Samson Part 2

Judges 14 is something else! It’s all about a wedding – a very different wedding to my son’s wedding I will be attending on Saturday, I hope! But when I read this chapter, I can’t help thinking ‘typical teenager!’.

Because a teenager always knows best, you see (excuse my generalisations).

A teenager will not be told.

A teenager is offended when their parent don’t trust them to make their own decisions.

A teenager does not think through the implications.

A teenager likes to keep secrets.

I’ll show you what I mean.

Samson sees a girl from a distance. A girl from the enemy tribe. It’s all very ‘Romeo and Juliet’. He decides he wants to marry her. Even before talking to her.

“I have seen a Philistine woman in Timnah; now get her for me as my wife.”  Judges 14:2

It’s black and white. He likes her. He wants her. His parents will get her for him. Simple.

His parents are scared. They know God’s rules. They know Samson is special. (and this aside is tough – they’re really trying to do the right thing except in this case, it’s not the right thing at all – ‘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.’ v4)

So Samson. Son. Why rock the boat?  Why risk everything? There’s plenty more fish in the sea!

“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?”  Judges 14:3

But no. Of course not. Samson is determined. If they don’t want him to do it, then he will be even more likely to want to – isn’t that always the way? He will get his own way one way or another.

“Get her for me. She’s the right one for me.”  Judges 14:4

How often have we heard that one before? Love is blind.

(Although in my son’s case, it has been true……he started going out with Becca when they were 14/15. He sat next to her in Tutor because they were next to each other in the register. They quickly became inseparable….the kind of intense relationship that soon fizzles out…..except it never has. They have grown up together, survived being at different universities, know pretty much all there is to know about each other – and still plan to get married next week!)

So Samson takes his parents to meet the girl. And on the way, a young lion attacks him and he tears it apart with his bare hands. Like you do. He doesn’t know his own strength. Well, technically it isn’t his own strength because ‘the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him’ v6)

He doesn’t tell his parents. A massive inexplicable thing like this happens and he keeps it from his parents. that sounds familiar.

Then he went down and talked with the woman, and he liked her.  Judges 14:7

Well, that’s a start I guess.

Some time later, when he goes back to marry her, he sees a swarm of bees and some honey in the carcass of the lion he has killed. He takes some and shares it with his parents – but doesn’t tell them where it came from. Naturally. Teenagers often don’t share even the most trivial information. It’s not good for parents to know too much about anything, it seems.

And there Samson held a feast, as was customary for young men.  Judges 14:10

Time for the stag do!

He sets his thirty companions a riddle – the bet is a whole set of clothes per person…..they have until the end of the feast to answer. Seven days. That’s quite some stag do!

“Out of the eater, something to eat;
out of the strong, something sweet.”  Judges 14:14

After four days, the men persuade the girl to get the answer out of Samson. By threatening to burn her and her family to death.

So she turns on the tears –

“You hate me! You don’t really love me. You’ve given my people a riddle, but you haven’t told me the answer.”  Judges 14:16

A variation on the whole ‘if you really loved me, you’d……’. We’ve all used it at some time, I’m sure!

Samson tries to whole out but she cries for the whole of the seven days….not a great look….that wears him down and he tells her. She tells the men. The men tell Samson. And Samson knows he has been betrayed.

He gets angry. Really angry. A ‘you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry’ kind of moment. The Spirit of the Lord comes on him powerfully again. He doesn’t turn green but….

He goes out to Askelon, strikes down thirty random men and strips them and gives their clothes to the companions who have betrayed him. He returns home. Without his new wife. She is given to one of the companions.

Well, that didn’t last long. Just long enough to stir up the hatred between the Israelites and the Philistines.

There’s more to come…..much more….cue the Eastenders drum sequence!