Judges 14. Analysis of vv. 1-4:

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1 Judges 14:1-4 Then Samson went down to Timnah and saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines. 2 So he came back and told his father and mother, "I saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife." 3 Then his father and his mother said to him, "Is there no woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?" But Samson said to his father, "Get her for me, for she herself is right in my eyes." 4 However, his father and mother did not know that she was of YHWH, for He was seeking an occasion against the Philistines. Now at that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel. Analysis of vv. 1-4: 1) The stage was set with the beginning of Samson s judgeship after being stirred up by the Holy Spirit. 2) One expects a spectacular success from the judge who was hand-picked and empowered by God to deliver Israel. 3) Instead chapter 14 begins with a spectacular failure on Samson s part. 4) Now a young man, Samson traveled to the city of Timnah presumably on foot. 5) The exact nature of his business in the city isn t specified in the text. 6) While in Timnah, a particular woman caught his eye. Yet this wasn t any woman, she happened to be a Philistine (i.e. one of the daughters of the Philistines) 7) After returning home from Timnah, Samson informed his parents about the Philistine woman. 8) In the Hebrew the word woman precedes the verb I saw in an emphatic position (lit: A woman I saw in Timnah ). 9) Evidently her appearance made quite an impact on Samson as he ordered his parents, Now therefore get her for me as a wife. 10) The verb get her is a common verb when used of taking a wife (Gen 25:1, Judges 21:22, 1 Sam 25:40). 11) Typically in Israel parents played a major role in the selection of a spouse for their children (Gen.24:4, 28:1-2). 12) His parents immediately expressed their objection with his choice. 13) They insisted that surely he could find a woman from the tribe of Dan, your relatives, or at least one that was a Jew, our people who would be a suitable wife. 14) There was certainly no need to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines. 15) Here the term uncircumcised is an expression of contempt which is later echoed by Samson himself (Judges 15:18). 16) The strenuous objection raised by the parent s was well-founded as such a marriage would be a violation of the Mosaic Law (Ex. 34:16, Deut. 7:3-4). 1

2 17) The influence of the Philistines as well as the other pagan inhabitants of the land had a devastating effect upon the Jews (Josh 23:12-13, Judges 3:6-8). 18) This pagan influence was especially strong during the period of the Judges. 19) Mixed marriages with pagans frequently brought about grief and disaster in Israel s history (Gen 26:34-35, 1 Kings 11:1, Neh. 13:23). 20) Despite his parent s objections and more importantly, the violation of Divine standards, Samson persists and instructs his father, Get her for me, for she looks good to me. 21) The conjunction for (yk, ki) expresses the reason why he desires this woman for a wife. 22) He forcefully asserts, For she is right in my eyes! 23) We could paraphrase his reason, Because she is absolutely the right one for me. 24) Based on what quality? At this point he had only seen her and had yet to even speak to her. 25) Amazing! Clearly his decision was based on physical beauty completely apart from any spiritual considerations. 26) His parents eventually surrendered to his belligerent demands. 27) Samson was wrong to make his demands but the parents were wrong to comply with their son. 28) In these circumstances they could have simply refused to sponsor any aspect of this marriage. 29) They had sound doctrine (the Mosaic Law) to back them up. 30) Notably absent in their objection is any reminder to their son about his Godgiven purpose in life. That is, to begin to deliver Israel from the Philistines. 31) God would use Samson s faulty decision to precipitate a clash with the Philistines. 32) This is not to say that God approved of Samson s selection of a pagan spouse. Clearly it was a violation of His standards. 33) Rather, Samson was operating under God s permissive will. 34) Neither Samson nor his parents realized that God would use their bungled decisions and lack of spiritual discernment to advance His will. 35) The author re-iterates that these events took place when the Philistines were ruling over Israel. 36) Samson should have been fighting the Philistines not marrying one of them. 37) His choice to marry this woman deserves further attention. 38) Again, God had expressly forbidden the Jews to marry their pagan, unbelieving neighbors. 39) Yet we see self-willed Samson reject this command out if hand. 40) A general principle that must be emphasized is that it is never God s will for a believer to marry an unbeliever. Such an arrangement would result in being unequally yoked (2 Corinthians 6:14 Do not be bound together with 2

3 unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?). 41) Many believers today, like Samson, foolishly pursue and choose their spouse without regard to biblical criteria. 42) These believers utilize a worldly criterion to select one s spouse which places emphasis on physical attractiveness. 43) In contrast the adjusted believer will be looking for soul content above all other considerations. 44) Spiritual attraction ought to supersede physical attraction. 45) Nevertheless time and time again like Samson, many believers are taken in by an overt appearance, and totally overlook the issue of doctrinal content in the soul. 46) When considering a spouse, the orientation to sound doctrine is the key issue. If the person is not positive to Bible doctrine and the plan of God for their life, forget it. 47) If you are waiting on the Lord to provide you with your right opposite number remember the following exhortations regarding a woman who has not got it together spiritually, though she may be a believer and may even attend a LC (these apply in principle to men as well): a) As a ring of gold in a swine's snout, so is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion (Proverbs 11:22). b) An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, But she who shames him is like rottenness in his bones (Proverbs 12:4). c) It is better to live in a corner of a roof than in a house shared with a contentious woman (Proverbs 21:9). d) It is better to live in a desert land than with a contentious and vexing woman (Proverbs 21:19). e) A constant dripping on a day of steady rain And a contentious woman are alike (Proverbs 27:15). 48) An unmarried believer ought to reflect on the following principles: a) Following the precedent in Genesis, God will establish the RM/RW relationship at exactly the right time according to His own timetable (Gen 2:22). b) He will bring RW to RM. c) He will never furnish a negative or lukewarm woman to a positive man. d) He will never bring a positive woman to a negative or lukewarm man. e) The believer should apply be patient and faith/rest the situation. f) In other words, one should wait on the Lord's perfect timing and not go out and attempt to stir up relationships in the cosmos by making one s own selection. 49) Samson s situation reflected the overall decay of the nation as a whole. 3

4 50) Whatever biblical discernment Samson possessed was seriously compromised by deepening associations (e.g. friendships/marriages) with his pagan neighbors. 51) His ability to distinguish between good and evil had been eroded. 52) He like many of his countrymen had lost their zeal to apply God s directive will and avoid evil (cf. Psa. 34:14; 119:59-60). 53) Many wholeheartedly embraced it. 4

5 Judges 14:5-7 Then Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother, and came as far as the vineyards of Timnah; and behold, a young lion came roaring toward him. 6 And the Spirit of YHWH rushed upon him, so that he tore him as one tears a kid though he had nothing in his hand; but he did not tell his father or mother what he had done. 7 So he went down and talked to the woman; and she was right in Samson s eyes. Analysis of vv. 5-7: 1) Samson and his reluctant parents went to Timnah in order to arrange a meeting the Philistine woman. 2) They traveled as far as the vineyards of Timnah and then took divergent routes. 3) Apparently Samson turned aside into the vineyards while his parents continued on to the city. 4) It is a distinct probability that Samson turned aside in the vineyards to eat some grapes. 5) While in the vineyards, he was suddenly attacked by a roaring young lion. 6) However, as the lion charged him God the Holy Spirit came upon Samson mightily. 7) The translation the Spirit of YHWH came upon him mightily is literally the Spirit of YHWH rushed upon him. 8) Alternate meanings for our verb rushed include to force entry into, to break in. 9) The sudden onslaught of the lion was matched by the sudden, forceful empowerment of Samson by the Holy Spirit. 10) Besides our context, other passages depict this type of empowerment by the Holy Spirit (Judges 14:19, 15:14, 1 Sam. 10:6, 10, 11:6, 16:13). 11) Samson was able to easily rip the lion apart with his bare hands ( as one tears a kid through ). 12) In contrast to other Judges, the empowerment of the Holy Spirit gave him incredible strength. 13) For example, Othniel, Gideon, and Jephthah were blessed in their leadership but there is no evidence that they possessed supernatural strength like Samson (Judges 3:10, 6:34, 11:29). 14) Also, these others led armies whereas Samson was the sole champion for Israel. 15) Comparatively, each Judge was dependant upon the ministry of the Holy Spirit in order to be successful. 16) In a like manner, believers in the CA must be dependant upon the power of the Holy Spirit in order to properly fulfill our duties and realize our full potential as believers. In our dispensation, the MAJG is impossible without the FGHS (Eph. 3:16, 5:18, also Acts 7:55- supernatural composure). 17) The end of v. 6 indicates that Samson didn t tell his parents about the lion. 5

6 18) Why cover up this incredible encounter? a) He would be forced to divulge where he killed the lion. Namely in the vineyards where he was probably eating grapes. b) This would be a serious violation of the law of the Nazirite. c) Additionally, a lion was an unclean animal and killing one with bare hands would defile him thereby necessitating a cleansing process (Lev. 11:27-28). 19) After dispatching the lion, Samson went into Timnah and talked to the Philistine woman. 20) Up to this point he had only looked at her. 21) After the conversation Samson was convinced more than ever that she was the right one for him ( she was right in Samson s eyes cf. v. 3). 22) Again, he is primarily attracted to her physical appearance and not by any spiritual attributes. 23) The author doesn t reveal the content of their conversation, but we may be certain that it didn t revolve around Divine viewpoint. 24) A point not to be overlooked is the importance of doctrinally based conversations with a prospective spouse. 25) Some questions Are you both on the same page with the importance of Bible doctrine? Do you consistently relate sound doctrine to everyday events in your niche? Do you encourage, exhort, and edify one another in the Truth? 26) The failure or reluctance to talk about the Truth ought to serve as a warning that something is spiritually amiss. 27) If a person rarely vocalizes divine viewpoint, don t attempt to justify it by focusing on one or more of their other desirable qualities (e.g. He/she a very giving person, He/she is a diligent worker, He/she gets along with my family etc.). 28) The expression of Divine viewpoint is a fundamental characteristic of the adjusted believer. Alternatively, the lack of expression manifests a lukewarm or negative orientation towards Divine viewpoint. 29) Undoubtedly Samson had the expectation of happiness in his future marriage. 30) However his relationship was based upon a superficial foundation, physical attraction so real happiness eluded him. 31) As a general principle, the dependence upon another for one s happiness sets the believer up for disappointment and often times, major misery (cf. affair with Delilah). 32) Genuine happiness stems from our relationship with God and our compliance with His Word (Psa. 106:3, 112:1, John 15:11, Gal. 5:22). 33) Dependence upon anyone or anything else other than God is foolhardy. 6

7 Judges 14:8-9 When he returned later to take her, he turned aside to look at the carcass of the lion; and behold, a swarm of bees and honey were in the body of the lion. 9 So he scraped the honey into his hands and went on, eating as he went. When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them and they ate it; but he did not tell them that he had scraped the honey out of the body of the lion. Analysis of vv. 8-9: 1) Some time later when the betrothal period was completed Samson traveled back to Timnah to take the woman for his wife. 2) Before arriving in Timnah he turned aside to look at the carcass of the lion. 3) He soon discovered that bees had built a hive and made honey within the corpse of the lion. 4) Next he scraped the honey into his hands out of the carcass and continued walking and eating as he went. 5) He met up with his parents who evidently arrived in Timnah before him, and gave them some honey out of his hands. 6) Unbeknownst to the parents the honey had been scraped out of a lion s carcass. Samson chose to conceal this fact. 7) As previously discussed in vv. 5-7, touching the corpse of a lion would made one ceremonially unclean. 8) Yet he coolly scraped out the honey without compunction or attack of conscience. 9) The recent events with the lion and honey reveal something about Samson s strengths, weaknesses, and future. 10) Samson showed what he is capable of accomplishing through the power of the Holy Spirit when he killed the lion. 11) The killing of the lion foreshadows his astounding victory over a Philistine army (Judges 15:14ff). a) As the lion, the Philistines attacked Samson and their shouting parallels to the lion s roar. b) The Holy Spirit once again rushed upon him when the battle commenced. c) He was supplied with the supernatural strength to kill one thousand Philistines just as he had been strengthened to kill the lion. 12) The episode with the honey demonstrates that Samson has difficulty reigning in his physical desires. 13) His willingness to eat the honey shows that the satisfaction of his physical desires to be of greater importance than obedience to God s directive will. 14) It also foreshadows Samson s final demise which will come about as a direct consequence of his lust for sex (Judges 16:1, 4). 15) He, like many today, had a desire for instant gratification at the expense of sound doctrine (e.g. sex, career advancement, etc.). 7

8 16) His life also reveals how easy it is for the unwary believer to be swept up by worldly attractions (1 John 2:16). 17) Under God s power he was unstoppable, but when he refused to exercise control over his OSN lusts Samson faltered. 18) Similar conditions exist for believers today. Under the FGHS, a believer can fulfill God s plan for his life. However, if OSN desires are unbridled, then a believer faces disastrous consequences (2 Sam. 11:2ff, 12:9ff). 19) Controlling our OSN in every area is critical. It requires a great deal of diligence and perseverance from the believer (Rom. 13:13-14, 1 Peter 2:11). 8

9 Judges 14:10-14 Then his father went down to the woman; and Samson made a feast there, for the young men customarily did this. 11 And it came about when they saw him that they brought thirty companions to be with him. 12 Then Samson said to them, "Let me now propound a riddle to you; if you will indeed tell it to me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen wraps and thirty changes of clothes. 13 "But if you are unable to tell me, then you shall give me thirty linen wraps and thirty changes of clothes." And they said to him, "Propound your riddle, that we may hear it." 14 So he said to them, "Out of the eater came something to eat, And out of the strong came something sweet." But they could not tell the riddle in three days. Analysis of vv : 1) Samson s father went to the woman to ensure that all was in order (e.g. the details of the wedding covenant). 2) After arriving in Timnah, Samson proceeded to make arrangements for a feast. 3) Our term feast denotes the consumption of alcohol or a celebratory banquet accompanied by alcohol (ht,v.mi, mishteh, Gen. 26:30, Est 5:6, 7:2, 7- lit: feast of the wine, Isa. 5:12, etc.). 4) Take note that Samson is the one organizing the wedding feast. 5) Evidently this was the traditional responsibility of the bridegroom. 6) Given his cavalier attitude towards obeying God s commands thus far, one might expect Samson to partake in the drinking. 7) However there is no evidence that he violated the Nazirite requirements at the feast. 8) V. 11 indicates that the bride s family brought in thirty companions to be with Samson during the feast as he was unaccompanied. 9) These companions correspond to the attendants of the bridegroom found in the N.T. (Matt. 9:15- lit: sons of the bridal chamber ). 10) These companions played an essential part in the wedding ceremony, but they were not Samson s close friends. 11) There is a definite undercurrent of antagonism in v. 12 when Samson challenges his thirty Philistine companions with a riddle. 12) The word riddle (hd'yxi, chidah) is a perplexing saying, question, or story whose meaning was determined by the audience. Essentially it was a contest of wits (Num. 12:8- trans. dark sayings ). 13) The term may also refer to difficult questions such as those posed by the Queen of Sheba to test Solomon s reputation for great wisdom (1 Kings 10:1). 14) Before reciting the riddle, he proposed a wager. 15) If the Philistines could guess the meaning of the riddle, then Samson would give them thirty sets of clothes. 9

10 16) If however they were unable to guess the meaning, they would have to give Samson thirty sets of clothes. 17) Linen wraps (!ydis, sadin) refers to undergarments and clothes (dg<b,, beged) is a general term for a garment or covering. 18) Samson s offer was quite attractive as clothes were highly regarded and gauging by their reaction in v. 15 this was a big money wager. 19) The Philistines had the seven days of the wedding feast to figure it out. 20) They agreed to the terms and directed Samson to tell them the riddle. 21) The riddle is set out in concise parallelism, Out of the eater came something to eat, And out of the strong came something sweet. a) Out of the eater and out of the strong both refer to the same entity. b) Something to eat and something sweet also refers to the same thing. c) This was a difficult riddle because it was based on seeing the honey in the lion s carcass which certainly was not a common sight. 22) Three days passed and the Philistines had yet to give an explanation to Samson. 23) Desperation began to set in! 10

11 Judges 14:15-18 Then it came about on the fourth day that they said to Samson's wife, "Entice your husband, that he may tell us the riddle, lest we burn you and your father's house completely. Have you invited us to impoverish us? Is this not so?" 16 And Samson's wife wept before him and said, "You only hate me, and you do not love me; you have propounded a riddle to the sons of my people, and have not told it to me." And he said to her, "Behold, I have not told it to my father or mother; so should I tell you?" 17 However she wept before him seven days while their feast lasted. And it came about on the seventh day that he told her because she harassed him severely. She then told the riddle to the sons of her people. 18 So the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, "What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?" And he said to them, "If you had not plowed with my heifer, You would not have found out my riddle." Analysis of vv : 1) On the fourth day the men approached Samson s wife. 2) The adjective translated fourth is actually the adjective, seventh in the Hebrew. 3) However some other ancient manuscripts read fourth (e.g. LXX, Syriac Peshitta). 4) This variance is likely due to scribal error as there is only a one letter difference in the Hebrew between fourth and seventh ( fourth, y[iybir>, rebii and seventh, y[iybiv., shebii) 5) Fourth certainly harmonizes better with the preceding verse, for three days and with vv which indicates that the bride had been badgering Samson for more than one day. 6) The wife was ordered to entice her husband in order to determine the meaning of the riddle. a) Alternative meanings for the term entice include persuade, deceive, and convince (ht'p', pathah). b) The term generally carries a negative connotation when used of men (in the Piel stem, Ex. 22:16, Judges 16:5, Prov. 1:10). 7) If she didn t obey their wishes and persuade Samson to reveal the meaning, they threatened to kill her and her family by burning. a) With fire is redundant and may be translated as to burn completely. b) Burning is used elsewhere in Scripture as a penalty (Lev. 20:14, Num 17:4, Josh 7:25). c) It was also used in child sacrifice (Deut 12:31, Jer. 7:31, 19:5). 8) Unable to solve the riddle, the thirty Philistines now revealed their true character and resorted to thuggery. 11

12 9) The 30 companions belligerently asserted to the wife that she and Samson had invited them on order to impoverish them. 10) Of course she had no idea that the situation would escalate this way. 11) Under the threat of death, the wife began to go to work on Samson. 12) She cried and pleaded with him to divulge the meaning of the riddle. 13) She insists, You only hate me and do not love me because he hadn t told her. 14) To this Samson replied that he hadn t even told his own parents so why would he tell her. 15) Nevertheless, she continued to cry for the duration of the wedding feast. 16) The text indicates she had been crying for seven days before Samson not just from the fourth day after the death threat. Evidently she had concerns from day one after he posed the riddle. 17) By the seventh day Samson had been worn down and told her the meaning. 18) Specifically, he told her because she pressed him so hard. 19) She pressed him so hard is the Hebrew verb which means to harass or torment and refers to great external pressure (qwc, tsuq). 20) In this verse it is better translated She harassed him severely. It is also similar to our expression to drive someone into a corner. 21) Once she knew the meaning of the riddle Samson s wife immediately told the thirty thugs. 22) Before the end of the seventh day the Philistine men triumphantly explained the riddle, What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion. 23) Samson s scornful retort indicates that without the help of his wife they would not have had found out the meaning. 24) In likening his wife to a heifer, he was deriding her for betrayal and lack of discipline (cf. Jer. 50:11, Hosea 4:16). 25) Although the Philistine men unfairly coerced his wife, Samson was still liable to pay the wager, thirty linen wraps and thirty changes of clothes. 12

13 Judges 14:19-20 Then the Spirit of YHWH rushed upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty of them and took their spoil, and gave the changes of clothes to those who told the riddle. And his anger burned, and he went up to his father's house. 20 But Samson's wife was given to his companion who had been his friend. Analysis of vv : 1) After losing the wager, the Spirit of YHWH rushed upon Samson (i.e. the Holy Spirit). 2) His sudden empowerment is like that described in v. 6 with the young lion. 3) Under the power of the Holy Spirit, he left Timnah and traveled to the coastal city of Ashkelon. 4) Ashkelon was one of the five principle cities of the Philistines (Josh. 13:3, 2 Sam. 1:20). 5) The city is over 20 miles from Timnah which means Samson traveled quite a distance. 6) Once in Ashkelon he killed thirty Philistines and took their spoil. 7) Spoil refers to what is stripped off a person as plunder which includes clothes but also any other valuables (hc'ylix, chalitsah, 2 Sam. 2:21). 8) Lest we think that this was a case of sinful revenge, remember that he acted under the power of God the Holy Spirit. 9) In other words, killing thirty men was sponsored by God and part of His plan to disrupt the Philistine oppression. 10) Here we see an instance where Samson actually fulfilled his God-given purpose (Judges 13:5). 11) Samson stripped the bodies, traveled back to Timnah and handed over the clothes to those who explained the riddle. 12) He then left Timnah in a rage without consummating his marriage and went to his father s house. 13) After he left Timnah, Samson s wife was given to one of the thirty companions who had attended the wedding feast. 14) Understandably this would further the rift that was developing between Samson and the Philistines. 15) God s plan is working out just fine, as it always does, even though everyone was clueless. End: Chapter