2006 Jan-March: Issue no.5; PAGE 2

Issue no. 5: 2006 1^st Quarter; article overview:

Page 1:First Article;The Messianic context of Psalm 110 -exegesis part two
Page 2:Second Article;Samson Option, Samson as national allegory in Deuteronomistic theology
Page 3:Third Article;Qohelet and the background to Ecclesiastes
Page 4:Fourth Article;Nathaniel under the Bo-tree - Buddhism and the problem of suffering
Page 5:Fifth Article;The Spirit in the latter days-Part four
Page 6:Sixth Article;Book review of the writings of Santala
For the PDF version of this article click here

The Samson option

Typology: Samson as national allegory in Deuteronomistic theology.

Samson and Deuteronomistic History

The story of Samson should be placed in the wider context of the Deuteronomistic History. The books of Joshua, Judges, 1-2 Samuel and 1-2 Kings are referred to by biblical scholars as “the Deuteronomistic History,” because they build upon the theology set out in the preceding Book of Deuteronomy.

These historical books are believed to have undergone their final redaction in the post-exilic period. Scholars postulate that the first edition of Deuteronomy occurred during the reign of Hezekiah in 716-687 BC and the second edition during the reign of Josiah in 640-609 BC.

Whether this reconstruction is plausible or not, there certainly is thematic correspondence between the various threads of Deuteronomistic History as our comparison demonstrates:

Samson personifies all that is best and worst in Israel’s national history – a man with huge appetites and charisma, capable of breathtaking spiritual highs and crashing spiritual lows, but ultimately a man of faith. The nation of Israel had been chosen from its inception to be a priestly nation; in similar fashion Samson had also been separated as a Nazarite in imitation of the high priest.

For the Deuteronomist Samson typified the nation, even when he went astray from his high calling he was still the recipient of the Abrahamic covenant promises:

“And Samson lay till midnight [i.e. with the harlot], and arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron.” (Judges 16:3)

Abraham, who was buried at Hebron, had been given the assurance that his descendants “would possess the gate of his enemies” (Gen.22: 17). Foreign women constantly led Samson astray; he could not resist the allure of their beauty:

And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. (Judges 14:1)

Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her. (Judges 16:1)

Likewise, Israel has a history of unsuitable liaisons with the surrounding nations, preferring to rely on the current superpower whether (in the past) Egypt or Assyria or even (now) the U.S.A. rather than on her God. But these nations are unreliable and would eventually (like Delilah did with Samson) betray any confidence placed in them. [1]

“Shir Hashoalim”  (The Song of the Foxes)

Militarily, Israel (like Samson) has always punched above her weight; in the words of the Deuteronomist – one shall put a hundred to flight and ten shall put a thousand to flight. The Israeli Givati Brigade and the Southern Command have a fox emblem on their shoulder patches in commemoration of Samson’s feat against the Philistine enemy in Judges 15:3-5. This is the Samson found in Uri Avnery’s poem, which describes the fighters of the Givati Brigade in Southern Israel during the War of Independence:

Four, Four in the speeding jeep
And the song springs forth from the heart
And the path on their way dances and sings
It’s the path that leads to the enemy

Samson’s Foxes are again out there in the field
And they carry the flame through the night
From Gaza to Gat this battle takes place
For Israel’s freedom.

But just like Samson they fail to acknowledge the true source of their victories until God reminds them of their frailty:

And he was sore athirst, and called on the LORD, and said, Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant: and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised? (Judges 15:18)

The Samson option

The phrase “The Samson option” originated with the title of Seymour M Hersh’s publication [2] on Israel’s nuclear capability. Now that they have the bomb they are in a position (like Samson) to bring the “temple” [3] crashing down on the heads of their enemies if they ever feel cornered. Israel used nuclear blackmail to force Kissinger and Nixon to airlift supplies during the 1973 Yom Kippur war, and they passed U.S. secrets collected by Jonathan Pollard to the USSR when it served their interests. The Bomb has been a hidden factor in U.S.- Israeli relations ever since the Eisenhower administration, but this is the first book to deal with Israeli relations from this perspective. Ever since Truman's support of the birth of Israel in 1948, U.S. relations have favored its aggressive policies, even at the expense of U.S. interests in the region. Much of this was encouraged in the name of a secure Jewish homeland -- something that few U.S. politicians dared to criticize -- but behind the public facade there existed a world where the CIA became dependent on Mossad for intelligence, Israel's economy became dependent on profits from arms transfers, and policy itself was exercised through proxy wars.

According to Warner; “Israel, like Iran, has desires of regional power.  The 1956 alliance with France and Britain (Suez war) might have been a first attempt at regional hegemony.  Current debate in the Israeli press considers offering Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and perhaps Syria (after a peace agreement) an Israeli nuclear umbrella of protection.  A nuclear Iran or Iraq might use its nuclear weapons to protect some states in the region, threaten others, and attempt to control oil prices.” [4] This may seem farfetched until one realizes that “Samson option” is (according to some reports) being seriously considered by Sharon to counter balance a nuclear Iran:

“The point of the Samson Option would not be to communicate availability of a graduated Israeli nuclear deterrent or of an Israeli nuclear war fighting potential, but rather of the unstated "promise" of a massive countercity ("countervalue" in military parlance) reprisal. Clearly, the Samson Option per se is not likely to deter any aggressions short of altogether massive WMD (nuclear and/or certain biological) first strike attacks upon the Jewish State………. As in the case above, concerning Samson and Israeli nuclear deterrence, last-resort nuclear preparations could enhance Israel’s preemption options by displaying a bold national willingness to take existential risks (i.e. commit suicide).”  [5]

The willingness to take “existential risks” seems to be keyed into the Israeli psyche after the holocaust (never again) Naim Dangoor comments:

“It has become customary for all officers graduating in the Israeli Defence Forces to be taken to the fortress of Massada and made to swear an oath there that Massada shall not fall again. That is a reference to the siege of Massada in the year 70 by the Roman army who were unable for two years to take that hideout of some 200 Jewish fighters. When in the end they occupied the fortress they found all the people there had committed suicide, rather than be tortured by their Roman enemies. This has become known as the Massada option. But why should this be a model for the Israeli army? I prefer the Samson option when the hero of ancient Israel managed to bring the Palestinian Temple down and thus kill with himself thousands of the enemy. Today, Israel is one of the strongest military powers in the world and should try to flex her muscle when dealing with her neighbors.” [6]

The Blindness of Samson

The story of Samson is a cautionary tale for a nation obsessed with military prowess. Samson, who was always enticed into inappropriate relationships by the sight of his eyes, was left blind by an act of betrayal. However, his blindness was not total (blindness in part has come to Israel- Rom.11: 25) for his physical impairment reawakened his spiritual insight. His strength lay not in the length of his hair but in his faith. (Heb.11: 32) He prayed to God to be allowed to avenge the loss of his eye (Hebrew singular), for like his ancestor Abraham he could now see the Messiah “afar off” (Gen.22: 4), and thus he wrought his last great deliverance for Israel. The Deuteronomist leaves us with a fitting epitaph:

“So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.” (Judges 16:30)

This contrasts nicely with the Messiah Jesus Christ who saved more by his death than he did during his life. For God’s strength is perfected in weakness (2 Cor.12: 9).

Conclusion

The way to safety and security will not be achieved by self-reliance, threats to the surrounding nations or by taking “existential risks.” The people of Israel should repent, decommission their nuclear arsenal and realize their faith in God and his Messiah - Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, similar to Samson, it will require extreme circumstances for their “eye” to be opened.

Notes

[1] Egypt is compared to a papyrus reed that pierces the hand instead of offering support when leaned on.

[2] Hersh, Seymour M. The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy. New York: Random House, 1991. 354 pages.

[3] The “Third Temple” is a term coined for the nation of Israel and is attributed to Moshe Dayan during the Yom Kippur War: “This is the end of the Third Temple.” [Ibid, Hersh, p.223] Within this context the “Holy of Holies” is considered to be Israel’s nuclear arsenal.

[4] Warner D. Farr, LTC, U.S. Army, THE THIRD TEMPLE'S HOLY OF HOLIES: ISRAEL'S NUCLEAR WEAPONS, The Counterproliferation Papers Future Warfare Series No. 2, 1999.

http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/israel/nuke/farr.htm

[5] Louis Rene Beres, Israel, Palestine And The `Samson Option’, http://www.ourjerusalem.com/opinion/story/opinion20050411.html [Jewish Press April 6, 2005]. Some even believe that an Israeli “first strike” policy on Iran is a distinct possibility Atomic Iran excerpt: The Samson Option, Israel's Preemptive Strike : Dr. Jerome Corsi, [March 21, 2005]. 

[6] THOUGHTS & AFTERTHOUGHTS - by Naim Dangoor

 http://www.dangoor.com/73page66.html