SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 OBEDIENCE OR CHAOS 45: PARENTING A SUPER STAR IS TOUGH!
Judges 14:1 – 7 “One day Samson went down to Timnah, where he saw a young Philistine woman. So he returned and told his father and his mother, “I have seen a daughter of the Philistines in Timnah. Now get her for me as a wife.” But his father and mother replied, “Can’t you find a young woman among your relatives or among any of our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife?”
But Samson told his father, “Get her for me, for she is pleasing to my eyes.” (Now his father and mother did not know this was from the LORD, who was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines; for at that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel.) Then Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother and came to the vineyards of Timnah. Suddenly a young lion came roaring at him, and the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon him, and he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as one would tear a young goat. But he did not tell his father or mother what he had done. Then Samson continued on his way down and spoke to the woman, because she was pleasing to his eyes.”
What do we know about the area in which Samson grew up? The Philistines were moving into Canaan from the Mediterranean Sea coast at the same time the Israelites were moving in from the east. The villages of Zorah and Eshtaol are both strategic guard posts, located at the foot of the hill country, alongside the Sorek Valley which leads from the Central Hills north of Jerusalem westward to the Mediterranean Sea. This would have been one of the crucial places where the Israelites would have defended access to their territory. The fact that Samson is born here indicates that he is a frontiersman, a border dweller, absorbing influences from both the Israelites and the Philistines. (https://blog.israelbiblicalstudies.com/holy-land-studies/where-samson-walked/)
This is a perplexing story. The name “Samson” means “like the sun” and indicates incredible strength. Samson goes down to Timnah, a Philistine city in Canaan, a place where he has no business being, and finds a beautiful young lady. There is never any mention of Samson having gone to an Israelite city to look for a wife. Why was Samson in Timnah in the first place? Did his parents teach him only about his Nazirite vows and fail to teach him about the other laws of Moses? Were Samson’s parents themselves ignorant of the teachings of Moses that forbade Israelites from marrying outside the nation of Israel?
The next perplexing thing is the phrase “(Now his father and mother did not know this was from the LORD, who was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines; for at that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel.)” HUH??? Samson is directly violating the Lord’s commands; however, God is managing to use even Samson’s lust and poor judgment to begin a conflict with the Philistines. Was Samson fulfilling God’s perfect will when he strayed into a Philistine city? No. Why was Samson in Timnah? Was there some kind of fertility rite going on and is that how Samson chose the girl he wanted? If Samson had chosen an Israelite girl to marry, would God have found some other means of inciting a conflict? Of course!
Samson encounters a lion, tears it to pieces, and then proceeds to Timnah, where he speaks to the girl he has chosen. This is Samson’s first recorded act of strength, one that will later lead him to his first recorded violation of his Nazirite vow.
APPLICATION: Samson was an only child, the object of affection of his parents. Despite the fact that Samson had been raised as a Nazirite and was enjoined to keep the Nazirite vow his entire life, there is no evidence to suggest that Samson actually knew God or loved Him. Children who are indulged from an early age may rebel later in life not realizing how much they have been given. When Samson went down to Timnah the first time, he was already pushing things, and when he demanded that his parents get this Philistine girl for him as a wife, he was behaving like a spoiled brat. Why else would a young man force his parents into a compromising situation, one in which they would be extremely uncomfortable? Samson evidently had very little respect for his parents and even less for God.
When young people who are bright and attractive begin to admire themselves too much, their self – worship outstrips their respect for their parents. While there are neglectful parents in the world, there are also many parents who have tried to raise their children properly and who want nothing but the best spiritually for their children. Some of us fail to come to our senses until we are middle – aged and raising children of our own. It is only when our children begin to give us the same problems we gave our parents that we realize how much our parents may have suffered because of us.
May God help us to appreciate all that our parents have done for us! May we also realize that any mistakes our parents have made were done because they are human; therefore, we should be careful, lest we make similar mistakes.
PRAYER: Father God, help all of us to forgive our parents for any mistakes they might have made. Help us also to recognize that we too can make similar mistakes. Help us to continue to look to You, the ultimate Parent, for guidance and encouragement. And help us to teach our children Your ways. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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