28 And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.
The Spirit, therefore, “asks” and “intercedes,” but we “pray.” And Joshua’s words commanding the sun to stand over [Gibeon] seem to me to be an intercession also.… And in Judges, Samson in my opinion said in intercession: “Let me die with the foreigners—when he bent in his strength and the house fell upon the princes and all the people that were there.” Even though it is not written that Joshua and Samson “interceded” but that they “said,” nevertheless their words seem to be an “intercession,” which we must judge to be different from a “prayer,” if we are to give words their proper meaning.
With the passage of time his hair began to grow; then, during a crowded banquet of the Philistines, Samson was brought from prison and shown before the people. About three thousand men and women were there. They taunted him with cruel remarks, they surrounded him with mocking jests which he bore with greater stamina and beyond what his blind appearance suggested, for he was a man of great native strength. To live and to die are functions of nature, but mockery belongs to the baseborn. The wish arose in him, therefore, either to compensate for such insults by revenge or preclude any more insults by death. He pretended that he could no longer support himself, because of the weakness of his body and the knots of his shackles, and he asked a servant boy, who was guiding his steps, to put him near the pillars which supported the house. Placed there, he grasped with both hands the support of the entire building and, while the Philistines were intent upon the sacrifices of the feast in honor of their god Dagon, through whom they thought the adversary had come into their hands, accounting the woman’s treachery among the benefits of heaven, he called to the Lord, saying, “Lord, once more remember your servant so that I may revenge myself on the Gentiles for my two eyes. Do not allow them to give glory to their gods, because with their help they have got me in their power. I count my life as of no worth. Let my soul die with the Philistines, so that they may know that my weakness no less than my strength is deadly.”So he shook the columns with mighty force and loosened and shattered them. The crash of the roof came next and fell on him and hurled headlong all those who were looking on from above. There in great confusion lay heaps of men and women. Though slain, Samson attained his wished-for triumph, greater than all his former victories, and a death not inglorious or lacking luster. Although he was unassailable here and hereafter, and was not to be compared in his life with men who experienced war, in his death Samson conquered himself and made his invincible soul despise death, giving no thought to the end of life which all people fear.
Through his valor he ended his days with numerous victories and found the captive not undone but triumphing. The fact that he was outwitted by a woman must be attributed to his nature, not to his person; his condition was human rather than his fault. He was overwhelmed and yielded to the enticements of sin. And when Scripture bears witness that he killed more in death than when he possessed the light of life, it seems that Samson was made a captive more to work the ruin of his adversaries than to become cast down or counted less. He never experienced degradation, for his grave was more famous than had been his power. Finally, he was overwhelmed and buried not by weapons but by the dead bodies of his enemies, covered with his own triumph, leaving to posterity a glorious renown. Those people of his, whom he had found captive, he ruled in liberty for twenty years. Then, entombed in the soil of his native land, he left behind the heritage of liberty.
Because of this example, men should avoid marriage with those outside the faith, lest, instead of love of one’s spouse, there be treachery.
Furthermore, the fact that after Samson’s hair grew again he recovered his former strength and seizing the pillars destroyed the house of his enemies together with its builders, is also seen today in the case of some sinners. If they destroy their vices by repentance and provide a place for virtue, the likeness and figure of Samson is fulfilled in them. Then is accomplished in them what is written concerning Samson: “Those he killed at his death were more than those he had killed during his lifetime.” It is true, brothers. A greater number of sins is destroyed by repentance than is known to be overcome at a time when one seems to be free from offenses. Now we should not notice with indifference that at the death of Samson all his enemies were killed. Thus, may our adversaries also be destroyed at our death. Brothers, the apostle says, “Mortify your members, which are on earth: lust, evil desire and covetousness (which is a form of idol worship).” Let drunkenness and pride die in us, envy be extinguished, anger appeased and malice rejected. If we endeavor to kill all these things with God’s help, like Samson we can destroy our adversaries by dying to sins and vices.
Now that splendor which was restored in Samson and was covered at his death I think fits every servant of Christ. If someone is overtaken by some sin and in a salutary manner has recourse to the remedies of repentance, with the restoration of grace there returns the face of a good conscience, like the hair which grew again. Thus, it becomes possible for the merits of faith like very strong muscles of courage to attack and overthrow the enemy’s pillars which support the hostile house. What are these pillars of the enemy’s house except our sins upon which the house of the devil rests, where he feasts as victor and mocks our minds if they have been captivated? Therefore, we eject this enemy from his house by the destruction and death of our flesh. Our enemy is enclosed within us; he daily wages an internal war inside. As long as we sometimes assent to him, in accord with the evil agreement of our will he gains power over us. With our vices against us as his accomplices within, he attacks our exterior ministry, so that when we hand over to him our members for works of iniquity we are killed by our own sword, as is usually said. However, we ought to remember the agreement which we promised in return for the grace of baptism, when we were buried together with Christ in the mystery of the cross: that we would renounce the devil, his ostentatious displays and his works. Let us no longer live in this world as we have been; in fact, let us no longer live to ourselves but let Christ live in us. When he has been restored to the honor of the head, the house of the devil will fall, and all our enemies will die with our sins in eternal destruction.
“Therefore his enemies brought him to play the buffoon before them.” Notice here an image of the cross. Samson extends his hands spread out to the two columns as to the two beams of the cross. Moreover, by his death he overcame his adversaries, because his sufferings became the death of his persecutors. For this reason Scripture concludes as follows: “Those he killed at his death were more than those he had killed during his lifetime.” This mystery was clearly fulfilled in our Lord Jesus Christ, for at his death he completed our redemption which he had by no means publicly announced during his life: who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.
Revenge myself: This desire of revenge was out of zeal for justice against the enemies of God and his people; and not out of private rancour and malice of heart.
[AD 253] Origen of Alexandria on Judges 16:23-30