Some of them boys just had no idea where those choices they made long ago would lead them.”
–Lou Bradshaw (Palouse)
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”
–Proverbs 14:12(NKJV)
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“Now what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of … Samson… who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises,
stopped the mouths of lions.”
–Hebrews 11:32-33 (NKJV)
We know nothing of Samson as he grew up except that he had a Nazirite Vow. We can only speculate about him and that could be dangerous. Did he exhibit his extra-ordinary strength while he was growing up? I tend to think the first time he realized it was upon the occasion when he was attacked by the lion. Oh, he may have been stronger than the other young men around, but there wasn’t an occasion that called for the Spirit of the Lord to come upon him.
Judges 14:4, we see that God “was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines.” (NKJV) He saw a woman whom he wanted for a wife and he along with his parents were on their way to the wedding feast. We are not told why he was not with his parents when he was attacked by the lion, but he must have decided to go his own way, (he did that often) or while resting he wandered away from them. Needless to say they knew nothing of the incident.
“So Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother, and came to the vineyards of Timnah. Now to his surprise, a young lion came roaring against him. And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart as one would have torn apart a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done.”
–Judges 14:5-6 (NKJV)
One thing we should ask, what was Samson doing in the vineyard? It was a place where he should not be found for it went against his Vow. Yet, God was with him. But this occasion made known to him his tremendous strength and power. This is a great lesson for us. When we struggle we need to realized that we have a tremendous power within us–the power of the Holy Spirit. It may not be to tear a lion apart, but it is to defeat that vicious enemy who comes at us like a roaring lion. Matthew Henry writes, “God let Samson know what he could do in the strength of the Spirit of the Lord, that he might never be afraid to look the greatest difficulties in the face.” We, too can face the difficulties of life in the power of the Holy Spirit.
After meeting with his wife-to-be making arrangements for the wedding ceremony he passed by where he killed the lion. Again he ventured into a place where he should not be and found honey in the carcass. Now, he breaks the second part of his Vow, touching the dead animal, and after taking honey he found in the carcass, he goes on to the wedding feast. He has no friends, he has not brought anyone with him to help him celebrate so he is given thirty “buddies” from among the Philistines. We are not told who they are, we can only speculate, but he wagered with them through a riddle. These were false companions and most likely there was plenty of drinking at the feast. I doubt that Samson had sarsaparilla or lemonade at the wedding ceremony, especially if these men were of the rougher sort that we associate as Philistine.
Because of a “false wife,” one he should not have consorted with in the first place he was enticed to tell her the secret of the riddle which she then passed on to the Philistines. Samson realized that he had been duped. The woman had first of all enticed him, then controlled him with her tears, then she finally betrayed him to her countrymen. Samson did not object to paying the wager, but he understood how they came to know the answer. Warren Wiersbe said this, “Samson could kill lions and break ropes, but he couldn’t over come the power of a woman’s tears.”
Now we get to the occasion that God was looking for. Samson went down to a neighboring city, Ashkelon, and killed thirty men taking their apparel to pay off his wager. It is important to see that this was done as “the Spirit of the LORD came upon him mightily” (Judges 14:19, NKJV). The Philistines were stirred up, Samson was on his way to fulfilling the role that God had for him.
Let me tell a story about my youngest daughter’s wedding to end this portion in the study of Samson. As we stood, ready to walk down the aisle, she began trembling. I leaned toward her and whispered, “Now is the chance. You can still run.” At the time there was a popular movie, “Runaway Bride.” She still had a chance to run from this marriage. However, she took a deep breath, her trembling stopped and we walked down the aisle. We could call Samson the “Runaway Groom.” He didn’t marry the woman, but went back to his father’s house, maybe not exactly like the Prodigal Son of the New Testament, but he knew where he could and should go. The story isn’t quite over. The best man married his wife-to-be.
The moral of the story is: watch out for the Philistines! Matthew Henry summed it up, “Better be angry with Philistines, than in love with them, because, when we join ourselves to them, we are most in danger of being ensnared by them.” The words of the Apostle Paul ring out to warn us, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?” (2 Corinthians 6:14-15, NKJV)
—————————————–
“Now what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of … Samson… who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises,
stopped the mouths of lions.”
–Hebrews 11:32-33 (NKJV)
We know nothing of Samson as he grew up except that he had a Nazirite Vow. We can only speculate about him and that could be dangerous. Did he exhibit his extra-ordinary strength while he was growing up? I tend to think the first time he realized it was upon the occasion when he was attacked by the lion. Oh, he may have been stronger than the other young men around, but there wasn’t an occasion that called for the Spirit of the Lord to come upon him.
Judges 14:4, we see that God “was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines.” (NKJV) He saw a woman whom he wanted for a wife and he along with his parents were on their way to the wedding feast. We are not told why he was not with his parents when he was attacked by the lion, but he must have decided to go his own way, (he did that often) or while resting he wandered away from them. Needless to say they knew nothing of the incident.
“So Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother, and came to the vineyards of Timnah. Now to his surprise, a young lion came roaring against him. And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart as one would have torn apart a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done.”
–Judges 14:5-6 (NKJV)
One thing we should ask, what was Samson doing in the vineyard? It was a place where he should not be found for it went against his Vow. Yet, God was with him. But this occasion made known to him his tremendous strength and power. This is a great lesson for us. When we struggle we need to realized that we have a tremendous power within us–the power of the Holy Spirit. It may not be to tear a lion apart, but it is to defeat that vicious enemy who comes at us like a roaring lion. Matthew Henry writes, “God let Samson know what he could do in the strength of the Spirit of the Lord, that he might never be afraid to look the greatest difficulties in the face.” We, too can face the difficulties of life in the power of the Holy Spirit.
After meeting with his wife-to-be making arrangements for the wedding ceremony he passed by where he killed the lion. Again he ventured into a place where he should not be and found honey in the carcass. Now, he breaks the second part of his Vow, touching the dead animal, and after taking honey he found in the carcass, he goes on to the wedding feast. He has no friends, he has not brought anyone with him to help him celebrate so he is given thirty “buddies” from among the Philistines. We are not told who they are, we can only speculate, but he wagered with them through a riddle. These were false companions and most likely there was plenty of drinking at the feast. I doubt that Samson had sarsaparilla or lemonade at the wedding ceremony, especially if these men were of the rougher sort that we associate as Philistine.
Because of a “false wife,” one he should not have consorted with in the first place he was enticed to tell her the secret of the riddle which she then passed on to the Philistines. Samson realized that he had been duped. The woman had first of all enticed him, then controlled him with her tears, then she finally betrayed him to her countrymen. Samson did not object to paying the wager, but he understood how they came to know the answer. Warren Wiersbe said this, “Samson could kill lions and break ropes, but he couldn’t over come the power of a woman’s tears.”
Now we get to the occasion that God was looking for. Samson went down to a neighboring city, Ashkelon, and killed thirty men taking their apparel to pay off his wager. It is important to see that this was done as “the Spirit of the LORD came upon him mightily” (Judges 14:19, NKJV). The Philistines were stirred up, Samson was on his way to fulfilling the role that God had for him.
Let me tell a story about my youngest daughter’s wedding to end this portion in the study of Samson. As we stood, ready to walk down the aisle, she began trembling. I leaned toward her and whispered, “Now is the chance. You can still run.” At the time there was a popular movie, “Runaway Bride.” She still had a chance to run from this marriage. However, she took a deep breath, her trembling stopped and we walked down the aisle. We could call Samson the “Runaway Groom.” He didn’t marry the woman, but went back to his father’s house, maybe not exactly like the Prodigal Son of the New Testament, but he knew where he could and should go. The story isn’t quite over. The best man married his wife-to-be.
The moral of the story is: watch out for the Philistines! Matthew Henry summed it up, “Better be angry with Philistines, than in love with them, because, when we join ourselves to them, we are most in danger of being ensnared by them.” The words of the Apostle Paul ring out to warn us, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?” (2 Corinthians 6:14-15, NKJV)