GOD’S WORD FOR YOU
JUDGES 14:5,6
5 Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother. As they were entering the vineyards of Timnah, a young lion suddenly came roaring at him. 6 The Spirit of the LORD rushed upon him in power, and he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he did not tell his father or mother what he had done.
Manoah’s family was heading for Timnah. As with the trip of the Holy Family in Luke 2:41-52, parents and precocious son became separated. When this happened to Jesus, he was in the vineyard of spiritual growth, the Temple in Jerusalem, and he was surrounded by the lions of the Teachers of the Law of Moses. The danger there was the potential for false doctrine and hypocrisy, “the yeast of the Pharisees and Herod” (Mark 8:15). He was found “sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions” (Luke 2:46). His amazing feat was “his understanding and his answers” (2:47).
In Samson’s case, there was less danger than the possibility of false doctrine. He was attacked by a young lion. We shouldn’t be tempted to think this was a mere cub. Micah describes “a young lion among flocks of sheep, which mauls and mangles as it goes, and no one can rescue” (Micah 5:8). And our author treats the struggle as an heroic feat of strength. The Spirit of the Lord “rushed” (tsalah, צלח) upon Samson. This is same word used to describe the Spirit rushing upon both Saul (1 Samuel 10:6,10; 11:6) and David (1 Samuel 16:13). Samson grabbed the carnivore and tore it apart “as he might have torn a young goat,” limb from limb.
Our author drops the event as quickly as Samson did, not even telling his parents. Perhaps he liked having a secret; perhaps he didn’t want his mother to worry too much (the young Samson may even have worried that mom wouldn’t let him go walking by himself anymore if it was going to be so dangerous!).
It was certainly a sign from God that Samson would later tear up the Philistines as easily as he had torn apart the lion. This is a theme throughout God’s plan for his people, including us. A small event prefigures a much greater event later on.
For example, Jesus performed a miracle at Cana, transforming water into wine with nothing but the power of his words (John 2:7-9), but a greater miracle occurs in our own churches today. The words of the same Jesus are spoken when wine is drunk, and it is not merely wine we receive, but the blood of Christ—not just for entertainment at a banquet, but for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life (Matthew 26:28). If an unbeliever tastes this sacrament, he does not receive forgiveness, but judgment—which is why we practice close communion, so that we may instruct the uninformed or misinformed about what is truly there.
Again: Jesus raised a man from the dead (Luke 7:11-17), and then he raised a child (Luke 8:49-56), and the reader thinks: If only he would raise me after I die! And God’s answer? Jesus certainly will raise you from the dead—trust in him.
So Samson’s story teaches us to treat the much greater story of Jesus with even greater respect and honor. What our Lord has done for us is more than the mere harrowing of the Philistines. Our Lord harrowed hell itself for our sakes, and brought us a gift far sweeter than honey or new wine. He has brought us the gift of eternal life.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
During Holy Week, we will turn our attention
to Psalms 75 and 76, after which we will
return to Samson.
Archives by Wisconsin Lutheran Chapel: http://www.wlchapel.org/worship/daily-devotion/
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, New Ulm, Minnesota