Gaza and the Bible: Priests comment on the stories of Samson and Gideon in the Book of Judges

Two priests, the Spanish Antonio María Domenech, and the Ecuadorian Juan Carlos Vásconez, comment on the stories of Samson and Gideon in the book of Old Testament judges in the Bible, and his relationship with Gaza, plunged into the war between Israel and Hamas currently.

Gideon and Gaza

In the book of the judges it is narrated that the Israelites were oppressed by the mother and other peoples, worshipers of pagan gods. Judges 6, 4 says: “They camped in front of them and destroyed soil products to Gaza’s confines. They left no food, sheep, oxen or donkeys in Israel.”

Given this situation, the biblical story continues, God chooses a humble man named Gideon, to relieve the suffering of his people. He brought together more than 30,000 men for it, but God reduced that number to show his greatness.

Fr. Antonio María Domenech, a priest of the Spanish diocese of Cuenca, comments in this regard that Gideon “with 300 men defeated the Great Madianita Army and thus realized that the victory really was from the Lord, which also happens to us many times, that we believe we do things and above it looks very clear that God has done them”.

“Gideon, after the victory, was in charge of his people for many years as a ruler put by God,” he added.

These days, the Israeli offensive to take the city of Gaza has as its title cars of Gideon II. The campaign was approved in August, after its first phase started in May.

Apparently, his objective would be to achieve peace, as Judge Gideon did, but for Fr. Domenech “they use this for convenience, I think. I do not think that it relates anything to Gideon’s battles, not even with the beliefs of the people who followed God in Israel at the time.”

Samson and Gaza

The book of the judges also reports that the Israelites were dominated by the Philistines, who worshiped a pagan God, but the true God raised the appearance of a very strong man to face them.

“This is how Samson appears, which from the beginning has a series of gifts that are completely out of normal. With which Samson is a judge, it is part of the people who consolidate the people of Israel at that time of stay in the promised land,” says Fr. Juan Carlos Vásconez, Ecuadorian digital evangelizer.

The story tells that Samson falls in love with Dalila, who makes an economic pact with the Philistines. She insisted that she told her the secret of her strength until she gets her to tell her in her hair. Then Dalila sleeps him and commands him to cut him, with which he loses force.

The Ecuadorian priest then points out that Samson loses his strength “because it ceases to be loyal to God, because he thinks he can pass over all things. And this combination of lust, plus a self -convent that he is the powerful, makes it become so selfish that it does not give importance to those clear messages that this girl was not good, that he could bring evil for his people.”

Samson is taken prisoner and empties his eyes. He was then taken to Gaza. The Philistine Princes made a party and people made fun of him. Samson, repentant, invokes God to recover strength, which comes to recover, and that allows him to push two columns that supported the enclosure and died with many Philistines.

Fr. Vásconez explains that “where is Gaza now city It would be the enclave where Samson also died. War is a terrible evil for humanity. And now to have Samson’s memory, who also died in that same land, can appeal to everyone so that we try to pray more for these who are suffering right there. ”