We Were Way Off With Samson
And Delilah too, probably.
Hello! Hope you’re well. Here’s the latest:
We Moved
Well, thanks to endless UK visa delays, my family and I have called an audible and landed for the next year in northwest Arkansas. Who knows—maybe we’ll stay if we can’t bring ourselves to leave.
For now it feels a bit weird to be back in the States for a long while. Seems it doesn’t take long to develop that Third Culture thing where you feel at home and not-at-home just about everywhere. Oh well. :)
We’re hiking this weekend in the Ozarks—that’s when we’ll know if we can really settle in to this place. Stellar nature is the surest way to the Gerhardts’ hearts.
Samson & Delilah
New episode of Holy Ghost Stories this week—have you listened? This one’s a little steamy, but there’s really no way to separate the story from it’s context…which is repeated unmarried sex.
The tale of Samson & Delilah is an interesting one, because it’s possible to read it as the story of a brutish, idiot of a man who’s too stupid to tell what’s happening to him—and what’s happening is that he’s being seduced by an evil temptress delighted at the thought of his violent demise.
To this reading I say: Rubbish.
Admittedly, I’ve been guilty of it in the past. But I think that’s an inhumane, lazy way of reading (or, more concerningly, teaching) this text. I’ve not gotten it perfect, I’m sure, but this week’s episode of HGS is my attempt at a more empathetic, thoughtful envisioning of the story.
BITS AND BOBS
Astute listeners will notice I’ve engineered a bit of overlap between the title of this episode and that of the first Samson story done on HGS.
The frequent portrayal of Samson as a one-dimensional dumb jock is a pet peeve of mine. I get how you could end up there (I did for a long time), but it results from a poor reading of the text. (I make a quick case for his violent brilliance in this edition of The Latest if you missed it last Fall.) Did He always do the “smartest” thing? No. But niether do you, and I don’t think you’re a moron.
Delilah, too, is a ‘character’ in the story we often get wrong. Did she use her wiles to entrap Samson? Absolutely. Having done so, is she guiltless? No. However, we often do a poor job empathizing with her predicament. I’ve tried to give her the benefit of the doubt in this episode. You can listen and decide whether you think I went too far, but even if I did…perhaps somebody needed to lean that way to even out our historical portrayal of her.
Was Samson angry with Yahweh? This is a question I found myself coming back to as I spent time with his story. Samson didn’t ask for his gift of strength, nor did he volunteer to take the Nazarite Vow. Both of these defining aspects of his life were thrust upon him, and I wonder if he developed (and nursed) some resentment about the way these things dominated his life. I wonder if the burdens associated with Samson’s strength and vow got under his skin after a while and led to the way he seems to flirt with danger and misuse (or get very close to misusing) his strength.
Why would Samson tell Delilah the secret of his strength? This is a question I’d encourage you to spend some time with. One possiblity I tried to make room for in this episode is heartbreaking: suspecting his beloved Delilah’s betrayal, perhaps Samson had sunk the point of becoming essentially suicidal.
Not really sure how ancient bowstrings would have been made, and why you might describe one as “fresh”? Here’s a helpful video:
TAKE A LISTEN
Alright: without further ado, here’s “The Source, the Collaborator, and the Rogue.” Give this episode a listen and let me know what you think.
Oh—and have you left a quick rating/review on Apple Podcasts? I’d be really grateful if you did.
Holy Ghost Stories Live
The very first HGS Live Show is happening in Midland, TX on October 30. Have you gotten your tickets yet?
I’ve been absolutely amazed at the response so far—we have folks coming from Indianapolis, Omaha, Denver, Austin, Miami, Huntsville, Nashville, Baltimore, the list goes on. Amazing. Put your city on the list, why don’t you—join me and Kendall Ramseur for an unforgettable night of story and song. You’ll be glad you did.
Tickets are FREE, but space is limited. Get ‘em quick.
4 Cool Things
Pop Culture Detective - I’m a sucker for good film-criticism video essays and this new YouTube discovery has impressed me a few times. Cogent, thoughtful analysis—especially focused on male/female identity and dynamics.
Jupiter, Though - Here are the clearest images of Jupiter ever taken. Stunning.
Crumpled Faces - Drawing faces with the shadows of wadded up paper. I dig this.
Sharp Knives - I love to cook and every time I cook, I’m reminded of the extraordinary importance (and joy) of using a sharp kitchen knife. Most people use horribly dull blades when cooking and have no idea they’re making themselves miserable. I’m telling you: GET A SHARP KNIFE. And use your sharpener. It will change your life.
That’s the latest! Hope you’re blessed by “The Source, the Collaborator, and the Rogue” and don’t forget to grab your tickets for Holy Ghost Stories Live in Midland.
Gratefully,
Justin
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