In this chapter, Samson is an adult and marries a Philistine woman, but a riddle Samson shares disrupts his plans. The chapter begins, “One day when Samson was in Timnah, he noticed a certain Philistine woman. When he returned home, he told his father and mother, “I want to marry a young Philistine woman I saw in Timnah.” His father and mother objected strenuously, “Isn’t there one woman in our tribe or among all the Israelites you could marry? Why must you go to the pagan Philistines to find a wife?” (Judges 14:1-3)
This is interesting that Samson’s parents had not even mentioned God’s law of intermarrying with other nations. This is an indication that the Israelites have slipped so far away from the law, that it is no longer being taught from generation to generation. What laws, rituals, and/or practices are we no longer embracing?
But Samson told his father, “Get her for me. She is the one I want.” His father and mother didn’t realize the Lord was at work in this, creating an opportunity to disrupt the Philistines, who ruled over Israel at the time. (verse 3 and 4)
Why are the Philistines and other nations ruling over Israel? It goes back to Israel not following God’s laws...worshiping other gods and marrying other nations. In the book of Joshua, Joshua warned the Israelites not to intermarry with the survivors of other nations, and if they broke God’s covenant by worshiping and serving other gods, they would be wiped out from the land He had given them. However, even throughout all of this disobedience, God is still fighting for them!
The text continues, “As Samson and his parents were going down to Timnah, a young lion attacked Samson near the vineyards of Timnah. At that moment the Spirit of the Lord powerfully took control of him, and he ripped the lion’s jaws apart with his bare hands. He did it as easily as if it were a young goat. But he didn’t tell his father or mother about it. When Samson arrived in Timnah, he talked with the woman and was very pleased with her.
Later, when he returned to Timnah for the wedding, he turned off the path to look at the carcass of the lion. And he found that a swarm of bees had made some honey in the carcass. He scooped some of the honey into his hands and ate it along the way. He also gave some to his father and mother, and they ate it. But he didn’t tell them he had taken the honey from the carcass of the lion. As his father was making final arrangements for the marriage, Samson threw a party at Timnah, as was the custom of the day. Thirty young men from the town were invited to be his companions. Samson said to them, “Let me tell you a riddle. If you solve my riddle during these seven days of the celebration, I will give you thirty plain linen robes and thirty fancy robes. But if you can’t solve it, then you must give me thirty linen robes and thirty fancy robes.” (Judges 14:5-13)
The 30 men agreed and Samson told them the riddle. Samson said,
“From the one who eats came something to eat; out of the strong came something sweet.”
A few days passed, and the men could not figure out the riddle so they went to Samson’s wife and threatened to burn down her father’s house if she didn’t get the answer for them. Samson’s wife went to him in tears requesting the answer, but Samson didn’t tell her. “So she cried whenever she was with him and kept it up for the rest of the celebration. At last, on the seventh day, he told her the answer because of her persistent nagging. Then she gave the answer to the young men.” (Judges 14:17)
As a result, the men went to Samson and revealed the answer: “What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?”
Samson replied, “If you hadn’t plowed with my heifer, you wouldn’t have found the answer to my riddle!” then the Spirit of the Lord powerfully took control of him. He went down to the town of Ashkelon, killed thirty men, took their belongings, and gave their clothing to the men who had answered his riddle. (Wow...no mention of consequences for Samson’s behavior? It’s just ok to kill several men for no good reason? Maybe it’s addressed later in the book.) But Samson was furious about what had happened, and he went back home to live with his father and mother. So his wife was given in marriage to the man who had been Samson’s best man at the wedding.” (Judges 14:18-20)
Lord, thank you for your Word today! Thank you for continuing to fight for us, and in return, help us keep your laws and your greatness present in our lives from generation to generation. And strengthen our relationship with you that you may fill us with your spirit. We love you!
May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
….AND MAY WE ALL PRACTICE THIS WITH ONE ANOTHER.
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