When Samson’s father realized they had seen an angel, he
panicked, convinced they were going to die.
His wife realized it would make no sense for God to have revealed
himself to them if he was going to kill them, as Judges 13:23 tells us. “But
his wife said unto him, If the LORD were pleased to kill us, he would not have
received a burnt offering and a meat offering at our hands, neither would he
have showed us all these things, nor would as at this time have told us such
things as these.” God will never ask us to do something unless
he intends to make it possible. God
fulfilled his promise, as we see in Judges 13:24. “And
the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the
LORD blessed him.
As Samson grew, the Lord began to direct him to deliver
Israel. Judges 13:25-14:4 describes one
such instance. “And the spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of
Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol. And
Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the
Philistines. And he came up, and told
his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the
daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife.
Then his father and
his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy
brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the
uncircumcised Philistines?
And Samson said unto
his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well. But his father and his mother knew not that it
was of the LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at
that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.”
Samson’s father and mother were concerned because God had
forbidden the Israelites to marry people who didn’t serve God because of the
temptation to follow their gods. Although
he had been called to be a Nazarite before he was born, Samson was a very
selfish person and didn’t care much about God’s wishes, preferring to hang
around the Philistines since they were in power. Since
he wouldn’t fight the Philistines for God’s sake, God would use his attitude to
make him mad at them.
Unable to change his mind, his parents went to Timnath to
plan the wedding, in Judges 14:5-7. “Then went Samson down, and his father and
his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath: and, behold, a
young lion roared against him. And the
spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have
rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his
mother what he had done. And he went
down, and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well.” God sent a young lion to warn him of the
danger, but empowered by the Spirit of God, Samson ripped him apart as if he
had been just a newborn lamb. The
warning made no impression on him, and they continued with the arrangements.
A short time later, Samson went down for the wedding. in
judges 14:8-9. “And after a time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see
the carcase of the lion: and, behold, there was a swarm of bees and honey in
the carcase of the lion. And he took
thereof in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his father and mother,
and he gave them, and they did eat: but he told not them that he had taken the
honey out of the carcase of the lion.” One
of the requirements of a Nazarite was that they were not to touch a dead body
or eat anything that had been contaminated by contact with one. Seeing a hive of bees in the lion’s body,
Samson opened the carcase and took some of the honey, violating his vow. He gave his parents some of the honey,
causing them to unknowingly violate the Jewish dietary laws and placing their
health at risk. This selfish disregard for God and his law would
characterize Samson’s entire life.
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