There were many judges in Israel, and one of them that likely comes to your memory first is Samson. He was a man of God who was used to save Israel from the Philistines without an army or helpers. He fought against the Philistines with his own strength alone.
He was distinguished as a Nazarite from birth. A Nazarite seemed to be a chosen person who could not live in a normal social relationship with anyone. He couldn’t cut his hair or drink wine, and he could never make himself unclean by touching a dead body. In some ways, perhaps he didn’t know how to live with others or how to build relationships with other people.
On the other hand, another Nazarite, John the Baptist was also a man of distinction like Samson who ate only locusts and wild honey, wore fur clothes, and lived a special mission. However he lived his life among countless people. He did his ministry with his disciples, and lived in a place near the Jordan River where anyone could come and be baptized, not in the deep mountains or in the wilderness, apart from the crowd.
Now, the world is carefully practicing “social distancing” because of COVID-19. They are struggling with a virus that we have yet to find a solution for, avoiding encounters with people to minimize the spread of the virus and to protect themselves. We feel that social distancing is isolating us and cutting us off from our relationships. In particular, elderly people who live alone often spend a day without saying a single word to anyone.
But one thing we should remember is that “social distance” is physical and geographical distance but not spiritual and psychological distance. Although we cannot greet each other face to face, shake hands, or hug each other, our distance from God is never far. We must not forget that our distance from God can be closer now than ever.
Samson was a person who “social distanced” half-willingly, half-not. Throughout his life, this social distancing kept his personality rough. But when his eyes were gouged out by enemies and he was turned into an object of ridicule by having to turn millstones, God finally answered his prayer. Samson’s strength came back, and he killed his enemies, losing his life in the process. Here again we can see parallels to an earlier part of Samson’s story where at “El Hakkore” or “The Fountain of Prayer,” God answered Samson’s prayer and he killed a thousand Philistines with a donkey’s jawbone.
Here and now, this is the moment that we need to be connected with God. Some of us are struggling with virus directly and others are anxious about contracting it. Let’s all run to God who listens to our prayers and makes water burst out of the fountain.
(Judges 15:12-20)
