Last week’s message and this week’s message have us moving from one major life event (Samson’s birth) to another (Samson’s marriage). Both these milestones garner a lot of attention and celebration in the ancient world and today. However, there are those things that might spoil the celebration or turn the wedding shower into a mere drizzle. In Judges 14:1-9, Samson proves to be his own worst enemy and cannot seem to get out of his own way as he pursues and marries a Philistine woman. Despite all that God does to empower Samson for great things, we will learn by watching two episodes in this passage that when we choose to be controlled by our flesh instead of the Spirit, bad things will result.
a. EPISODE #1: FORBIDDEN LOVE-14:1-4
We pick up the story of Samson’s life when he is a young
man. In chapter 14 verse 1, the narrative wastes no time in suggesting what
appears to drive “Sunny” –“Then Samson went down to Timnah and saw a woman in
Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines…” (14:1). This is the first of
two examples IN THIS PASSAGE of Samson being ruled by the lust of his flesh.
Nothing of this woman’s character is mentioned. For Samson, her looks were more
than enough, even though she was a Philistine from Timnah.
The town of Timnah, now under Philistine rule, used to
belong to the tribe of Dan (see Josh 19:43). Located on the northern border
region of Judah between Israelite and Philistine populations, this community
would no doubt see many clashes between these two people groups. Samson first confronts
this city as Israel’s deliverer not as an aggressor seeking to free God’s
people from oppression, but as a lustful young man looking for a wife in what
many believed were all the wrong places. “The image the narrator paints of
Samson in…(this) episode is anything but attractive. He is an insolent and
independent young man, unafraid to venture into the pagan world of the
Philistines and undaunted by potentially compromising situations” (Block, Judges,
Ruth, 424).
Singularly motivated by his flesh, Samson “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’…” (14:2). The
repetition of the verb “to see” in verses 1-2 (and later) demonstrates that
Samson is operating on appearance and for personal interest, not on principle
or for the greater good. He has a one track mind that is not going to a holy
place. Added to this lustful desire to be satisfied is the sense of entitlement
and self-centeredness. You can almost hear the bratty selfishness in his demand
of his parents to do what is necessary to get this girl for him at the end of
verse 2. What do his parents have to say?
Interestingly, Manoah and his wife (remember them from
chapter 13), appear to be the voice of reason in this episode—“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?’…” (14:3a). This response from Samson’s parents demonstrates
their pain and disappointment in their son’s choice of a bride. Is there no one
good enough for him among his own countrywomen, that he would stoop to such a
level and take a wife from among the uncircumcised Philistines (an
intentionally pejorative way to refer to this people group)? The parent’s
comment serves to remind Samson that intermarriage with these pagan oppressors
was inappropriate. For Samson’s parents his demand poses not only an ethnic
problem but a cultural dilemma. Because the Philistines were considered
unclean, marital union between an Israelite and a Philistine presented obvious
problems.
Equally important to what was said by Samson’s parents is
what was not said. Their quibble with Samson’s choice seems to be based on
ethnicity, not on what God had clearly articulated in his word. Samson’s
parents do not recite Deuteronomy 7:1-5 which says, in part, “Intermarriage
with non-Israelites is forbidden by the Lord” nor do they remind him of his
Nazarite vow which would have prohibited him from marrying this woman. Their
problem with Samson’s would-be wife is not based on what God has said, but by
their personal prejudice. (Nice, sounds like this is going to work out really
well).
Samson is undeterred by his parent’s comments. His mind
appears to be made up –“But Samson said to his father, ‘Get her for me, for she
looks good to me.’…” (14:3b). Again, the primary motivator in Samson is what he
“sees”—i.e. the lust of the eyes. Literally the text reads “because she is
right in my eyes.” She may not be right for Samson’s parents or in accordance
with what is said in God’s Word or in keeping with his Nazarite vow, but she is
right in the only way that seems to matter to Samson—right in his eyes. Like
the rest of his countrymen during this sordid period in their history, Samson,
the typical Israelite, operates exclusively on the basis of his senses. In
fact, rather than rise above the least common denominator as the deliverer of
God’s people, he fits right in with “everyone who did what was right in their
own eyes” (see 17:6; 21:25) (Block, Judges, Ruth, 426).
This union has disaster written all over it. However,
perhaps it is not totally irredeemable.
In a shocking twist, the text suggests that something much
bigger is at work—“However, his father and mother did not know that it was of
the Lord, for He was seeking an occasion against the Philistines…” (14:4). OF
THE LORD!? How in the world could this be of the Lord? A fresh look at this whole episode from the
Lord’s perspective reveals the answer. This marriage illustrates (through God’s
chosen deliverer) Israel’s willingness to coexist peacefully with and even
intermarry with the Philistines. Remember, God’s people were so comfortable and
accommodating to this pagan people group that they did not even cry out for the
deliverer they received in chapter 13 (oppression can turn to misplaced
comfort, it just take apathy and time). However, it was never God’s intention
for his people to lie down with the enemy and he is determined to shake things
up in a mighty way. Samson is the tool God will use to aggravate the
Philistines and his marriage to this woman, no matter how ill-conceived at
first glance, would offer the Lord the opportunity to make this happen.
In case the reader forgot, the narrator reminds them at the
end of verse 4, “Now at that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel.”
This was not what God wanted. Therefore, “if the Israelites do not have the
heart to take action against the Philistines, God will cause the Philistines to
take action against them” and use Samson’s lusty pursuit of and union with a
Philistine woman to that end (Block, Judges, Ruth, 426).
b. EPISODE #2: A STRANGE THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO
TIMNAH-14:5-9
As we move to episode two, "a strange thing happened on
the way to Timnah” (a play on “A Funny thing Happened on the Way to the Forum”).
It is obvious that Samson’s parents give in to their son’s demands and head
toward the town where his future bride lived—"Then Samson went down to
Timnah with his father and mother, and came as far as the vineyards of
Timnah;…” (14:5a). Though Samson and his parents start their journey together,
at some point, given what is revealed later, Samson must have wandered off by
himself.
“...and behold, a young lion came roaring toward him”
(14:5b). One commentator has concluded that this young lion, like all male
lions, became nomadic—a loner (kind of like Samson here in this situation).
When such lions attempt to claim territory, they roar more frequently and
become more aggressive. This is the kind of lion that Samson encounters. Strawn
concludes that such a roaring nomadic lion “is perhaps the most dangerous
instance of the world’s dominant land predator that one could possibly
encounter” (Strawn, “Kepir arayot,” 158). Hungry, strong, and driven purely by
instinct, Samson appears to meet his match in the animal kingdom.
Immediately upon seeing this lion, “The Spirit of the Lord
came upon him (Samson) mightily” (14:6a). As if to highlight the role of the
Lord in these events, the text reads that the Sprit of the Lord “rushed” upon
Samson and infused him with superhuman strength. God is ultimately the one
behind Samson’s power and this description of God’s activity reveals who is
really in control of both Samson’s life and Israel’s destiny.
So empowered is Samson by the Lord “that he tore him (the
lion) as one tears a young goat though he had nothing in his hand” (14:6b).
This is remarkable on several levels. First, few people would/ever did tear
goats apart (uncooked ones at least). That would be a feat in and of itself and
here Samson shreds a lion! Second, he
does this barehanded (no weapon, knife, or other utensil necessary). Add this to
what we already learned about the lion and what you have here is perhaps the
best possible way to introduce Samson’s remarkable strength when empowered by
the Spirit. When God was with Samson, there was nothing in the world that could
take him down.
While we might expect Samson to share and even gloat about
his victory over this ferocious feline, “he did not tell his father or mother
what he had done” (14:6c). This is curious to say the least, almost as curious
as the appearance of the lion itself. Perhaps the best explanation for this
entire spectacle is that the Lord is at work both in the emergence of the Lion,
the strength to defeat it, and the silence after the victory. God is setting
things up for something yet to come in the future. We will have to wait and see
how this all fits together until later in chapter 14.
Hot off his victory over the lion, Samson “went down and
talked to the woman, and (once again) she looked good to Samson” (14:7). This
is probably the first time Samson spoke to his love interest (as before the
text suggests he stopped at gawking at her). However, the depth of their
conversation appears relatively shallow as at the conclusion of the dialogue
the narrative simply reiterates that “she looked good to Samson.” Again, Samson
appears to be driven primarily by his flesh and soon we see more confirmation
of this.
Things fast forward in verse 8 beyond the presumed
negotiations Samson’s mom and dad entered with the woman’s parents. Once
complete, sometime later Samson returns to Timnah to retrieve his bride—“When
he returned later to take her” (14:8a) (gee, sounds romantic). While in route
“He turned aside to look at the carcass of the lion” (14:8b). Perhaps out of
curiosity, Samson follows the same route he took earlier on purpose to see what
had become of his vanquished foe. This was risky as Samson was supposed to be
fulfilling a Nazarite vow. According to Numbers 6:6, a Nazarite was not to
“contact a dead body.” This risk doesn’t appear to be of any concern to Samson
(after all, he was on his way to marry a Philistine).
Samson’s curiosity was not disappointed as “behold, a swarm
of bees and honey were in the body of the lion” (14:8b). This detail and what
follows is teaming with significance. First, this swarm bears the signature of
God as bees do not normally inhabit dead bodies (like, say flies/maggots do).
Something peculiar and, even, supernatural was at play here as God places these
bees where they would not naturally be found to test Samson. Second, the image
of a “community” (translated “swarm”) of bees thriving in a decaying carcass is
dripping with irony. Nearly everywhere else this word for “swarm” is used it
refers to a collection of people, usually the Israelites as a faith community
called to be agents of grace and light in the world. In other words, the bees
thriving and producing honey in a dead lion was an illustration for what God’s
people were supposed to be doing on the world’s stage. Both the bees in the
lion and the Israelites success in the world were peculiar examples of God’s supernatural
power in expected places.
Throwing all inhibitions aside Samson “scraped the honey
into his hands and went on eating as he went” (14:9a). Obviously Samson does not
just have an eye for the ladies, he also has an insatiable sweet tooth. While
he had passed the physical test posed by the lion, he failed to keep the spirit
of his Nazarite vow and failed the spiritual test of self-discipline that this
honey posed. Why would he do this? “It is possible Samson interpreted his
finding the honey on his way to his wedding as a good omen that foreshadowed
blessing. Perhaps he viewed it as a symbol of the sexual pleasure about to be
his or as an aphrodisiac, appropriately provided just before his wedding”
(Chisholm, Judges and Ruth, 407). Regardless of why he does it, it is a
gross and ominous act that spells disaster in the future and helps set in
motion what will happen in the remainder of the chapter.
Adding insult to injury, Samson cavalierly implicates his
parents in his own defilement by sharing this honey with them—“ 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,…” (14:9b).
It appears that Samson’s perversity and lack of scruples knows no bounds. While
his parents had done their best to raise him as a Nazarite per the Angel of the
Lord’s instructions, here Samson returns the favor by desecrating them both.
Unaware of what he has just ingested, Manoah, Samson’s father, continues the
journey down to Timnah to finalize the wedding arrangements for his compromised
and compromising son.
So What?
Among other things, this passage illustrates two ways of living—living
under the control of the Spirit or living under the control of the flesh. When
Samson was guided by and empowered by the Spirit, he was literally tearing lion’s
apart. However, when he was controlled by his flesh he was entertaining
dangerous relationships and defiling himself and those around him. What we all
have to understand from the life of Samson is that relinquishing control to the
flesh—i.e. following our gut to whatever will satisfy us or give us pleasure
for the moment—is the human default. Living by our senses and being guided by the
lust of our eyes is what comes most naturally to human beings given that we are
fallen creatures in a broken world. This mode of living is easy to slip into, even
for those who have been called of God. When things are especially tense,
frustrating, or challenging we are most susceptible to reverting to the least
common denominator. When the world throws us for a loop (as it has for all of
us this past year), the natural parts of us will seek the path of least
resistance to find relief. This can have us digging into a carcass for the
honey just like Samson or chasing after what is forbidden for a thrill. Therapies
that we pursue that run contrary to the Word and will of God may feel good for
the moment, but they, whether we realize it or not at the time, defile us and
leave us susceptible to hurting those around us.
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