"There are a great many things that never made sense to me. Like, why is Samson considered 'good'? I mean, he makes a wager with his future brothers-in-laws and gets mad when they get their sister to trick Samson into giving her the answer. He's angry because he lost the riddle and now has to pay her brothers in suits of clothing. His answer: go out and murder 5 innocent people to steal their clothes and gift them to them."
This is a common misconception about the people portrayed in the bible. Because it is a story in the bible, there is this automatic thought that it is good. People assume that the actions of biblical people are something we should emulate. If you take this literally, it is going to cause a lot of problems.
The Bible often presents bad examples alongside good teaching. We see everything you mentioned above about Samson, David having his friend killed to cover up adultery, Abraham and his entire relationship with Hagar, and many others.
These are not examples to be followed, so we have to look at why they are included in the Bible.
One reason is truthful accuracy. The fact that the Bible didn't shy away from the ugliness of the people and events portrayed is one of the things in favor of the Bible being accurate. If you were going to write a mythologized birth narrative for your nation, why would you include so many instances that make your ancestors look bad? The figures in the Bible are presented as real people who make real choices, some good and some bad.
The more important reason is to show God's faithfulness. He is continuously shown as being faithful to his promises despite the flaws of his people.
Back to Samson. He is not described as good. In fact his description is horrible. The the story we are given presents few redeeming qualities. In addition to what you mentioned above he is constantly breaking his Nazarite vows, acting out of anger, flirting with the enemies of God's people, visiting prostitutes, and generally being a pretty horrible person.
However, he is remembered for three good reasons.
1: He was a Judge of Israel, something of a tribal leader. He seemed to last in this position for longer than many others mentioned. The Bible says he Judged Israel for 20 years. If he lasted longer than average, he had to be doing something right.
2: Despite his occasional dalliances with the Philistines, he did a lot of damage to Israel's enemies. He fought the Philistines on several occasions, and sacrificed his life in a final act against them.
3: He trusted God. This is the most important trait. This trait is shared by all of the "heroes" of the Bible. Despite how flawed they were, in the end they trusted God. This is the one trait of Samson's that it is definitely safe to emulate.
About the Author:
Stephen Mayo lives in Montana with his wife, daughter, corgi, and three cats.
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