A Robin Hood Story
A Robin Hood Story
Judges 15:6-8
Then the Philistines said, “Who has done this?” And they said, “Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he has taken his wife and given her to his companion.” And the Philistines came up and burned her and her father with fire. And Samson said to them, “If this is what you do, I swear I will be avenged on you, and after that I will quit.” And he struck them hip and thigh with a great blow, and he went down and stayed in the cleft of the rock of Etam.
Our libraries and film catalogues are filled with revenge-thrillers like these, aren’t they? Stories where some victimized soul gets kicked to the curb, but gets back up again to wreak havoc on his perpetrators? As soon as Prince John seizes his brother’s throne, we yearn for a sharp-shooting Robin Hood to make things right. As soon as Odysseus’ home gets infiltrated by backstabbing friends, we’re popping the popcorn for the coming showdown. Truly, had Samson’s story been fiction rather than fact, had it been written by Homer or Shakespeare or Dickens rather than an Old Testament scribe, it’d be one of the biggest blockbuster revenge-thrillers of all time, especially since the little flicker at the base of all the fiery combustion is stolen love.
The depths of villainy in this story are difficult to comprehend, friend. Think of it: Samson fell in love with a Philistine woman, married her, and put forth a riddle at the ceremony, but then his in-laws threatened to murder her if she didn’t tell the secret. We couldn’t justify Samson’s retaliatory actions, but we understood his anger. Yet, then his father-in-law treacherously gave his bride to his best man! Even then, we couldn’t justify the way he burned down hundreds of acres of farmland, but we sympathized with his pain. Yet, now this? What detestable brutality! I can’t even fathom the explosion that must ignite in Samson’s mind the moment he hears his bride’s dying voice emanating from a pillar of fire and knows that their story is over. Whatever rules of engagement he’s been following up to this point are gone now, shattered like those stone tablets at the base of Sinai.
Even though we can’t hail Samson a hero for his brutal payback here, friend, we can surely rejoice that villains as cruel and heartless as these Philistines are biting the dust.