SAMSON

THE STRONG

When we think of Samson, we generally think of his love and nemesis, Delilah. But there is a lot more to the story of Samson than his disastrous relationship with the Philistine priestess who betrayed him.

Samson's story begins much like several other significant stories in the Bible. His parents were getting on in years and childless. They are visited by an "angel of the Lord" who tells them they will conceive and have a son. As one reads through the Bible, this scenario seems to be a way of pointing out those who are to become involved in some way with the mysterious Nazarites. With the exception of Mary, who is quite young and has never born a child (the true definition of a virgin in those days), most of the parents are older. They have demonstrated to those who watch that they are not of a "beastly nature." That is, they are not involved in mindlessly pro-creating themselves and hold to the sacred nature of the sexual act. They have also demonstrated their fidelity to one another by having been together for a long period of time.

Both of these ideas are of central importance in Jewish mysticism. God made Adam and Eve "one" and as such, the union of a man and wife is supposed to be eternal. At least while here on earth. Possibly also through incarnations, meeting up with one another again in the next life. It is not a generally known fact, but the Jews do believe in reincarnation. In the twenty-fourth verse of Genesis 2, we are told:

Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

At the time the angel appears to Manoah and his wife, the children of Israel have been under the control of the Philistines for fourty years. Manoah means "quiet" - one who does not speak secrets. We are never told the name of Samson's mother. Manoah and his wife live in Zorah, which means a "place of hornets." Manoah's paternity is given as being of the Danites. This ties the father to Judgement, which is also called Din or Dan.

The angel tells Samson's future mother that she is not to drink wine or any other strong drink, nor to eat any unclean thing.

For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines. [Ju. 3:5, KJV]

Manoah is not present when the "angel" comes to visit his wife. After she returns home and tells him about her visitation, Manoah prays to the Lord to have the "man of God" return and tell them how they should raise the child. The angel returns and repeats what he has told the wife to Manoah.

Being an hospitable man, Manoah offers to dress a kid for the man, so that he may eat. He declines the offer, saying that he will not eat of their bread. Rather, he tells Manoah that if a burnt offering is to be made, it should be made to the Lord.

So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and offered it upon a rock unto the Lord: and the angel did wonderously; and Manoah and his wife looked on. For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar. But the angel of the Lord did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the Lord. And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God. But his wife said unto him, If the Lord were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt offering and a meat offering at our hands, neither would he have shewed us all these things, nor would as at this time have told us such things as these. [Ju 13:19-23]

Samson isn't even born yet and already, things are quite interesting. We have an angel disappearing into the fire! Very magical, indeed. We also have here an important catch-phrase in "We shall surely die, because we have seen God." This is repeated often, throughout the Old Testament. In Genesis, this is Jacob's relief after wrestling with an "angel" all night -- "For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved." Physical death at the appearance of an angel of the Lord seems to be a given result of such visitations. In the light of my hypothesis that the Nasoreans or Nazarites considered themselves to be the "Left Hand of God" or the punishing and testing arm of the true God, this makes a whole lot of sense.

Samson is then born in the twenty-fourth verse, after the quote above. Another interesting circumstance, as one of the gematric meanings of the number 24 is "to give substance to; a body." It is also significant of a vessel or shell. The two numbers added together make 6, which is the mystic number of Binah, the Mother, as well as the number of the manifestation of the flesh.

 

THE JAWBONE OF AN ASS