Judges 14:8 – 20 “When Samson returned later to take her, he left the road to see the lion’s carcass, and in it was a swarm of bees, along with their honey. So he scooped some honey into his hands and ate it as he went along. When he returned to his father and mother, he gave some to them and they ate it. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion’s carcass.
Then his father went to visit the woman, and Samson prepared a feast there, as was customary for the bridegroom. And when the Philistines saw him,a they selected thirty men to accompany him. “Let me tell you a riddle,” Samson said to them. “If you can solve it for me within the seven days of the feast, I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes. But if you cannot solve it, you must give me thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.” “Tell us your riddle,” they replied. “Let us hear it.” So he said to them: “Out of the eater came something to eat, and out of the strong came something sweet.”
For three days they were unable to explain the riddle. So on the fourth day they said to Samson’s wife, “Entice your husband to explain the riddle to us, or we will burn you and your father’s household to death. Did you invite us here to rob us?” Then Samson’s wife came to him, weeping, and said, “You hate me! You do not really love me! You have posed to my people a riddle, but have not explained it to me.” “Look,” he said, “I have not even explained it to my father or mother, so why should I explain it to you?” She wept the whole seven days of the feast, and finally on the seventh day, because she had pressed him so much, he told her the answer. And in turn she explained the riddle to her people.
Before sunset on the seventh day, the men of the city said to Samson: “What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?” So he said to them: “If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have solved my riddle!”
Then the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, killed thirty of their men, took their apparel, and gave their clothes to those who had solved the riddle. And burning with anger, Samson returned to his father’s house, and his wife was given to one of the men who had accompanied him.”
As a Nazirite, Samson was not supposed to touch any dead bodies at any time, anywhere! But Samson was ruled by his appetites, and when he saw free honey, he took some and also gave some to his parents. As practicing Jews, Samson’s parents shouldn’t have eaten that honey either. Did Samson try to excuse himself by telling himself that if his parents had refused the honey, then he would have stopped eating it? At the very least, Samson manipulated his innocent parents into a sin so that he could feel better about it himself.
Compounding that sin, Samson goes on to the marriage feast and decides to be clever. Perhaps riddles were a local custom at marriage feasts. Samson himself is the one who places severe restrictions on those failing to solve the riddle, so Samson is the one who creates the crisis in the first place. Had Samson posed the riddle with some lesser consequences for those who could not solve it, the feast would probably have gone on and things would have been peaceful. But the price Samson demands is so high that the Philistines threaten to burn the bride’s family’s house with everyone in it. Faced with this threat, it is little wonder that the bride cries for all seven days of the feast. Finally, Samson can’t stand it any more and shares the answer with his bride, who immediately tells the wedding guests, thus saving her family from extinction.
Samson becomes infuriated and takes out his anger and fulfills his vow by going to the Philistine city of Ashkelon, murdering thirty men, and taking their clothes. Samson huffs off with his parents rather than first collecting his bride. (?Typical only child behavior?) Facing a difficult situation, the bride’s parents quickly give her to someone else so that she will not become a social pariah.
APPLICATION: The whole mess has begun with Samson’s wrong choice of a bride. As if that is not enough, Samson also breaks his Nazirite vow on the way to this ungodly wedding. Remember that Samson is supposed to be a Nazirite from the womb until the day of his death. Scooping that honey out of a dead carcass is an absolute violation of the restrictions on Nazirites. Unfortunately, once we choose to begin sinning, one sin is likely to beget another. Samson’s parents have tried their best to get him to marry an Israelite girl, but Samson has emphatically refused. Next, the Nazirite vow gets cast aside. What follows is a mockery of a wedding feast; how could it be otherwise? At the end, thirty men from Ashkelon are murdered for their clothes and Samson goes home with his parents, who are undoubtedly abashed at this turn of events.
What must Manoah and his wife feel as they trudge home with their spoiled handsome son who has just made a complete mess of his divine calling and embarrassed them before a rival tribe in the process? Quite likely, Manoah is already concerned about what Samson might choose to do next, since Samson has already demonstrated so little regard for God.
The story of Samson is an unqualified tragedy! Samson is gifted – strong, handsome, brave, and presumably intelligent. But Samson becomes a slave to his lusts early on, refuses to take wise counsel from his parents, and turns his back on most of his Nazirite vows. So far, Samson still has his long hair, so he is being PARTIALLY obedient, but partial obedience in the face of the demonic remains a recipe for disaster. Give demons any chance at all, and they will take over.
Today we have many people who claim to believe in Jesus Christ; however, their lives do not bear close inspection. Church rolls are littered with the names of those who attend regularly on Sunday but who cheat people on Monday. If we truly love someone, we do everything we can not to hurt or offend them. Sin grieves God. Nobody is perfect; however, those who truly follow Jesus recognize when they have sinned, turn away from that sin, and confess to God that they need His help to make it. Any believer who feels that he or she can make it on his/her own is doomed to failure. Compromises are useless.
PRAYER: Father God, let our hearts grieve with the things that break Yours. Help us to turn away from compromises and to continue to follow You all the days of our lives. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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