seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
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.”
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?”
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.)
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.
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.
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.
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.”
out of the strong, something sweet.”
For three days they could not give the answer.
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?”
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.
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?”
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.”
you would not have solved my riddle.”
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.
Here's the link to the commentary.
He took some of it in his hands and went along: When Samson gathered honey from the dead carcass of a lion, he expressly violated his Nazirite vow, which stipulated that a Nazirite should never touch a dead body or carcass (Numbers 6:6-7).
He did not tell them that he had taken the honey out of the carcass of the lion: Samson did not tell his parents where he got the honey because he knew it was a compromise of his Nazirite vow.
First off, let me thank those who prayed for my daughter. She is doing ok now.
So, Samson's mother had to go through quite a lot just to get pregnant with this strong boy. It seems, Samson was not only strong physically, but he was also strong willed.
He saw that girl and he wanted her. Period.
His mom was not happy with his choice. She knew Samson was too gullible to deal with a woman who would worship any god that came along. His dad didn't want to have to deal with the Philistines. This is a classic example of marrying a non-believer.
Samson was a riddler. Not the Riddler, as in Batman, a riddler... a guy who liked riddles.
Samson liked honey. I guess honey was a basic source of energy for him.
Samson liked that girl.
Now I've always heard the preachers say the woman was a whore who sold out her husband.... flat out... the preachers made her out to be a whore. BUT... look at verse 15. The Phillistine threatened not just the woman... but her family too.
He told his secret, not for a kiss or a hug as portrayed in the movies or in most sermons, but to save her family.
Samson wasn't love struck... He was doing the right thing.
If a butt ugly Nazarene woman came to him with the same problem, I venture to say, Samson would have done the same thing. It was the right thing to do.
So, Samson married his little Phillistine girl, paid off his debt, at the expense of those laughing at him.
Samson's new wife ran off with the best man! Maybe she was a whore after all! A whore who cared about her family? Sure it happens!
Samson loved honey....
