"Not Quite Christ" Judges 16: 18-22, 23-31

Tidbits from Samson's story:

1. Perhaps we tells Samson's story and see it as a fun story because it touches on issues we think of as humorous.

   a.  A love-struck guy who falls for a girl and will tell her anything (he does this twice)
   b.  Having his strength tied to his long hair seems rather silly.
   c. His acts of prowess make him seem like a big, overgrown boy.

2.  My Old Testament professor preached a April Fool's Day sermon about who he thought was the biggest fool in the Bible -- Samson.

3. Samson does not seem driven by desire to serve God, but by his own wants and desires.

4. Samson seems to have no self-control.

5.  The final image of Samson bringing down the pillars to kill the Philistines and himself is sometimes treated as a Christ-like story of self-sacrifice.  John Milton penned Samson Agonistes (1671) in which he portrayed Samson as the hero (in the Greek tragedy sense) who willingly and nobly sacrificed his life for the sake of the divine mission.  Also, Samson's birth story reads a bit like Christ's birth story.

6. Samson, like Jephthah, is listed in Hebrews as one of the heroes of the faith (Hebrews 11:32).

7.  When Samson dies with the Philistines (at his request), it also symbolizes the end of the line for the judges.  Samson is the last judge.

What do you remember and like about the Samson story?