Thursday, February 28, 2019

Samson’s Ungodly Attitude


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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