Today we took a field trip to Zorah, where Samson lived. It was a fairly strenuous hike up the mountain to the top, where the ruins of the city are. The heat was intense, and we got a sense of how difficult travel would have been in this region of the country.
The text records that
the Spirit of the LORD began to stir [Samson] while he was in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol. Samson went down to Timnah and saw there a young Philistine woman. (Judges 13:25-14:1, TNIV)
Chapter 14 continues with a description of Samson frequently going back and forth (more accurately "up and down") to Timnah. The two places are only a little over 4 miles apart, but there is a difference of over 600 feel in elevation, most of that coming in just 2 miles or so. So, that means Samson was regularly traveling this distance over rough terrain to consort with the women of the Philistines, who had been ruling over the Israelites for the previous 40 years (Judges 13:1). Moreover, God had revealed to Samson's parents that he was going to use Samson to free the Israelites from Philistine rule.
All this is part of the way in which the author of Judges shows how far the Israelites were from being people devoted to Yahweh and being an example to the nations as to how to live out relationship with God. Though God used the judges to free his people, they were hardly paragons of virtue, and far from exemplary in their devotion to God.
Here are some pictures of the area (click to enlarge):
This is a picture of the ruins of Zorah, Samson's birthplace.
Here is the view from moutain ridge looking toward Timnah, which is out beyond the tree line that is visible in this picture.
No comments:
Post a Comment