The Bible’s Real Life Superman
The Lord Gave Samson Incredible Strength
Superpowered Super Characters
There’s a plethora of superpowered costumed characters in DC’s universe. There’s Darkseid and Black Adam. Then you’ve got Captain Marvel and Doctor Manhattan. Some will toss Wonder Woman in there for good measure.
But the one that comes to mind for most people — even for those who don't read comics or watch superhero movies — is Superman. He’s the good guy in blue who always comes to the rescue.
However, even Superman has weaknesses. He can’t see through lead. He’s weakened by magic. He’s susceptible to mind control.
And Kryptonite can kill him.
Super Man, Real Man
Flip through the pages of the book of Judges and tucked in at the end you’ll meet the Bible’s superman. His name was Samson.
And just like the Big Guy of DC comics, the Bible’s superman also had a weakness — his very own kind of kryptonite.
What’s a Judge?
Judges were divinely chosen men (and one woman) placed in leadership over the Israelites, God’s chosen people. They were active during the period after the death of Joshua up until the selection of Saul, the first king of Israel.
They ‘judged’ or led the Israelites in military campaigns against the people who oppressed them, like the Canaanites, Ammonites, and the Philistines.
Who was Samson?
Samson didn’t wear blue tights. He didn’t he have a cape attached to a uniform. He couldn’t fly and he didn’t have heat vision. He was a native of earth — not Krypton.
Nevertheless, he was Israel’s superman because of his unbelievable strength.
But even supermen have to be born.
Birth of the Israelite ‘Superman’
Samson’s parents couldn’t conceive.
Then one day, an angel appeared to Samson’s mother and announced that she was going to give birth to a son. The angel also stipulated that the boy was to be a Nazirite — a person dedicated to God’s service.
Sometimes a Nazirite took a vow to serve God only temporarily — for a set amount of time.
Not Samson.
He was chosen by God to serve for life.
Mandatory Rules
As a Nazirite, Samson had to adhere to specific rules as part of his lifetime dedication to the God of Israel:
- He couldn’t drink alcohol or eat anything made from grapes.
- He couldn’t be anywhere near a dead body.
- And he was to NEVER cut his hair because it was a visible sign that he was dedicated to the God of Israel. Plus, Samson’s hair was the source of his strength.
Samson’s Job
The Lord blessed Samson. As he grew and matured, he was endowed with the Lord’s Spirit and superhuman strength that was to be used against Israel’s enemies.
And target number one was the Philistines.
They were fierce warriors who’d harassed Israel in the past and who were still causing problems during Samson’s lifetime.
True to his calling, Samson spent his life antagonizing and slaughtering Philistines.
Samson’s Incredible Feats of Strength
Samson was a judge in Israel for twenty years. During that time, the Philistines repeatedly realized they were no match for Israel’s superpowered judge.
- Samson single-handedly killed 1,000 Philistine men with nothing more than the jawbone of a donkey.
- He killed a lion with his bare hands.
- He caught 300 foxes, tied them tail-to-tail and attached burning torches to each pair of foxtails. Then he let them lose. The foxes ran through the fields and destroyed the Philistine food supply — grain fields, olive groves, and vineyards.
- In an amazing show of strength, Samson single-handedly uprooted the Philistines’ massive city gates and the posts they were attached to (which probably weighed between five and ten tons). Then he toted them over 40 miles away from the city, leaving the Philistines defenseless.
- In his last act of God-powered superhuman strength, he killed thousands of Philistines as he died.
And yet, a single woman named Delilah defeated him. She was his kryptonite.
But, that’s a conversation for another time.
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