Judges 14
1 Samson went down to Timnah and saw there a young Philistine woman. 2 When he returned, he said to his father and mother, “I have seen a Philistine woman in Timnah; now get her for me as my wife.”
Although impetuous, this request isn’t out of bounds in the culture. In the Jewish culture of the time, a man would request the marriage of a woman. It was his duty to go the parents, who would in turn meet with the woman’s parents. They would “Negotiate” over the couple and arrive at an arrangement that suited them both. This would result in the father of the husband essentially buying the bride (Mohar).
The part that should be concerning isn’t about Samson’s request, but the reason behind it. First off, where is Samson? Timnah is in the land of the Philistines, a place where Samson shouldn’t be! Furthermore, he has seen a woman (just seen her), and wants her for himself. He is in a land he shouldn’t be in, lusting after a woman he shouldn’t. This is the beginning of Samson’s problem with temptation, and instead of fleeing from it, he is inviting it.
3 His father and mother replied, “Isn’t there an acceptable woman among your relatives or among all our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife?”
This is another example of the steadfast and faithful nature of his parents. They offer wise counsel to their son. Deuteronomy 7:3-4 explains that Israelites should not marry outside their race. This isn’t a racial intolerance on God’s part, but a truth: when you shackle yourself to those who are not of God, you run the risk of becoming like them. It is the same problem the Israelites had when they came into the Promised Land. They didn’t completely listen to God (they were supposed to utterly destroy the people of the land), they compromised themselves by living with them (weren’t supposed to live with them, intermarry, make slaves or agreements with them). But they did and for 300 years (span of the book of Judges), they were in restless turmoil. Samson is poised to do the same thing.
But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me. She’s the right one for me.” 4 (His parents did not know that this was from the Lord, who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines; for at that time they were ruling over Israel.
One of the main points of the story of Samson is that God’s Will is done regardless of our actions. Whether we choose to be sinful or obedient, God’s Will is done. We can see that Samson is obviously in violation of God, but due to Samson’s free will, he is allowed to continue in his sinfulness. One of the tragedies of this story is that Samson has every opportunity afforded to do God’s Will, but chooses not to. In essence, he was given the Spirit of God from birth, afforded massive strength, but used it for his own pleasures. As we continue, we will see how he accomplishes this.
5 Samson went down to Timnah together with his father and mother. As they approached the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young lion came roaring toward him. 6 The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he told neither his father nor his mother what he had done. 7 Then he went down and talked with the woman, and he liked her.
Samson’s family make the trek to Timnah where the parents are to meet up and discuss the impending wedding. But something happens along the way. We find Samson, alone near a vineyard when a lion attacks. God saves him, and here we have one of the most iconic bible stories. Samson uses God’s strength to destroy a fierce lion. But when we look a little closer, we see something quite different:
1. Samson is alone and near a vineyard. Samson shouldn’t be there! If we look back at the Nazarite Vow, which he is supposed to uphold for his entire life, we find that he shouldn’t be near grapes, let alone a vineyard. Again, we see Samson stepping into a situation he shouldn’t be in. He is flirting with temptation, and is almost destroyed because of it. In Samson’s mind, perhaps he believes that his strength is enough, instead of realizing that his strength is not sourced in himself, but from God.
2. He tells neither his father nor mother. We see his parents as a source of wisdom and power. They are faithful followers of God. But Samson does not tell them of this great victory. Why? Because he knows being at the vineyard is wrong. He knows his parents would be taken aback. So he keeps it quiet.
3. He talks to the girl and he liked her. Here is further evidence that his original proclamation about marrying her was on sight. He had never even talked with her. His entire motive was based on attraction, impulse, desire. This will get him in bigger trouble later.
8 Some time later, when he went back to marry her, he turned aside to look at the lion’s carcass, and in it he saw a swarm of bees and some honey. 9 He scooped out the honey with his hands and ate as he went along. When he rejoined his parents, he gave them some, and they too ate it. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion’s carcass.
At first glance, this may seem like a very nice thing to do. He shared the honey with his parents. He is a good kid after all, right? Well, not exactly. The key to understanding this verse is in the fact that he again didn’t tell his parents. Is it because he is back at the vineyard? Partly. The bigger issue is that he has violated another part of the Nazarite Vow: he has touched a dead body. In incremental ways Samson is showing that he has little regard for the vow he is supposed to uphold.
10 Now his father went down to see the woman. And there Samson held a feast, as was customary for young men. 11 When the people saw him, they chose thirty men to be his companions.
This is indeed customary. Before the wedding a 7-day feast is held by the groom. This is typically a 7-day drinking fest, a bachelor party so to speak. Of course, it easy to see the pattern continue. Samson may not have even drank a drop at the feast, but he again puts himself into a position where he could be tempted. The Nazarite Vow is really a vow of cleanliness and Holiness.
12 “Let me tell you a riddle,” Samson said to them. “If you can give me the answer within the seven days of the feast, I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes. 13 If you can’t tell me the answer, you must give me thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.”
“Tell us your riddle,” they said. “Let’s hear it.”
14 He replied,
“Out of the eater, something to eat;
out of the strong, something sweet.”
For three days they could not give the answer.
Samson’s riddle is really a taunt. He knows that no one can solve it, because it based on the killing of the lion and the subsequent honey he found. He is the only one who knows about it. It is the reason he bets so high, because he knows he can’t lose. We’ll see this confidence once again displayed in the story of Delilah. And we will also see that Samson’s overconfidence in himself ultimately contributed to his downfall.
15 On the fourth day, they said to Samson’s wife, “Coax your husband into explaining the riddle for us, or we will burn you and your father’s household to death. Did you invite us here to steal our property?”
We have to remember who we are dealing with. These are the Philistines, the Godless people who worship Dagon, god of fish/grain, who are oppressing Israel during Samson’s time. Yet Samson is in league with them, marrying one of them and taunting the others.
16 Then Samson’s wife threw herself on him, sobbing, “You hate me! You don’t really love me. You’ve given my people a riddle, but you haven’t told me the answer.”
“I haven’t even explained it to my father or mother,” he replied, “so why should I explain it to you?” 17 She cried the whole seven days of the feast. So on the seventh day he finally told her, because she continued to press him. She in turn explained the riddle to her people.
We can see something very important here: there is no foundation of their relationship. Samson shows little love for her, and her convictions aren’t squarely with Samson. It seems they are deeper set with her people. She sides with them over Samson.
18 Before sunset on the seventh day the men of the town said to him,
“What is sweeter than honey?
What is stronger than a lion?”
Samson said to them,
“If you had not plowed with my heifer,
you would not have solved my riddle.”
Samson does not see the root cause of the problem: first his sinful behavior, then his taunt of the impossible riddle. His confidence turns into hurt pride. It won’t be the first time he deals with this. But more astonishingly, he doesn’t accept the blame. He puts the blame on the Philistines and his wife, not on the fact that he set it all in motion in the first place.
19 Then the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him. He went down to Ashkelon, struck down thirty of their men, stripped them of everything and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. Burning with anger, he returned to his father’s home. 20 And Samson’s wife was given to one of his companions who had attended him at the feast.
We see that Samson is purely in anger/vengeance mode here. But the Spirit of the Lord comes on him in this moment. Why would God sanction murder? If we remember back in Judges 14:4, God was looking for a way to move against the Philistines. Samson’s vengeful behavior made that happen. His murder of 30 Philistines will have dire consequences as the story moves on. You will note, however, that once he kills these men and gives the suits to the Philistine men, he doesn’t go to the wife but back to his father’s house. His anger causes him to run away, and perhaps assume that he is married. But the father gives the woman to a different man in his absence.
1 Samson went down to Timnah and saw there a young Philistine woman. 2 When he returned, he said to his father and mother, “I have seen a Philistine woman in Timnah; now get her for me as my wife.”
Although impetuous, this request isn’t out of bounds in the culture. In the Jewish culture of the time, a man would request the marriage of a woman. It was his duty to go the parents, who would in turn meet with the woman’s parents. They would “Negotiate” over the couple and arrive at an arrangement that suited them both. This would result in the father of the husband essentially buying the bride (Mohar).
The part that should be concerning isn’t about Samson’s request, but the reason behind it. First off, where is Samson? Timnah is in the land of the Philistines, a place where Samson shouldn’t be! Furthermore, he has seen a woman (just seen her), and wants her for himself. He is in a land he shouldn’t be in, lusting after a woman he shouldn’t. This is the beginning of Samson’s problem with temptation, and instead of fleeing from it, he is inviting it.
3 His father and mother replied, “Isn’t there an acceptable woman among your relatives or among all our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife?”
This is another example of the steadfast and faithful nature of his parents. They offer wise counsel to their son. Deuteronomy 7:3-4 explains that Israelites should not marry outside their race. This isn’t a racial intolerance on God’s part, but a truth: when you shackle yourself to those who are not of God, you run the risk of becoming like them. It is the same problem the Israelites had when they came into the Promised Land. They didn’t completely listen to God (they were supposed to utterly destroy the people of the land), they compromised themselves by living with them (weren’t supposed to live with them, intermarry, make slaves or agreements with them). But they did and for 300 years (span of the book of Judges), they were in restless turmoil. Samson is poised to do the same thing.
But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me. She’s the right one for me.” 4 (His parents did not know that this was from the Lord, who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines; for at that time they were ruling over Israel.
One of the main points of the story of Samson is that God’s Will is done regardless of our actions. Whether we choose to be sinful or obedient, God’s Will is done. We can see that Samson is obviously in violation of God, but due to Samson’s free will, he is allowed to continue in his sinfulness. One of the tragedies of this story is that Samson has every opportunity afforded to do God’s Will, but chooses not to. In essence, he was given the Spirit of God from birth, afforded massive strength, but used it for his own pleasures. As we continue, we will see how he accomplishes this.
5 Samson went down to Timnah together with his father and mother. As they approached the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young lion came roaring toward him. 6 The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he told neither his father nor his mother what he had done. 7 Then he went down and talked with the woman, and he liked her.
Samson’s family make the trek to Timnah where the parents are to meet up and discuss the impending wedding. But something happens along the way. We find Samson, alone near a vineyard when a lion attacks. God saves him, and here we have one of the most iconic bible stories. Samson uses God’s strength to destroy a fierce lion. But when we look a little closer, we see something quite different:
1. Samson is alone and near a vineyard. Samson shouldn’t be there! If we look back at the Nazarite Vow, which he is supposed to uphold for his entire life, we find that he shouldn’t be near grapes, let alone a vineyard. Again, we see Samson stepping into a situation he shouldn’t be in. He is flirting with temptation, and is almost destroyed because of it. In Samson’s mind, perhaps he believes that his strength is enough, instead of realizing that his strength is not sourced in himself, but from God.
2. He tells neither his father nor mother. We see his parents as a source of wisdom and power. They are faithful followers of God. But Samson does not tell them of this great victory. Why? Because he knows being at the vineyard is wrong. He knows his parents would be taken aback. So he keeps it quiet.
3. He talks to the girl and he liked her. Here is further evidence that his original proclamation about marrying her was on sight. He had never even talked with her. His entire motive was based on attraction, impulse, desire. This will get him in bigger trouble later.
8 Some time later, when he went back to marry her, he turned aside to look at the lion’s carcass, and in it he saw a swarm of bees and some honey. 9 He scooped out the honey with his hands and ate as he went along. When he rejoined his parents, he gave them some, and they too ate it. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion’s carcass.
At first glance, this may seem like a very nice thing to do. He shared the honey with his parents. He is a good kid after all, right? Well, not exactly. The key to understanding this verse is in the fact that he again didn’t tell his parents. Is it because he is back at the vineyard? Partly. The bigger issue is that he has violated another part of the Nazarite Vow: he has touched a dead body. In incremental ways Samson is showing that he has little regard for the vow he is supposed to uphold.
10 Now his father went down to see the woman. And there Samson held a feast, as was customary for young men. 11 When the people saw him, they chose thirty men to be his companions.
This is indeed customary. Before the wedding a 7-day feast is held by the groom. This is typically a 7-day drinking fest, a bachelor party so to speak. Of course, it easy to see the pattern continue. Samson may not have even drank a drop at the feast, but he again puts himself into a position where he could be tempted. The Nazarite Vow is really a vow of cleanliness and Holiness.
12 “Let me tell you a riddle,” Samson said to them. “If you can give me the answer within the seven days of the feast, I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes. 13 If you can’t tell me the answer, you must give me thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.”
“Tell us your riddle,” they said. “Let’s hear it.”
14 He replied,
“Out of the eater, something to eat;
out of the strong, something sweet.”
For three days they could not give the answer.
Samson’s riddle is really a taunt. He knows that no one can solve it, because it based on the killing of the lion and the subsequent honey he found. He is the only one who knows about it. It is the reason he bets so high, because he knows he can’t lose. We’ll see this confidence once again displayed in the story of Delilah. And we will also see that Samson’s overconfidence in himself ultimately contributed to his downfall.
15 On the fourth day, they said to Samson’s wife, “Coax your husband into explaining the riddle for us, or we will burn you and your father’s household to death. Did you invite us here to steal our property?”
We have to remember who we are dealing with. These are the Philistines, the Godless people who worship Dagon, god of fish/grain, who are oppressing Israel during Samson’s time. Yet Samson is in league with them, marrying one of them and taunting the others.
16 Then Samson’s wife threw herself on him, sobbing, “You hate me! You don’t really love me. You’ve given my people a riddle, but you haven’t told me the answer.”
“I haven’t even explained it to my father or mother,” he replied, “so why should I explain it to you?” 17 She cried the whole seven days of the feast. So on the seventh day he finally told her, because she continued to press him. She in turn explained the riddle to her people.
We can see something very important here: there is no foundation of their relationship. Samson shows little love for her, and her convictions aren’t squarely with Samson. It seems they are deeper set with her people. She sides with them over Samson.
18 Before sunset on the seventh day the men of the town said to him,
“What is sweeter than honey?
What is stronger than a lion?”
Samson said to them,
“If you had not plowed with my heifer,
you would not have solved my riddle.”
Samson does not see the root cause of the problem: first his sinful behavior, then his taunt of the impossible riddle. His confidence turns into hurt pride. It won’t be the first time he deals with this. But more astonishingly, he doesn’t accept the blame. He puts the blame on the Philistines and his wife, not on the fact that he set it all in motion in the first place.
19 Then the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him. He went down to Ashkelon, struck down thirty of their men, stripped them of everything and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. Burning with anger, he returned to his father’s home. 20 And Samson’s wife was given to one of his companions who had attended him at the feast.
We see that Samson is purely in anger/vengeance mode here. But the Spirit of the Lord comes on him in this moment. Why would God sanction murder? If we remember back in Judges 14:4, God was looking for a way to move against the Philistines. Samson’s vengeful behavior made that happen. His murder of 30 Philistines will have dire consequences as the story moves on. You will note, however, that once he kills these men and gives the suits to the Philistine men, he doesn’t go to the wife but back to his father’s house. His anger causes him to run away, and perhaps assume that he is married. But the father gives the woman to a different man in his absence.