Samson’s Marriage
14 Samson went down to Timnah, and at Timnah he saw one of the daughters of the Philistines. Then he came up and told his father and mother, “I saw one of the daughters of the Philistines at Timnah. Now get her for me as my wife.” But his father and mother said to him, “Is there not a woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you must go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she is right in my eyes.”
His father and mother did not know that it was from the LORD, for he was seeking an opportunity against the Philistines. At that time the Philistines ruled over Israel.
Then Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah, and they came to the vineyards of Timnah. And behold, a young lion came toward him roaring. Then the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon him, and although he had nothing in his hand, he tore the lion in pieces as one tears a young goat. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done. Then he went down and talked with the woman, and she was right in Samson’s eyes.
After some days he returned to take her. And he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion, and behold, there was a swarm of bees in the body of the lion, and honey. He scraped it out into his hands and went on, eating as he went. And he came to his father and mother and gave some to them, and they ate. But he did not tell them that he had scraped the honey from the carcass of the lion.
His father went down to the woman, and Samson prepared a feast there, for so the young men used to do. As soon as the people saw him, they brought thirty companions to be with him. And Samson said to them, “Let me now put a riddle to you. If you can tell me what it is, within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothes, but if you cannot tell me what it is, then you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothes.” And they said to him, “Put your riddle, that we may hear it.” And he said to them,
“Out of the eater came something to eat.
Out of the strong came something sweet.”
And in three days they could not solve the riddle.
On the fourth day they said to Samson’s wife, “Entice your husband to tell us what the riddle is, lest we burn you and your father’s house with fire. Have you invited us here to impoverish us?” And Samson’s wife wept over him and said, “You only hate me; you do not love me. You have put a riddle to my people, and you have not told me what it is.” And he said to her, “Behold, I have not told my father nor my mother, and shall I tell you?” She wept before him the seven days that their feast lasted, and on the seventh day he told her, because she pressed him hard. Then she told the riddle to her people. And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down,
“What is sweeter than honey?
What is stronger than a lion?”
And he said to them,
“If you had not plowed with my heifer,
you would not have found out my riddle.”
And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon and struck down thirty men of the town and took their spoil and gave the garments to those who had told the riddle. In hot anger he went back to his father’s house. And Samson’s wife was given to his companion, who had been his best man.
(ESV)
Judges 14 Commentary
In Judges 14, Samson saw a Philistine woman in Timnah and demanded his parents arrange the marriage, despite their objections. They did not realize this was part of God’s plan to confront the Philistines. On the way to Timnah, Samson killed a lion with his bare hands but told no one. Later, he found bees and honey in the lion’s carcass and ate some, sharing it with his parents without revealing its source.
At his wedding feast, Samson proposed a riddle to the Philistines which involved a clothing wager. Unable to solve it, they pressured his wife to get the answer, threatening her family. She nagged Samson until he told her and then passed it on to the Philistine men. The men then answered the riddle, and Samson became enraged. He killed 30 men in Ashkelon to pay the debt and then left in anger. When he returned, he found that his wife was given to another man.
Questions
There are many questions relating to Samson that go unanswered. Why did Samson demand that his parents make wedding arrangments with this woman despite their objections? Why does he break his Nazarite vow?… and why doesn’t he tell his parents? Why would the Spirit of God come upon a man like Samson?
Samson: The Middle School Boy
The irony is thick here in Judges 14 as Samson is undoubtedly a paradoxical figure. Though he demonstrates incredible physical power when the Spirit of the Lord inhabits him, his mental/emotional maturity is incredibly weak. He literally tears a lion in half but chooses not to process this intense event with anyone – including his parents.
Later, Samson returns to the lion’s carcass, finds honey inside, and eats it without thinking twice. This act violates his Nazarite vow by making him unclean, yet, he gives the honey to his parents and never tells them where it came from!
At his wedding feast, he uses a riddle to assert control, turning a celebration into a competitive challenge but when his wife weeps for seven days under Philistine pressure, he finally caves in. Upon realizing her betrayal, he turns into a rage monster, killing 30 men in Ashkelon over a lost bet. Instead of dealing with the conflict, he abandons his wife and returns home, avoiding any confrontation.
Samson’s pattern of impulsivity, secrecy, violent outbursts, and poor confrontational skills highlight his significant mental/emotional instability. To add insult to injury, he refers to his wife as a heifer in verse 18 which is a bad move for any man in any generation!
God’s Sovereighty
Despite all of this, God’s Spirit is using him throughout this entire process! We know that God is using Samson (flaws and all) as an opportunity to deliver Israel from the Philistines.
“But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? [20] You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result—the survival of many people.”
Genesis 50:19-20 CSB
“Many plans are in a person’s heart, but the LORD’s decree will prevail.”
Proverbs 19:21 CSB
“Remember what happened long ago, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and no one is like me. [10] I declare the end from the beginning, and from long ago what is not yet done, saying: my plan will take place, and I will do all my will.
Isaiah 46:9-10 CSB
Consider: the most severe and appalling act of human sin in the history of the cosmos was the murder of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, and yet, God used this very act to bring about the most wonderful and redemptive outcome – the Salvation of humanity. Through Christ’s suffering and death on the cross, God accomplished His sovereign plan of redemption, demonstrating that no amount of human sin can thwart His divine purposes. This ultimate example is a powerful reminder that God can and does use the darkest moments (and most flawed people) for His glory.
