Monday, December 8, 2008

Introduction to The Life of Samson

"Man is not a god, Dostoevski asserts, and the individual man's inner voice will always tell him this truth." ~ Rene Girard


Today, on Short Story Monday, we present an introduction to a longer piece. This intro was intended to stand on its own while serving as an appetite whetting experience to create hunger for more.

"Everything that deceives may be said to enchant." ~ Plato

Introduction to The Life of Samson

From my earliest youth I have wondered (not in these exact words, of course, but with an earnestness as perpetual as consciousness itself) how can God, who is perfect, work through man, who is imperfect, to achieve His immutable purposes?

Whether this question was born into my heart from above, or cultivated in me by the priests and Levites who instructed our family in the ways of Yahweh, I do not know. These were the days when Israel was without a king; these were the days of Samson. Indeed, what better example of the Great Riddle than the life which Samson lived in our midst for more than twenty years?

Through the stories I am about to relate, God, in His great and infinite mercy, has in a small measure given me an understanding of this impenetrable mystery.

*

Here is what I believe: we receive that for which we hunger. He whose longing is for riches, to him riches will flow. That man whose mind dwells on things carnal will find a world of sensuality beyond his wildest imaginations. These satisfactions are not without a price, however. For this one thing I have seen: that a man not only receives that for which he longs, in the end he always gets more than he bargained for.

My longing was for understanding. I hungered. I thirsted. And I believed my desire -- to grasp with my full consciousness the deep things of God that were hidden in the womb of this dark mystery -- would be satisfied.

*

Here is something else I believe: each of us is unique, with unique experiences that enable us to discover things that no one else has ever thought about, has ever heard, having never had our own experiences.

Our experiences, as well as their unique lessons, are not only ours to learn, they are ours to share. If, in fact, once having learned we fail to share, we are violating, even thwarting the purposes of God in His self-revelation. (Are there not sins of omission as serious and equally terrible as any we commit?)

Why do we hold back then? Because we believe we have nothing worthwhile to say? Because we believe everyone has these insights, this understanding?Believe me, everyone does NOT have your insight. And the world is poorer by the very degree to which you keep silent.Organize your thoughts; sift what you know, and present, then, your offering. Take courage. Honor God and speak! Spill out your heart! We are a world in darkness; we are in need of your light. In service to those who do not, cannot, know the messages of life you bring: speak the words you alone can speak. Speak, that we may understand.

What follows here are the words I alone can speak, for the story of Samson and his struggles -- with God, with himself, with obsession -- is my story. That is to say: For this I was born, to listen and to hear, to record what I have heard, and to make an offering of this record to the world.

*

The beginning of my own personal illumination came during my imprisonment at Gaza. Up until that time, I had been a self-centered youth, wholly engaged in self-destructive behaviors which brought me a great deal of attention but little self-satisfaction. Once garrisoned, I was assigned to the task of taking care of a blind man, which included his feeding, clothing, bathing and, from time to time, the dressing of his wounds. The privilege was all mine, for this helpless man was Samson. Because of his fame, there is not a Hebrew among us who did not know of his exploits, his mighty deeds, how heled Israel for more than two decades before being betrayed and subdued.

There is a sense in which none of us can know the mind or plan of God with anything approaching certainty. Yet there are times and circumstances, upon which God has His hand, and we know by some inner knowing that, "Yes, this is God's arrangement." Such was my feeling in that prison, that having fallen so far, into such a darkened estate, I was not left abandoned, that there was yet hope for my life, that I might again know freedom, and joy.

*

The swarthy, weathered Samson I had first encountered was less than the man I expected. I am not refering here to his punctured, sightless eyes. He was only of modest physical stature, surpassing six feet in height by half a hand's width at most. His forearms and biceps were certainly powerful, but the overall impression was somewhat less than what legends had led me to imagine. It was difficult to connect the stories to the man.

Equally dissimilar was the interior Samson. I expected someone spoiled and egocentric (in all likelihood someone more like myself!) or, more in keeping with a common stereotype we Hebrews have, a rather large dimwitted sort of fellow. I hardly expected the intelligence and sensitivity this man possessed. His mind was ever alert and active. Perhaps even too active. "I think too much," he was fond of saying, sometimes with a laugh, and sometimes with remorse.

*

For weeks I had been longing to ask the question, "How could a man so wise, so seemingly intelligent and alert, have been so foolish, so stupid? You knew this Delilah was only out to destroy you. How could you have shared with her the secret of your strength? Wasn't it obvious, Samson, what she was trying to do?

"I felt myself impertinent, but at this point it was the burning question. And that morning -- it was a bad dream I had which set the whole thing off -- I feared we weren't going to be together that much longer. We'd been sharing deeply many things up to this time, of God, of our hearts, of our understanding of life and its meanings, but I could not fathom how this great hero of our people had fallen so badly, so decisively. What kind oflove is this that blinds one so utterly and completely to dangers and snares so clearly designed to undo him?

When I finally asked my question, Samson did not reply. For the whole of that afternoon he seemed buried in his thoughts, sad and absorbed. Even at supper he was silent, drawing around himself a barrier which I feared to penetrate. That night, too, hardly a word passed between us and I was disgusted with myself for my intrusiveness. Finally, when I could stand it no longer, I burst out, "I'm sorry I said anything. I'm sorry, it was foolish of me to stick my nose in your business. Please, forgive me." He seized my arm and shook his head emphatically, chestnut hair flying off from his shoulders (for it had been growing long again).

"No, my young brother, it is a good question. It is the right question. It comes from the deep places of your heart. You long for understanding. Is this not a longing born of the Spirit of Yahweh? And is it not as God's agent that you ask this question? You have spoken God's word, my friend, and I am challenged. I cannot answer lightly and without deliberation. Yes, I have been giving it thought. Tomorrow I will tell you my story. Perhaps we will both learn something. It is possible that no one can truly understand a fool in his folly. Still, I will speak of my life, as honestly and clearly as I am able, and in some small measure you will be satisfied with myanswer."

*

More than ten years have passed since the shared experiences of that Gaza prison. That is why Samson's story has been recorded here in such a piecemeal way, for which I am solely to blame. As much as possible, I have attempted to capture the actual flow of his thought and patterns of speech. Where necessary, I have elaborated portions of stories where he had himself previously painted a scene and did not embellish it when recounting this last portrait of his life. We were together for nearly six months, though many of those early months were spent in non-communicative brooding on both our parts. Over a period of time, as we shared more, we began discovering many parallels in our life journeys, which led us to a profound sense of brotherhood.

In the end, Samson believed I had been sent by God to hear his final confessions. After recounting the whole of his life in one final summation, we spent the rest of the night in prayer. The dawn broke with such splendor we could hardly help but sing with the birds who welcomed it. This was our last night together. The coming eve, Samson sacrificed his life with a feat that slaughtered three thousand Philistines in a single stroke, more than he had killed in all the years he had lived. Even in death, he amazed us.

Here is the story Samson told....

9 comments:

LEWagner said...

>>>>>>>>>how can God, who is perfect, work through man, who is imperfect, to achieve His immutable purposes?

How do we know that God is perfect? Maybe He was created in some Higher God's image.
Also, isn't it possible that being created "in His image", correctly translated, could EITHER mean that we were deliberately created to be exactly like He (a) actually is, or (b)imagines Himself to be?
How can anyone be sure? Because the Bible says so?
Have you ever done any translation work? Things tend to change meaning even through undergoing ONE translation.
As many times as those ancient texts have been translated and re-translated, I just can't understand anyone claiming to understand or interpret the Bible in a dogmatic way.

Ed Newman said...

You seem to be arguing with a fictional character expressing a worldview.

As for translation work, I have done some study of languages, as well as the difficulties of Bible translation.

There are two facets of your last paragraph which can be dissected. First, is the translation work accurate. Second is the interpretation of what it means.

You are correct to say that no one is perfect in their understanding of the Bible. That is, claims of perfect understanding are presumptuous. But to say that there can be zero understanding is like saying that we can't talk to one another because perfect understanding of our meanings is impossible.

Communication is complex... but not nonsense.

There are some discrepancies with regard to the "sacred texts" but no one would say the entire book has to be scrapped because one ancient text has a passage in it that another does not.

There exist thousands of manuscript fragments from the fifth century and before which all have pretty much the same accounts, even if a few passages vary.

That being said, I was using the story for philosophical explorations....

LEWagner said...

>>>>>>>>That being said, I was using the story for philosophical explorations....

Which I thought was the way I responded.
I didn't ask Samson, "How can you know that God is perfect?" -- I asked, "How can we (meaning us, mankind) know that God is perfect?" The only "evidence" I've ever seen presented to "prove" this, is that the Bible says so.

LEWagner said...

Sorry. I didn't mean Samson, I meant the narrator of the story.

Ed Newman said...

At the point in time of the story, there was probably only the Pentateuch and probably the book of Joshua. No translation work at that point... and really not a very clear picture of Yahweh per se. The burning bush and the voice saying "I am that I am." And the revelation of Himself to Abraham... who also was less than perfect, yet was chosen and used by God.

The meaning of Imago Dei ("in His image") incorporates a whole lot of concepts and I do not believe it means "exactly as He is" since I doubt any of us could create a universe out of nothing. Having a spirit and soul is part of it (being made in His image) as is having personality, mind, will, emotions.... To be human is to have these things, and this is what sets us apart from animals.

LEWagner said...

When I first arrived here, I bought a small book of the history of the Sikhottabong era, about the time that the Buddha walked the earth. This book is a translation of ancient historical texts by a certain Mr. Khemphohn.
At the back of the book is an 8-page English translation of Mr. Khemphohn's translation. I couldn't make head or tail of the English. I wondered to myself why they hadn't found a person who could actually write in understandable English, to translate these ancient texts.
Well, I got what I wished for, I guess. Mr. Khemphohn wants me to do it, and I might even make $50 out of the job. And he gave me a t-shirt with a logo that says "Lao Writer's Association", and has a screen-printed logo containing a quill pen.
The person who I'm working with read Mr. Khemphohn's texts written in an old-fashioned and obscure Lao, and threw up her hands. "First, I've got to get this translated into Lao that I can understand," she said.
She did so, and complained to me that it took her 3 hours and 45 minutes. She wants me to be sure to let Mr. Khemphohn know about that.
Then she explained to me about this king and that king, and their doings some 2500 years ago. King so and so had interred the chest bone of the Buddha inside a cave somewhere around here, and after he had done that, his name was changed to King such and such.
My assistant (or maybe I'm her assistant) rolled her eyes and asked me, "Who cares about this, anyway?"
I said, "Well, Mr. Khemphohn cares", and I pointed at his picture, as he stood in front of Sikhotabong Stupa, looking very much like the intellectual he is.
My question, though, was/is: "How do we even know that these old texts are historical fact, and not just made-up stories? Especially when they talk about weird happenings, the such of which none of us have ever seen."
I never seem to get an answer to that question. My assistant just laughed.
Both of us will be very happy when we finally finish this translation project, and can go back to teaching each other Lao and English.

LEWagner said...

>>>>>>>>My question, though, was/is: "How do we even know that these old texts are historical fact, and not just made-up stories? Especially when they talk about weird happenings, the such of which none of us have ever seen."
I never seem to get an answer to that question. My assistant just laughed.

And still, no answer. My last post, not even listed, after 2 days already. Must be because it wasn't a properly philosophical question, and off-topic.
Oh, well.
So goes the show.

Ed Newman said...

My first priority is getting blog written, and I don't always get to the comments as quickly. I also thought your question deserved a more thoughtful answer than something hastily flipped out into cyberspace.

There are really plenty of books that go into great depth in defense of the authority of Scripture, if you have an interest there.

Of the Old Testament, the Bible claims for itself that it is a written record of God's words recorded by men who were specially designated for this purpose and that the Jewish race was designated to preserve these revealed words and knowledge.

The Bible does not presume that everyone will understand or properly interpret it. New Testament writers indicate that God's Spirit assists in "illuminating" the hearers or readers.

Even in reading Hemingway or C.S. Lewis the manner in which the texts are approached will have different results based on attitude and mindset of the reader.

As for verification of authenticity, the same can be said for histories by the ancient Greeks. Sorting the real from fable is an endeavor, but for many people it has been a quest worth undertaking. Was there a historical Jesus? Scoffers can choose to deny the evidence. Did he die on a cross? Once this is believed... the next question where debates occur pertain to meaning. What did it mean?

The Jewish race came from somewhere, had an origin and a history. There may be questions about incidentals... "weird facts" as you call them. There is a large body of people who do not have a problem with the broader outlines of the truth, even if they argue a lot about what parts are inside and outside the edges.

LEWagner said...

I was wondering why the comments were stuck at 6 for a couple of days, that's all. I guess I feel kind of paranoid, sometimes, and was thinking you didn't want my comment read. Sorry.
Here are a few more comments regarding your reply:

>>>>>>>>>Of the Old Testament, the Bible claims for itself that it is a written record of God's words recorded by men who were specially designated for this purpose and that the Jewish race was designated to preserve these revealed words and knowledge.

The Bible claims to be true, therefore it is true, doesn't seem a persuasive argument. Frankly, it seems a bit naive. Many people with many agendas have claimed to be telling the truth, when they actually weren't.

>>>>>>>>The Bible does not presume that everyone will understand or properly interpret it. New Testament writers indicate that God's Spirit assists in "illuminating" the hearers or readers.

There have been hundreds (thousands?) of Christian denominations and sects, all claiming the truth. Only one of them is true?
It would be interesting to know which one.

>>>>>>>>>>Even in reading Hemingway or C.S. Lewis the manner in which the texts are approached will have different results based on attitude and mindset of the reader.

No one claims that either of those authors is speaking for God. Neither of those authors claimed to be speaking for God, either.
If they had, people would think they were either nuts, or lying.

>>>>>>>>>>>>As for verification of authenticity, the same can be said for histories by the ancient Greeks. Sorting the real from fable is an endeavor, but for many people it has been a quest worth undertaking.

There is Greek history, and there is Greek mythology. The former speaks of real historical happenings in the country of Greece; the latter of happenings between gods and gods, and gods and humans.

>>>>>>>>>>>>Was there a historical Jesus? Scoffers can choose to deny the evidence. Did he die on a cross? Once this is believed... the next question where debates occur pertain to meaning. What did it mean?

I think you're arguing against a straw man, here. I don't think there are a huge amount of people who doubt that there was a historical Jesus.
He talked back against greedy religious hypocrites, and was crucified by the Romans, under order of the religious Jews, who Jesus had taunted for their hypocrisy.
What did it mean? That he maybe should have kept his mouth shut, so as not to become a target? Or, that only the good die young?

>>>>>>>>>The Jewish race came from somewhere, had an origin and a history.

Obviously.

>>>>>>>>>>>There may be questions about incidentals... "weird facts" as you call them. There is a large body of people who do not have a problem with the broader outlines of the truth, even if they argue a lot about what parts are inside and outside the edges.

What I referred to as "weird happenings" are things that none of us have ever witnessed in our entire lives. The sorts of things that would seemingly very obviously relegate certain stories out of the realm of history of the Jewish race, to the realm of mythology: like God having a baby with a human, like a God speaking personally to a human through a burning bush, like someone being dead for 3 days, then rising from the dead, and so on.
Are these the sort of things you refer to as "incidentals" in the Christian religion? I was taught to believe they were central.

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