Every novel is a romance, if it be true to life, because all that happens under the sun--every vanity--is in some way romantic. In a popular dictionary the over-arching definition of romance is, "A mysterious or fascinating quality or appeal, as of something adventurous, heroic, or strangely beautiful." Found in the romance of the Word of God is the enigmatic episode of Samson and Delilah, perhaps the strangest love affair of all time. Books, plays, and movies have attempted to explain it, but in this author's opinion they misinterpret the motives of both Samson and Delilah. If the information in Judges chapters 13-15 is taken as having something to do with their romance, a different interpretation is possible. "And it came to pass afterward that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah." (Judges 16:3) Thus, it appears that a separate chapter in Samson's life is beginning. But why should it be unrelated to chapter 15 and the Philistine who stole his wife? If it were not for Samson being listed among the "heroes of faith" in the New Testament book of Hebrews, we might dismiss him as a capricious fool, ignoring the angelic birth announcement, the fulfilled nazarite vow, his startling cleverness, his 20-year term judging Israel, and of course his superhuman strength. A superman indeed, born to benefit his nation, Samson dealt a blow to the Philistine enemy even in his death. Bible expositors acknowledge that he is an Old-Testament shadow or "type" of Christ. Did Samson "save" Philistine Delilah who seemed to hand him over to his enemies? While a parallel romance runs through these books, it is a current that you can ignore. Primarily, our mission is to explore the foundations of Bible prophesies that have yet to be fulfilled. You will have to endure noticing images of other characters from Scripture and literature, nevertheless. I won't say this is without purpose, but I admit it's mostly for fun. Try not to be too distracted. The first book, Sunday, opened with Kenneth Earl Clark puzzling over the incredible yet undeniable Rapture announcement. Earl is a reporter for the local paper (among other roles in the community). Today, Monday, we meet Leila Labaki, a name suggesting Lebanon as in the Song. As CEO of the Federal Services Administration she is well-liked while being everyone's boss. This is a small town with a tall FSA building that issues rules, some of which--if he were to obey them--would regulate Clark's benevolence. By the way, have you noticed that unintended consequences seem to be arranged by God? We need a better word than irony to describe this, a word that doesn't imply intentional deception. "Incongruity" comes close, but it's a lifeless word. "Literary irony" is merely respectable sarcasm. If you know what I mean, then we don't need a word for it; we just know it when we see it. Sometimes we notice it retrospectively even among intended consequences. It's a romantic thing, really. Some will insist that it's no different from deliberate irony. If it be that, the pages of these books are rife with irony, so be warned.
