Mark Tabata’s Weekday Devotionals
Thursday July 9 2026
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Judges 14:5-6-So Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother, and came to the vineyards of Timnah. Now to his surprise, a young lion came roaring against him. 6 And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart as one would have torn apart a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done.
Over the last few weeks, I have been doing a lot of research on some Old Testament characters in preparation for our church’s upcoming Vacation Bible School. The theme is “Superheroes Of The Bible.” We have chosen Samson as one of our candidates. Truth be told, he is one of the most “unheroic” heroes of the Bible that I can think of. He was often rude, shortsighted, needlessly cruel to other humans and animals, and was seemingly driven by lust and a desire for popularity. Despite his many imperfections, sins, and flaws, the Bible reminds us that he was devoted to the Lord and in His name did some great things. (Perhaps one of the lessons here is that no matter how sinful and imperfect we are, God can work through us and continue to transform us for good in this life. That thought gives me hope, because I am very imperfect and have no room to boast against Samson or anyone else).
Anyway, one of the stories that comes up in studying about Samson deals with his battle with the lion here. Interestingly enough, the study of archaeology has shed some amazing light on this subject!
In the case of Samson, archaeology is the main witness, and we shall see just some of the corroborative evidence that supports the integrity and the authenticity of what the Book of Judges tells us about him. According to that witness, Samson is no mythological invention. The stamp that the living breathing man named Samson made on history is seen very clearly in the archaeological record so that no man can be left in any doubt that Samson lived at the time Judges says he lived, and in the place where Judges says he lived. It is as simple and as straightforward as that. Take for an example the seal that appears as Fig. 21 below. Its discovery was reported thus: “Tel Aviv University researchers recently uncovered a seal, measuring 15 millimetres (about a half-inch) in diameter, which depicts a human figure next to a lion at the archaeological site of Beth Shemesh, located between the Biblical cities of Zorah and Eshtaol, where Samson was born, flourished, and finally buried, according to the book of Judges. The scene engraved on the seal, the time period, and the location of the discovery all point to a probable reference to the story of Samson, the legendary heroic figure whose adventures famously included a victory in hand-to-paw combat with a lion.” 2 Fig. 21 The ‘Samson’ Seal from Beth Shemesh (Photo: Raz Lederman) Professor Shlomo Bunimovitz, one of the co-directors of the dig goes on to tell us: “While the seal does not reveal when the stories about Samson were originally written, or clarify whether Samson was a historical or legendary figure, the finding does help to “anchor the story in an archaeological setting,” says Prof. Shlomo Bunimovitz of TAU’s Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Civilizations. Prof. Bunimovitz co-directs the Beth Shemesh dig along with Dr. Zvi Lederman. “If we are right and what we see on the seal is a representation of a man meeting a lion, it shows that the Samson legend already existed around the area of Beth Shemesh during that time period. We can date it quite precisely…. The seal was discovered with other finds on the floor of an excavated house, dated by the archaeologists to the 12th century BCE.” 3 It is gratifying in the extreme to see such evidence being uncovered, and in Samson’s own hometown too. But this is not all the physical evidence that is available to us. (Bill Cooper, The Authenticity of the Book of Judges, 853-879 (Kindle Edition): Creation Science Movement)
Archaeology continues to confirm the truthfulness of the Word of God. How wise indeed we would be to build our lives on the Holy Bible!
Father, thank You for Your Word that shines light to us in our darkness and guides our path. Give us a heart of wisdom to follow where You lead through Your Word. Amen.