A few months ago, I ran across the story of Samson as I was looking for something else in the book of Judges. Though I’ve read his story before, something this time seemed to flag it for me and I made a mental note that I needed to go back and read it again.

For the next several weeks, I’m going to walk through Samson’s story and see what lessons God can teach me as I do. I hope you’ll join me.

When you think of Samson, what do you think about? For me, it’s his strength. Samson was one mighty strong dude, the Bible’s version of Hercules, if you will, though there seems to be good evidence for some biblical scholars that unlike Hercules, Samson actually existed.

But when I think about Samson, I also think about some of his weaknesses – he was pretty cocky. He was easily influenced by the ladies. Sex won out over integrity and honor many times. He had no problem lying, and his actions brought serious consequences to the others in his life.

In order to understand his life, though, we need to go back to his birth, or rather, before he was born and understand what was happening.

Reading the chapters of Judges leading up to chapter 13 where we first see Samson mentioned, we get the full story of rising kings and failing kingdoms. After Gideon died, we’re told that the Israelites again took up worshiping gods other than the one true God (Judges 8:33-35). They forgot what God had done for them.

They went through seven different rulers over a 97-year period before God had had enough and handed them over to the Philistines (Judges 13:1). These are the same Philistines that David would later go up against.

So for 40 years the Israelites stayed under the rule of the Philistines. And this is where Samson shows up.

We’re told in Judges 13:2-5, that Samson’s father was Manoah who was part of the “clan of Danites”, descendents of the tribe of Dan, one of Jacob’s sons and Joseph’s brothers.

Manoah’s wife had been unable to have children, but in this opening of the story, an angel appears to her and gives her a message:

“You’re going to conceive and have a son. Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean because you will conceive and give birth to a son. No razor may be used on his head, because the boy is to be a Nazirite, set apart to God from birth, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines” (Judges 13:4-5).

This is a major moment! Manoah’s wife has not been able to have a child in all the years she’s been married to him, and now suddenly, that will no longer be the case! But this incredible news doesn’t come without conditions, without instructions, without important information.

She must not drink or eat anything unclean and she must see to it that her son’s hair is never cut; he has a special part to play in God’s plan to deliver their people from the Philistines.

One thing I’d like for us to note is why it’s important to know that Samson was a descendent of the tribe of Dan, a son of Jacob. To do that, we need to go back a few hundred years.  Jacob, the father of the Israelites was known as Israel. He was given that nickname when he wrestled with God (Gen. 32:38) years after stealing his brother Esau’s birthright (and people think the Bible is boring! Doesn’t this just read like one of your grandmother’s “stories”!)

So let me set up the scene. Jacob’s sons surround him as he lies on his death bed. Their family has been been through the anger, anguish and reunion of what the other sons did to Joseph (another study for another time!). Now the family has all come back together and Jacob is ready to die. But first he gives an important prophetic blessing to each which you can read in Genesis 49. Some of the blessings are wonderful; some sad, some encouraging, some disappointing.

This is what Jacob says to his son Dan (Samson’s ancestor):

Dan will provide justice for his people as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan will be a serpent by the roadside, a viper along the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that its rider tumbles backward. I look for your deliverance, O Lord.

Wow! Doesn’t the image of  a snake hanging by the side of the road make you think someone won’t know what has hit them? And Jacob doesn’t stop there. He prayerfully adds, “I look for your deliverance, O Lord.” I trust you will make a way for my people.

So let’s go back to the beginning of Samson’s story. What did the messenger angel say? “He will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”

God knows what we do not. Just as He knew the Israelites would need a man like Samson to intercede for them one day, He knows when we need help. And He also knows the purpose and the plan for each of us.

This is what I’m excited about discovering as we dig deeper into the story of Samson. It’s not pretty. It’s not necessarily a happy story with a happy ending, but it still has an important lesson for us to learn.

Come back next week when we’ll start with v. 6.

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