Samson: the Bible’s superman?

Written by Maryam Dan-Habu

1. Samson in Hebrew means “sunlight”

The Israelites were in darkness before Samson was born. A darkness brought by the oppressive Philistine leadership. There was so much hardship and pain, they cried to God and He gave them Sunlight - Samson! Little wonder how the world was dark in sin and condemned to death but God in His mercy and grace sent us His son Jesus! The sun of righteousness!

Do you see the correlation?

2. Samson v Superman - Choose your Sidekick

Samson’s feats include killing 1500 men with one cheek bone, killing a lion by ripping it with his bare hands, catching 300 foxes, tying them in pairs and lighting their tails with fire! (Amongst many other accomplishments, of course). While Superman is said to have super strength (able to move large objects) and super speed, apparently faster than Usain Bolt. (Amongst many other powers, of course)

Who would you choose to assist or defend you? This is a Trick question because...

3. Samson was stronger than Superman

I said what I said, are you Marvelled? (See what I did there?)

Samson’s strength was powered by the Spirit! We are not told of Samson’s physical size because the emphasis is on the amazing strength he had through the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit he was as weak as a regular man. Likewise, it’s a reminder that Christians can do nothing for God except through the Holy Spirit’s teaching leading and empowering. Do you see where I’m going to? Superman has no Holy Spirit strength. He was/is limited. (Of course, ignore that Limitless is another movie about superpowers)

4. Samson killed many more when he died than when he was alive

I just want to ask if superman can do this as well? Lay down his life for the death of his enemies and the freedom of his own? Wait, this rings a bell? Christ! Who laid down His life to conquer the enemy (death and sin) for the freedom of His own (whoever believes in him), you and I!

5. Finally, Samson’s strength was not in his hair

Sorry to ruin your childhood fantasy, but his strength did not emanate from his hair. His hair was only a symbol of his covenant with God, his Nazarene vows. So the cutting of his locks broke his covenant with God! It was God, not his hair that made him strong. Remember that before every feat, the Bible would always add that “the Spirit of God came upon Samson...” right before Samson carried out that task. So the spirit gave him strength and by faith, he exercised it.

You may wonder, how do we then reconcile his hair growing again and his strength coming back to defeat the Philistines? Simply said, Samson repented of his pride and prayed to God for strength one more time! He recognised that it was not his hair that strengthened him, it was the spirit!

In the end, sometimes we attribute God’s blessings to physical things that are only symbolic or instrumental to God’s purpose for us. For instance, is it your alarm clock that wakes you up in the morning or God that gives you breath to wake up and see another day?

About the Author

Maryam Dan-Habu is a Lawyer with a flair for using creative approaches to share the gospel. She is the Host of Light Up with Maryam podcast. You can find her on Instagram via @mdanhabu