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- Preaching the Living WORD through
the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4;:2 - |
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SAMSON’S FIRST
MIRACLE AND MARRIAGE (13:1-16:31) (13:1) Judges 14:1-20,
12/11/13 Grace Bible Church,
Gillette, Wyoming Pastor Daryl Hilbert I. SAMSON’S INTERMARRIAGE WITH THE
PHILISTINES (Jdg 14:1-4) A. [1] After the stirrings of the Spirit of
the Lord in the heart of Samson (Jdg 13:25), we see him go to Timnah, a
Philistine city some four miles west of Zorah. It was there Samson, saw one of the daughters of the Philistines which
appealed to him. B. [2] When he returned to Zorah he told his
parents that he wanted them to get her for his wife. Now the request to his
parents was not completely foreign to custom. However, it was usually the
parents that chose their son’s (or daughter’s) spouse (Ge 24:4; Ex 21:9), but
on occasion the son asked for a specific woman (Ge 34:14). C. [3] Samson’s parents resisted for good
reason, for according to the Mosaic Law, Israelites were only to marry other
Israelites (Ex 34:16; Jdg 3:6). This would apply to the Philistines even
though they were not mentioned along with the prohibitions against Canaanite
intermarriages (Dt 7:1-3). Samson’s parents also showed their derogatory
contempt for the Philistines by calling them “uncircumcised.” In spite of this,
Samson strongly insisted on marrying the Philistine woman. D. [4] The next phrase states, “However, his father and mother did not know that it
was of the Lord, for He was
seeking an occasion against the Philistines.” 1. Most commentaries suggest that this
phrase did not mean that God wanted Samson to disobey His command to
intermarry. Otherwise, this indeed would be a contradiction of God’s nature
and Word. 2. The phrase suggests that though the Lord
was against Samson’s sin, He would work around it to bring about His will. He
would use Samson as a Deliverer against the Philistines in spite of Samson. 3. Neither does this suggest that God is
pragmatic in the sense that the means are justified by the end (“He [God] was seeking an occasion against the
Philistines”). Rather,
God’s will is not thwarted by any man’s disobedience. We have seen God
sovereignly use man’s failings before in Judges to bring about God’s purposes
(Jdg 3:1-2). 4. Also, one could not conclude that Samson
could not be held culpable. Disobedience against God’s commands, a strong
carnal will, and immorality would eventually become Samson’s downfall, a
point that attested to God’s righteousness. II. FIRST EXAMPLE OF SAMSON’S MIRACULOUS
STRENGTH (Jdg 14:5-9) A. [5-6] Having given in, Samson’s parents
went to Timnah with him to arrange his marriage. Evidently, while Samson’s
parents went on to negotiate his marriage, Samson stopped at the vineyards
outside the town. 1. As it happened, a roaring young lion came
toward Samson. The Spirit of the Lord (Jdg 14:19; 15:14) came (sālah - rush, like a fire, Am 5:6)
upon Samson mightily, countering the idea this was a mere adrenaline rush. 2. Samson did not merely defeat the lion, “he tore him as one tears a young goat,” an expression of Near-Easterners pulling a young goat
in half by the hind legs. Without question, God miraculously gave Samson
supernatural strength in the moment, showing to at least Samson, that God had
chosen him. 3. Symbolically, God used lions in the Bible
to demonstrate His power (David - 1Sa 17:34-36; Benaiah
- 2Sa 23:20; Daniel - Da 6:22) and judgment (disobedient killed - 1Ki 13:24;
1Ki 20:36; 2Ki 17:25). 4. On an interesting note, though many
artists would depict Samson as an extraordinary physical specimen, the
author’s absence of such a description lends itself that his strength came
from God and not his otherwise ordinary stature. 5. In an interesting note, Samson did not
tell his parents. B. [7] After killing a lion through divine
miraculous power, it might have been assumed that Samson would call off his
unlawful wedding. On the contrary, Samson went down and talked to his future
wife perhaps for the first time. Emphatically, she looked good to Samson,
depicting that Samson was only concerned with what was right in his own eyes
rather God’s purposes. C. [8-9] On his return trip to take her as
his wife, Samson stopped to inspect the carcass of the lion he had killed.
Bees had taken up residency and produced their honey on the body of the lion.
Samson took the honey, ate it and gave it to his parents, though he did not
tell them where he retrieved the honey. 1. Many conjecture at this point whether
Samson violated his Nazirite vow by touching the dead carcass. Though Nu
6:6-9 seems to speak of a dead person, touching the carcass of a dead animal
also constitutes ceremonial uncleanness (Le 11:39-40). 2. In addition, the concealment from his
parents of the location of the honey suggests that Samson’s parents would
have considered it wrong and quite possibly the violation of the Nazirite vow. 3. If Samson did violate his Nazirite vow as
well also engage in forbidden intermarriage, it only shows that God still was
going to use Samson regardless of his disobedience. III. SAMSON’S WEDDING RIDDLE (10-20) |
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