 40 years. Samson was granted supernatural strength by God to fight the Philistines as well as perform heroic feats in the name of God. An angel of the Lord in human form appears to the barren wife of Manoah, an Israelite, and promises her that she will have a son who will deliver Israel from the oppression of the Philistines. However, God’s condition was that both mother and son must abstain from all alcoholic beverages, and not to shave or cut his hair. Following these conditions, Samson would become a “Nazarite of God” who dedicated his life to God. In exchange, God would give Samson supernatural strength. Move over Superman, Batman and Spiderman. Samson was actually the world’s first super hero because of his gift from God, the one true God, the God of Moses and Israel, my God, who sent His only Son, Jesus, who willingly agreed to become man and die on the cross for us because He loves us so, that we may have eternal life with Him after our earthly life expires. Samson was born 1,200 years before Jesus was born through the Blessed Virgin Mary in a manger in Bethlehem.

As a young man, Samson falls in love with a Philistine woman. Although his parents object, Samson decides to marry the woman who worships the false god Dagon. On the way to visit his fiancé, Samson is attacked by a lion. Samson rips the lion apart with his bare hands! Sometime later, when Samson is on his way to his wedding, he finds that a swarm of bees have nested in the carcass of the lion. He eats the honey, and at the wedding celebration he offers a riddle to the 30 Philistine guests: “Out of the eater something to eat; out of the strong something sweet.” Samson said that if they could solve the riddle, he would provide thirty garments to the guests.

Frustrated by their inability to solve the riddle, the guests persuade Samson’s bride to get the answer from Samson. Samson gives the answer to his bride on the 7th day and his bride gives the answer to his guests who say “What is sweeter than honey and what is stronger than a lion? To get the 30 garments that he had promised if the riddle was solved, Samson went to a nearby village and killed 30 Philistines whose garments he gives to the wedding guests. However, when he returns to the wedding, his bride has chosen one of the guests as her husband. The bride’s father offers Samson his younger daughter who weighs a ton but Samson rejects the offer, saying that she is not heavy enough. His original bride at 5 tons was just right for him. Instead, Samson catches 300 foxes and attaches torches to their tails. He lets them loose to burn the corn fields and vineyards of the Philistines.

Samson then falls in love with Delilah. He sees Delilah for the first time lifting 500 lbs. barbells at the gym, and it’s love at first sight. But the Philistines now hate Samson so 3,000 Philistines follow him to his cave where he kills a thousand of them with the jawbone of a donkey. The Philistines bribe Delilah with 1,000 pieces of silver to find out the secret of his strength. Samson teases Delilah by answering that if she tied him with fresh bowstrings, new ropes or if his locks are woven together, he would become weak. Delilah has her servant tie up Samson with fresh bowstrings while he sleeps, but when he wakes up he easily snaps the bowstrings.

Last week, I said that if you have debt problems, think of Samson. We ended last week with Samson having wrecked havoc on the Philistines by killing a thousand of them with the jawbone of a donkey. Samson was a “Nazarite” who had dedicated his life to God, my God, the God of Moses and Israel, who asked his only Son, Jesus, to become man and die on the cross, to redeem mankind from the consequences of sin. Jesus willingly agreed to become incarnate through the Blessed Virgin Mary, and die for us so that we may have eternal life with Him and His Father, because they both love us so despite our sinful nature. We are so fortunate to have such a Loving God.

Samson then falls in love with Delilah. He sees Delilah for the first time benching 500 lbs at the gym and, it’s love at first sight. But the Philistines hate Samson and they want to capture him. The Philistines who worship the false god Dagon who is said to have the head of a bull with a single horn in the middle of his forehead and the body of a man, bribe Delilah with 1,000 pieces to find out the secret of Samson’s strength. God gave Samson supernatural strength provided both mother and son must abstain from all alcoholic beverages and that no razor shall touch the hair of Samson.

The Philistines are becoming desperate because they cannot capture Samson because of his superhuman strength. Imagine trying to capture Superman without kryptonite. It’s an impossible task. Delilah implores Samson to tell her the secret of his strength. Samson teases Delilah by saying that if she tied him with fresh bowstrings, he would become weak. She ties him with fresh bowstrings as he sleeps, but when he wakes up, he easily snaps the bowstrings. Samson teases Delilah by answering that if she tied him with new rope, he would become weak. Delilah ties him with new rope but again he wakes up and easily snaps the rope. On the third night, Samson tells Delilah that if his locks are woven together, he would become weak. Delilah’s maid weaves his 7 locks together while he slept, but the next morning Samson is attacked by a raging bull which he kills with his pinky. Delilah begs Samson for his secret. Samson whose weakness is beautiful women who will betray him tells Delilah that if his locks were shorn, he would lose his strength.

Delilah takes a razor and cuts off all his hair when he sleeps. Unlike Superman, whose hair can only be cut with scissors that are edged with kryptonite, Samson’s hair can be cut with an ordinary razor. The next morning, Philistine soldiers barge into the room and Samson is easily subdued. With his hair gone, his “Nazarite” oath to God is broken, and the Spirit of God leaves him. Samson is incarcerated, and in prison, they pluck out his eyes with a knife. They tie the blind and bald Samson to a stone mill where is left to grind wheat. Months and years pass, and of course, his hair grows back. But the Philistines have forgotten about Samson’s source of superhuman strength. To mock Samson, the Philistines bring him to a public structure that is supported by two main columns where 4 thousand Philistines are preparing to have an orgy in front of their false god Dagon. A dozen Philistine pygmies wielding short spears harass Samson by poking him with spears.

Samson wedges himself between the two columns, stretches out his arms and pushes against the two columns. Samson calls out to God, apologizes for what he has done, and begs God to give him back his strength one last time. God hears the pleas of Samson and the Spirit of God enters Samson once again. Once again, Samson is possessed of superhuman strength! He sneezes and all the pygmies are blown away. Eventually, the structure collapses and implodes, killing all the Philistines and Samson.